Patent Publication Number: US-2021171295-A1

Title: Robot and robot system having the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to PCT/JP2019/032331, filed Aug. 19, 2019, which claims priority to JP 2018-156233, filed Aug. 23, 2018, the entire contents of each are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a robot and a robot system having the robot. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Conventionally, robots having a movable conveyor and a holding mechanism, which holds a workpiece and places the workpiece on a transferring surface of the conveyor, are known. One example of such robots is a load handling device disclosed in Patent Document 1. 
     The load handling device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a movable conveyor and a take-out arm. The movable conveyor advances so as to approach a load, and a gripping part provided at a tip end of the take-out arm grips the load. After the take-out arm places the load on the movable conveyor, it changes its posture to a load-avoiding posture. Then, the movable conveyor descends to the height of a conveying bench, and a belt constituting a transferring surface of the conveyor rotates so as to place the load onto the conveying bench. 
     REFERENCE DOCUMENT OF CONVENTIONAL ART 
     [Patent Document] 
     [Patent Document 1] JP2016-055995A 
     SUMMARY 
     A robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a base, a first robot fixed to the base at a base end thereof, and a second robot fixed to the base at a base end thereof. The first robot has a first robotic arm and a first robot hand attached to a tip end of the first robotic arm. The second robot has a second robotic arm and a second robot hand attached to a tip end of the second robotic arm. The first robot hand includes a conveyor, and the second robot hand includes a holding part configured to hold a workpiece. The second robot places the workpiece held by the holding part on a transferring surface of the conveyor of the first robot and releases the workpiece. 
     According to this structure, the conveyor is attached to the tip end of the first robotic arm, and thus, the conveyor can be moved within a range where the tip end of the first robotic arm is movable. Moreover, the second robot can place the workpiece held by the holding part on the transferring surface of the conveyor of the first robot and release the workpiece. As a result, a robot that is capable of transferring the workpiece by the movable conveyor, without limiting the installing location, can be provided. 
     The base may have a base body and a movable part provided to the base body. The first robot may be fixed to the base body at the base end thereof. The second robot may be fixed to the movable part at the base end thereof so as to be movable at least in one of a longitudinal direction connecting the base end of the first robot and the base end of the second robot and a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 
     According to this structure, the second robot is movable at least in one of the width direction and the longitudinal direction by the movable part provided to the base body. Therefore, even when the workpiece to be transferred is located outside the movable range of the tip end of the second robotic arm, the posture of the second robotic arm can be easily changed so that the holding part can hold the workpiece. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     The movable part may have a pivot shaft extending from the base body, and a movable-part body attached to the pivot shaft so as to be pivotable centering on the pivot shaft in a plane in which the longitudinal direction intersects with the width direction. The second robot may be fixed to the movable-part body at the base end thereof so as to be movable at least in one of the longitudinal direction and the width direction. 
     According to this structure, the second robot can be moved at least in one of the width direction and the longitudinal direction by the movable part having a simple configuration. 
     The base may have an automated guided vehicle. 
     According to this structure, since the robot can be easily moved, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     The holding part may be a suction part configured to suck and hold the workpiece. 
     According to this structure, for example, even when holding one workpiece from workpieces piled up without gaps therebetween, a side part etc. of the one workpiece can be sucked so that the one workpiece is easily held without interference of the other workpieces. 
     For example, the conveyor may be a belt conveyor. 
     At least one of the first robot and the second robot may be a vertically articulated robot. 
     According to this structure, at least one of the first robot and the second robot can easily take a desired posture. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     The first robotic arm may have four or more joint axes. 
     According to this structure, the first robotic arm can easily take a desired posture. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     The second robotic arm may have six or more joint axes. 
     According to this structure, the second robotic arm can easily take a desired posture. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     A robot system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes any one of the above described robots. 
     According to this structure, by being provided with the robot, the conveyor can be moved within the range where the tip end of the first robotic arm is movable. Moreover, the second robot can place the workpiece held by the holding part on the transferring surface of the conveyor of the first robot and release the workpiece. As a result, the robot system capable of transferring the workpiece by the movable conveyor while the installing location will not be limited, can be provided. 
     The robot system may further include a user interface configured to remotely operate the robot. 
     According to this structure, the robot can be remotely operated by using the user interface. As a result, the robot system capable of transferring the workpiece by the movable conveyor while the installing location will further be unlimited, can be provided. 
     The robot system may further include an imaging device configured to image a working state of the robot, and an output device configured to output the imaged information of the imaging device. 
