Robot

Abstract

Provided is a robot that, even when having a plurality of driven sections, allows for a reduction in size and weight, and that suppresses the occurrence of accidents associated with the driving of the driven sections. The robot comprises: a base part; a pillar part that extends in the vertical direction from the base part; an arm part that is assembled so as to be movable along an extension direction of the pillar part; and a drive guide part that is stretched along the vertical direction substantially parallel to the pillar part. The arm part comprises a power transmission member that engages with the drive guide part, and a lifting / lowering drive part that applies a driving force to the power transmission member.

Description

robot

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot.

[0002] In recent years, retail stores such as department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and electronics retailers have been displaying various products on shelves for sale. Consumers pick up and purchase the products they want from these shelves. As consumers purchase products in this way, the number of products displayed on the shelves decreases, and it is therefore necessary to replenish the shelves with products as needed.

[0003] This type of stock replenishment work used to be done manually by store employees, but in recent years, automated guided vehicles have come into use, which can travel between warehouses and shelves where products are stocked and display products on the shelves without the involvement of employees.

[0004] Various forms of automated guided vehicles for such work are known, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a system is known that includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV), a loading platform on the AGV that is configured and sized to hold two or more storage containers, a frame extending from the AGV, and a robotic arm mounted on the frame.

[0005] With such a system, the robot arm has a high degree of freedom that makes it easy to pick up and place products using an AGV, improving work efficiency without the involvement of employees.

[0006] Special table 2018-535163 publication

[0007] However, in warehouses and near product shelves, the shelves are usually not spaced apart as widely as necessary, and since there are many products stored in warehouses, it cannot be said that there is sufficient space for work, so there has been a demand for smaller and lighter AGVs.In addition, the provision of multiple arms for AGVs is also being considered to improve the work efficiency.

[0008] Here, conventionally, a lifting mechanism using an actuator is used to drive the arm, and specifically, it is necessary to combine three components: an actuator that supplies power, a transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the actuator, and a guide member that guides the lifting movement of the arm. With this type of lifting mechanism, if multiple drive targets such as arms and work tables are provided and these are to be driven independently, a separate lifting mechanism is required for each drive target, which poses a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size and weight of the AGV.

[0009] In addition, AGVs that work as service robots have the problem of needing to avoid accidents such as the driven part getting the limbs of an employee caught between the arm and the robot body as it moves up and down.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a robot that can be made smaller and lighter even when it has multiple drive target parts, and that reduces the occurrence of accidents associated with driving the drive target parts.

[0011] The robot of the present invention, which solves the above problems, comprises a base, a pillar extending vertically from the base, an arm assembled so as to be movable along the extension direction of the pillar, and a drive guide stretched along the vertical direction approximately parallel to the pillar, wherein the arm comprises a power transmission member that engages with the drive guide, and an elevation drive unit that imparts a driving force to the power transmission member.

[0012] According to the robot of the present invention, the arm portion is equipped with a power transmission member that engages with a drive guide portion that is stretched vertically and approximately parallel to the pillar portion, and an elevation drive portion that imparts a driving force to the power transmission member.Therefore, even if multiple arms are provided on a single drive guide portion, these can be driven independently, and the robot can be made smaller and lighter.

[0013] 1 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a lifting mechanism of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a view for explaining a drive guide part of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration of a power transmission member of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; 5 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; 6 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of a robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to each claim, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a lifting mechanism of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a drive guide section of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a power transmission member of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] 1, the robot 1 according to this embodiment includes a cart section (base section in the claims) 10 having a traveling function, a gatepost section 20 having a pair of pillar sections 21, 21 extending vertically from the cart section 10 and a connecting section 22 connecting the upper ends of the pair of pillar sections 21, 21, a pair of arms 30 and a table section 40 assembled so as to be movable along the extending direction of the pillar section 21. The gatepost section 20 is covered with a cover member 2. In this way, the robot 1 according to this embodiment includes the pair of arms 30 and the table section 40 as drive target sections.

