CN111683883B

CN111683883B - Transport tray, tray transport device using same, and tray transport method

Info

Publication number: CN111683883B
Application number: CN201980011763.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杉本进司; 野川诗生
Original assignee: Ritter Co ltd
Current assignee: Ritter Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-29
Filing date: 2019-02-18
Publication date: 2021-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-02-18
Also published as: DE112019001678B4; DE112019001678T5; CN111683883A; WO2019187778A1; JP7028691B2; JP2019172444A

Abstract

The conveying tray (11) comprises: a linear motion block (12) configured to be movable on a guide rail (23); a base (13) to which a linear motion block (12) is attached; an engaging member (14) that is provided on the base (13) and that engages with a belt (32) provided along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail (23); and a moving mechanism (15) that reciprocates the engaging member (14) between an engaging position at which the engaging member engages with the belt (32) and a disengaging position at which the engaging member disengages from the belt (32).

Description

Transport tray, tray transport device using same, and tray transport method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a transport tray, a tray transport device using the transport tray, and a tray transport method.

Background

Conventionally, a conveying apparatus is provided in a production line, which conveys a workpiece by a conveyor belt and performs a predetermined process on the workpiece by a machine tool at a conveyance destination. For example, JP2011-18998A discloses a pallet conveying device capable of easily changing a conveying pitch of a pallet on which a workpiece is mounted.

The tray conveying device is provided with: a conveying tray configured to be capable of carrying a workpiece; a guide rail for movably mounting the tray; and a belt as a moving body provided to be capable of circulating along a longitudinal direction of the guide rail, wherein the tray conveying device is capable of conveying the tray along the guide rail by engaging the tray with the belt. This is expected to improve the workpiece conveyance speed and positioning accuracy.

Disclosure of Invention

In the above-described pallet conveying device, in order to engage the pallet with the belt, the projections and recesses are alternately and continuously formed in the longitudinal direction, and the reverse projections and recesses that engage with the projections and recesses are formed on the pallet. Therefore, when the tray is placed on the guide rail provided with the belt, it is necessary to synchronize the speed and position of the belt with the tray so that the reverse unevenness of the tray engages with the unevenness of the belt.

Further, when the tray is transferred from the conveying-side guide rail to the returning-side guide rail, it is necessary to move the tray, which has come off from the end of the conveying-side guide rail, to the end of the returning-side guide rail, and to send the tray to the returning-side guide rail so that the reverse irregularities of the tray are engaged with the irregularities of the belt by synchronizing the speed and position of the belt provided along the returning-side guide rail with the tray.

However, it is difficult to synchronize the movement of the pallet with the rotation of the belt to engage the reverse irregularities with the irregularities, and there is a problem that the efficiency of the installation work of the pallet conveying device or the adjustment work before the operation of the pallet conveying device is reduced.

On the other hand, in a state where a plurality of pallets are mounted on the same guide rail, the reverse irregularities of the pallets are engaged with the irregularities of the belt, and therefore, there is also a problem that the pitch between the plurality of pallets provided in the same conveying path cannot be changed.

The invention aims to provide a conveying tray which is easily engaged with a moving body and can be easily disengaged, a tray conveying device using the conveying tray and a tray conveying method.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a transport tray that moves on a guide rail includes: a block configured to be movable on the guide rail; a base to which the block is mounted; an engaging member that is provided on the base and engages with a moving body provided along a longitudinal direction of the guide rail; and a moving mechanism that reciprocates the engaging member between an engaging position where the engaging member engages with the moving body and a disengaging position where the engaging member disengages from the moving body.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a pallet conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the conveying tray as viewed from the direction C of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 1, and shows a state in which the engaging member is engaged with the belt.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 1, showing a state where the engaging member is disengaged from the belt.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 8.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the tray conveying apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a state where the tray for conveyance reaches an end of one rail in the tray conveying device.

Fig. 8 is a plan view corresponding to fig. 7, showing a state in which the transport tray is moved from the end of one guide rail to the transport rail and mounted on the tray transport apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a plan view corresponding to fig. 7 and 8, showing a state in which the transfer rail on which the transfer tray is mounted is moved from a position continuous with one guide rail to a position continuous with another guide rail.

Fig. 10 is a plan view corresponding to fig. 7 to 9, showing a state in which the transport tray is moved from the transfer rail to another guide rail.

Fig. 11 is a side view showing another tray conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the other transport tray as viewed from the direction D in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a plan view corresponding to fig. 12, showing a state in which a tray for conveyance is moved from one rail to another rail continuous to the rail in another tray conveying apparatus.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of fig. 11, and shows a state in which the engagement member is engaged with the belt in another tray conveying device.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of fig. 11, showing a state where the engaging member is disengaged from the belt in another tray conveying apparatus.

Fig. 16 is a plan view of still another pallet conveying apparatus in which the pallet moving mechanism is provided in the middle of the guide rail.

Detailed Description

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the conveying tray 11 according to the present embodiment carries and conveys workpieces. The conveying tray 11 includes: a linear motion block 12 as a block configured to be movable on the linear motion guide 23 so as to straddle the linear motion guide 23 as a guide; a base 13 to which a linear motion block 12 is screwed; an engaging member 14 provided on the base 13 and engaged with a belt 32 as a moving body provided along a longitudinal direction of the linear motion guide 23 (an X-axis direction in the drawing, hereinafter simply referred to as a longitudinal direction); and a moving mechanism 15 that reciprocates the engaging member 14 between an engaging position where the engaging member engages with the belt 32 and a disengaging position where the engaging member disengages from the belt 32.

The linear motion block 12 is a commercially available member sold as a pair with the linear motion guide 23, and preferably includes a roller cage (not shown). By using the linear motion block 12, it is possible to suppress the movement of the linear motion block 12 in the width direction (Y direction in the figure, hereinafter simply referred to as width direction) extending horizontally and orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the linear motion guide 23, or the inclination of the linear motion block 12 with respect to the linear motion guide 23. Further, the resistance to the movement of the transport tray 11 having the linear motion block 12 on the linear motion guide 23 can be reduced.

Since the engaging member 14 engages with the belt 32, the transport tray 11 is moved by the movement of the belt 32 while being mounted on the linear motion guide 23.

As shown in the enlarged view of fig. 1, the belt 32 is formed such that the

irregularities

32a, 32b extending in the width direction are alternately continuous in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the engaging member 14 has inverse convexities and

concavities

14a and 14b that can engage with the convexities and

concavities

32a and 32b to engage with the belt 32.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the linear motion block 12 is mounted on a lower portion of the base 13. The engaging members 14 are provided in a pair across the linear motion block 12, and are provided on both sides in the width direction of the base 13.