     According to this structure, the operator can input a command value to the user interface while accurately grasping the working state of the robot based on the information outputted from the output device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating a state in which a robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is used to transfer a cardboard box. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the entire configuration of the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views illustrating a first robot of the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, where  FIG. 3A  is an overall side view, and  FIG. 3B  is an end view of a first robot hand when seen from the front. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views illustrating a second robot of the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, where  FIG. 4A  is an overall side view, and  FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a second robot hand when seen from the inside. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are side views illustrating the state in which the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is used to transfer the cardboard box, where  FIG. 5A  is a view when one of piled cardboard boxes is held, and  FIG. 5B  is a view when the cardboard box is released on a transferring surface of a conveyor. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are side views illustrating the state in which the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is used to transfer the cardboard box, where  FIG. 6A  is a view when a posture of the first robot is changed so that the transferring surface of the conveyor continues to a transferring surface of a stationary-type conveyor, and  FIG. 6B  is a view when the transferring of the cardboard box to the stationary-type conveyor is finished. 
         FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a driving state of a movable part of the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure when seen from above, where a part of a truck bed is cut to be omitted. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view illustrating the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view illustrating the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, a robot and a robot system having the robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. Moreover, below, the same reference characters are given to the same or corresponding components throughout the drawings to omit redundant description. 
     (Robot System  10 ) 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating a state in which a robot system according to an exemplary embodiment is used to transfer a cardboard box.  FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the entire configuration of the robot system. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a robot system  10  according to this embodiment transfers a cardboard box W (a workpiece) which is sealed while packing an object therein. In detail, the robot system  10  transfers cardboard boxes W piled on a truck bed L (see  FIGS. 5 to 7 ) one by one to a stationary-type conveyor C, which is disposed separately from the truck bed L. Note that illustration of the truck bed L is omitted in  FIG. 1  in order to avoid the drawing being complicated. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the robot system  10  according to this embodiment is provided with a robot  12  and a user interface  110  which remotely operates the robot  12 . Moreover, the robot system  10  is further provided with an imaging device  112  which images a working state of the robot  12  and an output device  114  which outputs the information captured by the imaging device  112 . 
     (Robot  12 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the robot  12  includes a base  20 , a first robot  30  fixed to the base  20  at its base end, and a second robot  60  similarly fixed to the base  20  at its base end. 
     (Base  20 ) 
     The base  20  has a base body  22  formed in a plate-like shape, and a movable part  23  provided to the base body  22 . The base body  22  has a rectangular shape when seen in a thickness direction, and is placed on a bottom plate of the truck bed L (described later). The movable part  23  has a pivot shaft  24  extending from the base body  22 , and a movable-part body  25  which is pivotable by being attached to the pivot shaft  24  centering on the pivot shaft  24  in a plane where a longitudinal direction of the robot  12  intersects with and a width direction. 
     The movable part  23  also has a movable-part controller  29  which controls the operation of the movable part  23  itself according to, for example, the operational information from the user interface  110 , based on a program stored in advance in a storage device. A concrete configuration of the movable-part controller  29  is not particularly limited, and it may be implemented, for example, by a known processor (e.g., a CPU) operating based on the program stored in the storage device (e.g., a memory). 
     Note that in the following description a direction connecting a base end of the first robot  30  and a base end of the second robot  60  is referred to as a “longitudinal direction of the robot  12 ,” a direction corresponding to the thickness direction of the base body  22  and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is referred to as a “height direction of the robot  12 ,” and a direction corresponding to a width direction of the base body  22  and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the height direction is referred to as a “width direction of the robot  12 .” 
     Note that in this embodiment the second robot  60  is movable by the movable part  23  as described later. Therefore, to be accurate, the longitudinal direction of the robot  12  is a direction connecting the base end of the first robot  30  and the base end of the second robot  60 , in an initial state where a longitudinal direction of the movable-part body  25  corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the base body  22 . In other words, the longitudinal direction of the robot  12  is a direction connecting the base end of the first robot  30  and a base end of the pivot shaft  24  of the movable part  23 . 
     (First Robot  30 ) 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views illustrating the first robot of the robot system according to this exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 3A  is an overall side view, and  FIG. 3B  is an end view of a first robot hand when seen from the front. As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the first robot  30  is provided with a first robotic arm  32  and a first robot hand  40  attached to a tip end of the first robotic arm  32 . Moreover, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first robot  30  is further provided with a first robot controller  59  which controls operations of the first robotic arm  32  and the first robot hand  40 . The first robot  30  is a vertically articulated robot. 
     (First Robotic Arm  32 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the first robotic arm  32  is an articulated arm having four joint axes (shafts) JT 1 -JT 4 , and four links  34   a - 34   d  serially coupled to each other via the corresponding joint axes. 
