JP2009012135A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device which reduces the installation space of the whole of the facility and conveys workpieces between processes without worsening the production efficiency even when handling the workpieces of specifications different from those of a normal workpiece in a manufacturing line. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing line 10 is provided with: a conveying track 12 equipped with a plurality of free rollers 20; a plurality of pallets 13 placed on the conveying track 12 movably and separably from the track and mounting cylinder blocks W thereon; a robot 14 for transferring the pallets 13 to the next process; a running track 15 for the robot 14; and a controller 16 for controlling the action of the robot 14. The conveying track 12 and the running track 15 are arranged above the bed parts 11b of respective processing machines 11 so that the running track 15 is positioned on the upper side of the conveying track 12, and the action of the robot 14 is controlled so that the pallets 13 each mounting the cylinder block W move on the conveying track 12 by the instruction from the controller 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring a workpiece to the next process in a production line. In particular, the present invention is suitable for transporting heavy objects such as cylinder blocks.

  A workpiece having a complicated shape such as a cylinder block forming a part of an engine is manufactured by being subjected to various kinds of processing. In a line for manufacturing such a workpiece, a plurality of processing machines are installed, and different processing is sequentially performed on each processing machine. And the conveying apparatus is utilized in order to convey a workpiece | work to each processing machine (next process).

  As such a production line, as shown in FIG. 16, there is an independent conveyance type in which a conveyance device 110 is installed independently for each processing machine 100. However, in such an independent conveyance type production line, the conveyance device 110 is required for each processing machine 100 (each process), and the manufacturing equipment becomes expensive, and the degree of freedom in conveyance is small. was there.

  For this reason, in recent years, a transfer robot has been used in order to prevent the manufacturing equipment from becoming expensive and to improve the degree of freedom of transfer in transferring the work between processes. For example, in the production line, as shown in FIG. 17, the transfer robot 120 is installed in the space 130 on the front side of each processing machine 100 so as to be able to run (slide), and the work is transferred between the processes (each processing machine). It has been broken.

As such a transfer robot 120, for example, there is one using a transfer device disclosed in Patent Document 1. The transfer device disclosed in Patent Document 1 corresponds to a chuck portion of a transfer robot, and includes a first holding unit and a second holding unit that hold a workpiece, and includes a first holding unit and a second holding unit. The holding means includes a rubber tube and a tube sleeve that can be expanded by supplying air. As a result, even workpieces of different sizes and shapes can be reliably held and transported.
JP 2002-210689 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, since the transfer robot 120 holds and transfers the workpiece itself, the transfer robot 120 is required to have a large portability, and as a result, the transfer robot 120 becomes large. For example, when a cylinder block of about 25 kg is transported, a transport capacity of about 50 kg is required in consideration of the weight of the transport device (chuck). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, there is a problem that the operation space 130 of the transfer robot 120 becomes large and the installation space of the entire equipment becomes large. Further, the transport device (chuck) of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the configuration of the holding means is complicated and expensive.

  Furthermore, the operator 18 cannot approach the processing machine 100 to ensure safety while the transfer robot 120 is in operation. For this reason, it is necessary to stop the line when changing the jig of the processing machine 100. Accordingly, when various workpieces (of different specifications) are flowed on the line, that is, when it is necessary to change the jig, the production efficiency becomes very poor. For this reason, the actual situation is that the production line to which the transfer robot 120 as shown in FIG. 17 is applied is used only when a single (same specification) work is passed through the line.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can reduce the installation space of the entire equipment, and can improve the production efficiency even when a workpiece with a different specification is flowed to the production line. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport apparatus that can transport a workpiece between processes at low cost without deteriorating.

  In order to solve the above problems, the transport device according to the present invention is a transport device that transports a workpiece to a processing machine in the next process in a production line in which a plurality of processing machines that process the workpiece are installed. A transport track having a number of free rollers, a plurality of pallets mounted on the transport track so as to be movable and detachable, and a workpiece mounted thereon; an articulated robot that moves the pallet to the next process; And a control means for controlling the operation of the articulated robot. The transport track and the travel track are arranged so that the travel track is positioned above the transport track. It is arranged above the jig arrangement part, and the control means moves the pallet on which the work is mounted by the articulated robot so as to move the pallet on the transport track. And controlling the operation of the bot.

