Workpiece picking system

• US 10,493,627 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Inventors: Katou, Yoshiaki, Ueda, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/686,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20180056514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0018 Bases fixed on ceiling, i.e. upside down manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0084 comprising a plurality of manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31274 Convey products, move equipment according to production plan in memory
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39102 Manipulator cooperating with conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A workpiece picking system is provided, including: a conveyor that transfers multiple workpieces in one transfer direction; a position detection unit that detects transfer positions of the workpieces transferred by the conveyor; a distributing robot that sorts the workpieces transferred by the conveyor in a single row into two rows by a predetermined rule following the movement of the conveyor by performing line tracking based on the detected transfer positions; and a pair of picking robots that pick-up the workpieces, following the movement of the conveyor by performing line tracking based on the transfer positions detected by the position detection unit, and disposing only the workpieces in one of the rows sorted by the distributing robot, in an operating range of the picking robots. The pair of picking robots are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction of the conveyor.

Claims

1. A workpiece picking system comprising:

a conveyor that transfers a plurality of workpieces in one transfer direction;

a position detection unit that detects transfer positions of the workpieces transferred by the conveyor;

a distributing robot which picks part of the workpieces that are aligned in a single row and that are being transferred by the conveyor and which puts picked workpieces on the conveyer, and thereby sorts the workpieces in the single row into two rows by a predetermined rule, tracking movement of the conveyor by performing line tracking based on the transfer positions detected by the position detection unit;

a pair of picking robots that pick-up the workpieces, following the movement of the conveyor by performing line tracking based on the transfer positions detected by the position detection unit, and only the workpieces in a corresponding one of the rows sorted by the distributing robot are disposed in an operating range of each of the picking robots; and

wherein the pair of picking robots are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction of the conveyor.

2. The workpiece picking system according to claim 1, wherein the distributing robot and the picking robots are installed in a state in which they are suspended above the conveyor.

3. The workpiece picking system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a camera arranged at an upstream side of the distributing robot, for capturing an image of the workpieces; and

wherein the distributing robot and the picking robots each perform the line tracking based on the transfer positions detected by the position detection unit and the image of the workpieces captured by the camera.

4. The workpiece picking system according to claim 1, wherein the distributing robot classifies the workpieces transferred in a single row by the conveyor into two groups of workpieces, and moves only the workpieces belonging to one of the two groups to rearrange the workpieces into the two rows.