JP2011148359A - Parts carrying system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parts carrying system whose parts mounting part can be raised or lowered by a simple mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: By providing cam rails 30, which raise a driven truck 20 to a drive truck 10, on a traveling path of the driven truck 20, only the driven truck 20 can be raised without raising the drive truck 10 whose weight is heavy. Thereby, even when the power of the drive truck 10 is small, the parts mounting part can be raised without requiring a long slope in a compact space. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a component conveying system that conveys components with a self-propelled carriage.

  For example, in an automobile assembly factory, parts to be assembled to a vehicle body are transported from a stock area to an assembly work place. In some cases, such parts are transported by a self-propelled carriage capable of self-propelling along a predetermined transport path. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transport device that pulls a transport cart loaded with parts by a self-propelled cart.

JP-A-6-135321

  In the parts transport system using the transport apparatus as described above, the height of the worker who loads or unloads the parts on the self-propelled carriage may be different, for example, when the worker is standing on the floor or when the height is a predetermined height. You may be standing on a workbench. When the worker is standing on the workbench, the height of the parts mounting part (the place where the parts are mounted) of the self-propelled carriage is relatively low, which may make it difficult to carry in or carry out the work. . For this reason, in the area where the worker works on the workbench, it is necessary to lift the self-propelled carriage to a predetermined height in accordance with the worker in order to ensure workability.

  For example, if a lifter that can be raised and lowered by a hydraulic cylinder or the like is provided, the component mounting portion can be raised and lowered according to the height of the worker at each work place. Specifically, a lifter is provided on the floor surface at a predetermined location in the transport path, and the lifter is lifted together with the self-propelled cart, or a lifter is mounted on the self-propelled cart, and the lifter is mounted at a predetermined location on the transport path. It can be raised. However, if the lifter is provided, the equipment becomes large, so that the equipment cost increases and the maintenance man-hour is increased.

  Further, if a slope is provided at a predetermined location on the transport path and the slope is raised on the self-propelled carriage, the component mounting portion can be arranged at a predetermined height. However, since the self-propelled carriage generally has a small driving force and is mounted with a battery, a motor or the like and is heavy, it is difficult to raise the slope. For example, if the slope inclination angle is made sufficiently gentle, the self-propelled carriage can be raised with relatively small power, but the length of the slope becomes longer and the installation space becomes larger.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a component conveying system capable of moving a component mounting portion up and down in a compact space even when the driving force of a self-propelled carriage is small.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a self-propelled drive carriage that is equipped with a drive unit and travels along a predetermined conveyance path, and is connected to the drive carriage, and the drive carriage is maintained while maintaining the connected state. And a driven carriage that is allowed to move up and down with respect to the vehicle, and a parts conveying system that carries the parts on the driven carriage for transportation, and a cam rail that lifts the driven carriage relative to the driving carriage is provided in the traveling path of the driven carriage Provide a parts transport system.

  In this way, by providing the cam rail for lifting the driven carriage relative to the driving carriage in the traveling path of the driven carriage, it is possible to lift only the relatively lightweight driven carriage without lifting the heavy driving carriage. Accordingly, the driven carriage can be lifted to a predetermined height with a small driving force, and it is not necessary to make the inclination of the cam rail unnecessarily gentle. Therefore, the cam rail can be shortened to save space.

  For example, a guide pin is provided on one side of a drive cart and a follower cart, a guide hole is provided on the other side, and the guide pin is inserted into the inner periphery of the guide hole to connect the drive cart and the follower cart. The vertical movement of the driven carriage relative to the driving carriage can be allowed while maintaining the connected state of the carriage.

  As described above, according to the component transport system of the present invention, the component mounting portion (driven cart) can be lifted in a compact space even if the driving force of the driving cart is small.

