Conveyor device

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device having a compact configuration and capable of conveying conveyance objects having a variety of protruding parts. Therefore, the present invention provides a conveyor device for conveying a conveyance object having a protruding part protruding from a flat base, the conveyor device comprising a plurality of holding parts that are pressed against a base surface of the conveyance object to hold the conveyance object. At least one of the holding parts has a shape that covers at least a portion of a side surface of the protruding part without covering a tip surface of the protruding part. For example, the shape is a notch shape along a circumferential direction of the side surface of the protruding part.

Description

Conveyor

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device.

[0002] Consumables used in medical analyzers and the like require periodic replacement, and it is desirable to automate the replacement process, such as the transport of consumables. Patent Document 1 discloses a sample processing system that transports containers using a robot equipped with fingers having a recess and fingertips, as a technology for automating the transport process. Patent Document 1 also discloses that, when transporting a container, a flange formed on the upper edge of a cylindrical container is received in the recess, while the lower peripheral edge of the flange is grasped with the fingertips (see paragraph 0046, Figure 9, etc.).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-30095

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the recess covers the entire flange (protrusion) of the container being transported, from its tip (surface) across the side to its rear end (back), so depending on the size and shape of the flange, the finger mechanism may become large.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a transport device that can transport objects having various convex portions with a compact configuration.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a conveying device for conveying an object having a convex portion protruding from a planar base, the conveying device comprising a plurality of gripping portions that grip the object by pressing them against the base surface of the object, and at least one of the gripping portions has a shape that covers at least a portion of the side surface of the convex portion without covering the tip surface of the convex portion.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a conveying device that can convey objects having various convex portions with a compact configuration. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following embodiments.

[0008] 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a conveying device according to Example 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which objects to be conveyed are arranged on a tray. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which a hand according to Example 1 grips an object to be conveyed. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a hand according to Example 1 grips an object to be conveyed. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which an object to be conveyed is placed on a placement unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which one of a plurality of objects to be conveyed arranged in a storage unit is gripped. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a hand according to Example 2 grips an object to be conveyed. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which a hand according to Example 2 grips an object to be conveyed. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a configuration of a transfer unit in a conveying device according to Example 3.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the conveying device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in this specification, the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated description of these components may be omitted.

[0010] The objects to be transported by the transport device of this embodiment are primarily consumables used in medical analyzers, and have protrusions protruding from a flat base. The protrusions vary in position, shape, and size, but generally have complex shapes or are structurally weak. When transporting such objects, the transport device of this embodiment grips the base surface of the object without touching the protrusions. Below, two different types of objects are used as examples, and transport devices compatible with each type of object are described as Example 1 and Example 2.

[0011] A conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the first embodiment, an ion selective electrode (ISE) is assumed as an example of a conveyed object. The ion selective electrode has an ion-sensitive membrane (not shown) disposed within its housing. The protrusion of the ion selective electrode is an internal electrode that outputs the potential generated by the ion-sensitive membrane within the housing.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a conveying device according to Example 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the conveying device includes a transfer unit 2, which transfers a conveyed object 4 stored in a storage unit 1 to an installation unit 3.

[0013] 1, the transfer unit 2 includes a transfer actuator 8, an air slider 9 installed on the transfer actuator 8, and a hand 10 attached to the air slider 9. The hand 10 can be moved not only in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 by the transfer actuator 8, but also in the up-down direction in FIG. 1 by the air slider 9. Note that the air slider 9 is not limited to a mechanism using air, and may be another mechanism such as an actuator, as long as it can move the hand 10 in the up-down direction.

[0014] 1, the storage unit 1 includes a tray 5 on which transported objects 4 can be placed, a tray base 6 that detachably supports the tray 5, and a tray actuator 7 connected to the tray base 6. A user of the transport device arranges the transported objects 4 on the tray 5 and then places the tray 5 on the tray base 6. The tray actuator 7 moves the tray base 6 in the depth (front-rear) direction in FIG. 1 to adjust the position at which the hand 10 of the moving unit 2 grasps the transported objects 4 arranged on the tray 5.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the transported objects are arranged on the tray. The tray 5 has multiple recesses on its top surface, into which the transported objects 4 engage. This makes it easy for the user to align the transported objects 4 on the tray, and even after alignment, misalignment due to vibration or other factors is less likely to occur. In this embodiment, the number of recesses (the number of transported objects 4 installed) is 15, with 3 columns and 5 rows, but the number and arrangement are not limited to this. Note that if there is only one column, there is no need to adjust the position of the transported objects 4 in the depth direction of FIG. 1 , and therefore the tray actuator 7 is not required. Furthermore, the cross section of the recesses of the tray 5 is not limited to a rectangle and may be other shapes, such as a circle or a diamond. In other words, the general shape of the housing of the transported objects 4 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped and may be other shapes, such as a cylinder or a square prism.

