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Patent 3139173 Summary

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 3139173
(54) English Title: ROBOTIC HAND
(54) French Title: MAIN DE ROBOT
Status: Granted and Issued
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • B25J 15/08 (2006.01)
  • G07D 11/16 (2019.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • UEMIZO, YOSHIAKI (Japan)
  • UEDA, TAKASHI (Japan)
(73) Owners :
  • JAPAN CASH MACHINE CO., LTD.
(71) Applicants :
  • JAPAN CASH MACHINE CO., LTD. (Japan)
(74) Agent: GOWLING WLG (CANADA) LLP
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued: 2024-02-20
(86) PCT Filing Date: 2020-06-16
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 2021-01-28
Examination requested: 2021-11-03
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/JP2020/023524
(87) International Publication Number: JP2020023524
(85) National Entry: 2021-11-03

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
2019-135154 (Japan) 2019-07-23

Abstracts

English Abstract


It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot hand capable of
pulling out a
paper sheet from a bill storage container, in which an exposed area on the
upper side of the paper
sheet is considerably small, with a high probability.
The robot hand 300 according to the present invention includes a first finger
310, a
second finger 320, and a finger moving mechanism 330. The first finger and the
second finger
extend in a first direction Dy. The second finger is disposed so as to face
the first finger. The
finger movement mechanism moves at least one of the first finger and the
second finger along a
direction where the first finger and the second finger face each other. In the
first direction, the tip
position Tm of the first finger differ from the tip position Ts of the second
finger.
Selected figure: Fig. 3


French Abstract

L'invention vise notamment à fournir une main robotisée capable de retirer, avec une haute probabilité, une feuille de papier d'un récipient de stockage de billets de banque, dans lequel une surface exposée du côté recto de la feuille de papier est considérablement petite. Selon l'invention, la main robotisée 300 comprend un premier doigt 310, un second doigt 320, et un mécanisme de déplacement de doigts 330. Le premier doigt et le second doigt s'étendent dans une première direction Dy. Le second doigt est disposé de façon à faire face au premier doigt. Le mécanisme de déplacement de doigts déplace le premier doigt et/ou le second doigt dans une direction où le premier doigt et le second doigt se font face. Dans la première direction, la position de pointe Tm du premier doigt diffère de la position de pointe Ts du second doigt.Figure sélectionnée : Fig. 3

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CLAIM S
1. A robot hand comprising:
a first finger extending in a first direction, and entering a recess when
pulling out a paper
sheet held by a holding plate and a support base from a bill storage container
having the holding
plate with the recess and the support base with a slit;
a second finger extending in the first direction, disposed so as to face the
first finger, and
entering the slit when pulling out the paper sheet from the bill storage
container; and
a finger moving mechanism configured to move at least one of the first finger
and the
second finger along a second direction in which the first finger faces the
second finger, wherein
in the first direction, a tip position of the first finger is located behind a
tip position of the
second finger, and
the second finger has a notch at least at a portion excluding an end portion
in the first
direction of a portion on a side facing the first finger.
2. The robotic hand according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first
finger and the second
finger has a non-slip treated portion disposed on a side where the first
finger and the second finger
face each other.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-02-03

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


TITLE OF INVENTION
ROBOTIC HAND
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001]
The present invention relates to robotic hands.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002]
In the past, a "bill processing apparatus using an articulated robot arm with
a robot hand
(hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "hand-attached arm ") has been
proposed (for example,
JP-A-62-92095 and the like). In such a bill processing apparatus, a bundle of
bills collected by a
bill collection unit is grasped by a robot hand of a hand-attached arm, and is
conveyed to a bill
count bill confirmation unit by an articulated robot arm; then, the number of
bills per
denomination is counted while the bundle of bills is being sorted by
denomination in the bill count
bill confirmation unit. The bundle of bills that has been sorted for each
denomination is
conveyed to a prescribed position by another hand-attached arm for each
denomination.
Prior Art Document
Patent document
[0003]
Patent Document 1: JP-A-62-92095
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004]
Fig. 1 is a right side view of an articulated robot arm with a robot hand
according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the robot hand according to an embodiment of
the present
invention.
Fig. 3 is a right side view of the robot hand according to an embodiment of
the present
invention.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bill storage container storing bills to be
grasped by a
robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of a holding plate constituting the bill storage
container shown in
Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of a support base constituting the bill storage
container shown in Fig.
4.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the robot hand according
to an
embodiment of the present invention is moved to the front side of the bill
storage container.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the robot hand according
to an
embodiment of the present invention grasps a bill bundle in the bill storage
container.
Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the robot
hand according
to an embodiment of the present invention grasps a bill bundle of bills in the
bill storage container.
Fig. 10 is a left side view of a robot hand according to a modified example
(I).
Fig. 11 is a left side view of a robot hand according to a modified example
(J).
Fig. 12 is a left side view of a robot hand according to a modified example
(K).
Fig. 13 is a left side view of a robot hand according to a modified example
(L).
Fig. 14 is a left side view of a robot hand according to a modified example
(M).
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-23

