JP2014231106A - Pallet supplying and discharging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a large number of pallets to be loaded to a carrier truck without increasing the width of the carrier truck and increase supplying/discharging efficiency of components to a production line.SOLUTION: A pallet supplying and discharging system comprises: supplying and discharging apparatus 1 in which a pallet supplying lane 71, which is adjacent to an assembly station W of a production line L and supplies pallets P in which components are housed to the assembly station W, and a pallet discharging lane which discharges empty pallets are provided so as to position in a vertical direction to each other; and a carrier truck 200 in which pallet housing part 202a that mounts a plurality of pallets P in which components are housed in a row in a traveling direction and an empty pallet housing part that mounts a plurality of empty pallets in a row in a traveling direction are provided so as to position in a vertical direction to each other. The carrier truck 200 is placed alongside the supplying and discharging apparatus 1, the pallets P in which components are housed are transferred from the pallet housing part 202a to the pallet supplying lane 71, and empty pallets are transferred from the pallet discharging lane to the empty pallet housing part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pallet supply / discharge system for supplying a pallet containing components to a production line such as an automobile and discharging an empty pallet.

  Examples of conventional techniques for supplying parts and pallets to a production line include those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Patent Document 1 discloses a self-propelled vehicle that reciprocates by being guided by a magnetic tape between a predetermined position in the vicinity of an assembly process from a rack center, which is connected to the conveyance carriage on which a pallet on which components are mounted is loaded. And a technology relating to a component supply system to a component line equipped with In this document, an operator connects a transport cart, which has been disconnected from a self-propelled vehicle, to a transport pallet supply / discharge table attached to the assembly process, and a pallet loaded with parts is connected to the transport pallet supply / discharge table. On the other hand, a configuration is described in which a pallet whose parts have been emptied in the assembling process is transferred to a transport cart, and the transport cart is connected to a self-propelled vehicle and returned to the rack center.

  In Patent Document 2, one end of a cart is brought close to one end of a component conveying device attached to a component assembling line, and components placed in a row on a component feeding conveyor of the cart are driven by a motor on the component conveying device side. A configuration is described in which a component is transferred onto a conveyor of a component conveying apparatus.

  In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, there is a problem in that work efficiency is likely to be lowered because the operator connects the cart to the transport pallet supply / discharge table or the component transport device in the assembly process.

  Moreover, in patent document 1 and patent document 2, the trolley | bogie and the conveyance pallet supply / discharge stand or component conveying apparatus of an assembly | attachment process are connected in series. Normally, when parts are transported by a cart, the parts are loaded on the cart and transported so as not to exceed the cart width in consideration of the width of the transport path. In general, since the conveyance path and the worker's passage are often shared, there is a risk of contact with other workers if the parts protrude from the carriage. For this reason, for example, in the case of a long part, the part is loaded and conveyed via a pallet or directly on a carriage so that the length direction of the part matches the conveyance direction. Therefore, in the structure in which the carriage and the conveyance pallet supply / discharge base or the parts conveyance device are connected in series, especially when the parts are long objects, it becomes difficult for the operator to take out the parts from the pallet or the carriage, and the conveyance pallet There is also a problem that it takes time and effort to transfer to the supply / discharge platform or the component conveying device.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, regarding a transport cart that is guided by a guide tape in a passage between a component input station, an empty box collection station, and each work station, a component box mounting portion and an empty box mounting portion are included in the transport cart. Technology that automatically places the transport cart so that the component box mounting part and the empty box mounting part are located on each side of the component box supply roller conveyor and the empty box discharge roller conveyor attached to the work station, respectively. Is described. According to this technique, since the conveyance carriage is automatically placed on the parts box supply roller conveyor and the empty box discharge roller conveyor, the manual connection work by the operator as in Patent Documents 1 and 2 becomes unnecessary. . In addition, since the transport cart is not positioned in series with the component box supply roller conveyor and the empty box discharge roller conveyor, it is considered that the trouble of transferring the components is also solved.

JP 2008-15902 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-143120 JP-A-6-297276

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 3, when the parts are large or when it is necessary to transfer a large number of pallets or parts at a time between the transport carriage and the roller conveyor, the width of the transport carriage needs to be increased. Therefore, it is necessary to widen the width of the conveyance path. In addition, when the width of the transport carriage is increased, there is a high risk of contact with a passing worker.

  The present invention has been created to solve the above-described problems, and allows a large number of pallets to be loaded on a transport cart without increasing the width of the transport cart, thereby improving the efficiency of supplying and discharging parts to the production line. The purpose is to increase.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a pallet supply / discharge system for supplying a pallet containing components to an assembly station of a production line and discharging an empty pallet, and is adjacent to the assembly station, A pallet supply lane for supplying pallets containing parts to the assembly station and a pallet discharge lane for discharging empty pallets are positioned so as to be vertically positioned with respect to each other, and a plurality of pallets containing parts A pallet accommodating portion for placing the plurality of empty pallets in a row in the advancing direction and an empty pallet accommodating portion for placing a plurality of empty pallets in a row in the advancing direction, The pallet containing the parts is laid on the pallet supply lane from the pallet storage part. Are transferred, characterized in that the empty pallets are transferred to the empty pallet accommodating portion from the pallet discharge lanes.

