JP2008184317A - Assemblage conveyor apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assemblage conveyor apparatus, in which assembling work can be performed from various angles to the workpiece, work environments by a worker M in each process can be improved to the utmost, and the assembly line can be freely designed. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus is provided with a circular travel rail 2, a plurality of fixture carriages 3 composed to be movable along the travel rail 2, connection means 4 to connect the adjoining fixture carriages 3 to each other at an interval, so that the fixture carriages 3 are connected in a loop, and a drive means 5 to supply drive force for carrying workpieces to at least one fixture carriage 3. The fixture carriage 3 is provided with a workpiece support part 20 to support the workpiece " at a projecting position outward of the travel rail 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembling conveyor device that is installed in an assembling line or the like that divides a work and assembles by a flow operation.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the assembly conveyor device 90 installed in a line for sharing and assembling the workpieces W is disposed on the conveyor 91 and the conveyor 91 disposed along each assembly station. A pallet type jig 92. In the conventional assembling conveyor device 90, the conveyor 91 is driven in a state in which the workpiece W is mounted on the pallet-type jig 92, so that the worker M can assemble in the work areas A1 to A7 of each stroke arranged linearly. Attaching work can be performed.

  However, in the conventional assembly conveyor device 90, since the conveyor 91 conveys the pallet-type jig 92 in a straight line, the work area of each process constituting the assembly line must be arranged in a straight line. The distance from the work area A1 of the process to the work area A7 of the last process becomes longer, and a conveyor for transporting the pallet-type jig 92 that has become empty after the completion of assembly to the work area A1 of the first process is separately provided. It was necessary. Further, the number of pallet-type jigs 92 needs to be prepared somewhat more than the number of assembly work steps.

  Furthermore, since the workpiece W is supported by the pallet-type jig 92 placed on the conveyor 91, there is a problem that the work areas A1 to A7 of the assembling process for the workpiece W are limited to either the left or right of the conveyor. there were. In addition, the worker M cannot perform the assembly work on the workpiece W from the front-rear direction of the conveyance direction, and also when performing the assembly work from the left and right of the conveyor 91, pay attention to the conveyor 91 at the bottom. Since it was necessary to perform the attaching work, work efficiency had to be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and can perform assembly work from various angles with respect to the work, and can improve the work environment by the worker M in each process as much as possible. Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly conveyor device that can freely design an assembly line.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention connects an annular traveling rail, a plurality of jig carts configured to be movable along the traveling rail, and adjacent jig carts with an interval therebetween. Connecting means for connecting the jig carriage in a loop shape and driving means for supplying a driving force for conveying the work to at least one jig carriage, the jig carriage bringing the work to the outside of the traveling rail. There is provided an assembly conveyor device comprising a workpiece support portion that supports a projecting position.

  According to the said structure, a jig | tool trolley can be moved on a loop along a cyclic | annular traveling rail when a drive means supplies a driving force, and a workpiece | work can be conveyed in the direction along a traveling rail. Moreover, since the workpiece | work supported by the workpiece | work support part is located in the part protruded outside from the running rail, the working environment which an operator can perform an assembly | attachment operation | work with respect to a workpiece | work from all angles is realizable.

  If the driving means is attached to at least one of the jig trolleys connected in a loop, the other jig trolleys are connected by the connecting means, so that they are pulled by the jig trolley to which the driving means are attached. Move. However, by providing a plurality of driving means, the operation of the assembly conveyor device is not stopped even when the driving means fails.

  The connecting means is connected to a front and rear connecting rods that are swingable in the horizontal direction to the front and rear jig carts, and is connected to these connecting rods so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction. It is preferable to include a connecting carriage configured to be movable along the traveling rail.

  The connecting rod is connected to the front and rear jig carts so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction, so that the power for pulling the following jig carts can be obtained even when the jig cart moves along a curved traveling rail. Can communicate. In addition, since a connecting carriage configured to be movable along the traveling rail is interposed between the connecting rods, the subsequent jig carriage connected by the connecting means is pulled even if the curvature of the traveling rail is increased. can do. In addition, it is also possible to interpose a plurality of connecting carts between the connecting rods so as to correspond to a more curved traveling rail.

The traveling rail has a straight portion and a curved portion,
The driving means includes a driving rail including an annular chain disposed inside the traveling rail so as to be parallel to the traveling rail, a sprocket that engages with the annular chain, and a driving motor that rotates the sprocket. The drive unit is slidably attached to the tool carriage in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction.When the jig carriage to which the drive unit is attached is located on the curved part of the traveling rail, the curvature of the curved part is It is preferable that the moving speed is adjusted together.

