JPH05278946A - Overhead traveling carrier vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed particular types of packages to respective weft yarn feed stations for plural weaving machines, for example, by holding different types of plural packages on one carrier vehicle. CONSTITUTION:An overhead traveling carrier device, which is provided with a lift 14 where plural chucks 23 for package are protruded downwards and which is installed so as to be hung down, run along a rail 3 smoothly. The chucks 23 are arranged in the traveling direction of the lift 14. Moreover, this carrier vehicle is also provided with a stopping position detection means 40 for every arranging pitch P of the chucks 23. The chuck with a particular type of package held is stopped above the desired position of a feed station to lift down the lift 14 to feed it selectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ceiling transfer vehicle used for a weft supply system for a loom, which has a lift table having a plurality of package chucks projecting downward and which can be suspended. The present invention relates to a ceiling guided vehicle that can travel along a rail.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a textile factory, a large number of looms are installed. In recent years, the weft threads applied to this loom are supplied as a cone-shaped package having a large yarn amount, and the package is set on the loom for use. .. Therefore, a weft supply system to the loom has been desired for tidying up the loom and automating the work.

An example of this weft supply system is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 317965, between a loading station connected to a warehouse in which packages are stocked and a weft supply station near a loom, an overhead carrier for gripping and transporting the packages is run. The system is known.

[0004]

By the way, the package supplied by the loom in the above-described weft supply system may not be a single type but a multi-type. In this case, in order for the ceiling transport vehicle to transport the package of the specific type to the weft supply station of the specific loom, only one type of package can be transported, and the transport efficiency of the ceiling transport vehicle decreases. Was.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to hold a plurality of packages of different types in one machine, and It is an object to provide a ceiling carrier capable of supplying a specific type of package to each of the weft supply stations.

[0006]

A ceiling guided vehicle of the present invention that achieves the above object has a lift table on which a plurality of package chucks are provided so as to project downward and can be run along a rail. In a free ceiling transport vehicle, the chucks are arranged in the traveling direction of the lifting table, and stop position detection means for each chuck arrangement pitch is provided in the ceiling transport vehicle.

[0007]

The stop position detecting means corresponding to the arrangement pitch of the chucks stops the chuck holding the package of the specific type just above the desired position of the supply station, and lowers the lifting table to selectively supply the chucks.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of the ceiling carrier of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the ceiling carrier of the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 2 is a ceiling carrier,
3 is a rail, 12 is a traveling carriage, 13 is a hoisting belt, 14
Is an elevator, and 23 is a chuck unit. As shown in the figure, the lifting platform 14 is mounted on the traveling carriage 12 via the hoisting belt 13.
It is attached so that it can be hung freely. The lifting platform 14 includes a substrate 15 to which the lower end of the hoisting belt 13 is fixed, and a substrate 1
5 and a chuck table 16 attached to it. The chuck table 16 is slidable with respect to the substrate 15 via the linear motion guide 17 in the directions a and b of FIG.
Further, the rack gear 18 fixed to the end of the chuck base 16
The pinion gear 19 rotatably supported by the base plate 15 meshes with the geared motor 20, and the rotation of the geared motor 20 allows the chuck base 16 to slide by a distance M in the directions a and b of FIG. The chuck base 16 is normally slid while the convex portion 15a of the substrate 15 is fitted into the concave portion 12a of the traveling carriage 12 and the elevating base 14 is fixed to the traveling carriage 12, that is, while the ceiling carrier 2 is traveling. ..

Further, four chuck units 23 are provided on the lower surface of the chuck table 16 so as to project downward through the cylinder 21, the guides 22 and the guides 23. The chuck units 23 are arranged in the traveling direction of the ceiling guided vehicle 2. To pitch (P)
A total of four are arranged at a distance (2 × M) in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction as shown in FIG. The chuck unit 23 is attached to the tip of the rod 21a of the cylinder 21.
Is attached and is prevented from rotating by the guide 22. Therefore, when the rod 21a of the cylinder 21 is extended or shortened, each chuck unit 23 independently moves up and down with respect to the chuck base 16. This vertical movement distance H is at least a distance exceeding the height of the package P, and is the package P held by the chuck unit 23 (F position) which is not lowered and the preliminary package P inserted on the peg shaft 38.
Do not interfere. It should be noted that the supply station 4 is separated by a distance (P) in the traveling direction of the ceiling guided vehicle 2.
Individual hegg shafts 37 and 38 are provided in a protruding manner, and a spare package P is inserted on either one of the peg shafts.

Further, a sensor 40 as a stop position detecting means is attached to the center of the traveling vehicle 12 on the rail 3 side, and detection pieces 41, 4 for the sensor are provided on the lower surface of the rail 3.
2, 43 are attached. The sensor 40 is the detection piece 4
When 1 is selected and detected, and the ceiling transport vehicle 2 is stopped, the chuck unit 23 (E position) of the chuck stand 16 and the peg shaft 37 of the supply station 4 are in the illustrated positional relationship. When the sensor 40 selects and detects the detection piece 42 and the ceiling guided vehicle 2 stops, the chuck unit 23 (F position) on the left side of the chuck table 16 faces the peg shaft 37. Conversely, when the sensor 40 selects and detects the detection piece 43 and the ceiling guided vehicle 2 stops, the chuck unit 23 (E position) on the right side of the chuck table 16 and the peg shaft 38 face each other.

