JP2000211730A - Conveyor device and conveyance line therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyor device and a conveyance line therewith, which is optimum to a variety and variable manufacturing system capable of meeting a change in an unpredictable future production condition flexibly and promptly, and is capable of cost reduction in hardware. SOLUTION: This conveyor device, which stops works W1, W2 at the work position of a machining device 3 and conveys works repeatedly after the operation, is provided with sensor units 6a to 6c detecting the setting of the works on respective conveyors 2, and a drive motor 4, and the centralized controller 1 performing centralized control for the respective conveyors 2 to detect the travel amount of the drive motor 4, thus it is possible to stop and convey the works.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveyor conveying apparatus and a conveying line using the same, and for example, a versatile conveyor for arbitrarily driving and stopping a number of conveyors provided in a production line or a distribution line. It concerns transport technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method for transporting various conveyed objects, which are works, by a conveyor, stopping at a desired position, and conveying again, stoppers are provided at various parts of the conveyor, and the conveyed objects collide with the stoppers. How to stop it,
There are two ways to stop the conveyed goods on the conveyor by stopping the conveyor itself.

The former method using a stopper is used for many transport lines regardless of the field of products, and is particularly used for an assembly line using a pallet on which a work is mounted. The length of the machine per conveyor using such stoppers is generally long, and a plurality of stoppers are arranged in the middle of conveyance, a plurality of articles are stopped at desired positions, and then conveyed. In such a conveyor, the impact force due to the collision between the stopper and the work is reduced, so as not to damage the product which is the work, and also to suppress the scattering of precision small parts by the impact force. In the case of transporting heavy objects, it is common to provide the stopper with a shock absorber as a shock absorber for also protecting the stopper itself.

On the other hand, in the method of stopping the conveyor itself,
In order to avoid interference between workpieces, the number of workpieces per conveyor is limited to one, and short conveyors that can be controlled independently are continuously arranged, and a stop sensor and a deceleration sensor are arranged on each conveyor from the upstream side. When the stop sensor is turned on from a low-speed running state, the conveyor, that is, the work is stopped. At this time, if it is desired to prevent the occurrence of slip between the surface of the conveying means (for example, the belt surface in the case of a belt conveyor) and the surface of the conveyed material as a work, the acceleration (decrease) speed without slipping and the sufficient acceleration (decrease) speed distance By performing inverter speed control or the like so as to achieve a low-speed running state just before the stop position, the stop accuracy at which the work stops at the predetermined work position is improved.

[0005] By the way, many production systems based on the "variable and variable production system" have recently been introduced. In other words, equipment introduction is based on future production forecasts.
When things are almost never going as planned or predicted, when new equipment that is expected or not planned at the time of equipment introduction must be produced, or production must be less than or greater than the equipment capacity. Not a few.

[0006] The equipment capacity is determined based on the production volume predicted at the time of introduction. However, if the predicted volume is lower than the market demand, there is a problem that the production will be less than the facility capacity and the investment amount cannot be recovered. On the contrary, even if it is thankful, even if there is a demand exceeding the facility capacity, it cannot respond to this, and there is a possibility that the maximum opportunity loss will be caused. In other words, it is almost impossible to accurately predict at the time of the introduction of the equipment whether or not the product planned at the time of the introduction of the equipment will be accepted by the market, and the amount and period of the product. Furthermore, unless the system or equipment can flexibly cope with the production of a new product that involves a modification of the layout or the equipment, a huge amount of new cost and period will be generated, and the mechanical loss may increase further. In addition, once a production system or equipment has been introduced, it will be possible to recover the investment unless it is operated for at least several years, and if it is long, more than ten years, but the product will change many times during this cost cancellation. .

[0007] Usually, products change with a tendency to be light and thin, and
In some cases, the product is switched to a new product at once, or in other cases, the product is gradually switched. For example, in the assembly line of electronic equipment, when performing production where old products and new products are mixed, if the parts to be handled are thinned, the work is run at the conventional transport speed and stopped by the stopper. Then
There is a problem that the lightened parts may be damaged by scattering or impact.

[0008] To solve this problem, the transport speed may be reduced, but it cannot be adopted because it has a disadvantage that productivity is reduced.
Therefore, there is a method of adjusting the shock absorber provided on the stopper as described above, but there is a limit in the adjustment, and there is a problem that the adjustment requires a considerable time. In addition, there is a drawback that an adjustment operation is performed every time the work changes, and the productivity is reduced. On the other hand, there is also known a method of arranging a plurality of shock absorbers and switching them according to the product type, but has a drawback in that the cost of the equipment and control is increased.