  According to this pallet supply / discharge system, in the transport cart, a pallet accommodating portion for placing a plurality of pallets containing components in a row in the advancing direction and a plurality of empty pallets in a row in the advancing direction. By providing the empty pallet housing portion separately in the vertical direction, a large number of pallets can be loaded on the transport cart without increasing the width of the transport cart. Thereby, it is not necessary to increase the width of the conveyance path of the conveyance carriage, and the problem of contact with the operator due to the increase in the width of the conveyance carriage does not occur.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that a pallet direction changing section for changing the direction of the pallet by 90 degrees is provided in the middle of the pallet supply lane.

  According to this pallet supply / discharge system, the direction of the pallet can be changed and supplied to the assembly station. Therefore, for example, it is possible to change the orientation of the parts accommodated in the pallet, and it is possible to easily take out the parts from the pallet for the operator of the assembly station.

  Further, according to the present invention, the pallet has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a long part is accommodated in the pallet so as to be along a long side direction of the pallet. Is placed along the width direction of the transport carriage, and the pallet is transferred from the pallet receiving part to the pallet supply lane of the supply / discharge device in the same direction, and then the pallet direction changing part is turned. By turning 90 degrees, the long side direction of the pallet is supplied to the assembly station in a direction along the width direction of the pallet supply lane.

  If the pallet is placed in the transport cart so that the long side direction thereof is along the traveling direction of the transport cart, the entire length of the transport cart becomes long, and the turning ability of the transport cart is deteriorated. On the other hand, the full length dimension of a conveyance trolley can be suppressed by mounting a pallet on a conveyance trolley so that a long side direction may follow the width direction of a conveyance trolley. And the direction of the pallet is changed by 90 degrees at the pallet direction changing part of the supply / discharge device, and the long side direction of the pallet is set along the width direction of the pallet supply lane. Parts can be supplied in a direction along the width direction of the pallet supply lane. If a long part is heavy and is supplied in a direction along the conveying direction of the pallet supply lane, the operator needs to go around to the side of the pallet supply lane and take out the heavy part. On the other hand, according to the present invention, a long component can be easily taken out from the pallet without going to the side of the pallet supply lane.

  Further, according to the present invention, the pallet direction changing portion includes a support frame that is rotatable around a rotation axis, and a contact portion that is provided on the support frame and comes into contact with the pallet that has been transported through the pallet supply lane. The support frame is rotated by a collision load received by the contact portion from the pallet, and the orientation of the pallet on the support frame is changed.

  According to this pallet supply / discharge system, an economical pallet direction changing portion can be realized with a simple structure by utilizing the collision load received from the pallet.

  Further, according to the present invention, the contact portion includes a buffer roller portion that is elastically supported by a coil spring, and receives from the pallet by the elastic force of the coil spring when the pallet contacts the buffer roller portion. The collision load is buffered.

  According to this pallet supply / discharge system, a collision load received from the pallet can be buffered with a simple structure.

  Further, the present invention provides the conveyance carriage, wherein the pallet accommodating portion has a plurality of supply conveyance roller portions arranged in parallel in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage, and each supply conveyance roller portion is provided on the conveyance carriage facing the supply / discharge device. The empty pallet accommodating portion is provided with a plurality of discharge conveyance roller portions arranged in parallel in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage, and each discharge conveyance roller portion is provided on the other side of the conveyance carriage. The pallet supply lane includes a conveyance roller portion provided to be inclined downward toward the surface of the supply / discharge device facing the assembly station. The pallet discharge lane includes a carry-out roller portion provided so as to be inclined downward toward the surface of the supply / discharge device facing the transfer carriage, and the pallet containing the parts is one supply of the transfer carriage. It is transferred from the conveyance roller unit to the conveyance roller unit of the supply / discharge device by its own weight, and an empty pallet is transferred from the carry-out roller unit of the supply / discharge device to one discharge conveyance roller unit of the conveyance cart by its own weight. Features.

  According to this pallet supply / discharge system, the pallet transfer mechanism between the transport carriage and the supply / discharge device can be economically realized with a simple structure by utilizing the weight of the pallet.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to load a large number of pallets on a transport cart without increasing the width of the transport cart, and it is possible to increase the efficiency of supplying and discharging parts to the production line.

It is a top view of the pallet supply / discharge system according to the present invention. It is A arrow directional view in FIG. It is a top view of a conveyance trolley. It is a side view of a conveyance trolley. It is a top view of a self-propelled vehicle. It is explanatory drawing of the stopper member provided in the conveyance trolley. It is explanatory drawing of the engagement rod provided in the conveyance trolley. It is a top view of a supply / discharge device. It is explanatory drawing of the rocking | fluctuation rod provided in the supply / discharge device. It is explanatory drawing of the engagement bar provided in the supply / discharge device. It is explanatory drawing inside a rotation member. It is an external appearance perspective view of a pallet direction change part. It is a top view of a supply / discharge device when a pallet direction change part rotates 90 degrees.

