JP2007246255A - Workpiece conveying apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a workpiece conveying apparatus and method, simply varying a posture while a conveying medium is still loaded with a workpiece. <P>SOLUTION: In the workpiece conveying apparatus 114, the workpiece is conveyed along a conveying passage 8 to a plurality of workpiece treating devices respectively having a conveying passage 8 for the workpiece W on the treating area and disposed side by side to connect the conveying passages 8. The apparatus includes: a plurality of workpiece holding units 5 for holding the workpiece W; a wire 4 where the workpiece holding units 5 are fixed at a predetermined pitch; and a wire feed means 105 for feeding the wire 4 along the conveying passage 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer device and a workpiece transfer method for transferring a plurality of workpieces so as to sequentially face a plurality of workpiece processing devices.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of workpiece conveyance device, one that conveys a workpiece to be processed along a conveyance path while being placed on a pallet is known (see Patent Document 1). In this case, various processing devices (robots) access a workpiece on the pallet and perform processing such as component assembly.
JP-A-5-138463

  However, in the configuration as described above, since the posture of the workpiece cannot be easily changed on the pallet, various processing apparatuses must be configured with robots that perform complicated operations.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece transfer device and a workpiece transfer method that can easily change the posture of a workpiece on a transfer path.

  The workpiece transfer device according to the present invention has a workpiece transfer path on a processing area, and the workpiece transfer device is configured to transfer workpieces along the transfer path to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses arranged side by side so that the transfer paths are continuous. The transport apparatus includes a plurality of work gripping units that grip a work, a wire that fixes the work gripping unit at a predetermined pitch, and a wire feeding unit that feeds the wire along the transport path.

  Also, the workpiece transfer method of the present invention includes a workpiece transfer path on a processing area, and a plurality of workpiece processing devices arranged side by side so that the transfer paths are connected to each other. In the method of transporting workpieces that sequentially convey the workpiece, use a wire in which a plurality of workpiece gripping units are fixed at a predetermined pitch, and grip the workpiece of each workpiece gripping unit at the transport start position of the transport path, while moving the wires along the transport path. It is characterized in that the workpiece is transported by sending.

  According to this configuration, since the workpiece is conveyed to the workpiece gripping unit by the wire, the posture of the workpiece can be easily changed by applying an external force to the workpiece or the workpiece gripping unit. it can. Thereby, since it is not necessary to make each workpiece | work processing apparatus perform complicated operation | movement, the apparatus structure of several workpiece | work processing apparatus can be simplified.

  In this case, it is preferable to further include a material supply device that is disposed at the transfer start position of the transfer path and holds the workpiece introduced into the workpiece gripping unit by gripping the workpiece gripping unit.

  According to this configuration, the workpieces can be sequentially sent out to the conveyance path while the workpieces are gripped by the workpiece gripping units.

  In this case, it is preferable to further include a material removal device that is disposed at the conveyance end position of the conveyance path and causes the workpiece gripping unit to release the grip so that the workpiece gripping unit releases the workpiece.

  According to this configuration, each processed workpiece gripped by each workpiece gripping unit can be sequentially taken out from the transport path.

  In this case, the wire is a single wire arranged in parallel with the transport path, and further includes a pair of guide members that are in sliding contact with both sides of the base portion of the workpiece gripping unit and guide the feed of the workpiece gripping unit. ,preferable.

  According to this structure, a workpiece | work can be conveyed, guiding appropriately in the state which regulated the both sides of the workpiece | work holding | gripping unit. At that time, the pair of guide members and the workpiece do not come into contact with each other, and the workpiece is not damaged.

  In this case, the work gripping unit is interposed between the unit base fixed to the wire, the gripping head for gripping the work, the unit base and the gripping head, and the gripping head is orthogonal to the transport direction with respect to the unit base. It is preferable to have a rotation mechanism that rotates in the direction.

  In this case, it is preferable to further include a first posture changing mechanism that faces the conveyance path and rotates the gripping head via the rotation mechanism.

