JP2002210689A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device capable of surely holding and conveying cylinder blocks even when the cylinder blocks have various shapes, and a position of the cylinder block is shifted. SOLUTION: This conveying device comprises a first holding means 9 and a second holding means 10 for holding the cylinder block W, the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10 have rubber tubes expandable by feeding the air and tube sleeves 28, the second holding means 10 is fixed to a base 2 by a bolt 35, and the first holding means 9 is fixed to a sliding block 6 sliding on the base 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring a work such as a cylinder block.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A work, such as a cylinder block, constituting an engine of a vehicle has a complicated shape and is manufactured by performing various kinds of processing. In the manufacturing process of manufacturing such a cylinder block, the cylinder block is transported a plurality of times for processing or the like,
I need to transfer it. In a predetermined case, it is necessary to position the cylinder block when transferring the cylinder block. Therefore, in order to efficiently transport the cylinder block, a transport device that securely and quickly holds the cylinder block has been developed. Here, as a prior art of such a transport device, there is a utility model registration number 2
No. 509105 and Utility Model Registration No. 25440
The invention described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 73 is cited. First, the transfer device described in Utility Model Registration No. 2544073 has two center pins and a pair of side pins arranged so as to sandwich the center pin. Each center pin is composed of two moving pin portions, and each moving pin is configured to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the side pins. Further, the pair of side pins are configured to be movable toward the center pin by a link mechanism. When a cylinder block as a workpiece is transported by such a transport device, first, a center pin and side pins are inserted into four bore holes of the cylinder block as a workpiece. Next, the link mechanism is driven to press and hold the inner wall in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder block with the side pins. Further, the moving pin portion of the side pin is slid to press the inner wall in the width direction of the cylinder block. Accordingly, the transport device can hold the cylinder head while independently correcting the position of the cylinder block in the longitudinal direction and the width direction. The transfer device described in Utility Model Registration No. 2509105 has an expandable arm for positioning the cylinder block, and a holding mechanism for holding the cylinder block in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the arm expands. Section. Such a transport device firstly
The arm is expanded in the bore of the cylinder block, and the cylinder block is positioned by pressing the cylinder block in the width direction with the arm. Next, the cylinder head is held by sliding the holding mechanism in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder block and inserting the holding member into a circular hole formed in the inner wall of the bore hole of the cylinder block. There is also disclosed an embodiment in which a positioning pin is used in combination to increase the positioning accuracy when holding the cylinder block.

[0003]

However, such a transfer apparatus has a plurality of types of bore holes having different shapes and pitches, such as a processing line in which a plurality of types of cylinder blocks are mixed or a new model is introduced. When it is necessary to transport the cylinder block, prepare multiple transport devices according to the type of cylinder block, and add a mechanism to adjust the position of the center pin, side pin, arm, etc. according to the type of cylinder block I needed to. Here, if a plurality of transfer devices are provided, equipment cost increases, and if the transfer device is replaced for each type of cylinder block, there is a problem that the work of replacing the transfer device is troublesome. on the other hand,
Center pin and side pin according to the type of cylinder block,
In order to adjust the position of the arm and the like, it is necessary to newly provide a position adjustment mechanism for each of the mechanisms independently provided in the orthogonal direction, so that the configuration of the transport device becomes complicated and the transport device becomes large. Cause. As the complexity and size of the transport device increase the labor required for operating the transport device,
There is also a problem that the working efficiency is reduced. Also, from the viewpoint of work efficiency, if the positioning of the cylinder block in the longitudinal direction and width direction is performed independently, or if the positioning and holding are performed by independent mechanisms, if the position of the transport device and the cylinder block are shifted, It may be necessary to start over from the beginning. In such a case, there is a problem that the working efficiency is significantly reduced. Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reliably hold the work with a simple configuration when transporting the work. In particular, even if the work (cylinder block) has a different shape, etc. Securely held by the transfer device
An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that can easily correct the position of the work even if the position of the transfer device is shifted from that of the work.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, there is provided a transfer apparatus provided with a holding means for holding a work, wherein the holding means expands by supplying a fluid. Thus, the transfer device includes an expansion member for pressing the work, a fixing member to which at least a part of the expansion member is fixed, and a supply unit for supplying a fluid to the expansion member. The transport device configured as described above holds the work by pressing the work with the expansion member expanded by the supply of the fluid. Here, since the expansion member is deformed in accordance with the shape of the work, a sufficient contact area between the expanded expansion member and the work can be secured. In addition, even if there is a displacement between the transfer device and the work, the displacement can be absorbed by the deformation of the expansion member at the time of expansion and by controlling the amount of expansion. Therefore, such a transport device has a simple configuration,
Regardless of the shape of the work, the work can be reliably and quickly held.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the transport device according to the first aspect, the holding means comprises a first holding means provided with an expansion member and a second holding means each having an expansion member. Thus, a configuration is provided in which moving means for moving the first holding means relative to the second holding means is provided. Such a transport device can reliably hold the work by inflating the respective expansion members of the first holding means and the second holding means and pressing the work. In addition, by moving the first holding means relatively to the second holding means by the moving means, it is possible to easily hold even works having greatly different sizes and shapes.