In view of this, the present applicant has proposed a conveyor device shown in FIG. That is, although only three machines are shown in the drawing, many short conveyors 202 are continuously arranged in large numbers, and each conveyor is stopped when the work is transported to a position corresponding to the predetermined work equipment. Equipment for transporting products, which are workpieces with different shapes, has been introduced. Each conveyor 202 is provided with a drive motor 205 for driving a conveyor belt, and a motor driver 2 is provided.
The motor drive is controlled by the control device 201 connected to the motor 15 and the deceleration sensor 203 is sequentially arranged from the upstream side.
The short sensor 202, the presence sensor 205, and the discharge sensor 206 are provided, and the short conveyors 202 are individually controlled by inputting the output from each sensor to the control device 201 via the port 216. The workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wc of various shapes are sequentially stopped at one of a leading reference stop, a trailing end reference stop, and a center reference stop, which are stop patterns for stopping at different working positions as shown in the figure. Was.

Further, when stopping at the center of the work on the conveyor on the left side of the figure, after detecting the head of the work,
The sensor unit 210 for decelerating and stopping is mounted on a numerically controlled linear movement mechanism (x table) capable of stopping at an arbitrary position, thereby achieving stopping at an arbitrary position. In order to further shorten the production cycle time, a work discharge sensor 206 is provided at the end of the conveyor to check the discharge, so that preparations for receiving the next work can be started quickly.

As described above, a large number of short conveyors 202 are continuously arranged, and each conveyor is conveyed to a position corresponding to a predetermined work device and stopped, thereby achieving the size,
Proposal of a general-purpose conveyor system capable of handling workpieces with different shapes has been achieved.

[0012]

However, as described above, the linear movement mechanism of numerical control for stopping the sensor unit 210 for stopping the center at an arbitrary position is described below.
If provided on all conveyors, the cost would be enormous. Further, as described above, at least three sensors had to be provided on each conveyor in order to stop the work at the predetermined position, so that the number of sensors as a whole was enormous,
There was a problem that the cost was enormous, and it was a major issue to reduce the number of sensors and realize a flexible work stopping method.

In order to carry the work in an arbitrary direction, the work transfer direction must be detected and the transfer position must be constantly monitored, and the hardware cost for this is enormous. The direction was limited from upstream to downstream.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object a suitable variable and variable production system capable of flexibly and agilely responding to unpredictable future changes in production conditions. It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor transfer device capable of reducing hardware costs and a transfer line using the same.

Further, the present invention is suitable for a variant and variable production system capable of flexibly and promptly responding to unpredictable changes in the future production situation, and significantly reduces the hardware cost for carrying a workpiece in an arbitrary direction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor conveying device that can perform the above-mentioned operations and a conveying line using the same.

[0016]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the object, a plurality of conveyors for carrying a work are provided, and a predetermined work for performing a predetermined work is provided. In a conveyor transport device that stops a work at a work position of a working means and repeats an operation of carrying a work after the predetermined work, each conveyor is supported by a base and the base, and the work is placed on the base. A moving means, a driving motor means for driving the conveying means, a presence / absence detecting means for detecting that a work is placed on the carrying means, and the drive motor after detecting by the presence / absence detecting means. Moving amount detecting means for detecting the moving amount of the work moved by the driving of the means,
A control means connected to the drive motor means, the presence / absence detection means, and the movement amount detection means of each of the conveyors, for performing centralized control of each of the conveyors; Thereafter, by detecting the movement amount of the drive motor means, the work is stopped at the work position, and the drive motor means is controlled so as to carry the work after the predetermined work.

Further, a plurality of conveyors for carrying the work are arranged, the work is stopped at a work position of a predetermined work means for performing a predetermined work, and the operation of carrying the work after the predetermined work is repeated. In the conveyor conveying device, each of the conveyors, a base, a conveying unit that is supported by the base, and moves the work in a mounted state, a driving motor unit for driving the conveying unit,
A pulse generation means provided on the work so as to be along the work conveyance direction, and detecting that the work is first placed on the conveyance means by detecting the pulse generation means; and A moving amount detecting means for detecting a moving amount of the work moved by the driving from the pulse generating means, and a centralized control and a distributed control of each of the conveyors connected to the driving motor means and the moving amount detecting means of each of the conveyors; And control means for performing
The work is stopped at the work position by the centralized control and the distributed control, and the work is transferred after the predetermined work.

