Hand apparatus

The hand apparatus includes: a grasper that grasps a work; a grasper driving portion that causes the grasper to operate at a first position at which the grasper grasps the work, a second position at which the grasper is open widest, and a third position between the first position and the second position; a hand mechanism portion having a pair of hand portions that holds both ends in a width direction of the work grasped by the grasper and capable of varying an opening position of the pair of hand portions; an operating portion provided so as to be interlocked with an operation of the grasper and being connectable to the hand mechanism portion; and an actuator that causes the grasper to advance and retract, wherein when the grasper is at the second position, the hand mechanism portion is connected to the operating portion to vary the opening position of the pair of hand portions by being interlocked with the advancing and retracting movement of the grasper according to the actuator, and when the grasper is at the first position or the third position, the hand mechanism portion is disconnected from the operating portion to fix the opening position of the pair of hand portions.

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-08588, filed on 26 Apr. 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates a hand apparatus.

Related Art

Conventionally, a lead frame supply apparatus for supplying lead frames of semiconductors to a conveying frame, in which a chuck for grasping a lead frame can be replaced so as to deal with lead frames having different dimensions is known. (for example, see Patent Document 1).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a hand apparatus that holds both ends of a work using a hand portion, replacing a hand portion according to the dimensions of a work in order to hold works having different dimensions leads to an increase in takt time due to the replacement of a hand portion. Moreover, since it is necessary to prepare various types of hand portions for replacement, a place for hand portions to be used as replacements is required and a production cost for the various types of hand portions incurs. Therefore, in a hand apparatus that holds both ends of a work using a hand portion, it is desirable that it there is no necessity to prepare a plurality of hand portions and that both ends of works having different dimensions can be held.

An aspect of a hand apparatus of the present disclosure includes: a grasper that grasps a work; a grasper driving portion that causes the grasper to operate at a first position at which the grasper grasps the work, a second position at which the grasper is open widest, and a third position between the first position and the second position; a hand mechanism portion having a pair of hand portions that holds both ends in a width direction of the work grasped by the grasper and capable of varying the opening position of the pair of hand portions; an operating portion provided so as to be interlocked with the operation of the grasper and being connectable to the hand mechanism portion; and an actuator that causes the grasper to advance and retract, wherein when the grasper is at the second position, the hand mechanism portion is connected to the operating portion to vary the opening position of the pair of hand portions by being interlocked with the advancing and retracting movement of the grasper according to the actuator, and when the grasper is at the first position or the third position, the hand mechanism portion is disconnected from the operating portion to fix the opening position of the pair of hand portions.

According to the hand apparatus of one aspect, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of hand portions and it is possible to hold both ends of works having different sizes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a hand according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.FIG. 1is a perspective view when an embodiment of a hand apparatus is seen from an upper side.FIG. 2is a perspective view when an embodiment of a hand apparatus is seen from a lower side.FIG. 3is a plan view of an embodiment of a hand apparatus.FIG. 4is a front view of an embodiment of a hand apparatus.FIG. 5is a plan view of an embodiment of a hand apparatus illustrating a minimum opening position of a hand portion.FIG. 6is a front view of an embodiment of a hand apparatus illustrating a minimum opening position of a hand portion.

A hand apparatus1of the present embodiment is an apparatus which is attached to an arm200(seeFIGS. 14and15) of a robot to convey a planar work (seeFIGS. 14 and 15) such as a printed board or a glass plate with the operation of the arm.200of a robot in a state in which both ends of the work is held. The hand apparatus1includes an actuator2, a grasper3, a grasper driving portion4, and a hand mechanism portion5.

In the drawings, an X-direction indicates a width direction of the hand apparatus1. An X1-direction and an X2-direction indicate the opposing directions of the width direction of the hand apparatus1. A Y-direction indicates a front-rear direction of the hand apparatus1. An Y1-direction indicates a frontward direction of the hand apparatus1and an Y2-direction indicates a rearward direction of the hand apparatus1. A Z-direction indicates an up-down direction of the hand apparatus1. A Z1-direction indicates an upward direction of the hand apparatus1and a Z2-direction indicates a downward direction of the hand apparatus1.