[0006] Further, the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention provides:
In the transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, the expansion member includes a reinforcing member on a surface that presses the work. In such a transfer device, since the reinforcing member presses the work, the work has relatively sharp irregularities,
Even if foreign matter such as cutting chips is mixed between the work and the expansion member, breakage of the expansion member can be prevented. Therefore, the work can be held regardless of the state of the work.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present invention provides:
In the transfer device according to the third aspect, the reinforcing member has a plurality of through holes penetrating the reinforcing member in a direction in which the work is pressed. The reinforcing member in such a transfer device can prevent the expansion member from being damaged as described above, and also prevent the through hole from displacing the work and the reinforcing member. Therefore, the transfer device can reliably hold a workpiece that has been subjected to mirror finishing or the like.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the transfer device according to any one of the first, second, third, and fourth aspects, the fixing member is provided in a concave portion or a through hole of the work. A guide member having a spherical shape is provided at the distal end portion thereof. The position of the transfer device and the work is shifted, and the tip of the holding means (the first holding means and / or the second holding means) inserted into the recess or through hole of the work is attached to the side surface or the bottom surface of the work. Even if it abuts, the tip portion has a spherical shape, so that the work is not scratched, such as a dent. Also, when the holding means is inserted, even if the tip portion hits the edge of the concave portion or the through hole of the work,
Since the tip portion has a spherical shape, the holding means is inserted following the shape of the concave portion or the through hole. Therefore, even if the position of the workpiece is shifted from the transfer device, the workpiece can be held quickly.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the transfer device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transfer device, and FIG.
(B) is a front view showing the state where the conveyance device was inserted into the work. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is formed around a base 2, and a cylinder 3 is fixed to a center portion of an upper surface of the base 2 by a support frame 4.
The cylinder 3 has a cylinder rod 5 parallel to the base 2.
Is inserted, and a sliding block 6 is fixed to the tip of the cylinder rod 5. The sliding block 6 is arranged so that its lower end 6a is accommodated in an opening 7 formed in the base 2, and is slid in the left-right direction in FIG. It is movable.
Further, a first holding means 9, which will be described in detail later, is fixed to the lower end 6a of the sliding block 6. This cylinder 3, cylinder rod 5, sliding block 6, and
The guide member 8 constitutes the moving means described in the claims. A second holding means 10 is fixed to the base 2 at a position opposite to the first holding means 9. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the transfer device 1, a hook-shaped support member 11 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 2, and a support arm 12 is provided on the hook-shaped support member 11. I have. The support arm 12 is connected to a not-shown conveyor or the like.

