JP2018012176A - Transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transfer apparatus capable adsorbing and holding a box body stably.SOLUTION: A transfer apparatus enabled to transfer a box body 2 by a pickup device 1 capable of moving in vertical directions and in horizontal directions, wherein the pickup device 1 comprises: a vacuum device 5 for adsorbing the upper face 2c of the box body 2; and a moving member 63 for moving downward lower than the adsorption face of the vacuum device 5 thereby to abut against the side face 2d of the box 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device that transfers a box body by suction and holding.

  There is a transfer device for transferring an article to be transferred by suction and holding from above with a vacuum device, and moving the vacuum device in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction with a moving device in this state.

  For such a transfer apparatus, for example, a technique as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is employed. According to Patent Document 1, a vacuum device includes a vacuum cup for adsorbing and holding an article from vertically above, an exhaust hose connected to a vacuum pump and exhausting the air in the vacuum cup, and a joint at the lower end extending vertically. And a shaft member to which a vacuum cup is connected.

  When adsorbing the article with the vacuum cup, the vacuum cup is lowered by moving the shaft member in the vertical direction to adsorb the article against the upper surface of the article, and the article is lifted and moved while adsorbed by the vacuum cup. It has become.

Published Utility Model 1-84994 (page 4, Fig. 1)

  However, in Patent Document 1, when a vacuum apparatus is used to suck and hold a box in which an article is stored, the position of suction holding from the center of gravity of the box is greatly separated depending on the storage position of the article in the box. Therefore, there is a possibility that the box body is inclined and poor adsorption occurs. In addition, there is a possibility that the inclination of the box is promoted by the movement of the articles in the box after the adsorption holding. Therefore, in order to prevent the suction failure, it is necessary to take measures such as increasing the suction force of the vacuum device.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device capable of stably adsorbing and holding a box.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the transfer device of the present invention provides:
A transfer device capable of transferring a box by a pickup device movable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
The pickup device includes a vacuum device that adsorbs the upper surface of the box, and an advancing / retracting member that moves downward below the adsorption surface of the vacuum device and contacts the side surface of the box.
According to this feature, the balance of the box can be maintained by bringing the advancing / retreating member into contact with the side of the box while the upper surface of the box is sucked by the vacuum device, and the box without requiring a strong suction force. Can be stably adsorbed and held.

The advance / retreat member is a plate-like member.
According to this feature, the surface of the plate-like member can be brought into contact with the side surface of the box, and the balance of the box can be reliably maintained.

The advancing / retracting member is characterized in that it can be retracted to a position equal to or higher than the suction surface of the vacuum device.
According to this feature, the pickup device can be moved in a state in which the advance / retreat member is retracted to a position equal to or higher than the suction surface of the vacuum device. Therefore, the advance / retreat member interferes with the box and obstructs the suction operation of the vacuum device. Never become.

A plurality of the vacuum devices are provided in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the advance / retreat member that contacts the box.
According to this feature, since the upper surface of the box is adsorbed by the plurality of vacuum devices, it is possible to suppress the inclination of the horizontal box in a direction that cannot be regulated by the advance / retreat member.