The actuator2is an electric actuator including an actuator body21that is long in the front-rear direction, a moving body22disposed under the actuator body21, and a motor23disposed at a rear end of the actuator body21to drive the moving body22. The moving body22is connected to the motor23via a power transmission mechanism. (not illustrated) such as a ball screw and a chain provided inside the actuator body21. A guide hole21aextending in a lengthwise direction of the actuator body21is provided in a lower surface of the actuator body21. The moving body22is provided to be capable of advancing and retracting in the front-rear direction along the guide hole21aaccording to driving of the motor23. An automatic tool changer (ATC)24for connecting to the arm200(seeFIGS. 14 and 15) of the robot is provided above the rear end of the actuator body21.

The grasper3includes a grasping claw30made up of a movable claw31and a fixed claw32and grasps an end of a work in a thickness direction of the work using the movable claw31and the fixed claw32. The grasper3further includes an upper supporting member33, a frame member34, a lower supporting member35, and a movable member36. The upper supporting member33is fixed to a lower surface of the moving body22. The frame member34is fixed to one side surface of the upper supporting member33and extends downward from the upper supporting member33. The lower supporting member35is disposed immediately below the upper supporting member33. A lower end of the frame member34is fixed to one side surface of the lower supporting member35. In this way, the lower supporting member35is disposed at a fixed distance corresponding to the length from the upper supporting member33to the frame member34. The fixed claw32is provided in the lower supporting member35so as to protrude toward the front side of the hand apparatus1.

The movable member36is disposed between the upper supporting member33and the lower supporting member35. The movable member36is provided so as to be movable up and down between the upper supporting member33and the lower supporting member35along a plurality of (in the present embodiment, three) guide shafts37provided over the upper supporting member33and the lower supporting member35. The movable claw31is provided in the movable member36so as to protrude toward the front side of the hand apparatus1.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1, 2, and 4, when the movable member36is moved downward so as to approach closest to or make contact with the lower supporting member35, the movable claw31is disposed so as to approach or overlap the fixed claw32provided in the lower supporting member35. In this case, the position at which the movable claw31and the fixed claw32are disposed is a first position at which the grasper3grasps a work. The grasper3is configured so as to be capable of advancing and retracting in the front-rear direction along the lengthwise direction of the actuator2with the driving of the actuator2since the upper supporting member33is fixed to the moving body22. Due to this, the grasper3can pull or push the work in the front-rear direction of the hand apparatus1by advancing and retracting along the front-rear direction of the actuator2in a state of grasping the work.

The grasper driving portion4is configured as a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder, for example, and is provided in the lower supporting member35of the grasper3. The grasper driving portion4can move and stop the movable member36at an arbitrary position between the upper supporting member33and the lower supporting member35. Specifically, the grasper driving portion4moves the movable member36so that the grasper3can be disposed at least at three positions of a first position, a second position, and a third position. The first position is a position at which the movable claw31and the fixed claw32of the grasping claw30approach closest or make contact with each other and the grasper3grasps the work (seeFIGS. 1, 2, and 4) as described above. The second position is a position at which the movable claw31and the fixed claw32are separated farthest from each other and the grasper3is open widest (seeFIG. 10). The third position is a position between the first position and the second position (seeFIG. 12).

The grasper driving portion4can be configured as a three-position cylinder that operates the grasper3so as to be disposed at the first, second, and third positions. In this way, it is possible to easily perform positioning of the movable member36in the up-down direction so that the grasper3is disposed at any one of the first, second, and third positions. Due to this, it is not necessary to incorporate a complex mechanism for realizing positioning of the movable member36into the grasper3and it is possible to simplify and lighten the grasper3. The first, second, and third positions will be described in detail later.

The hand mechanism portion5includes a pair of hand portions51for holding both ends in the width direction of a work, one opening position adjustment portion52for adjusting the opening position of the hand portions51corresponding to the width dimension of the work, a link portion53for connecting the hand portions51and the opening position adjustment portion52, and two slide rails54that guide the movement of the hand portions51.

The hand portions51are formed in a planar form and are disposed in parallel with a front-side portion of the actuator2sandwiched therebetween. Work holding portions51aare provided at lower ends of the hand portions51. The work holding portions51aare portions that hold both ends in the width direction of the work grasped by the grasping claw30, and are provided so as to face inward substantially at the same height as the fixed claw32in the up-down direction of the hand apparatus1as illustrated inFIG. 4. In the present embodiment, the work holding portions51aare formed as grooves extending along the lengthwise direction (the Y-direction in the drawing) of the hand portion51. However, specific configuration of the work holding portions51ais not limited to a groove, but the work holding portions51amay be configured so as to be able to hold both ends in the width direction of the work between the hand portions51. Due to this, the work holding portions51amay be configured as a claw member or a plate member (not illustrated) facing inward to such an extent as to support the lower surfaces of both ends in the width direction of the work, for example. As illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 5, the grasping claw30made up of the movable claw31and the fixed claw32protrudes toward the front side further than the front ends51bof the hand portions51when the grasper3is moved frontward to an extreme extent.

