JP2009001358A - Conveying system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying system not requiring any new exclusive place therefor. <P>SOLUTION: The conveying system 1 comprises a conveying line 10, a storage shelf 50 arranged above the conveying line to store workpieces 20 conveyed along the conveying line, and a workpiece transfer mechanism 40 arranged above the conveying line and on the upstream or downstream side of the storage shelf adjacent to the storage shelf to deliver the workpieces between the conveying line and the storage shelf. The workpiece transfer mechanism extends parallel to the workpiece conveying direction, and comprises an arm 44 which is abutted on a lower side of the workpiece to lift the workpiece, an elevating/lowering means 45 for elevating/lowering the arm, and a moving means 46 for relatively moving the arm and the storage shelf in the conveying direction of the conveying line. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer system in a transfer line, and more particularly to a transfer system for a large glassy substrate such as a liquid crystal substrate.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a production line is known in which a workpiece such as a liquid crystal substrate or a glass substrate is conveyed by a conveying line and is processed by a processing device arranged along the conveying line. In such a production line, when a processing device in the middle of the process breaks down and stops, etc., in order to minimize production delays and to prevent trouble in upstream processing, In general, a storage shelf or the like for storing a workpiece is arranged beside the work.
A mobile robot is used to move the workpiece between the transfer line and the storage shelf, and the mobile robot is arranged above the center of the transfer line (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In addition, although the mobile robot is arranged at various places, the mobile robot of Patent Document 2 is arranged beside the transfer line and not between the transfer line and the storage shelf, but between the transfer line and the processing apparatus. Move the workpiece.
JP 2000-33540 A JP 2006-310471 A

However, the conventional storage shelf described in Patent Document 1 has a problem of securing a place for arranging it next to the transfer line. In particular, with the recent increase in the size of workpieces, the storage shelves also become larger, and the importance of countermeasures against failures in processing equipment requires the installation of storage shelves at several locations on the transfer line.
In addition, as in Patent Document 2, a mobile robot arranged on the side of the transfer line must secure a place in consideration of not only the installation location of the mobile robot itself but also the locus of movement of the mobile robot.
Thus, it is desirable to install a storage shelf for storing workpieces and a mobile robot for moving workpieces in order to efficiently operate the production line even when the processing device fails and stops. In addition, there is a problem that a new place is required for installation of the mobile robot and the production line itself becomes large.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a transport system that does not require a new dedicated place.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
The transport system of the invention according to claim 1 includes a transport line, a storage shelf that is disposed above the transport line and that stores workpieces that are transported along the transport line, and is disposed above the transport line and above the storage shelf. A transfer system comprising a workpiece transfer mechanism that is arranged adjacent to the storage shelf on the upstream side or the downstream side and transfers the workpiece between the transfer line and the storage shelf, wherein the workpiece transfer mechanism Is provided so as to extend in parallel with the conveying direction of the workpiece, and includes an arm that contacts the lower surface of the workpiece and lifts the workpiece, an elevating means for raising and lowering the arm, and the arm and the storage shelf. It is characterized by comprising a moving means for relatively moving in the transport direction.

According to the transport system according to the present invention, the storage shelf for storing the work is disposed above the transport line. For this reason, it is possible to effectively use the space on the transfer line and arrange storage shelves without having to newly provide a dedicated place.
In addition, the workpiece transfer mechanism is also arranged above the transfer line, and the workpiece is transferred between the transfer line and the storage shelf arranged above the transfer line. Therefore, the workpiece transfer mechanism itself is also a workpiece transfer process. Only the space above the transport line is used. Therefore, the workpiece transfer mechanism can be installed without the need to newly provide a dedicated place, and the workpiece transfer mechanism is less likely to interfere with other processing apparatuses.
In addition, the conveyance direction used in the claims and the specification includes not only the direction toward the downstream side of the conveyance line but also the direction toward the upstream side of the conveyance line.