  The drive unit can be moved along the drive rail by driving the drive motor with the sprocket engaged with the annular chain provided in the drive rail. Further, when the drive unit moves, the jig carriage attached so as to be slidable in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction also moves. In addition, since the drive unit is slidably attached to the jig carriage in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, the connection state between the drive unit and the jig carriage is maintained even if the distance between the travel rail and the drive rail changes. be able to. Since the moving speed of the drive unit is adjusted in accordance with the curvature at the curved portion of the traveling rail, the moving speed of the jig carriage moving along the traveling rail can be kept constant.

  It is preferable that the jig carriage has a work confirmation unit that indicates the presence or absence of a work to be supported. With this configuration, the host information processing system uses the work confirmation means to confirm the presence or absence of a workpiece, so that even when there is a jig cart that does not carry a workpiece, the assembly instruction that matches the workpiece can be accurately given to the worker. Can be output.

  It is preferable that the work support portion has a rotation mechanism that supports the work so as to be rotatable around a horizontal center line. With this configuration, the worker can perform the assembling work in a state in which the work is arranged at a position where the work efficiency is the highest.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the workpiece can be transported in a state of projecting outside the annular traveling rail, the operator can change the workpiece from various angles without changing the posture of the workpiece. Assembly work can be performed. Further, the worker does not need to straddle the traveling rail during the assembly work on the workpiece, and can concentrate on the assembly work without paying attention to the feet.

  Since the traveling rail is formed in an annular shape, it is possible to circulate the work area of each stroke using a jig cart connected in a loop shape, and an empty jig cart is moved wastefully using a separate conveying means I will not let you. Further, the curved portion of the traveling rail can be curved so as to draw a small arc so that the installation space can be reduced. The traveling rail can be arbitrarily curved by combining the straight portion and the curved portion, and the work area can be arranged at an arbitrary position.

  When adjusting the moving speed of the drive unit in the curved part according to the curvature of the curved part, the moving speed of the jig carriage to which the drive unit is attached and the jig carriage pulled by this is made almost constant, Since the moving speed when all the jig carts move along the curved portion of the traveling rail can be kept constant, the operator can easily perform the assembling work in both the curved portion and the straight portion.

  FIGS. 1-13 is a figure which shows the structure of the assembly conveyor apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the assembly conveyor device 1 includes an annular traveling rail 2 and a plurality of jig carts 3 that are movable along the traveling rail 2 and support the workpiece W in an overhanging state. And connecting means 4 for connecting adjacent jig carts 3 with a predetermined distance D to connect the jig carts 3 in a loop as a whole, and at least one jig cart 3 in a predetermined direction. Driving means 5 for supplying a driving force for conveying the workpiece W to X. In the present embodiment, the driving means 5 includes an annular driving rail 6 disposed inside the traveling rail 2 so as to be parallel to the traveling rail 2, and a driving unit 7 that moves along the driving rail 6. Consists of.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 9, the traveling rail 2 is a combination of a strip-shaped rail body 2 a and a rail base 2 b so that the cross section is substantially T-shaped. A pair of guide rails 2c for guiding the moving direction of the jig carriage 3 in the transport direction X is formed at the center. The traveling rail 2 and the drive rail 6 are mounted on a conveyor base 1a, and the conveyor base 1a is fixed to the floor F with the height of the legs 1b adjusted, so that the level is maintained. It is installed with the height adjusted.

  Furthermore, the traveling rail 2 of the present embodiment includes a straight portion 2S made of a straight rail and a curved portion 2R made of a semicircular arc rail, and is connected in a ring shape as a whole.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the jig carriage 3 is engaged with the traveling rail 2 and is configured to be movable in the longitudinal direction (along the direction) of the traveling rail 2; A work support section 20 is provided which stands on the carriage section 10 and supports the work W at a position protruding outside the traveling rail 2.

  The carriage unit 10 has rollers 11 and 12 arranged vertically so as to grasp both left and right ends of the rail body 2a, a top plate 13 to which the upper roller 11 is rotatably attached in a horizontal direction, and the top plate. 13 between a side plate 14 hanging from both left and right sides, a roller mounting portion 15 attached to a lower portion of the side plate 14 to which the lower roller 12 is attached, and a center plate in the horizontal direction of the top plate 13 and between the guide rails 2c. And a guide body 16 to be fitted. Reference numeral 17 denotes a detachable workpiece confirmation means attached in a state where the workpiece W is mounted. In this embodiment, a dog embedded with an ID tag in which information for identifying the workpiece W is recorded. Further, 18 is a terminal that comes into contact with a trolley power supply rail 6e described later, and 19 is an arm provided on the top plate 13 for connecting the connecting member 4.