[0018]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a transfer line using a conveyor transfer device. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the conveyors 2a, 2b, and 2c of FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the works W1 and W2 are placed on the pallet 20 or placed directly on the conveyor belt of the conveyor 2 and conveyed in the direction of the arrow. It is configured to stop at a position corresponding to the processing device 3 as a working means and to be sent to the downstream processing device 3 after completion of a predetermined operation such as mounting of parts to perform work assembling work. .

Each of the conveyors 2 includes a conveyor frame 10 serving as a base disposed along a conveying path, a conveying belt 11 serving as conveying means supported by the conveyor frame 10, and
And a drive motor 4 for driving and stopping the transport belt 11. The drive motor 4 is connected to a motor driver section 14 connected to the central control section 1.

Each of the conveyors 2 has sensor units 6a, 6b and 6c for detecting the dog 21 fixed to the end of the pallet 20 as a presence / absence detecting means. It is fixed at a predetermined position, and outputs an output signal from each sensor unit to the sensor unit 16 and outputs the signal to the central control unit 1 to which the sensor unit 16 is connected, thereby performing the control described later. Like that.

On the other hand, the number of drive pulses Pa, Pb, Pc of the drive motor 4 corresponding to the distance from the fixed position of the sensor units 6a, 6b, 6c to the processing device 3 is determined by the input unit 7 connected to the central control unit 1. The user inputs in advance while watching the display 8.

A general-purpose motor, a servomotor, or a stepping motor can be used as the drive motor 4. In the case of a general-purpose motor, a single encoder 5 which also serves as a pulse generating and moving amount detecting means is fixed to the output shaft. , And outputs a generated pulse to the encoder unit 15 connected to the centralized control unit 1.

It is needless to say that the encoder 5 can be arranged to be engaged with a component to be driven, for example, a drive shaft, a pulley, or a traveling conveyor belt 11, that is, to generate the pulse of the movement of the conveyor belt 11. I try to get it as a number. Drive motor 4
In the case where a servo motor or a stepping motor is used, the encoder 5 becomes unnecessary.

In this way, when the motor is a general-purpose motor, the speed of the motor is controlled by the inverter control, and when the motor is a servomotor or the like, accurate positioning of the work W can be realized by so-called open drive. With the above configuration, not only the functions of the deceleration sensor, the stop sensor, the discharge completion sensor, and the like described with reference to FIG. 5 are performed, but also the work speed can be controlled. That is, the work that has been carried in is transferred to the sensor units 6a, 6b, 6c.
, The position of the workpiece can be confirmed, the distance from the detected position to the stop position of the processing device 3 is set in advance by the number of pulses, and if necessary, the deceleration start position is also set. While discharging, when discharging,
It is possible to accelerate to a preset speed by a preset acceleration distance (pulse) or timer control. Further, the acceleration at the time of deceleration can be similarly performed. For this purpose, a data unit 9 is connected or built into the centralized control unit 1 so that acceleration at the time of acceleration and deceleration of each work can be input from a table.

That is, the acceleration at the time of acceleration or deceleration, the maximum speed of the workpiece movement, and the stop position can be set and changed in a programmable manner, so that the case where the production type changes frequently or when multiple types are simultaneously produced. Even in such a case, control data such as a stop position, a conveying speed, and an acceleration are set in advance for each product type, so that it is possible to respond instantaneously only by inputting product type information. Also,
Even if a new product is to be produced, the user only needs to input the control data and does not need to adjust the sensor position of the machine at all.

This acceleration control is particularly important for moving the work according to the set value, and it is important to prevent a slip from occurring between the work and the pallet 20 on which the work is placed and the transport belt 11. . In other words, rapid acceleration, deceleration, and sudden stop of the work are accompanied by slip, so that there is a high possibility that the set stop position will be overrun. In order to suppress the slip generated as described above, for example, in the case of belt conveyance, the relationship between the friction coefficient μ, the acceleration α, and the gravitational acceleration G of the conveyance surface where the belt and the pallet 20 come into contact is expressed as μG> Under the condition of α, no slip occurs. Since μ may change depending on the production environment, it is desirable that the acceleration be given a sufficient margin, and it is highly effective to combine μ with a combination material of the transfer surface having a high friction coefficient.

As described above, when the acceleration can be adjusted, even when the work is directly conveyed without using the pallet 20 or the like, the work can be conveyed without damaging the work due to slip scratches or impact. In addition, damage to the conveyor belt 11 can be reduced, and generation of abrasion powder and the like can be suppressed, so that improvement in product quality and extension of equipment life can be expected.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of control in the centralized control means of the conveyor device having the above-described configuration. As a representative example, the conveyor 2b located at the center of FIG. 1 will be described. The conveyor 2b requests the workpiece from the upstream conveyor 2a,
The conveyor 2a completes the discharge preparation.