[0016] 3 is a side view showing a state in which the hand according to the first embodiment grips a transported object. The hand 10 is mainly composed of a chuck 11, a connecting portion 12, and gripping portions 13 (jaws). The chuck 11 is a mechanism for performing opening and closing operations such as an air chuck or a motor chuck, and is fixed to the air slider 9. There are two connecting portions 12, one at the front and one at the back, and each is attached to a movable portion (not shown) of the chuck 11. Therefore, the front and rear connecting portions 12 also open and close (move closer or farther apart) in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the chuck 11. There are also two gripping portions 13, one at the front and one at the back, and each is attached to the front and rear connecting portions 12. Therefore, the front and rear gripping portions 13 also open and close (move closer or farther apart) in conjunction with the operation of the connecting portions 12. For example, the front gripping section 13 moves rearward to press against the front surface of the base 42 of the transported object 4, and the rear gripping section 13 moves forward to press against the rear surface of the base 42 of the transported object 4. In other words, the transported object 4 is gripped by sandwiching it between the two gripping sections 13 located in opposing positions. When releasing the grip of the transported object 4, the two gripping sections 13 move in the opposite direction to when gripping.

[0017] 4 is a front view showing a state in which the hand according to the first embodiment grips a transported object. A convex portion 41 is formed on the front side of the transported object 4, and the front gripper 13 must avoid contact with this convex portion 41. Therefore, the front gripper 13 has a notch 131 formed below a first surface, which is a vertical surface facing the base surface against which the front gripper 13 is pressed when gripping the transported object 4. The notch 131 covers at least a portion of the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 41 without covering the tip end surface (front end surface) of the convex portion 41. Therefore, the front gripper 13 does not need to straddle the front side of the convex portion 41, allowing the entire hand 10, including the front gripper 13, to be compact.

[0018] Here, even if a through-hole is formed in the gripper 13 instead of the notch shape 131, the gripper 13 has a curved surface that follows the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 41, and thus the same effect can be obtained. However, the notch shape 131 makes it easier to miniaturize the gripper 13. Furthermore, it is desirable that the area of ​​the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 41 that is covered by the notch shape 131 be less than 180°. This eliminates the need to make the notch shape 131 larger than necessary, even when the outer diameter of the convex portion 41 is large, thereby making the entire configuration of the hand 10, including the front gripper 13, more compact. Note that, for example, if the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 41 is structurally weak, it is desirable to press the front gripper 13 against the front surface of the base 42 with the notch shape 131 spaced apart from the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 41 to grip the transported object 4.

[0019] Next, the flow of the transport operation will be described. First, the hand 10 is moved horizontally (left and right) to a position above the transported object 4 stored in the storage unit 1 by the operation of the transport actuator 8, and then is lowered by the operation of the air slider 9 to a height where the transported object 4 is located. When the descent of the hand 10 is complete, the chuck 11 closes, and the gripper 13 grips the transported object 4. Then, with the gripper 13 still gripping the transported object 4, the hand 10 is raised by the operation of the air slider 9, and then the transport actuator 8 moves the hand 10 horizontally (left and right) to a position above the installation unit 3. After that, when the hand 10 descends to a predetermined height, the chuck 11 opens, and the gripper 13 releases its grip on the transported object 4. When the above operations are completed, the transported object 4 is placed on the installation unit 3.

[0020] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a transported object is placed on the installation section. The installation section 3 shown in Fig. 5 has a rectangular recess on its upper surface in which multiple transported objects 4 can be aligned in the left-right direction, but the shape of the recess is not limited to that shown in Fig. 5. When the gripping section 13 releases the grip of the transported object 4, there is a possibility that a gap will be formed between the transported object 4 and other transported objects 4 that are aligned adjacent to it. Therefore, the gripping section 13 in this embodiment moves horizontally (left-right) by operation of the transfer actuator 8, thereby bringing the transported object 4 closer to the other transported objects 4 and aligning the transported objects 4 on the installation section 3.