     The first joint axis JT 1  couples an upper surface of the base body  22  to a base-end part of the first link  34   a  so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The second joint axis JT 2  couples a tip-end part of the first link  34   a  to a base-end part of the second link  34   b  so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The third joint axis JT 3  couples a tip-end part of the second link  34   b  to a base-end part of the third link  34   c  so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. 
     Moreover, the fourth joint axis JT 4  couples a tip-end part of the third link  34   c  to a base-end part of the fourth link  34   d  about an axis extending perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the third link  34   c . Then, the first robot hand  40  is attached to a tip-end part of the fourth link  34   d.    
     (First Robot Hand  40 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the first robot hand  40  has a base part  42  attached to a tip end of the first robotic arm  32 , and a conveyor  50  fixed to the base part  42 . 
     The base part  42  has a bottom plate  44  in a rectangular shape when seen in its thickness direction, a side plate  46   a  standing from one end edge of the bottom plate  44  in its width direction, and a side plate  46   b  standing from the other end edge of the bottom plate  44 . The side plates  46   a  and  46   b  have the same shape. Each of the side plates  46   a  and  46   b  has a trapezoidal shape when seen in its thickness direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , each of the side plates  46   a  and  46   b  has, when seen in its thickness direction, one base and the other base extending in the height direction, a first leg, and a second leg. The first leg connects one end of the one base in the height direction (a lower end in  FIG. 3A ) to one end of the other base in the height direction (a lower end in  FIG. 3A ). The second leg connects the other end of the one base in the height direction (an upper end in  FIG. 3A ) to the other end of the other base in the height direction (an upper end in  FIG. 3A ). In  FIG. 3A , the first leg extends horizontally, and the second leg extends to incline downwardly toward downstream in the transferring direction of the conveyor  50 . 
     The conveyor  50  is a belt conveyor. The conveyor  50  has a known configuration, which includes rollers  52  disposed in parallel to each other in the transferring direction, a pair of shafts  54   a  and  54   b  which support rotational shafts of the rollers  62 , a ring-shaped transferring belt  56  wound around the rollers  52 , and an electric motor which rotary drives at least one of the rollers  52 . 
     The shaft  54  is attached, at its intermediate part in the longitudinal direction, to the side plate  46   a  of the base part  42  along an upper end edge of an inner surface of the side surface  46   a  of the base part  42 . Moreover, the shaft  54  is attached, at its intermediate part in the longitudinal direction, to the side plate  46   b  of the base part  42  along an upper end edge of an inner surface of the side surface  46  of the base part  42 . 
     Therefore, in  FIG. 3A , the pair of shafts  54  incline downwardly toward downstream in the transferring direction of the conveyor  50 , by the same inclining angles of the second legs of the side plates  46   a  and  46   b  of the base part  42 . 
     Accordingly, the entire conveyor  50  inclines downwardly toward downstream in the transferring direction, by the same inclining angles of the second legs of the side plates  46   a  and  46   b  of the base part  42 . That is, a transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  similarly inclines. 
     (First Robot Controller  59 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first robot controller  59  controls the operations of the first robotic arm  32  and the conveyor  50  according to, for example, the operational information from the user interface  110  based on a program stored in advance in a storage device. A concrete configuration of the first robot controller  59  is not particularly limited, and it may be implemented, for example, by a known processor (e.g., a CPU) operating based on the program stored in the storage device (e.g., a memory). 
     (Second Robot  60 ) 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views illustrating the second robot of the robot system according to this embodiment.  FIG. 4A  is an overall side view, and  FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a second robot hand when seen from the inside. As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the second robot  60  is provided with a second robotic arm  62  and a second robot hand  70  attached to a tip end of the second robotic arm  62 . Moreover, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the second robot  60  is further provided with a second robot controller  89  which controls operations of the second robotic arm  62  and the second robot hand  70 . The second robot  60  is a vertically articulated robot. 
     (Second Robotic Arm  62 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the second robotic arm  62  is an articulated arm having six joint axes (shafts) JT 1 ′-JT 6 ′, and six links  64   a - 64   f  serially coupled to each other via the corresponding joint axes. 
     The first joint axis JT 1 ′ couples an upper surface of a tip-end part of the movable-part body  25  to a base-end part of the first link  64   a  so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The second joint axis JT 2 ′ couples a tip-end part of the first link  64   a  to a base-end part of the second link  64   b  so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The third joint axis JT 3 ′ couples a tip-end part of the second link  64   b  to a base-end part of the third link  64   c  so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. 