The opening position adjustment portion52moves in the direction along the advancing and retracting directions of the grasper3to vary the opening position or the hand portions51. The opening position adjustment portion52of the present embodiment is formed in a rectangular plate form and is disposed above the upper surface of the actuator body21with a small spacing. The opening position adjustment portion52is connected to the hand portions51by two supporting rods53adisposed in parallel. Both ends of each of the supporting rods53aare rotatably attached to the upper ends of the hand portions51and the upper surface of the opening position adjustment portion52by rotary pins53b. The link portion53is made up of the supporting rod53aand the rotary pin53b.

The slide rails54are configured to smoothly guide an operation of varying the opening position of the hand portions51and are provided in the hand portions51in one-to-one correspondence. The slide rails54include rail portions54aand sliders54bfitted in the rail portion54aso as to be able to slide, and are provided over the hand portions51and the actuator body21. One set of ends of the rail portions54aare fixed to the pedestal portion55attached to the upper surface of the front end of the actuator body21whereby the ends are disposed above the upper surface of the actuator body21with a small spacing. The other set of ends of the rail portions54aextend linearly in both lateral directions (the X1-direction and the X2-direction) of the actuator2toward the hand portions51. One set of ends of the sliders54bare fixed to the upper ends of the hand portions51. The fixing positions of the sliders54b, which are fixed to the upper ends of the hand portions51, are disposed closer to the front side than the attachment portions of the supporting rods53a. The other ends of the sliders54bare inserted into the rail portions54a.

InFIGS. 1 to 4, the opening position adjustment portion52of the hand mechanism portion5is disposed on the front side of the actuator body21and approaches closest to the rear side of the pedestal portion55. In this case, the supporting rods53aof the link portion53are disposed so as to be open from the opening position adjustment portion52toward both lateral sides so as to be almost orthogonal to the actuator body21. In this way, the sliders54bslide in a direction of being removed from the rail portions54aand the hand portions51are disposed at the maximum opening position at which the hand portions51are separated farthest from each other.

On the other hand, inFIGS. 5 and 6, the opening position adjustment portion52of the hand mechanism portion5is disposed on the rear side of the actuator body21and approaches closest to the front side of the ATC24. In this case, the supporting rods53aof the link portion53rotate about the rotary pin53band are disposed so as to close along the lengthwise direction of the actuator body21. In this way, the sliders54bslide in a direction of being inserted into the rail portions54a, and the hand portions51are mutually disposed at the minimum opening position at which the hand portions51approach closest to each other.

In the present embodiment, the opening position of the hand portions51can be adjusted in a plurality of steps between the maximum opening position and the minimum opening position by moving the opening position adjustment portion52of the hand mechanism portion5in a direction along the advancing and retracting directions of the grasper3. The opening position adjustment portion52is fixed at an adjusted position in the front-rear direction of the actuator body21and is configured to fix the opening position of the hand portions51. The moving direction of the opening position adjustment portion52is generally the same direction as the advancing and retracting directions of the grasper3. However, the moving direction of the opening position adjustment portion52may be slightly inclined towards to the advancing and retracting directions of the grasper3as long as the moving direction is a direction along the front-rear direction of the actuator body21and no problem occurs in the operation of the link portion53and the opening operation of the hand Portions51.

Next, a configuration for fixing the opening position of the hand portions51will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 7 to 9.FIG. 7is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a hand apparatus when a hand portion is disposed at a maximum opening position in an enlarged scale.FIG. 8is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening position fixing pin for fixing an opening position adjustment portion in an enlarged scale.FIG. 9is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a hand apparatus when a hand portion is disposed at a minimum opening position in an enlarged scale. As illustrated inFIGS. 7 to 9, the opening position adjustment portion52has an opening position fixing pin56. The opening position fixing pin56of the present embodiment includes a pin base56a, a pin operating plate56b, and a pin tip56c.