Fig. 15 is a left side view of a robot hand according to a modified example
(N).
Fig. 16 is a plan view of a robot hand according to a modified example (0).
Fig. 17 is a plan view of a robot hand according to a modified example (P).
Fig. 18 is a plan view of a robot hand according to a modified example (Q).
Fig. 19 is a plan view of a robot hand according to a modified example (R).
Fig. 20 is a plan view of a robot hand according to a modified example (S).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be solved by invention
[0005]
Incidentally, there are cases in which a bill bundle MT to be conveyed is
accommodated
in a bill storage container 400 as shown in Fig. 4. In such a case, the hand-
attached arm needs to
extract the bill bundle MT from the bill storage container 400. However, in
the bill storage
container 400 as described above, as shown in Fig. 4, an exposed area on the
upper side of the bill
bundle MT in the bill storage container 400 is considerably small. Thus, even
if the robot hand
grasps the bill bundle MT at the tip portions of the upper and lower fingers
and pulls out the bill
bundle MT from the bill storage container 400 while maintaining its grasping
state, the bill bundle
MT cannot be pulled out successfully in many cases.
[0006]
It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot hand capable of
pulling out an
object such as a paper sheet or the like from a bill storage container as
described above with a high
probability.
Means of solving the problem
[0007]
A robot hand according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a
first finger, a
second finger, and a finger moving mechanism. The first finger extends in a
first direction. The
second finger extends in the first direction in the same manner as the first
finger. The second
finger is disposed so as to face the first finger. Note that here, the first
finger and the second
finger need not to face each other in a plan view, and it is sufficient that
they face each other in a
side view; however, it is preferable that they also face each other in a plan
view as well as in a side
view. The finger movement mechanism moves at least one of the first finger and
the second
finger along a direction where the first finger and the second finger face
each other. In the first
direction, the tip position of the first finger differs from the tip position
of the second finger.
[0008]
Incidentally, in the bill storage container 400 shown in Fig. 4, as shown in
Fig. 6,
separate support bases 412a and 412b are disposed on the left and right sides,
and slits (gaps) Rt
are formed therebetween. Here, for example, if the first finger and the second
finger are formed
such that the tip of the second finger is inserted to the depth of the slit Rt
when the tip of the first
finger enters the notch Rs on the front side of the holding plate 411, the
contact area of the second
finger with respect to an object such as a paper sheet can be widened, and the
lower side of the
object can be well supported by the second finger, thereby allowing for stably
grasping the object
such as a paper sheet. This allows the robot hand to pull out an object such
as a paper sheet from
the bill storage container with a high probability.
[0009]
A robot hand according to a second aspect of the present invention is the
robot hand
according to the first aspect, wherein at least one of the first finger and
the second finger has a
2
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-23

