Alignment device and alignment method

Abstract

To provide an alignment apparatus and an align alignment method capable of realizing a state in which vertically long objects are aligned along a vertical direction with simple constitution and simple control.SOLUTION: An alignment apparatus aligns a plurality of vertically long objects. The alignment apparatus includes: a first robot which takes out the vertically long objects placed on a mounting section with their longitudinal directions facing side ways, and arranges the plurality of vertically long objects in a temporary storage place while aligning the longitudinal directions; and a second robot which takes out the vertically long objects placed on the temporary storage place, and arranges the vertically long objects in a real storage place so that the longitudinal direction is placed along a vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an alignment device and an alignment method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, due to rising labor costs and labor shortages in factories, automation of tasks that have been performed manually using various robots and their peripheral devices has been accelerating. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, an example of such tasks is the task of aligning randomly arranged elongated objects so that their longitudinal directions are oriented in one direction.

[0003] In the alignment device described in Patent Document 1, a robot with a robot arm grasps elongated items placed in a temporary storage area and moves them onto a conveyor. When the robot releases the grip, the items fall toward the conveyor's transport direction, and the elongated items are aligned. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-149572 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the alignment device described in Patent Document 1 cannot stand upright elongated items because it aligns them using the conveying force of the conveyor. In other words, it cannot align elongated items in a vertical direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The alignment device of the present invention is an alignment device for aligning a plurality of elongated objects, a first robot that takes out the elongated objects placed on the placement unit with their longitudinal directions facing horizontally, and arranges the elongated objects in a temporary storage area by aligning the longitudinal directions; and a second robot that takes out the elongated object placed in the temporary storage area and places it in a permanent storage area so that the longitudinal direction is aligned vertically.

[0007] The alignment method of the present invention is a method for aligning a plurality of elongated objects, comprising: The vertically elongated objects placed on the placement section with their longitudinal directions facing horizontally are removed, and the vertically elongated objects are placed in a temporary storage area with their longitudinal directions aligned. The elongated object placed in the temporary storage area is removed and placed in a permanent storage area so that the longitudinal direction is aligned vertically. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an alignment device of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the first robot shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the alignment device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a side view showing a state in which the elongated object shown in FIG. 1 is placed on a placement section. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram showing an image of the elongated object shown in FIG. 1 placed on a placement section, taken from vertically above. [Figure 6] 2 is a side view showing a support part installed in a temporary storage area of ​​the alignment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a side view showing a state in which a vertically elongated object is being taken out from a temporary storage area of ​​the aligning device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a side view showing a state in which elongated objects are being aligned in a book placement area of ​​the alignment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a perspective view showing a storage box installed in a book storage area of ​​the aligning device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of the alignment device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An alignment device and an alignment method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0010] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of an alignment device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a first robot shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the alignment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which a vertically elongated object shown in FIG. 1 is placed on a placement section. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an image captured from vertically above of a state in which a vertically elongated object shown in FIG. 1 is placed on a placement section. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a support section installed in a temporary storage area of ​​the alignment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which a vertically elongated object is being removed from the temporary storage area of ​​the alignment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which vertically elongated objects are being aligned in a book storage area of ​​the alignment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a storage box installed in the book storage area of ​​the alignment device shown in FIG. 1.

[0011] For ease of explanation, FIG. 1 illustrates three mutually orthogonal axes: the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis. Hereinafter, the direction parallel to the x-axis will be referred to as the "x-axis direction," the direction parallel to the y-axis will be referred to as the "y-axis direction," and the direction parallel to the z-axis will be referred to as the "z-axis direction." Hereinafter, the tip end of each arrow shown in the figure will be referred to as "+ (plus)" and the base end as "- (minus)." The direction around the z-axis and the direction around an axis parallel to the z-axis will be referred to as the "u direction."

[0012] For ease of explanation, the +z-axis direction in FIG. 1, i.e., the upper side, will be referred to as "up" or "upper," and the -z-axis direction, i.e., the lower side, will be referred to as "lower" or "lower." Regarding the robot arm 20, the side facing the base 21 in FIG. 2 will be referred to as the "base end," and the opposite side, i.e., the side facing the end effector 7A (7B), will be referred to as the "tip." The z-axis direction in FIG. 1, i.e., the up-down direction, will be referred to as the "vertical direction," and the x-axis and y-axis directions, i.e., the left-right direction, will be referred to as the "horizontal direction."