     The fourth joint axis JT 4 ′ couples a tip-end part of the third link  64   c  to a base-end part of the fourth link  64   d  so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the third link  64   c . The fifth joint axis JT 5 ′ couples a tip-end part of the fourth link  64   d  to a base-end part of the fifth link  64   e  so as to be rotatable about an axis extending perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the fourth link  64   d . The sixth joint axis JT 6 ′ couples a tip-end part of the fifth link  64   e  to a base-end part of the sixth link  64   f  so as to be rotatable in a twisted manner. Then, the second robot hand  70  is attached to a tip-end part of the sixth link  64   f.    
     (Second Robot Hand  70 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4B , the second robot hand  70  has a first plate-like member  72  in a rectangular shape when seen in its thickness direction, a second plate-like member  74  in a rectangular shape when seen in its thickness direction, and suction parts  76  provided to inner surfaces of the first plate-like member  72  and the second plate-like member  74 . 
     The first plate-like member  72  is attached, at an intermediate part in a longitudinal dimension of its base-end part on an outer surface, to the tip-end part of the sixth link  64   f . The second plate-like member  74  has the same longitudinal dimension as the first plate-like member  72 . Then, an end edge of the first plate-like member  72  in its width direction, which extends in the longitudinal direction, is connected to an end edge of the second plate-like member  74  in its width direction, which extends in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the second robot hand  70  has an L-shaped structure in the side view as illustrated in  FIG. 4A . 
     The first plate-like member  72  is provided on its inner surface with a total of fifteen (15) suction parts  76  aligned in parallel so as to be three rows in the width direction and five columns in the longitudinal direction (i.e., 3×5 in row and column). Moreover, the second plate-like member  74  is provided on its inner surface with a total of ten (10) suction parts  76  aligned in parallel so as to be two rows in the width direction and five columns in the longitudinal direction (i.e., 2×5 in row and column). That is, the second robot hand  70  has the total of twenty-five (25) suction parts  76 . 
     Each of the  25  suction parts  76  is formed to be a hollow tapered shape, and the tapered tip end is attached to the first plate-like member  72  or the second plate-like member  74 . The suction parts  76  are each connected to a vacuum generator, and thus, the pressure inside the suction part  76  becomes negative. The  25  suction parts  76  suck an upper surface and a side surface of the cardboard box W by the negative pressure so as to cooperatively hold one cardboard box W. 
     (Second Robot Controller  89 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the second robot controller  89  controls the operations of the second robotic arm  62  and the suction parts  76  (a holding part) according to, for example, the operational information from the user interface  110  based on a program stored in advance in a storage device. A concrete configuration of the second robot controller  89  is not particularly limited, and, similarly to the first robot controller  59 , it may be implemented, for example, by a known processor (e.g., a CPU) operating based on the program stored in the storage device (e.g., a memory). 
     (User Interface  110 ) 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the user interface  110  is disposed to be separated from the robot  12  by a given distance so as to remotely operate the robot  12  based on a command value manually inputted by an operator P. 
     A concrete configuration of the user interface  110  is not particularly limited, and it may accept a displacement of a control handle or pressing of a button as the command value, or the user interface  110  may be configured as a touch-panel screen which accepts pressing or touching of a screen display as the command value. Alternatively, the user interface  110  may accept voice as the command value, or may have other configurations. 
     The user interface  110  generates the operational information by accepting the command value manually inputted by the operator P, and transmits the operational information to the first robot controller  59 , the second robot controller  89 , and the movable-part controller  29 . 
     (Imaging Device  112 ) 
     The imaging device  112  is provided in order to image the working state of the robot  12  so as to acquire video information. A configuration of the imaging device  112  is not particularly limited, and it may be configured as a known video camera. 
     (Output Device  114 ) 
     The output device  114  is a displaying device which outputs the video information captured by the imaging device  112 . A concrete configuration of the output device  114  is not particularly limited, and it may be a Liquid Crystal Display, an Organic Electro-Luminescence Display, or other devices. 
     Example of Transferring 
     One example of the transferring executed by the robot system  10  according to this embodiment is described with reference to  FIGS. 5 to 7 . In this example, as described above, the robot system  10  is used to transfer the cardboard boxes W piled on the truck bed L one by one, to the stationary-type conveyor C disposed separately from the truck bed L. 