The said plate-shaped member is provided with the corner | angular part which has the vertex which protrudes in the lower end.
According to this feature, the plate-like member is easily brought into contact with the side surface of the box body even when the gap on the side of the box body is narrow by the downward movement of the corner portion in advance.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which attracted and held the box with the pickup apparatus of the transfer apparatus in an Example. (A) is a perspective view which shows the state in which the cover of the box was closed, (b) is a perspective view which shows the state in which the cover of the box was opened. (A) is a front view which shows the structure of the pick-up apparatus of a transfer apparatus, (b) is a side view similarly. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram which shows the adsorption | suction structure by a vacuum apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a mechanism of sucking and holding a box body and showing a positional relationship between a vacuum device and a plate-like member when a vertically placed box body is sucked and held. (A)-(c) has shown an example of the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance operation | movement of the box body of a vertical installation state, and is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement which shifts a box body. (A)-(c) has shown an example of the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance operation | movement of the box body of a vertically placed state, and is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement which arrange | positions a plate-shaped member to the side of a box body. (A)-(c) has shown an example of the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance operation | movement of the box of a vertical installation state, and is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement which adsorb | sucks and lifts a box. (A)-(b) has shown an example of the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance operation | movement of the box in a flat state, and is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement which shifts a box. (A)-(b) has shown an example of the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance operation | movement of the box body of a flat position, and is a model which shows the operation | movement which arrange | positions a plate-shaped member to the side of a box body, and adsorb | sucks a box body FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance operation | movement of the box in a flat state in the state which raised the plate-shaped member arrange | positioned at the side of a box, and shows the state which the balance of the box collapsed. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which attracted and held the box with the pickup apparatus of the transfer apparatus.

  The form for implementing the transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated below based on an Example.

  The transfer apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Hereinafter, the front side of FIG. 3 (a) and the left side of FIG. 3 (b) will be described as the front side (front side) of the transfer device, and will be described with reference to the vertical and horizontal directions when viewed from the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device of the present embodiment is illustrated in a state in which the box body 2 as a transfer object is sucked and held by a pickup device 1 capable of sucking and holding the box body 2 from above. The box body 2 is moved to a desired position by moving it up and down and horizontally using a known moving device such as a known robot arm.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the box 2 in the present embodiment includes a storage portion 2a capable of storing products and the like, and a lid 2b that closes an opening portion of the storage portion 2a. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the lid 2b opens and closes the opening portion of the housing portion 2a by rotating the front edge portion 2f around the connecting portion 2e with respect to the housing portion 2a. It is possible. Further, the surface that is sucked and held by the pickup device 1 changes depending on the direction in which the box body 2 is placed. In this embodiment, when the box body 2 is in a vertically placed state (see FIG. 6), it is described later. The surface 2c that adsorbs the vacuum device 5 to be used becomes a side surface of the housing portion 2a that is connected to the lid 2b by the connecting portion 2e, and the surface 2d that contacts a plate-like member 63 (advance / retreat member) described later is the lid 2b It explains as a mode which constitutes and becomes a field which closes an opening part of storage part 2a. Furthermore, when the box 2 is in a flat state (see FIG. 9), the surface 2c is a surface that constitutes the lid 2b and closes the opening of the housing portion 2a, and the surface 2d is covered by the connecting portion 2e. It demonstrates as an aspect used as the side surface of the accommodating part 2a connected with 2b.

  The pickup device 1 includes a housing 10 connected to a moving device (not shown), a pressure gauge 4 provided on the front surface side of the housing 10 for measuring the pressure at the time of suction, and a lower side from the lower surface on the front side of the housing 10. A bar-shaped arm 3 extending in the direction, a plurality of vacuum devices 5, 5 provided at the lower end of the arm 3, and a plate-like member 63 provided on the back side of the housing 10 (indicated by a two-dot chain line for convenience of explanation) The advancing / retreating device 6 having

  A 3D camera (not shown) is provided above the pickup device 1. The 3D camera detects the three-dimensional position of the box 2 with an information processing unit (not shown) built in the 3D camera based on the image data obtained by imaging the box 2 from above, and the 3D of the box 2 The position information can be transmitted to a control unit (not shown). In the control unit, operation control of the pickup device 1 and the advance / retreat device 6 is performed based on the three-dimensional position information transmitted from the 3D camera.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (a), a front-side inverted substantially T-shaped branch part 51 that branches right and left is attached to the lower end of the arm 3, and vacuum devices 5 and 5 are attached to the left and right ends of the branch part 51, respectively. Installed. The vacuum devices 5, 5 are vacuum cups 52, 52 that are opened downward, and suction pads 53, 53 that are inserted into the vacuum cups 52, 52 and can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction (see FIG. 4 (a)). And mainly consists of.