  According to this configuration, by rotating the workpiece gripping unit so as to be bent, the posture of the workpiece can be changed in a plane orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Thereby, the apparatus configuration of the corresponding work processing apparatus can be simplified.

  In this case, it is preferable that the workpiece gripping unit further includes a rotation mechanism that is interposed between the rotation mechanism and the gripping head and rotates the gripping head about the vertical axis with respect to the unit base.

  In this case, it is preferable to further include a first posture changing mechanism that faces the conveyance path and rotates the gripping head via the rotation mechanism.

  According to this configuration, the posture of the workpiece can be changed in the horizontal plane by rotating the workpiece gripping unit so as to twist. Thereby, the apparatus configuration of the corresponding work processing apparatus can be simplified.

  In this case, the wire feeding means grips the gripping arm, the reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the gripping arm along the transport path, and the gripping arm when the gripping arm moves forward in the transport direction by the reciprocating mechanism. It is preferable to have a control unit that operates and releases the gripping arm during the backward movement.

  According to this configuration, since the wire can be conveyed by a predetermined pitch while firmly holding the wire, each workpiece can be appropriately exposed to a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses. The wire may be of a form that is drawn out from the supply side and wound up on the removal side, or may be of a form that circulates between the supply side and the removal side like a belt.

  In this case, it is preferable that the conveyance path has a buffer part that loosens the wire downward.

  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 this case, the work is a main body case of the ink cartridge, and the plurality of work processing devices include a component incorporation device that incorporates a component into the main body case and an ink injection device that injects ink into the main body case. ,preferable.

  According to this configuration, the ink cartridge can be assembled easily and efficiently, and productivity can be improved.

  Hereinafter, a workpiece transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This work conveyance device conveys a plurality of workpieces so as to sequentially face a plurality of workpiece processing devices. In this embodiment, for example, a main body case of an ink cartridge is used as the work. Here, a case will be described in which the work conveying device is applied to a cartridge production line that incorporates each component into the main body case and injects ink to produce an ink cartridge.

  Although not shown, the ink cartridge manufactured in the cartridge manufacturing line 1 has an ink supply port 2 for supplying ink to the printer, and stores a main body case W (see FIG. 5) that stores ink therein, and an ink supply port. 2, an opening / closing valve that opens and closes the ink supply port 2, a biasing spring that biases the opening / closing valve between an open state and a closed state, and a rubber that prevents ink leakage from the ink supply port 2 And the whole is covered with a plurality of films. In addition, the main body case W is provided with an ink injection port for injecting ink from the ink injection device 100 described later. After the ink is injected, a film is welded so as to cover the ink injection port. The inlet is sealed.

  Although details will be described later, the main body case W is transported together with the case gripping unit 5 while being gripped by the case gripping unit 5 (work gripping unit). On the conveyance path 8, there are provided a single wire 4 in which a plurality of case gripping units 5 are fixed at a predetermined pitch, and a pair of guide portions 6 that guide the feeding of the plurality of case gripping units 5. The main body case W gripped by each case gripping unit 5 is sequentially transported by running 4 (see FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cartridge production line 1 includes a pair of rail-shaped frames 10 serving as a base, three processing booths 11 installed on the pair of rail-shaped frames 10 and including a plurality of work processing apparatuses 20, Two buffer devices 12 provided between the processing booths 11, a feed reel device 13 provided at the start end of the cartridge production line 1, and a draw-in reel device 14 provided at the end. Here, the conveyance path 8 that conveys the main body case W and the pair of guide portions 6 that guide the case gripping unit 5 include a plurality of work processing devices 20 and a buffer device 12. That is, each of the plurality of workpiece processing devices 20 and the buffer device 12 includes a part of the transport path 8 and a part of the pair of guide parts 6, and the transport path 8 of these parts and the pair of guide parts 6 of the part. Are arranged side by side on the pair of rail-shaped frames 10 so as to be continuous.