As shown in fig. 3, the moving mechanism 15 includes a pair of

support rods

16 and 16 as support members so as to sandwich the linear motion block 12 provided at the center of the lower portion of the horizontal base 13, and the pair of

support rods

16 and 16 are provided on both sides of the base 13 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (vertical direction) through the base 13. The pair of

support rods

16, 16 are provided with engaging members 14 at their lower ends, respectively, and a connecting member 17 at their upper ends.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, a cam plate 18 as an operation piece is provided above the base 13 so as to extend in the width direction and be capable of reciprocating in the width direction. Specifically, a rail 19 extending in the width direction is provided on the upper surface of the base 13. On the rail 19, a linearly moving block 20 is movably guided. A linear motion block 20 is mounted to the lower surface of the cam plate 18. Smooth movement of the cam plate 18 is ensured by the rail 19 and the linear motion block 20.

The cam plate 18 is provided between the base 13 and the coupling member 17. The connecting member 17 is provided with a roller 17a that rolls on the upper surface of the cam plate 18. As shown in fig. 3, a V-shaped lower portion 18a is formed on the upper surface of the cam plate 18, and the lower portion 18a positions the coupling member 17 and the roller 17a at a lower position. The lower portion 18a has an inclined surface 18b inclined in a V shape in the width direction. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the coupling member 17 slides on the inclined surface 18b in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the cam plate 18 in the width direction, and engages with and disengages from the low portion 18 a.

As shown in fig. 1, a coil spring 21 as a biasing member for moving the engaging member 14 to the engaging position is interposed between the base 13 and the engaging member 14. As shown in fig. 3, when the cam plate 18 (moving mechanism 15) is not operated, the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the base 13 by the biasing force of the coil spring 21 and is located at the engaging position. In this case, the coupling member 17 engages with the lower portion 18 a.

Conversely, as shown in fig. 4, when the cam plate 18 (moving mechanism) is operated by an operation actuator 67 as an operation mechanism described later, the roller 17a slides on the inclined surface 18b of the low position portion 18a against the urging force of the coil spring 21 and rises, and the coupling member 17 also rises together with the rising roller 17 a. The support rod 16 and the engaging member 14 integrally formed with the coupling member 17 also rise. That is, the engaging member 14 moves from the engaging position to the disengaging position.

The cam plate 18 provided on the upper surface of the base 13 is an operation piece that moves in the width direction to move the engaging member 14 up and down. The base 13 is provided with a pair of holding pieces 26, and the end portions of the cam plate 18 protruding from the base 13 are held between the pair of holding pieces 26 from the front and rear in the longitudinal direction.

Further, a cover member 22 that covers the cam plate 18 from above is provided on the base 13. A mounting member 24 for mounting a workpiece, not shown, is further provided on the upper surface of the covering member 22. The structure of the carrier 24 can be appropriately changed according to the type of workpiece to be mounted on the transport tray 11 and processed.

According to the conveying tray 11, since the moving mechanism 15 that reciprocates the engaging member 14 between the engaging position where the engaging member is engaged with the belt 32 and the disengaging position where the engaging member is disengaged from the belt 32 is provided, the engaging member 14 can be easily engaged with the belt 32 and the engagement with the belt 32 can be easily released only by moving the engaging member. Further, when the engaging member 14 is engaged with the belt 32, the transport tray 11 can be transported along the longitudinal direction of the linear motion guide 23, and conversely, when the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, the movement of the transport tray 11 can be easily stopped.

When the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, the conveying tray 11 can move independently of the belt 32. Therefore, the transport tray 11, from which the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, can be moved separately from the belt 32, so that the transport tray 11 can be easily transported to a different linear motion guide 23. In addition, when a plurality of the transport trays 11 are mounted on the linear motion guide 23, the interval between the transport trays 11 can be easily changed.

Next, the tray conveying device 28 including the conveying tray 11 will be described in detail.

Fig. 1 to 6 show a pallet conveying device 28 according to the present embodiment. In each drawing, three X, Y, Z axes orthogonal to each other are set, the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction) of the linear motion guide 23 is defined as the X-axis direction, the width direction (width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the linear motion guide 23 and extending horizontally is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the linear motion guide 23 and extending vertically (hereinafter, simply referred to as the vertical direction) is defined as the Z-axis direction.

The pallet conveyance device 28 is a circulation type conveyance device used when the conveyance pallet 11 on which the workpiece is mounted is circulated and conveyed along the conveyance path, the conveyance pallet 11 is stopped in front of machine tools 1 to 4 (see fig. 6) provided along the conveyance path, and the workpiece mounted on the conveyance pallet 11 is machined by the machine tools 1 to 4.

In fig. 6, four machine tools 1 to 4 are provided on both sides of the pallet conveying device 28, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of machine tools may be different depending on the workpiece to be machined. The number of the transport pallets 11 can be increased or decreased as appropriate according to the number of the machine tools.

The tray conveying device 28 includes the conveying tray 11 and a plurality of linear guide rails 23 for movably mounting the conveying tray 11 so as to circulate the conveying tray 11. The plurality of linear motion guides 23 extend in the longitudinal direction and are provided in parallel with each other at predetermined intervals in the width direction.

As shown in detail in fig. 3, a support plate 29 is directly fixed to the mount 9 along the conveying path (longitudinal direction), and the linear motion guide 23 is fixed to the upper edge of the support plate 29 by screwing. As shown in fig. 6, a first tray rail 30 and a second tray rail 40 are formed in parallel with each other by a support plate 29 and a linear motion guide 23 mounted on an upper edge of the support plate 29. The first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 mount the transport tray 11 so as to be movable in a horizontal state.

The linear motion guide 23 is a guide rail capable of mounting the linear motion block 12 provided on the transport tray 11. The linear motion block 12 fixed to the base 13 of the transport tray 11 is supported so as to be movable across the linear motion guide 23, whereby the transport tray 11 is mounted on the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 so as to be movable in a horizontal state.

As shown in fig. 6, the tray conveying device 28 includes: a first pallet transport mechanism 31 that transports the transport pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 30 along the first pallet rail 30; and a second tray transfer mechanism 41 for transferring the transfer tray 11 mounted on the second tray rail 40 along the second tray rail 40.

Since the first tray transfer mechanism 31 and the second tray transfer mechanism 41 have the same structure, the first tray transfer mechanism 31 will be described as a representative example.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the first tray conveying mechanism 31 includes: a belt 32 (endless belt) provided on both sides of the first pallet rail 30 along the first pallet rail 30 so as to be engageable with the transport pallet 11; a servomotor 33 (see fig. 1) as a circulating drive mechanism circulates the belt 32.

That is, as shown in fig. 1, driven pulleys 34 are provided at four corners of the support plate 29 on both sides of the support plate 29 in the first pallet rail 30. The belt 32 is wound around the four driven pulleys 34 on both sides of the support plate 29.