Thereafter, the flow advances to step S4 to read the work and acceleration information input in advance. Then,
In step S5, the conveyors 2a and 2b are started simultaneously and accelerated at the same acceleration so that the tip of the pallet 20 is placed on the conveyor 2b during acceleration. Next, step S
At 6, the detection dog 21 provided on the pallet 20 is detected by the sensor unit 6b. The speed of the conveyor is controlled using this detection point as a pulse count base point.

The flow indicated by the thick line on the left in FIG. 3 is an example of the operation of a general-purpose motor for inverter control. In step S7 of the inverter control, pulse counting from the detection point is started by the encoder 5b, and the presence of a work is stored at the same time. Next, in step S8, it is determined whether the traveling pallet 20 has moved to the deceleration position before the pulse number Pb to the processing device, and it is determined that the pallet 20 has moved to the deceleration position before the pulse number Pb. Step S
The program proceeds to step S9, where the deceleration control is executed, the motor is decelerated and driven to the deceleration selected from the above table, and is decelerated to the stop position of the pulse number Pb in step S10. Stopped. When a pulse motor or a servo motor is used as the drive motor of the conveyor 2b, the process proceeds to step S13, where pulse counting from the detection point is started, and the presence of the work is stored at the same time. A positioning command is issued, and it is determined whether or not the traveling pallet 20 has moved to the deceleration position before the pulse number Pb to the processing device.
(b) After it is determined that the vehicle has moved to the deceleration position before, deceleration control is executed, the motor is decelerated so as to have the deceleration selected from the above table, and deceleration is performed until the pulse number Pb stops. Then, it is stopped at the stop position of step S14.

As described above, when the work W2 is stopped below the processing device 3, the process proceeds to step S15 to execute a predetermined work or wait. In step S16, it is determined whether or not the predetermined operation has been completed. When the operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S17, and the downstream conveyor 2c is instructed to request a work. If the acceleration region extends over the downstream conveyor, control is performed to synchronize the conveyors 2b and 2c (step S18). The stopping operation of the conveyor 2b can be performed by receiving an operation signal from the downstream conveyor or by a pulse signal output from the conveyor 2b, and can be stopped in synchronization with the downstream conveyor 2c. The work is completely discharged by stopping the conveyor 2b. The method of storing the presence or absence of the work in the conveyor has been described with software, but it is also possible to install a sensor to detect the presence or absence of a pulse on the pallet and use the pulse origin sensor as a presence confirmation sensor Becomes

FIG. 4 shows each conveyor 2 in FIG.
5 shows an example of an operation flowchart in the servo motor system when the acceleration region and the deceleration region of the work can be sufficiently secured. When the work reaches the maximum speed,
The work is carried in, decelerated and stopped, and when the work is discharged, it accelerates and does not enter downstream until it reaches the maximum speed. By controlling in this way, it is not necessary to synchronize the conveyor control with the front and rear conveyors, and the control can be realized with simple control.

In the drive system, a general-purpose motor and an encoder are combined to perform speed control by an inverter, a stepping motor or a servo motor and speed control position control are performed by a control means, and a speed control motor is provided with an encoder. It is also possible to perform combined speed control and position control.

The stop accuracy will be described.

(1) In the case of detecting a conveyed object moving at high speed and performing operation control with a predetermined pulse, the accumulation of the response error of the detector and the time error of the input / output signal is the error at the time of detection. And a motor braking error is additionally added. The detection error of a commercially available normal sensor unit 6 is often 1 msec or less, and the time error of the control circuit can be easily suppressed to several msec or less. Even if the errors at the time of detection are summed up, it can be made 10 msec or less.

However, for example, an error of 10 msec is 3 mm when the detection moving speed is 300 mm / sec.
Will occur first. The error at the time of stop is assumed to be 1/10 of the high speed at low speed in the case of deceleration and stop by the inverter control, and 0.3 mm distance error occurs similarly assuming the detection error of 10 msec, The stop accuracy is about 3.3 mm in total, that is, ± 2 mm or less. In the case of a manual operation or an operation process such as retaining a conveyed object, there is no problem with this accuracy.