[0013] The alignment device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a device for aligning randomly arranged elongated objects in an upright position, and includes a robot 2A, a robot 2B, a supply area A1, a placement unit 3, a robot control device 4, a temporary storage area 5, a permanent storage area 6, and a control device 8. The elongated objects handled by the alignment device 100 of the present invention are objects whose height, when viewed from the side in an upright position, is greater than their maximum diameter or width when viewed from above. Typically, the height when viewed from the side is 1.2 times or more the maximum diameter or width when viewed from above. The elongated objects will be described below using a "bottle W" as an example. The bottle W is used, for example, as a container for storing liquids such as beverages and lotions, or solids such as food and powder detergent.

[0014] First, a description will be given of the robots 2 A and 2 B. When the alignment device 100 is viewed from the +z-axis side, the robots 2 A and 2 B are arranged side by side in this order from the +x-axis side at approximately the center.

[0015] The robot 2A and the robot 2B have almost the same configuration except for the installation positions, so the robot 2A will be representatively described below.

[0016] In this embodiment, the robot 2A is a horizontal articulated robot, i.e., a SCARA robot. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the robot 2A has a base 21, a robot arm 20 connected to the base 21, an end effector 7A, and a robot control device 4 that controls the operation of each of these parts.

[0017] The base 21 is a part that supports the robot arm 20. The base 21 houses a robot control device 4, which will be described later.

[0018] The robot arm 20 includes a first arm 22, a second arm 23, and a third arm 24, which is a working head. The connecting portion between the base 21 and the first arm 22, the connecting portion between the first arm 22 and the second arm 23, and the connecting portion between the second arm 23 and the third arm 24 are also referred to as joints.

[0019] The robot 2A is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure, and the number of arms may be one or two, or may be four or more.

[0020] The robot 2A also includes a drive unit 25 that rotates the first arm 22 relative to the base 21, a drive unit 26 that rotates the second arm 23 relative to the first arm 22, a u drive unit 27 that rotates the shaft 241 of the third arm 24 relative to the second arm 23, and a z drive unit 28 that moves the shaft 241 in the z-axis direction relative to the second arm 23.

[0021] 2, drive unit 25 is built into housing 220 of first arm 22, drive unit 26 is built into housing 230 of second arm 23, u drive unit 27 is built into housing 230 of second arm 23, and z drive unit 28 is built into housing 230 of second arm 23. Although not shown, drive unit 25, drive unit 26, u drive unit 27, and z drive unit 28 each have a motor that generates a driving force, a brake, a reducer that reduces the driving force of the motor, and an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the rotation shaft of the motor or the reducer.

[0022] The base 21 is fixed to the floor (not shown), for example, with bolts or the like. A first arm 22 is connected to the upper end of the base 21. The first arm 22 is rotatable about a first axis O1 that is vertical to the base 21. When a drive unit 25 that rotates the first arm 22 is driven, the first arm 22 rotates in a horizontal plane about the first axis O1 relative to the base 21. In addition, an encoder can detect the amount of rotation of the first arm 22 relative to the base 21.

[0023] A second arm 23 is connected to the tip of the first arm 22. The second arm 23 is rotatable about a second axis O2 that is perpendicular to the first arm 22. The axial direction of the first axis O1 and the axial direction of the second axis O2 are the same. That is, the second axis O2 is parallel to the first axis O1. When a drive unit 26 that rotates the second arm 23 is driven, the second arm 23 rotates in a horizontal plane about the second axis O2 relative to the first arm 22. An encoder can detect the amount of drive of the second arm 23 relative to the first arm 22, specifically, the amount of rotation.

[0024] Furthermore, a third arm 24 is installed and supported at the tip of the second arm 23. The third arm 24 has a shaft 241. The shaft 241 is rotatable about a third axis O3 that is vertical relative to the second arm 23, and is also movable in the up and down direction. This shaft 241 is the arm at the very tip of the robot arm 20.

[0025] When the u drive unit 27 that rotates the shaft 241 is driven, the shaft 241 rotates around the z axis. In addition, the amount of rotation of the shaft 241 relative to the second arm 23 can be detected by an encoder.

[0026] Furthermore, when z drive unit 28, which moves shaft 241 in the z-axis direction, is driven, shaft 241 moves up and down, i.e., in the z-axis direction. Furthermore, an encoder can detect the amount of movement of shaft 241 in the z-axis direction relative to second arm 23.