It is a top view of a components conveyance system. It is a side view of a conveyance vehicle. It is a top view of a conveyance vehicle. It is a front view of a conveyance vehicle. It is a side view which shows the state which the driven trolley got on the cam rail. It is a front view which shows the state which the driven trolley got on the cam rail.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a component conveying system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The parts conveyance system 100 conveys parts by the conveyance vehicle 1 that self-travels along the conveyance path L, and in the present embodiment, the case where the sheet S of an automobile is conveyed is shown. The parts conveyance system 100 includes a mounting area A1 for carrying the sheet S conveyed by the carry-in device 2 into the conveyance vehicle 1, and an assembly area A2 for carrying the sheet S from the conveyance vehicle 1 and assembling it to the vehicle body B. In the mounting area A1, an operator works on the work table 3 having a predetermined height. In the assembly area A2, an operator works on the floor. In the present embodiment, a plurality (four in the illustrated example) of the conveyance vehicles 1 are circulated and conveyed on the loop-shaped conveyance path L.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the transport vehicle 1 includes a self-propelled drive cart 10 and a driven cart 20 that is pulled by the drive cart 10. In the description of the transport vehicle 1, the front in the transport direction (left side in FIG. 2) is referred to as “front”, the rear in the transport direction (right side in FIG. 2) is referred to as “rear”, and the horizontal direction (in FIG. The vertical direction is called the “width direction”.

  The drive carriage 10 is equipped with a drive unit 11 composed of a battery and a motor, and can be self-propelled on the transport path L. In this embodiment, a base 12 on which the driving unit 11 is mounted, a roller 13 provided on the lower surface of the base 12, a magnetic sensor 14, and a guide pin 15 are provided. The magnetic sensor 14 detects a magnetic signal of a magnetic tape (not shown) disposed on the floor surface along the conveyance path L, and drives the drive unit 11 based on the magnetic signal, so that the driving carriage 10 is Travel along the transport path L. The guide pin 15 extends vertically upward from the front end portion of the base 12.

The driven carriage 20 is pulled by the drive carriage 10 and travels along the conveyance path L. The driven carriage 20 is a component 21 on which a frame 21, a roller 22 provided at the lower end of the frame, and a sheet S are mounted. A placement portion 23 and a connection ring 24 are provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame body 21 has a substantially U-shape that opens downward when viewed from the front, and the drive carriage 10 is disposed therein. Thus, by arranging the driven carriage 20 and the driving carriage 10 so as to overlap each other in the conveyance direction, for example, the conveyance direction of the conveyance vehicle 1 compared to the case where the driving carriage 10 and the driven carriage 20 are connected side by side in the conveyance direction. The dimensions can be made compact. The roller 22 of the driven carriage 20 travels on a route different from that of the roller 13 of the drive carriage 10. In this embodiment, the travel path L ₁₀ of the roller 13 of the drive carriage 10 is the roller of the driven carriage 20 as shown in FIG. provided inside the 22 travel path _{L 20} of. The component placement portion 23 is configured by a pair of beams that are stretched around the frame body 21 in the front-rear direction. The connection ring 24 is provided at the front end portion of the frame body 21 via a support portion 24b.

  The driven carriage 20 is coupled to the drive carriage 10 in a state where vertical movement with respect to the drive carriage 10 is allowed. In the present embodiment, the guide pin 15 provided on the drive carriage 10 is inserted into the inner periphery of the guide hole 24a of the connection ring 24 provided on the follower carriage 20 via a gap, thereby moving the follower carriage 20 up and down. Is allowed. The drive carriage 10 and the driven carriage 20 are not connected at locations other than the guide pins 15 and the connection ring 24, and the two carriages are connected only at the front ends.

The mounting area A1, on the travel path L ₂₀ of rollers 22 of the driven carriage 20, the cam rail 30 is provided for guiding the follower carriage 20 to a predetermined height (see Fig. 1). As shown in FIG. 5, the cam rail 30 includes a horizontal portion 31 provided at a predetermined height, and inclined portions 32 and 33 that connect the front end portion and the rear end portion of the horizontal portion 31 to the floor surface. The height of the horizontal portion 31 (the height of the surface on which the roller 22 travels) is set to be substantially the same as the height of the work table 3 in the mounting area A1.

  Next, a procedure for conveying the sheet S by the component conveying system 100 will be described. 5 and 6, the illustration of the drive unit 11 and the like of the drive carriage 10 is omitted for simplification of the drawings.