     Note that, in the following example of the transferring, the operator P may input the command value to the user interface  110  while grasping the working state of the robot  12  based on the video information outputted from the output device  114 . Here, the video information outputted from the output device  114  is images of the working state of the robot  12  captured by the imaging device  112 . 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are side views illustrating the state in which the robot system according to this embodiment is used to transfer the cardboard box.  FIG. 5A  is a view when one of the piled cardboard boxes is held, and  FIG. 5B  is a view when the cardboard box is released on the transferring surface of the conveyor.  FIGS. 6A and 6B  are side views illustrating the state in which the robot system is used to transfer the cardboard box.  FIG. 6A  is a view when the posture of the first robot is changed so that the transferring surface of the conveyor continues to the transferring surface of the stationary-type conveyor, and  FIG. 6B  is a view when the transferring of the cardboard box to the stationary-type conveyor is finished.  FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a driving state of the movable part of the robot system according to this embodiment when seen from above, where a part of the truck bed is cut to be omitted. 
     First, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to stop the transferring belt  56  of the conveyor  50 . Moreover, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to change the posture of the first robotic arm  32  so that the upstream end of the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  is located within the movable range of the tip end of the second robotic arm  62 . 
     Next, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to change the posture of the second robotic arm  62  so that the  15  suction parts  76  provided to the inner surface of the first plate-like member  72  of the second robot hand  70  contact an upper surface of one cardboard box W located at the top of the cardboard boxes W (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “top cardboard box W”), and the  10  suction parts  76  provided to the inner surface of the second plate-like member  74  of the second robot hand  70  contact a side surface of the top cardboard box W. 
     Moreover, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to drive the vacuum generator to make inside the suction parts  76  negative pressure. Therefore, the suction parts  76  provided to the inner surface of the first plate-like member  72  suck the upper surface of the top cardboard box W, and the suction parts  76  provided to the inner surface of the second plate-like member  74  suck the side surface of the top cardboard box W, so as to hold the top cardboard box W. This state is illustrated in  FIG. 5A . 
     Moreover, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to change the posture of the second robotic arm  62  so that a bottom surface of the cardboard box W sucked and held by the suction parts  76  of the second robot hand  70  contacts an upstream part of the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  of the first robot hand  40 . 
     Then, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to stop the vacuum generator so as to release the cardboard box W from the state sucked by the suction parts  76 . In this manner, the second robot  60  places the cardboard box W held by the suction parts  76  (the holding part) on the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  of the first robot  30 , and releases it. This state is illustrated in  FIG. 5B . 
     Next, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to change the posture of the first robotic arm  32  so that the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  continues to upstream of the transferring surface of the stationary-type conveyor C. This state is illustrated in  FIG. 6A . 
     Finally, the operator P operates the user interface  110  to drive the transferring belt  56  of the conveyor  50 . Therefore, the cardboard box W placed on the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  is moved downstream on the transferring surface  58 , and is transferred from a downstream end of the transferring surface  58  to the upstream-end part of the transferring surface of the stationary-type conveyor C. 
     By repeating this transferring, the robot system  10  can transfer all of the cardboard boxes W piled on the truck bed L to the stationary-type conveyor C disposed separately from the truck bed L. Note that the stationary-type conveyor C may be a belt conveyor similarly to the conveyor  50 . The belt conveyor may have a known structure. When the stationary-type conveyor C receives the cardboard box W from the conveyor  50  at its upstream part, it further transfers the cardboard box W to a desired destination. 
     Note that, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the operator P can operate the user interface  110  to drive the movable part  23  (in detail, rotate the pivot shaft  24  of the movable part  23 ) so that the second robot  60  fixed to the movable-part body  25  at its base-end part rotates centering on the pivot shaft  24 , in the plane in which the longitudinal direction of the robot  12  intersects with the width direction. 
     Effects 
     According to the robot  12  of this embodiment, since the conveyor  50  is attached to the tip end of the first robotic arm  32 , the conveyor  50  can be moved within the movable range of the tip end of the first robotic arm  32 . Moreover, the second robot  60  can place the cardboard box W (the workpiece) sucked and held by the suction parts  76  (the holding part) onto the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50 , and release it. As a result, the robot  12  capable of transferring the cardboard box W by the movable conveyor  50  while the installing location will not be limited, can be provided. 
     According to the robot  12  of this embodiment, the second robot  60  is movable in the width and longitudinal directions of the robot  12  by the movable part  23  provided to the base body  22 . Therefore, even when the cardboard box W to be transferred is located outside the movable range of the tip end of the second robotic arm  62 , the posture of the second robotic arm  62  can be easily changed so that the suction parts  76  can hold the cardboard box W. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     In this embodiment, the movable part  23  has the pivot shaft  24  and the movable-part body  25  attached to the pivot shaft  24 . The second robot  60  is fixed to the movable-part body  25  at its base end so as to be rotatable centering on the pivot shaft  24  in the plane in which the longitudinal direction of the robot  12  intersects with the width direction. Therefore, the second robot  60  is movable in the width and longitudinal directions. Accordingly, the second robot  60  can be moved in the width direction and the longitudinal direction by the movable part  23  having the simple configuration. 
