FR2589134A1 - Installation for assembling and/or machining components carried by pallets, and pallet forming part of this installation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation for processing and/or machining components manually and/or automatically, comprising pallets 21 which are generally rectangular and move in at least one station or module 20, forming part of the installation, under the frictional action of one or more drive strands 55, in which installation the movement of the pallets takes place by way of rolling means 67 equipping the pallet and rolling on the bottom 61 of the station or module, the driving taking place by interaction of the drive strand 55 with a friction member 39 forming part of the pallet and resting with elastic pressure against the said strand.

Description

Installation for the assembly and / or machining of parts carried by pallets and pallet forming part of this installation.

The invention relates to installations in which parts or sets of parts to be assembled and / or machined, manually or automatically, are carried by pallets which move under the action of drive means so as to come into succession to the right of means of assembly and / or machining, the installation thus being able to carry out a multiplicity of operations on said parts or sets of parts without the problem of manual transfer being posed, the movements of the parts being automatic.

The time required for assembly and / or machining of a part or of several parts carried by a pallet can vary from one station to another so that, - most of the time, it exists in the installation of parked pallets. As the routes taken by the pallets are unique or in very small numbers, queues of waiting pallets are created which can be very long.

On the other hand, the means for driving the pallets are usually constituted by strands, in movement, of belt, cable, or chain, each strand being suitable for driving a multiplicity of pallets.

When each of the pallets, and the part or parts which they support, are relatively heavy, the problems posed by the driving of the pallets, and also their immobilization, become increasingly difficult to solve, and it is precisely for installations intended for the treatment of parts carried by pallets and relatively heavy that the invention offers a particular interest, especially when the installation provides for a multiplicity of stations or modules, the pallets thus being at any time, in very large numbers in the installation.

In such installations, the drive most often involves friction, which is all the greater as the weight of the pallet, and of the parts which it supports, is higher. In the case of pallets carrying heavy loads and immobilized in a queue by abutment of the first pallet in the queue, when the stop is eclipsed the resumption of movement of the pallets under the action of the strand of entrainment requires effort considerable, precisely because of the significant friction resulting from the weight of the pallets.

The invention aims to provide an installation of this type in which the drive means for driving the pallets are #ratory # L # L # if they have a relatively low power.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an installation in which the problems posed by stopping a multiplicity of pallets one after the other, and in abutment against each other, are solved d 'a simple and effective way.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such an installation in which the immobilization of a moving pallet is obtained without difficulty, even in the case where the pallet carries a heavy load.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such an installation in which the precise positioning of a pallet for the treatment of the part or parts which it carries is obtained by simple means.

The invention applies equally to installations in which a pallet maintains a constant orientation throughout its journey, even if the latter includes sections of different directions, in particular perpendicular, as to those in which the pallet has an orientation depending on the direction of the section it covers.

It applies equally to installations in which the sections traversed by the pallets are rectilinear as to those in which the path of the pallets has curvilinear parts.

It applies in particular to installations in which the pallets follow horizontal or very substantially horizontal paths, as is the case in most installations of this type currently used.

It relates in particular to installations in which the drive strands cooperate with a marginal part of a pallet, the cooperation taking place both during an effective phase of drive of the pallet and during a phase where it is immobilized.

An embodiment described below relates to an installation using belt strands for driving the pallet, but the invention also applies to installations in which the drive strands are of different nature, for example have scales or are chains, protruding cables, etc.

The subject of the invention is an installation for the treatment and / or machining of parts, manually and / or automatically, comprising generally rectangular pallets moving in at least one station or module under the friction action of one or several drive strands, characterized in that the displacement of the pallets takes place by means of rolling means equipping the pallet and rolling on the bottom of the station or module, the drive taking place by cooperation of the drive strand with a friction member forming part of the pallet and pressed under elastic pressure against said strand.

In an installation according to the invention, there is thus independence between the weight of the pallet including the load that it carries, and the power necessary for the driving of said pallet.

The friction between the drive strand and the pallet, when the pallet is immobilized, no longer has any relation to the weight of the latter.

In addition, the elastic mounting of the friction member on the body of the pallet makes it possible to provide different levels for the drive strand while leaving it operative.

The invention relates in particular to an installation in which the pallets are rectangular and their drive is marginal and is then characterized in that a friction member is constituted by a fin mounted on one side of the pallet body by means of a elastic blade, the torque developed on the pallet by the marginal action being compensated by means for guiding the pallet along the planned path.

