Fanuc Corporation

Kazuo Hariki

Masaru Oda

Kazuhisa Otsuka

Takaki Aiba

Shigenori Kajio

A conveying device capable of sequentially and efficiently picking up a plurality of randomly located rods, and conveying the picked up rod to a predetermined place, without using a complicated mechanism. A sucking unit has a nozzle attached to a robot hand, and is configured to move the nozzle close to an end of a first cylindrical portion of a rod to be picked. The nozzle is configured to hold the rod by being lifted while sucking the first portion within the nozzle.

Conveying device for rod

A handling robot system, including a table having a placement surface for placing articles; an article dispersing mechanism for dispersing the articles placed on the placement surface of the table across the placement surface; a vision sensor for detecting each of the articles dispersed on the placement surface of the table; and a robot operating, based on article detection data from the vision sensor, to hold the articles one by one. The article dispersing mechanism includes a partition member for producing a relative motion in relation to the table, the partition member being disposed in proximity to the placement surface with a gap defined therebetween, to divide a space adjoining the placement surface into a first region to which the articles are brought and a second region at which the robot operates to hold the articles transferred from the first region; and a drive control section for causing the relative motion between the table and the partition member in accordance with a program describing a mode of the relative motion. A certain number of articles are dispersed, as a result of the relative motion produced under the control of the drive control section, to permit the articles to pass through the gap on the placement surface, and are transferred from the first region to the second region.

Handling robot system

A workpiece regrasping system for a robot. The system includes a manipulator grippable a workpiece; a deck member having a deck surface on which a workpiece is placeable; a support mechanism rotatably supporting the deck member about an axis parallel to the deck surface; a workpiece-orientation control section for controlling the manipulator so as to grip a workpiece at a first point of the workpiece and to bring the workpiece into abutment with the deck surface of the deck member, and configured to displace the workpiece together with the deck member about the axis, while maintaining a mutually abutted condition, until the workpiece occupies a desired orientation, with at least a part of a weight of the workpiece being carried on the deck surface; and a regrasping control section for controlling the manipulator so as to temporarily release the workpiece placed on the deck surface in the desired orientation and to regrasp the workpiece at a second point different from the first point. The workpiece-orientation control section may control an operation of the manipulator, or control a rotational drive section for the deck member, while maintaining the workpiece in abutment with the deck surface, to displace the workpiece to the desired orientation.

Growing community of inventors

Yamanashi, Japan

Kazuo Hariki