Robot system, robot, and sorted article manufacturing method

A robot comprising:

• a robot including a robot arm and a tool capable of lifting the article, provided to the robot arm;
• a controller which operates the robot to execute a process for sorting a plurality of articles to be sorted that is loaded onto the first loading portion in accordance with a sorting destination, and transferring the plurality of articles to a plurality of second loading portions provided for each sorting destination;
• a first sensor configured to acquire distance information to each top side of the plurality of articles loaded onto the first loading portion, the first sensor being provided to the robot arm;
• an article identifying portion configured to identify the article of the plurality of articles loaded onto the first loading portion which includes the top side that exists at a highest position, based on acquisition results of the first sensor, the article identifying portion being provided in the controller;
• a second sensor configured to attempt to acquire outer shape information of the identified article identified by the article identifying portion and to acquire sorting destination information of the identified article provided to the identified article, the second sensor being provided to the robot arm;
• a first calculating portion configured to calculate a shape and size of the identified article based on outer shape information of the identified article acquired by the second sensor, the first calculating portion being provided in the controller;
• a sorting destination determining portion configured to determine an identified sorting destination corresponding to the identified article based on the sorting destination information of the identified article acquired by the second sensor, the sorting destination determining portion portion being provided in the controller;
• and
• a first operation control portion configured to control an operation of the robot arm and the tool so that the identified article is lifted by the tool and stacked onto the identified second loading portion of the plurality of second loading portions which corresponds to the identified sorting destination, in accordance with the shape and the size of the identified article calculated by the first calculating portion, the first operation control portion being provided in the controller.

A manufacturing method of sorting articles by a system configured to manufacture the sorted article of each of a plurality of sorting destinations, wherein:

• a robot sorts the plurality of articles that are loaded onto a first loading portion in accordance with a sorting destination, and transfers the plurality of articles to a plurality of second loading portions provided for each of the sorting destinations, the manufacturing method comprising:
• a first acquiring step which acquires distance information to each top side of the plurality of articles loaded onto the first loading portion;
• an article identifying step which identifies an article of the plurality of articles loaded, onto the first loading portion which includes the top side that exists at a highest position, based on acquisition results of the first acquiring step;
• a second acquiring, step which acquires outer shape information of the identified article identified in the article identifying step, and attempts to acquire sorting destination information of the identified article provided to the identified article;
• a first calculating step which calculates a shape and size of the identified article based on the outer shape information of the identified article acquired by the second acquiring step;
• a first sorting destination determining step which determines an identified sorting destination corresponding to the identified article based on the sorting destination information of the identified article acquired in the second acquiring step;
• and
• a stacking step which lifts and stacks by the robot the identified article onto an identified second loading portion of the plurality of second loading portions which corresponds to the identified sorting destination, in accordance with the shape and the size of the identified article calculated by the first calculating step.

A robot system, comprising:

• a first supply-side loading portion configured to supply a plurality of articles to be sorted related to defined sorting destinations;
• a first robot configured to transport the plurality of articles that are loaded onto the first supply-side loading portion;
• one or more first delivery-side loading portions arranged around the first robot;
• a second supply-side loading portion configured to supply a plurality of the articles to be sorted;
• a second robot configured to transport the plurality of articles that are loaded onto the second supply-side loading portion;
• one or more second delivery-side loading portions arranged around the second robot;
• a first controller apparatus configured to control a plurality of robots which includes the first robot and the second robot;
• and
• a sorting destination acquisition portion configured to acquire the respective sorting destination information of the plurality of articles to be sorted;
• wherein:
• the first controller apparatus comprises:
• a correspondence information storage portion configured to store correspondence information that associates each of a plurality of the sorting destinations with any one of the one or more first delivery-side loading portions and the one or more second delivery-side loading portions;
• and
• a second operation control portion configured to control an operation of the first robot and second robot so that the first robot and second robot transfer the plurality of articles to be sorted to each of the corresponding first delivery-side loading portions and second delivery-side loading portion in coordination in accordance with the sorting destination information acquired by the sorting destination acquisition portion based on the correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage portion.

A manufacturing method of sorting articles by a system configured to manufacture sorted articles to each of a plurality of the sorting destinations, wherein:

• a first robot transports a plurality of articles to be sorted that are loaded onto a first supply-side loading portion with defined sorting destinations to one or more first delivery-side loading portions arranged around the first robot;
• and
• a second robot transports a plurality of the articles to be sorted that a loaded onto a second supply-side loading portion to one or more second delivery-side loading portions arranged around the second robot, the manufacturing method comprising:
• a sorting destination acquiring step which acquires respective sorting destination information of the plurality of articles to be sorted;
• a correspondence information storing step which stores correspondence information that associates each of the plurality of sorting destinations with one of the one or more first delivery-side loading portions and the one or more second delivery-side loading portions;
• and
• a transferring step which transfers the plurality of articles to be sorted to each of the corresponding first delivery-side loading portion and second deliver-side loading portion by the first robot and second robot in coordination, in accordance with the sorting destination information acquired by the sorting destination acquiring, based on the correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storing step.

A robot system comprising:

• a robot configured to comprise a tool capable of lifting an article and configured to lift and transport the article by the tool;
• a second controller apparatus configured to control an operation of the robot so that at least a part of the article lifted by the tool passes through an area for detecting a height direction dimension of the article;
• and
• a photoelectric sensor comprising a light-emitting portion configured to emit light and a light-receiving portion configured to receive the light emitted from the light-emitting portion, an optical path area of the light being the area for detecting a height direction dimension of the article, wherein:
• the second controller apparatus controls the operation of the robot so that at least a part of the article lifted by the tool basses through the optical path area, and detects the height direction dimension of the article which passed through the optical path area based on the existence or non-existence of reception of the light by the light-receiving portion.