The opening position fixing pin56has a pair of pin bases56adisposed in parallel. The opening position fixing pin56is attached to the opening position adjustment portion52when the pair of pin bases56aare inserted into a pair of pin attachment holes52aformed in the opening position adjustment portion52in the up-down direction. The pin base56aand the pin attachment holes52aare disposed in parallel along the front-rear direction of the actuator body21near one end (near the end in the X2-direction) in a width direction of the opening position adjustment portion52. The pin bases56aare loosely inserted into the pin attachment holes52a. Therefore the opening position fixing pin56can advance downward from the opening position adjustment portion52and retract therefrom.

The pin bases56astand on the upper surface of the pin operating plate56bformed of one flat plate. Only one pin tip56cprotrudes downward (toward the upper surface of the actuator body21) from the lower surface of the pin operating plate56b. The flange portion56dis provided near the lower end of the pin tip56c.

A hole member57is attached to a lateral portion (a lateral portion in the X2-direction in the drawing) of the upper surface of the actuator body21corresponding to the lower side of the opening position fixing pin56. The hole member57has a length corresponding to the movable range of the opening position adjustment portion52corresponding to the maximum opening position and the minimum opening position of the hand portions51. The hole member57has a plurality of opening position fixing holes57ain which the pin tip56cof the opening position fixing pin56can be inserted. The plurality of opening position fixing holes57aare arranged along the moving direction of the opening position adjustment portion52. The positions of the opening position fixing holes57acorrespond to the plurality of opening positions of the hand portions51.

Although the hole member57of the present embodiment is formed in a planar form that is long along the front-rear direction of the actuator body21, the hole member57may have another form such as a rod form. Moreover, the hole member57may not be formed in one sheet of planar form extending in the front-rear direction of the actuator body21, but may be formed of a plurality of short-length members having one or a plurality of opening position fixing holes57a.

As illustrated inFIG. 8, when the pin tip56cis inserted into the opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57according to downward movement of the opening position fixing pin56, the flange portion56dmakes contact with the surface of the hole member57to restrict the lower position of the opening position fixing pin56. In this case, a portion of each of the pin bases56aof the opening position fixing pin56remains inserted in each of the pin attachment holes52aof the opening position adjustment portion52. Due to this, when the pin tip56cof the opening position fixing pin56is inserted into the opening position fixing hole57a, the opening position adjustment portion52is fixed by the opening position fixing pin56so as to be immovable in relation to the actuator body21.

InFIG. 7, the pin tip56cof the opening position fixing pin56is inserted into a frontmost-side opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57. In this way, the opening position adjustment portion52is fixed at the frontmost-side position of the actuator body21. In this case, the hand portions51are fixed at the maximum opening position. On the other hand, inFIG. 9, the pin tip56cof the opening position fixing pin56is inserted into a rearmost-side opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57. In this way, the opening position adjustment portion52is fixed at the rearmost-side position of the actuator body21. In this case, the hand portions51are fixed at the minimum opening position. Although not illustrated in the drawing, when the pin tip56cof the opening position fixing pin56is inserted into a position fixing hole57aother than the two position fixing holes57a, the hand portions51are fixed at an opening position between the maximum opening position and the minimum opening position.

Although the opening position fixing pin56of the present embodiment is configured to move downward due to its own weight, there is no limitation to this configuration. The opening position fixing pin56may be configured to be always biased toward the hole member57by a biasing member (not illustrated) such as a coil spring.

The hole member57may be provided so as to be replaceable in relation to the actuator body21. In this way, by preparing a plurality of hole members57in which the number and the positions of the opening position fixing holes57aare different, it is possible to hold works having various width dimensions using one hand apparatus1by replacing the hole member57only. When replacement of the hole member57is not allowed, the opening position fixing hole57amay be formed directly in the upper surface of the actuator body21.

Next, a specific configuration of moving the opening position adjustment portion52to vary the opening position of the hand portions51will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 10 to 13.FIG. 10is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a hand apparatus when a grasper operates at a second position in an enlarged scale.FIG. 11is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening position fixing pin and an operating portion when a grasper operates at a second position in an enlarged scale.FIG. 12is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a hand apparatus when a grasper operates at a third position in an enlarged scale.FIG. 13is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening position fixing pin and an operating portion when a grasper operates at a third position in an enlarged scale.

