Parts supply device

Abstract

To provide a component supply device that can grasp a component with a robot hand more surely.SOLUTION: A component supply device comprises a storage part that can store a plurality of components, and a robot that has a hand part which grasps the component stored in the storage part with a plurality of grasping pieces, and supplies the component grasped with the plurality of grasping pieces to a picking base. Lower end parts of the plurality of grasping pieces are provided with picking parts respectively, where a scooping part which is above the picking part is provided in at least one grasping piece.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a component supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique relating to a robot hand in which a plurality of finger mechanisms are provided on a base, and the plurality of finger mechanisms operate so as to move their fingertips closer to and away from each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2010 / 007795 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a component supply device equipped with a robot hand, it is important to be able to securely grip the component in order to efficiently supply the component. However, in conventional component supply devices, there were cases where the robot hand was unable to grip the component.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a component supplying device that can more reliably grip components with a robot hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The component supply device according to the present invention includes a storage unit capable of storing a plurality of components, and a robot having a hand unit that holds the components stored in the storage unit with a plurality of gripping pieces, and that supplies the components held by the plurality of gripping pieces to a pick table. Each At the bottom end , for picking up parts by a plurality of gripping pieces A gripping portion is provided, and at least one gripping piece has 、 Above the knob The gripping portion is formed to protrude from the surface that grips the part, and supports the part from below. A scooping section is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a part can be more reliably gripped by a robot hand. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a component supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a hand unit of a robot of a component supplying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a housing of the hand unit shown in FIG. 2 is removed. [Figure 4] 3 is a front view showing a state in which a housing of the hand unit shown in FIG. 2 is removed. [Figure 5] 3 is a perspective view of the lower part of the hand unit shown in FIG. 2, seen from below. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of one gripping piece. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another configuration of the gripping piece. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a horizontal operation mode of the hand unit. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a circular arc operation mode of the hand unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions or configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] [Component supply device configuration] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a component supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, component supplying device 1 includes frame 2, storage units 3A and 3B, robot 4, pick tables 5A and 5B, place tables 6A and 6B, and electrical box 7. Storage units 3A and 3B, robot 4, pick tables 5A and 5B, place tables 6A and 6B, and electrical box 7 are attached to frame 2. Component supplying device 1 places components stored in storage units 3A and 3B in a loosely stacked state (hereinafter referred to as "bulk stack" or "bulk stacked state") flat on pick tables 5A and 5B by the operation of robot 4. Furthermore, component supplying device 1 transfers the components placed flat on pick tables 5A and 5B to place tables 6A and 6B by the operation of robot 4, and supplies them to a device for the next process.

[0011] The frame 2 is formed in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a width, depth, and height. In FIG. 1, the X-axis direction indicates the width direction of the frame 2, the Y-axis direction indicates the depth direction of the frame 2, and the Z-axis direction indicates the height direction of the frame 2. The X-axis and Y-axis directions correspond to two horizontal axes that are parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction that is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The frame 2 is formed by combining multiple horizontal members extending in the X-axis or Y-axis direction and multiple vertical members extending in the Z-axis direction.

[0012] The storage sections 3A, 3B are each configured to be able to store a plurality of components. The storage sections 3A, 3B are arranged on one side of the frame 2 in the Y-axis direction. The storage sections 3A, 3B are arranged at an appropriate distance in the X-axis direction. The storage sections 3A, 3B are formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top. The storage sections 3A, 3B are provided with an elevating mechanism (not shown). This elevating mechanism moves the bottom of the storage sections 3A, 3B in the Z-axis direction. This allows each storage section 3A, 3B to change its capacity for storing components and the height position of the stored components.

[0013] The robot 4 is configured, for example, by a vertical articulated robot (robot arm) with six degrees of freedom. The robot 4 has a hand unit 10. The hand unit 10 is a part that corresponds to a robot hand. The configuration of the hand unit 10 will be explained in detail later. The robot 4 is disposed in approximately the center of the upper part of the frame 2. The robot 4 grasps one or more parts from a large number of parts stored in the storage units 3A and 3B, and drops the grasped parts onto the pick tables 5A and 5B. As a result, the one or more parts are placed flat on the pick tables 5A and 5B. The robot 4 also grasps the parts placed flat on the pick tables 5A and 5B one by one and supplies them to the place tables 6A and 6B.

