Abstract: A method for stocking a plurality of containers in a stocking device and feeding one container at a time to a robot includes the steps of separately supporting each container in a vertically moveable frame and moving the frame to align a selected container at a drawing position. The selected container is withdrawn from the frame and a lid of a pallet on the withdrawn frame is removed. The articles are then supplied to the robot.

Abstract: A method for feeding articles to a robot comprises the steps of temporarily storing a plurality of containers in a temporary storing device including a rest on which the plurality of containers are stacked and a separator for simultaneously separating the stacked containers from each other, stocking a plurality of containers supplied from the temporary storing device in a stocker, and feeding the stocked containers to the robot one-by-one.

Abstract: An arm origin calibrating method for an articulated robot is capable of implementing highly accurate calibration without requiring special high-precision measuring devices. A round bar is mounted on a first arm and a round hole is provided in a second arm. A rotation angle of the second arm is detected when, with the first arm being fixed, the second arm is rotated in the first direction until the round bar comes in contact with the inner surface of the round hole. A rotation angle of the second arm is detected when, with the first arm being fixed, the second arm is rotated in the second direction reverse to the first direction until the round bar comes in contact with the inner surface of the round hole. An offset angle of the second arm is detected on the basis of the two detected rotation angles.

Abstract: An article feeding apparatus which feeds articles from a feed source to a section to be subjected to feeding includes a stocker for stocking a plurality of pallets retaining a plurality of articles in units of types of articles, with the stocker being capable of moving one pallet to a predetermined position, and a take-out unit for taking the pallet moved to the predetermined position outside the stocker in order to transfer articles to the section to be subjected to feeding. In addition, a buffer receives replacement of the pallets retaining the articles from external equipment and temporarily stores the plurality of pallets, and a replacing unit replaces the pallets in the stocker with the pallets in the buffer in accordance with a decrease in number of articles in the pallet in the stocker to a predetermined value as the articles are fed to the feeding section.

Abstract: An industrial robot is provided with a body, a horizontal arm pivotally supported on the body, and a vertical arm mounted on the tip end portion of the horizontal arm for rotation about its own center axis. The robot includes a drive motor for rotatively driving the vertical arm, speed reduction means for speed-reducing and transmitting the drive force of the drive motor through a first output pulley to a second output pulley, and first and second detected portions mounted on the first and second output pulleys, respectively, with respective predetermined ranges of extension and indicating the original point position of the vertical arm by the difference between the respective phases.

Abstract: A method for stocking a plurality of containers in a stocking device and feeding one container at a time to a robot includes the steps of separately supporting each container in a vertically moveable frame and moving the frame to align a selected container at a drawing position. The selected container is withdrawn from the frame and a lid of a pallet on the withdrawn frame is removed. The articles are then supplied to the robot.

Abstract: A handling device for a stocker, for storing various articles or containers, has a pair of engaging members for storing or extracting the articles, in which the engaging members have unbalanced engaging forces and the articles are aligned in one direction by the unbalanced engaging forces.

Abstract: A planetary roller speed reducer includes a sun roller mounted rotatably on a pedestal and a plurality of planetary rollers having a central portion with a narrowed diameter and mounted rotatably on the pedestal. The sun roller circumscribes large-diameter portions of the planetary rollers which work as a first reduction part, and an outer ring working as an output shaft circumscribes a small-diameter portion working as a second reduction part. A rotary driving system comprises a support fixed to the pedestal and disposed within the outer ring on an extension of the sun roller, and a turning angle detector fixed to the outer ring detects a turning angle between the support and the outer ring.

Abstract: A technique of this invention discloses an orthogonal two-axis moving apparatus basically adapted to move in horizontal and vertical directions. In one embodiment the apparatus includes a vertical block, a horizontal moving member movably supported on the vertical block, and a driving mechanism for moving the horizontal moving member, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt for transmitting a driving force.

Abstract: An orthogonal two-axis moving apparatus includes a first guide member which extends along one direction and is attached to a stationary position, a slide block which is slidably supported on the first guide member and is movable in the one direction, and a second guide member which extends along the other direction perpendicular to the one direction and is supported by the slide block to be movable in the other direction. First and second rollers are pivotally supported on two ends of the first guide member, a third roller is pivotally supported on one end of the second guide member, and intermediate rollers are pivotally supported on four corner portions of the slide block. A coupling belt is provided and has two ends of which are fixed to the other end of the second guide member and which is looped in a cross shape on the first to third rollers and the four intermediate rollers.

Abstract: A rotational driving apparatus with frictional engagement includes a base, a rotating member having rigidity and axially supported on the base, at least one frictional roller having rigidity and at least one driving roller which are in rolling contact with the rotating member, a motor for rotating the driving roller, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the frictional and driving rollers against the rotating member, thereby transmitting a driving force of the driving roller to the rotating member to rotate it.

Abstract: A moving mechanism according to the present invention includes a fixed base, a moving member movably provided with respect to the fixed base, a driving motor mounted on the moving member, a driving shaft rotatably supported by the moving member and rotated by the driving motor, a pair of driven wheels to be brought into rolling contact with the driving shaft, a unit for simultaneously bringing the driven wheels into rolling contact with the base, and an abutting unit for causing the driving shaft to abut against the driven wheels so that they are frictionally engaged with each other, and causing the driven wheels to abut against the fixed base so that they are fictionally engaged with each other, wherein the driven wheels are rotated on the fixed base to move the moving member with respect to the fixed base in accordance with rotation of the driving shaft.

Abstract: A controller for an automatic assembling apparatus consisting of a plurality of operation units each of which has a variety of devices to be driven and which perform independent, different operations under the program control is disclosed. This controller includes a host control unit expressing a sequence control portion of program control for the plurality of operation units by multitask program control, a plurality of lower-order control units having control programs for controlling an independent operation of each of the plurality of devices to be driven, and a shared memory which is connected to the host control unit and the plurality of lower-order control units, and is shared and accessed by the host control unit and the lower-order control units.

Abstract: A rotational driving apparatus with frictional engagement includes a base, a rotating member having rigidity and axially supported on the base, at least one frictional roller having rigidity and at least one driving roller which are in rolling contact with the rotating member, a motor for rotating the driving roller, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the frictional and driving rollers against the rotating member, thereby transmitting a driving force of the driving roller to the rotating member to rotate it.

Abstract: A displacing apparatus includes a moving table provided movably on a guide rail mounted on a fixed base. A guide bar is provided on the fixed base in parallel with the guide rail. The guide bar is formed with a recess. Also provided is a driving roller maintained in contact with the guide bar and driven by a driving source provided on the moving table for moving the moving table. A device is provided on the moving table for generating a contact pressure for maintaining the driving roller in pressure contact with the guide bar at a position on the guide bar opposite to the drive roller. A detector is also provided in relation to the moving table for detecting the position of the moving table. Finally, a device is provided for nullifying the contact pressure. The nullifying device drops the driving roller into the recess of the guide bar to nullify the contact pressure of the drive roller, the drive roller moving on the guide bar.