[0027] An end effector 7A is detachably connected to the lower end of the shaft 241. In this embodiment, the end effector 7A is a hand having two fingers 71 that grip and release an elongated object by moving the fingers 71 closer to and away from each other. However, the end effector 7A is not limited to this configuration, and may have three or more fingers 71, or may be a hand that grips and releases an elongated object by suction and release of suction.

[0028] In this embodiment, the end effector 7A is not a component of the robot 2A, but part or all of the end effector 7A may be a component of the robot 2A.

[0029] The configuration of the robot 2A has been described above. The operation of the robot 2A is controlled by the robot control device 4. Next, the robot 2B will be described, but only the differences will be described.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the end effector 7B of the robot 2B has a rotation mechanism that rotates each of the two fingers 71 by 90 degrees. This rotation mechanism can be configured, for example, to have a motor electrically connected to the robot control device 4 of the robot 2B. The robot control device 4 controls the energization conditions of the motor, thereby controlling the timing at which the end effector 7B rotates. With this configuration, the end effector 7B can rotate the bottle W by 90 degrees while gripping the bottle W.

[0031] As described above, the second robot, robot 2B, is equipped with an end effector 7B having a rotation mechanism that can change the orientation of a bottle W, which is an example of a vertically elongated object that it is holding, to a vertically aligned state. This allows end effector 7B to rotate the bottle W by 90 degrees while holding the bottle W. The state in which the vertically elongated object is facing sideways is not limited to the horizontal direction, but also includes a state in which the side of the vertically elongated object is supported by the placement surface 311 or the inner surface of a groove 531, which will be described later. Furthermore, as will be described later, according to the present invention, the bottle W can be aligned in the second alignment state using such a simple mechanism.

[0032] In the alignment device 100, when an operator randomly places multiple bottles W in the supply area A1, the robot 2A uses the end effector 7A to grasp the bottles W in the supply area A1 and temporarily move them to the temporary storage area 5, thereby achieving a first alignment state. Then, the robot 2B uses the end effector 7B to grasp the bottles W in the temporary storage area 5 and move them to the regular storage area 6, thereby achieving a second alignment state. Then, the operator removes the bottles W that have been aligned in the regular storage area 6.

[0033] The first alignment state is a state in which the longitudinal direction of the bottles W is aligned horizontally and the longitudinal directions of each bottle W are parallel. The second alignment state is a state in which the longitudinal direction of the bottles W is aligned vertically and the longitudinal directions of each bottle W are parallel.

[0034] Each part of the alignment device 100 will be described below. 1, the supply area A1 is an area where a worker supplies bottles W and where the bottles W supplied by the worker are transported. The supply area A1 has a first conveyor A11 and a second conveyor A12.

[0035] The first conveyor A11 is a section on which bottles W are randomly placed by an operator. The first conveyor A11 is provided on the -y-axis side of the robot 2A and extends in the x-axis direction. The first conveyor A11 has a belt A111 that moves the bottles W placed on it from the -x-axis side to the +x-axis side. In addition, a guide section A112 that reduces the width of the conveying area of ​​the belt A111 toward the +x-axis side is provided near the end of the +x-axis side of the first conveyor A11. This allows the bottles W being conveyed on the first conveyor A11 to be effectively gathered near the center of the belt A111 and discharged from the first conveyor A11.

[0036] The bottles W discharged from the first conveyor A11 are transferred to the second conveyor A12. The second conveyor A12 is provided on the +x-axis side of the first conveyor A11 and the robot 2A, and extends in the y-axis direction. The second conveyor A12 has a belt A121 that moves the bottles W loaded on it from the -y-axis side to the +y-axis side. The bottles W discharged from the second conveyor A12 are supplied to the loading section 3 and loaded on it.

[0037] The placement unit 3 is located on the +x-axis side of the robot 2A and within the movable range of the robot 2A, and is a portion on which bottles W discharged by the second conveyor A12 are placed. The placement unit 3 has a placement table 31 located on the +x-axis side of the robot 2A, a camera 32 provided on the +z-axis side of the placement table 31, and a vibration applying unit 33 that applies vibrations to the placement table 31.

[0038] The mounting table 31 is a table having a horizontal mounting surface 311. The bottle W is placed on this mounting surface 311. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottle W has a shape having a small diameter portion W1 and a large diameter portion W2, and therefore the axis WO of the bottle W placed on the mounting surface 311 is inclined relative to the horizontal.