Here, the work in the present embodiment will be described. The work in the present embodiment is a cylinder block W that forms an engine of an automobile or the like, and has four bore holes W1, W2, W3, and W4 formed in series as shown in FIG. The cylinder block W is
The positioning is performed by fitting a knock pin 13 provided on the floor FL with a knock hole 14 formed in a lower portion of the cylinder block W. The work that can be held and transferred by the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment is not limited to the cylinder block W, and may be any shape as long as it has a recess or a through hole. .

Next, the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10. In the following description, the first holding unit 9 will be described, but the second holding unit 10 also has a similar configuration. The first holding means 9 has a center plug 21 inserted into a bore hole W1 of a cylinder block W which is a work, and a support member 22 for supporting an upper portion 21a of the center plug 21 at an upper end of the center plug 21.
It has. As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, the center plug 21 is provided with a rubber tube 23 that can be expanded by air supply. The upper end of the rubber tube 23 is fixed by a caulking ring 24, and the lower end of the rubber tube 23 is fixed by a guide member 25. In addition,
The rubber tube 23 corresponds to an expansion member described in the claims, and the center plug 21 to which the rubber tube 23 is fixed corresponds to a fixing member described in the claims. Further, the rubber tube 23 is provided with a tube sleeve 27 as a reinforcing member.

Hereinafter, each component of the first holding means 9 will be described in order. As shown in FIG. 4, the center plug 21 has a vertically long rotationally symmetric shape, and has an upper step portion 28 and a lower step portion 29. Further, a screw hole 39 for fixing to the support member 22 and the sliding block 6 and an air supply hole 30 for supplying air are formed in the upper portion 21a of the center plug 21.
This air supply hole 30 communicates with a vertical hole 31 formed downward at the center of the center plug 21. The vertical hole 31 is formed up to the vicinity of the position where the lower step portion 29 of the center plug 21 is formed. Here, the vertical hole 31 communicates with the horizontal hole 32 penetrating the lower step portion 29 of the center plug 21. Therefore, when air is supplied from the air supply hole 30, the air passes through the vertical hole 31 and blows out from the horizontal hole 32 of the lower step portion 29. The air supply hole 30, the vertical hole 31, and the horizontal hole 32 constitute a supply unit described in the claims. Since the upper end of the vertical hole 31 is closed by a plug or the like (not shown), air does not leak from here.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Has a flange 33 at the lower end and a recess in which the upper portion 21a of the center plug 21 fits. This recess has a communication hole 34 on the side surface for supplying air to the air supply hole 30 of the center plug 21. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the support member 22 includes a bolt 35 for fixing the center plug 21 to the sliding block 6.
Are formed in two screw holes 36. Therefore,
The first holding means 9 is fixed to the lower end 6 a of the sliding block 6 using the screw holes 36 and the screw holes 39 of the center plug 21. On the other hand, the second holding means 10 is fixed to the base 2 using the screw holes 36 and the screw holes 39 of the center plug 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rubber tube 23
It is a tube with a bottomed cylindrical shape, and has an insertion hole 23a for inserting the bolt 38 at the center of the bottom surface.
The rubber tube 23 is made of a known elastic material or the like, and is externally mounted on the center plug 21 from below.
Of the center plug 21 and the guide member 25
And is fixed to the center plug 21. Therefore, the airtightness of the rubber tube 23 is maintained by the tightening by the center plug 21, the caulking ring 24 and the guide member 25, so that the first holding means 9 and / or
Alternatively, when air is supplied to the second holding means 10, the rubber tube 23 expands in accordance with the amount of air supplied.
The tube sleeve 27 is a cylindrical tube made of a known elastic material, and is sheathed on the rubber tube 23. This tube sleeve 27 is a rubber tube 2
3 does not affect the airtightness of cylinder block W
Even if the tube sleeve 27 is damaged when the inner walls of the bore holes W1 and W4 are pressed, the performance of the transport device 1 is not adversely affected. The tube sleeve 27 is provided with a large number of punch holes 26 which are through holes penetrating the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. The punch hole 26 is formed in the rubber tube 23
When the tube sleeve 27 expands and comes into contact with the bore holes W1 and W4 of the cylinder block W, a non-slip portion between the cylinder block W and the first holding means 9 and / or the second holding means 10 is provided. Has a role. The size, number, and arrangement of the punch holes 26 can be arbitrarily determined. The same effect can be obtained by providing a projection on the tube sleeve 27 instead of the punch hole 26.