An operating portion6that is interlocked with the operation of the grasper3is attached to the movable member36of the grasper3. The operating portion6is disposed on the same lateral side (the X2-direction) as the side where the hole member57is disposed in the width direction of the actuator2. The operating portion6includes a first portion61fixed to the movable member36of the grasper3to extend rearward from the movable member36, a second portion62extending upward from the rear end of the first portion61, and a third portion63provided in an upper end of the second portion62to serve as a connection portion to the opening position adjustment portion52. The third portion63extends in the front-rear direction of the hand apparatus1. The upper surface of the third portion63is formed in parallel to the lower surface of the opening position adjustment portion52.

A hole52bas a first engagement portion is formed in the opening position adjustment portion52at a position corresponding to the third portion63of the operating portion6. On the other hand, a convex portion64as a second engagement portion that can engage with the hole52bof the opening position adjustment portion52is provided on the upper surface of the third portion63of the operating portion6. The hole52bis open in the lower surface of the opening position adjustment portion52. The hole52bmay penetrate through the opening position adjustment portion52and may not. Two sets of the holes52band the convex portions64are provided in parallel in the front-rear direction of the hand apparatus1.

As illustrated inFIGS. 10 and 13, the pin operating plate56bof the opening position fixing pin.56extends further than the actuator2in the lateral side (the X2-direction). Moreover, the third portion63of the operating portion6has an overhanging portion63bthat can interfere with the pan operating plate56bby overhanging toward the actuator2. An upper surface63cof the overhanging portion63bis formed to be lower than the upper surface63aof the third portion63having the convex portion64by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the pin operating plate56b.

As illustrated inFIG. 10, when the grasper3operates at the second position, the movable member36moves toward the uppermost side and the operating portion6attached to the movable member36moves toward the uppermost side with driving of the grasper driving portion4. In a course in which the operating portion6moves toward the upper side, the upper surface63cof the overhanging portion63bof the third portion63interferes with the pin operating plate56bof the opening position fixing pin56to lift the pin operating plate56bupward. Moreover, when the operating portion6moves toward the upper side, the third portion63of the operating portion6makes contact with the lower surface of the opening position adjustment portion52. In this case, as illustrated inFIG. 11, the convex portion64of the operating portion6engages with the hole52bof the opening position adjustment portion52by fitting and the opening position adjustment portion.52and the operating portion6are connected. Moreover, the pin operating plate56bis sandwiched between the opening position adjustment portion52and the overhanging portion63bof the operating portion6whereby the opening position fixing pin56is held at a position at which the pin tip56cis removed from the opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57.

In this way, the opening position adjustment portion52can move in a direction along the advancing and retracting directions of the grasper3by being interlocked with the advancing and retracting movement of the grasper3according to the driving of the actuator2. When the opening position adjustment portion52moves, the position of the pair of hand portions51of the hand mechanism portion5is varied between the maximum opening position illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4and the minimum opening position illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6via the link portion53.

FIGS. 12 and 13illustrate a state in which the grasper operates at a third position between the first position (seeFIG. 1) and the second position (seeFIG. 10). At the third position, the third portion63of the operating portion6is separated downward from the opening position adjustment portion52and the connection between the operating portion.6and the opening position adjustment portion52is disconnected. Moreover, holding of the pin operating plate56bof the opening position fixing pin56by the overhanging portion63bof the third portion63is cancelled and the opening position fixing pin56moves downward due to its own weight, whereby the pin tip56cis inserted into the opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57.

In this way, the opening position adjustment portion52is fixed at a position at which the opening position fixing pin56is inserted into the opening position fixing hole57a, and the opening position of the hand portions51corresponding to the position of the opening position fixing hole57ais determined. The fixing position of the opening position adjustment portion52(that is, the position of the opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57in which the opening position fixing pin56is inserted) is determined by detecting the position when the grasper3(the moving body22) advances and retracts using a position detector (not illustrated) such as an encoder.

The position of the operating portion.6at the third position of the grasper3may be between the first position and the second position and is not limited to the position illustrated inFIGS. 12 and 13. When the grasper3is at the third position, the connection between the operating portion6and the opening position adjustment portion52may be disconnected, the holding of the opening position fixing pin56by the operating portion.6may be cancelled, and the opening position fixing pin56may be inserted into the opening position fixing hole57a. Due to this, the position of the operating portion6at the third position of the grasper may be on the lower side than the position illustrated inFIGS. 12 and 13.