[0039] The camera 32 captures an image from the +z-axis side to the -z-axis side of the mounting table 31. This allows the mounting surface 311 and the bottle W on the mounting surface 311 to be imaged. The camera 32 may be configured to include, for example, an imaging element configured with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor having a plurality of pixels, and an optical system including a lens, etc. As shown in FIG. 3, the camera 32 is electrically connected to the control device 8. The camera 32 also converts light received by the imaging element into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the control device 8. That is, the camera 32 transmits the imaging result to the control device 8. The imaging result may be a still image or a video.

[0040] When the control device 8 receives the signal of image D shown in Fig. 5, the control device 8 identifies the position of the bottle W based on image D and determines whether it is possible to grasp the bottle W, i.e., whether the fingers 71 will interfere with other bottles W when grasping one bottle W. The control device 8 then transmits a signal regarding this determination result to the robot control device 4 of the robot 2A and controls the operation of the robot 2A based on that signal. This allows the robot 2A to stably grasp the bottle W.

[0041] In this way, the placement unit 3 has a camera 32 that captures an image of the bottle W, which is a vertically elongated object, placed on the placement unit 3. This allows the robot 2A to accurately remove the bottle W from the placement unit 3 based on the image captured by the camera 32.

[0042] Furthermore, it is preferable that the camera 32 is a 2D camera, which can reduce costs and enable the robot 2A to grasp the bottle W with the simple control described above.

[0043] The vibration applying unit 33 has a vibration generating source (not shown). This vibration generating source is electrically connected to the control device 8, and the control device 8 controls the power supply conditions, thereby controlling the operation of the vibration applying unit 33. The vibrations generated by the vibration applying unit 33 are transmitted to the mounting table 31 and then to the bottles W on the mounting surface 311. This causes each bottle W to vibrate, causing each bottle W to shift in any direction on the xy plane. Therefore, even if the bottles W are overlapping in the z-axis direction, they can be shifted and the overlap can be resolved. As a result, it is possible for the robot 2A to easily grasp the bottles W.

[0044] In this way, the placement unit 3 has a vibration applying unit 33 that applies vibrations to the bottles W, which are vertically long objects. This allows the bottles W, even if they are stacked vertically, to be shifted and the stacking to be resolved. As a result, it becomes easier for the robot 2A to grasp the bottles W.

[0045] The bottle W grasped by the robot 2A is moved, that is, taken out, and placed in the temporary storage area 5 by the robot 2A.

[0046] The temporary storage area 5 has a first lane 51, a second lane 52, and support portions 53 arranged in the first lane 51 and the second lane 52, respectively.

[0047] The first lane 51 and the second lane 52 are arranged on the +y-axis side of the robot 2A and the robot 2B. The first lane 51 and the second lane 52 each extend in the x-axis direction and are arranged side by side in this order starting from the +y-axis side. A support unit 53 is arranged on each of the first lane 51 and the second lane 52. The first lane 51 and the second lane 52 have a movement mechanism (not shown) that can switch between a state in which the support unit 53 is located on the +x-axis side and a state in which the support unit 53 is located on the -x-axis side on each lane.

[0048] When the support portion 53 is located on the +x-axis side in the first lane 51, the support portion 53 is located on the −x-axis side in the second lane 52. When the support portion 53 is located on the −x-axis side in the first lane 51, the support portion 53 is located on the +x-axis side in the second lane 52.

[0049] In the first lane 51 or the second lane 52, when the support part 53 is positioned on the +x-axis side, the bottle W is placed on the support part 53 by the robot 2A, and when the support part 53 is positioned on the -x-axis side, the bottle W is removed from the support part 53 by the robot 2B.

[0050] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the support part 53 has a groove 531, which is a V-shaped groove that supports the small diameter part W1 of the bottle W, and a recess 532. The groove 531 extends in the x-axis direction, and its width decreases toward the -z-axis side. This allows the inner surface of the groove 531 to function as a guide that guides the bottle W when the bottle W is inserted into the groove 531. Furthermore, after the bottle W is inserted into the groove 531, movement of the bottle W can be effectively restricted, and the support part 53 can stably hold the bottle W.