[0021] Here, if the outer peripheral side of the convex portion 41 of the transported object 4 is structurally strong, for example, formed of metal, it is possible to move the transported object 4 closer to another transported object 4 by pressing the notch shape 131 against the outer peripheral side of the convex portion 41 and moving the gripping portion 13 horizontally (left and right). However, if the outer peripheral side of the convex portion 41 is structurally weak, for example, the convex portion 41 will be damaged when the notch shape 131 contacts the outer peripheral side of the convex portion 41, so aligning the transported object 4 using the outer peripheral side of the convex portion 41 and the notch shape 131 is not preferable. Furthermore, if the convex portion 41 is formed only on the front side of the transported object 4, it is difficult to smoothly align the transported object 4 by pressing only the front side. Therefore, the front and rear gripping portions 13 in this embodiment each have locking pieces 14a, 14b (locking portions) on a second surface, which is a vertical surface perpendicular to the first surface described above. Therefore, by moving the gripping portion 13 horizontally (left and right) while pressing the locking pieces 14a, 14b against the transported object 4, it is possible to smoothly bring the transported object 4 close to another transported object 4. Note that, although it is possible to align the transported objects 4 to a certain extent even if only one of the two opposing gripping portions 13 has a locking piece, it is possible to align the transported objects 4 more smoothly with a configuration in which both gripping portions have locking pieces.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing one of multiple transported objects arranged in the storage section being gripped. Even if the transported object 4 has a protrusion 41 formed only on the front side, if the distance between the transported object 4 and the adjacent transported object 4 is narrow, the rear gripping portion 13 also has a notch 131 formed along the circumferential direction of the side surface of the protrusion 41 of the other transported object 4. This allows the rear gripping portion 13 to press against the rear surface of the base 42 of the transported object 4 while avoiding interference with the protrusion 41 of the other transported object 4 adjacent to the rear. In other words, more transported objects 4 can be stored in the storage section 1 (tray 5), improving transport efficiency. Note that if through holes were formed in the gripping portion 13 instead of the notch 131, not only would the front-rear movement distance of the front and rear gripping portions 13 be longer, but also the gripping portion 13 and the protrusion 41 would interfere with each other when the transported objects 4 are arranged with narrow distances between them in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 6 .

[0023] The conveying device of this embodiment can convey objects having various convex portions projecting forward with a compact configuration. If the object 4 is prone to tilting while being gripped, a gripping portion may be provided on at least one side of the device, in addition to the two gripping portions 13 at the front and rear, which are positioned opposite each other.

[0024] A conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 . FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a hand according to the second embodiment grips a conveyed object, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which the hand according to the second embodiment grips a conveyed object. In the second embodiment, a flow cell for immunoassays is assumed as an example of a conveyed object. The flow cell (conveyed object 15) has a flange portion 152 forming a planar base and protrusions 151 protruding upward and downward from the flange portion 152. While the flange portion 152 is made of metal, the protrusions 151 are made of resin. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the conveyed object 15 is gripped by vertically sandwiching the flange portion 152 between two gripping portions 16 positioned opposite each other in the vertical direction.

[0025] The hand 10 according to the second embodiment is mainly composed of a chuck 11, a connecting portion 12, and gripping portions 16 (jaws). The chuck 11 is fixed to the air slider 9, as in the first embodiment. Two connecting portions 12, one above the other, are attached to movable portions (not shown) of the chuck 11, respectively. Therefore, the upper and lower connecting portions 12 also open and close (move closer and farther apart) as the chuck 11 opens and closes. Two gripping portions 16, one above the other, are also attached to the upper and lower connecting portions 12, respectively. Therefore, the upper and lower gripping portions 16 also open and close (move closer and farther apart) in conjunction with the movement of the connecting portions 12. For example, the upper gripping portion 16 moves downward to press against the upper surface of the flange portion 152 of the transported object 15, and the lower gripping portion 16 moves upward to press against the lower surface of the flange portion 152 of the transported object 15. When releasing the grip of the transported object 15, the two gripping parts 16 move in the opposite direction to when gripping the transported object 15.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the upper and lower gripping portions 16 have notched shapes 161 formed at the tips of the first surfaces, which are horizontal surfaces facing the flange portions 152 against which the transported object 15 is pressed when gripping the transported object 15, and the notched shapes 161 do not cover the upper and lower end surfaces of the convex portions 151 but cover at least a part of the outer peripheral side surfaces of the convex portions 151. Therefore, the upper and lower gripping portions 16 do not need to straddle the upper and lower sides of the convex portions 151, and the overall configuration of the hand including the gripping portions 16 can be made compact.