  In FIG. 1, the pallet supply / discharge system according to the present invention includes a supply / discharge device 1 and a transport carriage 200. In the production line L for the worker to assemble the vehicle body F, the pallet P containing the parts is supplied to the assembly station W on one side of each assembly station W, and the pallets P (hereinafter referred to as the pallets P after the parts are taken out). , Which is called an empty pallet P1) is disposed from the assembly station W. In the vicinity of the production line L, a rack building B for temporarily storing various parts is arranged. A magnetic tape G is laid in an endless track shape on the floor surface between the rack building B and the supply / discharge device 1, and the self-propelled vehicle 100 and the conveyance engaged with the self-propelled vehicle 100 along the magnetic tape G. The cart 200 travels. The path of the self-propelled vehicle 100 by the magnetic tape G is, for example, a linear upstream forward path G1 and a downstream backward path G2 extending substantially parallel to the production line L on one side of the assembly station W, and a forward path G1 and a backward path G2. And a curvilinear direction change path G3. The return path G2 is located closer to the assembly station W than the forward path G1, and the supply / discharge device 1 is installed between the return path G2 and the assembly station W.

"Self-propelled vehicle 100"
3 to 5, the self-propelled vehicle 100 has a sensor 101 for detecting the magnetic tape G attached to the lower surface at the front end of the traveling direction, and each stop attached to the floor on both sides of the sensor 101. A sensor 102 for detecting the markers M1, M2,... Is attached. The self-propelled vehicle 100 is self-propelled by driving wheels 104 rotated by a motor (not shown) driven by the battery 103 mounted. An obstacle sensor 105 that detects an obstacle is attached to the upper surface of the front end of the self-propelled vehicle 100. Further, guide rollers 106 for positioning a transport carriage 200 (described later) with respect to the self-propelled vehicle 100 in the width direction are attached to both side surfaces of the self-propelled vehicle 100. Furthermore, on the upper surface of the self-propelled vehicle 100, a retractable engagement pin 107 that engages and disengages with an engagement plate 201 of the transport carriage 200 described later is provided.

"Transportation carriage 200"
2 to 4, the carriage 200 has wheels (casters) 203 that are driven and rotated around a horizontal axis at four corners of the lower surface of a substantially rectangular frame 202. Brackets 204 and 204 are attached to both sides in the traveling direction at the lower part in the frame 202, and a vertical plate-like guide plate 205 for guiding the guide roller 106 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 is provided at the lower part of each bracket 204. It is attached. Each guide plate 205 extends along the traveling direction of the transport carriage 200, and is opposed to each other with an interval in the width direction of the transport carriage 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the center portions of the guide plates 205 are parallel to each other, and the front end and the rear end are separated from each other toward the front end and the rear end, that is, in the width direction of the transport carriage 200. It is formed to expand. A horizontal cover plate 206 is attached to the lower center of the frame body 202 near the front end. A vertical plate-like member is formed on the lower surface of the cover plate 206, and the rear is opened in plan view. An engagement plate 201 having a substantially V shape is attached to which the width is reduced and the front ends are coupled.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the frame body 202 has an upper portion formed as a pallet accommodating portion 202 a for accommodating a plurality of pallets P on which components are mounted, and a lower portion as an empty pallet accommodating portion 202 b for accommodating a plurality of empty pallets P <b> 1. Is formed. The pallet P has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose upper surface is open. For example, a long component is mounted in the pallet P along the long side direction of the pallet P. A plurality (four in this embodiment) of pallets P are accommodated in the pallet accommodating portion 202a so that the long sides thereof are aligned in the width direction of the transport carriage 200 and arranged in a line along the traveling direction. . Similarly, the empty pallet P1 is accommodated in the empty pallet accommodating portion 202b so that its long side is aligned with the width direction of the transport carriage 200 in a line in the traveling direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pallet P is placed on the transport roller unit 207 which is a roller conveyor in the pallet storage unit 202a, and the empty pallet P1 is mounted on the transport roller unit 208 which is a roller conveyor in the pallet storage unit 202b. . As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of supply conveyance roller portions 207 are arranged in parallel in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage 200 in order to place a plurality of pallets P in the pallet accommodation portion 202 a. In addition, a plurality of discharge conveyance roller portions 208 are arranged side by side in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage 200 in order to place a plurality of empty pallets P1. The supply conveyance roller unit 207 and the discharge conveyance roller unit 208 are arranged such that their conveyance directions are along the width direction of the conveyance carriage 200. As shown in FIG. 2, the supply conveyance roller unit 207 is formed so as to incline downward from the other side surface of the conveyance carriage 200 toward one side surface facing the supply / discharge device 1. The portion 208 is formed so as to incline downward from one side surface of the transport carriage 200 toward the other side surface.

  On one side of the frame body 202, a rotation shaft 210 whose axial direction is the width direction of the conveyance carriage 200 is attached to the rotation shaft 210 so as to correspond to each supply conveyance roller unit 207. A stopper member 212 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable. A coil spring 209 is stretched between the stopper member 212 and the frame body 202, and the stopper member 212 normally holds one end of the coil member 209 standing upright by the tensile force of the coil spring 209. Yes. By the stopper member 212 in the standing state, the sliding movement of the pallet P from the supply conveyance roller unit 207 is restricted. An engagement plate 211 is attached to the other end side of the stopper member 212. As shown in FIG. 7, an engagement rod 213 extending in the width direction of the transport carriage 200 is attached to one side of the frame body 202 slightly below the discharge transport roller portion 208.