     In this embodiment, the holding part is configured as the suction parts  76  which suck and hold the cardboard box W (the workpiece). Therefore, for example, even when holding one cardboard box W from the cardboard boxes W piled up without gaps therebetween, a side part etc. of the one cardboard box W can be sucked so that the one cardboard box W is easily held without interference of the other cardboard boxes W. 
     Since the robot system  10  according to this embodiment has the robot  12  as described above, effects similar to the robot  12  can be achieved. 
     Since the first robot  30  and the second robot  60  according to this embodiment are each configured as a vertically articulated robot, each of the first robotic arm  32  and the second robotic arm  62  can easily take a desired posture. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     Since the first robotic arm  32  according to this embodiment has the four joint axes JT 1 -JT 4 , it can easily take a desired posture. Therefore, the first robot hand  40  and the conveyor  50  can be easily moved to desired positions. As a result, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. 
     Since the second robotic arm  62  according to this embodiment has the six joint axes JT 1 ′-JT 6 ′, it can easily take a desired posture. Therefore, the second robot hand  70  and the suction parts  76  can be easily moved to desired positions. 
     In this embodiment, the robot  12  can be remotely operated by using the user interface  110 . As a result, the cardboard box W can be transferred by the movable conveyor  50  while the installing location will further be unlimited. 
     In this embodiment, the operator P can input the command value to the user interface  110  while accurately grasping the working state of the robot  12  based on the video information outputted from the output device  114 . 
     (Modifications) 
     It is apparent for a person skilled in the art that many improvements and other embodiments of the present disclosure are possible from the above description. Therefore, the above description is to be interpreted only as illustration, and it is provided in order to teach a person skilled in the art the best mode for implementing the present disclosure. The details of the structures and/or the functions may be substantially changed, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. 
     (First Modification) 
     First Modification of the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment is described with reference to  FIG. 8 . Note that a configuration of a robot system according to this modification is the same as that of the robot system  10  described above, except for the configuration of the base  20 . Therefore, the same reference characters are given to the same components to omit redundant description. 
       FIG. 8  is a side view illustrating a robot of First Modification of the robot system according to this embodiment. As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , a base  20 ′ of a robot  12 ′ of this modification has an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle)  120 . 
     The AGV  120  has a vehicle body  122  formed in a plate-like shape, wheels  124  attached to a bottom surface of the vehicle body  122 , and an AGV controller which controls operation of the AGV  120 . 
     The base end of the first robot  30  is fixed to an upper surface of the vehicle body  122  formed in the plate-like shape, and the base end of the pivot shaft  24  of the movable part  23  is pivotally supported on the upper surface of the vehicle body  122 . That is, in this modification, the vehicle body  122  constitutes the base body  22  in the embodiment described above. 
     The AGV controller controls the operation of the AGV  120  according to, for example, the operational information from the user interface  110 , based on a program stored in advance in a storage device. A concrete configuration of the AGV controller is not particularly limited, and it may be implemented, for example, by a known processor (e.g., a CPU) operating based on the program stored in the storage device (e.g., a memory). 
     Note that the AGV controller may detect weak induced current from electric wiring buried underground of a work site, and control the operation of the AGV  120  based on the detected value. In this case, the operational information may be received from the user interface  110  as needed. The functionality of the elements disclosed herein including but not limited to the first robot controller  59 , the second robot controller  89 , the moveable-part controller  29 , and the AGV controller may be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry which includes general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (“Application Specific Integrated Circuits”), conventional circuitry and/or combinations thereof which are configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functionality. Processors are considered processing circuitry or circuitry as they include transistors and other circuitry therein. In the disclosure, the circuitry, units, or means are hardware that carry out or are programmed to perform the recited functionality. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or otherwise known which is programmed or configured to carry out the recited functionality. When the hardware is a processor which may be considered a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or units are a combination of hardware and software, the software being used to configure the hardware and/or processor. 
     According to this modification, since the robot  12  can be easily moved, the effects achieved by the present disclosure can be remarkable. For example, according to the embodiment described above, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the second robot  60  can hold the cardboard box W placed at the end of the truck bed L in the width direction, which is outside the movable range of the tip end of the second robotic arm  62 . In addition to this, since the second robot  60  can be moved by the AGV  120 , it can hold the cardboard box W placed at the end of the truck bed L in the longitudinal direction, which is outside the movable range of the tip end of the second robotic arm  62 . 