  The pair of rail-shaped frames 10 are formed of, for example, C-shaped steel and are arranged in parallel to each other. The plurality of work processing devices 20, the buffer device 12, the feed reel device 13, and the pull-in reel device 14 are arranged side by side. Fixed installation. And the said wire 4 is comprised with an endless thing, and is spanned in the state which gave looseness to the sending reel apparatus 13 and the drawing reel apparatus 14 (refer FIG. 1).

  The delivery reel device 13 includes a cover box 29 serving as an outer shell and a delivery reel 28 accommodated therein. A wire 4 having the case gripping unit 5 fixed at a predetermined pitch is stretched around the delivery reel 28, and freely rotates so as to feed the wire 4 in the direction in which the plurality of work processing devices 20 are arranged.

  Similarly, the pull-in reel device 14 includes a cover box 29 serving as an outer shell and a pull-in reel 35 accommodated therein. A wire 4 to which the case gripping unit 5 is fixed is stretched over the drawing reel 35, and freely rotates so as to draw the wire 4 from the plurality of work processing apparatuses 20.

  That is, the wire 4 is fed by a wire feed unit 105 described later, and the feed reel device 13 and the pull-in reel device 14 rotate according to this feed. Further, the wire 4 circulates between the feeding reel device 13 and the pull-in reel device 14 in a slack state. However, both reel devices may be driven (however, the wire 4 slips as appropriate), and the addition of the wire feeding unit 105 may be reduced. A space between the feed reel device 13 and the lead-in reel device 14 is a conveyance path 8 for the wire 4, and a plurality of work processing devices 20 and a buffer device 12 face the conveyance path 8. Instead of the feed reel device 13 and the pull-in reel device 14, a supply reel device for feeding the wire 4 and a take-up reel device for winding the wire 4 may be provided. In this case, the take-up reel device is driven (winding drive), and the supply reel device is driven.

  The three processing booths 11 are composed of a first built-in booth 40, a second built-in booth 41, and an ink injection booth 42. A plurality of work processing apparatuses 20 of these booths 40, 41, 42 are components in the main body case W. Etc. and the ink cartridge are assembled by injecting ink.

  The first built-in booth 40 includes, from the left side in the drawing, a feeding device 50 that causes the case gripping unit 5 of the introduced wire 4 to grip the main body case W, and a first film that thermally welds the film to the first portion of the main body case W. A welding device 51, a second film welding device 52 for thermally welding a film to the second portion of the main body case W, a spring incorporating device 53 for incorporating a biasing spring into the main body case W, and an opening / closing valve from above the incorporated spring. And a valve incorporating device 54 to be incorporated.

  The second built-in booth 41 includes, from the left side in the figure, a posture changing device 90 that changes the posture of the case gripping unit 5, a third film welding device 91 that thermally welds a film to the third portion of the main body case W, and the main body case W. A fourth film welding device 92 for thermally welding the film to the fourth portion, a fifth film welding device 93 for thermally welding the film to the fifth portion of the main body case W, and a seal member at the ink supply port of the main body case W. And a rubber insertion device 94 for insertion.

  The ink injection booth 42 includes two ink injection devices 100 that inject ink into the main body case W, and a material removal device 104 that removes the processed main body case W (that is, the ink cartridge) held by the case holding unit 5. It consists of

  The plurality of workpiece processing devices 20 include a device box 60 as a base, a control panel 61 provided on the upper front surface of the device box 60, a case processing unit 62 provided on the upper surface of the device box 60, and case processing. And a processing cover box 63 that covers the portion 62. The processing cover box 63 has an open / close lid 64 at the front half thereof. That is, the plurality of work processing apparatuses 20 have substantially the same configuration, and the processing of the case processing unit 62 differs depending on the processing. The processing area of each case processing unit 62 is provided with a conveyance path 8 and a pair of guide parts 6, and a plurality of workpiece processing apparatuses 20 are connected so that the conveyance path 8 and the pair of guide parts 6 are connected. Are arranged side by side to constitute the conveyance path 8 and the pair of guide portions 6. Moreover, although mentioned later for details, each workpiece | work processing apparatus 20 has the wire sending part 105 for sending the wire 4, and sends out the wire 4 suitably.