non-slip treated portion disposed on a side where the first finger and the
second finger face each
other.
[0010]
This allows the robot hand to pull out an object such as a paper sheet from
the bill storage
container with a higher probability.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0011]
300 robot hand
310 movable finger (first finger, second finger)
320 fixed finger (first finger, second finger)
330 movable finger lifting mechanism (finger moving mechanism)
Dy front (first direction)
Tm the position of the tip of the movable finger (the position of the tip of
the first finger, the
position of the tip of the second finger)
Ts the
position of the tip of the fixed finger (the position of the tip of the first
finger, the position
of the tip of the second finger)
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012]
As shown in Fig. 1, an articulated robot arm 100 with a robot hand according
to an
embodiment of the present invention mainly includes an articulated robot arm
200 and a robot
hand 300. Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail.
[0013]
(1) Articulated robot arm
The articulated robot arm 200 according to an embodiment of the present
invention is an
existing articulated robot arm as shown in Fig. 1.
[0014]
(2) Robot hand
The robot hand 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a
two-finger
type robot hand as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and is attached to the tip of the
articulated robot arm
200 as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the robot hand 300 mainly
includes a movable
finger 310, a fixed finger 320, a movable finger lifting mechanism 330, a
connecting portion 340,
and an imaging unit 350. Hereinafter, these components will be described in
detail.
[0015]
<Components of Robot Hand>
(1) Movable finger
The movable finger 310 is formed with a base portion 311, an intermediate
portion 312
and a claw portion 313 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The base portion 311 is a
thick plate portion
having a substantially rectangular shape as shown in Fig. 2. The intermediate
portion 312 is a
substantially trapezoidal thick plate portion as shown in Fig. 2, and extends
from the tip of the
base portion 311 toward the front Dy. Note that the width of the intermediate
portion 312
narrows toward the front Dy. The claw portion 313 is an elongated
substantially rectangular thick
plate portion as shown in Fig. 2, and extends from the tip of the intermediate
portion 312 toward
the front Dy. Here, the tip portion of the claw portion 313 has a shape
protruding downward as
shown in Fig. 3. In the movable finger 310, as shown in Fig. 3, the upper
surface of the movable
3
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CA 03139173 2021-11-03
finger 310 is inclined downward from the base end of the intermediate portion
312 toward the tip
of the claw portion 313 in a region from the base end of the intermediate
portion 312 to the tip of
the claw portion 313. As shown in Fig. 3, a rubber sheet Sr is attached to the
lower surface of the
claw portion 313. The movable finger 310 is fixed to a front lifting plate
332f (described later) of
the movable finger lifting mechanism 330 on the base end side of the base
portion 311. Further, a
reinforcing plate 315 is provided to enhance the coupling strength between the
movable finger 310
and the front lifting plate 332f (see Figs. 2 and 3). The reinforcing plate
315 is fixed to both the
movable finger 310 and the front lifting plate 332f.
[0016]
(2) Fixed finger
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the fixed finger 320 is formed with a base portion
321, an
intermediate portion 322, a claw portion 323, and a protruding portion 324.
The base portion 321
is a thick plate portion having a substantially rectangular shape as shown in
Fig. 2. The
intermediate portion 322 is a substantially trapezoidal thick plate portion as
shown in Fig. 2, and
extends from the tip of the base portion 321 toward the front Dy. Note that
the width of the
intermediate portion 322 narrows toward the front Dy. The claw portion 323 is
an elongated
substantially rectangular thick plate portion as shown in Fig. 2, and extends
from the center in the
width direction of the side surface on the tip side of the intermediate
portion 322 toward the front
Dy. As
shown in Fig. 3, a notch Cv is provided on the upper side of the claw portion
323. As a
result, the tip portion of the claw portion 323 has a shape protruding upward
as shown in Fig. 2.
Further, in the fixed finger 320, as shown in Fig. 3, the lower surface of the
fixed finger is inclined
upward from the intermediate position toward the tip in a region from the
intermediate position to
the tip of the claw portion 323. As shown in Fig. 2, the protruding portion
324 is a substantially
rectangular thick plate portion having the same width as that of the claw
portion 323, and extends
from the tip of the claw portion 323 toward the front Dy. As shown in Fig. 3,
the tip position Ts
of the protruding portion 324 is located in front of the tip position Tm of
the claw portion 313 of
the movable finger 310. In other words, the protruding portion 324 of the
fixed finger 320
protrudes forward in a direction of Dy compared with a position of the claw
portion 313 of the
movable finger 310. Further, a rubber sheet Sr as a slip prevention material