The caulking ring 24 is mounted on the center plug 21 so as to cover the upper end of the rubber tube 23 after the rubber tube 23 is covered, and tightens the rubber tube 23 by a known method. The caulking ring 24
The center plug 21 is mounted such that the upper surface thereof abuts on a lower step of the upper step 28 of the center plug 21. Therefore, the caulking ring 24 is not pushed up when the rubber tube 23 expands, so that the rubber tube 23 can be reliably kept airtight. The guide member 25 has a distal end portion 37 whose lower surface has a spherical shape, and is screwed to the lower end of the center plug 21 with a bolt 38 shown in FIG. The caulking ring 24 and the guide member 25 may fix not only the rubber tube 23 but also the upper and lower ends of the tube sleeve 27. Further, the airtightness can be maintained by sandwiching the rubber tube 23 between the upper surface of the caulking ring 24 and the lower side of the upper step portion 28.

Next, a procedure for transporting the cylinder block W using the transport device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, while being positioned by the knock pin 13, the transport device 1 is moved above the cylinder block W on which the honing of the bore holes W1 to W4 has been performed. At this time, the transport device 1 moves the first holding means 9 in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 according to the interval (pitch) between the bore holes W1 to W4 of the cylinder block W. The movement of the first holding means 9 is performed by driving the cylinder 3 and the cylinder rod 5 and sliding the slide block 6 connected to the cylinder rod 5 by a predetermined distance. As a result, the first holding means 9 relatively moves with respect to the second holding means 10, and the axis of the first holding means 9 (rotation center axis).
The axis (rotation center axis) of the bore hole W1 and the axis (rotation center axis) of the second holding means 10 and the axis (rotation center axis) of the bore hole W4 can be made substantially coincident with each other. .

After the first holding means 9 is moved and the position of the first holding means 9 is adjusted, the transfer device is maintained until the flange 33 of the support member 22 contacts the upper surface WU (deck surface) of the cylinder block W. The first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10 are inserted into the bore holes W1 and W4, respectively, as shown in FIG. The transfer device 1
Is controlled numerically, and the flange 33 of the support member 22 is controlled.
May stop before contacting the upper surface WU of the cylinder block W. In addition, even if the position of the axis of the first holding means 9 is shifted from the position of the axis of the bore W1 and the first holding means 9 hits the edge of the bore W1, the first holding is performed. Since the tip portion 37 of the means 9 has a spherical shape, the first holding means 9 is inserted so as to follow the bore hole W1. In this case, since the tip portion 37 has a spherical shape, a dent is formed on the upper surface WU of the cylinder block W,
The inner wall of the bore W1 is not damaged. The bore holes W1 to W4 of the cylinder 3 head according to the present embodiment do not have a bottom surface, but when the bore holes W1 to W4 have a bottom surface, the flange 33 of the support member 22 is attached to the cylinder block W Even if the tip portion 37 of the guide member 25 contacts the bottom surface of the concave portion before contacting the upper surface WU, the bottom portion of the concave portion is not damaged because the tip portion 37 has a spherical shape.