An example of the chuck unit 23 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a sectional view of the chuck,
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. Chuck unit 2
3 has three claws 24 which can be opened and closed, and three pads 25 which are spring-biased and arranged in a uniform 120-degree circumference. The claw 24 is rotatably supported by a shaft 26, and the side surface of the claw 24 is in contact with the triangular cam 27. In FIG. 4, when the triangular cam 27 is in the solid line position, the tip 2
7a pushes the side surface of the claw 24 to open it, and hooks the burr portion of the bobbin B on the small diameter side. On the contrary, when the triangular cam 27 is at the position of the chain double-dashed line, the claw 2
The side surface of No. 4 is free and is in a closed state smaller than the inner diameter of the bobbin B on the small diameter side. The triangular cam 27 is reciprocally rotated within 60 degrees by a cylinder 29 in the chuck base 16. When the chuck table 16 descends with the claws 24 closed, the pads 25 contact the side surfaces of the package P and position the package P. Then, when the claw 24 is opened, the package P is hooked, and the pad 25 holds the posture of the package P. The cylinder 29 is used for each chuck unit 23.
Each chuck unit 23 can be operated independently.

The details of the traveling platform 12 described above are shown in FIGS.
Will be explained. 5 is a front view of the traveling carriage, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the traveling carriage. The traveling carriage 12 has drive wheels 48 for traveling on the rails 3 on the hanger 46 attached to the ceiling beams 44 and the like via U bolts 45, and driven wheels 51, and traveling for further driving the drive wheels 48. Motor 50
have. Further, a plurality of guide rollers 51 that engage with the rails 3 at appropriate positions are provided on the upper portion of the traveling carriage 12 in order to prevent the rolling on the rails 3.

The mechanism by which the traveling carriage 12 suspends the lifting platform at a predetermined height is as follows. The traveling carriage 12 has a pair of horizontal shafts 53 for winding and unwinding a plurality of hoisting belts 13 that suspend the lifting platform. The horizontal shaft 53 has a drum 54 on which the winding belt 13 is directly wound, which is attached to both ends of the horizontal shaft 53. Further, the horizontal shafts 53 are connected via a timing belt 55 so as to rotate in synchronization with each other. The one horizontal shaft 53 is rotated by a lifting motor 57 via a belt 56, and thereby the winding belt 13 is wound and unwound. At the end of the other horizontal shaft 53, an encoder 58 for measuring the amount of winding or unwinding of the winding belt 13 is provided. A limit switch 59 for detecting the uppermost end position of the lift is also provided at an appropriate place.

Next, the operation of the above-described ceiling guided vehicle 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The elevating table 14 is suspended from the ceiling transfer vehicle 2 stopped at the loading station, and each chuck unit 23 holds a package P of a different type. And
The hoisting belt 13 is wound and the lifting platform 14 is integrated with the traveling carriage 12 to travel to the supply station that requests the package P of the specific type (assuming that the package P of the specific type is held at the E position). During this traveling, the chuck table 16 is slid by a distance M in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction so that the package P of the specific type is located at the center of the lifting table 14 (see FIG. 2). Then, the peg shaft 37 of the supply station 4 of FIG.
, The sensor 40 selectively detects the detection piece 41, and the ceiling guided vehicle 2 stops at the position shown in the figure.
Next, the elevating table 14 is suspended from the ceiling carrier 2, and the elevating table 14 is stopped at the solid line position shown in the figure. At this time, the elevator 1 is mounted by a positioning device (not shown) including guide rods and guides.
4 and the feeding station 4 are positioned. And
Chuck unit 2 for gripping a specific type of package P
Only 3 is lowered by the cylinder 21, and the package P of the specific type is inserted on the peg shaft 37. At this time, the spare package P inserted on the other peg shaft 38 does not interfere with the package P held by the other chuck unit 23 (position F).

Contrary to the example shown in FIG. 1, if the peg shaft 38 of the supply station 4 requests a package P of a specific type and the peg shaft 37 has a spare package inserted, the sensor 40 is installed. Selectively detects the detection piece 43, and the ceiling guided vehicle 2 stops. At this time, the package P in the E position faces the peg shaft 38. Therefore, the package P in the F position does not interfere with the spare package in the supply station 4. Therefore, when the ceiling transport vehicle 2 can grasp the position of the spare package of the supply station 4, the cylinder 21 is not used, and the elevating table 14 is lowered further to insert the package P on the peg shaft 38. You can also

Further, a weft supply system to which the ceiling guided vehicle 2 of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 1a to 1d are looms, and a large number of looms (four in the illustrated example are shown for simplicity) are installed below the circulation rail 3 of the ceiling guided vehicle 2. In addition, a weft supply station 4a having two peg shafts including a spare on the lateral side of the loom 1 to
4d is installed. Further, a loading station 5 and an empty paper tube collecting station 6 are continuously installed below the rail 3. A product classifying device 7 is connected to the loading station 5. Further, 8 is a transfer station, 9 is a transfer robot, 10 is a warehouse, and 11 is a control device.

