JP2000001164A - Material carrying equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable unloading of goods with the handling unit properly to be performed even when positional relationship between the track on which the carrier truck travels and goods unloading positions of respective work stations is not consistent. SOLUTION: This material carrying equipment is provided with a carrier truck 10 that travels along an elevated monorail 1, and a handling unit 11 coupled with the carrier truck 10 in the suspended state to be able to go up/ down. The handling unit 11 is provided with a horizontal movement mechanism and a rotational movement mechanism. The horizontal movement mechanism moves the goods retaining means which comprises a chuck 51 or the like in the horizontal direction rectangular to the traveling direction of the carrier truck 10. The rotational movement mechanism rotates the abovementioned goods retaining means around the vertical axis.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport device in which a handling device for holding a load on a transport vehicle traveling along an elevated track is suspended.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a transport vehicle that travels along an elevated track disposed on a ceiling or the like in a factory, and a handling device that is connected to the transport vehicle so as to be able to ascend and descend in a suspended state. A transport device that transports a luggage while holding it using the handling device is generally known.

In a transfer system using this type of transfer device, a track such as a monorail is disposed over positions corresponding to work stations provided at a plurality of locations in a factory, and a work truck is operated along the track. Various packages are transported between the stations. When the loading / unloading of the cargo is performed at a specific work station, the handling device is driven by the lifting / lowering means while the transport trolley is stopped at a position corresponding to the work station, and a predetermined load for loading / unloading is performed. After descending to the height position,
The luggage holding means such as a chuck provided in the handling device is operated to hold or release the luggage, and then, after the handling device is lifted, the transport trolley moves to the next destination position. Has become.

[0004]

When the transport system is deployed in a factory or the like, the track is laid out so as to pass above the loading / unloading place of each work station. If the facilities have already been constructed and the luggage loading / unloading locations of the respective work stations are not aligned, the luggage loading / unloading locations of the respective working stations and the above-mentioned trajectory are all in a fixed positional relationship. It is difficult to arrange the track, and it is unavoidable that the position (the positional relationship in the direction perpendicular to the running direction) and the angle of the loading / unloading place with respect to the track in the plan view are somewhat different for each work station.

In such a case, the carriage is stopped at a position corresponding to the work station as in the prior art, and the loading / unloading operation is performed by operating the handling device while the height of the handling device is adjusted by the lifting device. However, there is a possibility that it is difficult to hold the baggage by the handling device or that the handling device interferes with equipment near the loading / unloading place, etc., if only the work is performed.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even when there is a variation in the positional relationship between the track on which the transport vehicle travels and the loading / unloading location of each work station, loading / unloading of the load by the handling device is performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device capable of appropriately performing the work for the transfer.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a transport vehicle traveling along an elevated track, and a load holding means for holding loads, the transport vehicle being suspended from the transport vehicle. And a lifting device for raising and lowering the handling device, wherein the handling device moves the luggage holding means in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the transport trolley. A horizontal moving mechanism and a rotating mechanism for rotating the luggage holding means around a vertical axis are provided.

According to this configuration, when there is a variation in the positional relationship between the track on which the transport vehicle travels and the luggage loading / unloading location of each work station, the above-described luggage loading / unloading location and the like are determined according to the position and the like. The position and angle of the baggage holding means are adjusted by the operation of the horizontal movement mechanism and the rotation mechanism.

As a specific configuration of the present invention, a handling apparatus includes a first frame suspended by a transport vehicle via elevating means, and a traveling direction of the transport vehicle relative to the first frame via guide means. A second frame movably mounted in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first frame, a driving means for horizontal movement for moving the second frame, and a second frame rotatable about a vertical axis via a shaft. A third frame attached to the shaft, and a rotation driving means for rotating the third frame. A horizontal movement mechanism is constituted by the guide means and the horizontal movement drive means, and the shaft body and the rotation drive means are provided. Constitutes a rotating mechanism by
What is necessary is just to provide the luggage holding means in the said 3rd frame.

With this configuration, the second frame is moved with respect to the first frame by the horizontal movement driving means, so that the third frame and the luggage holding means provided on the third frame are moved. By rotating the third frame with respect to the second frame by the rotation driving means, the luggage holding means is rotated accordingly.