The fixed position of the sensor unit 6 as the conveyed object detecting means may be any position as long as the deceleration distance is secured on the upstream side of the stop position. The fixed position is desirably a position that can be confirmed when the work is stopped.
The transfer speed is 400m / sec in a general production line
Is rarely exceeded, such control is sufficient when the stop accuracy of about ± 2 mm is sufficient.

Of course, it is needless to say that a stop sensor can be provided at the stop position to improve the stop accuracy, and that the work can be positioned by separately providing a positioning device after the work is stopped.

(2) When a high-precision stop is required, it can be realized by suppressing the maximum speed to a low speed.
There is a disadvantage that the transport time cannot be reduced. For example, under the same conditions as above, to achieve an accuracy of ± 1 mm, the speed at the time of detection is 200 mm / s or less, and 100 mm when the speed is ± 0.5 mm.
Any speed at the time of detection of / sec or less may be used.

One example of a method for realizing the high-precision stop is as follows. The receiving conveyor is operated so as to synchronize with the discharging operation of the upstream conveyor, accelerated, reached the maximum speed, and decelerated. There is a method in which the sensor unit 6 is disposed at a position where the speed is reduced to a desired speed or less, and a positioning operation is performed from a sensed position to a predetermined pulse position to stop the operation.

In this method, a sensing position (for example, a position of a sensing dog 21 provided on a pallet or a position of a leading end of a work) of a work waiting on an upstream conveyor before discharging and a sensor provided on a receiving conveyor are used. Even if the fixed position and the stop position of the unit 6 change for each product type, the distance information can be transmitted. Therefore, if such speed control position control programming is performed, automatic control is possible and high-precision stop is possible. The position can be guaranteed.

It is also possible to arrange the fixed position of the sensor unit 6 in the acceleration region on the upstream side, sense at the time of low-speed running, and then accelerate to a high speed to perform the positioning operation.
In addition, if the stop position of the work is constant regardless of the type, the work can be arranged near the stop position and controlled. The high-precision stop described above can be easily realized by using a stepping motor, a servomotor, or the like.

As described above, when the process in which the impact must be suppressed is a part of the whole process, the above-mentioned conveyor is used for a part of the process, and the conventional conveyor may be arranged before and after the conveyor. It is possible. When the existing line is remodeled in response to a change in the production type in the future, it can be handled by replacing the conveyor of the process to be remodeled.

The number of sheets per conveyor is set to 1
When the number of workpieces is limited, safe transporting in which the workpieces do not interfere with each other can be realized by a mechanical stop device, that is, a stopperless stop.

Further, it is possible to perform a passing operation in which the work carried in from the upstream is directly flowed to the downstream conveyor without being stopped. The types of information include production information, type information, control information, operation information, and the like.

For example, in an engine assembling facility comprising several tens of working steps using a conveyor as a base machine,
When there is a work (cylinder block) to be conveyed, the work is made of iron, and the next lot is made of AL. In many cases, a lot production method is used to produce a variety of products.

As an example, the weight of the cylinder block in the first step is about 20 kg to 80 kg, and in the last step it is 1 kg.
It becomes heavier as the assembly process proceeds from 00 kg to 300 kg. In such a line, since the adjustment range of the conventional shock absorber is limited, the use of the conveyor configured as described above makes the shock absorber unnecessary. That is, by controlling the speed of each conveyor, a smooth and impact-free conveyance is realized, and by controlling the position of the work on each conveyor, the conveyor can be stopped at an arbitrary position. No impact, limited number of sensors, can be stopped at any position, can be set to any speed, and can mix and transport many types of products by limiting the number of loaded objects per unit, easily transfer or add And the generation of dust can be suppressed.

The conveyor having the configuration described above can be realized by any conveyor regardless of the type of the conveyor such as a belt, a chain, and a roller.

As described above, the realization of the conveyor without slipping or impact can suppress the generation of dust (wear powder), so that the quality of the product can be improved and a clean working environment can be maintained. Effects such as suppressing damage to pallets and extending the service life,
Modifications such as changing or adding equipment layouts composed of short conveyors can be made much easier than conventional conveyors, and changes in transfer speeds and stop positions can be handled with software to adjust conventional transfer equipment. Is no longer needed,
This has the effect of reducing the cost and period spent on remodeling and greatly contributing to improved productivity.

