JP2007246254A - Workpiece conveying apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To convey a workpiece simply and in variable posture to a plurality of workpiece treating devices without a pallet. <P>SOLUTION: In the workpiece conveying apparatus, a plurality of workpieces W are sequentially conveyed along a conveying passage to the plurality of workpiece treating devices respectively having a conveying passage for the workpiece W on the treating area and disposed side by side to connect the conveying passages. The apparatus includes: a workpiece connecting means 51 connecting the workpieces W adjacent to each other in the conveying direction to vary the posture of each workpiece W; a work feed means 54 for feeding the plurality of workpieces W along the conveying passage with the workpiece connecting means 51; and a guide means 55 provided along the conveying passage and guiding conveyance while keeping the posture of each workpiece W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer apparatus and a workpiece transfer method for sequentially transferring a plurality of workpieces to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a workpiece transfer device that sequentially transfers a plurality of pallets containing workpieces to a plurality of workpiece processing devices (robots).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-138463

  By the way, even when it is necessary to face a plurality of workpiece processing devices in different postures, the workpieces are accommodated in a pallet and the workpiece postures can be adjusted via the pallets, as in the above-described workpiece transfer device. It is possible to change. However, when a pallet is used, the management of the pallet becomes complicated and the cost of the pallet becomes a burden.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece transfer device and a workpiece transfer method that can transfer a workpiece to a plurality of workpiece processing devices in a state in which the posture can be easily changed without using a pallet.

The workpiece transfer device of the present invention has a workpiece transfer path on the processing area, and sequentially transfers a plurality of workpieces along the transfer path to a plurality of workpiece processing devices arranged side by side so that the transfer route is continuous. In a workpiece transfer device for transferring, workpiece connecting means for connecting workpieces adjacent in the transfer direction so that the posture of each workpiece can be changed, and workpiece feeding means for sending a plurality of workpieces along the transfer path together with the workpiece connecting means, And a guide means provided along the transport path for guiding the transport while maintaining the posture of each workpiece.
In this case, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a feeding device that is disposed at the transfer start position of the transfer path and locks the introduced workpieces to the workpiece connecting means.

  The workpiece transfer method of the present invention has a workpiece transfer path on a processing area, and sequentially transfers a plurality of workpieces along the transfer path to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses arranged side by side so that the transfer paths are continuous. In the method of conveying a workpiece to be conveyed, the workpieces are sent along the conveyance path together with the workpiece connecting means while connecting the workpieces at the conveyance start position on the conveyance path so that the posture of each workpiece can be changed by the workpiece connecting means. In this case, the workpiece is conveyed.

  According to this configuration, a plurality of workpieces are conveyed by the workpiece feeding unit in a state where the postures of the workpieces are coupled so as to be changeable by the workpiece coupling unit. For this reason, even if it does not use a pallet, a workpiece | work can be conveyed to several workpiece | work processing apparatus in the state which can change an attitude | position easily. Further, since the workpiece is transported in a state where the posture of each workpiece is maintained by the guide means, the posture of each workpiece is not inadvertently changed and can be stably conveyed. Further, the material feeding device can sequentially feed the workpieces to the conveyance path while connecting the workpieces by the workpiece coupling means at the start position.

  In these cases, the workpiece connecting means is composed of a plurality of connecting pieces for connecting the workpieces, and each connecting piece includes a rod-like connecting portion and a pair of locking portions provided at both ends of the rod-like connecting portion. It is preferable that each latching part is latched by the latching groove part formed in each workpiece | work.

  According to this structure, workpiece | work can be connected by latching the latching | locking part of each connection piece to the latching groove part of each workpiece | work. For this reason, workpieces can be easily and reliably connected.

  Further, in the work transport device, the work connecting means includes a plurality of connecting pieces for connecting the workpieces, and each connecting piece includes a string-like connecting portion and a pair of engagements provided at both ends of the string-like connecting portion. It is preferable that each latching part is latched by the latching groove part formed in each workpiece | work.

  According to this structure, workpiece | work can be connected by latching the latching | locking part of each connection piece to the latching groove part of each workpiece | work. For this reason, workpieces can be easily and reliably connected.