[0014] The pick tables 5A and 5B are disposed on both sides of the robot 4 in the X-axis direction. The pick tables 5A and 5B are disposed adjacent to the storage units 3A and 3B in the Y-axis direction. The pick tables 5A and 5B are also positioned above the storage units 3A and 3B.

[0015] When the component supply device 1 is viewed from above, a portion of the pick table 5A is arranged to overlap with the storage section 3A, and a portion of the pick table 5B is arranged to overlap with the storage section 3B. As a result, a component that has fallen from a portion of the pick table 5A is stored (returned) in the storage section 3A, and a component that has fallen from a portion of the pick table 5B is stored (returned) in the storage section 3B.

[0016] The placing tables 6A, 6B have a belt conveyor that transports parts supplied from the picking tables 5A, 5B by the robot 4 in the Y-axis direction. The placing tables 6A, 6B are attached to an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown). The X-axis movement mechanism is a mechanism that moves the placing tables 6A, 6B in the X-axis direction. The placing tables 6A, 6B transport the parts supplied by the robot 4 in the Y-axis direction and position them in a predetermined position. The positioned parts are then supplied to the equipment for the next process.

[0017] The electrical box 7 is attached to the frame 2 below the place table 6B. The electrical box 7 houses a control unit 8. The control unit 8 is composed of a control board and the like, and controls the operations of the storage units 3A and 3B, the robot 4, and the place tables 6A and 6B. The control unit 8 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls the operation of each unit of the component supply device 1 by reading a predetermined program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing it.

[0018] [Hand configuration] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a hand unit of a robot of a component supplying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a housing of the hand unit shown in Fig. 2 has been removed, and Fig. 4 is a front view showing a state in which the housing of the hand unit shown in Fig. 2 has been removed.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the hand unit 10 includes a housing 12 (see FIG. 2), multiple (two in this embodiment) gripping pieces 14, 16, an opening / closing motor 18 for opening and closing the gripping pieces 14, 16, an elevation motor 20 for raising and lowering the gripping pieces 14, 16, a camera 22 for photography (see FIG. 3), and a lighting fixture 24 for photography (see FIG. 3). The housing 12 is a hollow cover member that protects the components of the hand unit 10. The gripping pieces 14, 16 correspond to the fingers of a robot hand. As shown in FIG. 5, the gripping pieces 14, 16 are disposed so as to protrude downward from a palm portion 26 of the housing 12. The palm portion 26 is attached to the bottom portion 12a of the housing 12 by screws or the like. The palm portion 26 may be formed integrally with the housing 12. The palm portion 26 protrudes downward from the bottom portion 12a of the housing 12. Two slits 27 and 28 are formed in palm portion 26. Slit 27 is a slit for avoiding interference with grip piece 14. Slit 28 is a slit for avoiding interference with grip piece 16.

[0020] Grip piece 14 is provided so as to be rotatable about a first shaft portion (not shown), and grip piece 16 is provided so as to be rotatable about a second shaft portion (not shown). The first shaft portion is disposed near the base portion (proximal end) of grip piece 14, and the second shaft portion is disposed near the base portion (proximal end) of grip piece 16. In this embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which hand unit 10 has two grip pieces 14, 16, but the number of grip pieces provided in the hand unit may be three or more.

[0021] The opening / closing motor 18, the lifting motor 20, the camera 22, and the lighting fixture 24 are each covered by a housing 12. Inside the housing 12, there are also incorporated an opening / closing mechanism that operates using the opening / closing motor 18 as a drive source, and a lifting mechanism that operates using the lifting motor 20 as a drive source. The opening / closing mechanism transmits the driving force of the opening / closing motor 18 to the multiple gripping pieces 14, 16, thereby opening and closing the multiple gripping pieces 14, 16. Although not shown, the opening / closing mechanism includes a reducer that transmits the driving force of the opening / closing motor 18 at a predetermined reduction ratio, and a drive gear and a driven gear that mesh with the final gear of the reducer. The gripping piece 14 rotates around the first shaft as the driven gear rotates, and the gripping piece 16 rotates around the second shaft as the drive gear rotates. Furthermore, the two gripping pieces 14, 16 rotate about their corresponding shafts (first shaft and second shaft), causing the lower ends of the gripping pieces 14, 16 to move toward or away from each other. The opening and closing operations of the two gripping pieces 14, 16 are performed by the lower ends of the gripping pieces 14, 16 moving toward or away from each other.