It provides that the pallet comprises, on its edge opposite the drive edge, means for cooperating with a guide strip integral with the bottom of the station.

Another important characteristic resides in the fact that, on the side of the pallet comprising the drive fin, means are provided for guiding the pallet by cooperation with. the drive strand itself.

The rolling means equipping the pallet and by which it moves on the bottom is a ball bearing means introducing the minimum resistance for the advancement of the pallet despite the high weight of the latter.

 In the description which follows, given by way of example, reference is made to the appended drawings, in which - FIG. 1 is a view of a pallet, in section along line 1-1 of FIG. 3, but more large scale than the latter; - Figure 2 is a plan view of a pallet, on the same scale as Figure 3; - Figure 3 is a view of a pallet and adjacent guide and drive means; - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but for guide and drive means of different configuration; - Figure 5 is a view similar to a part of Figure 1, but for a different guide means from that provided in said Figure i; - Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view of an installation according to the invention, in the vicinity of an area where a pallet, after having circulated in one direction, will circulate in a perpendicular direction, - Figure 7 is a view in plan corresponding to Figure 6; - Figure 8 is a sectional view along line 8-8 of Figure 7, on a large scale; - Figure 9 is similar to Figure 2, but for another embodiment, - Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of an installation to the right of a location provided for the immobilization of a pallet in one predetermined position; - Figure 11 is a sectional view along line 11-11 of Figure 10; - Figure 12 is a sectional view along line 12-12 of Figure 10, but on a larger scale; - Figure 13 is a schematic plan view corresponding to a part of Figure 10, but on a larger scale.

A pallet 21 (Figure 1), intended to carry a part or set of parts to be assembled or machined, has a generally rectangular contour, in the embodiment a square contour, and comprises a plate 22, or pallet body, having lateral faces 23, 24 and 25, 26 (Figure 2), an upper face 27 and a lower face 28. On the plate 22 are fixed, to its lower face 28, in the vicinity of its angles, four studs 29, 31 , 32, 33 (Figure 3).

Each of the studs, for example the stud 29, comprises a cylindrical body 34 having at its upper part a tapped bore 35 for its fixing to the plate 22 by a screw 36. Between the upper face 37 of the block and the lower face 28 of the plate 22 is tightened, by the effect of the screw 36, a strip or blade 38 of spring steel having the length of the side of the plate 22 and a width which allows it to protrude relative to the corresponding edge thereof, in l 'species the lateral face 23; and at the end of the strip 38 is fixed a fin or flap 39, bounded by an upper face 41., an internal face 42, an external face 43., a lower face 44, the faces 43 and 44 being connected by a oblique face 45. The lower face 28 of the plate 22 has peripherally a recess 46, the edge of the plate 22 thus being thinner than its body.

The body 34 of the stud has an upper part 51 of larger diameter than its lower part 52 and on the lateral surface 53 of the upper part 51 is provided a damping pad 54. This is adapted to cooperate with a belt 55 , of circular section in the example, advantageously of rubber or similar material, which cooperates, by its part opposite to that cooperating with the lining 54, with small pulleys or rollers 56 mounted idly on small pillars 57 fixed by screws 58 with head 59 on the floor 61 of a station or module 20 forming part of an installation for assembling and / or machining parts.

A stud 62, fixed on the plate 22 of the pallet, contributes to the fixing of the stud 29. The stud 62, which crosses the upper part 51 of the stud, carries the non-rotating part 63 of a ball bearing 64, the part of which rotary 65 is used for the rotational mounting of a support 66 of a roller 67 whose axis 68, perpendicular to the axis of ball bearing 64, projects downward relative to the stud 29; the roller 67 is mounted on its axis 68 by means of a ball bearing.

The support 66 is surrounded by the cylindrical lower part 69, or skirt, of the stud 29, of diameter less than the upper part 51. A shoe 72 is mounted on the skirt 69 by forced insertion of its tubular appendage 71 shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, forming part of the stud, and the lower face 73 of which is opposite the upper face 74 of the bottom or floor 61 of the station, but at a distance therefrom. The lateral faces 75 and 76 of said shoe, with a square configuration, are between them at a distance equal to the diameter of the upper part 34 of the stud.