  Further, in the workpiece transfer device, the workpiece connecting means is constituted by a wire having a plurality of locking portions provided at a predetermined pitch, and each locking portion is locked by a locking groove formed in each workpiece. It is preferable.

  According to this structure, workpiece | work can be connected by latching the latching | locking part provided in the wire to the latching groove part of each workpiece | work. For this reason, workpieces can be easily and reliably connected. Furthermore, in this case, since the locking groove portion of each workpiece can be locked to an arbitrary locking portion, the interval between the workpieces can be appropriately changed stepwise.

  In these cases, the workpiece feeding means includes a gripping arm that grips either the workpiece or the workpiece connecting member, a reciprocating mechanism that reciprocates the gripping arm along the transport path, and a transporting direction of the gripping arm by the reciprocating mechanism. It is preferable to have a control means for gripping the gripping arm during the forward movement and for releasing the gripping arm during the backward movement.

  According to this configuration, since the workpiece or the workpiece connecting member can be firmly held and conveyed at a predetermined pitch, each workpiece can be appropriately exposed to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses.

  In these cases, it is preferable that a plurality of work feeding means are provided in a distributed manner in the extending direction of the conveyance path.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to adapt even when a part of the transport path transports at a different pitch or transport speed.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the guide means has a pair of guide members that are in sliding contact with both sides of each workpiece to be conveyed.

  According to this configuration, each workpiece is conveyed while being in sliding contact with the pair of guide members on both sides. For this reason, each workpiece | work can be conveyed stably.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the guide means further includes a posture change guide for guiding the conveyance posture of each workpiece to change the posture of each workpiece.

  According to this configuration, the posture of the workpiece can be easily changed simply by conveying each workpiece along the posture change guide. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a handling device for changing the posture, and the posture of the workpiece can be changed with a simple device configuration.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the conveyance path has a buffer section that loosens the workpiece connecting means downward together with the plurality of workpieces.

  According to this configuration, when various processing operations are performed in each part of the transport path, even if the preprocessing is stopped, the work waiting in the buffer unit can be subjected to post-processing, so the entire transport path Never stop. Moreover, even if the pre-processing and post-processing have different processing times, the buffer portion can absorb the difference in processing time between the front and rear processing, so that the workpiece can be efficiently conveyed.

  In these cases, the work is a main body case of the ink cartridge, and the plurality of work processing apparatuses include a component built-in device that incorporates components into the main body case and an ink injection device that injects ink into the main body case. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, the main body case of the ink cartridge can be transported to the component incorporation device and the ink injection device in a state in which the posture can be easily changed. Therefore, the ink cartridge can be assembled easily and efficiently, and productivity can be improved.

  Hereinafter, a workpiece production line to which the present invention is applied (hereinafter, referred to as a “production line”) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This production line is, for example, an ink cartridge production line, and a plurality of main body cases are sequentially transported by a work transport device to a plurality of work processing devices that perform processing on the main body case, and ink cartridges are produced. . First, the ink cartridge will be briefly described.

  Although not shown, the ink cartridge is biased by a box-shaped main body case W (work) having a supply port 101 (see FIG. 6) for supplying ink to the printer, an open / close spring facing the supply port 101, and an open / close spring. In addition, a valve member that opens and closes the supply port 101 and a cylindrical seal member that is made of, for example, butyl rubber and is attached to the inlet of the supply port 101 are provided.

  Further, the main body case W is formed with an ink injection port into which ink is injected, and a ventilation port is formed in the vicinity of the ink injection port. A protective film for preventing moisture evaporation of the ink is covered so as to cover the serpentine groove connecting the ink injection port and the vent hole. Furthermore, the main body case W has six portions (first to sixth portions) where the film is welded.

  When the ink cartridge is installed in the printer, the valve needle is pushed so that the supply needle provided in the printer resists the biasing force of the opening / closing spring, and the ink stored in the cartridge is supplied to the printer. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main body case W is formed of an elastic material such as resin, and on one surface (for example, the bottom surface), an annular convex portion 102 is formed at the peripheral edge, and both short sides of the annular convex portion 102 are formed. A pair of locking groove portions 103 are formed in the side portion. Each locking groove 103 is formed by cutting out the annular convex portion 102 in a substantially “U” shape as a whole, and the lower portion (right side in FIG. 1B) is opened and the taper narrows upward. It consists of a portion 104 and a circular portion 105 continuous above the tapered portion 104.