First holding means 9 and second holding means 1
When 0 is inserted into the bore holes W1 and W4, air is supplied from an air supply source (not shown) from the air supply holes 30 of the respective center plugs 21. This air is ejected from both ends of the horizontal hole 32 through the vertical hole 31 from the air supply hole 30 and accumulates inside the rubber tube 23 having the fixed upper and lower ends. The tube 23 expands with respect to the center plug 21 so that the diameter increases. Further, the tube sleeve 27 having the punch holes 26 also expands following the expansion of the rubber tube 23.

Here, the rubber tube 23 and the tube sleeve 27 are supplied to the cylinder block W by air supply.
When expanded inside the bore holes W1 and W4, the tube sleeve 27 is pressed against the inner wall thereof while following the shape of the bore holes W1 and W4, as shown in FIG. In other words, the tube sleeve 27 has the bore holes W1, W4
Is pressed over the entire circumference, whereby the cylinder block W is held. The tube sleeve 27 secures a sufficient contact area with the inner walls of the bore holes W1 and W4 and has a sufficient frictional force with the inner walls of the bore holes W1 and W4 by the punch holes 26. Transfer device 1
Is raised, the cylinder block W can be lifted. Since the tube sleeve 27 is softer than the cylinder block W, even if the tube sleeve 27 presses the inner walls of the bore holes W1 and W4, the inner walls of the bore holes W1 and W4 of the cylinder block W are not damaged.

In this state, the transport device 1 moves along a rail or the like (not shown) and the cylinder block W held by the expansion of the rubber tube 23 and the tube sleeve 27 of the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10. Is transported to a predetermined position in the next step. During this time, the first holding means 9
In order to maintain the holding of the cylinder block W by the second holding means 10, control such as air supply and maintenance of the internal pressure in the rubber tube 23 is performed. Then, when the cylinder block W is moved to a predetermined position in the next step, the air expanding the rubber tube 23 and the tube sleeve 27 is discharged through the horizontal hole 32, the vertical hole 31, and the air supply hole 30 of the center plug 21. . As a result, the rubber tube 23 and the tube sleeve 27 contract, and the contact state between the tube sleeve 27 and the inner walls of the bore holes W1 and W4 of the cylinder block W, that is, the holding state is released. Therefore, when the transport device 1 is raised,
Only the cylinder block W remains at the predetermined position, and the transfer operation of the cylinder block W ends.

The transfer device 1 can reliably hold the cylinder block W because the contact area between the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10 of the transfer device 1 and the cylinder block W can be increased. be able to. Further, since the rubber tube 23 and the tube sleeve 27 expanded by air are used for holding the cylinder block W,
Do not damage the cylinder block W. Further, the transport device 1
Even if there is a small displacement between the cylinder block W and the cylinder block W, this displacement can be absorbed by the deformation of the rubber tube 23 and the tube sleeve 27 during expansion. The work efficiency of positioning can be improved.

Further, such a transfer device 1 can transfer a cylinder block W having a different shape. For example, by sliding the sliding block 6, the first holding means 9
By adjusting the distance between the second holding means 10 and the second holding means 10, it is possible to convey the cylinder blocks W having different arrangement pitches (pitches) of the bore holes W1 to W4. In addition, by controlling the amount of air supplied, cylinder blocks W having different sizes and shapes of the bore holes W1 and W4 can be conveyed. In particular, the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10
By independently controlling the expansion amount of each of the rubber tubes 23, even if the size of the bore hole W1 and the size of the bore hole W4 are different, it is possible to surely hold the size.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment but can be widely applied. For example, depending on the shape of the work, the transfer device 1 may include only the first holding unit 9 or may include three or more holding units 9 and 10. When the work does not have the bore holes W1 to W4 or the concave portion, the first holding means 9 and the second holding means 10 are arranged at positions facing each other around the work, and the outer peripheral surface of the work is expanded. The work can also be held by pressing with the tube sleeve 27 that has been made. Here, the holding means for holding the outer peripheral surface of the work includes a ring-shaped fixing member that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the work, and an expansion member that can expand from the fixing member toward the outer peripheral surface of the work. You can also. The transfer device having such a holding means can reliably hold and transfer even a work having no concave portion by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the work at a plurality of locations.