is attached to the
protruding portion 324. As shown in Fig. 3, a portion to which the rubber
sheet Sr has been
attached does not face a region where the rubber sheet Sr of the movable
finger 310 has been
attached. The fixed finger 320 is fixed to a support plate 331 (described
later) of the movable
finger lifting mechanism 330. Further, a pair of reinforcing plates 325 are
disposed on the left
and right sides in order to enhance the bonding strength between the fixed
finger 320 and the
support plate 331 (see Figs. 2 and 3). The reinforcing plates 325 are fixed to
both the fixed finger
320 and the support plate 331. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the fixed finger 320
faces the movable
finger 310 in the lifting direction of the movable finger 310.
[0017]
(3) Movable finger lifting mechanism
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the movable finger lifting mechanism 330 is a two-
stage
stroke type lifting mechanism, and mainly includes a support plate 331, a
front lifting plate 332f, a
rear lifting plate 332r, a front air cylinder mechanism 333f, and a rear air
cylinder mechanism 333r.
The support plate 331 supports the rear air cylinder mechanism 333r. The rear
air cylinder
mechanism 333r operates in a double-acting manner, and is a driving source for
raising and
lowering the rear lifting plate 332r. The rear air cylinder mechanism 333r is
attached to the
support plate 331 as described above. A front air cylinder mechanism 333f is
attached to the rear
lifting plate 332r. The front air cylinder mechanism 333f operates in a double-
acting manner and
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CA 03139173 2021-11-03
is a driving source for raising and lowering the front lifting plate 332f. As
described above, the
movable finger 310 is attached to the front lifting plate 332f. In other
words, the rear air cylinder
mechanism 333r raises and/or lowers the rear lifting plate 332r, thereby
raising and/or lowering the
front air cylinder mechanism 333f, the front lifting plate 332f, and the
movable finger 310. In
contrast, the front air cylinder mechanism 333f raises and/or lowers the front
lift plate 332f,
thereby raising and/or lowering the movable finger 310. Also, as shown in
Figs. 2 and 3, the air
supply/exhaust ports 335 and 336 are provided in the front air cylinder
mechanism 333f and the
rear air cylinder mechanism 333r, respectively. The air supply/exhaust ports
335 and 336 are
each connected to an air supply/exhaust pipe (not shown).
[0018]
(4) Connecting portion
The connecting portion 340 is a portion for connecting the robot hand 300 to
the
articulated robot arm 200, and is, for example, a flange or the like.
[0019]
(5) Imaging unit
The imaging unit 350 is, for example, a small camera such as a CCD camera, and
is fixed
to the right side of the movable finger lifting mechanism 330 with a support
arm SA extending
from a support plate 331 of the movable finger lifting mechanism 330 as shown
in Figs. 2 and 3.
The imaging unit 350 transmits, to a control device (not shown), electronic
data of an image
captured while intermittently capturing images.
[0020]
<Usage example of an articulated robot arm with a robot hand according to an
embodiment of the
present invention>
Here, as an example, a case in which the articulated robot arm 100 with a
robot hand
according to the present embodiment extracts a bundle of bills from a bill
storage container will be
described later. Here, as an example of the bill storage container, the bill
storage container 400
shown in Fig. 4 is employed. Note that this example does not limit the
invention.
[0021]
Prior to the description of the articulated robot arm 100 with a robot hand,
the bill storage
container 400 will be briefly described.
[0022]
As shown in Fig. 4, the bill storage container 400 mainly includes a housing
410, a front
lid 420, a holding plate 411, and support bases 412a and 412b. As shown in
Fig. 4, the housing
410 is a rectangular parallelepiped box having an open front side. The depth
dimension of the
housing 410 is sufficiently longer than the length of the fixed finger 320.
The front lid 420 is a
plate member having a substantially rectangular shape, and is rotatably
supported on the upper side
of the opening edge of the housing 410 via an opening/closing mechanism such
as a hinge. The
holding plate 411 is a member for holding the bill bundle MT in cooperation
with the support
bases 412a and 412b, and is disposed so as to be movable up and down slightly
above the center in
the height direction of the housing 410, as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Figs.
4 and 5, a
semicircular notch Rs is provided at the center of the front side of the
holding plate 411. The
support bases 412a and 412b are left and right separation type support members
that hold the bill
bundle MT in cooperation with the holding plate 411, and are fixed to the left
and right of the
lower side of the housing 410 as shown in Fig. 4. A slit Rt is formed between
the support bases
412a and 412b. The slit Rt extends in the depth direction as shown in Fig. 6.
In the bill storage
container 400, the holding plate 411 is pushed downward by an urging member (a
helical spring or
the like) placed on the upper side. In other words, the bill bundle MT
accommodated in the bill
Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03