[0022] The lifting mechanism transmits the driving force of the lifting motor 20 to the gripping pieces 14, 16, thereby raising and lowering the gripping pieces 14, 16. The lifting mechanism includes a lifting member 31, a rack 32 attached to the lifting member 31, a pinion gear 33 meshing with the rack 32, and a reducer (not shown) that transmits the driving force of the lifting motor 20 to the pinion gear 33 at a predetermined reduction ratio. The lifting member 31 supports the opening / closing motor 18, the lifting mechanism, and the gripping pieces 14, 16, and moves up and down integrally therewith. The lifting member 31 and the rack 32 move up and down in accordance with the rotation of the pinion gear 33. The pinion gear 33 rotates in accordance with the drive of the lifting motor 20. The lifting and lowering operation of the two gripping pieces 14, 16 is performed by each gripping piece 14, 16 moving up and down integrally with the lifting member 31.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the gripping piece 14 in the hand unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 6, a gripping portion 141 is provided at the lower end of the gripping piece 14. The lower end of the gripping piece 14 corresponds to the fingertip of the robot hand. The gripping portion 141 is primarily used to grip components placed flat on the pick tables 5A and 5B, but may also grip components stacked in bulk in the storage sections 3A and 3B.

[0024] Concave and convex portions 142 are formed on the gripping portion 141. The concave and convex portions 142 are configured by arranging multiple concave and convex portions parallel to the horizontal direction side by side in the length direction of the gripping piece 14. The concave and convex portions 142 are formed on the inside of the gripping portion 141. The inside of the gripping portion 141 refers to the side that comes into contact with a component when the component is gripped by the gripping portion 141. Furthermore, in the hand unit 10 that includes two gripping pieces 14, 16, the inside of the gripping piece 14 refers to the side that faces the gripping piece 16. The concave and convex portions 142 prevent slippage between the component and the gripping portion 141 when the component is gripped by the gripping portion 141. In other words, the concave and convex portions 142 function as a non-slip portion when the component is gripped by the gripping portion 141.

[0025] The gripping piece 14 is provided with a scooping portion 143. The scooping portion 143 is provided above the knob portion 141 (closer to the base of the gripping piece 14). The scooping portion 143 is formed in a convex shape on the inside of the gripping piece 14. In the hand unit 10 having the two gripping pieces 14, 16, the scooping portion 143 of the gripping piece 14 is convex with respect to the gripping piece 16. The scooping portion 143 is a portion that supports the gripped parts when the two gripping pieces 14, 16 grip one or more parts from a large number of parts stored in a bulk state in the storage units 3A, 3B. The scooping portion 143 supports the parts so that they are scooped up from the storage units 3A, 3B.

[0026] The width W1 of the scooping portion 143 is wider than the width W2 of the gripping portion 141. In other words, the scooping portion 143 is formed wider than the gripping portion 141. Furthermore, the width W1 of the scooping portion 143 is wider than the width W3 of the base of the gripping piece 14, and the width W2 of the gripping portion 141 is wider than the width W3 of the base of the gripping piece 14. In other words, the widths of the gripping piece 14 satisfy the relationship W1 > W2 > W3. The width of the gripping piece 14, including the above-mentioned widths W1, W2, and W3, corresponds to the width of the fingers of the robot hand. Furthermore, the width W2 corresponds to the width of the fingertips of the robot hand, and the width W3 corresponds to the width near the base of the fingers of the robot hand.