  In this transport device, the operation of the articulated robot that travels along the travel trajectory is controlled based on a command from the control means, and the pallet on which the workpiece is mounted is moved on the transport trajectory by the articulated robot. The workpiece is transferred between the processes (each processing machine). Here, in this transfer device, a work is mounted on a pallet placed on a transfer track, and the work is transferred by moving the pallet. Therefore, the articulated robot is not required to have a large portable capacity as in the past. . As a result, it is possible to use a multi-joint robot that is smaller than the conventional one (the portable capacity may be about half that of the conventional one). As a result, it becomes possible to suspend the articulated robot from the ceiling, and arrange the transport track and travel track so that the travel track is located above the transport track above the jig placement part (bed part) of each processing machine. It is possible to move the operation space of the robot to the space above the jig placement portion (bed portion) of each processing machine. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide an operation space for the robot separately, and the installation space for the entire equipment can be reduced. In addition, since a smaller articulated robot can be used than before, a transport device can be constructed at low cost.

  In this transfer device, since the operation space of the robot is in the space above the jig placement part (bet part) of each processing machine, the operator approaches just before the jig placement part even when the robot is operating. Can do. Thereby, even when the robot is in operation, it is possible to perform a work for changing the jig of the processing machine. As a result, even when workpieces with different specifications (various) are flowed to the production line, the workpiece can be transferred between processes without deteriorating the production efficiency.

  In the transfer device according to the present invention, the articulated robot has a chuck portion that holds the pallet, and the control means holds the end of the pallet so that the chuck portion holds the end of the pallets. It is desirable to control the operation of the articulated robot so that one or two of them are moved on the transport path.

  In this way, the articulated robot is provided with a chuck portion for holding a pallet, and the chuck portion holds the end of the pallet to convey one or two pallets, thereby carrying the workpiece between processes. be able to. Specifically, when a single pallet is transported, the articulated robot moves on the transport track by pulling or pushing the pallet while holding the end of the pallet by the chuck portion. In the case of transporting two pallets, the articulated robot holds the end of each pallet by the chuck portion between the pallets and pulls the pallet on the downstream side while pushing the pallet on the upstream side. Move on the transfer track. Thus, since the articulated robot does not need to directly hold the workpiece, the chuck portion of the articulated robot can be easily and small. As a result, the weight of the chuck portion can be reduced, and a smaller articulated robot can be used, so that a transport device can be constructed at a lower cost.

  In the transport apparatus according to the present invention, the control means moves the pallet to the processing machine side with the chuck holding the pallet, and the workpiece mounted on the pallet is transferred to the processing machine. It is desirable to control the operation of the articulated robot so as to be set on a provided jig.

  By doing so, in addition to conveying the workpiece between processes, the workpiece can be set on a jig provided in the processing machine. As a result, the movable knock mechanism for the jig, which has been conventionally required for setting the workpiece on the jig, can be eliminated. Therefore, the configuration of the jig provided in the processing machine can be simplified.

  In the transport apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit causes the chuck unit to grip the empty pallet left on the transport track after the final process after the articulated robot travels to the final process, It is desirable that the articulated robot is reversely moved along the traveling track so as to return to the head of the production line.

Here, when a workpiece is transported using a pallet as in the transport device according to the present invention, it is necessary to collect the empty pallet remaining on the transport track after the final process and return it to the top of the production line. For this reason, it has been common to provide a separate pallet return conveyor.
On the other hand, in this transfer device, the empty pallet can be returned to the head of the production line in accordance with the return travel of the articulated robot, so there is no need to separately provide a pallet return conveyor. Thereby, a conveying apparatus can be constructed at a lower cost.