"Supply / Discharge Device 1"
2 and 8, the supply / discharge device 1 includes a frame 4 composed of a plurality of vertical columns 2 erected on the floor and a plurality of connecting beams 3 connecting the vertical columns 2, and the conveyance The surface side of the frame body 4 (hereinafter referred to as the front side of the frame body 4) facing the assembly station W with the surface side of the frame body 4 (hereinafter referred to as the rear surface side of the frame body 4) facing one side surface of the carriage 200 as the upstream end. Direction of the pallet disposed so as to be connected to the downstream end of the first conveying roller unit 5 and the first conveying roller unit 5 which is a roller conveyor for supplying pallets disposed so as to be inclined downward The rear surface of the frame 4 with the front side of the frame body 4 as the upstream end, and the second transport roller portion 7 that is a roller conveyor for pallet supply disposed so as to be connected to the pallet direction changing portion 6 Roller controller for discharging pallets arranged so as to incline downward toward the side And is configured to include a discharge roller unit 8 is A, a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pallet supply lane 71 including the first transport roller unit 5, the pallet direction changing unit 6, and the second transport roller unit 7 is provided in the upper part in the frame body 4 and includes the carry-out roller unit 8. The pallet discharge lane 72 is provided in the lower part in the frame 4. The first conveying roller unit 5 and the second conveying roller unit 7 have the same inclination angle so that the upper ends of the rollers 24 are located on the same plane. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the second transport roller unit 7 is not positioned on the extension of the first transport roller unit 5 but is shifted in the lateral direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, an engagement bar 51 is supported on the connecting beam 3 directly below the first conveying roller portion 5 on the rear surface side of the frame body 4. Further, on the rear surface side of the frame body 4, as shown in FIG. 9, a cylindrical bearing member 52 is attached to the connecting beam 3 directly below the carry-out roller portion 8, and the return path G2 (FIG. 1) is attached to the bearing member 52. A rotating shaft 53 having a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the transport carriage 200 in the horizontal direction as an axial direction is rotatably supported. A swing member 54 is attached to the rotating shaft 53. A swing rod 55 is formed at the upper end of the swing member 54. A spring engaging member 56 is attached to the lower end of the swing member 54, and a coil spring 58 is stretched between the spring engaging member 56 and a spring support member 59 attached to the connecting beam 3. The swing rod 55 is normally held in a vertical standing state by the tensile force of the coil spring 58.

  In FIG. 8, a pair of first guide bars 47 for guiding the side surface of the pallet P is attached to the frame body 4 on both sides of the first transport roller portion 5, and on both sides of the second transport roller portion 7. A pair of second guide bars 48 for guiding the side surfaces of the pallet P are attached, and a pair of carry-out guide bars 49 for guiding the side surfaces of the empty pallet P 1 are attached on both sides of the carry-out roller portion 8. A stopper member 50 (FIG. 1) for stopping and holding the pallet P is disposed at the downstream end of the second conveying roller unit 7.

"Pallet direction change part 6"
2, 8, and 12, the pallet direction changing unit 6 changes the direction of the pallet P conveyed from the first conveying roller unit 5 by 90 degrees and then sends it to the second conveying roller unit 7. The inclination angle of the pallet direction changing unit 6 is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the inclination angles of the first conveyance roller unit 5 and the second conveyance roller unit 7. The pallet direction changing unit 6 is attached to the connecting beam 12 which is a part of the connecting beam 3 of the frame body 4 at a position eccentric from the first conveying roller unit 5 to the outer side in the width direction of the first conveying roller unit 5. The bearing 9 is rotatably supported. The connecting beam 12 is disposed so as to be inclined downward toward the assembly station W, and the inclination angle of the connecting beam 12 becomes the inclination angle of the pallet direction changing portion 6. Therefore, the rotating shaft 10 supported by the bearing 9 on the inclined connecting beam 12 is supported while being inclined toward the assembly station W (FIG. 1) with respect to the vertical direction.

  A support frame 11 having a rectangular frame shape is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 10 via a support beam 11e. Of the four frame side portions of the support frame 11, the upper portions of the frame side portions 11 a and 11 b respectively facing the first transport roller portion 5 and the second transport roller portion 7 in the normal state (the state shown in FIG. 8). Is provided with a phase conversion roller portion 13 as a roller conveyor in the conveying direction along the frame side portions 11a and 11b. That is, in the normal state, the conveyance direction of the phase conversion roller unit 13 is orthogonal to the conveyance directions of the first conveyance roller unit 5 and the second conveyance roller unit 7.

In addition, the lateral surfaces of the remaining frame side portions 11c and 11d facing each other so that the support shafts 14 formed with the base end as the large diameter portion 14a and the tip as the small diameter portion 14b are coaxial with each other. Projected to As shown in FIG. 11, a rotating member 15 is rotatably supported on the small diameter portion 14 b of each support shaft 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the third transport roller portion 16 is interposed between the rotating members 15. It is fixed so that it can be passed over. As shown in FIG. 11, the rotating member 15 is a cylindrical member that is rotatably attached to the small diameter portion 14 b of the support shaft 14 via bearings 70, 70, and rotates with the small diameter portion 14 b of the support shaft 14. A torsion coil spring 69 is accommodated in an annular space formed between the member 15. One end of the torsion coil spring 69 is engaged with the stay 67 on the rotating member 15 side, and the other end is engaged with the stay 68 on the small diameter portion 14 b side of the support shaft 14. In the normal state, the third conveying roller portion 16 fixed to the rotating member 15 has a conveying direction parallel to the conveying directions of the first conveying roller portion 5 and the second conveying roller portion 7, and a torsion coil spring. It will be in the state where it will be in an upright state by the elastic force of 69, ie, a roller located in an upper end.
Further, a stopper pin 14c is attached along the axis of the support shaft 14 to the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 14 and on the end of the large diameter portion 14a on the small diameter portion 14b side. A part of the stopper pin 14 c extends to the outer peripheral surface side of the rotating shaft 15. On the other hand, a stopper bar 15a is attached along the axis of the support shaft 14 on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 15 and on the large diameter portion 14a side of the support shaft 14, and the stopper pin 14c and the stopper bar 15a come into contact with each other. 3. The standing state of the transport roller unit 16 is securely held without swinging.