As the fluid for expanding the expansion member, known gases and liquids can be used in addition to air. The supply means may be constituted by a piping tube or the like directly attached to the expansion member, instead of being constituted by the air supply hole 30 or the like formed in the center plug 21. With a simple configuration, it is possible to reliably supply air to the inflation member and inflate it. Further, the inflatable member
A bag made of non-shrinkable cloth or the like may be used instead of a contractible elastic member made of rubber or the like. Further, the reinforcing member may be provided only in a portion of the expansion member that presses the work. In this case, the reinforcing member is desirably joined to the inflatable member by a known joining means. Then, instead of a configuration in which the workpiece is transported by moving along the transport rail, the transport apparatus 1 is configured to allow a manipulator to be manually operated or connected to a robot arm so that the workpiece can be moved to a predetermined position. Can be transported.

[0025]

According to the present invention, a transfer apparatus is provided which supplies a fluid to an inflatable member to expand the same, and presses the work with the expanded expandable member to transfer the work while holding the work. Furthermore, the work can be reliably held and transported with a simple configuration. In particular, even if there is a small amount of misalignment between the workpiece and the holding means, the expansion of the expansion member absorbs such misalignment, so that the efficiency of alignment can be improved. Accordingly, a plurality of types of workpieces can be transported by a single transport device, so that equipment costs can be reduced, and the operation is simple, so that work efficiency can be improved. In addition, the first holding means and the second holding means having an inflating member are provided, and the first holding means is configured to be movable with respect to the second holding means. It is possible to securely hold and transport the work. Further, by providing the reinforcing member on the surface of the expansion member that presses the work, damage to the expansion member is prevented, so that maintenance work can be omitted. Accordingly, work efficiency is improved, and running costs can be reduced. Further, since a plurality of through-holes are provided in the reinforcing member, even a workpiece on which special processing such as mirror finishing has been performed can be reliably held and transported. Further, by making the tip of the holding means have a spherical shape, it is possible to prevent the surface of the work or the like from being damaged when the holding means comes into contact with the work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a transfer device and a work.

3A is a front view illustrating a state in which a holding unit of the transfer device is inserted into a concave portion of a work, and FIG. 3B is a front view illustrating a state in which an expansion member of the holding unit is expanded.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of first and second holding means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveying apparatus 2 Base 3 Cylinder 4 Cylinder rod 6 Sliding block 7 Opening 8 Guide member 9 First holding means (holding means) 10 Second holding means (holding means) 21 Center plug (fixing member) 23 Rubber Tube (expansion member) 25 Guide member 26 Punch hole 27 Tube sleeve (Reinforcement member) 37 Tip part W Cylinder block (Work) W1, W2, W3, W4 Bore hole

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3C007 AS01 AS23 DS02 DS10 ES13 EV10 EV12 EV14 EW04 GS12 HS12 HT38 KS03 KS16 KS29 KS36 KV15 LT12 LV04 LV17 NS11 3C030 BC07 BC11 DA23 DA24 DA33 DA35 DA37

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A transfer device comprising holding means for holding a work, wherein the holding means is expanded by a supply of a fluid, and an expansion member for pressing the work and at least a part of the expansion member are provided. A transport device comprising: a fixed member to be fixed; and a supply unit for supplying the fluid to the expansion member. 2. The holding means comprises a first holding means provided with each of the inflatable members, and a second holding means, wherein the first holding means is positioned relative to the second holding means. 2. The transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit for moving the transport device. 3. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member includes a reinforcing member on a surface that presses the work. 4. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the reinforcing member has a plurality of through holes penetrating the reinforcing member in a direction in which the work is pressed. 5. The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is inserted into a concave portion or a through hole of the work, and a guide member having a spherical shape is provided at a tip portion thereof. 5. The transfer device according to any one of 4.