CA 03139173 2021-11-03
storage container 400 is pressed toward the support bases 412a and 412b by the
holding plate 411.
As shown in Fig. 4, the bill storage container 400 stores the bill bundle MT
between the support
bases 412a and 412b and the holding plate 411 such that the longitudinal
direction of the bill is
along the depth direction.
[0023]
When the articulated robot arm 100 with a robot hand extracts the bill bundle
MT in the
bill storage container 400, the articulated robot arm 100 with a robot hand is
operated by the
control device as follows.
[0024]
First, the control device controls the operation of the articulated robot arm
200 to move
the robot hand 300 to a prescribed position and move it in a prescribed
direction (see Fig. 7).
Here, the prescribed position is a position on the front side of the bill
storage container 400, and
the prescribed direction is a direction in which the imaging unit 350 can
image the front side of the
bill storage container 400.
[0025]
Next, the control device controls the articulated robot arm 200 and the robot
hand 300 to
raise the movable finger 310 to the highest position, and then inserts the tip
portion of the fixed
finger 320 into the slit Rt of the support bases 412a and 412b (see Figs. 8
and 9). At this time,
the movable finger 310 is positioned above the notch Rs of the holding plate
411, and the fixed
finger 320 is positioned directly below the bill bundle MT, as shown in Fig.
9. Further, at this
time, the fixed finger 320 is inserted to an intermediate position of the slit
Rt, whereas the movable
finger 310 is inserted only to a position above the notch Rs of the holding
plate 411, as shown in
Fig. 9. In other words, the fixed finger 320 contacts the lower surface of the
bill bundle MT over
a length of about half of the bill bundle MT in the longitudinal direction,
whereas the movable
finger 310 contacts only the upper surface of the bill bundle MT on the near
side of the bill bundle
MT, as shown in Fig. 9.
[0026]
Subsequently, the control device moves the movable finger 310 downward to
grasp the
bill bundle MT together with the fixed finger 320. The control device controls
the operation of
the articulated robot arm 200 to retract the robot hand 300, thereby
extracting the bill bundle MT
from the bill storage container 400.
[0027]
<Features of robot hand according to the present embodiment>
(1)
In the robot hand 300 according to the present embodiment, the tip of the
fixed finger 320
is positioned, in a forward direction Dy, in front of the tip of the movable
finger 310, and the
rubber sheet Sr is attached to the tip portion of the fixed finger 320. Thus,
in the robot hand 300,
when the bill bundle MT is extracted from the bill storage container 400 shown
in Fig. 4, the
contact area of the fixed finger 320 with respect to the bill bundle MT can be
increased, and the
lower side of the bill bundle MT can be supported in a good condition by the
fixed finger 320,
therefore allowing the robot hand 300 to stably grasp the bill bundle MT. This
allows the robot
hand 300 to pull out the bill bundle MT from the bill storage container 400
with a high probability.
[0028]
(2)
In the movable finger 310 of the robot hand 300 according to the present
embodiment,
the upper surface of the portion from the base end of the intermediate portion
312 to the tip of the
claw portion 313 is inclined downward from the base end of the intermediate
portion 312 toward
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CA 03139173 2021-11-03
the tip of the claw portion 313. Thus, the movable finger 310 with such
configuration allows for
reducing the stress applied to the root portion of the movable finger 310 when
grasping the bill
bundle.
[0029]
(3)
In the fixed finger 320 of the robot hand 300 according to the present
embodiment, the
lower surface of the portion from the intermediate position to the tip of the
claw portion 323 is
inclined upward from the intermediate position toward the tip. Thus, the fixed
finger 320 with
such configuration allows for reducing the stress applied to the root portion
of the fixed finger 320
when grasping the bill bundle.
[0030]
(4)
The protruding portion 324 of the fixed finger 320 of the robot hand 300
according to the
present embodiment an elongated substantially rectangular thick plate portion
having the same
width as the width of the claw portion 323; that is, the protruding portion is
a taperless shape in a
side view. This causes the protruding portion 324 to be easily inserted into
the bill storage
container 400, thus allowing the area contacting the bill bundle MT to be
large.
[0031]
(5)
A notch Cv is provided on the upper side of the claw portion 323 of the fixed
finger 320
of the robot hand 300 according to the present embodiment. This allows the
claw portion 323 of
the fixed finger 320 to accommodates the tip portion of the bill bundle MT in
a state where the tip
portion of the bill bundle MT is sandwiched in cooperation with the movable
finger 310, thus
allowing for eliminating the affection caused due to the variation of the tip
portion of the bill
bundle MT.
[0032]
(6)
In the robot hand 300 according to the present embodiment, the tip of the claw
portion
313 of the movable finger 310 protrudes downward, and the tip of the claw
portion 323 of the
fixed finger 320 protrudes upward. Thus, in this robotic hand 300, even if the
central parts of the
claw portions 313 and 323 come into contact with the bill bundle MT and droop,
the tip portions of
those claw portions 313 and 323 come into contact with the bill bundle MT,
thereby allowing for
firmly holding the bill bundle MT.
[0033]
Modifications
(A)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the tip of the fixed
finger 320
is positioned, in the forward direction of Dy, in front of the tip of the
movable finger 310, but this
relationship may be reversed; that is, the tip end of the movable finger 310
may be positioned, in
the forward direction of Dy, in front of the tip end of the fixed finger 320.
In this case, the robot
hand 300 is inverted by the articulated robot arm 200 when grasping the bill
bundle MT.
[0034]
(B)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the rubber sheet Sr
of the
movable finger 310 does not face the rubber sheet Sr of the fixed finger 320;
alternatively, the
rubber sheet Sr may be attached to the inside of the claw portion 313 of the
movable finger 310
and the inside of the protruding portion 324 of the fixed finger 320 such that
the rubber sheet Sr of
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the movable finger 310 faces the rubber sheet Sr of the fixed finger 320. In
this case, it is
preferable that the portion to which the rubber sheet Sr has been attached in
the fixed finger 320 is
extended to the rear of the tip position Tm of the movable finger 310.
(C)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the rubber sheet Sr
is attached
to both the claw portion 313 of the movable finger 310 and the protruding
portion 324 of the fixed
finger 320; alternatively, the rubber sheet Sr may be attached to either one
of the movable finger
310 and the fixed finger 320.
[0035]
(D)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the rubber sheet Sr
is attached
to the inside of the claw portion 313 of the movable finger 310 and the inside
of the protruding
portion 324 of the fixed finger 320 as a slip prevention material, but instead
of this, the inside
surface of the same portion may be subjected to roughening treatment or the
like. Note that the
present modification may be applied to the modifications (B) and (C).
[0036]
(E)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the fixed finger 320
is fixed
and only the movable finger 310 is movable; alternatively, the fixed finger
320 may also be
movable in the same manner as the movable finger 310.
[0037]
(F)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the air cylinder
mechanism is
employed as the movable finger lifting mechanism 330; alternatively, other
known lifting
mechanisms such as a rack and pinion mechanism, a ball screw mechanism, a
motor cylinder
mechanism, an electric slider mechanism, a belt slider mechanism, and a linear
slider mechanism
may be employed as the movable finger lifting mechanism 330. In such a case,
an electric motor
may be employed as a driving source.
[0038]
(G)
Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the control
device may
analyze the front image of the bill storage container 400 captured by the
imaging unit 350 to
determine the position of the notch Rs of the holding plate 411 and the
position of the slit Rt
between the support bases 412a and 412b, control the articulated robot arm 200
and the robot hand
300 to adjust the position of the movable finger 310, insert the tip portion
of the movable finger
310 into the notch Rs of the holding plate 411, and insert the tip portion of
the fixed finger 320
into the slit Rt between the support bases 412a and 412b.
[0039]
(H)
Although the bill bundle MT is shown as the object to be grasped by the robot
hand 300
in the above embodiment, the object to be grasped by the robot hand 300 may be
another paper
sheet, an object, or the like.
[0040]
(I)
Though not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, as shown in Fig.
10, a
protruding portion 326 protruding upward may be provided at the tip portion of
the protruding
portion 324 of the fixed finger 320. The protruding portion 326 provided in
such a manner
8
Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03