The support plate 29 rotatably supports a drive shaft 35 a. A pair of drive pulleys 35 are mounted on both sides of the drive shaft 35a penetrating the support plate 29.

On the other hand, a servomotor 33 for circulating the belt 32 is provided on the mount 9. The drive shaft 35a is coupled to a rotary shaft 33a of the servomotor 33 (see fig. 3). The drive pulley 35 is disposed on the same plane as the four driven pulleys 34 on both sides of the support plate 29. A pair of steering pulleys 36 are supported on both sides of the support plate 29 in the vicinity of the drive pulley 35, and the pair of steering pulleys 36 steer the belt 32 so that the belt 32 is wound around the drive pulley 35.

When the servo motor 33 is driven in accordance with a command from a controller, not shown, the drive pulleys 35 on both sides of the support plate 29 rotate simultaneously, and the transmission belts 32 wound around the drive pulleys 35 and existing on both sides of the support plate 29 circulate at the same speed while surrounding the four driven pulleys 34.

The belt 32 is, for example, a toothed belt. As shown in the enlarged view of fig. 1, the belt 32 is a belt in which the

irregularities

32a and 32b extending in the width direction are alternately continuous in the longitudinal direction. The

reverse irregularities

14a, 14b engageable with the

irregularities

32a, 32b are formed on the surface of the engaging member 14 facing the belt 32.

The

inverse irregularities

14a, 14b of the engaging member 14 are configured to engage with the

irregularities

32a, 32b of the belt 32. That is, when the engaging member 14 is located at the engaging position, the

inverse irregularities

14a and 14b formed on the engaging member 14 are engaged with the

irregularities

32a and 32b formed on the belt 32, and therefore, the transport tray 11 is prohibited from moving in the longitudinal direction independently of the belt 32. Thus, when the belt 32 engaged with the transport tray 11 is circulated by driving the servo motor 33, the transport tray 11 moves together with the belt 32, and the transport tray 11 is transported along the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40.

The support 37 prevents the belt 32 from loosening between the driven pulleys 34, thereby preventing the belt 32 from coming off the engaging member 14. A mount 38 mounts the support 37 to the support plate 29.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6, tray moving mechanisms 61 are provided at both ends of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40, respectively. The tray moving mechanism 61 has a symmetrical structure that separates the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40. The tray moving mechanism 61 moves the conveyance tray 11 mounted on one of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 to the other of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40.

In the present embodiment in which the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 are provided in parallel with each other, a case where the transport tray 11 mounted on the first tray rail 30 is moved to the second tray rail 40 corresponds to a case where the transport tray 11 mounted on the second tray rail 40 is moved to the first tray rail 30.

The tray moving mechanism 61 includes: a transfer rail 62 on which the transfer tray 11 can be mounted; the width-direction actuator 63 as the width-direction straight-traveling mechanism moves the transfer rail 62 between a first position that is continuous with the linear motion rail 23 as one of the first tray rails 30 (see fig. 7 and 8) and a second position that is continuous with the linear motion rail 23 as the other of the second tray rails 40 (see fig. 9 and 10).

The transfer rail 62 is a rail having the same width as the linear guide 23 of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40. The length W (see fig. 6) of the transfer rail 62 in the longitudinal direction is formed to be equal to or longer than the length L (see fig. 6) of the transfer tray 11 in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in fig. 5, the transfer rail 62 is attached to the upper edge of a transfer support plate 64, and the transfer support plate 64 is erected on a base 65 and is disposed parallel to the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40.

The width-direction actuator 63 reciprocates the transfer rail 62 together with the base 65 between the first position and the second position. The width direction actuator 63 includes: a fixed servomotor 63a (see fig. 6 to 10), a ball screw 63b rotationally driven by the servomotor 63a, a follower 63c screwed to the ball screw 63b and moving in parallel, and a housing 63d supporting the follower 63c so as to be movable in the width direction. The housing 63d is mounted on the mount 9 via a support column 63e so as to extend in the width direction.

A base 65 is attached to the follower 63 c. Thereby, the follower 63c moves together with the base 65. As shown in fig. 7 and 8, when the transfer rail 62 provided on the upper surface of the base 65 is continuous with the linear motion rail 23 of the first pallet rail 30 or the second pallet rail 40, the transfer rail 62 is configured to mount the transport pallet 11 moved from the linear motion rail 23 of the first pallet rail 30 or the second pallet rail 40, or to be able to move the mounted transport pallet 11 to the linear motion rail 23.

Further, a longitudinal actuator 66 and an operation actuator 67 as a longitudinal straight-moving mechanism are provided on the base 65. The longitudinal actuator 66 has the same structure as the width actuator 63, and a housing 66d thereof is attached to the base 65 via a holder 66e in a state parallel to the transfer rail 62.

The operation actuator 67 is a hydraulic cylinder that causes the rod-shaped charge/discharge rod 67a to be charged/discharged (moved) from the housing 67b by fluid pressure. The charge and discharge lever 67a is provided movably in the width direction and moves in the width direction to press the cam plate 18. The housing 67b is attached to a follower 66c of the longitudinal actuator 66 via a mounting piece 67 c.

As shown in fig. 7 and 10, when the actuator 67 is operated to project the retraction lever 67a from the housing 67b after the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the follower 66c to the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 side, the retraction lever 67a of the actuator 67 is operated to be continuous with (abut on) the cam plate 18 of the conveying tray 11.

Therefore, in a state where the conveying tray 11 reaches the end of the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40, the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the follower 66c to the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 side, and then the actuator 67 is operated to project the retractable rod 67a from the housing 67 b. Thus, the advancing/retracting lever 67a of the operation actuator 67 is continuous with (abuts on) the cam plate 18 of the conveying tray 11. As shown in fig. 4, when the charge and discharge lever 67a is continuous with the cam plate 18, the cam plate 18 is pushed by the charge and discharge lever 67a and moves in the width direction.

When the cam plate 18 moves in the width direction, the roller 17a located at the low position portion 18a of the cam plate 18 slides on the inclined surface 18b of the low position portion 18a and rises, and the coupling member 17 also rises together with the rising roller 17 a. The support rod 16 and the engaging member 14 integrally formed with the coupling member 17 also rise. That is, the engaging member 14 moves from the engaging position to the disengaging position.

In this way, since the engaging member 14 lifted to the disengaged position is disengaged from the belt 32, the engagement between the engaging member 14 and the belt 32 is released. Thus, the conveying tray 11 can move along the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 independently of the belt 32.