In the installation part shown in the figure. 3, the pallet 21 progresses in the direction of the arrow f1 by the driving effect caused by the belt 55 moving in the direction of the arrow f2, parallel to the arrow ff, cooperating with the underside 44 of the aileron 39 under the effect of the pressure developed by the spring leaf 38. The pallet rolls by its rollers 67, arranged in a square configuration, on the upper face 74, horizontal, of the floor 61 thus offering displacement extremely resistance low, even if the weight of the part or parts supported by the pallet is high. The action of the belt 55 on the marginal fin 39 tends to rotate the pallet 21 around its central axis 40 in the direction of the arrow f3, rotation being prevented by the cooperation of the flat part 76 of the shoe 72 with the vertical flat face 82 of a quidaae strip 81.

fixed on the floor 61, straight. by reaction, the pad 29 of the pallet 21 is applied, by its damping lining 54, confines the ccxlnoie 55 which thus also plays a guiding role for the pallet. The belt 55 bears for this purpose against the curved faces 83 of the small pulleys 56.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 3, the axes 84 of the small fnc pulleys Sone S 56 are aligned Here nnn rectilinearly.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 4, said axes 84 are arranged in a curvilinear path, for example circular, the strand 85 of the belt thus being arranged in an arc. The guide strip 86 fixed on the floor 61 and with which the studs 31 and 32 of the pallet cooperate has then an internal face 87 arranged concentrically with the belt 85. The strip 86 has an inverted L-shaped section, as shown in the figure 5, with a vertical branch 88 of a sufficient height so that the guide face 87 which the horizontal part 89 has is opposite the cylindrical part or skirt 69 # of the pad 32. In this embodiment, the pallet 21 describes a arc of a circle while maintaining its orientation.

In other embodiments, the palette describes paths with an average line remaining constantly tangent to the mean line of the path or merged with it.

 As long as the pallet 21 rests on the bottom 61 of the station by its rollers 67, the friction between the belt 55 and the pallet is independent of the weight of the latter. It depends on the elastic force exerted by the spring leaf 38 and which is chosen so that the drive force developed by the belt 55 remains minimal while ensuring effective drive.

The latter remains obtained for different levels of the drive belt relative to the upper face 74 of the bottom 61, as long as the elastic blade 38 is deformed.

Even if a long row or row of pallets cooperate by their fin with the same strand of belt, they exert on the latter only a weak braking and the belt exerts on the whole of the pallets only an effort of '' weak training, but sufficient for training, when
the row is not immobilized; this is avoided when the
file is immobilized by a stop at the front of the file,
subjecting said stop to excessive force. When
the stop which immobilizes the row of pallets is eclipsed,
the force developed by the belt on the ailerons, although = ççit à mott rp niouvement # all the pallets
of the row.

In an installation according to the invention, therefore,
only needs low power electric motors
for setting in motion and maintaining the movement of
belts, even for driving many pallets
each of which can receive one or more pieces relatively
heavy.

In FIGS. 6 to 8, a pallet 21 has been shown which,
after having made a straight path on track 101
in the direction of arrow f4, will undertake a journey
straight perpendicular to the first on track 102
according to arrow ~ 5. On the first section of track, the
pallet is driven by a belt 106 passing through
the first groove 110 of a pulley 107 rotatably mounted
crazy around an axis 108. On the second groove 109 of
said pulley passes a belt 111 also passing through
the throat of a second pulley 112 with two grooves driven
from an electric motor 113 placed under the face
lower 99 of floor 61, which rises at its
end along a rim 114. In the upper groove
115 of the pulley 112 passes a second belt 116.
this is used to drive the pallet 21 in the direction
arrow ~ 5.

A set of 117 ser casters has been shown in Figure 7
for holding the belt 106 for driving
pallets in the direction of arrow f4 and a set of rollers 118 for holding the belt 116 for driving the pallets in the direction of arrow f5.

In the direction of the arrow fqr the side 26 of the pallet 21 opposite to that used for the drive is guided by a strip 119 and in the direction of the arrow f the pallet 21 is guided by a strip 121 - making a right angle with the strip il 9, the two strips being fixed on the plonehsXr 61.

At the end of its journey in the direction of arrow f4, the pallet 21 is guided by cooperation of the face 191 of its stud 33 with the internal vertical face 192 of a guide die 193 erected on the bottom 61.

Similarly, in the first part of its journey in the direction of arrow ~ 5, the pallet 21 is guided by cooperation of the face 76 of its stud 31 with the internal vertical face of the guide die 195.