  The transport system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the transport system according to the first aspect, wherein the work transfer mechanism is disposed at a position that does not interfere with the movement of the arm and is transported on the transport line. It is more preferable to include a plurality of lifting pins that contact the lower surface of the workpiece and lift the workpiece to a delivery position above the transfer position.

According to the transfer system of the present invention, in the transfer system according to claim 1, the workpiece transfer mechanism includes a plurality of lifting pins at positions that do not interfere with the movement of the arm that transfers the workpiece. Further, the lifting pins abut on the lower surface of the workpiece conveyed on the conveyance line, and lift the workpiece to the delivery position above the transfer position.
For this reason, the arm passes through the side of the lifting pin that lifts the workpiece to the delivery position and enters the lower part of the workpiece to support the workpiece from the lower surface, so the structure of the arm can be simplified and the workpiece can be securely Can be supported.
In addition, since the next workpiece can be moved to the conveyance line provided with the lift pins while the arm moves the workpiece from the conveyance line to the storage shelf, the interval at which the workpiece flows through the conveyance line can be shortened.

  A transport system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the transport system according to the second aspect, wherein the transport line includes a plurality of transport rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and is formed between the transport rollers. More preferably, the elevating pins are disposed in the gaps.

  According to the transport system of the present invention, in the transport system according to claim 2, the transport line includes a plurality of transport rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and is formed in a gap formed between the transport rollers. A lifting pin is arranged. As a result, when the workpiece does not need to be lifted, the lifting pins are kept under the transport roller, and only when the workpiece needs to be lifted, the lifting pins need only be placed on the transport roller. Therefore, the workpiece can be supported reliably.

  A transport system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the transport system according to the first aspect, wherein the transport line includes a plurality of transport rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and at least one of the plurality of transport rollers. Each of the conveying rollers is composed of a plurality of roller rotating portions and a roller shaft portion divided in the axial direction, and a gap that allows the insertion of the arm is formed between the plurality of roller rotating portions. More preferred.

According to the transport system of the present invention, in the transport system according to the first aspect, the arm is made to wait in the gaps between the plurality of roller rotating portions in advance by the work transfer mechanism. This standby position is below the workpiece conveyed on the conveyance line. When the workpiece needs to be raised or lowered, the arm is raised by the lifting means of the workpiece transfer mechanism, and the workpiece is supported by the arm.
For this reason, an auxiliary device such as a lift pin is not required, and the workpiece can be moved from the transfer line with only the arm. Further, since the arm supports the workpiece from the lower surface, the structure of the arm is simplified and the workpiece can be reliably supported.

  The transport system according to the present invention can provide a compact transport system that does not require a new dedicated place.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a transfer system 1 includes a transfer line 10 for transferring a workpiece 20, a storage shelf 50 arranged above the transfer line 10 for storing the workpiece 20, and a storage shelf above the transfer line and upstream of the storage shelf. It is comprised by the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 arrange | positioned adjacently. In addition, the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 configuring the transfer system 1 delivers the workpiece 20 between the transfer line 10 and the storage shelf 50.

The conveyance line 10 includes an upstream conveyance block 10a to a downstream conveyance block 10d.
The workpiece 20 sequentially moves on the transfer line 10 from the transfer block 10a to the transfer block 10d. The direction from the transfer block 10a to the transfer block 10d is the downstream side D1, and the transfer block 10d in the opposite direction moves from the transfer block 10d to the transfer block 10a. Let the direction to go be upstream D2. When the downstream side D1 and the upstream side D2 are combined, the conveyance direction D is obtained.

Each transport block includes a pair of upper surface frames 15 provided at both ends of the upper surface of each transport block in parallel with the transport direction D, and a cylindrical transport roller 11 that rotates about the axis over the entire width between the pair of upper surface frames 15. Is provided. The conveyance roller 11 is driven to rotate by the roller driving unit 16 and moves the workpiece 20 on the conveyance roller 11 to the downstream side D1 or the upstream side D2.
In addition, the roller drive part 16 is arrange | positioned at each conveyance block, and can rotate the conveyance roller 11 of each conveyance block independently.