Next, an example of a work holding operation of the hand apparatus1will be described.FIG. 14is a diagram for describing a state in which a work having a relatively large width dimension is held by a hand apparatus. It is assumed that a width dimension of the work W1is the largest dimension of a work that can be held by the hand apparatus1.FIG. 15is a diagram for describing a state in which a work having a relatively small width dimension is held by a hand apparatus. It is assumed that a width dimension of the work W2is the smallest dimension of a work that can be held by the hand apparatus1. As illustrated inFIGS. 14 and 15, a plurality of works W1and W2are accommodated in a magazine100at intervals in the up-down direction.

As illustrated inFIG. 14, when a work W1having the largest dimensions that can be held by the hand apparatus1is held, first, positioning of the grasper3is realized in the front-rear direction with the driving of the actuator2so that the third portion63of the operating portion6is disposed immediately below the opening position adjustment portion52. After the positioning of the grasper3is completed, the movable member36of the grasper3is moved upward by the grasper driving portion1and the grasper3operates at the second position (seeFIGS. 10 and 11). In this way, the convex portion64of the operating portion6engages with the hole52bof the opening position adjustment portion52and the operating portion6and the opening position adjustment portion52are connected.

When the operating portion6and the opening position adjustment portion52are connected, the opening position fixing pin56is held at a position at which the opening position fixing pin56is removed from the opening position fixing hole57aof the hole member57by the overhanging portion63bof the operating portion6. In this way, the opening position adjustment portion52can be moved in the front-rear direction. After that, when the grasper3is moved frontward to an extreme extent with the driving of the actuator2, the opening position adjustment portion52is also moved frontward whereby the hand portions51are disposed at the maximum opening position (seeFIGS. 3 and 4). After that, when the movable member36of the grasper3is moved downward by the grasper driving portion4, the grasper3operates at the third position (seeFIGS. 12 and 13). In this way, the connection between the operating portion6and the opening position adjustment portion52is disconnected, the opening position fixing pin56is moved downward due to its own weight and is inserted into the opening position fixing hole57adisposed on the frontmost side of the hole member57. As a result, the opening position adjustment portion52is fixed at that position and the hand portions51are fixed at the maximum opening position.

After the hand portions51are fixed at the maximum opening position, the grasper3operating at the third position moves frontward to an extreme extent with the driving of the actuator2. After that, the hand apparatus1moved near the magazine100by the operation of the arm200of the robot so that the center of the end of the work W1is disposed between the movable claw31and the fixed claw32. After the hand apparatus1is disposed near the magazine100, when the movable member36of the grasper3moves downward further by the grasper driving portion4, the grasper3operates at the first position (seeFIGS. 1, 2, and 4). In this way, the grasping claw30of the grasper3grasps the center of the end of the work W1. When the grasper3holds the work W1, the grasper3moves in a retracting direction and pulls the work W1out of the magazine100with the driving of the actuator2. Both ends of the work W1pulled out of the magazine100are inserted into and held by the work holding portions51aof the pair of hand portions51fixed at the maximum opening position outside the magazine100. After that, the hand apparatus1moves with the operation of the arm200of the arm to convey the work W1.

Subsequently, as illustrated inFIG. 15, when a work W2having the smallest dimensions that can be held by the hand apparatus1is held, after the operating portion6and the opening position adjustment portion52are connected, the grasper3is moved rearward to an extreme extent with the driving of the actuator2similarly to the above. In this way, as illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6, the hand portions51are disposed at the minimum opening position. After that, when the movable member36of the grasper3moves downward by the grasper driving portion4, the grasper3operates at the third position (seeFIGS. 12 and 13). In this way, the connection between the operating portion.6and the opening position adjustment portion52is disconnected, and the opening position fixing pin56is moved downward due to its own weight and is inserted into the opening position fixing hole57adisposed on the rearmost side of the hole member57. As a result, the opening position adjustment portion.52is fixed at that position, and the hand portions51are fixed at the minimum opening position.