  The suction pads 53, 53 have a cylindrical shape with open upper and lower ends, and are connected so that the upper end side communicates with the inside of the branching portion 51, and the lower end side of the suction cups 53, 52 is the lower end edge 52a of the vacuum cups 52, 52 in a natural state. , 52a so as to protrude downward (see FIG. 4A).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the branch portion 51 is provided with an exhaust port 51a communicating with the inside at a predetermined position, and the air inside the branch portion 51 is exhausted from the exhaust port 51a using a vacuum pump or the like. As a result, the air inside the suction pads 53 and 53 of the vacuum devices 5 and 5 communicating with the inside of the branch portion 51 can be exhausted simultaneously.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3B, the advance / retreat apparatus 6 includes a rail member 61 that is attached to the rear surface of the housing 10 of the pickup apparatus 1 and has two guide grooves 61a, 61a in the vertical direction. The movable body 62 is movable along the guide grooves 61a and 61a of the rail member 61 in the vertical direction. A substantially rectangular plate-like member 63 is screwed to the moving body 62, and the plate-like member 63 can move in the vertical direction in accordance with the movement of the moving body 62.

  Next, adsorption by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the box 2 will be described as being vertically placed. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the moving device is operated based on the three-dimensional position information transmitted from the 3D camera, the pickup device 1 is moved in the horizontal direction, and the vacuum devices 5 and 5 are boxed. The alignment is performed so as to be arranged vertically above the second surface 2c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pickup device 1 is moved down based on the three-dimensional position information transmitted from the 3D camera, and the lower end openings 53a, 53a (suction surface) of the suction pads 53, 53. Is brought into contact with the surface 2c of the box 2, and the pickup device 1 is further lowered to bring the lower end edges 52a, 52a of the vacuum cups 52, 52 into contact with the surface 2c of the box 2. At this time, the suction pads 53 and 53 are contracted in the vertical direction from the state in which the lower end openings 53a and 53a are in contact with the surface 2c of the box body 2 and are accommodated in the vacuum cups 52 and 52. The lower end edges 52a, 52a of the vacuum cups 52, 52 and the lower end openings 53a, 53a of the suction pads 53, 53 are in contact with the surface 2c of the body 2 at the same time.

  The lower end edges 52a and 52a of the vacuum cups 52 and 52 are brought into contact with the surface 2c of the box 2 so that the lower end openings 53a and 53a of the suction pads 53 and 53 are brought into contact with the surface 2c of the box 2. Are not relatively separated from each other.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the lower end edges 52a, 52a of the vacuum cups 52, 52 and the lower end openings 53a, 53a of the suction pads 53, 53 with respect to the surface 2c of the box 2 are both. The lower end openings 53a, 53a of the suction pads 53, 53 can be adsorbed to the surface 2c of the box 2 by exhausting the air inside the branching part 51 using an ejector or the like in the abutted state. it can.

  Next, the plate member 63 of the advance / retreat apparatus 6 will be described in detail. As described above, the plate-like member 63 is movable in the vertical direction in accordance with the movement of the movable body 62, and the lower end portion 63 a of the plate-like member 63 is formed on the box 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The vacuum cups 52, 52 with the surface 2c sucked can be moved downwardly below the suction surfaces (lower end openings 53a, 53a of the suction pads 53, 53) to be brought into contact with the surface 2d of the box 2. .

  Next, a mechanism for sucking and holding the box 2 by the pickup device 1 of the transfer device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the center of gravity center balance of the box 2 is demonstrated as virtual center line A1-A1. As shown in FIG. 5, the surface 2c of the vertically placed box 2 is adsorbed by the vacuum devices 5 and 5, and the plate-like member 63 is moved downward and brought into contact with the surface 2d of the box 2 The tilting of the box body 2 can be regulated by the plate member 63 in a state where the box body 2 is sucked and held by the vacuum devices 5 and 5.