  Here, the case processing unit 62 of each work processing apparatus 20 will be described. The case processing unit of the material supply device 50 is a case mounting processing unit that mounts the main body case W in a sideways state on the case gripping unit 5 (details will be described later). The case processing unit 62 of the first film welding device 51 is a film welding processing unit that welds a film to the main body case W, and the second film welding device 52 is different from the portion welded by the first film welding device 51. It is configured to weld a film. Similarly, since the other film welding apparatuses 91, 92, 93 are also configured to weld films to different portions of the main body case W, the description of each film welding apparatus 91, 92, 93 described later is omitted. To do.

  The case processing unit 62 of the spring built-in device 53 is a spring built-in processing unit, and is configured to attach a biasing spring to the ink supply port 2 of the main body case W. The case processing unit 62 of the valve built-in device 54 is a valve built-in processing unit, and is configured to mount the open / close valve from above the mounted biasing spring.

  The case processing unit 62 of the posture changing device 90 is a posture changing processing unit that changes the posture of the case gripping unit 5 so that the main body case W changes from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture (details will be described later). The case processing unit 62 of the rubber insertion device 94 is a rubber insertion processing unit, and is configured to insert a rubber seal member for sealing the ink supply port 2 of the main body case W.

  The ink injection device 100 includes an ink injection processing unit that injects ink into the main body case W, injects ink through the ink injection port of the main body case W, and seals the ink injection port with a film after ink injection. It is configured to The case processing unit 62 of the material removal apparatus 104 is a case removal processing unit that removes the main body case W gripped by the case gripping unit 5 (details will be described later).

  The buffer device is also configured in substantially the same manner as the delivery reel device 13, and has two rollers 110 instead of the delivery reel 28. The two rollers 110 are arranged horizontally (the same height), and the wire 4 is stretched over the two rollers 110 so as to hang down. The buffer device 12 keeps a plurality of main body cases W in the process waiting state, and causes the main body case W kept in the buffer device 12 to face the post-processing device even when the preprocessing device stops processing. Therefore, the entire conveyance path 8 does not stop. Even if each processing booth 11 has a different processing time, the buffer device 12 can absorb the difference between the processing times of the front and rear processing, so that the main body case W can be efficiently transported.

  When the wire feeder 105 provided in each workpiece processing device 20 sends out the wire 4, the case gripping unit 5 is sent out from the feed reel device 13, and the case gripping unit 5 sent out is supplied to the first built-in booth 40. Facing the device 50. The material supply device 50 attaches the main body case W to the facing case gripping unit 5 and faces the first film welding device 51 by the wire feeding unit 105 after the attachment. The film is thermally welded to the main body case W facing the first film welding apparatus 51, and thereafter, the case holding unit 5 is again fed by the wire feeding unit 105, and the main body case W faces the next processing apparatus. When the main body case W faces the spring incorporating device 53, a biasing spring is attached to the ink supply port 2 of the main body case W. After the urging spring is mounted, the main body case W faces the valve incorporating device 54 and the opening / closing valve is mounted from above the urging spring mounted.

  The main body case W that has passed through the first built-in booth 40 then faces the first buffer device 12 and moves in the first buffer device 12 toward the second built-in booth 41. When the main body case W faces the posture changing device 90 of the second built-in booth 41, the posture changing device 90 changes the posture of the case gripping unit 5 so as to change the posture of the main body case W from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. After the posture change, the main body case W faces each film welding device 91, 92, 93, and the film is welded to the main body case W by each film welding device 91, 92, 93. The rubber insertion device 94 is faced. In the rubber insertion device 94, a rubber seal member is attached to the ink supply port 2 of the main body case W. Thereafter, the main body case W again faces the second buffer device 12.

  When the main body case W faces the ink injection device 100 of the ink injection booth 42 from the second buffer device 12, the ink injection device 100 injects ink from the ink injection port of the main body case W, and after ink injection, Seal the inlet. Thereafter, the case gripping unit 5 faces the material removal device 104 and removes the processed main body case W gripped by the case gripping unit 5. The case gripping unit 5 from which the main body case W has been removed is returned to the feeding reel device 13 by the pull-in reel device 14 together with the wire 4.