[0027] As described above, if the width W1 of the scooping portion 143 is ensured to be wide, when components stored in the storage portions 3A and 3B are removed by the hand portion 10, the components are less likely to fall from the gripping pieces 14 and 16 of the hand portion 10. For this reason, it is preferable that the width W1 of the scooping portion 143 be wider than the width W2 of the gripping portion 141. On the other hand, if the width W2 of the gripping portion 141 is ensured to be equal to the width W1 of the scooping portion 143, when components placed flat on the pick tables 5A and 5B are picked up by the gripping pieces 14 and 16, the contact area between the gripping portion 141 and the component becomes wider, making it difficult to pick up small components. For this reason, it is preferable that the width W2 of the gripping portion 141 be narrower than the width W1 of the scooping portion 143. Furthermore, if the width W3 of the base side of the gripping piece 14 is set to be equal to the width W1 of the scooping portion 143, the width of the slit 27 (see FIG. 5) formed in the palm portion 26 must be set to be wider than the width W1. In that case, when the components stored in the storage portions 3A and 3B are gripped by the gripping pieces 14 and 16, there is a risk that the components may get caught in the slit 27. For this reason, it is preferable that the width of the slit 27 is narrow. Therefore, the width W3 of the base side of the gripping piece 14 is preferably narrower than the width W1 of the scooping portion 143, and is also preferably narrower than the width W2 of the knob portion 141.

[0028] The upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143 is curved in a substantially J-shape. Furthermore, the tip 145 of the scooping portion 143 is formed in a rounded shape. The coefficient of friction of the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143 is different from the coefficient of friction of the remaining portions. In this case, if the coefficient of friction of the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143 is made larger than the coefficient of friction of the remaining portions, it can be expected that when the scooping portion 143 of the gripping piece 14 scoops up the components stored in the storage portions 3A and 3B, the components will be less likely to slip off the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143. Specifically, two methods can be considered for increasing the coefficient of friction of the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143. One method is to attach a friction sheet to the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143. The other method is to form an uneven surface on the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143. On the other hand, if the coefficient of friction of the upper surface 144 of the scooping portion 143 is made smaller than the coefficient of friction of other parts, it is expected that when the parts stored in the storage portions 3A and 3B are held by the gripping pieces 14 and 16, the scooping portion 143 of the gripping piece 14 will be able to easily fit between the parts.

[0029] Concave and convex portions 148 are formed on the gripping piece 14. The concave and convex portions 148 are configured with a plurality of concave and convex portions parallel to the horizontal direction lined up next to each other in the length direction of the gripping piece 14. The concave and convex portions 148 are formed on the inside of the gripping piece 14. The concave and convex portions 148 are also formed above the scooping portion 143. As a result, the scooping portion 143 is positioned between the concave and convex portions 142 and 148. The concave and convex portions 148 prevent slippage between the component and the gripping piece 14 when the component is gripped by the gripping piece 14. In other words, the concave and convex portions 148 function as an anti-slip portion when the component is gripped by the gripping piece 14.

[0030] Next, the configuration of the gripping piece 16 in the hand unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in Figure 7, a gripping portion 161 is provided at the lower end of gripping piece 16. The lower end of gripping piece 16 corresponds to the fingertip of the robot hand. Grip portion 161 is primarily a portion for gripping components placed flat on pick tables 5A and 5B, but may also be used to grip components stacked in bulk in storage sections 3A and 3B. Width W5 of irregularities 162 is the same as width W2 of irregularities 142 described above (see Figure 6), and width W6 of the base side of gripping piece 16 is the same as width W3 of gripping piece 14 described above (see Figure 6).

[0031] Concave and convex portions 162 are formed on the gripping portion 161. The concave and convex portions 162 are configured by arranging a plurality of concave and convex portions parallel to the horizontal direction side by side in the length direction of the gripping piece 16. The concave and convex portions 162 are formed on the inner side of the gripping portion 161. The inner side of the gripping portion 161 refers to the side that comes into contact with a component when the component is gripped by the gripping portion 161. Furthermore, in the hand unit 10 that includes two gripping pieces 14, 16, the inner side of the gripping piece 16 refers to the side that faces the gripping piece 14. The concave and convex portions 162 prevent slippage between the component and the gripping portion 161 when the component is gripped by the gripping portion 161. In other words, the concave and convex portions 162 function as a non-slip portion when the component is gripped by the gripping portion 161.

[0032] The gripping piece 16 is provided with a recess 163. The recess 163 is provided above the knob portion 161. The recess 163 is formed in a concave shape on the inside of the gripping piece 16 to avoid interference with the scooping portion 143 described above.