[0017] The cart unit 10 has a plurality of wheels 11 and is configured to be self-propelled by a traveling device having a drive motor, a control device, a braking device, etc. (not shown). The robot 1 according to this embodiment is self-propelled by the cart unit 10, and can move self-propelled to a product shelf to be replenished with products or within a warehouse where products are stocked.

[0018] The cart unit 10 has a flat box-shaped cart body 12, which houses the drive motor, control device, braking device, etc. The cart body 12 has a flat top surface 13 which can be used as a loading space for placing products or cases.

[0019] A gatepost 20 is erected in the vertical direction (up-down direction) on the upper surface 13 of the bogie body 12. The gatepost 20 is formed in a gate shape having a pair of pillars (pillar bodies) 21, 21 erected in the vertical direction from the upper surface 13 of the bogie body 12 and a connecting portion 22 connecting the upper ends of the pillars 21, 21 to each other.

[0020] Arms 30 are attached to the front side surfaces of the pillars 21. The arms 30 are equipped with a movement mechanism 70, which will be described later, and are assembled so that the arms 30 can be moved up and down the pillars 21 by the movement mechanism 70.

[0021] Furthermore, a storage section 60 is formed on the opposing side surfaces of the pillar sections 21, and multiple stages of slope members 61 are arranged at predetermined intervals so as to protrude from one pillar section 21 toward the other pillar section 21. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the slope members 61 are arranged so as to be inclined downward relative to the pillar sections 21.

[0022] The arm 30 comprises a base end 31 movably assembled to the pillar 21, a first arm 33 rotatably assembled to the tip of the base end 31 via a first joint 32, a second arm 35 rotatably assembled to the tip of the first arm 33 via a second joint 34, and a third arm 37 rotatably assembled to the tip of the second arm 35 via a third joint 36, and the tip of the third arm 37 comprises a gripping portion 39 rotatably assembled to the tip of the third arm 37 via a fourth joint 38.

[0023] The base end portion 31 is attached to the pillar portion 21 at its base end so as to be movable up and down, and has a first joint portion 32 attached above its tip end portion. The base end portion of the first joint portion 32 is attached so as to be rotatable in the yaw direction relative to the base end portion 31, and the tip end portion has a first arm portion 33 attached to it so as to be rotatable in the pitch direction. The first joint portion 32 rotates in the yaw and pitch directions as described above by a motor (not shown).

[0024] The first arm 33 and the second arm 35 are long box-shaped members of roughly the same shape, and the tip side of the first arm 33 and the base end side of the second arm 35 are assembled to the second joint portion 34 and are attached so as to be freely rotatable relative to each other in the pitch direction.

[0025] The third arm 37 is a long box-shaped member, and has attached to its base end a third joint 36 having a shape similar to that of the above-described first joint 32. The base end of the third joint 36 is attached to the second arm 35 so as to be rotatable in the pitch direction, and the tip end is assembled to the third arm 37 so as to be rotatable in the yaw direction.

[0026] A gripping unit 39 is attached to the tip of the third arm 37 via a fourth joint 38. The base end of the fourth joint 38 is attached to the tip of the third arm 37 so as to be rotatable in the pitch direction, and the tip end is attached to the gripping unit 39 so as to be rotatable in the roll direction. The gripping unit 39 is also attached to the fourth joint 38 so as to be rotatable in the yaw direction.

[0027] The gripping section 39 has a pair of gripping claws 39a, 39a that rotate around the base end and are assembled so that the tip ends can move toward or away from each other. The tips of the gripping claws 39a can be rotated toward each other to grip an object to be operated, such as a product B or a case C, and can be rotated away from each other to release the gripped object.

[0028] 5, a claw portion 45 may be attached to the fourth joint portion 38 instead of the grip portion 39. The grip portion 39 and the claw portion 45 are configured to be detachable, and are configured so that it is possible to select whether to use the grip portion 39 or the claw portion 45 so that an appropriate operation can be performed depending on the object to be operated.

[0029] 1, a table 40 is attached to the column 21 below the arm 30. The table 40 can be used to place a case C, which is an object to be operated, and is attached to the column 21 by a movement mechanism 70 similar to that of the arm 30 so as to be movable in the up and down directions.