  Here, the workpiece transfer apparatus 114 of the present invention will be described in detail. The work transfer device 114 includes a wire 4 that circulates between the feed reel device 13 and the pull-in reel device 14, a case gripping unit 5 that is fixed to the wire 4 at a predetermined pitch, and a transport path for the case gripping unit 5. 8, a pair of guide portions 6 to be guided on, a plurality of work processing devices 20, a wire feeding portion 105 for feeding the wire 4, and a material supply device 50 for mounting the main body case W on the case gripping unit 5. And a material removal device 104 for removing the main body case W gripped by the case gripping unit 5 and a posture changing device 90 for changing the posture of the main body case W.

  The wire 4 has a sufficient length and is endless in consideration of a slack in each buffer device 12 and a slack that creates a sag between the feed reel device 13 and the pull-in reel device 14. The wire 4 in this case is, for example, a steel wire combined more, but is not limited thereto, and may be a resin yarn combined. The pair of guide portions 6 is, for example, a rod-shaped object such as a round bar or a square bar, or a pipe shape, and is provided along the conveyance path 8 as described above. However, the guide portion 6 may be made of an L-shaped channel material in order to suppress the lifting of the case gripping unit 5 and guide the case more stably.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the case gripping unit 5 includes a unit base 115 fixed to the wire 4, a fan-shaped frame 116 provided on the unit base 115, and a base end portion pivotally attached to the fan-shaped frame 116. And a gripping head 118 provided at the tip of the vertical shaft 117. The vertical shaft 117 incorporates a rotation mechanism 119 for rotating the gripping head 118 around the vertical axis. The vertical shaft 117 and the fan-shaped frame 116 are provided with a rotating mechanism 120 that rotates the gripping head 118 in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  The unit base 115 includes a wire fixing portion 122 through which the wire 4 is inserted and fixed, and a rectangular base block 123 that is continuous with the wire fixing portion 122. The long side of the base block 123 is substantially the same as the gap between the pair of guide portions 6 so that the side surfaces thereof are in sliding contact with the pair of guide portions 6.

  The fan-shaped frame 116 is provided so as to be erected from the long side end portion of the base block 123, and a pair of left and right stoppers 125 projecting from the lower portion of the inner surface thereof, and a click mechanism described later on the inner surface. It has three click engagement holes 126 formed in a recessed shape to be engaged. The pair of stoppers 125 are arranged symmetrically so as to be horizontal to each other, and one of the three click engagement holes 126 is provided at the center upper portion of the fan-shaped frame 116, and two of the click engagement holes 126 are provided at both lower ends. It arrange | positions so that it may become horizontal (refer FIG. 3). It is more preferable that the fan-shaped frame 116 is composed of a pair provided so as to sandwich the vertical shaft 117.

  The vertical shaft 117 has an intermediate portion formed in a columnar shape, and an upper portion formed in a plate shape for attaching the gripping head 118. Further, the lower portion of the vertical shaft 117 is formed in a thick plate shape and is pivotally attached to the center of the inner surface of the fan-shaped frame 116. An intermediate portion of the vertical shaft 117 formed in a columnar shape is divided into an upper shaft portion 131 and an upper shaft portion 132, and the rotating mechanism 119 is provided at the joint portion.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation mechanism 119 is connected in the form of a seal joint by a concave portion 152 of the upper shaft portion 131 and a convex portion 150 of the upper shaft portion 132, and is provided with a tension spring provided in the upper shaft portion 131. 154. In addition, a face ratchet 155 is formed at the abutting portion between the upper shaft portion 131 and the upper shaft portion 132, and the gripping head 118 is rotated (rotated) around the vertical axis at a predetermined angle. It has a possible configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a support shaft 156 that serves as a rotation mechanism 120 and a click mechanism are provided below the vertical shaft 117, and the click mechanism is a steel ball that can be retracted and held in a retaining state. And an urging spring that urges the steel ball toward the fan-shaped frame 116 side. As a result, when the vertical shaft 117 is rotated in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path 8, the steel balls of the click mechanism engage with the click engagement holes 126 described above, thereby causing the vertical shaft 117 to be vertically and horizontally horizontal. The restricted state can be established at the rotational position. The stopper 125 is for preventing the vertical shaft 117 from excessively rotating.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the gripping head 118 is fixed to the upper side surface of the vertical shaft 117 and extends horizontally, and a pair of chucks pivotally supported at both ends of the support plate 160. An arm 161 and a chuck spring 162 passed between the pair of chuck arms 161 are provided. Each chuck arm 161 is formed in an “L” shape, and is pivotally supported on the support plate 160 via a rotating shaft 163 at the bent portion. The overlapping portions of both chuck arms 161 are formed to be half as thick, and the tips of both chuck arms 161 are rotated in the same plane (see FIG. 3).