  Since the wire locking portions 61 provided on the transport wire 51 are locked to the locking grooves 103, the main body cases W adjacent to each other in the transport direction are connected so that the posture of the main body cases W can be changed. (Details will be described later).

  2 and 3 are overall perspective views of the production line 1. The production line 1 includes a component device group 2 including a plurality of work processing devices (a first film welding device 21 and the like to be described later), and a component device at the top. The group 2 is installed and a pair of rail-like frames 3 arranged in parallel to the arrangement direction of the work processing apparatuses and a plurality of main body cases W are respectively attached to the transport wires 51 and connected to each other. And a workpiece transfer device 4 for sequentially transferring. The component device group 2 is divided into three processing booths 10, and a buffer device 5 is provided between the processing booths 10.

  Each of the plurality of work processing apparatuses has a transport path for the main body case W on the processing area, and is arranged side by side so that the transport paths are continuous. The conveyance path of the production line 1 is defined by a partial conveyance guide 81 of each workpiece processing apparatus, which will be described later, and a buffer section (a pair of feed rollers 42) provided in the buffer apparatus 5. And the workpiece conveyance apparatus 4 sends the conveyance wire 51 along a conveyance path.

  The three processing booths 10 are, in order from the upstream side of the production line 1, a first built-in booth 11 for incorporating a valve member into the main body case W, a first for mounting a seal member on the supply port 101, and the like. 2 is a built-in booth 12 and an ink injection booth 13 for performing ink injection and the like.

  The first built-in booth 11 includes a material supply device 56 (to be described later) of the work transfer device 4 disposed at the most upstream part (transfer start position) and four work processing devices positioned downstream thereof. It is provided side by side. The four workpiece processing devices are, in order from the upstream side, a first film welding device 21 for welding a film to the first portion of the main body case W, a second film welding device 22 for welding a film to the second portion, and a main body. A spring incorporating device 23 that incorporates an opening / closing spring into the case W and a valve incorporating device 24 that incorporates a valve member into the main body case W via the opening / closing spring.

  The second built-in booth 12 is provided with five work processing apparatuses side by side. That is, in order from the upstream side, the third film welding device 25 for welding a film to the third portion of the main body case W, the fourth film welding device 26 for welding a film to the fourth portion of the main body case W, and the main body case W A fifth film welding device 27 for welding a film to the fifth portion, a sixth film welding device 28 for welding a film to the sixth portion of the main body case W, and an opening and closing spring at the inlet of the supply port 101 of the main body case W A seal member incorporating device 29 for mounting the seal member via the valve member is disposed.

  The ink injection booth 13 has three ink injection devices 30 side by side for injecting ink from the ink injection port of the main body case W and covering a protective film between the ink injection port and the vent hole of the main body case W after the ink injection. It is arranged.

  Each of the plurality of work processing apparatuses includes a lower casing 31 serving as a base, an apparatus main part 32 mounted on the upper surface of the lower casing 31, and an openable front cover 34 on the front surface. It is comprised from the upper housing | casing 33 which covers the main part 32, and the apparatus main part 32 differs for every apparatus. Further, a partial conveyance guide 81 constituting a workpiece conveyance device 4 described later is provided in a processing area in front of the apparatus main part 32, and the partial conveyance guide 81 is a conveyance path for the main body case W. . That is, a plurality of partial conveyance guides 81 are connected to form a conveyance path. Although both sides of the front cover 34 are not shown in the drawing, the lower end is cut out in a rectangular shape, and the conveyance of the main body case W is ensured even when the work processing apparatus is closed. Has been.

  Each buffer device 5 includes a support base 41, a pair of feed rollers 42 that are arranged along the transport direction and are pivotally supported by the support base 41 so as to freely rotate, and a cover case 43 that covers them. Has been. The pair of feed rollers 42 together with the plurality of main body cases W constitute a buffer unit that loosens the transport wire 51 downward. That is, the transport wire 51 is fed so as to hang down between the pair of feed rollers 42.