  According to the present invention, as described above, it is possible to reduce the installation space of the entire equipment, and even when a workpiece with a different specification is flowed to the production line, the work efficiency between the processes is not deteriorated. It is possible to provide a transport apparatus capable of transporting the above at low cost.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a most preferred embodiment in which a conveyance device of the invention is embodied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an engine cylinder block production line. Therefore, the production line according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a production line according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the production line according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the production line according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the transport track. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the pallet. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the transfer chuck of the robot.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the production line 10 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of processing machines 11 that perform processing on a cylinder block W that is a workpiece, a transfer track 12, and moves on the transfer track 12. A plurality of pallets 13 placed in a possible manner, a robot 14 that moves these pallets 13 to the next process (next processing machine), a travel path 15 of the robot 14, and a controller 16 that controls the operation of the robot 14. And is equipped. Thereby, in the production line 10, the cylinder block W is mounted on the pallet 13, and the pallet 13 is moved to the next process (next processing machine) by the robot 14, so that the cylinder block W is transferred between the processes. It has become.

Each processing machine 11 is installed in a horizontal row at a predetermined interval. The processing machine 11 includes FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, a processing portion 11a for performing predetermined processing on a cylinder block W as a work and a bet portion 11b for attaching / detaching the cylinder block W to / from a jig of the processing machine 11 are provided. In such a processing machine 11, a cylinder head set on a jig in the bed portion 11b is sent to the processing portion 11a, and after performing predetermined processing in the processing portion 11a, the processed cylinder head is applied to the bed portion 11b. It is designed to send out.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transport track 12 is configured by arranging rails 21 a and 21 b in which a large number of free rollers 20 are arranged in parallel. The width on the transport track 12 (the distance between the races 21a and 21b) is set in accordance with the size (width dimension) of the pallet 13 placed on the transport track 12. On the outside of each rail 21a, 21b, a guide member 22 that protrudes upward from the rail and guides the pallet 13 is provided so that the pallet 13 does not come off the transport track 12. However, in the bed portion 11b of the processing machine 11, the guide member 22 is not provided on the rail 21b located on the processing machine 11 side. This is because in order to set the cylinder block W mounted on the pallet 13 on the jig of the processing machine 11, it is necessary to remove the pallet 13 from the transport track 12 (move it to the processing machine 11 side). Details of setting the cylinder block to the jig will be described later.

  The pallet 13 placed on the transport track 12 is for mounting and transporting a cylinder block as a workpiece. As shown in FIG. 5, fitting holes 25 and 26 for fitting fitting pins 33 and 34 (see FIG. 6) provided on the conveyance chuck 30 of the robot 14 are formed at both ends of the pallet 13. In the present embodiment, two fitting holes are formed at each end of the pallet 13. In addition, an engagement protrusion 27 that engages with an engagement claw 35 (see FIG. 6) provided in the transport chuck 30 is formed on the center upper surface of the pallet 13. The engaging protrusion 27 includes a protrusion 27a that protrudes from the upper surface of the pallet 13 and a flat plate portion 27b that is provided (formed) at the tip of the protrusion 27a. Furthermore, two engagement positioning holes 28 are formed in the pallet 13 between the engagement protrusions 27 and the fitting holes 26. A fitting pin 33 provided in the transport chuck 30 is fitted into the engaging positioning hole 28 in a state where the engaging claw 35 is engaged with the engaging protrusion 27.

  In the production line 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a total of eight pallets 13 described above are placed on the transport track 12. Specifically, the seven pallets 13 are set in front of each processing machine 11, and the remaining one pallet 13 is set at the head of the line (upstream from the first processing machine).

  The robot 14 is for transporting the cylinder head W mounted on the pallet 13 and is a general vertical articulated robot. Here, in the production line 10, the cylinder block W is transferred between processes (processing machines) using a pallet 13 provided on the transfer track 12. For this reason, the robot 14 does not carry the cylinder block W itself between the processes. Therefore, the robot 14 is not required to have a large portable capacity (about 50 kg or more) as in the prior art. Therefore, the robot 14 can be smaller than the conventional transfer robot (it is sufficient if it has a portable capacity of about 20 to 30 kg).