In the above description, three conveyors are arranged in a straight line, and the explanation is based on a control example of a central conveyor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any number of conveyors may be used. It is needless to say that there are various types such as endless, orthogonal, and irregular shapes, and that a transport chain, a spiral feed mechanism, and the like other than the transport belt can be used as the transport means. Further, an optical sensor unit may be provided to detect the first side of the transfer of the work without placing the work on the pallet.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a transfer line using a conveyor transfer device. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the conveyors 2a, 2b, and 2c in FIG.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the work W is placed on the pallet 20 or placed directly on the conveyor belt of the conveyor 2 and is conveyed in one of the double-headed arrows, so that each conveyor 2 Equipment 3 as working means located above
Is stopped at a position corresponding to the above, and is sent to the downstream or upstream processing device 3 after a predetermined work such as mounting of parts is completed, to perform work assembling work and the like.

Each of the conveyors 2 has a conveyor frame 10 serving as a base of the conveyor arranged along the conveying path, a conveying belt 11 which is conveying means supported by the conveyor frame 10, and a drive belt 11 for driving and stopping the conveying belt 11. And the driving motor 4. This drive motor 4
Are connected to a motor driver unit 14 connected to the control unit 1 that controls centralized control.

A transmissive or reflective linear scale 105 is attached to the side surface of the pallet 20 mounted on each conveyor 2 so as to extend along the transport direction. By reading the content of the linear scale 105 with one of the first sensor 106 and the second sensor 107, which are movement amount detecting means provided on the downstream side, and sending a pulse waveform to the sensor unit 16, It is configured to obtain a so-called linear encoder function.

For example, when the linear scale 105 is of a transmission type, a material having a plurality of slits in a material that does not transmit, or a product obtained by printing or printing a plurality of linear films that do not transmit the material that transmits light can be used. The above-mentioned sensors 106 and 107 enable non-contact detection.

Further, the main body of the linear scale 105 and the plurality of linear films are relatively made to reflect light, and the other is made to be a surface that is hardly reflected, so that the reflection type optical sensor and the transmission type It is also possible to combine with sensors. Further, the sensor and the linear scale may be of a magnetic type, that is, anything that can detect the moving state of the pallet 20 in a non-contact state.

7 and 8, at least one end of the linear scale 105 is provided with a mark for recognizing a base point of pulse reading. , And the scale area 105b having a constant pitch is formed as a transmissive type or a reflective type as described above.

The purpose of the code area 105a is to accurately start reading without being affected by various disturbances. After reading the code, the scale reading preparation (preparation time: about 1 msec) is performed. A pulse is obtained from a slit or a linear film in the area 105b. FIG. 8 shows a code area 105a (for example, 1) opposite to the code area 105a provided at the top.
011 code and 1101 code) are arranged symmetrically at both ends of the scale. By forming in this manner, it becomes possible to control the work placed on the pallet even if it flows from any direction. .

Further, the detection signal of the opposite code area 105a is used for the recognition of the trailing end of the conveyed product, and the timing of the next requested output of the conveyed product after the completion of the discharge of the conveyed product can be obtained by using the control signal together with the control timer. Becomes possible.

As described above, when the linear scale is provided on the conveyed object, the current position can be detected in real time. When the motor is controlled by the inverter, the deceleration start position and the stop position are arbitrarily set within the scale area. It becomes possible. Further, it is possible to easily realize positioning operation at an arbitrary position by a servomotor or the like.

In FIG. 5, sensors 106 and 107 are respectively fixed at predetermined positions near the work entrance as shown in the figure, and output signals from the sensors are output to the sensor section 16 and connected to the sensor section 16. An output is sent to the centralized control unit 1 to perform control described later. On the other hand, the number of drive pulses Pa, Pb, and Pc of the drive motor 4 corresponding to the distance from the fixed position of each of the sensors 106 and 107 to the processing device 3 is determined while looking at the display 8 from the input unit 7 connected to the central control unit 1. General versatility is ensured by allowing input in advance.

When a general-purpose motor is used as the drive motor 4, the speed of the motor is controlled by inverter control, while in the case of a servo motor, etc., accurate positioning of the work W can be realized by so-called open drive. ing.

With the above configuration, not only the functions of the conventional apparatus such as the deceleration sensor, the stop sensor, the discharge completion sensor, and the like described with reference to FIG. 10 but also the work speed can be controlled.

That is, the carried-in work is detected by the sensors 106 and 107, and the position of the work can be confirmed. The distance from the detected position to the stop position of the processing apparatus 3 is set in advance by the number of pulses. , If necessary, also set the deceleration start position to stop the conveyor,
When discharging, it is possible to accelerate to a preset speed by a preset acceleration distance (pulse) or timer control. Further, the acceleration at the time of deceleration can be similarly performed. For this purpose, the central control unit 1
Has a data section 9 connected or built therein, so that acceleration at the time of acceleration and deceleration for each work can be input from a table.