[0051] Furthermore, when the bottles W are inserted into the grooves 531, the small diameter portion W1 is located inside the grooves 531 and the large diameter portion W2 is located outside the grooves 531. This allows the axis WO of the bottles W to be aligned horizontally. The state in which the bottles W are inserted into each groove 531 is the first alignment state. The step of achieving this first alignment state is the first step.

[0052] Recess 532 is located midway along the longitudinal direction of groove 531 and extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of groove 531, i.e., in the y-axis direction. The depth of recess 532 is deeper than the maximum depth of groove 531. Recess 532 functions as a recess into which fingers 71 of end effector 7B can fit when robot 2B removes a bottle from groove 531. This allows the removal operation to be carried out smoothly.

[0053] Although three grooves 531 are provided in the support portion 53, the present invention is not limited to this, and one, two, or four or more grooves may be provided.

[0054] As such, the temporary storage area 5 has grooves 531 whose width decreases vertically downward. As a result, when a bottle W is inserted into groove 531, the inner surface of groove 531 functions as a guide that guides the bottle W. Furthermore, after the bottle W is inserted into groove 531, the bottle W can be effectively prevented from moving, and the support portion 53 can stably hold the bottle W. Furthermore, when the bottle W is inserted into groove 531, the small diameter portion W1 is located inside groove 531 and the large diameter portion W2 is located outside groove 531, and the axis WO of the bottle W can be aligned horizontally.

[0055] In the first lane 51 or the second lane 52, when the support part 53 is positioned on the -x-axis side, the bottle W in the support part 53 is taken out by the robot 2B and moved to the book storage area 6. The book storage area 6 has a first lane 61, a second lane 62, and a storage box 63.

[0056] The first lane 61 and the second lane 62 are arranged on the -x-axis side of the robot 2B. The first lane 61 and the second lane 62 each extend in the x-axis direction and are arranged side by side in this order from the +y-axis side. A storage box 63 is arranged on each of the first lane 61 and the second lane 62. The first lane 61 and the second lane 62 have a movement mechanism (not shown) that can switch between a state in which the storage box 63 is located on the +x-axis side and a state in which the storage box 63 is located on the -x-axis side on each lane.

[0057] When the storage box 63 is located on the +x-axis side in the first lane 61, the storage box 63 is located on the -x-axis side in the second lane 62. When the storage box 63 is located on the -x-axis side in the first lane 61, the storage box 63 is located on the +x-axis side in the second lane 62.

[0058] In the first lane 61 or the second lane 62, when the storage box 63 is positioned on the +x-axis side, the robot 2B places the bottle W in the storage box 63, and when the storage box 63 is positioned on the -x-axis side, the worker removes the bottle W together with the storage box 63.

[0059] 7 and 8, before placing the bottle W in the storage box 63, the robot 2B rotates the fingers 71 by 90° while the end effector 7B is gripping the bottle W so that the bottle W is aligned vertically instead of horizontally. This allows the robot 2B to change its posture while still gripping the bottle W, and the bottle W can be stored in the storage box 63 by the simple action of lowering the end effector 7B. The bottle W held in the storage box 63 is in an upright position along the vertical direction.

[0060] The state in which the bottles W are stored upright in the vertical direction in the storage box 63 is the second aligned state. The step of achieving this second aligned state is the second step.

[0061] Then, the worker can remove the container 63 to obtain the bottles W arranged upright.

[0062] Next, the control device 8 will be described. 3, the control device 8 has a function of controlling the driving of each part other than the robot 2A and the robot 2B. The control device 8 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, a storage part 82, and a communication part 83. These parts are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other, for example, via a bus.

[0063] As described above, the alignment device 100 is an alignment device for aligning bottles W, which are an example of a plurality of vertically elongated objects, and includes a first robot, robot 2A, that picks up bottles W placed on the placement unit 3 with their longitudinal directions facing horizontally, aligns the longitudinal directions, and places the plurality of bottles W in the temporary storage area 5, and a second robot, robot 2B, that picks up bottles W placed in the temporary storage area 5 and places them in the permanent storage area 6 so that their longitudinal directions are aligned vertically. For example, to align bottles W that are aligned horizontally as shown in FIG. 4 in a single process so that their longitudinal directions are aligned vertically as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is necessary to accurately grasp the orientation of the bottles W being held and rotate them so that they are aligned vertically, which requires high precision and a complex mechanism to be incorporated into robot 2B. In contrast to this, in the present invention, the bottles W placed on the placement section 3 are first aligned horizontally, and then the bottles W are grasped and rotated 90 degrees before being placed in the book storage area 6, allowing the bottles to be aligned so that their longitudinal direction is aligned vertically using simple control and a simple mechanism.