The workpiece transfer mechanism 40 includes an elevating pin 41 that lifts the workpiece 20 on the transport roller 11, a pin drive unit 42 that moves the elevating pin 41 up and down, an arm 44 that supports the lower surface of the workpiece 20, and an upper arm 44. It is comprised by the raising / lowering means 45 which moves to a direction or a downward direction, and the moving means 46 which moves the arm 44 to the downstream D1 or the upstream D2.
And the pin drive part 42, the raising / lowering means 45, the moving means 46, and the roller drive part 16 are controlled by the control apparatus which is not shown in figure.

The arm 44 is a portion that supports the lower surface of the workpiece 20, and connects the arm support portion 44 a to the arm support portion 44 a that is composed of six bars arranged at equal intervals parallel to the transport direction D on the horizontal plane. It is comprised with the arm connection part 44b which consists of a column-shaped member.
On the other hand, the conveyance roller 11 of the conveyance block 10c has five gaps 12 where the interval between adjacent conveyance rollers 11 is wide, and five lifting pins 41 are arranged corresponding to the respective gaps 12. . The total 25 lift pins 41 are driven by the pin drive unit 42 and move up and down all at once, while the upper surfaces of all the lift pins 41 are kept at the same height.

The lifting pins 41 are also arranged so that the lifting pins 41 overlap when viewed in the transport direction D. The arrangement of the elevating pins 41 is a position where the arms 44 do not interfere with the elevating pins 41 when the arms 44 move to the downstream side D1 and come below the workpiece 20 lifted by the elevating pins 41.
A larger number of lifting pins 41 can surely support the workpiece 20 when lifting the workpiece 20 from the transfer position on the transport roller 11 to the delivery position. However, if the gap 12 is large, it becomes unstable when the workpiece 20 is transported on the transport block 10c, and if the lift pins 41 are not arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the transport direction D, the lift pins 41 However, even if the workpiece 20 is lifted, the number of places through which the arm 44 is inserted becomes small, and the arm 20 becomes unstable when the workpiece 20 is supported.
For this reason, it is desirable that the lifting pins 41 be arranged in a lattice pattern as in the first embodiment.

  Further, the transport block 10c is provided with a position sensor 17 for detecting the position of the work 20, and transmits a signal to the control device when the work 20 reaches a predetermined position on the transport roller 11.

  A substantially box-shaped storage shelf 50 is disposed above the transport block 10c, and the upstream side D2 side surface of the storage shelf 50 is open. On the inner surfaces of both side surfaces that are perpendicular to the transport direction D of the storage shelf 50, short support portions 51 that protrude inward from both sides are provided, and one set shelf 52 is formed by a pair of short support portions 51 that face each other. Form. The assembled shelf 52 is arranged to hold the workpiece 20 horizontally. With this assembled shelf 52, the storage shelf 50 can store a large number of workpieces 20 in a compact manner.