  The work support unit 20 includes a support column 21 standing on the top plate 13, a rotation mechanism 22 attached to the upper end portion of the outer surface of the support column 21 so as to be rotatable about a central axis O in the horizontal direction, and the rotation mechanism. A handle 23 that adjusts the rotational position of 22 and a support arm 24 that is connected via the rotation mechanism 22 are provided. The support arm 24 is provided with a fixing lever 24 a for holding the work W in a state of being fixed to the support arm 24. The support arm 24 is preferably configured to be replaceable according to the shape of the workpiece W.

  The connecting member 4 includes a front connecting rod 4A and a rear connecting rod 4B, which are connected to the arms 19 of the jig carriage 3 forward and backward in the moving direction so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction, and these connecting rods 4A and 4B. And a connecting carriage 30 configured to be movable along the traveling rail 2 while being swingably connected in the horizontal direction. Further, a bearing b that is rotatably connected in the horizontal direction is interposed in a connecting portion between the connecting rods 4A and 4B, the jig cart 3, and the connecting cart 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the connecting carriage 30 includes rollers 31, 32 arranged vertically so as to grasp both the left and right sides of the rail body 2 a, a top plate 33 to which the upper roller 31 is attached, A side plate 34 that hangs down from both the left and right sides of the plate 33, a roller mounting portion 35 that is attached to the lower portion of the side plate 34 and mounts the lower roller 32, and hangs down from the center in the left-right direction of the top plate 33 and between the guide rails 2c. And an arm 37 attached to both front and rear ends of the top plate 33 and attached to the connecting rods 4A and 4B so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction via the bearing b.

  The drive rail 6 is a chain holding plate made of a long belt-like body that is held by an angle 6a mounted on the conveyor base 1a so as to be arranged inside the travel rail 2 so as to be parallel to the travel rail 2. 6b, a trolley holding plate 6c, an annular chain 6d fixed to the chain holding plate 6b, and a trolley power supply rail 6e held by the trolley holding plate 6c.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the drive unit 7 can slide on the top plate 13 of the jig carriage 3 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction X via a linear motion guide mechanism 40 such as an LM guide. A base 41 to be attached, a drive motor 42 fixed to the base 41, a movement direction restricting means 43 attached to the lower surface of the base 41 and engaged so as to sandwich the chain holding plate 6b, and a drive motor And a sprocket 44 that is rotationally driven by 42. In FIG. 8, the drive unit 7 is attached to two continuous jig carts 3 as a spare when one of the drive units 7 breaks down. The drive unit 7 may be provided in any one of the equipment carts 3.

  The power source of the drive motor 42 obtains electric power through the terminal 18 that contacts the trolley power supply rail 6e, thereby rotating the sprocket 44 shown in FIG. 8 counterclockwise and moving the drive unit 7 in the transport direction X. It is configured to be able to. Further, a plurality of terminals 18 are provided, and a plurality of trolley power supply rails 6e that are in contact with these terminals 18 are also provided, and at least the rotation speed of the drive motor 42 can be changed by electric power supplied to the trolley power supply rails 6e. . The rotational speed of the drive motor 42 is adjusted in accordance with the curvature in the curved portion 2R of the traveling rail 2.

  Next, operation | movement of the assembly conveyor apparatus 1 of the said structure is demonstrated using FIG.1 and FIG.12,13. That is, first, the work W is attached to the work support portion 24 of each jig carriage 3 and is firmly fixed by the fixing lever 24a, so that the work W is overhanged in a state of protruding outward from the annular traveling rail 2.

  Next, when electric power is supplied to the trolley power supply rail 6e, the drive motor 42 rotates and the drive unit 7 moves in the transport direction X. Accordingly, the jig carriage 3 to which the drive unit 7 is attached moves in the transport direction X, and all the jig carriages 3 that are sequentially connected to the jig carriage 3 via the connecting means 4 are moved to the traveling rail 2. All the jig carts 3 are moved in the transport direction X by being pulled while being guided by.

  At this time, since the worker M performs the assembling work on the workpiece W protruding outward from the traveling rail 2, the worker M can work from all directions, and also operates the handle 23 to move the workpiece W in the horizontal direction. Can be rotated around the center line O, thereby further improving the working environment. Further, although the workpiece W is projected outside the traveling rail 2, the traveling rail 2 is fixed to the floor surface F together with the drive rail 6 provided on the inside of the traveling rail 2. The lift of the traveling rail 2 can be prevented without forming a footrest.