First, an empty transport vehicle 1 on which no sheet S is mounted is carried into the mounting area A1. Then, the roller 22 of the driven carriage 20 which is towed by the drive carriage 10, rides on the inclined portion 33 of the cam rail 30 provided on the travel path L ₂₀ is guided to a predetermined height, the upper horizontal portion 31 of the cam rail 30 Travel (see FIG. 5). At this time, the driving carriage 10 travels on the floor surface inside the cam rail 30 in the width direction (see FIG. 6). That is, only the lightweight driven carriage 20 is lifted without lifting the heavy drive carriage 11, so that the drive force of the drive section 11 is small and the length of the inclined portion 33 of the cam rail 30 is compared. Even when the target is short (that is, the inclination angle is relatively large), the component mounting portion 23 (driven carriage 20) can be lifted to a predetermined height. When the transport vehicle 1 reaches a predetermined position in the mounting area A1, that is, a position where the operator mounts the sheet S (see FIG. 5), the transport vehicle 1 is stopped. For example, the conveyance vehicle 1 can be automatically stopped by providing a magnetic tape (not shown) that issues a stop signal at a predetermined position on the floor and detecting the magnetic tape with the magnetic sensor 14.

  In this state, the sheet S carried into the mounting area A1 by the carry-in device 2 is loaded on the component placement unit 23 of the driven carriage 20 by the operator. At this time, the worker is standing on the work table 3, but the mounting operation of the seat S can be easily performed because the component mounting portion 23 of the driven cart 20 is lifted to a predetermined height. In the illustrated example, the horizontal portion 31 of the cam rail 30 and the work table 3 are substantially the same height. However, depending on the type of the component, the height of the component placement portion 23 of the driven carriage 20, and the like, 30 may be made higher or lower than the work table 3.

  Thereafter, the drive unit 11 of the drive carriage 10 is driven again to run the transport vehicle 1. For example, when a start switch (not shown) is provided in the driving carriage 10 and the seat S is mounted on the driven carriage 20, the operator pushes the start switch to start the transport vehicle 1. Then, the driven carriage 20 is lowered onto the floor along the inclined portion 32 of the cam rail 30, and the conveyance vehicle 1 on which the sheet S is mounted travels along the conveyance path L on the floor.

  When the transport vehicle 1 is carried into the assembly area A2 and reaches a predetermined position in the assembly area A2, the transport vehicle 1 is stopped. At this time, both the driving carriage 10 and the driven carriage 20 are on the floor. Then, an operator standing on the floor lifts and unloads the seat S on the driven carriage 20 and assembles it to the vehicle body B. When the sheet S of the driven carriage 20 is unloaded, the transport vehicle 1 starts when the worker presses the start switch, travels along the transport path L, and is loaded again into the mounting area A1. By repeating the above, the conveyance of the sheet S and the assembly to the vehicle body B are performed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the driving cart 10 and the driven cart 20 are connected by inserting the guide pin 15 provided on the driving cart 10 into the guide hole 24 a of the connecting ring 24 provided on the driven cart 20. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, a guide pin may be provided in the driven carriage and a guide hole may be provided in the drive carriage.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance vehicle 2 Carry-in apparatus 3 Worktable 10 Drive trolley 11 Drive part 15 Guide pin 20 Driven trolley 23 Component mounting part 24 Connection ring 24a Guide hole 30 Cam rail 31 Horizontal part 32, 33 Inclination part 100 Parts conveyance system A1 Mounting area A2 Assembly area B Car body L Transport path S Sheet (parts)

Claims (2)

A self-propelled drive cart that is mounted with a drive unit and travels along a predetermined conveyance path, and a driven cart that is connected to the drive cart and is allowed to move up and down relative to the drive cart while maintaining the connected state. , A parts transport system for mounting and transporting parts on a driven carriage,
A parts transport system in which a cam rail for lifting the driven carriage relative to the drive carriage is provided on the travel path of the driven carriage.   2. The component according to claim 1, wherein a guide pin is provided on one of the driving carriage and the driven carriage, a guide hole is provided on the other, and the guide pin is inserted into the inner periphery of the guide hole to connect the driving carriage and the driven carriage. Conveying system.

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