  Further, when the surface 2c of the box 2 is adsorbed by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 at a position in front of the virtual center line A1-A1 before and after the vertically placed box 2, the balance of the center of gravity A force that rotates in the direction of the colored arrow acts on the box 2, and the upper part of the surface 2 d of the box 2 comes into contact with the plate-like member 63. In this way, the box body 2 is always directed in the predetermined direction, that is, toward the plate-like member 63 by adsorbing the surface 2c of the box body 2 by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 at a position ahead of the virtual center line A1-A1. Can be pressed, and the box body 2 can be prevented from tilting in the direction opposite to the direction of the plate-like member 63. Moreover, with respect to the box 2 in a vertically placed state, the rotation of the lid 2b can be directly regulated by the plate-like member 63, and the opening and closing can be reliably prevented.

  In the vacuum device 5, since the suction pad 53 is inserted into the vacuum cup 52, the suction wall 53 can be prevented from being twisted or bent by the inner wall of the vacuum cup 52. Further, in the vacuum device 5, the lower end opening 53 a of the suction pad 53 protrudes downward from the vacuum cup 52 before suction, and the suction pad 53 contracts in the axial direction during suction, and the lower end edge of the vacuum cup 52 and the suction pad 53. The lower edge of is located in substantially the same plane. At the time of suction, the surface 2c of the box body 2 is sucked by the suction pad 53 on the inner diameter side of the vacuum cup 52, and the lower end edge of the vacuum cup 52 contacts the surface 2c of the box body 2 on the outer diameter side of the suction pad 53. Since it supports, the inclination of the suction pad 53 with respect to the surface 2c of the box 2 can be suppressed.

  Further, by using the plate-like member 63 having a large surface 63b that comes into contact with the box body 2 as the advancing / retreating member, the plate-like member 63 can be brought into contact with the surface 2d of the box body 2 stably. It is easy to maintain the balance.

  Next, the suction holding operation of the box body 2 by the pickup device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, a plurality of boxes 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E accommodated in a vertically placed state in the container 20a of the container 20 that is open at the top, an inner side of the container 20 on the front side. The suction holding operation of the pickup device 1 when transferring the box 2A closest to the wall surface 20b will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, first, the pickup device 1 is moved in the horizontal direction based on the three-dimensional position information transmitted from the 3D camera, and the box 2B adjacent to the rear side of the box 2A. Alignment is performed so as to be disposed above.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the pickup device 1 is lowered and the pickup device 1 is moved backward while the surface 2c of the box 2B is adsorbed to the surface 2c of the box 2B by the vacuum devices 5 and 5. By horizontally moving to the side, the plurality of boxes 2B to 2E are collectively arranged so as to be biased toward the inner wall surface 20c on the rear side of the container 20 (see FIG. 6C). Thereby, the space | interval of the clearance gap between the box 2A and the box 2B is expanded. The example in which the boxes 2B to 2E are biased toward the inner wall surface 20c while the surface 2c of the box 2B is adsorbed by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 has been described. The members 2B to 2E may be biased using the member 63.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, after the suction of the surface 2c of the box 2B by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 is released and the pickup device 1 is raised, the pickup device 1 is moved in the horizontal direction. Then, alignment is performed so that the lower end portion 63a of the plate-like member 63 is disposed above the gap between the box 2A and the box 2B (see FIG. 7B). Subsequently, the plate member 63 is moved downward along the guide grooves 61a and 61a of the rail member 61 based on the three-dimensional position information transmitted from the 3D camera, so that the plate member 63 is moved to the surface of the box 2A. It arrange | positions so that 2d may be opposed (refer FIG.7 (c)).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, the pickup device 1 is moved in the horizontal direction to bring the surface 63b of the plate-like member 63 into contact with the surface 2d of the box 2A. At this time, the pick-up device 1 is further moved in the horizontal direction toward the front side to press the plate-like member 63 against the surface 2d of the box 2A so that the box 2A is moved to the inner wall 20b of the container 20. Positioning is performed by being sandwiched between the plate member 63. According to this, even if the box body 2A is inclined with respect to the inner wall surface 20b of the container 20, the box body 2A is rotated in the horizontal direction by pressing, so that the surface 2g becomes the inner wall surface 20b. Can be brought into contact with each other. That is, the surface 2d of the box 2A and the surface 63b of the plate-like member 63 can be brought into contact with each other substantially in parallel.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, in the state where the box 2A is sandwiched and aligned between the inner wall surface 20b of the container 20 and the plate-like member 63, the pickup device 1 is lowered and the box is placed. The lower end edges 52a and 52a of the vacuum cups 52 and 52 are brought into contact with the surface 2c of 2A and are attracted by the vacuum devices 5 and 5.