[0033] Concave and convex portions 168 are formed on the gripping piece 16. The concave and convex portions 168 have a structure in which multiple concave and convex portions parallel to the horizontal direction are arranged side by side in the length direction of the gripping piece 16. The concave and convex portions 168 are formed on the inside of the gripping piece 16. The concave and convex portions 168 are also formed above the relief portions 163. As a result, the relief portions 163 are positioned between the concave and convex portions 162 and the concave and convex portions 168. The concave and convex portions 168 prevent slippage between the component and the gripping piece 16 when the component is gripped by the gripping piece 16. In other words, the concave and convex portions 168 function as an anti-slip portion when the component is gripped by the gripping piece 16.

[0034] [Parts supply device operation] Next, the operation of the component supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In order for the component supplying device 1 to supply components to a device in the next process, first, a large number of components are stored in a bulk state in the storage units 3A and 3B (hereinafter also referred to as "storage unit 3"). When a large number of components are stored in the storage unit 3 in this manner, each component is stored in a different orientation. Furthermore, even if the initial quantity is the same, the number of components stored in the storage unit 3 gradually changes as the robot 4 supplies components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5, as will be described later. Generally, when the orientations and quantities of components stored in the storage unit 3 are different, it becomes difficult for the hand unit 10 to grasp the components in the storage unit 3 when the robot 4 removes the components from the storage unit 3. Note that the components may be stored in the storage unit 3 by a device in a previous process or by a worker.

[0035] Next, the robot 4 grasps one or more components from the large number of components in the storage unit 3 with the hand unit 10 and supplies the grasped components to the pick table 5A or the pick table 5B (hereinafter also referred to as "pick table 5"). At this time, the robot 4 drops the components grasped by the hand unit 10 from directly above the pick table 5, causing the components to scatter on the pick table 5. As a result, the components are laid flat on the pick table 5.

[0036] Next, the camera 22 takes an image of the pick table 5. The image data of the camera 22 is sent to the control unit 8 described above. The control unit 8 determines whether or not a component is present on the pick table 5 based on the image data of the camera 22. A component is present on the pick table 5 when the hand unit 10 grasps one or more components from the components stacked in the storage unit 3 and supplies them to the pick table 5, i.e., when the supply of components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5 is successful. A component is not present on the pick table 5 when the hand unit 10 cannot grasp any of the components stacked in the storage unit 3, i.e., when the supply of components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5 fails. When the supply of components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5 fails, the robot 4 performs a retry operation. The retry operation of the robot 4 is an operation of repeating the operation of supplying components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5.

[0037] If the control unit 8 determines that no components are present on the pick table 5, it controls the operation of the robot 4 so that the robot 4 repeats the operation of supplying a component from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5. If the control unit 8 determines that one or more components are present on the pick table 5, it recognizes the position and orientation of the component on the pick table 5 and controls the operation of the robot 4 based on this recognition result. As a result, the robot 4 grasps one of the components present on the pick table 5 with the hand unit 10 and supplies it to the place table 6A or the place table 6B (hereinafter also referred to as the "place table 6"). The place table 6 positions the supplied component at a predetermined position. The component positioned at the predetermined position is supplied to the device for the next process.

[0038] When the robot 4 has supplied one component to the place table 6 in this manner, the control unit 8 determines whether or not any components remain on the pick table 5 based on the photographic data of the camera 22. At this time, if the control unit 8 determines that no components remain on the pick table 5, it ends the component supply operation by the robot 4 to the place table 6 and causes the robot 4 to resume its component supply operation to the pick table 5. On the other hand, if the control unit 8 determines that components remain on the pick table 5, it continues the component supply operation by the robot 4 to the place table 6 until all components remain on the pick table 5, and then causes the robot 4 to resume its component supply operation to the pick table 5.

[0039] [Hand operation] Next, the operation of the hand unit 10 of the robot 4 will be described. The operation of the hand unit 10 is controlled by the control unit 8. The hand unit 10 has two operation modes under the control of the control unit 8. One is a horizontal operation mode in which the gripping portions 141, 161 provided on the gripping pieces 14, 16 move horizontally, and the other is an arc operation mode in which the gripping portions 141, 161 move in an arc. Each operation mode will be described in detail below.