The driving means for horizontal movement includes, for example, a first
The second frame is moved via a ball screw mechanism by a motor for horizontal movement attached to the frame. By doing so, the movement of the second frame with respect to the first frame is performed smoothly. Further, the rotation driving means includes, for example, a rotation motor attached to the second frame, a lever operated by the motor via a ball screw mechanism, and both ends pivotally connected to the lever and the third frame. And a linked link. With this configuration, the rotation of the third frame with respect to the second frame is smoothly performed.

The load holding means includes, for example, a chuck capable of holding a gripped portion of the load from both sides by a pair of opposing gripping portions, and chuck driving means for opening and closing the chuck. . With this configuration, the load is gripped by the operation of the chuck, and at this time, the position and angle of the chuck are adjusted so that the load is properly gripped.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically show a system comprising a transport device and a work station where the loading and unloading of goods is performed. In this figure, a transport device includes a rail 1 (monorail) as an elevated track and this rail 1
And a transport vehicle 10 that travels along itself.
The rails 1 are laid out so as to pass above the luggage loading / unloading locations of the work stations ST provided at a plurality of locations in the factory. Has been fixed through.

The work station ST is provided with a ground-side machine 5 and a luggage installation stand 6.
The luggage 7 to be loaded / unloaded is set on the setting table 6. The luggage 7 is composed of, for example, a case in which a work or the like is accommodated, and a rectangular plate-shaped gripped portion 7a is provided at an upper end of the case.

A handling device 11 is connected to the carrier 10 so as to be able to move up and down in a suspended state, and the carrier 10 travels along the rail 1 while holding the load 7 by the handling device 11. At the work station ST where the load 7 is to be transported and the load is to be loaded and unloaded, the handling device 11 is operated with the transport trolley 10 stopped so that the load is held or released on the installation table 6. It has become.

The structure of the transfer device will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the carrier 1
When referring to the direction based on 0, the traveling direction (direction along the rail) of the transport vehicle 10 is referred to as an X direction, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the direction is referred to as a Y direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rail 1 has a substantially I-shaped cross section having horizontal rails 1b and 1c extending on both sides at upper and lower ends of a vertically extending rail constituting wall 1a. In the example shown in the figure, a pair of power transmission lines 12 are attached via a hanger 13 between the upper and lower rail portions 1b and 1c on one side of the rail configuration wall 1a in order to supply electric power to the carriage 10 by non-contact power supply. Have been.

The carrier 10 has a motor 15 serving as both a driving source for traveling and a driving source for elevating the handling device.
And a drive wheel 16 that is driven by the motor 15 and rolls on the rail 1 is provided. Further, guide rollers 17 and 18 along the upper and lower sides of the rail 1 and the lower surface of the rail 1 are provided. It is arranged.

The drive wheel 16 is disposed between the rails 1b and 1c so as to roll on the lower rail 1c, and is connected to the motor 15 via a transmission means (not shown). ing. Also, the motor 15
And a brake (not shown) for braking the drive wheels when the clutch is off.

A pickup unit 20 to which power is supplied from the transmission line 12 by electromagnetic induction is provided on the side of the carriage 10 opposite to the drive wheels 16 with the rail 1 interposed therebetween. The pickup unit 20 includes a core member 21 made of a magnetic material and having a substantially E-shaped cross section, and a pickup coil 2 wound around a central projecting portion of the core member 21.
2 and are arranged such that the power transmission line 12 passes through the space portions on both the upper and lower sides of the core member 21. And transmission line 1
When a high-frequency current flows through the pickup coil 2, an electromotive force due to electromagnetic induction is generated in the pickup coil 22, and the electromotive force is supplied to the motor 15 via the controller 23.