When the retraction lever 67a of the operation actuator 67 is continuous with the cam plate 18 of the conveying tray 11, the pair of gripping pieces 26 sandwich the retraction lever 67a that presses the cam plate 18 from the front and rear in the longitudinal direction. Thus, even if the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, the transport tray 11 is prohibited from moving in the longitudinal direction independently of the operation actuator 67.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 7 and 10, the cam plate 18 is moved in the width direction by projecting the retractable rod 67a, and the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the conveying tray 11 in the direction of being disengaged from the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 by operating the actuator 67 in a state where the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32. Thus, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the transport tray 11 can be moved (transferred) from the end of the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 to the transfer rail 62.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, in a state where the transfer rail 62 carries the transport tray 11 and is continuous with the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40, the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the transport tray 11 to the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 side via the operation actuator 67. As a result, as described with reference to fig. 7 and 10, the transport tray 11 can be moved from the transfer rail 62 to the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40.

As described above, when the retraction lever 67a of the operation actuator 67 is retracted into the housing 67b after the transport tray 11 is moved to the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40, the engagement member 14 is disengaged from the base 13 by the biasing force of the coil spring 21 and is engaged with the belt 32 provided along the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40, as shown in fig. 3. As a result, the conveyor belt 32 is circulated thereafter, whereby the transport tray 11 can be transported along the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40.

Next, a tray conveying method using the conveying tray 11 will be described in detail.

The pallet conveying method according to the present embodiment is a pallet conveying method in which the conveying pallet 11 is mounted on the plurality of linear motion guides 23 and moved. The pallet conveying method includes mounting the conveying pallet 11 on the linear motion rail 23, engaging the engaging member 14 with the belt 32 to move the conveying pallet 11, disengaging the engaging member 14 from the belt 32, and moving the conveying pallet 11 from one linear motion rail 23 to the other linear motion rail 23.

In the tray conveying device 28, the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 provided with the linear motion guide 23 are provided in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction. Thus, the pallet conveying method using the pallet conveying device 28 includes: a first pallet conveying step of conveying the conveying pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 30 along the longitudinal direction of the first pallet rail 30; a first pallet moving step of moving the conveyance pallet 11 that has reached the end of the first pallet rail 30 to the second pallet rail 40; a second pallet conveying step of conveying the conveying pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 40 along the longitudinal direction of the second pallet rail 40; and a second pallet moving step of moving the conveyance pallet 11 that has reached the end of the second pallet rail 40 to the first pallet rail 30. In this way, the pallet conveying device 28 can circulate the conveying pallets 11.

In fig. 6, the respective steps will be described below as a case where the transport tray 11 circulates on the counterclockwise track.

< first tray transporting step >

In the first pallet conveying step, the conveying pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 30 is conveyed.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6, the conveying pallet 11 mounts a workpiece subjected to a predetermined process. Since the conveying tray 11 includes the carrier 24 on which the workpiece is mounted, the workpiece is mounted on the conveying tray 11 via the carrier 24.

The transport tray 11 is mounted on the first tray rail 30. The mounting of the transport tray 11 on the first tray rail 30 is performed by mounting the linear motion block 12 of the transport tray 11 from the end of the linear motion rail 23 in the first tray rail 30.

Specifically, when the transport tray 11 is mounted, the linear motion block 12 is mounted from the end of the linear motion guide 23 in the first tray rail 30 in a state where the cam plate 18 is pushed in the width direction and the engagement member 14 is lifted. Thereafter, the press-fitting of the cam plate 18 is released, and the coupling member 17 is positioned at the lower portion 18a by the biasing force of the coil spring 21, so that the engaging member 14 is engaged with the belt 32 on the first tray rail 30 side.

As described above, as shown in the enlarged view of fig. 1, when the transport tray 11 is mounted on the first tray rail 30, the

inverse irregularities

14a and 14b provided on the transport tray 11 engage with the

irregularities

32a and 32b of the belt 32. After that, the conveyor belt 32 can be circulated by driving the servo motor 33, and the transport tray 11 can be transported along the first tray rail 30.

As shown in fig. 6, the conveyance is performed until the plurality of conveyance pallets 11 face the

respective machine tools

1 and 2 provided along the first pallet rail 30. The servomotor 33 is stopped in a state where the transport pallet 11 faces the

machine tools

1 and 2. Then, the

machine tools

1 and 2 machine the workpiece mounted on the transport pallet 11. At this time, the plurality of transport pallets 11 are transported at the same pitch P as the pitch P of the

machine tools

1 and 2, whereby the machining by the plurality of

machine tools

1 and 2 can be performed simultaneously.

< first tray moving step >

In the first tray moving step, the conveyance tray 11 reaching the end of the first tray rail 30 is moved to the second tray rail 40. This movement is performed by a tray moving mechanism 61 provided at one end of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40.

That is, the first tray conveying mechanism 31 stops the servo motor 33 in a state where the conveying tray 11 reaches the end of the first tray rail 30. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 7, the tray moving mechanism 61 drives the servo motor 63a in the width direction actuator 63 to move the transfer rail 62 together with the follower 63c, thereby connecting the transfer rail 62 and the linear motion guide 23 in the first tray rail 30.

Then, the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the follower 66c together with the operation actuator 67 to the first pallet track 30 side, and the retractable lever 67a of the operation actuator 67 is connected to the cam plate 18 of the conveying pallet 11.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the operation actuator 67 causes the protrusion rod 67a to protrude and press an end portion of the cam plate 18 of the conveyance tray 11, thereby moving the cam plate 18 in the width direction. Thereby, the engaging member 14 of the conveying tray 11 is lifted and separated from the belt 32.

In this way, in the pallet conveying method using the conveying pallet 11, the engagement between the engagement member 14 and the belt 32 can be easily released only by protruding the retraction lever 67a to disengage the engagement member 14 from the belt 32.

Further, in the transport tray 11, since the clamping piece 26 is provided on the base 13, the engaging member 14 is raised, and the movement of the transport tray 11 by the belt 32 can be inhibited by allowing the clamping piece 26 to clamp and press the retraction lever 67a of the cam plate 18.

Thereafter, as shown in fig. 8, since the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the operation actuator 67 in a direction to separate from the first tray rail 30, the transport tray 11 can be moved from the end of the first tray rail 30 to the transfer rail 62 via the operation actuator 67.

After the transport tray 11 is mounted on the transfer rail 62, the servomotor 63a of the width-direction actuator 63 is driven again, and the transfer rail 62 on which the transport tray 11 is mounted is separated from the first position continuous with the first tray rail 30 together with the follower 63 c. Then, as shown in fig. 9, the transfer rail 62 is moved to a second position continuous with the linear motion guide 23 in the second tray rail 40.

After the transfer rail 62 on which the transfer tray 11 is mounted is continued to the linear motion guide 23 in the second tray rail 40, the longitudinal actuator 66 moves the operation actuator 67 to the second tray rail 40 side as shown in fig. 10. This enables the transport tray 11 to be moved from the transfer rail 62 to the end of the linear guide 23 in the second tray rail 40 via the operation actuator 67.