CA 03139173 2021-11-03
allows the bill bundle MT to be hooked by the protruding portion 326 and to be
efficiently pulled
out the bill bundle MT in front of the bill storage container 400.
[0041]
(J)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, in the movable finger
310, the
upper surface is inclined downward from the base end of the intermediate
portion 312 to the tip of
the claw portion 313 in the region from the base end of the intermediate
portion 312 to the tip of
the claw portion 313; alternatively, as shown in Fig. 11, the upper surface of
this portion may be a
horizontal surface on the same plane as the upper surface of the base portion
311. Forming the
claw portion 313 of the movable finger 310 in such a shape allows for
increasing the rigidity of the
claw portion 313 of the movable finger 310.
[0042]
(K)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the lower surface of
the fixed
finger 320 is inclined upward from the intermediate position of the claw
portion 323 toward the tip
of the claw portion 323 in the region from the intermediate position of the
claw portion 323 to the
tip of the claw portion; alternatively, as shown in Fig. 12, the lower surface
of this portion may be
a horizontal surface on the same plane as the lower surface of the base
portion 321. Forming the
claw portion 323 of the fixed finger 320 in such a shape allows for increasing
the rigidity of the
claw portion 323 of the fixed finger 320. The present modification may be
applied together with
the modification (J).
[0043]
(L)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the protruding
portion 324 of
the fixed finger 320 is an elongated substantially rectangular thick plate
portion having the same
width as the width of the claw portion 323; alternatively, the protruding
portion 324 may have a
shape in which the lower surface of the protruding portion is inclined upward
from the base end of
the protruding portion toward the tip of the protruding portion in a side view
as shown in Fig. 13.
Forming the protruding portion 324 of the fixed finger 320 in such a shape
allows for inserting the
fixed finger 320 into the bill storage container 400 easily.
[0044]
(M)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the notch Cv is
provided in
the claw portion 323 of the fixed finger 320; alternatively, the notch Cv may
extend to the base end
of the base portion 321 as shown in Fig. 14. Extending the notch Cv in this
manner enhances the
rigidity of the fixed finger 320 and furthermore widens the contact area with
respect to the bill
bundle MT.
[0045]
(N)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the tip portion of
the claw
portion 313 of the movable finger 310 protrudes downward, and the tip portion
of the claw portion
323 of the fixed finger 320 protrudes upward; alternatively, as shown in Fig.
15, the lower surface
of the claw portion 313 of the movable finger 310 may be a flat surface, and
the upper surface of
the tip portion of the claw portion 323 of the fixed finger 320 may be a flat
surface.
[0046]
(0)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, each of the movable
finger
9
Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03