[0040] (Horizontal operation mode) Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the horizontal operation mode of the hand unit 10. The left side of Fig. 8 shows the gripping pieces 14, 16 in an open state, and the right side of Fig. 8 shows the gripping pieces 14, 16 in a closed state. The horizontal operation mode is an operation mode applied when a component present on the pick table 5 is gripped by the hand unit 10 and supplied to the place table 6. In the horizontal operation mode, when the two gripping pieces 14, 16 are opened or closed, the lower ends 141a, 161a of the gripping portions 141, 161 move on the same imaginary horizontal plane H1. The gripping piece 14 is rotatable about the first shaft J1, and the gripping piece 16 is rotatable about the second shaft J2. Therefore, when the gripping pieces 14, 16 are opened or closed by driving the opening / closing motor 18 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the lower end 141a of the gripping portion 141 moves along an arc-shaped path about the first shaft J1, and the lower end 161a of the gripping portion 161 moves along an arc-shaped path about the second shaft J2. At this time, if the opening / closing motor 18 is driven alone, the positions of the lower ends 141a, 161a of the knob portions 141, 161 will fluctuate in the vertical direction. For this reason, the control unit 8 controls the driving of the lift motor 20 so that the vertical fluctuation of the lower ends 141a, 161a of the knob portions 141, 161 caused by the driving of the opening / closing motor 18 is counteracted by the driving of the lift motor 20. As a result, in the horizontal operation mode, the two gripping pieces 14, 16 can be opened and closed so that the lower ends 141a, 161a of the knob portions 141, 161 move on the same imaginary horizontal plane H1.

[0041] Therefore, when a component placed flat on the pick table 5 is gripped by the gripping pieces 14, 16, the lower ends 141a, 161a of the gripping portions 141, 161 can be positioned close to the component placement surface of the pick table 5. This allows the component on the pick table 5 to be securely gripped by the two gripping pieces 14, 16. Even if the component placed on the pick table 5 is thin, the gripping portions 141, 161 can be moved to avoid interference with the component placement surface of the pick table 5, and the component can be easily gripped by the gripping portions 141, 161. Furthermore, in the horizontal operation mode, as described above, the lower ends 141a, 161a of the gripping portions 141, 161 do not move up and down. Therefore, by opening the gripping pieces 14, 16 to an opening angle that matches the shape and size of the component present on the pick table 5 and then closing the gripping pieces 14, 16 from that state, the component on the pick table 5 can be securely gripped by the hand unit 10, even if the component has a different shape or size.

[0042] (arc operation mode) Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the arcuate operation mode of the hand unit 10. The left side of Fig. 9 shows the gripping pieces 14, 16 in an open state, and the right side of Fig. 9 shows the gripping pieces 14, 16 in a closed state. The arc operation mode is an operation mode applied when a component in the storage unit 3 is gripped by the hand unit 10 and supplied to the pick table 5. In the arc operation mode, the control unit 8 drives the opening / closing motor 18 to close the two gripping pieces 14, 16, while driving the lifting motor 20 to raise the two gripping pieces 14, 16. As a result, when the two gripping pieces 14, 16 are open, the lower ends 141a, 161a of the gripping pieces 141, 161 are located on an imaginary horizontal plane H2, but when the two gripping pieces 14, 16 are closed, the lower ends 141a, 161a of the gripping pieces 141, 161 are located on an imaginary horizontal plane H3 that is higher than the imaginary horizontal plane H2. At this time, the position of the palm unit 26 does not change. Therefore, in the arc operation mode, by closing and raising the two gripping pieces 14, 16, a roughly triangular space is formed by the two gripping pieces 14, 16 and the palm portion 26, as shown on the right side of Figure 9, and a part can be embraced in this space.

[0043] When actually supplying components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5, the control unit 8 first moves the hand unit 10 of the robot 4 above the storage unit 3. At this time, the control unit 8 opens the two gripping pieces 14, 16. Next, the control unit 8 operates the robot 4 to lower the hand unit 10 so that the multiple gripping pieces 14, 16 can grip the components stored in the storage unit 3. As a result, the two gripping pieces 14, 16 are inserted into the large amount of components piled up in the storage unit 3.