After the conveying tray 11 moves to the second tray rail 40, as shown in fig. 3, the retraction lever 67a of the operation actuator 67 is retracted into the housing 67b, and the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the base 13 by the biasing force of the coil spring 21 and is engaged with the belt 32 on the second tray rail 40 side.

In this way, in the pallet conveying method using the conveying pallet 11, the engaging member 14 can be easily engaged with the belt 32 by inserting the retraction lever 67a into the housing 67 b.

Thus, although the transport tray 11 moves from the end of the first tray rail 30 to the end of the second tray rail 40, the transport tray 11 moves by disengaging the engaging member 14 from the belt 32, and therefore, in this case, the transport between the different tray rails 30, 40 can be easily performed as compared with a conventional apparatus that needs to operate in synchronization with the speed and position of the belt and the trays.

< second pallet carrying Process >

In the second pallet conveying step, the conveying pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 40 is conveyed. In the first pallet moving step in the preceding step, as shown in fig. 10, the transport pallet 11 moved from the transfer rail 62 to the second pallet rail 40 is moved to the end of the second pallet rail 40, and the engagement member of the transport pallet 11 is engaged with the belt 32.

By circulating the belt 32 on the second pallet rail 40 side, the transport pallet 11 can be transported along the second pallet rail 40.

respective machine tools

3 and 4 provided along the second pallet rail 40. The servomotor 33 is stopped in a state where the transport pallet 11 faces the

machine tools

3 and 4. Then, the

machine tools

3 and 4 machine the workpiece mounted on the transport pallet 11. At this time, the plurality of transport pallets 11 are transported at the same pitch P as the pitch P of the

machine tools

3 and 4, whereby the machining by the plurality of

machine tools

3 and 4 can be performed simultaneously.

< second tray moving step >

In the second pallet moving step, the conveyance pallet 11 reaching the end of the second pallet rail 40 is moved to the first pallet rail 30. This movement is performed by a tray moving mechanism 61 provided at the other end of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40. The specific moving sequence is the same as that of the first tray moving step, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

By performing the above-described steps once, the transport pallets 11 can be transported one by one along a track in a track shape in the counterclockwise direction.

Each time such a step is performed once, the respective machine tools 1 to 4 are operated with the operation of the pallet conveying device 28 stopped, and predetermined various kinds of processing are performed in parallel on the respective workpieces mounted on the respective conveying pallets 11. When the machine tools 1 to 4 are operated, the work is carried in and out with respect to any one of the carrying pallets 11.

When a plurality of transport trays 11 are mounted on the linear guide 23, the interval between the transport trays 11 can be easily changed by shifting the time for transporting the transport trays 11.

Next, the other tray conveying device 80 including the conveying tray 11 will be described in detail.

As shown in fig. 11, the other tray conveying device 80 is provided so as to be continuous in the longitudinal direction with the plurality of tray rails 30 and 40 each provided with the linear motion guide 23. Since the tray rails 30 and 40 and the

tray transfer mechanisms

31 and 41 have the same configurations as those of the above-described tray conveying device 28, the description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 11 shows a case where the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 are provided to be continuous in the longitudinal direction. The tray moving mechanism 81 that moves the transport tray 11 mounted on one of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 to the other of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40 is provided so as to overlap both the end of the first tray rail 30 and the end of the second tray rail 40 in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in fig. 11 to 15, the tray moving mechanism 81 includes: an operation actuator 82 having a retractable lever 82a which is retracted from the housing 82b to press the cam plate 18; and a longitudinal actuator 83 for moving the conveyance pallet 11 moved to the disengaged position from one

pallet rail

30 or 40 to the

other pallet rail

40 or 30 by operating the actuator 82.

The operating actuator 82 is a hydraulic cylinder that causes the charge and discharge rod 82a to be charged and discharged (moved) from the housing 82b by fluid pressure. The charge and discharge lever 82a is provided movably in the width direction and moves in the width direction to press the cam plate 18. The housing 82b is attached to a follower 83c of the longitudinal actuator 83 via a mounting member 82 c.

The longitudinal actuator 83 reciprocates the operation actuator 82 in the longitudinal direction of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40. The longitudinal actuator 83 includes: a fixed servomotor 83a, a ball screw 83b rotationally driven by the servomotor 83a, and a follower 83c screwed with the ball screw 83b and moving in parallel. The housing 83d is attached to the mount 9 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction via a support column 83e (fig. 14 and 15).

The follower 83c is provided with a mounting member 82 c. Thereby, the follower 83c moves together with the mounting 82 c. As shown in fig. 12, when the follower 83c moves to one end of the housing 83d, the retractable lever 82a of the operation actuator 82 is continuous with (abuts on) the cam plate 18 of the conveyance pallet 11 mounted on one end of the first pallet rail 30 and the second pallet rail 40.

Specifically, in a state where the conveyance tray 11 reaches the end of either one of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40, the longitudinal actuator 83 moves the follower 83c to either one of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40. Then, as shown in fig. 12, since the retraction lever 82a is projected from the housing 82b, after coming into contact with the end portion of the cam plate 18, the cam plate 18 is moved in the width direction and the engaging member 14 in the carrying tray 11 is raised from the engaging position to the disengaging position as shown in fig. 15.

When the retraction lever 82a of the actuator 82 is operated to be continuous with the cam plate 18 of the carrying tray 11, the pair of gripping pieces 26 sandwich the retraction lever 82a pressing the cam plate 18 from the front and rear in the longitudinal direction. Thus, even if the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, the transport tray 11 is inhibited from moving in the longitudinal direction independently of the operation actuator 82.

Therefore, when the projecting and retracting lever 82a is projected, the longitudinal actuator 83 moves the carrying tray 11 in the longitudinal direction of the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 by operating the actuator 82 in a state where the cam plate 18 is moved in the width direction and the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32. Thus, as shown in fig. 13, the transport tray 11 can be moved (transferred) from the end of the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40 to the second tray rail 40 or the first tray rail 30.

When the retraction lever 82a of the operation actuator 82 is retracted into the housing 82b after the transport tray 11 is moved to the second tray rail 40 or the first tray rail 30, the engagement member 14 is disengaged from the base 13 by the biasing force of the coil spring 21 and is engaged with the belt 32, as shown in fig. 14. As a result, the conveyor belt 32 is circulated thereafter, whereby the transport tray 11 can be transported along the longitudinal direction of the first tray rail 30 or the second tray rail 40.

A tray conveying method using the other tray conveying device 80 configured as described above will be described in detail.

The pallet conveying method using the other pallet conveying device 80 is a pallet conveying method in which the conveying pallet 11 is mounted on the plurality of linear motion rails 23 and moved. The transport tray 11 is mounted on the linear motion guide 23, and the engagement member 14 is engaged with the belt 32. As a result, the transport tray 11 is moved, the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, and the transport tray 11 is moved from one linear motion rail 23 to the other linear motion rail 23.