Figure 8 shows in section, on a larger scale, the end of the pallet 21 at the end of movement in the direction of arrow ~ 4, the roller 67 then being directed in said direction.

As soon as the drive begins in the direction of the arrow c the roller support 66 automatically automatically rotates a right angle under the effect of the drive force and the pallet travels in said direction with as much ease it previously circulated in the perpendicular direction, namely that of the arrow ~ 4.

In FIG. 2, there is shown schematically a pallet having fins 391 392 '393 and 394, respectively on each of the four sides of the pallet body and connected to the latter each by a spring leaf 38.

Such a pallet is provided for its drive both in one direction and in the perpendicular direction and this by belt strands perpendicular to each other and cooperating respectively with fins perpendicular to each other, without the orientation of the pallet being changed.

The belt strands perpendicular to each other may be at the same level, as shown in Figure 6, or at different levels.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the pallet comprises only two fins 393, 394, mounted via spring blades on two opposite opposite sides of the pallet body. Such a pallet is provided for displacements during which its orientation changes.

In both cases, slight variations in the level of the floor 61 do not have an unfavorable influence on the training.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 10 to 13 relating to a device capable of bringing a pallet into a predetermined location, both from the longitudinal point of view and from the transverse point of view, and of maintaining it there, for example. for the purpose of machining or assembling the part or parts which it carries.

In said location, the bottom 61 of the station comprises, in correspondence with each of the studs on the pallets, a rectangular window, as shown at 151 for a stud (Figure 12), the distance from the opposite faces 152, 153 of the window, parallel to the direction of circulation of the pallet reaching by its studs directly above said windows, being greater than the width of the said studs.

In each of the windows there projects a section of parallelepipedal rail 154 fixed, by its part projecting below the lower face 99 of the bottom 61, the rod 155 of a jack 156 fixed on the floor 61. The rail section 154 cleaning a passage 157, on its upper face, for the shoe 72 of a stud 32 which remains housed in said rail section when the pallet stops.

To the right of said section of rail is fixed, on the upper face 74 of the bottom 61, a receptacle 161, by lateral pillars 162, 163, and whose body 164, in the general shape of U, formed by a semi-circular cutout "165 which it has, a circular annular bearing surface 166 for the lower face 160 of the cylindrical part 51 of a stud. The annular bearing surface 166 ends towards the internal face 167 of the receptacle 161 by two parts oblique or ramps 169, 171, # ascending from their internal edges 172, 173.

At the determined location, each of the studs on a pallet is housed in the corresponding passage 157, its small roller 67 resting on the bottom 174 of said passage.

The jacks are then actuated in the direction shown by the arrow f6 in FIG. 12. The cylindrical part 51 of each stud approaches the receptacle 161 and when the lower faces 160 of the cylindrical parts 51 of the studs 29, 31, 32, 33, cooperate with the ramps 169, 171, the pallet 21 is raised by the ascent along these ramps, and this until the cylindrical surfaces 51 come into contact with the cylindrical surfaces 165 of the receptacles 161. FIG. 12 shows the final position of the pad 32. It is held in all directions with regard to any movement. It is therefore of a strictly predetermined location.

 In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the pallet 21 has its studs 32 and 31 housed in receptacles 161 and rails 154, as described in reference to FIG. 12.

 On the other hand, the studs 29 and 33 cooperate with a simple rectangular block 161 ′ on the upper face of which they rest by the lower face 72 of their cylindrical part 51.

The pallet is returned to the circulation position by reverse actuation of the jacks 156. The pallet is brought back to a position where it can again be driven by a strand 181 of the belt.

A pallet as shown in Figure 2 can be used advantageously in an installation as described in Patent Application 83 04 ~ 72 filed on March 14, 1983, and which is a division of an Application filed on September 11, 1981, in the name of Monsieur Maurice PRODEL and Monsieur Jacques
PRODEL. It allows the use of perpendicular drive strands of the same level.