That is, the acceleration at the time of acceleration or deceleration, the maximum speed of the workpiece movement, and the stop position can be set and changed in a programmable manner, so that the case where the production type changes frequently or when multiple types are simultaneously produced. Even in such a case, control data such as a stop position, a conveying speed, and an acceleration are set in advance for each product type, so that it is possible to respond instantaneously only by inputting product type information. Also,
Even if a new product is to be produced, the user only needs to input the control data and does not need to adjust the sensor position of the machine at all.

This acceleration control is particularly important for moving the work according to the set value, and it is important to prevent a slip from occurring between the work, the pallet 20 on which the work is placed, and the transport belt 11. Thus, as described above, the relationship between the friction coefficient μ, the acceleration α, and the gravitational acceleration G of the conveying surface where the belt and the pallet 20 come into contact is expressed as μG> α
Condition.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of control performed by the centralized control means of the conveyor device having the above-described configuration. The control will be described using the conveyor 2b located at the center of FIG.

The work W is moved after the motor of the conveyor is started, and waits for a state detected by either the sensor 106 or 107 of the conveyor 2b by the passage of the code area 105a of the linear scale 105 of the pallet 20 in step S1. When the detection of the area is performed by any of the sensors, the process proceeds to step S2, where the determination of the work type corresponding to the code input in advance and the reading of the number of pulses Pb for the work position of the work device 3 are performed.

With the above, the preparation for the predetermined transfer of the work is completed. In step S3, the motor 4 is driven while decreasing the pulse number Pb. In step S4, the pulse number Pb
Until the driving of the motor is completed, the motor driving is executed, and the driving of the motor is stopped in step S5.

Since this stop position corresponds to the work position of the work device 3, in step S6, a predetermined work such as component mounting is performed, and in step S7, the process is waited for to be completed. And the motor drive is resumed, and in step S9, the next conveyor 2c
Alternatively, the work is conveyed to 2a and the process ends.

As described above, by judging the work transfer direction from the linear scale, control is performed so that the work is requested to the upstream or downstream conveyor.

In the above description, three conveyors are arranged in a straight line, and the explanation is based on the control example of the central conveyor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any number of conveyors may be used. It is needless to say that there are various types such as endless, orthogonal, and irregular shapes, and that a transport chain, a spiral feed mechanism, and the like other than the transport belt can be used as the transport means. If the work is long, the linear scale 1
The position of the work may be detected without mounting the 05 directly on the pallet.

The conveyor having the configuration described above can be realized by any conveyor regardless of the type of the conveyor such as a belt, a chain, and a roller. In this way, the conveyor and the realization that do not involve a slip or an impact can suppress generation of dust (wear powder), thereby improving product quality, maintaining a clean working environment, and damaging the conveyor and pallets. And the life of the equipment can be extended, and modifications such as changing or adding equipment layouts composed of short conveyors can be made much easier than with conventional conveyors. Has the effect of reducing the cost and period spent on remodeling and greatly contributing to the improvement of productivity.

The difference between the centralized control and the distributed control is that when the computer of the centralized control panel goes down, all the computers under the monitoring of the centralized control are stopped. In this case, the area where the operation is stopped is limited, so that the influence on the production system can be minimized. Therefore, by performing the distributed control as described above, it is possible to carry out the work transfer according to the instruction from the control panel for each of the conveyors and to exchange the kind information and the like.

[0078]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a conveyor transfer device suitable for a variety and variable production system capable of flexibly and promptly responding to unpredictable changes in production conditions in the future and capable of reducing hardware costs, and a transfer line using the same. it can.

Further, the present invention is suitable for a variable and variable production system capable of flexibly and promptly responding to unpredictable changes in future production conditions, and can suppress hardware costs for enabling the work transfer direction to be set arbitrarily. A conveyor transport device and a transport line using the same can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a transport line using a conveyor transport device.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the conveyors 2a, 2b, 2c of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control example in a control unit of the conveyor device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control example in a control unit of the conveyor device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a transfer line using a conveyor transfer device.