  As a result, when performing various processing operations in each part of the transport path, even when the preprocessing is stopped, the main body case W waiting in the buffer unit can be subjected to post-processing, so that the entire transport path is There is no stopping. Further, it is possible to absorb the difference in processing time between the front and rear processing devices (processing waiting), and to efficiently operate the front and rear work processing devices (details will be described later). Each buffer device 5 is provided with a posture change guide 83 (see FIG. 7) that constitutes a conveyance guide 55 described later.

  In the production line 1 configured as described above, in the first built-in booth 11, the main body case W is attached to the conveyance wire 51 from the material supply device 56 and is sequentially fed out to the conveyance path, and film welding, spring incorporation, and valve incorporation are performed. Provided for each treatment. Subsequently, the main body case W is transported to the second built-in booth 12 via the first buffer device 5 located on the upstream side, and subjected to each process of film welding and mounting of the seal member.

  Furthermore, the main body case W is conveyed to the second built-in booth 12 via the second buffer device 5 located on the downstream side, and ink injection and covering with a protective film are performed. The main body case W (ink cartridge) subjected to various processes in this way is transported by a material removal device (not shown) of the work processing device disposed at the most downstream portion (conveyance end position) of the production line 1. 51, and is accommodated in a material removal stocker (not shown).

  The workpiece transfer device 4 is provided at a transfer wire 51 (refer to FIG. 4 and the like), a transfer start position, a feeding device 52 for freely setting the wound transfer wire 51, and a transfer end position. A winding device 53 that winds up the transporting wire 51, a work feeding mechanism 54 (see FIG. 6) that feeds the transporting wire 51 together with the plurality of main body cases W along the transporting path, The conveyance guide 55 (refer FIG. 6) which guides conveyance of the main body case W is provided. Further, a material supply device 56 for sequentially attaching the introduced plurality of main body cases W to the transport wire 51 is provided at the transport start position, and a material removal device for removing the manufactured ink cartridge from the transport wire 51 at the transport end position. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the transport wire 51 includes a wire body 60 made of, for example, a thin metal wire or a resin thread (such as Tegs), and a plurality of wires provided at a predetermined pitch on the wire body 60. It consists of a wire locking part 61. Each wire locking part 61 has an oblong shape, and the wire main body 60 is inserted through the shaft center and fixed thereto.

  Each wire locking portion 61 is locked to a locking groove 103 formed in the main body case W. That is, the wire body 60 is narrower than the groove width at the upper end portion of the tapered portion 104 of each locking groove portion 103 and wider than the groove width at the lower end portion, and is allowed to be inserted into the circular portion 105. The wire body 60 inserted into the circular portion 105 is prevented from being carelessly pulled out. Furthermore, each wire latching part 61 is formed in a diameter larger than the circular part 105 of each latching groove part 103, and the wire latching part 61 which entered the inside of the annular convex part 102 is outside (in the transport direction). It will never come out. For this reason, the main body case W is attached to a predetermined position without moving (sliding) with respect to the transport wire 51.

  The wire body 60 is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter than the circular portion 105, and the body case W is attached to the transport wire 51 and is centered on the pair of locking grooves 103 (wire body 60). Can be rotated (posture can be changed).

  Thus, by locking the wire locking portion 61 of the transport wire 51 in the locking groove 103 of each main body case W, the postures of the main body cases W can be changed easily and reliably. Can be linked. Furthermore, in this case, since the locking groove 103 of each main body case W can be locked to an arbitrary wire locking portion 61, the interval between the main body cases W can be appropriately changed stepwise.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the feeding device 52 includes a plate-like frame 62 fixedly installed on the pair of rail-like frames 3, and a feeding reel that is pivotally attached to the upper side surface of the plate-like frame 62. 63 and a cover box 64 covering the whole. A conveyance wire 51 is wound around the supply reel 63, and the conveyance wire 51 is configured to be fed out in the direction in which the plurality of work processing apparatuses are arranged. A tension applying mechanism (not shown) for applying a back tension to the feeding wire 51 that is being fed is incorporated in the shaft portion of the feeding reel 63. For this reason, the transport wire 51 is fed out from the feed reel 63 to the transport path without being loosened.