Claims (27)

Claims. 1. Installation for the processing and / or machining of parts manually and / or automatically comprising generally rectangular pallets (21) moving in at least one station or module (20) forming part of the installation under the action of friction of one or more drive strands (55), characterized in that the movement of the pallets takes place by means of rolling means (67) equipping the pallet and rolling on the bottom (61) of the station or module , the drive taking place by cooperation of the drive strand (55) with a friction member (39) forming part of the pallet and pressed under elastic pressure against said strand. 2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the rolling means comprise a self-directing roller (67). 3. Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the roller (67) is mounted in a support (66) rotating about a horizontal axis (68), said support being mounted to rotate about a vertical axis ( 62), said horizontal axis (68) being offset from said vertical axis (62). 4. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive of the pallet (21) by the strand (55) is marginal, abutment means (81, 86, 119, 121) being provided, integral with the bottom ( 61), for guiding the pallet (21) by its margin opposite to the drive margin. 5. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the pallet (21) has a pallet body (22) and, resiliently mounted on said body, the friction member (39) adapted to cooperate with a drive strand (55). 6. Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that the friction member (39) consists of a fin (391 392 393 394) connected to said pallet body by a leaf spring (38). 7. Installation according to claim 6, characterized in that the pallet comprises two fins (393, 394) depending on two opposite sides (25,26) of the rectangle limiting the pallet body. 8. Installation according to claim 6, characterized in that the pallet comprises four fins (391 392 '3931 394) depending respectively on the four sides (23, 24, 25, 26) limiting the pallet body. 9. Installation according to claim 8, characterized in that two perpendicular fins are adapted to cooperate respectively with drive strands located at the same level. 10. Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the two drive pulleys provided respectively for two adjacent perpendicular strands are connected together by a belt or the like, interposed between grooves of the same level provided on one and the another pulley, a single motor thus being suitable for driving the two perpendicular strands. 11. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the rolling means comprise four rollers (67), mounted in a rectangular configuration concentric with the configuration of the pallet. 12. Installation according to claim 11, characterized in that each of the rollers (67) is carried by a stud (29, 31, 32, 33) depending on the pallet body (22). 13. Installation according to claim 12, characterized in that each stud (29, 31, 32, 33) comprises a fixed body (34) in which the roller support (66) is rotatably mounted. 14. Installation according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that each stud (29, 31, 32, 33) comprises means (69) adapted to cooperate with guide means (81, 86, 119, 121) - integral from the bottom or floor (61) of the module. 15. Installation according to one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that each stud (29, 31, 32, 33) comprises a flat lateral face (75, 76) for cooperation with a rectilinear guide strip (81, 119, 121). 16. Installation according to one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that each stud (29, 31, 32, 33) comprises a cylindrical surface (69) for its cooperation # with a curved guide strip (86). 17. Installation according to one of claims 15 and 16, characterized in that the flat lateral face (75, 76) and the cylindrical surface (69) are offset from each other relative to the axis of the stud . 18. Installation according to one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that each stud comprises means (54) for its cooperation with stop means constituted by the drive strand (55) itself. 19. Installation according to claim 18, characterized in that the drive strand (55) cooperates with a row of pulleys (84, 118) parallel to the guide means of the pallet by its opposite margin. 20. Installation according to claim 19, characterized in that the guide means (81, 86, 119, 121) have a configuration which requires a pallet to move without changing its orientation. 21. Installation according to claim 19, characterized in that the guide means (81, 86, 119, 121) have a configuration which requires the pallet to have a substantially constant orientation relative to its path. 22. Installation according to one of claims 13 to 21, characterized in that the bottom or floor (61) of the station is equipped with means (154, 161) provided in determined locations so that their cooperation with one or more studs ( 29, 31, 32, 33) impose immobilization of the pallet (21) in said locations. 23. Installation according to claim 22, characterized in that said immobilization means comprise a receptacle (161) plumb with which is a stud when the pallet reaches the determined location and in that horizontal displacement means as a jack (156) are provided to cause said stud to cooperate by a horizontal face (160) with a ramp (169, 171) of a pallet support, thus spreading the rolling roller (67> from the rolling face from the station to the predetermined position of the circuit. 24. Installation according to claims 6 and 9, character .. laughing in that the same pallet (21) cooperates simultaneously by its fins (391 393) with elastic mounting with two drive strands (106, 116) perpendicular to each other.  25. Installation according to claim 18, characterized in that the zones (54) of the pads provided for cooperation with a drive strand (55) are coated with a flexible material. 26. Pallet forming part of an installation according to one of claims 1 to 25. 27. Pallet according to claim 26, characterized in that it comprises, on one of its edges, a margin (39) elastically deformable relative to the body (22) of the pallet and of the pads (29, 31, 32? 33 ) roller (67) for rolling the pallet on a floor (61) of the installation, said studs having vertical abutment faces (53, 69, 75, 76) for guiding the pallet.