A pair of hoisting mechanisms 25 constituting lifting means for raising and lowering the handling device 11 are disposed on both sides in the X direction of the lower part of the transport vehicle 10.
Each hoisting mechanism 25 includes a drum drive shaft 2 extending in the Y direction.
6 has a pair of drums 27 provided at both ends thereof, and a belt 28 derived from each of the drums 27. The belt 28 is guided downward through a guide portion 29 composed of a pair of rollers, and has a lower end. Is connected to the upper end of the handling device 11. The drum drive shaft 26 is connected to the motor 15 via a transmission means (not shown). Further, a clutch for interrupting transmission of power from the motor 15 to the drum drive shaft 26 and a drum drive shaft 26
(These are not shown) are provided.

The handling device 11 includes a flat box-shaped first frame 31, a plate-shaped second frame 32 housed inside the first frame 31, and a first frame 3.
1, a flat box-shaped third frame 33 located below
And a luggage holding means provided on the third frame. In the first frame 31, the vicinity of the four corners of the upper surface plate 31a is connected to the belt 2 through a connecting member 34.
By being connected to the lower end of the carriage 8, it is suspended by the carrier 10 via the elevating means.

The second frame 32 includes a first frame 3
1 is movably mounted in the Y-direction via guide means including guide rods 35A and 35B and a guided portion 36, and is operated by a horizontal movement drive means. 33 is attached to the second frame 32 via a shaft 41 to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and is operated by a rotation driving means. The guide means and the horizontal movement driving means constitute a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the luggage holding means in the Y direction, and the shaft body 41 and the rotation driving means rotate the luggage holding means about a vertical axis. A rotation mechanism for causing the rotation is configured.

The above-mentioned horizontal moving mechanism, rotating mechanism and luggage holding means will be described more specifically. The first frame 31
Are disposed at predetermined positions in the X direction at two locations, guide rods 35A and 35B extending in the Y direction and having both ends fixed to the upper surface plate 31a via brackets are disposed on the second frame 32. When the fixed guided portion 36 is slidably fitted to the guide rods 35A and 35B, the second frame 32 moves in the Y direction with respect to the first frame 31.
It can be moved in any direction.

In the vicinity of one of the guide rods 35A in the first frame 31, a Y composed of a pulse motor is provided.
A shaft motor (motor for horizontal movement) 37 and a ball screw shaft 38 extending in the Y direction parallel to the guide rod 35A and connected to the Y-axis motor 37 are arranged, and these Y-axis motor 37 and ball screw shaft 38 are arranged. Is supported by the upper plate 31a, and a nut member 39 screwed to the ball screw shaft 38 via a ball is fixed to the second frame 32. Thus, the horizontal movement driving means is configured to move the second frame 32 in the Y direction by the Y-axis motor 37 via the ball screw mechanism including the ball screw shaft 38 and the nut member 39.

A cylindrical shaft 41 projecting downward is fixed to the center of the second frame 32, and a cylindrical member 42 is fixed to the upper surface of the third frame 33. 42 is rotatably fitted to the shaft 41.

Further, the second frame 32 has a .theta.-axis motor (rotating motor) 43 composed of a pulse motor, and a belt 44 and pulleys 44a, 44
and a ball screw shaft 45 connected via the “b”. The ball screw shaft 45 is disposed near and parallel to the guide rod 35B.
A nut member 47 that is screwed into the nut 5 via a ball is fixed to a lever 46 that is movable in the Y direction. The lever 46 has a guided portion 48 fitted to the guide rod 35B.
And a pin 49 protruding downward, and the pin 49 protrudes into the third frame 33. Third
A link 50 is disposed in the frame 33, one end 50 a of the link 50 is pivotally connected to the pin 49, and the other end 50 b of the link 50 is connected to the third frame 33.
Is pivotally connected to the upper surface plate 33a.

Thus, the third frame 33 is rotated about the shaft 41 by the θ-axis motor 43, the ball screw mechanism including the ball screw shaft 45 and the nut member 47, the lever 46, and the link 50. The driving means for rotation is comprised.

The baggage holding means comprises a pair of movable members 52A, 5A having grip portions 53A, 53B opposed to each other.
A chuck 51 made of 2B and chuck driving means are provided. Each of the movable members 52A and 52B is supported by a guide rail 54 in the X direction so as to be movable in the X direction, and both sides are formed on the lower surface plate 3 of the third frame 33.
3b, projecting downward through a notch provided in the opening 3b, gripping portions 53A, 53B in the form of horizontal narrow plates are provided at the lower end thereof, and the upper end of the load 7 is gripped as shown in FIGS. The portion 7a can be gripped from both sides.