  According to this, in a state where the surface 2c of the box 2 is adsorbed by the vacuum devices 5 and 5, the surface 2d of the box 2A is pressed toward the plate-like member 63, and the vacuum devices 5 and 5 Since the box body 2 can be sandwiched by the plate-like member 63 from the two directions of the upper side and the rear side, the box body 2 can be adsorbed and held more stably. Further, since the frictional force generated between the surface 2d of the box 2A and the surface 63b of the plate-like member 63 is increased, the suction force of the vacuum devices 5 and 5 can be reduced. The surface 63b of the plate-like member 63 is made of a material having a high friction coefficient. For example, the surface 63b is blasted, a high-friction material is applied to the plate-like member 63 main body to form the surface 63b, etc. The frictional force may be increased.

  Finally, the pickup device 1 is raised in a state where the box 2A is sandwiched between the upper side and the rear side by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 and the plate member 63 (see FIG. 8C). As described above, the vacuum device 5 or 5 is adsorbed to the surface 2c of the box 2A in a state in which the plate-like member 63 is securely brought into contact with the surface 2d of the box 2A. The predetermined position 2c can be sucked and held by the vacuum devices 5 and 5.

  Further, a plurality of vacuum devices 5 and 5 are provided in a substantially parallel direction with the surface 63 b of the plate-like member 63, and the upper surface of the box body is adsorbed by the plurality of vacuum devices 5 and 5, and therefore cannot be regulated by the plate-like member 63. The inclination of the box 2 in the horizontal direction can be suppressed. Further, since at least a part of the plate-like member 63 is positioned between the vacuum devices 5 and 5 in the rear view, that is, between the box 2A and the operating point of the vacuum devices 5 and 5 in the rear view, Since the arrangement is such that the body 2A and the action point of the plate-like member 63 are positioned, the posture of the box when the box 2A is sucked and held is stabilized.

  Further, the lower end 63a of the plate-like member 63 can move up to a position higher than the lower end openings 53a, 53a of the suction pads 53, 53 of the vacuum devices 5, 5 in the natural state. According to this, when the pickup device 1 is moved in the horizontal direction by the moving device and aligned with the box body 2, the lower end portion 63 a of the plate-like member 63 does not hit the box body 2 and is not in the way.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lower end 63a of the plate-like member 63 is inclined so that the right end side protrudes downward, so that the protruding portion moves downward in advance. Thus, the plate-like member 63 is easily brought into contact with the surface of the box 2 even when the gap on the side of the box 2 is narrow.

  Further, the suction pads 53 and 53 are guided by the inner walls of the vacuum cups 52 and 52 so that the suction pads 53 and 53 can come into contact with the surface 2c of the box 2 substantially vertically. Hard to wake up.

  Although not shown, when the box 2B in the container 20 is transferred, the transfer is performed by pressing and holding the box 2B against the box 2A by performing the suction holding operation described above. It can be carried out.