[0064] Furthermore, because the bottle W has a shape with a small diameter portion W1 and a large diameter portion W2, the axis WO of the bottle W placed on the placement surface 311 is tilted relative to the horizontal. Holding the bottle W with a robot in this tilted state and rotating it vertically requires complex control that takes the tilt angle into account. In contrast, the present invention can align the bottle so that its longitudinal direction is vertical without such complex control. Therefore, the effects of the present invention are particularly pronounced when handling elongated objects that are tilted relative to the horizontal when placed on a flat surface.

[0065] As described above, the first robot, robot 2A, and the second robot, robot 2B, are horizontal articulated robots, i.e., SCARA robots. SCARA robots have a simple configuration and are easy to control. Even if such a SCARA robot is applied to the alignment device 100 of the present invention, the second alignment state can be achieved, and therefore, applying a SCARA robot contributes to simplifying the configuration of the alignment device 100.

[0066] In this embodiment, the robot 2A is in the right arm mode, and the robot 2B is in the left arm mode, which prevents the robots 2A and 2B from interfering with each other and allows the range of motion of the robots 2A and 2B to be as large as possible.

[0067] In this embodiment, the robots 2A and 2B are described as SCARA robots, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a vertical articulated robot may be used, or a SCARA robot and a vertical articulated robot may be used in combination, or a dual-arm robot may be used.

[0068] The alignment method of the present invention, executed by the alignment device 100, is a method for aligning bottles W, which are an example of a plurality of vertically elongated objects. The method involves removing bottles W placed on the placement unit 3 with their longitudinal directions facing horizontal, aligning the multiple bottles W in the temporary storage area 5, and then removing the bottles W placed in the temporary storage area 5 and placing them in the permanent storage area 6 so that their longitudinal directions are aligned vertically. For example, to align bottles W placed horizontally as shown in FIG. 4 in a single process so that their longitudinal directions are aligned vertically as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is necessary to accurately grasp the orientation of the bottles W being held and rotate them vertically, which requires high precision and the incorporation of a complex mechanism into the robot 2B. In contrast, the present invention allows the bottles W placed on the placement unit 3 to be aligned horizontally, and then rotated 90° while being held and placed in the permanent storage area 6, thereby aligning the bottles W so that their longitudinal directions are aligned vertically with simple control and a simple mechanism.

[0069] Furthermore, because the bottle W has a shape with a small diameter portion W1 and a large diameter portion W2, the axis WO of the bottle W placed on the placement surface 311 is tilted relative to the horizontal. Holding the bottle W with a robot in this tilted state and rotating it vertically requires complex control that takes the tilt angle into account. In contrast, the present invention can align the bottle so that its longitudinal direction is vertical without requiring such complex control. Therefore, the effects of the present invention are particularly pronounced when aligning a vertically elongated object that is tilted relative to the horizontal when placed on a flat surface so that its longitudinal direction is vertical.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first step and the second step are performed using two robots, 2A and 2B, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first step and the second step may be performed using one robot, as described in the second embodiment.

[0071] In the above, a bottle W was used as an example of a vertically elongated object, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to, for example, joining parts such as screws, bolts, and rivets, and electronic parts such as probe pins.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the second alignment state is achieved in the storage box 63 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the second alignment state is achieved by inserting a screw into a member having a screw hole, after the second alignment state has been achieved, the screw may be tightened using a third robot.

[0073] Second Embodiment FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the alignment device of the present invention.

[0074] Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the alignment device and alignment method of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and a description of the same points will be omitted.

[0075] 10, the temporary storage area 5 of the aligning device 100 of this embodiment has one lane 54. The regular storage area 6 has one lane 64. The lane 64 extends in the y-axis direction.

[0076] Furthermore, the aligning device 100 of this embodiment has one robot 2A. The lanes 54 and 64 at least partially overlap with the movable range of the robot 2A.

[0077] According to this embodiment, the device configuration can be further simplified and the overall device can be made smaller.