[0030] Next, the movement mechanism 70 of the robot 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. As shown in Figure 2, the movement mechanism 70 includes an arm movement mechanism 70a, a table movement mechanism 70b, and a drive guide unit 50 that guides the arm movement mechanism 70a and the table movement mechanism 70b. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the drive guide unit 50 is a member that is stretched across the vertical direction substantially parallel to the pillar 21, with its lower end folded upward via a folding portion 52 and attached to its tip via an elastic force applying means 51. The base end of the drive guide unit 50 is fixed to the pillar 21.

[0031] The drive guide 50 is preferably a band-shaped toothed belt such as a timing belt. A pair of drive guides 50 is provided for each pair of columns 21. The drive guide 50 is not limited to a timing belt; for example, a rack may be used. In this case, the lower end of the rack may be fixed to the elastic force applying means 51 without the folded portion 52. When the drive guide 50 is configured as a timing belt, if the folded portion 52 is folded upward, the drive guide 50 can absorb the impact of a collision with a worker or the like as the arm 30 or table 40 descends. In other words, the drive guide 50 can be pulled to absorb the impact without the elastic force applying means 51.

[0032] Since the base end side (the upper end side of the column 21) of the drive guide unit 50 is fixed to the column 21, downward tension is applied by the weight of the arm movement mechanism 70a and the table movement mechanism 70b. In addition, the elastic force applying means 51 gives the drive guide unit 50 a predetermined elasticity, so that when the drive guide unit 50 collides with a worker or the like as the arm 30 or the table 40 descends, as will be described later, it is configured to be able to absorb the impact of the collision. Note that any material may be used for the elastic force applying means 51 as long as it is capable of absorbing the above-mentioned impact, but a coil spring is preferably used.

[0033] One arm movement mechanism 70a is provided for each pair of arms 30, and the table movement mechanism 70b is provided on one of the pillars 21, with the table 40 being held in a cantilevered state relative to the pillar 21. The table movement mechanism 70b is attached to the pillar 21 in the vertical direction so as to be positioned lower than the arm movement mechanism 70a.

[0034] In this way, the table movement mechanism 70b is held in a cantilevered state and attached lower than the arm movement mechanism 70a, so that multiple movement mechanisms can be attached to one drive guide unit 50, allowing multiple operations to be driven independently, and enabling the miniaturization and weight reduction of the robot 1. Furthermore, since only the arm movement mechanism 70a is attached to the column unit 21 to which the table movement mechanism 70b is not attached, the arm 30 can be moved below the table unit 40 without interfering with the table movement mechanism 70b, allowing for access to areas further downward.

[0035] Next, we will explain the configuration of the arm moving mechanism 70a and the table moving mechanism 70b. However, since the arm moving mechanism 70a and the table moving mechanism 70b each have a similar configuration, in the following explanation, we will explain in detail the configuration of the table moving mechanism 70b, and omit a detailed explanation of the arm moving mechanism 70a.

[0036] The table moving mechanism 70b includes a moving mechanism main body 71 to which the base end side of the table portion 40 (or the base end portion 31 of the arm portion 30) is attached, a power transmission member 73 that engages with the drive guide portion 50, and a lifting drive portion 72 that applies a driving force to the power transmission member 73.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the moving mechanism main body 71 has a lifting drive unit mounting portion 75 to which the lifting drive unit 72 is attached, and a power transmission member 73 and a pair of guide rollers 74 arranged on both ends of the extension direction of the drive guide portion 50 of the power transmission member 73 are rotatably assembled to the lifting drive unit mounting portion 75.

[0038] The power transmission member 73 can be configured in any of various known conventional ways as long as it can transmit the driving force of the lifting drive unit 72 to the drive guide unit 50, but a pulley, for example, is preferably used.

[0039] The lifting drive unit 72 can be configured in any of various known conventional ways as long as it can impart a predetermined driving force to the power transmission member 73, but an electric motor, for example, is preferably used.

