Conveyance system and conveyance method of conveyance system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160625-B2
Application number	US-201314426546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2013
Priority date	Sep 6, 2012
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A conveyance system includes a robot and a suspending device. The robot moves and conveys a workpiece in a horizontal direction. The suspending device includes a suspending mechanism, a lifting unit, and a support mechanism. The suspending mechanism suspends the workpiece, and the lifting unit lifts up and down the workpiece. The support mechanism supports the suspending mechanism such that the suspending mechanism is movable in the horizontal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveyance system comprising:
a conveyance robot configured to move and convey a workpiece in a horizontal direction;
a suspending device including
a suspending mechanism configured to suspend the workpiece,
a lifting unit configured to lift up and down the workpiece suspended by the suspending mechanism, and
a support mechanism configured to support the suspending mechanism such that the suspending mechanism is movable in the horizontal direction;

a first controller configured to control a lifting operation of the workpiece by the lifting unit of the suspending device; and
a second controller configured to control a conveyance operation of the workpiece by the conveyance robot, wherein:
the suspending mechanism includes
a suspending wire including a plurality of lower end portions, and
an attaching mechanism coupled to the plurality of lower end portions and including a plate-shaped main body and an attaching part, the attaching part being fixed to a lower surface of the main body and attached to the workpiece from above;

the conveyance robot includes
a guide part configured to guide the workpiece, and
a robot main body configured to move the guide part, the guide part being attracted to an upper surface of the main body of the attaching mechanism;

the robot main body moves the guide part in the horizontal direction and an upper-lower direction to convey the workpiece;
the first controller and the second controller cause the lifting operation of the workpiece by the lifting unit and the upper-lower movement operation of the guide part by the conveyance robot to be synchronized with each other;
the first controller controls the lifting operation of the lifting unit based on a control command transmitted from the second controller; and
the second controller executes with respect to the robot main body a compliance control operation in which compliance with respect to an upper-lower movement of the guide part is set to be low, and compliance with respect to a horizontal movement of the guide part is set to be high.

2. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein the first controller executes the lifting operation of the workpiece by the lifting unit in synchronization with the upper-lower movement operation of the guide part by the conveyance robot.

3. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein the second controller executes the upper-lower movement operation of the guide part by the conveyance robot in synchronization with the lifting operation of the workpiece by the lifting unit.

4. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a weight detector configured to detect a weight of the suspended workpiece, wherein
the first controller stores a static weight of the suspended workpiece and controls the lifting operation of the workpiece such that the weight detected by the weight detector while the workpiece is conveyed becomes equal to the stored static weight.

5. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the suspending mechanism includes
an attaching portion to which the workpiece is attached, and
a plurality of suspending portions configured to suspend the attaching portion at different positions;

the lifting unit includes a plurality of lifting mechanisms respectively provided for the suspending portions and configured to respectively change suspending lengths of the suspending portions; and
the first controller individually drives the lifting mechanisms.

6. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the support mechanism includes a drive unit configured to move the suspending mechanism in the horizontal direction; and
when the conveyance robot moves the guide part in the horizontal direction, the first controller drives the drive unit in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the guide part.

7. The conveyance system according to claim 1 , wherein the guide part guides and conveys the workpiece in the horizontal direction while allowing a relative upper-lower movement of the workpiece relative to the guide part.

8. A conveyance method of a conveyance system,
the conveyance system comprising:
a conveyance robot configured to move and convey a workpiece in a horizontal direction;
a suspending device including
a suspending mechanism configured to suspend the workpiece,
a lifting unit configured to lift up and down the workpiece suspended by the suspending mechanism, and
a support mechanism configured to support the suspending mechanism such that the suspending mechanism is movable in the horizontal direction;

a first controller configured to control a lifting operation of the workpiece by the lifting unit of the suspending device; and
a second controller configured to control a conveyance operation of the workpiece by the conveyance robot, wherein
the suspending mechanism includes
a suspending wire including a plurality of lower end portions, and
an attaching mechanism coupled to the plurality of lower end portions and including a plate-shaped main body, and an attaching part, the attaching part being fixed to a lower surface of the main body and configured to hold the workpiece from above;

the conveyance robot includes
a guide part configured to guide the workpiece, and
a robot main body configured to move the guide part, the guide part being attracted to an upper surface of the main body of the attaching mechanism; and

the robot main body moves the guide part in the horizontal direction and an upper-lower direction to convey the workpiece,
the conveyance method comprising:
a conveying step of controlling the operation of the conveyance robot by the second controller to convey the workpiece by the conveyance robot; and
a lifting step of controlling the operation of the lifting unit by the first controller to lift up and down the workpiece by the lifting unit, wherein:
the first controller and the second controller cause the upper-lower movement operation of the guide part in the conveying step and the lifting operation of the workpiece in the lifting step to be synchronized with each other;
the first controller executes the lifting step based on a control command transmitted from the second controller; and
in the conveying step, the second controller executes with respect to the robot main body a compliance control operation in which compliance with respect to an upper-lower movement of the guide part is set to be low, and compliance with respect to a horizontal movement of the guide part is set to be high.

9. The conveyance method according to claim 8 , wherein the upper-lower movement operation of the guide part by the conveyance robot in the conveying step is executed in synchronization with the lifting operation of the workpiece by the lifting unit in the lifting step.

10. The conveyance method according to claim 8 , wherein in the lifting step, a static weight of the suspended workpiece is stored, and the workpiece is lifted up and down such that the weight detected while the workpiece is conveyed becomes equal to the stored static weight.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Hashimoto Yasuhiko

Classifications

• B25J19/0008 Primary

  Balancing devices · CPC title

• B25J9/1682

  Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators · CPC title

• B66C23/04

  with jibs the effective length of which is variable in operation, e.g. longitudinally displaceable, extensible · CPC title

• B66C23/18 Primary

  specially adapted for use in particular purposes · CPC title