[0078] While the alignment device and alignment method of the present invention have been described above based on the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration having a similar function. Furthermore, the alignment device and alignment method of the present invention may each include any other components or steps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 2A...robot, 2B...robot, 3...placement section, 4...robot control device, 5...temporary placement area, 6...main placement area, 7A...end effector, 7B...end effector, 8...control device, 20...robot arm, 21...base, 22...first arm, 23...second arm, 24...third arm, 25...drive unit, 26...drive unit, 27...u drive unit, 28...z drive unit, 31...placement table, 32...camera, 33...vibration applying section, 51...first lane, 52...second lane, 53...support section, 54...rail lan, 61...first lane, 62...second lane, 63...storage box, 64...lane, 71...finger, 81...CPU, 82...storage unit, 83...communication unit, 100...alignment device, 220...casing, 230...casing, 241...shaft, 311...placing surface, 531...groove, 532...recess, A1...supply area, A11...first conveyor, A111...belt, A112...guide unit, A12...second conveyor, A121...belt, D...image, O1...first axis, O2...second axis, O3...third axis, W...bottle, W1...small diameter portion, W2...large diameter portion, WO...axis

Claims

1. An alignment device for aligning a plurality of elongated objects, A placement portion; a temporary storage area including a support section on which a plurality of the elongated objects are placed, and a temporary storage lane extending in one direction and moving the support section between a state where the support section is positioned on one side and a state where the support section is positioned on the other side; a book storage area including a storage box in which a plurality of the elongated objects are placed, and a book storage lane extending in one direction and moving the storage box between a state where the storage box is positioned on one side and a state where the storage box is positioned on the other side; a first robot that takes out the elongated objects placed on the placement unit with their longitudinal directions facing horizontally, and places the elongated objects in the temporary placement area by aligning the longitudinal directions; a second robot that takes out the elongated object placed in the temporary storage area and places it in the permanent storage area so that the longitudinal direction is aligned with the vertical direction; In a state where the support unit is located on the one side of the temporary storage lane, the first robot places the plurality of elongated objects on the support unit, An alignment device characterized in that, when the support section is located on the other side of the temporary storage lane and the storage box is located on one side of the book storage lane, the second robot takes out multiple vertically elongated objects from the support section and places them in the storage box.

2. 2. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the temporary storage area has a groove whose width decreases vertically downward.

3. 3. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the placement unit has a camera that captures an image of the elongated object placed on the placement unit.

4. The alignment device of claim 3 , wherein the camera is a 2D camera.

5. 5. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the first robot and the second robot are horizontal articulated robots.

6. The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second robot is equipped with an end effector having a rotation mechanism that can change the orientation of the elongated object being grasped to a vertical direction.

7. 7. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the placement unit has a vibration applying unit that applies vibration to the elongated object.

8. The support portion has the groove, The elongated object has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion whose outer diameter is smaller than that of the large diameter portion and whose outer diameter is constant along the longitudinal direction, The alignment device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the elongated object is placed on the support part, the small diameter part is placed inside the groove and the large diameter part is placed outside the groove.

9. The storage box has a first storage box in which a plurality of the vertically elongated objects are arranged, and a second storage box in which a plurality of the vertically elongated objects are arranged, The book placement lane includes a first lane extending in one direction and moving the first storage box between a state where it is located on one side and a state where it is located on the other side, and a second lane extending in one direction and moving the second storage box between a state where it is located on one side and a state where it is located on the other side, The first lane and the second lane are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first lane and the second lane extend, When viewed from the direction in which the first lane extends, the first lane and the first storage box overlap with the temporary storage area, 8. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the second lane and the second storage box do not overlap with the temporary storage area when viewed in a direction in which the second lane extends.

10. An alignment method for aligning a plurality of vertically elongated objects, comprising: a temporary storage lane extending in one direction, a support portion on which the plurality of elongated objects are placed is moved to one side of the temporary storage lane; When the support section is positioned on the one side of the temporary storage lane, the elongated objects placed on the placement section with their longitudinal directions facing horizontally are removed, and the elongated objects are placed on the support section with their longitudinal directions aligned, the temporary placement lane moves the support portion to the other side of the temporary placement lane, The book placement lane extends in one direction, and a storage box in which the plurality of elongated objects are placed is moved to one side of the book placement lane, An alignment method characterized by the steps of: when the support section is positioned on the other side of the temporary storage lane and the storage box is positioned on one side of the book storage lane, removing multiple vertically elongated objects placed on the support section and placing them in the storage box so that the longitudinal direction is aligned vertically.

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