Next, a process of moving the workpiece 20 from the transfer line 10 to the storage shelf 50 in the transfer system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 are explanatory diagrams illustrating steps for moving the workpiece 20 from the transfer line 10 to the storage shelf 50 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the control device drives the roller driving unit 16 to rotate the transport roller 11 and moves the workpiece 20 from the transport block 10 a to the transport block 10 c.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, when receiving a signal from the position sensor 17 that the workpiece 20 has reached a predetermined position on the transport roller 11 of the transport block 10c, the control device causes the roller drive unit 16 of the transport block 10c to move. By stopping, the workpiece 20 is stopped. And the pin drive part 42 is driven, the workpiece | work 20 is supported by the raising / lowering pin 41, and it raises from the transfer position which is the height to which the workpiece | work 20 was transferred to the delivery position which delivers the workpiece | work 20 to the arm 44. Let
When the workpiece 20 is raised to the delivery position, the control device drives the moving means 46 and passes the arm 44 under the workpiece 20 so as to pass by the side of the lifting pins 41 that are lifted and supported to the delivery position.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device drives the elevating means 45 to support the lower surface of the work 20 with the arm 44 and raise the work 20. Further, the moving means 46 is driven, and the work 20 is stored in the empty set shelf 52 of the storage shelf 50 disposed above the transport block 10c. At this time, the control device drives the pin driving unit 42 and lowers the lifting pins 41 so that the workpiece 20 conveyed next on the transport line 10 does not hit the lifting pins 41.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device drives the elevating means 45 and the moving means 46, and prepares the arm 44 at the position shown in FIG. 3 above the transfer block 10b in preparation for the next transfer of the workpiece 20. Wait.

Through the above steps, the workpiece 20 is moved from the transfer line 10 to the storage shelf 50.
In addition, the process of moving the workpiece | work 20 from the storage shelf 50 to the conveyance line 10 is performed by making said process reverse order.

Thus, in the first embodiment according to the present invention, the storage shelf 50 for storing the workpiece 20 is disposed above the transfer line 10, so that the space on the transfer line 10 can be used effectively and a new dedicated place is provided. The storage shelf 50 can be arranged without necessity.
Since the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 is also arranged above the transfer line and the workpiece 20 is transferred between the transfer line 10 and the storage shelf 50, the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 itself is also transferred in the transfer process of the workpiece 20. Only the space above 10 is used. Therefore, the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 can be installed without the need to newly provide a dedicated place, and the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 is less likely to interfere with other processing apparatuses.

Further, when the workpiece 20 is lifted by the lifting pins 41, the arm 44 is inserted below the workpiece 20, so that the next workpiece 20 is transferred while the arm 44 moves the workpiece 20 from the transfer block 10c to the storage shelf 50. It can be moved to the block 10c, and the interval at which the work 20 flows through the transfer line 10 can be shortened.
Furthermore, since the workpiece 20 has a substantially flat plate shape, the structure of the arm 44 is simplified by supporting the lower surface of the lifted workpiece 20, and the workpiece 20 can be reliably supported.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams illustrating a process of moving the workpiece 20 from the transfer line 10 to the storage shelf 50 in the second embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the same components as those described in the first embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

7 and 8 are both perspective views of the vicinity of the conveyance roller 11 of the conveyance block 10c. The differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment are the following two points.
First, as a first difference, in the first embodiment described above, the rotating portion of the transport roller 11 is provided over the entire width between the pair of upper surface frames 15 of the transport block 10c. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, at least one transport roller 11 has a roller shaft portion 11b serving as a rotation shaft and a plurality of roller rotations arranged with a gap 13a in the axial direction of the roller shaft portion 11b. Part 11a. Further, the gap between the roller rotation unit 11a and the adjacent conveying roller 11 is widened at least by one place to form a gap 13b.
Furthermore, as a second difference, the lifting pin 41 for lifting the workpiece 20 provided in the first embodiment and the pin driving unit 42 for moving the lifting pin 41 up and down are not used in the second embodiment. Except for these two differences, the first embodiment and the second embodiment have the same configuration.

The dimensions of the gap 13a and the gap 13b will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The dimension of the gap 13a is set so that the arm support portion 44a is accommodated therein. That is, the dimension obtained by removing the radius of the roller shaft portion 11b from the radius of the roller rotating portion 11a is larger than the thickness of the arm support portion 44a. Furthermore, the space | interval of the adjacent roller rotation part 11a is larger than the width | variety of the arm support part 44a.
On the other hand, the size of the gap 13b is set so that the arm connecting portion 44b is accommodated therein. In other words, the smallest dimension of the distance between the outer periphery of the roller rotating portion 11a in the gap 13b and the outer periphery of the adjacent transport roller 11 is larger than the width of the arm connecting portion 44b in the transport direction D.