[0040] Next, the operation of the robot 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0041] First, the robot 1 according to this embodiment performs image processing on images captured by cameras (not shown) attached to the cart unit 10 and gatepost unit 20, and moves autonomously to a designated shelf in the warehouse. Upon arriving at the designated shelf, the robot grasps products B (e.g., plastic bottles) stored on the shelf as operation objects with the gripper unit 39, carries a predetermined number of products B into cases C placed on the table unit 40, and stores the cases C in the storage unit 60. At this time, the robot recognizes the designated products by processing images captured by a camera (not shown) attached to the arm unit 30, and carries the required number of products into cases C placed on the table unit 40.

[0042] At this time, the table portion 40 is held in a cantilevered state relative to the column portion 21, so the arm portion 30 attached to the column portion 21 on the side not being held can move up and down along the column portion 21 without interfering with the table portion 40. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp even products stored on the lower shelves of a warehouse shelf.

[0043] When the designated quantity of the designated product has been taken out, the table unit 40 is raised or lowered to a position corresponding to any of the slope members 61 in the storage unit 60, and the arm unit 30 pushes the case C placed on the table unit 40 into the storage unit 60. At this time, since the slope member 61 has a predetermined inclination, it is only necessary to push it slightly with the arm unit 30, and the case C can be stored in the storage unit 60 by its own weight.

[0044] Furthermore, when the removed goods are to be displayed on the product shelf, the table portion 40 is raised and lowered to the slope member 61 where the case C containing the specified goods is housed, and by hooking the outer edge of the case C with the gripping portion 39, the case C is moved from the storage portion 60 to the table portion 40, and the goods in the case C can be displayed on the product shelf with the gripping portion 39.

[0045] In this way, with the robot 1 according to this embodiment, the space along the vertical direction of the pillar portion 21 can be utilized as the storage section 60, and product B and case C can be easily handled, thereby increasing the quantity that can be carried out at one time and improving work efficiency.

[0046] Furthermore, even if the worker's limbs become caught between the arm 30 or table 40 and the trolley 10 as the arm 30 or table 40 descends, or if the worker collides with an obstacle, the lower end of the drive guide 50 is fixed and made elastic by the elastic force imparting means 51, so that it is possible to absorb the impact even in the event of such a collision, thereby further improving safety.

[0047] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, by attaching a claw portion 45 to the arm portion 30, handling of the case C can be made easier.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, when pulling out the case C stored in the storage section 60 onto the table section 40, the claw section 45 can be hooked onto the edge of the case C, allowing it to be moved onto the table section 40, and as shown in Figure 7, the pair of arms 30 can be used to lift the edge of the case C, allowing the case C to be carried out.

[0049] The robot 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above with the gripper 39 attached to the tip of the arm 30. However, the member attached to the tip of the arm 30 is not limited to the gripper 39. For example, a suction unit capable of adhering to a product by suction, such as air, may be used. Furthermore, the robot 1 according to the present embodiment has been described with a pair of arms 30 attached to each of the pillars 21 of the gatepost 20. However, an arm 30 may be attached to only one of the pillars 21, or multiple arms 30 may be attached to one pillar 21. Furthermore, the cart 10 does not have to have a traveling function and may be configured as, for example, a stationary pedestal. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements are also within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0050] 1 robot, 10 carriage part, 21 column part, 22 connecting part, 30 arm part, 39 gripping part, 40 table part, 45 claw part, 50 drive guide part, 51 elastic force imparting means, 60 storage part.

Claims

1. A robot comprising: a base; a pillar extending vertically from the base; an arm assembled to be movable along the extension direction of the pillar; and a drive guide stretched along the vertical direction approximately parallel to the pillar, wherein the arm comprises a power transmission member that meshes with the drive guide, and a lifting drive unit that imparts a driving force to the power transmission member.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the drive guide portion is folded back upward via a folded back portion.

3. A robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive guide portion is provided with elastic force applying means for applying an elastic force in the vertical direction.

4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the drive guide is a toothed belt.

5. A robot according to claim 1, wherein the pillar portion comprises a pair of pillar body portions and a connecting portion for connecting the tips of the pillar body portions to each other.

6. A robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive guide section is provided with a table section which is assembled so as to be movable along the extension direction of the pillar section.

7. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the platform is a cart having a running function.

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