  The winding device 53 includes a plate-like frame (not shown) fixedly installed on the pair of rail-like frames 3, a take-up reel 66 pivotally attached to the upper side surface of the plate-like frame, and a take-up reel. For example, a drive motor (not shown) that rotates 66 through a reduction gear train, and a cover box 67 that covers the whole are provided. The take-up reel 66 is configured to appropriately take up the transport wire 51 after the processed main body case W (ink cartridge) is removed so as not to cause slack.

  A plurality of work feeding mechanisms 54 are provided in a distributed manner in the extending direction of the conveyance path. That is, the workpiece feeding mechanism 54 is provided in each of a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses, although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

  As shown in FIG. 6, each work feeding mechanism 54 is mounted on a uniaxial table 71 (reciprocating mechanism) that reciprocates between the home position and the end position in the conveying direction, and is mounted on the uniaxial table 71. A mounting table 72 that moves back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction by a cylinder (cylinder with a guide), a chuck portion 73 mounted on the mounting table 72, and a transport control unit (not shown) that controls them. have.

  The chuck portion 73 includes a pair of upper and lower grip arms 74 that grip the transport wire 51 and a grip operation mechanism 75 that causes the pair of grip arms 74 to perform a grip operation and a grip release operation. A gripping operation of the pair of gripping arms 74 is performed by the cylinder. The pair of gripping arms 74 are formed such that the mutual distance between the pair of gripping arms 74 is wide and the distance between the distal ends is narrow, and a guide wire 82 (described later) is disposed at the proximal end. The conveying wire 51 is gripped at the tip so as to straddle. The conveyance control unit controls the movement control of the single-axis table 71, the movement control of the mounting table 72, and the gripping operation of the pair of gripping arms 74.

  The work feeding mechanism 54 advances the mounting table 72 in a state where the pair of gripping arms 74 are expanded (gripping release state) with respect to the transport wire 51 facing the transport path at the home position, and the pair of gripping arms 74. In the meantime, the conveyance wire 51 is made to face. Thereafter, the pair of gripping arms 74 are gripped to grip the transport wire 51, and then the uniaxial table 71 is moved at a predetermined pitch in the transport direction so that the transport wire 51 is moved forward to the end position. After the movement, the transfer control unit releases the gripping state of the pair of gripping arms 74, retracts the mounting table 72, and moves the uniaxial table 71 back to the home position.

  By repeating this operation, it is possible to transport the main body case W to a plurality of work processing devices appropriately because the transport wire 51 can be transported at a predetermined pitch while being firmly gripped. Note that the workpiece feeding mechanism 54 may be configured to feed the main body case W and the transport wire 51 by gripping the main body case W instead of the transport wire 51 by a pair of grip arms 74.

  Note that the workpiece feeding mechanism 54 may be provided in any of a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses. However, it is preferable to provide at least one workpiece feeding mechanism 54 in each processing booth 10. According to this, even when the processing speed is different between adjacent processing booths 10, it can be adapted. For example, when the processing speed of the first built-in booth 11 is fast and the processing speed of the second built-in booth 12 is slow, the work feeding mechanism 54 provided in the first built-in booth 11 feeds the transport wire 51 quickly, and the second built-in booth 11 The work feeding mechanism 54 provided in the booth 12 sends the transport wire 51 slowly. In this case, since the difference in processing time between the front and rear processing can be absorbed by the buffer unit, the main body case W can be efficiently transported.

  The material supply device 56 holds each of the introduced main body cases W with the above-described annular convex portion 102 (bottom surface) facing upward, and a pair of locking groove portions 103 formed on the annular convex portion 102 from above. The main body case W is attached so as to be suspended from the transport wire 51 by inserting 51 and locking the wire locking portions 61 with respect to the locking grooves 103. Thereby, it can send out to a conveyance path sequentially, connecting main body cases W with the conveyance wire 51 in a conveyance start position.