  2, 8, and 12, a pair of support columns 17 are erected on the frame side portion 11 d, and a third guide rail 18 is attached to the upper portion of the support columns 17. Further, a pair of horizontal bars 19 project from the frame side portion 11b toward the second transport roller portion 7 side. Supports 20a and 20b are fixed to the respective ends of the horizontal bar 19. A bearing 21 is attached to the upper end of the column 20a located near the rotating shaft 10, and one end of a buffer roller portion 22 as a contact portion that contacts the pallet P is fixed to the bearing 21. . Thereby, the buffer roller portion 22 is disposed so as to be swingable around the support column 20a so that the other end side is in contact with and away from the other support column 20b. The buffer roller portion 22 is disposed such that the roller surface faces in the lateral direction.

  Here, all the roller units described above, that is, the supply conveyance roller unit 207, the discharge conveyance roller unit 208, the first conveyance roller unit 5, the second conveyance roller unit 7, the carry-out roller unit 8, the phase conversion roller unit 13, The third transport roller unit 16 and the buffer roller unit 22 have a structure in which rollers 24 are axially supported in a row within a frame body 23 having a substantially bowl-shaped cross section, except for the difference in size.

  A receiving portion 25 is attached to the upper end of the support column 20b so as to be in contact with the other end side of the frame body 23 of the buffer roller portion 22. The buffer roller portion 22 rotates around the support column 20a and is received by the frame body 23. When contacting the portion 25, the buffer roller portion 22 is positioned in parallel with the phase conversion roller portion 13. A spring body support portion 26 is attached to the column 20a, and one end of a coil spring 27 is engaged with the spring body support portion 26. The other end of the coil spring 27 is engaged with an engagement portion 28 formed at the base end of the frame body 23 of the buffer roller portion 22. Normally, the buffer roller portion 22 is held in a state where the other end side of the frame body 23 is separated from the receiving portion 25 by the tensile force of the coil spring 27. The buffer roller portion 22 is rotated in a direction in which the other end side of the frame body 23 is separated from the receiving portion 25 by a stopper pin 66 attached to the spring body support portion 26 and a stopper bar 65 attached to the bearing 21. Is regulated.

  A support column 29 is attached to the frame side portion 11 c of the support frame 11. A joint portion 30 is attached to the support column 29, and a guide bar 32 is supported on the joint portion 30 via a connecting member 31. A guide roller 33 is pivotally supported on the upper end of the guide bar 32. A swing bar 34 is supported at the lower part of the joint portion 30, and a weight 35 is attached to the lower end of the swing bar 34. An engaging bar 37 is attached to the end of the connecting beam 12 near the second conveying roller portion 7 via a connecting bar 36 so as to be positioned below the connecting beam 12 and parallel to the connecting beam 12. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a wire engaging portion 38 projects from the lower portion of the frame side portion 11 c. A pair of driven rollers 39 are pivotally supported via a support member 40 on the connecting beam 3b as a part of the connecting beam 3 located below the downstream end of the first conveying roller unit 5. Furthermore, a pair of direction changing rollers 41 for changing the direction are pivotally supported on the connecting beam 3 c as a part of the connecting beam 3 via a support member 46. A pair of guide pillars 42 disposed on the frame body 4 is covered with a cylindrical weight member 44 connected by a connecting member 43 so as to be movable up and down. A wire coupling portion 45 is formed in the connecting member 43, and a wire 61 coupled to the wire coupling portion 45 passes between a pair of driven rollers 39 and a pair of direction changing rollers 41, and the wire engaging portion. 38 is engaged.

"Action"
In FIG. 1, an operator in a rack building B supplies a feed roller unit of a carriage 200 according to an instruction of a production instruction computer (not shown) so as to correspond to the production order of a vehicle body F flowing in a production line L. Parts are accommodated in the pallet P placed on 207. Alternatively, after the components are accommodated in the pallet P on the floor surface, the pallet P is placed on the supply conveyance roller unit 207. Next, the operator places the transport carriage 200 at a predetermined position before the stop marker M1 disposed along the magnetic tape G, and pushes a component mounting completion button (not shown) provided on the rack building B. In response to this, the production instruction computer causes the self-propelled vehicle 100 stopped at the stop marker M2 disposed on the self-propelled vehicle standby path G4 to self-propell.