  As shown in FIG. 12, since the connecting rods 4A and 4B are connected via the connecting cart 30, the length of the connecting rods 4A and 4B can be reduced, and the curved portion 2B that draws a small arc can be formed. Even if it is the traveling rail 2, the subsequent jig trolley | bogie 3 can be pulled along this. Therefore, the installation space of the assembly conveyor apparatus 1 can be reduced. In the present embodiment, since the curved portion 2B of the traveling rail 2 changes the direction of 180 °, the track-shaped traveling rail 2 can be formed by providing a pair, but a more complicated curved portion 2B. A combination of the linear portion 2A may be performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13A, the moving distance D3 of the workpiece W and the jig carriage 3 that move on the linear portion 2S of the traveling rail 2 is substantially the same as the moving distance D2 of the drive unit 7, but FIG. As shown in (B), the moving distance D3 of the workpiece W moving along the curved portion 2R of the traveling rail 2 is longer than the moving distance D4 of the drive unit 7. Therefore, in the assembly conveyor apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the moving speed of the drive unit 7 is variable, and the trolley power supply rail 6e slows down the rotational speed of the drive unit 7 in the curved part 2B according to the curvature of the curved part. By supplying power in this manner, the moving speed of the jig carriage 3 guided by the traveling rail 2 is kept constant. Thereby, all the jig carts 3 are conveyed at a constant speed, and the worker M can perform the assembling work in a comfortable environment.

  The jig carriage 3 is provided with a dog 17 embedded with an ID tag in which information for identifying the workpiece W is recorded as a workpiece confirmation means for indicating the presence or absence of the workpiece W supported by the jig cart 3. Is confirmed by a sensor connected to a management computer for assembly instruction (not shown), the management computer can output an accurate work instruction to the worker M. Since the dog 17 can be easily removed, the number of workers M can be freely adjusted when the number of production increases or decreases.

  Furthermore, since the information for identifying the work W is recorded in the ID tag embedded in the dog 17, the management computer can confirm the output content of the work instruction using the identification information.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the assembly conveyor device 50 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 14, a column 38 is erected on the top plate 33 of the connecting cart 30, and a component table 39 on which components necessary for assembly work are placed is formed at the upper end of the column 38. By configuring in this way, the worker M can reliably assemble parts necessary for the workpiece W without making a mistake. Further, it is possible to simply give a work instruction to the worker M.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the assembly | attachment conveyor apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of a jig trolley | bogie and a connection means. It is the side view which looked at the structure of the jig trolley | bogie and a connection means from the side surface of the conveyance direction. It is the side view which looked at the structure of the jig trolley | bogie and a connection means from the conveyance direction. It is a top view which shows the structure of a connection trolley | bogie. It is the side view which looked at the composition of the connecting cart from the side of the conveyance direction. It is the side view which looked at the composition of the connecting cart from the conveyance direction. It is a top view which shows the structure of the jig trolley which attached the drive means. It is the side view which looked at the structure of the drive means from the conveyance direction. It is a top view which shows the relationship between a drive means and a jig trolley | bogie. It is a side view of the configuration of the jig carriage viewed from the side in the transport direction, It is a top view explaining operation | movement of the said assembly conveyor apparatus. It is another figure explaining operation | movement of the said assembly conveyor apparatus. It is a side view which shows the structure of the assembly | attachment conveyor apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the conventional assembly conveyor apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Assembly conveyor apparatus 2 Traveling rail 2S Straight part 2R Curve part 3 Jig | drug cart 4 Connection means 4A Front connection bar 4B Rear connection bar 5 Drive means 6 Drive rail 7 Drive unit 17 Work confirmation means 20 Work support part 22 Rotation mechanism 30 Connecting cart O Center line W Workpiece

Claims (5)

An annular traveling rail, a plurality of jig carts configured to be movable along the traveling rail, and adjacent jig carts are connected at intervals to connect the jig cart in a loop shape. A connecting means, and a driving means for supplying a driving force for conveying a workpiece to at least one jig carriage,
An assembly conveyor apparatus, comprising: a workpiece support portion for supporting the workpiece at a position where the jig carriage projects to the outside of the traveling rail.   The connecting means is connected to a front and rear connecting rods that are swingable in the horizontal direction to the front and rear jig carts, and is connected to these connecting rods so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction. The assembly conveyor apparatus of Claim 1 provided with the connection trolley | bogie comprised so that a movement along the traveling rail was possible. The traveling rail has a straight portion and a curved portion,
The driving means includes a driving rail including an annular chain disposed inside the traveling rail so as to be parallel to the traveling rail, a sprocket that engages with the annular chain, and a driving motor that rotates the sprocket. The drive unit is slidably attached to the tool carriage in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction.When the jig carriage to which the drive unit is attached is located on the curved part of the traveling rail, the curvature of the curved part is The assembly conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving speed is adjusted together.   The assembly conveyor apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the jig carriage has a work confirmation unit that indicates the presence or absence of a work to be supported.   The assembly conveyor apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the work support section includes a rotation mechanism that supports the work so as to be rotatable around a horizontal center line.

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