  Since the transport roller 11 and the arm 44 are configured as described above, the arm support portion 44a is accommodated in the gap 13a, and the arm connection portion 44b is accommodated in the gap 13b (hereinafter referred to as "arm standby position"). When the arm 44 is disposed, the arm 44 does not come into contact with the transport roller 11, the roller rotating portion 11a, the roller shaft portion 11b, and the work 20 transported on the transport roller 11.

Next, the process of moving the workpiece 20 from the transfer line 10 to the storage shelf 50 in the transfer system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 7, the control device causes the arm 44 to stand by at the arm standby position, and receives a signal from a position sensor 17 (not shown) that the workpiece 20 has reached a predetermined position on the conveyance roller 11 of the conveyance block 10c. Then, the work 20 is stopped by stopping the roller driving unit 16 (not shown) of the transport block 10c.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the control device drives the lifting means 45 (not shown) to support the lower surface of the workpiece 20 with the arm 44 and raise the workpiece 20.
Subsequent steps are the same as those of the first embodiment of the present invention, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Thus, in the second embodiment according to the present invention, it is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated place without using the elevating pin 41 and the pin driving unit 42 which are the support auxiliary portions used in the first embodiment of the present invention. The conveyance system 1 can be arranged.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.
For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the following design changes are possible.
The storage shelves 50 that can store the workpieces 20 are arranged on the downstream D1 side with respect to the workpiece transfer mechanism 40 so that the workpieces 20 are stacked one above the other. Further, the arrangement direction of the storage shelf 50 may be the upstream D2 or both the downstream D1 and the upstream D2.
In order to move the workpiece 20 supported by the arm 44 to the storage shelf 50, the storage shelf 50 may be moved instead of the arm 44, or both the arm 44 and the storage shelf 50 may be moved.

It is a top view of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is A-A 'sectional drawing in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of moving a workpiece | work from a conveyance line to a storage shelf in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of moving a workpiece | work from a conveyance line to a storage shelf in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of moving a workpiece | work from a conveyance line to a storage shelf in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of moving a workpiece | work from a conveyance line to a storage shelf in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of moving a workpiece | work from a conveyance line to a storage shelf in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process of moving a workpiece | work from a conveyance line to a storage shelf in 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance system 10 Conveyance line 11 Conveyance roller 11a Roller rotation part 12, 13a Clearance 20 Work 40 Work transfer mechanism 41 Lifting pin 44 Arm 45 Lifting means 46 Moving means 50 Storage shelf

Claims (4)

A transfer line, a storage shelf disposed above the transfer line and storing workpieces transferred along the transfer line, and adjacent to the storage shelf above the transfer line and upstream or downstream of the storage shelf A transfer system comprising a workpiece transfer mechanism that is disposed between the transfer line and the storage shelf to transfer the workpiece,
The workpiece transfer mechanism is provided so as to extend in parallel with the conveyance direction of the workpiece, and an arm that contacts the lower surface of the workpiece to lift the workpiece, an elevating unit that raises and lowers the arm, the arm and the storage A transport system comprising a moving means for relatively moving a shelf in the transport direction of the transport line. In the conveyance system according to claim 1,
The workpiece transfer mechanism is disposed at a position where it does not interfere with the movement of the arm, abuts against the lower surface of the workpiece conveyed on the conveyance line, and lifts the workpiece to a delivery position above the transfer position. A transport system comprising a lifting pin. In the conveyance system according to claim 2,
The transport system includes a plurality of transport rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction, and the lifting pins are arranged in a gap formed between the transport rollers. In the conveyance system according to claim 1,
The conveyance line includes a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction, and at least one of the plurality of conveyance rollers includes a plurality of roller rotating portions and a roller shaft portion divided in an axial direction. And a gap that allows the arm to pass therethrough is formed between the plurality of roller rotating portions.

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