  The self-propelled vehicle 100 travels along the magnetic tape G and enters the lower part of the transport carriage 200 located in front of the stop marker M1. The guide rollers 106 provided on both side surfaces of the self-propelled vehicle 100 are guided by the guide plates 205 of the transport cart 200, so that the self-propelled vehicle 100 smoothly enters the lower portion of the transport cart 200. Then, the engagement pin 107 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 engages with the engagement plate 201 of the conveyance carriage 200, so that the conveyance carriage 200 travels along the magnetic tape G in a manner that is pulled by the self-propelled carriage 100.

  When the transport carriage 200 reaches the side of the target supply / discharge device 1, the engagement plate 211 of the stopper member 212 of the transport cart 200 comes into contact with the engagement bar 51 on the supply / discharge device 1 side, whereby the coil spring 209 is pulled. The stopper member 212 rotates against the force from the standing state to the sideways state about the rotation shaft 210. Thereby, the movement restriction | limiting of the pallet P from the supply conveyance roller part 207 by the stopper member 212 is cancelled | released. Then, when the sensor 102 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 detects the stop marker M3, the transport carriage 200 stops traveling.

  Further, the swing rod 55 provided on the supply / discharge device 1 side comes into contact with the engagement rod 213 on the transport carriage 200 side, so that the swing rod 55 prevents the rotating shaft 53 against the tensile force of the coil spring 58. As a center, it rotates from a standing state to a lying state. Thereby, the movement restriction | limiting of the empty pallet P1 from the carry-out roller part 8 by the rocking | fluctuation rod 55 is cancelled | released. However, the timing at which the movement restriction of the empty pallet P1 is released is the time immediately before the sensor 102 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 detects the stop marker M3, and the sensor 102 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 detects the stop marker M3. At the time, the swing rod 55 is raised again by the passage of the engagement rod 213, and the movement of the empty pallet P1 from the carry-out roller portion 8 is restricted.

  When the transport carriage 200 stops running, the movement restriction by the stopper member 212 is released, so that the pallet P positioned first in the traveling direction slides out from the inclined supply transport roller portion 207 and the first of the supply / discharge device 1 Transferred to the transport roller unit 5. The pallet P is slid and conveyed on the inclined first conveyance roller unit 5 while being guided by the first guide bar 47 with the long side direction in a posture along the conveyance direction. The pallet direction changing unit 6 is in a state where the conveyance direction of the third conveyance roller unit 16 coincides with the conveyance direction of the first conveyance roller unit 5 as shown in FIG. 8 because the wire 61 is pulled by the weight 44. . Accordingly, the pallet P smoothly transfers from the first conveying roller unit 5 to the pallet direction changing unit 6, is slid and conveyed on the standing third conveying roller unit 16, and collides with the roller 24 of the buffer roller unit 22. At the time before the collision of the pallet P, the buffer roller portion 22 is elastically supported by the coil spring 27 and the frame 23 is held away from the receiving portion 25. In the process until the part 22 rotates around the bearing 21 against the tensile force of the coil spring 27 and the frame body 23 comes into contact with the receiving part 25, the impact at the collision of the pallet P is buffered. That is, a part of the collision load received from the pallet P is absorbed by the elastic force of the coil spring 27.

  When the frame body 23 of the buffer roller portion 22 comes into contact with the receiving portion 25, the pallet P is in a state in which both sides thereof are guided and supported by the guide rail 33 and the third guide rail 18. Then, when the collision load of the pallet P against the buffer roller portion 22 is greater than the load of the weight 44, the pallet direction changing portion 6 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8 about the rotating shaft 10 in the eccentric position. As shown in FIG. 13, the state is rotated about 90 degrees. Thereby, the direction of the pallet P is changed by 90 degrees. Note that stopper pins 62 and 63 are attached to the connecting beam 12, and a stopper bar 64 that is in contact with the stopper pins 62 and 63 is attached to the rotary shaft 10, thereby preventing excessive rotation of the pallet direction changing portion 6. Be regulated.

  By rotating the pallet direction changing portion 6, the guide bar 32 that supports the guide roller 33 by the rotational force is engaged with the swing bar 34 and the engagement bar 37 that are connected via the joint portion 30. Tilt by. As a result, the guide bar 32 does not interfere with the pallet P, and the pallet P can move toward the second transport roller unit 7. Further, the third conveying roller portion 16 is centered on the support shaft 14 against the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 69 in the rotating member 15 due to the forward inclined load of the pallet P toward the second conveying roller portion 7. Tilt to the second transport roller unit 7 side. As a result, the pallet P is reduced in conveyance resistance and smoothly moves to the second conveyance roller unit 7 side. The pallet P whose direction has been changed by the pallet direction changing unit 6 is slid and conveyed on the second conveying roller unit 7 with the long side direction being along the width direction of the second conveying roller unit 7. And it stops by contact | abutting to the stopper member 50 provided downstream of the 2nd conveyance roller part 7, or contacting the pallet P already on the 2nd conveyance roller part 7. FIG. In the pallet direction changing section 6, the load of the weight 44 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotary shaft 10 to the position shown in FIG.

  The operator takes out the parts from the pallet P on the second transport roller unit 7 and assembles them to the vehicle body F at the assembly station W. When there are no parts in the pallet P, the operator takes the pallet P out of the second transport roller unit 7 and transfers it to the unloading roller unit 8 as an empty pallet P1. The empty pallet P1 is slid and conveyed on the inclined carry-out roller unit 8, and stops in contact with the swing rod 55 or the empty pallet P1 previously carried out.