[0044] Next, the control unit 8 drives the opening / closing motor 18 to close the two gripping pieces 14, 16, while driving the lifting motor 20 to raise the two gripping pieces 14, 16. At this time, the control unit 8 changes the angle of the scooping unit 143 relative to the horizontal plane by changing the timing at which the opening / closing motor 18 is driven and the timing at which the lifting motor 20 is driven. Changing the angle of the scooping unit 143 relative to the horizontal plane in this way changes the angle at which the scooping unit 143 contacts the components in the storage unit 3. Therefore, when components stored in the storage unit 3 are gripped by multiple gripping pieces 14, 16, the angle of the scooping unit 143 can be adjusted to an angle suitable for the characteristics of the components in the storage unit 3.

[0045] Furthermore, when the open / close motor 18 is driven as described above, the gripping pieces 14 close while wedging the scooping portion 143 between the components in the storage unit 3. The two gripping pieces 14, 16 apply a diagonally upward force to the component between them (14, 16) with the scooping portion 143, thereby gripping the component by enveloping it in the approximately triangular space. The scooping portion 143 supports the component in the storage unit 3 by scooping it up, while preventing the supported component from falling. Therefore, when the gripping pieces 14 of the hand unit 10 are provided with the scooping portion 143, the components in the storage unit 3 can be gripped more reliably than when the scooping portion 143 is not provided. As a result, in a production site or the like where the component supply device 1 is installed, the number of retry operations of the robot 4 can be reduced, thereby shortening the takt time. Furthermore, when the scooping portion 143 is provided on the gripping piece 14, it becomes easier for the hand unit 10 to simultaneously grip a plurality of components from a large number of components stored in the storage unit 3, compared to when the scooping portion 143 is not provided. Therefore, when supplying components from the storage unit 3 to the pick table 5, the number of times that the hand unit 10 moves back and forth between the storage unit 3 and the pick table 5 can be reduced.

[0046] <Modifications, etc.> The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but also includes forms in which various modifications and improvements are made within the scope that can derive specific effects obtained by the constituent elements of the invention and their combinations.

[0047] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the scooping portion 143 was provided on only one of the gripping pieces 14, 16, but a scooping portion may be provided on both of the gripping pieces 14, 16. In that case, to prevent the scooping portions from interfering with each other when the gripping pieces 14, 16 are closed, a relief portion may be provided on the gripping piece 16 to avoid interference with the scooping portion of the gripping piece 14, and a relief portion may be provided on the gripping piece 14 to avoid interference with the scooping portion of the gripping piece 16. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...Parts supply device 3,3A,3B…Accommodation section 4. Robot 5, 5A, 5B...Pick stand 8...Control unit 10...Hand part (robot hand) 14,16...grip piece 141,161...Knob part 143...Scooping section 144…Top surface 163...Escape area

Claims

1. a housing portion capable of housing a plurality of components; a robot having a hand unit that grips the components accommodated in the accommodation unit with a plurality of gripping pieces, and that supplies the components gripped by the plurality of gripping pieces to a pick table, A gripping portion for gripping the component by the gripping pieces is provided at the lower end of each of the plurality of gripping pieces, and at least one of the gripping pieces is provided with a scooping portion formed above the gripping portion and protruding from the surface of the gripping portion that grips the component, for supporting the component from below. Parts supply device.

2. The width of the scooping portion is wider than the width of the gripping portion. The component supply device according to claim 1 .

3. The width of the base side of the gripping piece is narrower than the width of the scooping part.

3. The component supply device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The hand unit has a horizontal operation mode in which the gripping portions provided on the plurality of gripping pieces are moved horizontally, and an arc operation mode in which the gripping portions are moved in an arc. The component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The coefficient of friction of the upper surface of the scooping portion of the gripping piece is different from the coefficient of friction of the other portions. The component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The coefficient of friction of the upper surface of the scooping portion is greater than the coefficient of friction of the other portions.

6. The component supply device according to claim 5.

7. The hand unit has two gripping pieces, one of which is provided with the scooping portion, and the other gripping piece is provided with a relief portion for avoiding interference with the scooping portion. The component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. a control unit that changes the angle of the scooping unit relative to a horizontal plane when the component accommodated in the accommodation unit is gripped by the plurality of gripping pieces; The component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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