  The conveyance guide 55 includes a partial conveyance guide 81 provided in a processing area of each workpiece processing apparatus, a pair of guide wires 82 that are slidably brought into contact with both sides of each main body case W that is stretched along the conveyance path and is conveyed. And a posture change guide 83 (see FIG. 7) provided in each buffer device 5.

  The plurality of partial conveyance guides 81 are continuous in the conveyance direction, and each main body case W to be conveyed is placed in a horizontal position (substantially parallel to the horizontal plane) or a vertical position (substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane). Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the posture change guide 83 is obtained by twisting a plate-shaped thin plate by 90 ° around the axis, and each main body case W is conveyed on the posture change guide 83, The posture of each main body case W is configured to be changed from the horizontal position to the vertical position or from the vertical position to the horizontal position. Note that the posture change guide 83 may be obtained by deforming a pair of rod-shaped guides by twisting 90 ° around the axis.

  The main body case W attached to the transport wire 51 is appropriately transported by the transport guide 55 configured as described above. That is, since the plurality of partial conveyance guides 81 are conveyed while maintaining the posture of each main body case W, the posture of each main body case W is not changed carelessly and can be stably conveyed. . Further, each main body case W is transported while being in sliding contact with a pair of guide wires 82 on both sides. For this reason, each main body case W can be conveyed stably. Furthermore, the posture of the main body case W can be easily changed simply by transporting each main body case W along the posture change guide 83. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a handling device for changing the posture, and the posture of the main body case W can be changed with a simple device configuration.

  According to the workpiece conveyance device 4 configured as described above, a plurality of main body cases W are conveyed by the workpiece feeding mechanism 54 in a state where the postures of the main body cases W are connected to the conveyance wires 51 in a changeable manner. For this reason, the main body case W can be transported to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses in a state in which the posture can be easily changed without using a pallet.

  In the present embodiment, the transport wire 51 is used as a connecting means for connecting the main body cases W adjacent to each other in the transport direction so that the postures of the main body cases W can be changed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other configurations may be used as described below.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which the main body case W is connected by a plurality of rod-like connection pieces 91. Each rod-like connecting piece 91 is made of resin or the like, and is integrally formed by a rod-like connecting portion 92 having a circular cross section and a pair of spherical locking portions 93 provided at both ends of the rod-like connecting portion 92.

  Each spherical locking portion 93 is locked to a locking groove 103 formed in the main body case W, similarly to the wire locking portion 61 described above. That is, the rod-shaped connecting portion 92 is prevented from being carelessly pulled out after being inserted into the circular portion 105. Further, each spherical locking portion 93 is formed to have a larger diameter than the circular portion 105 of each locking groove portion 103, and the spherical locking portion 93 entering the inside of the annular convex portion 102 is outside (in the transport direction). It will never come out.

  The rod-shaped connecting portion 92 is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter than the circular portion 105, and the main body case W has a pair of locking groove portions 103 (the rod-shaped connecting portions 92 in a state where the rod-shaped connecting piece 91 is locked). It is possible to rotate (change the posture) around the axis.

  In this way, by locking the spherical locking portion 93 of the rod-shaped connecting piece 91 in the locking groove 103 of each main body case W, the postures of the main body cases W can be changed, and the main body cases W can be easily and reliably connected to each other. Can be linked to.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the main body case W may be connected by a plurality of string-like connection pieces 95. That is, in this case, each string-like connection piece 95 includes a string-like connection part 96 and a pair of knots 97 provided at both ends of the string-like connection part 96, and each knot 97 has the above-described spherical engagement. Similarly to the stop portion 93, it is locked in the locking groove portion 103 formed in the main body case W.