[0027] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 151 is made of resin. Therefore, it is desirable to press the upper and lower gripping portions 16 against the upper and lower surfaces of the metal flange portion 152 to grip the transported object 4 while the cutout shape 161 is spaced apart from the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 151. In this case, it is not desirable to use the outer peripheral side surface of the convex portion 151 and the cutout shape 161 to align the transported object 15 after it has been placed on the installation section. Therefore, the upper or lower gripping portion 16 in this embodiment has a step on the lower or upper surface facing the connecting portion 12, and a locking wall 17 (locking portion) is formed on the second surface, which is a vertical plane perpendicular to the first surface. Therefore, by horizontally moving the gripping portion 16 while pressing the locking wall 17 against the side surface of the flange portion 152, the transported object 15 can be horizontally aligned after it has been released from gripping.

[0028] According to the conveying device of this embodiment, the gripping portion 16 that grips the transported object 15 having a convex portion 151 that protrudes in the vertical direction does not need to be shaped to straddle the upper or lower surface of the convex portion 151, so transportation can be performed with a compact configuration.

[0029] A conveying device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of a transfer unit in the conveying device according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the transfer unit 2 of the conveying device according to the third embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in that it includes a robot device 18 and a hand 10.

[0030] The robot device 18 is mainly composed of robot arms 19a to 19c, a robot base 20, and joints 21a to 21c, and is capable of three-dimensionally moving the hand 10 connected to the tip. Although the robot device 18 shown in Fig. 9 is a vertical articulated robot, other robots such as SCARA robots and Cartesian robots may be used as long as the hand 10 can be controlled three-dimensionally.

[0031] According to the conveying device of this embodiment, even if an obstacle exists between the storage section 1 and the installation section 3, the hand 10 can be controlled three-dimensionally to convey the object while avoiding the obstacle.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0033] 1...storage section, 2...transport section, 3...installation section, 4...transported object, 5...tray, 6...tray base, 7...tray actuator, 8...transport actuator, 9...air slider, 10...hand, 11...chuck, 12...connecting section, 13...gripping section, 14a, 14b...locking pieces, 15...transported object, 16...gripping section, 17...locking wall, 18...robot device, 19a to 19c...robot arm, 20...robot base, 21a to 21c...joint, 41...convex portion, 42...base, 131...cutout shape, 151...convex portion, 152...flange portion, 161...cutout shape.

Claims

1. A transport device for transporting an object having a convex portion protruding from a flat base, comprising a plurality of gripping portions which grip the object by pressing against the base surface of the object, and at least one of the gripping portions has a shape which covers at least a portion of the side surface of the convex portion but does not cover the tip surface of the convex portion.

2. A conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the shape is a notch shape along the circumferential direction of the side surface of the convex portion.

3. A conveying device according to claim 2, characterized in that the gripping portion grips the conveyed object with the cutout shape spaced apart from the side surface of the convex portion.

4. A conveying device according to claim 3, characterized in that the object to be conveyed is an ion selective electrode, and the protrusion is an internal electrode protruding from a housing of the ion selective electrode.

5. A conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the area of ​​the side surface of the protrusion in the circumferential direction that is covered by the notch shape is less than 180°.

6. A conveying device as described in claim 1, wherein two of the plurality of gripping parts are positioned opposite each other, one of the two gripping parts positioned opposite each other is pressed against a base surface of the conveyed object, and the other of the two gripping parts positioned opposite each other is pressed against the other base surface of the conveyed object.

7. A conveying device as described in claim 6, wherein one of the two gripping portions located opposite each other has a notch shape that follows the circumferential direction of the side surface of the convex portion of the conveyed object, and the other of the two gripping portions located opposite each other has a notch shape that follows the circumferential direction of the side surface of the convex portion of another conveyed object arranged adjacent to it.

8. A conveying device as described in claim 1, wherein the gripping portion has a first surface which is a vertical plane facing the base surface, and a second surface which is a vertical plane perpendicular to the first surface, and the gripping portion brings the conveyed object closer to adjacent conveyed objects by pressing a locking piece formed on the second surface against the conveyed object.

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