In FIG. 8, the slicing device 7 for each product type is 8
The storage conveyors 31 are arranged in rows, and the trays can be sent out one by one by the stoppers 32. Further, the transfer conveyor 33 is located at the center of the storage conveyors 31 arranged on four rows on both sides. This transfer conveyor 33 is used for loading station 5 and transfer station 8.
Via the communication conveyor 34. The communication conveyor 34 is connected to the entrances of the eight rows of storage conveyors 31. The storage conveyor 31 stores the tray 28 in which the packages of specific types to are inserted. Then, the trays of the specific type are sent out to the transfer conveyor 33 in the requested order and are transferred to the A, B, C or D position on the turntable 35 of the loading station 5. Further, the empty tray 28 is stopped at the transfer station 8, and the transfer robot 9 receives the replenishment of a specific type of package. Then, it returns to the predetermined storage conveyor 31 via the communication conveyor 34. In this way, the tray 28 itself is recycled. Reference numeral 36 is a stopper that can be retracted to temporarily stop the tray 28 at each station.

The operation of the weft supply system described above will be described with reference to FIG. For example, as illustrated, it is assumed that the loom 1a requests the type, the loom 1b requests the type, the loom 1c requests the type, and the loom 1d requests the type. This request signal is input to the control device 11 via the communication line f1, and the control device 11 drives the product-type slicing device 7 via the communication line f2 based on a pre-installed program. First, two trays are sent from the product type storage conveyor 31 to the transfer conveyor 33. And
This tray is held at the A and B positions of the loading station 5. Similarly, the tray of the variety is held at the C position,
The variety is held in the D position. Then, the ceiling carrier 2 stops just above the loading station 5, and the elevating table 14 is lowered to grip all the packages of the product type at once. After raising the elevating table 14, the ceiling carrier 2 travels, stops right above the weft supply station 4a, lowers the elevating table 14, and supplies a package of a variety. At this time, in the weft supply station 4a, the chuck unit is independently lowered to supply the package, and the interference between the auxiliary package (on the right side of the portion labeled) and the package held by another chuck unit is prevented. Next, stop right above the weft supply station 4b, lower the elevating table 14,
Supply a variety of packages. At this time, the stop position in the traveling direction of the ceiling guided vehicle 2 and the slide position in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction are selected so that the chuck unit for gripping the required specific package and the predetermined peg axis match. Similarly, the product type package is supplied to the weft supply station 4c, and the product type package is supplied to the weft supply station 4d. In addition, the ceiling carrier 2
The empty paper tube carried by is carried to the top of the empty paper tube collecting station 6 and dropped in the box.

An empty tray 2 left in the loading station 5 after the ceiling transport vehicle 2 transports a specific type of package.
8 is conveyed to the transfer station 8 and is sequentially received by the transfer robot 9 from the warehouse 10 to be replenished with packages of various types. Then, these trays return to the storage conveyor of the product type via the communication conveyor 34.

By repeating the above process, a package of a specific product type can be supplied to the loom, and the product type can be arbitrarily selected, which is suitable for a loom line for multi-product production. In particular, due to the vertical movement structure of the chuck unit alone, even if the weft supply station has two or more packages including the spare, the ceiling carrier that holds a wide variety of packages does not interfere with the spare packages. It is possible to supply a specific type of package to a predetermined position.

The above-described ceiling transfer vehicle 2 has been described with the lifting table 14 including the substrate and the chuck table movable relative to the substrate. However, the chuck is provided only in the traveling direction of the ceiling transfer vehicle 2. This arrangement of relative movement is not necessary in the case of lining up. Also, in order to avoid the interference of the package at the supply station, each chuck unit has been described as being able to move up and down independently, but if the supply station does not have a spare package nearby, this vertical movement structure also No need.

[0023]

In the ceiling guided vehicle of the present invention, the chucks are arranged in the traveling direction of the lifting table, and the stop position detecting means for each chuck arrangement pitch is provided in the ceiling guided vehicle. Since the chuck that holds the package is stopped right above the desired position of the supply station and the elevator is lowered to selectively supply, a high-mix low-volume production of a variety of looms that requires a specific product using this ceiling carrier. It is possible to easily construct a weft supply system suitable for the above.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a ceiling guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the ceiling guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a chuck.

4 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the traveling carriage.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the traveling carriage.

FIG. 7 is a layout diagram of a weft supply system using the ceiling guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a type-specific cutting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Ceiling carrier 3 Rail 13 Lifting belt 14 Lifting platform 23 Chuck unit 41 Sensor (stop position detecting means) 42, 43, 44 Detection piece

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A ceiling carrier in which a plurality of package chucks are provided with an elevating table which is provided so as to project downward and can be suspended along a rail, and the chucks are arranged in the traveling direction of the elevating table. The ceiling guided vehicle is characterized in that stop position detecting means for each chuck arrangement pitch is provided in the ceiling guided vehicle.