In the other pallet conveying device 80, the first pallet rail 30 and the second pallet rail 40 are provided so as to be continuous in the longitudinal direction. Thus, the pallet conveying method using the other pallet conveying device 80 includes: a first pallet conveying step of conveying the conveying pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 30 along the longitudinal direction of the first pallet rail 30; a pallet moving step of moving the conveyance pallet 11 that has reached the end of the first pallet rail 30 from the first pallet rail 30 to a second pallet rail 40 that is continuous with the first pallet rail 30; and a second pallet conveying step of conveying the conveying pallet 11 moved to the second pallet rail 40 along the longitudinal direction of the second pallet rail 40.

The respective steps are explained in detail below.

< first tray transporting step >

In the first pallet conveying step, the conveying pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 30 is conveyed. That is, as shown in fig. 14, the transport tray 11 is mounted on the first tray rail 30, and the engaging member 14 of the transport tray 11 is engaged with the belt 32 on the first tray rail 30 side. When the transport tray 11 is mounted on the first tray rail 30 in this manner, the

inverse irregularities

14a and 14b formed on the engaging member 14 engage with the

irregularities

32a and 32b of the belt 32. Thereafter, the conveyor belt 32 is circulated by driving the servo motor 33 (fig. 11) in the first pallet conveying mechanism 31, and the conveying pallet 11 can be conveyed along the first pallet track 30.

< procedure of moving tray >

In the tray moving step, the conveyance tray 11 reaching the end of the first tray rail 30 is moved from the first tray rail 30 to the second tray rail 40 continuous with the first tray rail 30. This movement is performed by the tray moving mechanism 81.

That is, the first tray conveying mechanism 31 stops the servo motor 33 in a state where the conveying tray 11 reaches the end of the first tray rail 30. On the other hand, the longitudinal actuator 83 of the tray moving mechanism 81 moves the follower 83c to the first tray rail 30 side, and the retractable lever 82a of the operation actuator 82 is made continuous with the cam plate 18 of the conveying tray 11.

As shown in fig. 12, the operation actuator 82 causes the retraction lever 82a to protrude from the housing 82b and to press the end of the cam plate 18 of the conveyance tray 11, thereby moving the cam plate 18 in the width direction. As a result, as shown in fig. 15, the engaging member 14 of the transport tray 11 is lifted up and separated from the belt 32.

In this way, in a state where the protrusion/retraction lever 82a is protruded and the engagement member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32, as shown in fig. 13, the longitudinal actuator 83 moves the operation actuator 82 in the longitudinal direction of the first tray rail 30 and the second tray rail 40. Thus, the conveying tray 11 can be moved from the end of the first tray rail 30 to the end of the second tray rail 40 by operating the actuator 82.

After the transport tray 11 is moved to the second tray rail 40 in this way, as shown in fig. 14, the retraction lever 82a of the operation actuator 82 is retracted into the housing 82b, and the engaging member 14 is disengaged from the base 13 by the biasing force of the coil spring 21 and is engaged with the belt 32.

< second pallet carrying Process >

In the second pallet conveying step, the conveying pallet 11 moved to the second pallet rail 40 is conveyed along the longitudinal direction of the second pallet rail 40. That is, in a state where the transport pallet 11 is mounted on the second pallet rail 40 and the engaging member 14 is engaged with the belt 32 on the second pallet rail 40 side, the belt 32 is circulated by driving the servomotor 33 (fig. 11) in the second pallet conveying mechanism 41, and the transport pallet 11 can be transported along the second pallet rail 40.

In this way, in the pallet conveying method using the other pallet conveying device 80, the plurality of pallet rails 30 and 40 are continuously provided in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, when the transport of the transport pallet 11 is performed over a relatively long distance, such as between a standby table, not shown, and a machine tool, between machine tools, or between a machine tool and a standby table, it is preferable that the transport speed of the transport pallet 11 be different between the pallet rails 30 and 40.

In this way, in the other pallet conveying apparatus 80 and pallet conveying method using the conveying pallet 11, the engaging member 14 can be moved so as to be disengaged from the belt 32, moved from the first pallet rail 30 to the second pallet rail 40, and thereafter, the engaging member 14 can be easily engaged with the belt 32.

Thus, although the transport tray 11 moves from the end of the first tray rail 30 to the end of the second tray rail 40, the engagement member 14 is disengaged from the belt 32 and the transport tray 11 is moved, so that the transport between the different tray rails 30, 40 can be easily performed at this time, compared with a conventional apparatus that needs to operate the belt at a speed and position synchronized with the trays.

In the other tray conveying device 80, the longitudinal actuator 83 moves the conveying tray 11 from one linear guide 23 to the other linear guide 23. Thus, when a plurality of transport pallets 11 are mounted on the linear motion guide 23, the interval between one transport pallet 11 and another transport pallet 11 can be changed by disengaging the engaging member 14 of one transport pallet 11 from the belt 32 and moving one transport pallet 11 or another transport pallet 11 along the linear motion guide 23, and therefore, the interval (pitch) between the plurality of transport pallets 11 can be easily changed.

In the other tray conveying apparatus 80, the tray moving mechanism 81 including the operation actuator 82 and the longitudinal actuator 83 is provided so as to overlap both the end portion of the first tray rail 30 and the end portion of the second tray rail 40 along the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided so as to overlap only the linear motion guide 23 in the first tray rail 30 along the longitudinal direction as shown in fig. 16, for example, from the viewpoint of changing the pitch between the plurality of conveying trays 11.

In this way, even in the pallet conveying method in which the pallet conveying device 90 provided so that the pallet moving mechanism 81 is overlapped only with the linear motion guide rail 23 in the first pallet rail 30 along the longitudinal direction is used and the plurality of pallets 11 are mounted on the linear motion guide rail 23 and moved, the plurality of pallets 11 can be moved by mounting the plurality of pallets 11 on the linear motion guide rail 23 and engaging the engaging members 14 with the belt 32, respectively.

In addition, even in the pallet conveying apparatus 90, the plurality of conveying pallets 11 mounted on the linear guide rail 23 can be moved without moving the conveyor belt 32 by disengaging the engaging members 14 of one conveying pallet 11 from the conveyor belt 32, that is, in a state of being mounted on the linear guide rail 23. Therefore, in a state where the plurality of transport trays 11 are mounted on the linear guide 23, the distance between one transport tray 11 and another transport tray 11 can be changed by moving one transport tray 11 or another transport tray 11 along the longitudinal direction of the linear guide 23, and the pitch G of the plurality of transport trays 11 can be easily changed.