CA 03139173 2021-11-03
310 and the fixed finger 320 is composed of one rod-shaped member;
alternatively, as shown in
Fig. 16, each of the movable finger and the fixed finger may be composed of
two rod-shaped
members. In this case, the contact area of the movable finger and the fixed
finger with respect to
the bill bundle MT can be widened, thereby enhancing a probability of firmly
grasping the bill
bundle MT by the movable finger and the fixed finger. Note that in Fig. 16,
the hatched portion
indicates the movable finger, and the portion of the hatched portion plus the
non-hatched portion
indicates the fixed finger; alternatively, the portion of the hatched portion
plus the non-hatched
portion may be the movable finger and the hatched portion may be the fixed
finger. However, in
the latter case, the above-described modified example (A) is applied.
[0047]
(P)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the movable finger
310 and
the fixed finger 320 are each composed of one rod-shaped member;
alternatively, as shown in Fig.
17, the movable finger (hatched portion in Fig. 17) may be composed of one rod-
shaped member,
and the fixed finger (non-hatched portion in Fig. 17) may be composed of two
rod-shaped
members. In this case, the contact area of the movable finger and the fixed
finger with respect to
the bill bundle MT can be widened, thereby enhancing a probability of firmly
grasping the bill
bundle MT by the movable finger and the fixed finger. Note that in the present
modification, the
movable finger is disposed at the center in the width direction of the fixed
finger as shown in Fig.
17. Here, the hatched portion may be a fixed finger, and the non-hatched
portion may be a
movable finger. However, in this case, the above-mentioned modification (A) is
applied.
[0048]
(Q)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the movable finger
310 and
the fixed finger 320 are each composed of one rod-shaped member;
alternatively, as shown in Fig.
18, the movable finger (hatched portion in Fig. 18) and the fixed finger (non-
hatched portion in
Fig. 18) may be each composed of two rod-shaped members. In this case, the
contact area of the
movable finger and the fixed finger with respect to the bill bundle MT can be
widened, thereby
enhancing a probability of firmly grasping the bill bundle MT by the movable
finger and the fixed
finger can. Note that in the present modification, the movable finger is
disposed at the center in
the width direction of the fixed finger as shown in Fig. 18. Here, the hatched
portion may be a
fixed finger, and the non-hatched portion may be a movable finger. However, in
this case, the
above-mentioned modification (A) is applied.
[0049]
(R)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the movable finger
310 and
the fixed finger 320 are each composed of one rod-shaped member;
alternatively, as shown in Fig.
19, the movable finger (hatched portion in Fig. 19) may be composed of four
rod-shaped members,
and the fixed finger (portions each composed of hatched portion and non-
hatched portion, the
potions being disposed in both ends in Fig. 19) may be composed of two rod-
shaped members. In
this case, the contact area of the movable finger and the fixed finger with
respect to the bill bundle
MT can be widened, thereby enhancing a probability of firmly grasping the bill
bundle MT by the
movable finger and the fixed finger. In the present modification, as shown in
Fig. 19, the fixed
fingers are disposed so as to overlap the fixed fingers at both ends of the
four fixed fingers in a
plan view. Here, the hatched portion may be a fixed finger, and the portions
that are each
composed of the hatched portion and the non-hatched portion and are disposed
at both ends may
be a movable finger. However, in this case, the above-mentioned modification
(A) is applied.
Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03