  The material supply device 50 causes the case gripping unit 5 to grip the main body case W, and the main body case W is interposed between the pair of chuck arms 161 and the push-up bar 164 that pushes up the overlapping portions of the pair of chuck arms 161 together. It has a carrying-in arm (not shown) for feeding material. The pair of chuck arms 161 perform a leg opening operation when the base ends thereof are pushed up by the push-up bar 164. In this state, the main body case W is carried between the chuck arms 161 by the carry-in arm, the push-up bar 164 is lowered, and both the chuck arms 161 are closed by the chuck spring 162. Thereby, both chuck arms 161 hold the main body case W so as to be sandwiched. Note that the material supply device 50 rotates the rotation mechanism 120 of the case gripping unit 5 with a separately provided pusher or the like so that the main body case W is in the horizontal posture, that is, sends the main body case W while the vertical shaft 117 is tilted. .

  The material removal device 104 removes the main body case W gripped by the case gripping unit 5, and has substantially the same configuration as the material supply device 50. That is, the material removal device 104 includes a push-up bar 164 that pushes up the base end portions of the pair of chuck arms 161 and a carry-out arm (not shown) that removes the main body case W held between the pair of chuck arms 161. Have. Thereby, when the case gripping unit 5 faces the material removal device 104, the carry-out arm handles the main body case W, and in this state, the gripping of the case gripping unit 5 is released by the push-up bar 164. After releasing the grip, the carry-out arm moves to remove the material, and then the push-up bar 164 is lowered. Thereby, the main body case W after processing is appropriately removed.

  The posture changing device 90 rotates the rotating mechanism 119 and rotates the rotating mechanism 119 so as to change the posture of the main body case W according to processing. That is, the posture changing device 90 of the present embodiment is configured to cause the vertical shaft 117 to fall down in order to change the main body case W from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture. The posture changing device 90 includes, for example, a bifurcated arm and an arm rotation mechanism that rotates the bifurcated arm, and the case gripping unit 5 is rotated with the bifurcated arm facing the gripping head 118.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the wire feeding unit 105 is mounted on the single-axis table 135 that reciprocates between the home position and the end position in the conveyance direction, and is mounted on the single-axis table 135 and orthogonal to the conveyance direction by the air cylinder. The mounting table 136 is guided in the orthogonal direction to move forward and backward, the chuck unit 137 is mounted on the mounting table 136, and the transport control unit 138 controls these.

  The chuck portion 137 includes a pair of gripping arms 140 that grips the wire 4 and a gripping operation mechanism 141 that causes the pair of gripping arms 140 to perform a gripping operation and a gripping release operation. The gripping operation mechanism 141 is an air cylinder. Thus, the gripping operation of the pair of gripping arms 140 is performed. The pair of gripping arms 140 are formed so that the distance between the base ends is wide and the distance between the tips is narrow, and the wire 4 is gripped in the narrow part. To do. The conveyance control unit 138 controls the movement control of the single-axis table 135, the movement control of the mounting table 136, and the gripping operation of the pair of gripping arms 140.