  A transfer chuck 30 is attached to the tip of the robot 14. The conveyance chuck 30 holds or grips the pallet 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the conveyance chuck 30 includes a connection portion 31 and a main body portion 32, and is connected to the robot 14 via the connection portion 31. Two movable fitting pins 33, 33 are provided at one end of the main body 32. These two movable fitting pins 33, 33 are configured to rise and fall. As a result, the distal end portions of the movable fitting pins 33, 33 protrude from the upper surface or the lower surface of the main body portion 32. Further, fixed fitting pins 34 are provided at the other end of the main body 32 so as to protrude from the lower surface. Further, an engaging claw 35 is provided on the lower center surface of the main body 32. The engaging claw 35 includes a protruding portion 35a protruding from the lower surface of the main body portion 32, and a U-shaped claw portion 35b provided (formed) at the tip of the protruding portion 35a. The claw portion 35b is arranged so that the U-shaped opening portion faces the fixed fitting pins 34, 34. The running and operation of the robot 14 (including the operation of the movable fitting pin 33 of the transport chuck 30) are controlled by a command from the controller 16.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, such a robot 14 moves (runs) along a traveling track 15 installed above the bed portion 11 b of each processing machine 11 (above the transport track 12). It is installed suspended. The traveling track 15 is supported by a plurality of support columns 17. The reason why the robot 14 can be suspended from the ceiling in this way is that a small robot can be used as the robot 14. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation space Sr of the robot 14 and the installation space Sm of the processing machine 11 can be overlapped. As a result, there is no need to separately provide an operation space 130 for the transfer robot 120 as in the prior art. Therefore, the installation space of the production line 10 can be reduced.

  Even when the robot 14 is in operation, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the worker 18 can approach the position just before the betting portion 11 b of each processing machine 11. For this reason, even if the robot 14 is in operation, it is possible to perform a work for changing the jig of the processing machine 11 or the like. Thereby, in the production line 10, even if various works (for example, cylinder blocks having different specifications) are flowed, the cylinder blocks can be transported between processes without deteriorating the production efficiency.

  Next, the cylinder block transfer operation by the robot in the production line 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the conveyance chuck of the robot holds and moves the downstream pallet. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the conveyance chuck of the robot holds two pallets on the upstream side and the downstream side. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state where the cylinder block mounted on the downstream pallet is transported to the next process. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cylinder block mounted on the upstream pallet is conveyed to the next process.

  First, the cylinder block W1 before processing is mounted on the downstream pallet 13d set at the head of the production line 10. At this time, the cylinder block W2 processed by the processing machine 11 is sent out from the processing machine 11 and mounted on the upstream pallet 13u. In this state, as shown in FIG. 7, the robot 14 is moved between the downstream pallet 13d and the upstream pallet 13u by a command from the controller 16. Next, the movable fitting pin 33 of the transport chuck 30 is lowered. Then, the operation of the robot 14 is controlled, and the movable fitting pin 33 is fitted into the fitting hole 25 of the downstream pallet 13d. As a result, the end of the downstream pallet 13d is held by the transport chuck 30 of the robot 14. In this state, the robot 14 is moved upstream along the traveling track 15. As the robot 14 moves (runs), the downstream pallet 13d is pulled by the robot 14 and moves upstream on the transport track 12.

  When the robot 14 approaches the upstream pallet 13u, the movement (running) of the robot 14 is stopped. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation of the robot 14 is controlled, and the fixed fitting pin 34 of the transport chuck 30 is fitted into the fitting hole 26 of the upstream pallet. Thereby, the end portions of the upstream pallet 13u and the downstream pallet 13d are held by the conveyance chuck 30 of the robot 14. In this state, the robot 14 is moved upstream along the traveling track 15. As the robot 14 moves (runs), the upstream pallet 13u is pushed by the robot 14 and moves upstream on the transport track 12, and the downstream pallet 13d is pulled by the robot 14 and travels on the transport track 12. Move upstream.

  Thereafter, when the downstream pallet 13d reaches a predetermined position of the processing machine 11, the movement (running) of the robot 14 is temporarily stopped, and the movable fitting pin 33 of the transport chuck 30 is raised. As a result, the holding of the downstream pallet 13d by the transport chuck 30 is released. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the movement (running) of the robot 14 is resumed. As the robot 14 moves (runs), the upstream pallet 13u is pushed by the robot 14 and moves on the transport track 12 upstream.

