Robot apparatus, exchanger apparatus and robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9757863-B2
Application number	US-201615001902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A hand at a robot arm leading end is provided with a mounting portion for a finger. The mounting portion includes a guiding unit that guides a supported portion of the finger so as to enable the supported portion to pass through from one end part of the guiding unit 31 to another end part thereof. The mounting portion further includes a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism moves the supported portion from any of end parts of the guiding unit 31 toward a mount position between the end parts, to thereby bring the supported portion of the finger into a restricting state at the mount position. Moreover, the lock mechanism moves the supported portion toward any of the end parts from the restricting state, to thereby bring the supported portion from the restricting state into a releasing state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot apparatus comprising a mounting portion that detachably supports a supported portion of an operating unit that operates an operating object, wherein
the mounting portion includes:
a guiding unit that guides the supported portion so as to enable the supported portion to pass through from one end part of the guiding unit to another end part thereof; and
a lock mechanism that moves the supported portion from the one end part of the guiding unit toward a mount position between the one end part and the another end part, to thereby bring the supported portion into a restricting state at the mount position, and moves the supported portion toward the another end part from the restricting state, to thereby bring the supported portion from the restricting state into a releasing state.

2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an opening space of each of the end parts of the guiding unit is larger than a cross-sectional space of the mount position.

3. The robot apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guiding unit includes, between the guiding unit and the supported portion, a concave structure or a convex structure that restricts a guiding track along which the supported portion moves.

4. The robot apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one of the concave structures or the convex structures included in the guiding unit is provided for each one of the supported portions.

5. The robot apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein four of the concave structures or the convex structures included in the guiding unit is provided for each one of the supported portions.

6. The robot apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion has a tapered portion formed thereon.

7. The robot apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the supported portion has a tapered portion formed thereon to be fitted to the tapered portion of the mounting portion.

8. The robot apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operating unit is fingers of an end effector, and
the fingers are attached and detached with respect to the guiding unit provided to the end effector.

9. The robot apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
a plurality of the guiding units are arranged such that guiding directions of the guiding units are parallel to each other, and
the fingers are respectively attached and detached with respect to the guiding units.

10. The robot apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operating unit is an end effector of the robot apparatus, and
the end effector is attached and detached with respect to the guiding unit provided to an arm of the robot apparatus.

11. The robot apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in one of a case of mounting the operating unit on the mounting portion and a case of removing the operating unit from the mounting portion, a position or orientation of an arm of the robot apparatus is controlled such that a guiding direction of the guiding unit is different from a direction in which a joint of the arm is pivoted.

12. An exchanger apparatus adaptable to a robot apparatus comprising a mounting portion that detachably supports a supported portion of an operating unit that operates an operating object, wherein
the mounting portion includes:
a guiding unit that guides the supported portion so as to enable the supported portion to pass through from one end part of the guiding unit to another end part thereof; and
a lock mechanism that moves the supported portion from any of end parts of the guiding unit toward a mount position between the end parts, to thereby bring the supported portion into a restricting state at the mount position, and moves the supported portion toward any of the end parts from the restricting state, to thereby bring the supported portion from the restricting state into a releasing state,
in a state where the supported portion is guided by the guiding unit, the robot apparatus moves the supported portion and the guiding unit relative to each other, and controls the supported portion into the restricting state via the lock mechanism, to thereby mount the operating unit on the mounting portion, and
in the state where the supported portion is guided by the guiding unit, the robot apparatus moves the supported portion and the guiding unit relative to each other, and controls the supported portion into the releasing state via the lock mechanism, to thereby remove the operating unit from the mounting portion, wherein
the exchanger apparatus comprises a holding unit that holds a second operating unit different from a first operating unit mounted on the mounting portion of the robot apparatus and wherein
through a relative movement between the holding unit and the mounting portion, the exchanger apparatus causes the second operating unit to: enter the guiding unit from one end part thereof; abut against the first operating unit; and push the first operating unit, to thereby cancel a restricting state of the first operating unit by the lock mechanism, and
through the relative movement between the holding unit and the mounting portion, the exchanger apparatus feeds the second operating unit toward the mount position, brings the second operating unit into a restricting state by the lock mechanism, mounts the second operating unit on the mounting portion, and ejects the first operating unit from another end part of the guiding unit.

13. The exchanger apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a re-holding unit that retrieves the first operating unit removed from the mounting portion and re-holds the retrieved first operating unit at a holding position of the holding unit.

14. A robot system comprising:
a robot apparatus comprising a mounting portion that detachably supports a supported portion of an operating unit that operates an operating object, wherein
the mounting portion includes:
a guiding unit that guides the supported portion so as to enable the supported portion to pass through from one end part of the guiding unit to another end part thereof; and
a lock mechanism that moves the supported portion from any of end parts of the guiding unit toward a mount position between the end parts, to thereby bring the supported portion into a restricting state at the mount position, and moves the supported portion toward any of the end parts from the restricting state, to thereby bring the supported portion from the restricting state into a releasing state,
in a state where the supported portion is guided by the guiding unit, the robot apparatus moves the supported portion and the guiding unit relative to each other, and controls the supported portion into the restricting state via the lock mechanism, to thereby mount the operating unit on the mounting portion, and
in the state where the supported portion is guided by the guiding unit, the robot apparatus moves the supported portion and the guiding unit relative to each other, and controls the supported portion into the releasing state via the lock mechanism, to thereby remove the operating unit from the mounting portion;
an exchanger apparatus adaptable to the robot apparatus, and comprising a holding unit that holds a second operating unit different from a first operating unit mounted on the mounting portion of the robot apparatus, and wherein
through a relative movement between the holding unit and the mounting portion, the exchanger apparatus causes the second operating unit to: enter the guiding unit from one end part thereof; abut against the first operating unit; and push the first operating unit, to thereby cancel a restricting state of the first operating unit by the lock mechanism, and
through the

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Suzuki Masataka

Classifications

• Y10S901/39

  Jaw structure · CPC title

• Y10S901/02

  Arm motion controller · CPC title

• B25J15/0425

  having cams · CPC title

• B25J15/0491

  comprising end-effector racks · CPC title

• B25J15/0475 Primary

  Exchangeable fingers · CPC title