     (Second Modification) 
     Second Modification of the robot system according to the embodiment is described with reference to  FIG. 9 . Note that a configuration of a robot system according to this modification is the same as that of the robot system  10  described above, except for a configuration of a first robotic arm  32 ″. Therefore, the same reference characters are given to the same components to omit redundant description. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view illustrating a robot of Second Modification of the robot system according to an exemplary embodiment. As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the first robotic arm  32 ″ of a robot  12 ″ of this modification has a first link  34   a ″ coupled to the upper surface of the base body  22  at its base end so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and a second link  34   b ″ coupled to a tip end of the first link  34   a ″ at its base end so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the robot  12 . 
     Moreover, the first robotic arm  32 ″ has a pair of third links  34   c ″ coupled at their base ends to a tip end of the second link  34   b ″ at both ends in the width direction so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The first robotic arm  32 ″ also has a fourth link  34   d ″ coupled to tip ends of the pair of third links  34   c ″ at its base end so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, and coupled to the base part  42  of the first robot hand  40 . 
     The first robotic arm  32 ″ may not be twistable by being configured as described above. Accordingly, the structure of the first robotic arm  32 ″ can be simplified. 
     (Other Modifications) 
     Although in the embodiment described above the cardboard box W to be transferred is placed on the truck bed L, and the robot  12  is disposed on the truck bed L, it is not limited to this. For example, the cardboard box W to be transferred may be placed on the ground and the robot  12  may be disposed on the ground near the cardboard box W. Alternatively, the cardboard box W may be placed at another place, and the robot  12  may be disposed near the cardboard box W to transfer it. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the transferred workpiece is the cardboard box W, it is not limited to this. The workpiece may be another object having a given shape (e.g., a member used for assembling machinery, and packed food), or an object not having a fixed shape, such as a rock and a fried chicken. 
     In the embodiment described above, the transferring belt  56  of the conveyor  50  is started to drive after the cardboard box W is placed on the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50 , the posture of the first robotic arm  32  is changed so that the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  continues to upstream of the transferring surface of the stationary-type conveyor C, and the cardboard box W is released from being held by the suction parts  76 . However, it is not limited to this, and the transferring may be performed while the transferring belt  56  of the conveyor  50  is always driven. Accordingly, the cardboard boxes W can be transferred one by one in a shorter period of time. 
     In the embodiment described above, as illustrated in the block diagram of  FIG. 2 , the robot system  10  is provided with the robot  12 , the user interface  110 , the imaging device  112 , and the output device  114 . However, it is not limited to this, and the robot system  10  may further include other configurations. For example, the robot system  10  may further include the stationary-type conveyor C, which is the transferring destination of the cardboard box W in the embodiment described above. In this case, for example, the operator P may operate the user interface  110  to control the operation of the stationary-type conveyor C. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the position of the conveyor  50  is changed only by changing the posture of the first robotic arm  32  (and moving the AGV  120 ), it is not limited to this. For example, the conveyor  50  may be attached to the base part  42  so as to be rotatable with respect to the base part  42  in a plane in which the transferring direction intersects with the height direction of the conveyor  50 . Alternatively, the base part  42  may be provided with a pair of rails, and the conveyor  50  may be attached to the base part  42  so as to be movable along the rails. Note that in this case the first robot controller  59  may further control the operation of the base part  42 . 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the holding part is comprised of the  25  suction parts  76  which suck and hold the cardboard box W (the workpiece), it is not limited to this. For example, the number of the suction parts  76  may be one or more and twenty-four or less, or twenty-six or more. Moreover, the shape of each of the  25  suction parts  76  is not limited to the hollow tapered shape, but may be a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape or a hollow cylindrical shape, or other shapes. Furthermore, the holding part may be a gripping part which grips the workpiece to hold it, a placing part which places the workpiece thereon to hold it, or other configurations. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the conveyor  50  is the belt conveyor, it is not limited to this. For example, the conveyor  50  may be a roller conveyor, or other types of conveyor. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the movable part  23  has the pivot shaft  24  and the movable-part body  25  attached to the pivot shaft  24 , it is not limited to this. For example, the pivot shaft  24  may be expandable and contractible in the height direction so that the movable-part body  25  and the second robot  60  fixed to the movable-part body  25  are movable in the height direction. 
     Moreover, for example, the movable part  23  may have a structure including a pair of rails extending in the width direction of the robot  12 , and a movable element which moves on the pair of rails. In this case, the second robot  60  may be movable in the width direction of the robot  12  by the base end of the second robot  60  being fixed to the movable element. 