  In addition, when transferring a plurality of boxes 2, 2,. Further, the surface 2c of the box body 2 is adsorbed by the vacuum devices 5 and 5 at a position behind the virtual center line A2-A2 (see FIG. 10B) before and after the box body 2A in the flat state. In this case, due to the weight balance, a force (not shown) that rotates in the direction of the plate member 63 acts on the box 2A, and the upper portion of the surface 2d of the box 2A abuts on the plate member 63. As a result, as in the case of the vertically placed state, the box 2A can always be pressed in a predetermined direction, that is, in the direction of the plate-like member 63, and the tilt of the box 2A in the direction opposite to the direction of the plate-like member 63 is prevented. be able to. In the case of flat placement, the surface 2c constituting the lid 2b of the box 2A is adsorbed by the vacuum devices 5 and 5, but the housing portion 2a connected to the lid 2b by the connecting portion 2e. By bringing the plate-like member 63 into contact with the surface 2d which is the side surface, the surface 2c and the surface 2d of the box body 2A can be held at substantially right angles, so that the rotation of the lid 2b can be restricted and the opening and closing can be performed reliably. Can be prevented.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the lid of the box 2 </ b> A in a flat state is placed by the vacuum devices 5, 5 with the plate-like member 63 in contact with the surface 2 d of the box 2 </ b> A being moved upward. When the surface 2c constituting 2b is sucked, unlike the present embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the surface 63b of the plate-like member 63 is separated from the surface 2d of the box body 2A sucked and held, and the balance of the box body 2A is lost. Since the rotation of the lid 2b of the box body 2A is not restricted, the lid 2b of the box body 2A opens. Although not shown, the same applies to the case of the box 2 in a vertically placed state.

  Furthermore, as FIG. 12 shows, the pick-up apparatus 1 shifted | deviated largely back from the virtual center line A3-A3 before and behind the box 21 with respect to the box 21 (flat state) with a big dimension. The surface 21c of the box body 21 is attracted by the vacuum device 5 at the position, but as described above, the box body 21 can be pressed toward the plate-like member 63, and in the direction opposite to the plate-like member 63 direction. Since the box body 2A can be prevented from tilting, even the box body 21 having a large size can be sucked and held in a stable state.

  Therefore, even when the box 21 having a large size, the vertically placed box 2A, and the horizontally placed box 2B are mixed and accommodated in the container 20, the above-described pickup apparatus 1 is held by suction. By performing the operation, all the boxes can be sucked and held.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. It is.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer object of the transfer device has been described as an aspect in which the box body 2 and the lid that can store articles are connected in series and the lid can be opened and closed. Not limited to this, the transfer object of the transfer device may be a box or a vinyl package of another form as long as it can be sucked and held by the vacuum device.

  In addition, a control unit may be built in the housing of the pickup device 1.

  In the embodiment, the vacuum device 5 sucks the surface 2 c of the box body 2 by the lower end opening 53 a of the suction pad 53 constituting a substantial suction surface on the inner diameter side of the vacuum cup 52, and also sucks the suction pad 53. Although the lower end edge 52a of the vacuum cup 52 abuts on and supports the surface 2c of the box body 2 on the outer diameter side, the inclination of the suction pad 53 with respect to the surface 2c of the box body 2 has been described as an aspect. As a configuration in which air between the cup 52 and the suction pad 53 is also exhausted, the suction force of the vacuum device 5 may be increased by increasing the suction surface with respect to the surface 2 c of the box 2.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the air inside the branch part 51 was exhausted from the exhaust port 51a using a vacuum pump etc., and it demonstrated as an aspect which exhausts the air inside the several adsorption pads 53 and 53 simultaneously. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of exhaust ports may be provided so that the air inside the suction pad can be exhausted.

  Further, by attaching an insert member in which a plurality of through holes are arranged to the lower end openings 53a and 53a of the suction pads 53 and 53, respectively, and adjusting the suction force, for example, after the vinyl package is sucked, the vinyl has a wrinkle. It may not be left.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the vacuum cups 52 and 52 of the vacuum apparatus 5 demonstrated as an aspect provided with a predetermined space | interval at right and left along the plate-shaped member 63 of the advance / retreat apparatus 6, it was not restricted to this, The vacuum cup may be composed of two or more, and each may be provided continuously on the left and right without being separated from each other. Further, the number of vacuum cups may be one as long as the suction surface has a predetermined width in the left-right direction.