CA 03139173 2021-11-03
[0050]
(S)
In the robot hand 300 according to the above embodiment, the movable finger
310 and
the fixed finger 320 are each composed of one rod-shaped member;
alternatively, as shown in Fig.
20, the movable finger (hatched portion in Fig. 20) and the fixed finger (non-
hatched portion in
Fig. 20) may be each composed of two rod-shaped members. In this case, the
contact area of the
movable finger and the fixed finger with respect to the bill bundle MT can be
widened, thereby
enhancing a probability of firmly grasping the bill bundle MT by the movable
finger and the fixed
finger. In the present modification, the movable finger is disposed at the
center in the width
direction of the fixed finger as shown in Fig. 20. Note that in the present
modification, the
movable finger is longer than the fixed finger, and thus the modification (A)
described above is
applied.
[0051]
Note that the above modifications may be applied in combination as
appropriate.
11
Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

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Event History

Description Date
Inactive: Grant downloaded 2024-02-22
Inactive: Grant downloaded 2024-02-22
Letter Sent 2024-02-20
Grant by Issuance 2024-02-20
Inactive: Cover page published 2024-02-19
Pre-grant 2024-01-11
Inactive: Final fee received 2024-01-11
Letter Sent 2024-01-05
Notice of Allowance is Issued 2024-01-05
Inactive: Approved for allowance (AFA) 2023-12-20
Inactive: QS passed 2023-12-20
Amendment Received - Response to Examiner's Requisition 2023-08-23
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2023-08-23
Examiner's Report 2023-07-04
Inactive: Report - No QC 2023-06-08
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2023-02-03
Amendment Received - Response to Examiner's Requisition 2023-02-03
Examiner's Report 2023-01-09
Inactive: Report - No QC 2023-01-04
Inactive: Cover page published 2022-01-10
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2021-12-15
Letter sent 2021-12-03
Inactive: IPC assigned 2021-11-23
Application Received - PCT 2021-11-23
Inactive: IPC assigned 2021-11-23
Letter sent 2021-11-23
Letter Sent 2021-11-23
Priority Claim Requirements Determined Compliant 2021-11-23
Request for Priority Received 2021-11-23
National Entry Requirements Determined Compliant 2021-11-03
Request for Examination Requirements Determined Compliant 2021-11-03
All Requirements for Examination Determined Compliant 2021-11-03
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 2021-01-28

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Maintenance Fee

The last payment was received on 2023-03-21

Note : If the full payment has not been received on or before the date indicated, a further fee may be required which may be one of the following

  • the reinstatement fee;
  • the late payment fee; or
  • additional fee to reverse deemed expiry.

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Please refer to the CIPO Patent Fees web page to see all current fee amounts.

Fee History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Paid Date
Basic national fee - standard 2021-11-03 2021-11-03
Request for examination - standard 2024-06-17 2021-11-03
MF (application, 2nd anniv.) - standard 02 2022-06-16 2022-03-25
MF (application, 3rd anniv.) - standard 03 2023-06-16 2023-03-21
Final fee - standard 2024-01-11
MF (patent, 4th anniv.) - standard 2024-06-17 2024-06-03
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
JAPAN CASH MACHINE CO., LTD.
Past Owners on Record
TAKASHI UEDA
YOSHIAKI UEMIZO
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Representative drawing 2024-01-24 1 11
Description 2023-08-22 11 932
Abstract 2023-08-22 1 24
Description 2021-11-02 11 650
Abstract 2021-11-02 1 20
Drawings 2021-11-02 20 360
Representative drawing 2021-11-02 1 11
Claims 2021-11-02 1 14
Claims 2023-02-02 1 32
Drawings 2023-02-02 20 547
Maintenance fee payment 2024-06-02 37 1,515
Final fee 2024-01-10 4 91
Electronic Grant Certificate 2024-02-19 1 2,527
Courtesy - Letter Acknowledging PCT National Phase Entry 2021-11-22 1 595
Courtesy - Letter Acknowledging PCT National Phase Entry 2021-12-02 1 595
Courtesy - Acknowledgement of Request for Examination 2021-11-22 1 434
Commissioner's Notice - Application Found Allowable 2024-01-04 1 580
Examiner requisition 2023-07-03 4 207
Amendment / response to report 2023-08-22 16 800
National entry request 2021-11-02 9 241
International search report 2021-11-02 6 185
Patent cooperation treaty (PCT) 2021-11-02 1 66
Amendment - Abstract 2021-11-02 2 91
Examiner requisition 2023-01-08 5 200
Amendment / response to report 2023-02-02 15 525