The transport tray 11 includes a moving mechanism 15, a holding piece 26 is provided on the base 13, the moving mechanism 15 includes a cam plate 18 movable in the width direction, and the holding piece 26 holds the

retractable levers

67a and 82a pressing the cam plate 18 from the front and rear in the longitudinal direction, whereas the

operation actuators

67 and 82 of the

tray transport devices

28, 80, and 90 include

retractable levers

67a and 82a moving in the width direction and pressing the cam plate 18. Thus, the

longitudinal actuators

66 and 83 can move the transport tray 11 in the longitudinal direction of the linear guide 23 via the

operation actuators

67 and 82, in addition to the

operation actuators

67 and 82. As a result, a structure in which the

longitudinal actuators

66 and 83 directly engage with each other to move the transport tray 11 can be omitted.

Further, the pallet for conveyance 11 is provided with engaging members 14 having inverse convexities and

concavities

14a and 14b on both sides in the width direction of the base 13 so as to sandwich the linear motion block 12 in the lower portion of the base 13, while the

pallet conveying devices

28, 80, and 90 are provided with belts 32 that move cyclically on both sides of the support plate 29 to which the linear motion guide rails 23 are attached, and convexities and concavities 32a and convexities 32b that can engage with the engaging members 14 are formed on the belts 32. Thus, the conveying tray 11 can be relatively firmly engaged with the belt 32 only by engaging the

reverse irregularities

14a, 14b with the

irregularities

32a, 32b, and the conveying tray 11 can be reliably made to follow the movement of the belt 32. As a result, even when the belt 32 is moved or stopped at a relatively large acceleration, the transport tray 11 can be reliably made to follow the movement of the belt 32, and the transport speed of the transport tray 11 can be reliably increased.

In the above embodiment, the case where the engaging members 14 are provided on both sides of the lower portion of the base 13, respectively, and the engaging members 14 are relatively strongly engaged with the belt 32 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the engaging members 14 may be provided only on one side as long as the conveying tray 11 can follow the movement of the belt 32, for example. The movable body is not limited to the belt 32, and may be another member as long as it can be engaged with the engaging member 14.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the hydraulic cylinders are used as the

operation actuators

67 and 82 and the members for driving the

servomotors

63a, 66a, and 83a to move the

followers

63c, 66c, and 83c are used as the

longitudinal actuators

66 and 83 and the width actuators 63 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, the hydraulic cylinders may be used as the operation actuators and the longitudinal actuators and the width actuators by using the members for driving the servomotors to move the followers.

As described above, the transport tray 11 moves on the linear guide 23, and includes: a linear motion block 12 configured to be movable on a linear motion guide 23; a base 13 to which a linearly moving block 12 is mounted; an engaging member 14 provided on the base 13 and engaged with a belt 32 provided along the longitudinal direction; and a moving mechanism 15 that reciprocates the engaging member 14 between an engaging position where the engaging member engages with the belt 32 and a disengaging position where the engaging member disengages from the belt 32.

In the above-described conveying tray 11, the moving mechanism 15 has the cam plate 18 movable in the width direction, and the engaging member 14 moves between the engaging position and the disengaging position in conjunction with the movement of the cam plate 18 in the width direction.

In the above-described conveying tray 11, the moving mechanism 15 further includes a coil spring 21, and the coil spring 21 is interposed between the base 13 and the engaging member 14 so that the engaging member 14 is positioned at the engaging position, and when the cam plate 18 is not operated, the engaging member 14 is positioned at the engaging position by the biasing force of the coil spring 21, and when the cam plate 18 is operated, the engaging member 14 is moved to the disengaging position against the biasing force of the coil spring 21.

In the transport tray 11, the moving mechanism 15 further includes: a lower portion 18a provided on the upper surface side of the cam plate 18 and having an inclined surface 18b inclined with respect to the width direction; a support rod 16 that is provided so as to penetrate the base 13 and is movable in the vertical direction, and an engaging member 14 is provided at a lower end of the support rod 16; and a coupling member 17 provided at the upper end of the support rod 16 and configured to be engaged with and disengaged from the lower portion 18a by sliding on the inclined surface 18b in conjunction with the movement of the cam plate 18 in the width direction, wherein the coupling member 17 is engaged with the lower portion 18a when the cam plate 18 is not operated, and the coupling member 17 is disengaged from the lower portion 18a when the support rod 16 is raised and the cam plate 18 is operated.

In the above-described pallet 11 for conveyance, the linear motion blocks 12 are attached to the lower portion of the base 13, and the engagement members 14 are provided in a pair so as to sandwich the linear motion blocks 12, and are provided on both sides in the width direction of the base 13.

As described above, the

tray conveying devices

28 and 80 include: the transport tray 11; a linear motion guide 23 on which the transport tray 11 is movably mounted; a belt 32 provided movably in the longitudinal direction and configured to be engageable with the engaging member 14 of the conveying tray 11; operating

actuators

67 and 82 for operating the moving mechanism 15 to move the engaging member 14 to the disengaged position; and

longitudinal actuators

66 and 83 for moving the transport tray 11, which has moved the engaging member 14 to the disengaged position, in the longitudinal direction by operating the

actuators

67 and 82.

In the above-described

pallet conveying devices

28, 80, the belt 32 is a belt 32 in which the

irregularities

32a, 32b are alternately and continuously formed in the longitudinal direction, the engaging member 14 is formed with the

inverse irregularities

14a, 14b engageable with the

irregularities

32a, 32b, the

inverse irregularities

14a, 14b of the engaging member 14 moved to the engaging position are engaged with the

irregularities

32a, 32b of the belt 32, and the

inverse irregularities

14a, 14b of the engaging member 14 moved to the disengaging position are disengaged from the

irregularities

32a, 32b of the belt 32.

In the above-described

pallet conveying apparatuses

28, 80, the moving mechanism 15 has the cam plate 18 movable in the width direction, the cam plate 18 has the

retractable levers

67a, 82a provided so as to be movable in the width direction and movable in the width direction to press the cam plate 18, the holding piece 26 is provided on the base 13, the holding piece 26 holds the

retractable levers

67a, 82a pressing the cam plate 18 from the front and rear in the longitudinal direction, and the

longitudinal actuators

66, 83 are configured so that the

operation actuators

67, 82 move in the longitudinal direction together with the conveying cam plate 11 provided with the holding piece 26 holding the

retractable levers

67a, 82a, and the engaging member 14 moves between the engaging position and the disengaging position in conjunction with the movement of the width direction of the cam plate 18.

In the pallet conveying apparatus 80, the linear guide rails 23 are provided so as to be continuous in the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal actuator 83 is configured so that the conveying pallet 11, which has the engagement member 14 moved to the disengaged position by operating the actuator 82, is moved from one of the linear guide rails 23 to another linear guide rail 23 continuous with the one linear guide rail 23.

