IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,496,704
Granted Patent B2
US 12,496,704 · App. 18/413,499 · Granted Dec 16, 2025

Conveyance robot

Inventors: Kunihiro Iwamoto (Nagakute, JP); Yuta Itozawa (Nagoya, JP); Hirotaka Komura (Tokyo, JP); Yutaro Takagi (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B25J9/042B25J9/126B25J18/04Y10S901/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,496,704
App. No.
18/413,499
Granted
Dec 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a conveyance system, an object is conveyed by use of a conveyance robot. The conveyance robot includes: an arm including a shaft portion extensible and retractable in an axial direction of the shaft portion, and a protruding portion extending from the shaft portion in a direction different from the axial direction so as to be engaged with a groove formed on the object; a drive mechanism configured to rotate the arm around the axial direction as a rotating axis; and a detecting portion configured to detect an abnormality in the rotation angle of the arm.

Claims (11)

1 . A conveyance robot for conveying an object, comprising:

an arm including a shaft portion extensible and retractable in an axial direction of the shaft portion, and a protruding portion extending from the shaft portion in a direction different from the axial direction, the protruding portion being configured to be engaged with a groove formed on an object to be conveyed;

a motor configured to rotate the arm around the axial direction as a rotating axis;

a sensor configured to detect an abnormality in a rotation angle of the arm; and

a camera configured to detect the position of the groove of the object and determine an extension length for the arm based on a detection result by the camera;

wherein the object comprises a plurality of grooves provided side-by-side in the moving direction of the object; and

wherein the conveyance robot sequentially rotates the arm about the rotating axis to engage or disengage one of the plurality of grooves of the object based on a detected position of the grooves by the camera, and extends or retracts the arm while the protruding portion is disposed in one of the plurality of grooves of the object from the groove closest to a target position where the moved object is placed.

2 . The conveyance robot according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor detects an abnormality in the rotation angle when the protruding portion is to be engaged with the groove, or when the shaft portion is to be retracted or extended in a state where the protruding portion is engaged with the groove.

3 . The conveyance robot according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the sensor detects an abnormality, the conveyance robot stops a drawing operation to draw the object, or the conveyance robot causes an alarm to go off.

4 . The conveyance robot according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor detects an abnormality in the rotation angle based on a current value of the motor configured to rotate the arm.

5 . The conveyance robot according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor detects an abnormality in the rotation angle based on a detection result obtained by an encoder attached to the motor configured to rotate the arm.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 17, 2024
From: IWAMOTO, KUNIHIRO; ITOZAWA, YUTA; KOMURA, HIROTAKA; TAKAGI, YUTARO
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 066147/0451 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-017625 · Feb 5, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 17546244 · Dec 9, 2021
Related Publication 20240149436A1 · May 9, 2024
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