  In the home position, the wire feeding unit 105 advances the mounting table 136 with respect to the wire 4 facing the conveyance path 8 in a state where the pair of gripping arms 140 is expanded (a gripping release state), and the pair of gripping arms 140. Let the wire 4 come in between. Thereafter, the conveyance control unit 138 causes the pair of gripping arms 140 to perform the gripping operation to grip the wire 4, and then moves the single-axis table 135 at a predetermined pitch in the transport direction so as to move the wire 4 to the end position. Let After the movement, the conveyance control unit 138 releases the gripping state of the pair of gripping arms 140, moves the placement table 136 backward, and moves the single-axis table 135 back to the home position. By repeating this operation, the wire 4 can be transported at a predetermined pitch. The wire feeding unit 105 may be provided in all of the plurality of work processing apparatuses 20 or may be provided in any of the work processing apparatuses 20 as appropriate. Alternatively, the wire feeding unit 105 may be provided as an independent wire conveyance device, and this device may be installed in the cartridge production line 1. Thereby, the main body case W can be conveyed with the pitch corresponding to each processing booth 40,41,42.

  According to the above configuration, since the posture of the main body case W can be easily changed, it is not necessary for the plurality of work processing devices 20 to perform complicated operations, and the configuration of the plurality of work processing devices 20 can be simplified. can do.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the cartridge manufacturing line incorporating the workpiece conveyance apparatus of this embodiment. It is a both-sides view of a case holding unit. It is a front view of a case holding unit. It is a schematic diagram of the rotation mechanism of a case holding unit. It is explanatory drawing of the holding | grip operation | movement of a holding | grip head, and a holding | grip release operation | movement. It is a schematic diagram of a wire feeding part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Wire 5 ... Case holding | grip unit 6 ... Guide part 8 ... Transfer path 12 ... Buffer apparatus 20 ... Work processing apparatus 90 ... Posture change apparatus 105 ... Wire feed part 114 ... Work conveyance apparatus 117 ... Vertical axis 118 ... Gripping head 119 ... Rotating mechanism 120 ... Rotating mechanism W ... Main body case

Claims (12)

In each of the work transport devices that transport the work along the transport path to a plurality of work processing devices that each have a work transport path on the processing area and are arranged side by side so that the transport path is continuous.
A plurality of workpiece gripping units for gripping the workpiece;
A wire that fixes the workpiece gripping unit at a predetermined pitch;
Wire feeding means for feeding the wire along the transport path, and a work transport device.   2. A feeding device that is disposed at a transfer start position of the transfer path, and that grips the workpiece gripping unit to grip the workpiece introduced into the workpiece gripping unit. The workpiece transfer device described in 1.   2. A material removal device that is disposed at a conveyance end position of the conveyance path and that causes the workpiece gripping unit to release the grip so that the workpiece gripping unit releases the workpiece. Or the workpiece conveyance apparatus of 2. The wire is a single one arranged in parallel to the transport path,
The workpiece transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pair of guide members that are in sliding contact with both sides of the base of the workpiece gripping unit and guide the feed of the workpiece gripping unit. The workpiece gripping unit includes a unit base fixed to the wire,
A gripping head for gripping the workpiece;
And a rotation mechanism that is interposed between the unit base and the gripping head and rotates the gripping head in a direction orthogonal to a transport direction with respect to the unit base. Item 5. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a first posture changing mechanism that faces the transfer path and rotates the gripping head via the rotation mechanism.   The workpiece gripping unit further includes a rotation mechanism that is interposed between the rotation mechanism and the gripping head and rotates the gripping head about a vertical axis with respect to the unit base. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.   The work transfer apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a first posture changing mechanism that faces the transfer path and rotates the gripping head via the rotation mechanism. The wire feeding means includes a gripping arm for gripping the wire;
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 workpiece conveyance apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 8.   The workpiece transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer path includes a buffer unit that loosens the wire downward. 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
Using a wire with multiple workpiece gripping units fixed at a predetermined pitch,
A work transfer method, wherein the work is transferred by sending the wire along the transfer path while holding the work of each work holding unit at the transfer start position of the transfer path.

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