  In the advance / retreat apparatus 6, the power transmission means to the moving body 62 for moving the plate-like member 63 up and down may be freely configured. For example, it can be moved up and down using an electric motor, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like. May be.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the plate-shaped member 63 demonstrated as an aspect which moves relatively only to an up-down direction with respect to the vacuum apparatus 5, not only this but a plate-shaped member is relative to a vacuum apparatus with respect to a horizontal direction. It may move.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the lower end part 63a of the plate-shaped member 63 demonstrated the aspect which can be moved up to the height position above the lower end opening part 53a, 53a of the suction pad 53, 53 of the vacuum device 5 of a natural state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the lower end portion of the plate-like member can be moved up to a height position equal to or higher than the lower end opening portion of the suction pad, it does not interfere with the movement of the pickup device. Furthermore, when adsorbing and holding an article (for example, a vinyl package or the like) that does not need to be held by the plate-like member 63, the lower end portion 63a of the plate-like member 63 is not lower than the lower end edges 52a, 52a of the vacuum cups 52, 52. If it is moved up to the height position, it will not interfere with the suction of the article by the vacuum device 5.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the pick-up apparatus 1 was demonstrated as an aspect which moves an up-down direction with a moving apparatus, not only this but the pick-up apparatus itself may move to an up-down direction, for example, the part of an arm May be expanded and contracted vertically.

The transfer method described above is
In the state which pressed the plate-shaped member on the side of the box, the upper surface of the box is adsorbed by a vacuum device.
According to this feature, the balance of the box can be maintained by bringing the plate-like member into contact with the side of the box while the upper surface of the box is sucked by the vacuum device, and the box can be maintained without requiring a strong suction force. The body can be stably adsorbed and held.

Further, after adsorbing and moving the upper surface of the box body, the box body is moved downward so as to dispose a plate-like member on the side surface of the box body, and the box-like member is moved toward the object by the plate-like member. It is characterized by adsorbing the upper surface of the box again after being pushed and brought into contact.
According to this feature, since the predetermined position on the upper surface of the box body can be sucked and held by the vacuum device in a state where the plate-like member is securely in contact with the side surface of the box body, the box body can be stably Adsorption can be held.

Further, the upper surface of the box is sucked in a state where the plate-like member is retracted to a position equal to or higher than the suction surface of the vacuum device.
According to this feature, the lower end of the plate-like member does not hit the box when positioning the vacuum device with respect to the box, so that it does not get in the way.

Further, the upper surface of the box is again adsorbed after the box is pushed into contact with the inner wall surface of the container by the plate member.
According to this feature, a predetermined position on the upper surface of the box body can be sucked and held by the vacuum device while the box body is sandwiched between the inner wall surface of the container and the plate-like member. can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pickup apparatus 2,2A-2E Box 2a Housing | casing part 2b Cover 2c, 2d Surface 2e Connection part 2f Front edge part 5 Vacuum apparatus 6 Advancement / retraction apparatus 20 Container 20b Inner wall surface 20c Inner wall surface 51 Branch part 52 Vacuum cup 52a Bottom edge 53 Adsorption pad 53a Lower end opening 61 Rail member 62 Moving body 63 Plate member (advance / retreat member)
63a Lower end 63b surface

Claims (5)

A transfer device capable of transferring a box by a pickup device movable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
The pickup device includes: a vacuum device that adsorbs the upper surface of the box; and a forward / backward member that moves downward below the adsorption surface of the vacuum device and contacts the side surface of the box. Mounting device.   The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the advance / retreat member is a plate-like member.   The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the advance / retreat member is retractable to a position equal to or higher than a suction surface of the vacuum device.   4. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the vacuum devices are provided in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the advance / retreat member that contacts the box body. 5.   The said plate-shaped member is provided with the corner | angular part which has the vertex which protrudes in the lower end, The transfer apparatus in any one of Claim 2 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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