  As described above, since the swinging rod 55 is in a sideways state immediately before the sensor 102 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 detects the stop marker M3, the empty pallet P1 that is in contact with the swinging rod 55 is free-running. At the timing immediately before the sensor 102 of the car 100 detects the stop marker M3, the transfer of the transport carriage 200 to the discharge transport roller unit 208 is started. When the sensor 102 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 detects the stop marker M3, the transfer of the empty pallet P1 is completed, the engagement with the engagement rod 213 is released, and the swing rod 55 returns to the standing state. Therefore, the next empty pallet P1 that has been waiting does not overrun the rocking rod 55.

  The stop time of the self-propelled vehicle 100 after detecting the stop marker M3 is set in advance, and when the set stop time elapses, the self-propelled vehicle 100 moves forward and detects the next stop marker M4 and stops. . In the transport carriage 200, the same transport operation as that of the first pallet P is performed on the second pallet P in the traveling direction. When a similar transport operation is performed on the third and fourth pallets P at the stop markers M5 and M6, the self-propelled vehicle 100 moves toward the rack building B, and detects the stop marker M7. Stop. When the engagement pin 107 of the self-propelled vehicle 100 is immersed and the engagement between the self-propelled vehicle 100 and the transport cart 200 is released, the operator removes the transport cart 200 from the self-propelled vehicle 100 and loads the next part. Prepare and move to a predetermined location. The self-propelled vehicle 100 self-propels and enters the self-propelled vehicle standby path G4, detects the stop marker M2, stops, and enters a standby state. Thus, one cycle of pallet supply / discharge from the rack building B to the assembly station W is completed.

  As described above, the pallet supply lane 71 that supplies the pallet P containing the components to the assembly station W and the pallet discharge lane 72 that discharges the empty pallet P1 are adjacent to the assembly station W and are positioned vertically. The provided supply / discharge device 1, a pallet accommodating portion 202a for placing a plurality of pallets P containing components in a row in the traveling direction, and an empty pallet housing for placing a plurality of empty pallets P1 in a row in the traveling direction A transport carriage 200 provided so that the parts 202b are positioned vertically with respect to each other. The transport carriage 200 is placed sideways on the supply / discharge device 1, and the pallet P containing the components is supplied from the pallet storage section 202a to the pallet supply lane. 71, and the empty pallet P1 is transferred from the pallet discharge lane 72 to the empty pallet accommodating part 202b, In the car 200, the pallet accommodating part 202a and the empty pallet accommodating part 202b are provided separately from each other in the vertical direction, so that a large number of pallets P and empty pallets P1 are loaded on the conveying carriage 200 without increasing the width of the conveying carriage. it can. Thereby, it is not necessary to increase the width of the conveyance path of the conveyance carriage 200, and the problem of contact with the operator due to the increase in the width of the conveyance carriage 200 does not occur.

  Further, by providing the pallet direction changing unit 6 that changes the direction of the pallet P by 90 degrees in the middle of the pallet supply lane 71, for example, the direction of the components accommodated in the pallet P is changed and the operator of the assembly station W is changed. Can supply.

  In particular, when the pallet P has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and a long component is accommodated along the long side direction of the pallet P, the pallet P is conveyed in the pallet accommodating part 202a of the conveyance carriage 200 in the long side direction. The pallet P is placed along the width direction of the carriage 200, and the pallet P is transferred from the pallet accommodating part 202a to the pallet supply lane 71 of the supply / discharge device 1 in the same direction, and then the pallet direction changing part 6 changes the direction. If the long side direction of the pallet P is turned to the direction along the width direction of the pallet supply lane 71 and is supplied to the assembly station W by being changed by 90 degrees, the following effects can be obtained.

  If a plurality of pallets P are placed in the transport carriage 200 such that the long side direction thereof is along the traveling direction of the transport carriage 200, the entire length of the transport carriage 200 becomes longer and the turning ability of the transport carriage 200 becomes worse. On the other hand, the full length dimension of the conveyance trolley 200 can be suppressed by mounting a plurality of pallets P on the conveyance trolley 200 so that the long side direction is along the width direction of the conveyance trolley 200. Then, the pallet direction changing section 6 of the supply / discharge device 1 changes the direction of the pallet P by 90 degrees so that the long side direction of the pallet P is aligned with the width direction of the pallet supply lane 71, so On the other hand, a long part can be supplied as a direction along the width direction of the pallet supply lane 71. If a long part is heavy and is supplied in a direction along the conveying direction of the pallet supply lane 71, the operator needs to go around to the side of the pallet supply lane 71 and take out the heavy part. On the other hand, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily take out a long part from the position in front of the pallet supply lane 71 without going around to the side of the pallet supply lane 71.

  Further, as the pallet direction changing portion 6, a support frame 11 that is rotatable around the rotation shaft 10, and a contact portion that is provided on the support frame 11 and contacts the pallet P that has been conveyed through the pallet supply lane 71 (buffer roller portion). 22), and the support frame 11 is rotated by a collision load received by the abutment portion from the pallet P, and the orientation of the pallet P on the support frame 11 is changed. The direction change part 6 is realizable.

  Further, the contact portion includes a buffer roller portion 22 that is elastically supported by a coil spring 27, and when the pallet P contacts the buffer roller portion 22, a collision that is received from the pallet P by the elastic force of the coil spring 27. Since the load is buffered, the collision load received from the pallet P can be buffered with a simple structure.