In the pallet conveying apparatus 28, the pair of linear guide rails 23 are provided in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the width direction, and include: a transfer rail 62 provided parallel to the linear motion guide 23 and capable of carrying the transport tray 11; and a width-direction actuator 63 that moves the transfer rail 62 between a first position continuous with one of the linear motion rails 23 and a second position continuous with the other linear motion rail 23, wherein the width-direction actuator 63 is configured to move an operation actuator 67 and a length-direction actuator 66 together with the transfer rail 62, and wherein the length-direction actuator 66 is configured to move the transfer pallet 11, which has moved the engagement member 14 to the disengaged position via the operation actuator 67, from the one or the other linear motion rail 23 to the transfer rail 62 or from the transfer rail 62 to the one or the other linear motion rail 23.

The pallet conveying method is a pallet conveying method in which a plurality of conveying pallets 11 are mounted on a linear motion guide 23 and the conveying pallets 11 are moved, and the plurality of conveying pallets 11 are moved by mounting the plurality of conveying pallets 11 on the linear motion guide 23, engaging the engaging members 14 with the belt 32 provided to be movable in the longitudinal direction, and moving one conveying pallet 11 or another conveying pallet 11 in the longitudinal direction by disengaging the engaging member 14 of one conveying pallet 11 from the belt 32.

The pallet conveying method is a pallet conveying method in which the conveying pallet 11 is mounted on the plurality of linear motion rails 23 and the conveying pallet 11 is moved, and the conveying pallet 11 is moved by mounting the conveying pallet 11 on the linear motion rails 23, engaging the engaging member 14 with the belt 32 provided to be movable in the longitudinal direction, and moving the conveying pallet 11 from one linear motion rail 23 to the other linear motion rail 23 by disengaging the engaging member 14 from the belt 32.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are merely some of application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

The application claims priority based on Japanese patent application 2018-63839, filed with the office at 29.3.2018, and the entire content of which is incorporated by reference in the present specification.

Claims

1. A transport tray that moves on a guide rail, the transport tray comprising:

a block configured to be movable on the guide rail;

a base to which the block is mounted;

an engaging member that is provided on the base and engages with a moving body provided along a longitudinal direction of the guide rail;

a moving mechanism that reciprocates the engaging member between an engaging position where the engaging member engages with the moving body and a disengaging position where the engaging member disengages from the moving body,

the moving mechanism includes:

an operation piece which is movable in a width direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the guide rail;

a lower portion provided on an upper surface side of the operation piece and having an inclined surface inclined with respect to a width direction;

a support member provided so as to penetrate the base and be movable in the vertical direction, the engagement member being provided at a lower end of the support member; and

a coupling member provided at an upper end of the support member and configured to be engaged with and disengaged from the lower portion by sliding on the inclined surface in conjunction with movement of the operation piece in the width direction,

the engaging member moves between an engaging position and a disengaging position in conjunction with the movement of the operation piece in the width direction,

the coupling member engages with the lower portion when the operation piece is not operated,

when the operation piece is operated, the coupling member is disengaged from the lower portion at the same time as the support member is raised.

2. The handling tray according to claim 1,

the moving mechanism further includes a biasing member interposed between the base and the engaging member so that the engaging member is positioned at an engaging position,

the engaging member is positioned at an engaging position by an urging force of the urging member when the operation piece is not operated,

when the operation piece is operated, the engaging member moves to a disengaged position against the urging force of the urging member.

3. The handling tray according to claim 1 or 2,

the block is installed at a lower portion of the base,

the engaging members are provided in a pair with the block interposed therebetween, and are provided on both sides of the base in a width direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the guide rail.

4. A pallet handling apparatus, comprising:

the handling tray according to any one of claims 1 to 3;

the guide rail, it carries the said transport tray to be able to move;

a movable body that is provided so as to be movable along a longitudinal direction of the guide rail and is configured to be engageable with the engagement member of the transport tray;

an operation mechanism that operates the moving mechanism to move the engaging member to a disengaged position;

and a longitudinal direction straight-moving mechanism that moves the transport tray, which has moved the engagement member to the disengaged position, in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail via the operation mechanism.

5. The pallet handling apparatus of claim 4 wherein,

the moving body is a belt in which projections and depressions are alternately and continuously formed in a longitudinal direction,

the engaging member is formed with a reverse concavity and convexity engageable with the concavity and convexity,

the reverse concave-convex of the engaging member moved to the engaging position is engaged with the concave-convex of the belt,

the reverse irregularities of the engaging member moved to the disengagement position are disengaged from the irregularities of the belt.

6. The pallet handling apparatus of claim 4 or 5,

the moving mechanism has an operation piece capable of moving in a width direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the guide rail,

the operating mechanism has a lever provided movably in the width direction and movable in the width direction to press the operating piece,

a clamping piece is arranged on the base, the clamping piece clamps the rod pressing the operation piece from the front and the back of the length direction of the guide rail,

the longitudinal direction straight-moving mechanism is configured to move the operating mechanism in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail together with the transport tray provided with the clamping piece clamping the rod,

the engaging member moves between an engaging position and a disengaging position in conjunction with the movement of the operation piece in the width direction.

7. The pallet handling apparatus of claim 4 or 5,

the guide rail is provided in plurality in series in a length direction,

the longitudinal direction straight-moving mechanism is configured to move the transport tray, which has moved the engagement member to the disengaged position via the operation mechanism, from one rail to another rail that is continuous with the one rail.

8. The pallet handling apparatus of claim 4 or 5,

the pair of guide rails are provided in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in a width direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the guide rails,

the tray conveying device is provided with:

a transfer rail provided parallel to the guide rail and capable of mounting the transfer tray;

a width direction straight-moving mechanism which moves the transfer rail between a first position continuous with one guide rail and a second position continuous with the other guide rail,

the width direction linear mechanism is configured to move the operation mechanism and the length direction linear mechanism together with the transfer rail,

the longitudinal direction straight-moving mechanism is configured to move the transport tray, which has moved the engagement member to the disengaged position via the operation mechanism, from one or the other of the guide rails to the transfer rail, or from the transfer rail to one or the other of the guide rails.

9. A pallet conveying method for moving a plurality of the conveying pallets according to any one of claims 1 to 3 by mounting the conveying pallets on the guide rails,

a plurality of the transport pallets are mounted on the guide rails, and the engagement members are engaged with the movable bodies provided so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the guide rails, respectively, to move the transport pallets,

the engaging member of one transport tray is disengaged from the movable body, and the one transport tray or another transport tray is moved in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail, thereby changing the interval between the one transport tray and the other transport tray.

10. A pallet conveying method for moving a pallet for conveyance according to any one of claims 1 to 3 by mounting the pallet for conveyance on a plurality of the guide rails,

the transport tray is moved by mounting the transport tray on the guide rail and engaging the engaging member with the moving body provided movably along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail,

the engaging member is disengaged from the moving body, and the transport tray is moved from one rail to another rail.