The chuck driving means includes a chuck motor 5
5, a drive shaft 57 that is rotationally driven by the motor 55 via a bevel gear 56, and a pair of links 59A, 59.
B, and a large-diameter head 5 provided at the tip of the drive shaft 57.
8, one end of each of the two links 59A, 59B is pivotally connected to two locations every other half circumference.
The other end of 9B is pivotally connected to each of the movable members 52A, 52B. Then, when the drive shaft 57 is rotated by being driven by the motor 55, the two links 59A,
The two movable members 52A, 52B operate so as to approach or separate from each other via 59B, whereby the holding or release of the baggage 7 is performed.

According to the transfer apparatus of the present embodiment, the transfer carriage 10 travels between the work stations ST, and the lifting and lowering of the handling device 11 by the lifting means for loading and unloading the luggage at the work station ST and the chuck. In addition to the operation of the chuck 51 by the driving means,
The position and angle of the luggage holding means in the Y direction can be adjusted according to the position of the luggage loading / unloading place for each station.

That is, when the Y-axis motor 37 is driven, the ball screw shaft 38 rotates as shown by an arrow a in FIG. 8, and the second frame 32 and the shaft 41 attached to the second frame 32 become Y-shaped. The third frame 33 also moves in the Y direction as shown by the arrow b.
When the θ-axis motor 43 is driven, an arrow c in FIG.
By rotating the ball screw shaft 45 as shown by,
When the lever 46 moves in the Y direction as shown by the arrow d and the link 50 is displaced accordingly, the third frame 33 is rotationally displaced in the θ direction about the shaft 41 as shown by the arrow e, The angle of the third frame 33 changes from a solid line to a two-dot chain line in plan view.

With the movement of the third frame 33 in the Y direction (FIG. 8) and the change in the angle (FIG. 9) in a plan view,
The luggage holding means such as the chuck 51 provided on the third frame 33 also moves and rotates in the Y direction.
Therefore, even when the positions and angles of the ground-side machine 5 and the luggage placing table 6 are varied with respect to the rail 1 for each work station, the position and the angle of the chuck 51 can be adjusted accordingly. The baggage 7 on the baggage setting table 6 can be correctly grasped, and it is possible to prevent the baggage 7 from interfering with the ground-side machine 5 while the handling device 11 is being moved up and down when the baggage is loaded and unloaded.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control system of the handling device 11 includes a sequencer 60, pulse motor drivers 61 and 62 for driving the Y-axis motor 37 and the θ-axis motor 43, respectively, and a chuck motor 55. The DC motor driver 63 to be driven is provided in the handling device 11. The sequencer 60 can communicate with the controller 23 provided on the transport trolley by optical communication or the like, and according to information given from the controller 23, the sequencer 60
The operation of each of the motors 37, 43, 55 is controlled via the control gears 2, 63.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation performed by the controller 23 and the sequencer 60. When this control is started, the data of the Y and θ positions corresponding to the target station ST is stored in the central control unit based on the data set in advance according to the arrangement of the ground machine 5 and the luggage placing table 6 for each station. And the like, and the data is received by the sequencer 60 via the controller 23 (step S
1). Then, the transport vehicle 1 to the target station ST
0 (step S2), and during the traveling, the Y-axis motor 37 and the θ-axis motor 43 are driven to move the luggage holding means in the Y and θ directions (step S3).

When the transport vehicle 10 reaches the target station ST, the handling device 1 is driven by driving the lifting / lowering means.
1 is lowered onto the luggage installation table 6 (step S4), and then the chuck 51 is closed (step S5), whereby the luggage on the luggage installation table 6 is gripped.
1 rises to the original position (step S6).