After the hand portions51are fixed at the minimum opening position, the grasper3operating at the third position moves frontward to an extreme extent with the driving of the actuator2. After that, the hand apparatus1moves near the magazine100by the operation of the arm200of the robot so that the center of the end of the work W2is disposed between the movable claw31and the fixed claw32. After the hand apparatus1is disposed near the magazine100, when the movable member36of the grasper3is moved further downward by the grasper driving portion4, the grasper3operates at the first position (seeFIGS. 1, 2, and 4). In this way, the grasping claw30of the grasper3grasps the center of the end of the work W2. When the grasper3holds the work W2, the grasper3is moved in a retracting direction and pulls the work W2out of the magazine100with the driving of the actuator2. Both ends of the work W2pulled out of the magazine100are inserted into and held by the work holding portions51aof the pair of hand portions51disposed at the minimum opening position outside the magazine100. After that, the hand apparatus1moves with the operation of the arm200of the arm to convey the work W2.

As described above, the hand apparatus1of the present embodiment includes: the grasper3that grasps a work W1or W2; the grasper driving portion4that causes the grasper3to operate at a first position at which the grasper grasps the work W1or W2, a second position at which the grasper3is open widest, and a third position between the first position and the second position; a hand mechanism portion5having a pair of hand portions51that holds both ends in a width direction of the work W1or W2grasped by the grasper3and capable of varying an opening position of the pair of hand portions51; an operating portion6provided so as to be interlocked with an operation of the grasper3and being connectable to the hand mechanism portion5; and an actuator2that causes the grasper3to advance and retract, wherein when the grasper3is at the second position, the hand mechanism portion5is connected to the operating portion6to vary the opening position of the pair of hand portions51by being interlocked with the advancing and retracting movement of the grasper3according to the actuator2, and when the grasper3is at the first position or the third position, the hand mechanism portion5is disconnected from the operating portion6to fix the opening position of the pair of hand portions51. Due to this, the hand apparatus1does not need to prepare a plurality of hand portions corresponding to the width dimensions of the works W1and W2and can hold both ends of various of types of works W1and W2having different sizes.

Furthermore, since the actuator2that allows the grasper3to advance and retract is used as a driving source for varying the opening position of the hand portions51, it is not necessary to provide a separate driving source. Due to this, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the structure of the hand apparatus1and to simplify and lighten the hand apparatus1.

Moreover, the hand mechanism portion5includes an opening position adjustment portion52provided so as to be movable in a direction along advancing and retracting directions of the grasper3and a link portion53that causes the pair of hand portions51to be open in a width direction of the work W1or W2by being interlocked with movement of the opening position adjustment portion52, the opening position adjustment portion52has a hole52bas a first engagement portion, the operating portion6has a convex64as a second engagement portion that can engage with the hole52b, and when the grasper3is at the second position, the hole52band the convex portion64engage with each other whereby the opening position adjustment portion.52is connected to the operating portion6to move by being interlocked with the advancing and retracting movement of the grasper3by the actuator2, and when the grasper3is at the first position or the third position, the hole52band the convex portion64are disengaged from each other whereby the opening position adjustment portion52is disconnected from the operating portion6to fix the opening position of the pair of hand portions51. Due to this, the hand apparatus1can easily vary the opening position of the pair of hand portions51with the aid of the link portion.53by connecting the opening position adjustment portion52and the operating portion6. The hand apparatus1can easily fix the opening position of the pair of hand portions51when the connection between the opening position adjustment portion52and the operating portion6is disconnected.

In the hand apparatus1, the first engagement portion may be configured a convex portion, and the second engagement portion may be configured as a hole. Moreover, a specific configuration of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion is not limited to a hole and a convex portion as long as the first and second engagement portions can engage with each other and allow the opening position adjustment portion52to advance and retract in the front-rear direction when the grasper3advances and retracts in the front-rear direction in a state in which the first and second engagement portions are in an engagement state.

Furthermore, the actuator2has a plurality of opening position fixing holes57aarranged so as to correspond to a plurality of opening positions of the pair of hand portions51along a moving direction of the opening position adjustment portion52, the opening position adjustment portion52has an opening position fixing pin56that can advance toward and retract away from the opening position fixing hole57a, when the grasper3is at the second position, the opening position fixing pin56is configured to be held at a position at which the opening position fixing pin56is removed from the opening position fixing hole57aaccording to the operating portion6, and when the grasper3is at the first position or the third position, the holding by the operating portion6is cancelled, and the opening position fixing pin56is inserted into any one of the opening position fixing holes57a. Due to this, the hand apparatus1can easily fix the opening position adjustment portion52just by disconnecting the opening position adjustment portion.52and the operating portion6from each other.

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