6 is an external perspective view of the conveyors 2a, 2b, 2c of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a linear scale.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the linear scale.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control example in a centralized control means of the conveyor device.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a transfer line using a conventional conveyor transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control part 2 Conveyor 3 Processing device 4 Drive motor 5 Encoder (moving amount detecting means) 6a, 6b, 6c Sensor (presence / absence detecting means) 105 Linear scale (pulse generating means) 106 sensor (moving amount detecting means) 107 sensor (moving) Amount detection means)

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of conveyors for carrying a work are arranged, the work is stopped at a work position of a predetermined work means for performing a predetermined work, and an operation of carrying the work after the predetermined work is repeated. In the conveyor conveying device, the conveyor includes a base, a conveying unit supported by the base, and configured to move the work in a mounted state; a driving motor unit for driving the conveying unit; and a conveying unit. Presence / absence detection means for detecting that the work is placed, movement amount detection means for detecting the movement amount of the work moved by the drive of the drive motor means after detection by the presence / absence detection means, and each of the conveyors A control means connected to the drive motor means, the presence / absence detection means, and the movement amount detection means for performing centralized control and distributed control of each of the conveyors. The centralized control and the decentralized control detect the movement amount of the drive motor unit after the detection by the presence / absence detection unit, thereby stopping the work at the work position, and transporting the work after the predetermined work. Conveyor control device, wherein the drive motor means is controlled so as to perform the following. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drive motor means includes a servo motor or a stepping motor having a function of detecting a movement amount of the workpiece moved by the driving, thereby eliminating the need for the movement amount detection means. The conveyor transport device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The control means is connected to the control means, and the acceleration at the time of acceleration or deceleration, the transfer maximum speed, and the stop position are set programmably to prevent the work in the set state from slipping from the transfer means. 3. The conveyor conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for changing the setting. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the workpiece placed on each of the conveyors is one.
The conveyor conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the number is limited to one. 5. The conveyor transporting device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is placed on a pallet, and the pallet is transported in a loaded state by the transporting unit. 6. Each of the conveyors is arranged so as to convey a workpiece from an upstream side to a downstream side, and when no workpiece is placed on the downstream side conveyor, the upstream side includes the conveyor. The conveyor conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the centralized control and the distributed control are performed so as to request the conveyor to convey the work. 7. A transport line using the conveyor transport device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined work means is provided in a part of the transport line as production equipment or distribution equipment. A transfer line using a conveyor transfer device, wherein each of the conveyors is disposed along the production equipment or the distribution equipment. 8. A plurality of conveyors for carrying a work are provided, the work is stopped at a work position of a predetermined work means for performing a predetermined work, and an operation of carrying the work after the predetermined work is repeated. In the conveyor conveying device, each of the conveyors includes a base, a conveying unit supported by the base, and configured to move the work in a mounted state; a driving motor unit for driving the conveying unit; and a conveying direction of the work. A pulse generating means provided on the work so that the work is initially placed on the transport means by detecting the pulse generating means, and moving along with the driving of the drive motor means. A moving amount detecting means for detecting the moving amount of the work that has been moved from the pulse generating means, the driving motor means of each of the conveyors and the moving amount detecting means. Control means for performing centralized control and distributed control of each of the conveyors, stopping the work at the work position by the centralized control and distributed control, and carrying the work after the predetermined work. Conveyor conveying device characterized by the above-mentioned. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a code recording unit for judging a type of the work, wherein the pulse generating unit further comprises a reading unit for reading the code recording unit and connected to the control unit. Conveyor conveying device as described in 1. 10. While being connected to said control means,
The apparatus further comprises setting means for programmably setting and changing acceleration during acceleration and deceleration, and a maximum transfer speed and a stop position during acceleration or deceleration to prevent the workpiece in the mounted state from slipping from the transport means. Claim 8
Or the conveyor transporting device according to any one of claims 9 to 9. 11. The conveyor conveying device according to claim 8, wherein the amount of the work placed on each of the conveyors is limited to one. 12. The code recording section is provided on each of both sides of the pulse generating means so as to arbitrarily convey a workpiece from an upstream side or a downstream side or from a downstream side to an upstream side. The centralized control and the decentralized control are performed such that when the workpiece is not placed on the conveyor, the upstream or downstream conveyor is requested to convey the workpiece. A conveyor transport device according to any one of claims 11 to 13. 13. The conveyor conveying device according to claim 8, wherein the work is placed on a pallet or a container, and the pulse generating means is provided on the surface. 14. The pulse generator according to claim 8, wherein the pulse generator is a linear scale, the movement amount detector is an encoder module, and a linear encoder function is executed by combining the two. Conveyor conveying device as described in 1. 15. A transport line using the conveyor transport device according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined work means is provided in a part of the transport line as a production facility device or a logistics facility device. A transfer line using a conveyor transfer device, wherein each of the conveyors is disposed along the production equipment or the distribution equipment.