  When the upstream pallet 13u reaches a predetermined position between the processing machines, the operation of the robot 14 is controlled as shown in FIG. 10, and the holding of the downstream end of the upstream pallet 13u by the transport chuck 30 is released. The upstream end of the upstream pallet 13u is held by the transport chuck 30. That is, the conveyance chuck 30 is raised, the fixed fitting pin 34 is removed from the fitting hole 26, and the conveyance chuck 30 moves upstream so as to get over the workpiece Wa. Then, the movable fitting pin 33 is lowered and the movable fitting pin 33 is fitted into the fitting hole 25 of the upstream pallet 13u.

  Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the cylinder blocks W mounted on the pallet 13 are sequentially transferred to the next process. In this way, in the production line 10, since the robot 14 carries the cylinder block W between processes (between each processing machine), the degree of freedom of conveyance is improved by using the operation of the robot 14. be able to.

  Next, the operation of setting the cylinder block on the jig of the processing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cylinder block is disposed (conveyed) in front of the jig. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cylinder block is set on the jig.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11, the cylinder 14 mounted on the pallet 13 is controlled by controlling the operation of the robot 14 in a state where the movable fitting pin 33 of the conveyance chuck 30 is fitted in the fitting hole 25 of the pallet 13. W is conveyed to the front of the jig 40 provided in the processing machine 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the pallet 13 held by the transport chuck 30 is moved by the robot 14 so that the cylinder block W mounted on the pallet 13 approaches the jig 40. Thereby, the knock pin 41 of the jig 40 is fitted into a pin hole (not shown) provided in the cylinder block W, and the cylinder block W is set on the jig 40.

  In this way, the cylinder block W can be set on the jig 40 by the robot 14, so that it is possible to eliminate the need for a movable knock mechanism of the jig that is conventionally required to set the workpiece on the jig. . Thereby, the structure of the jig 40 provided in the processing machine 11 can be simplified.

  Finally, an operation for returning the empty pallet pallet remaining on the transport track after the end of the final process to the top of the line will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the conveyance chuck approaches the empty pallet. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the engaging claw of the conveyance chuck is engaged with the engaging protrusion of the pallet. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state where gripping of the pallet by the transport chuck is completed.

  When the final process is completed in the production line 10, the cylinder block that has been processed in the production line 10 is unloaded from the line, and an empty pallet 13e remains on the conveyance track 12 as shown in FIG. Then, the conveyance chuck 30 in a state where the movable fitting pin 33 is raised is brought close to the empty pallet 13e by the robot 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the opening of the engaging claw 35 of the transport chuck 30 is inserted and engaged with the engaging protrusion 27 of the empty pallet 13 e by the robot 14. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15, the movable fitting pin 33 of the transport chuck 30 is lowered and fitted into the engagement positioning hole 28 of the empty pallet 13e. Thereby, the empty pallet 13e is gripped by the transport chuck 30. Thereby, when the empty pallet 13e is lifted, the empty pallet 13e can be prevented from dropping and rotating. In this state, the empty pallet 13e is raised and the robot 14 is fed back along the traveling track 15. That is, the robot 14 is moved to the head of the line. As the robot 14 moves (returns), the empty pallet 13e is also returned to the head of the line.

  As described above, in the production line 10, the empty pallet 13 e remaining on the transport track 12 after the end of the final process can be returned (returned) to the top of the line using the return travel of the robot 14. This eliminates the need for a separate pallet return conveyor. For this reason, the production line 10 can be constructed at low cost.

  As described above in detail, according to the production line 10 according to the present embodiment, the cylinder block W is mounted on the pallet 13 placed on the transport track 12 and the pallet 13 is moved by the robot 14. Thus, the cylinder block W is transported to the next process. For this reason, since a small robot can be used as the robot 14, the robot 14 can be suspended from the ceiling. Thereby, in the production line 10, the transport track 12 and the travel track 15 are arranged above the bed 11 b of each processing machine 11 so that the travel track 15 is located above the transport track 12. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a separate operation space for the robot 14, and the installation space for the entire facility can be reduced.