  In the transport carriage 200, a plurality of supply transport roller sections 207 are arranged in the pallet accommodating section 202 a in the traveling direction of the transport carriage 200, and each of the supply transport roller sections 207 faces the supply / discharge device 1. The empty pallet accommodating portion 202b is provided with a plurality of discharge conveyance roller portions 208 arranged in parallel in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage 200, and each discharge conveyance roller portion 208 includes a conveyance carriage. The pallet supply lane 71 is provided so as to be inclined downward toward the surface of the supply / discharge device 1 facing the assembly station W. The pallet discharge lane 72 is directed to the surface of the feeding / discharging device 1 facing the conveyance carriage 200. The pallet discharge lane 72 is provided with the conveyance roller unit (first conveyance roller unit 5, second conveyance roller unit 7). The pallet P containing the components is provided so as to be inclined downward, and the pallet P containing the components from the one supply conveyance roller portion 207 of the conveyance carriage 200 by its own weight causes the conveyance roller portion (first conveyance roller) of the supply / discharge device 1. Part 5 and the second transport roller unit 7), and the empty pallet P1 is transferred from the unloading roller unit 8 of the supply / discharge device 1 to the single discharge transport roller unit 208 of the transport cart 200 by its own weight. For example, by using the weight of the pallet P and the empty pallet P1, the transfer mechanism of the pallet P and the empty pallet P1 between the transport carriage 200 and the supply / discharge device 1 can be simplified and economical. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Feeding / discharging apparatus 4 Frame 5 1st conveyance roller part 6 Pallet direction change part 7 2nd conveyance roller part 8 Unloading roller part 10 Rotating shaft 11 Support frame 22 Buffering roller part (contact part)
71 Pallet supply lane 72 Pallet discharge lane 100 Self-propelled vehicle 200 Carriage carriage 202a Pallet storage part 202b Empty pallet storage part 207 Supply conveyance roller part 208 Discharge conveyance roller part P Pallet P1 Empty pallet W Assembly station

Claims (6)

A pallet supply / discharge system for supplying a pallet containing parts to an assembly station of a production line and discharging an empty pallet,
A feeding / discharging device provided adjacent to the assembly station so that a pallet supply lane for supplying a pallet containing components to the assembly station and a pallet discharge lane for discharging an empty pallet are positioned vertically with respect to each other;
A pallet housing part for placing a plurality of pallets containing parts in a row in the traveling direction and an empty pallet housing part for placing a plurality of empty pallets in a row in the traveling direction are positioned vertically with respect to each other. A provided transport cart;
With
The transport cart is placed on the supply / discharge device, a pallet containing components is transferred from the pallet receiving portion to the pallet supply lane, and an empty pallet is transferred from the pallet discharging lane to the empty pallet receiving portion. Pallet supply and discharge system characterized by that.   The pallet supply / discharge system according to claim 1, wherein a pallet direction changing portion that changes the direction of the pallet by 90 degrees is provided in the middle of the pallet supply lane. The pallet has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a long part is accommodated in the pallet so as to be along the long side direction of the pallet,
In the pallet accommodating portion of the transport carriage, the pallet is placed so that its long side direction is along the width direction of the transport carriage,
After the pallet is transferred from the pallet accommodating part to the pallet supply lane of the supply / discharge device in the same direction, the direction of the pallet is changed by 90 degrees by the pallet direction changing part. The pallet supply / discharge system according to claim 2, wherein the pallet supply / discharge system is supplied to the assembly station in a direction along a width direction of the pallet supply lane. The pallet direction changing portion includes a support frame that is rotatable around a rotation axis, and a contact portion that is provided on the support frame and comes into contact with the pallet that has been transported through the pallet supply lane.
The pallet supply / discharge system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support frame is rotated by a collision load received by the contact portion from the pallet, and the orientation of the pallet on the support frame is changed. The contact portion includes a buffer roller portion that is elastically supported by a coil spring,
The pallet supply / discharge system according to claim 4, wherein when the pallet comes into contact with the buffer roller portion, a collision load received from the pallet is buffered by an elastic force of the coil spring. In the transport carriage,
A plurality of supply conveyance roller sections are arranged in the pallet accommodating section in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage, and each supply conveyance roller section is inclined downward toward one side of the conveyance carriage facing the supply / discharge device. Provided,
In the empty pallet accommodating portion, a plurality of discharge conveyance roller portions are arranged in parallel in the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage, and each discharge conveyance roller portion is provided so as to be inclined downward toward the other side surface of the conveyance carriage,
In the supply / discharge device,
The pallet supply lane includes a conveyance roller portion provided to be inclined downward toward the surface of the supply / discharge device facing the assembly station,
The pallet discharge lane includes a carry-out roller portion provided so as to be inclined downward toward the surface of the supply / discharge device facing the transport carriage,
The pallet containing the components is transferred from one supply conveyance roller portion of the conveyance carriage to the conveyance roller portion of the supply / discharge device by its own weight, and an empty pallet is transferred from the carry-out roller portion of the supply / discharge device to the conveyance roller 1 by its own weight. The pallet supply / discharge system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pallet supply / discharge system is transferred to one discharge / conveyance roller section.

Images