     Similarly, the movable part  23  may have a pair of rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the robot  12 , and the movable element. Accordingly, the second robot  60  is movable in the longitudinal direction of the robot  12 . Note that the movable part  23  may be provided with both of the rails extending in the width direction and the rails extending in the longitudinal direction. For example, by the movable part described above being provided as needed, the second robot  60  may be movable at least in one of the width direction and the longitudinal direction. Note that the robot  12  may not be provided with the movable part  23 . In this case, the base end of the second robot  60  is fixed to the base body  22 . Therefore, the structure of the robot  12  can be further simplified. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the base body  22  is formed in the plate-like shape, it is not limited to this. The base body  22  may have another shape, such as rectangular parallelepiped shape and a cylindrical shape, as long as the base end of the first robot  30  and the base end of the second robot  60  can be fixed thereto. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the first robot  30  changes the posture of the first robotic arm  32  after receiving the cardboard box W from the second robot  60  so that the transferring surface  58  of the conveyor  50  continues to upstream of the transferring surface of the stationary-type conveyor C, it is not limited to this. For example, the conveyor  50  may perform the transferring while the posture of the first robotic arm  32  is fixed, as long as the upstream end of the transferring surface  58  can be located within the movable range of the tip end of the second robotic arm  62 , and the downstream end of the transferring surface  58  can be positioned to continue upstream of the transferring surface of the stationary-type conveyor C. Accordingly, the workpiece can be easily and promptly transferred by using the robot system  10 . 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the first robot  30  and the second robot  60  are each configured as a vertically articulated robot, it is not limited to this. For example, each of the first robot  30  and the second robot  60  may be a polar robot, a cylindrical robot, a Cartesian coordinate robot, a horizontally articulated robot, or other types of robot. The types of the first robot  30  and the second robot  60  may be different from each other. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the first robotic arm  32  has the four joint axes, it is not limited to this. For example, the first robotic arm  32  may have five or more joint axes. Alternatively, the first robotic arm  32  may have one or more and three or less joint axes. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the second robotic arm  62  has the six joint axes, it is not limited to this. For example, the second robotic arm  62  may have seven or more joint axes. Alternatively, the second robotic arm  62  may have one or more and five or less joint axes. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the robot system  10  is provided with the imaging device  112  and the output device  114 , it is not limited to this. For example, the robot system  10  may not be provided with the imaging device  112  and the output device  114 , but the operator P may visually confirm the working state of the robot  12 . Accordingly, the configuration of the robot system  10  can be further simplified. 
     Although in an exemplary embodiment the robot system  10  allows the operator P to input the command value using the user interface  110  so as to operate the robot  12  based on the command value, it is not limited to this. For example, the robot system  10  may be a fully automatic system without the user interface  110 . 
     In order to implement the robot system  10  as the fully automatic system, the first robotic arm  32  may be provided with a proximity sensor at its tip end, and the first robot controller  59  may control the operations of the first robotic arm  32  and the first robot hand  40  based on a detection value of the proximity sensor, etc. Alternatively, the first robotic arm  32  may be provided with a camera at its tip end, and the first robot controller  59  may control the operations of the first robotic arm  32  and the first robot hand  40  based on an analytical value of the imaged information of the camera, etc. Note that since this configuration is similarly applied to the second robotic arm  62 , description is not repeated. 
     According to the present disclosure, a robot and a robot system having it, capable of transferring a workpiece by a movable conveyor while the installing location will not be limited, can be provided. 
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS 
     
         
           10  Robot System 
           12  Robot 
           20  Base 
           22  Base Body 
           23  Movable Part 
           24  Pivot Shaft 
           25  Movable-part Body 
           29  Movable-part Controller 
           30  First Robot 
           32  First Robotic Arm 
           34  Link 
           40  First Robot Hand 
           42  Base Part 
           44  Bottom Plate 
           46  Side Plate 
           50  Conveyor 
           52  Roller 
           54  Shaft 
           56  Transferring Belt 
           58  Transferring Surface 
           59  First Robot Controller 
           60  Second Robot 
           62  Second Robotic Arm 
           64  Link 
           70  Second Robot Hand 
           72  First Plate-like Member 
           74  Second Plate-like Member 
           76  Suction Part 
           89  Second Robot Controller 
           110  User Interface 
           112  Imaging Device 
           114  Output Device 
           120  AGV 
           122  Vehicle Body 
           124  Wheel 
         JT Joint Axis 
         C Stationary-type Conveyor 
         L Truck Bed 
         P Operator 
         W Cardboard Box