  And since the operation space of the robot 14 exists in the upper space of the bed part 11b of each processing machine 11, even if the robot 14 is operating, the operator 18 can approach to just before the bed part 11b. Thereby, even if the robot 14 is in operation, it is possible to perform a change-over operation of the jig 40 of the processing machine 11 or the like. As a result, even if cylinder blocks with different specifications are flowed to the production line 10, the cylinder blocks can be transported between processes (between processing machines) without deteriorating production efficiency. Further, since a small robot 14 can be used, the production line 10 can be constructed at a low cost.

  It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a cylinder block production line is illustrated, but the present invention may be applied to a production line having a plurality of processing steps, for example, a production line for a cylinder head or the like. it can.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the manufacturing line which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the manufacturing line which concerns on embodiment. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the manufacturing line which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a conveyance track | orbit. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a pallet. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the conveyance chuck | zipper of a robot. It is a figure which shows the state which the conveyance chuck | zipper of a robot hold | maintains and moves a downstream pallet. It is a figure which shows the state in which the conveyance chuck | zipper of the robot hold | maintained two pallets of the upstream and downstream. It is a figure which shows the state which conveyed the cylinder block mounted in the downstream pallet to the following process. It is a figure which shows the state which is conveying the cylinder block mounted in the upstream pallet to the following process. It is a figure which shows the state by which the cylinder block was arrange | positioned (conveyed) in front of a jig | tool. It is a figure which shows the state in which the cylinder block was set to the jig | tool. It is a figure which shows the state in which a conveyance chuck approaches an empty pallet. It is a figure which shows the state which the engaging claw of the conveyance chuck engaged with the engaging protrusion of the pallet. It is a figure which shows the state which the holding | grip of the pallet by the conveyance chuck was completed. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the independent conveyance type manufacturing line. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the conventional manufacturing line using a conveyance robot. It is a top view of the manufacturing line shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Production line 11 Processing machine 11a Processing part 11b Bet part 12 Transport track 13 Pallet 14 Robot 15 Traveling track 16 Controller 18 Worker 20 Free roller 21 Rail 25 Fitting hole (movable fitting pin side)
26 Fitting hole 27 Engagement protrusion 28 Engagement positioning hole 30 Transport chuck 33 Movable fitting pin 34 Fixed fitting pin 35 Engaging claw 40 Jig 41 Knock pin Sl Manufacturing line installation space Sm Processing machine installation space Sr Robot Operating space W Cylinder block (workpiece)

Claims (4)

In a transport device that transports a workpiece to a processing machine in the next process in a production line where a plurality of processing machines that process the workpiece are installed
A transport track with a number of free rollers;
A plurality of pallets mounted on the transport track so as to be movable and detachable, and a workpiece is mounted thereon;
An articulated robot that moves the pallet to the next process;
The trajectory of the articulated robot;
Control means for controlling the operation of the articulated robot;
Have
The transport track and the travel track are disposed above the jig placement portion of each processing machine such that the travel track is located above the transport track,
The said control means controls the operation | movement of the said articulated robot so that the pallet in which the workpiece | work was mounted by the said articulated robot may be moved on the said conveyance track | orbit. In the conveyance apparatus described in Claim 1,
The articulated robot has a chuck portion that holds the pallet;
The control means controls the operation of the articulated robot so that the chuck portion holds an end portion of the pallet and moves one or two of the plurality of pallets on the transport path. A conveying apparatus characterized by that. In the conveying apparatus according to claim 2,
The control means moves the pallet to the processing machine side in a state where the pallet is held by the chuck portion so that the workpiece mounted on the pallet is set on a jig provided in the processing machine. A transfer apparatus that controls the operation of the articulated robot. In the conveying apparatus of Claim 2 or Claim 3,
The control means causes the articulated robot to move to the end of the manufacturing line after causing the articulated robot to grip the empty pallet remaining on the transfer track after the end of the final step after the articulated robot has traveled to the final step. A transport device that reversely travels along the traveling track so as to return to the position.

Images