(A) is a bottom view of the main body case of the ink cartridge, and (b) is a side view of the main body case. It is a whole perspective view of a manufacturing line. It is a whole perspective view of a manufacturing line in the state where the cover was opened. It is a figure which shows the state which connected the main body case with the conveyance wire. It is a figure which shows the state which engages the engaging part of a conveyance wire with the engaging groove part of a main body case. It is a perspective view which shows the workpiece feed mechanism of a workpiece conveyance apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the attitude | position change guide of a workpiece conveyance apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which connected the main body case with the rod-shaped connection piece. It is a figure which shows the state which connected the main body case with the string-shaped connection piece.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Production line 4 ... Work conveying apparatus 23 ... Spring built-in apparatus 24 ... Valve built-in apparatus 30 ... Ink injection apparatus 42 ... Feed roller 51 ... Conveying wire 54 ... Work feeding mechanism 55 ... Conveying guide 56 ... Feeding apparatus 61 ... Wire connection Stop part 71 ... 1 axis table 74 ... Grasping arm 75 ... Grasping motion mechanism 82 ... Guide wire 83 ... Posture change guide 91 ... Rod-like connecting piece 92 ... Rod-like connecting part 93 ... Spherical locking part 95 ... String-like connecting piece 96 ... String Connecting part 97 ... knot

Claims (13)

Each of the workpiece conveying devices sequentially conveys the plurality of workpieces along the conveying path to a plurality of workpiece processing devices arranged side by side so that the conveying routes are connected to each other. In
Workpiece connection means for connecting the workpieces adjacent to each other in the conveyance direction so that the posture of each workpiece can be changed;
Workpiece feeding means for feeding the plurality of workpieces along the conveyance path together with the workpiece connecting means;
A workpiece conveying apparatus comprising: guide means provided along the conveying path for guiding conveyance while maintaining the posture of each workpiece.   The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a material supply device that is disposed at a transfer start position of the transfer path and locks the introduced workpieces to the workpiece connecting means. The workpiece connecting means is composed of a plurality of connecting pieces for connecting the workpieces,
Each of the connecting pieces has a rod-like connecting portion and a pair of locking portions provided at both ends of the rod-like connecting portion,
The workpiece conveying device according to claim 1, wherein each of the locking portions is locked in a locking groove formed in each of the workpieces. The workpiece connecting means is composed of a plurality of connecting pieces for connecting the workpieces,
Each of the connecting pieces has a string-like connecting part and a pair of locking parts provided at both ends of the string-like connecting part,
The workpiece conveying device according to claim 1, wherein each of the locking portions is locked in a locking groove formed in each of the workpieces. The work connecting means is composed of a wire having a plurality of locking portions provided at a predetermined pitch,
The workpiece conveying device according to claim 1, wherein each of the locking portions is locked in a locking groove formed in each of the workpieces. The workpiece feeding means includes a gripping arm that grips either the workpiece or the workpiece connecting member;
A reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the gripping arm along the conveying path;
Control means for causing the gripping arm to grip when the reciprocating mechanism moves forward in the transport direction, and to release the gripping arm when returning. The work conveyance apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5.   7. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the workpiece feeding means are provided in a distributed manner in the extending direction of the transfer path.   8. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide means includes a pair of guide members that are in sliding contact with both sides of each workpiece to be transferred.   9. The guide according to claim 1, wherein the guide means further includes a posture change guide for guiding the conveyance posture of each workpiece to change the posture of each workpiece. Crab transport device.   10. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer path includes a buffer section that loosens the workpiece connecting means downward together with the plurality of workpieces. 11. The workpiece is a main body case of the ink cartridge;
11. The plurality of work processing devices include a component assembling device that incorporates components into the main body case and an ink injection device that injects ink into the main body case. The workpiece transfer device described in 1. A workpiece transfer method for sequentially transferring a plurality of the workpieces along the transfer path to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses each having a transfer path of the workpiece on the processing area and arranged side by side so that the transfer paths are connected. In
While connecting the workpieces at the transfer start position of the transfer path so that the posture of each workpiece can be changed by the workpiece connecting means, by sending the workpieces along the transfer path together with the workpiece connecting means, A work conveying method, characterized by conveying a work. The workpiece connecting means is composed of a plurality of connecting pieces for connecting the workpieces,
Each of the connecting pieces has a rod-like connecting portion and a pair of locking portions provided at both ends of the rod-like connecting portion,
The workpiece conveying method according to claim 12, wherein each of the locking portions is locked in a locking groove formed in each of the workpieces.

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