Next, the data of the Y and θ positions transmitted from the central control device or the like for the station ST of the load destination is received by the sequencer 60 via the controller 23 (step S7), and the target station ST serving as the load destination is received. The Y-axis motor 37
And the θ-axis motor 43 is driven to move the luggage holding means in the Y and θ directions (steps S8, S8).
9). Then, when reaching the target station ST, the handling device 11 descends onto the luggage setting table 6 (step S10), and is then unloaded by opening the chuck 51 (step S11). (Step S12).

Thereafter, the transport vehicle 10 travels to the origin position (step S13), and the Y-axis motor 37 moves the Y-direction position and the θ-direction position back to the origin.
And the θ-axis motor 43 are driven (step S1).
4).

In this way, the carriage 10 moves between the stations, and the handling device 11 for loading and unloading the luggage at the destination station and the chuck 5 move.
Each control of the operation 1 is performed, and control for adjusting the Y direction position and the θ direction position of the luggage holding device is performed. In particular, the position of the luggage holding device in the Y direction and θ
Since the adjustment of the directional position is performed during the travel of the transport trolley 10, there is no time loss and the work is performed efficiently.

Note that the specific structure of the transfer device is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously changed. For example, in the above embodiment, the power supply to the transport vehicle 10 is performed by non-contact power supply using electromagnetic induction, but power may be supplied by a trolley wire. Also, a chuck 51 of the luggage holding means provided in the handling device 11.
And the like may be appropriately changed depending on the shape of the load 7 to be held and the like.

[0042]

As described above, according to the transfer apparatus of the present invention, the luggage holding means is moved in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the transfer vehicle to the handling device connected to the transfer vehicle so as to be able to move up and down. Horizontal moving mechanism, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the luggage holding means around a vertical axis,
Adjusts the position and angle of the luggage holding means according to the position of the load / unload location, even if there is a variation in the positional relationship between the track on which the transport vehicle travels and the load / unload location of each work station. can do. Therefore, the baggage can be properly held and released by the baggage holding means when loading / unloading the baggage, and the ground-side machine or the like located near the baggage loading / unloading site when the handling device is moved up / down. Can be prevented from interfering with each other.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a system including a transfer device of the present invention and equipment on the ground side.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the system.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the transfer device.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the transfer device.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing an internal structure of a first frame of the handling device.

FIG. 7 is a partially sectional plan view showing an internal structure of a third frame of the handling device.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation by a horizontal movement mechanism.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation by a rotating mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control system.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 rail 7 luggage 10 transport trolley 11 handling device 25 hoisting mechanism 31 first frame 32 second frame 33 third frame 35A, 35B guide rod 36 guided portion 37 Y-axis motor 38 ball screw shaft 39 nut member 41 shaft member 43 θ Shaft motor 45 Ball screw shaft 46 Lever 47 Nut member 50 Link 51 Chuck

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A transporting vehicle that travels along an elevated track, a handling device that has a load holding means for holding loads, and is connected to the transporting vehicle so as to be able to move up and down in a suspended state. A transport device having lifting means for lifting and lowering, the handling device includes a horizontal moving mechanism for moving the luggage holding means in a horizontal direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of the transport trolley, and rotating the luggage holding means about a vertical axis. A transport device comprising a rotating mechanism for moving the transport device. 2. A first frame suspended by a transport vehicle via an elevating means on a handling device, and a first frame is moved relative to the first frame via a guide means in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the transport vehicle. A second frame movably attached to the second frame, a horizontal movement driving unit for moving the second frame, and a third frame attached to the second frame so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis via a shaft. And a rotation drive means for rotating the third frame. A horizontal movement mechanism is constituted by the guide means and the horizontal movement drive means, and a rotation mechanism is constituted by the shaft and the rotation drive means. 2. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein a load holding means is provided on the third frame. 3. The horizontal movement driving means is adapted to move the second frame via a ball screw mechanism by a horizontal movement motor attached to the first frame. Transport device. 4. A rotating drive means includes: a rotating motor mounted on the second frame; a lever operated by the motor via a ball screw mechanism; and both ends of the lever and the third frame. The transport device according to claim 2, further comprising a link connected to the support. 5. The baggage holding means includes a chuck configured to be able to hold a gripped portion of a baggage from both sides by a pair of opposing gripping portions, and chuck driving means for opening and closing the chuck. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: