JP2017217730A - Pallet conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve reliability in transferring a pallet from an end of one pallet rail, and transferring the pallet again to the other pallet rail.SOLUTION: A pallet conveying device 10 comprises: multiple pallet rails 21, 31, 36 on which a pallet 11 is mounted movably; pallet feeding means 41, 51, 56 for conveying the pallet along the pallet rails; pallet transfer means 61 including a pivot member 62 that pivots around one end thereof as a rotational axis O, and including a short rail 63 that is provided at the other end of the pivot member, and which moves in a semi-circle, or in an arc, with the pivoting of the pivot member; pallet feeding assistance means 81 which transfers the pallet from the pallet rail to the short rail 63, or transfers the pallet mounted on the short rail 63 to the pallet rail; and lift means 95 for lowering and raising the pallet feeding assistance means 81. Lowering the pallet feeding assistance means 81 allows the pivoting of the pivot member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a pallet conveying device that movably mounts a plurality of pallets on a pallet rail and conveys workpieces and the like mounted on the pallet along the pallet rail.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a transport device that transports a workpiece in a production line and that performs a predetermined process on the workpiece at a transport destination. The applicant has proposed a pallet transport device that transports a plurality of pallets on which workpieces are placed on a machine tool so as to circulate on a track-shaped track composed of two straight portions and two curves connecting them. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In this transport device, the first and second pallet rails extending in parallel with each other, and the first and second pallets for transporting the pallets mounted on the first and second pallet rails along the first and second pallet rails. A plurality of pallets are moved from the edge of the first or second pallet rail to the second or first by moving in a semicircular manner between the feeding means and the two positions facing the both ends of the first and second pallet rails. Pallet moving means for moving to the pallet rail.

  In such a conventional circulation type pallet conveying device, the pallet mounted and conveyed on the first or second pallet rail by the first or second pallet feeding means is made semicircular from the edge by the pallet moving means. A plurality of pallets are moved by connecting to the edge of the second or first pallet rail, moving the pallet to the second or first pallet rail by the second or first pallet feeding means, and mounting again. It is designed to circulate in a track-type orbit.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2011-93032 (FIG. 11)

  As described above, the conventional pallet conveying device includes first and second pallet feeding means for conveying pallets mounted on the first and second pallet rails along the first and second pallet rails.

  On the other hand, the pallet moving means in the conventional pallet conveying device needs to move the pallet in a semicircular shape from the ends of the first and second pallet rails. For this reason, the pallet feeding means is not allowed to engage with the pallets that have reached the ends of the first and second pallet rails, and the pallet moving means reliably moves the pallet from the ends in a semicircular shape. It needs to be like getting.

  In other words, the pallet feeding means in the conventional pallet conveying device conveys the pallet mounted on the pallet rail along the pallet rail. However, when the pallet reaches the end, the pallet feeding means is engaged with the pallet. The pallet is released and the pallet cannot be moved again.

  However, in the pallet feeding means that cannot move the pallet reaching the end portions of the first and second pallet rails, the pallet feeding means moves in a semicircular shape from the end portions to the end edges of the second or first pallet rails. Since the connected pallet cannot be moved again to the second or first pallet rail, the problem to be solved still remains that it is difficult to circulate the pallet on the track-shaped track.

  That is, in the conventional pallet transport device, it is difficult to move the pallet from the end of one pallet rail and to move the pallet again to the other pallet rail after moving to the end of the other pallet rail. There was a bug.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a pallet capable of reliably moving a pallet from the end of one pallet rail and re-moving the pallet to the other pallet rail after moving to the end of the other pallet rail. It is to provide a transport device.

  The present invention includes a plurality of pallet rails on which a pallet is movably mounted, a pallet feeding means for transporting the pallet along the pallet rail, a swinging member swinging around one end as a rotation shaft, and the other end of the swinging member A pallet moving means for moving a pallet mounted on one of the plurality of pallet rails to the other pallet rail, and a short rail that moves in a semicircular or arcuate manner with the swing of the swinging member It is an improvement of the pallet conveyance device provided with.

  The characteristic configuration includes a pallet feed assisting means for moving the pallet from the pallet rail to the short rail or moving a pallet mounted on the short rail to the pallet rail, and an elevating means for lowering and raising the pallet feed assisting means, The swing of the swing member in the pallet moving means is allowed by lowering the pallet feed assisting means.

  The plurality of pallet rails are preferably provided in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction, or at a right angle or a predetermined angle.

  In this case, the pallet feed assisting means is provided with an auxiliary circulation belt that is provided with concavo-convex portions extending in the width direction alternately and continuously in the longitudinal direction, and is provided endlessly along the end of the pallet rail and the short rail continuous thereto. An uneven surface that can be engaged with the uneven surface is formed on the lower surface of the pallet, and when the pallet feed assist means is raised, the uneven surface of the pallet is engaged with the uneven surface of the auxiliary circulation belt and the pallet is moved by circulation of the auxiliary circulation belt. It is preferable that the pallet feed assisting means is configured so that the unevenness is separated from the unevenness when the pallet feed assisting means is lowered.

  Auxiliary rail provided on the same straight line of the pallet rail and along the pallet feed auxiliary means so as to be continuous with the end of the pallet rail, a first position where the auxiliary rail is continuous with the end of the pallet rail, and a first position Auxiliary rail elevating means for elevating between the lower second positions can be further provided. In this case, the auxiliary rail is provided with a fulcrum at the end close to the pallet rail, and the other end of the fulcrum is the rotation axis. It may be something that goes up and down.

  In the pallet conveying device of the present invention, the pallet moving means provided with the short rail at the other end of the swing member, and the pallet for moving the pallet from the pallet rail to the short rail or moving the pallet mounted on the short rail to the pallet rail A feed assisting means and a lifting / lowering means for lowering and raising the pallet feed assisting means are provided, and swinging of the swinging member in the pallet moving means is permitted by lowering the pallet feed assisting means.

  For this reason, even if the pallet feed assisting means engages with the pallet mounted on the short rail, the pallet feed assisting means is lowered to allow the swinging member to swing, The engagement of the pallet feed assisting means can be eliminated. By swinging the swinging member, the pallet mounted on the short rail at the other end of the swinging member can be moved in a semicircular or arcuate manner to the other pallet rail.

  When the pallet feed assisting means is raised, the pallet feed assisting means is re-engaged with the pallet mounted on the short rail. From the short rail connected to the pallet, the pallet can be moved again to the other pallet rail. This makes it possible to reliably move the pallet from the end of one pallet rail and move the pallet again to the other pallet rail after moving to the end of the other pallet rail. .

  In the present invention, since the pallet feed assisting means is raised and lowered, the pallet and the pallet feed assisting means can be engaged and released with less power, and the structure is relatively simple compared to when raising and lowering the workpiece. It can be made. As a result, it is possible to avoid an increase in the unit price of the pallet transport device according to the present invention.

It is a top view of the pallet conveying apparatus of this invention embodiment. It is a front view of the pallet conveying apparatus. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 2 which shows the state which lowered | hung the pallet feed auxiliary | assistance means by the raising / lowering means. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is the top view which looked at the pallet used for the conveyance apparatus from the C direction of FIG. It is the BB sectional drawing of FIG. 1 which shows the pallet moving means. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 6 which shows the state which lowered | hung the pallet feed auxiliary | assistance means by the raising / lowering means. It is a top view which shows the state which conveys the pallet and reaches even the edge part of a 1st pallet rail. It is a top view corresponding to FIG. 8 which shows the state which mounted the pallet on the short rail from the edge part of the 1st pallet rail. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 8 which shows the state which rocked the rocking | fluctuation member with the pallet mounted in the short rail. It is a top view corresponding to FIG. 8 which shows the state which moved the pallet mounted on the short rail continuing to a 2nd pallet rail to the 2nd pallet rail. FIG. 2 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 1 in which three pallet rails are provided at right angles and an auxiliary rail is provided between an intermediate pallet rail and a short rail continuous therewith. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 12 which shows the state which the auxiliary rail raises and makes a pallet rail and a short rail continue. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 13 which shows the state which the auxiliary rail descend | falls and permitted rocking | fluctuation of the rocking | swiveling member.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a pallet conveying apparatus 10 according to the present invention. In each figure, three axes X, Y, and Z orthogonal to each other are set, the X axis extends in a substantially horizontal lateral direction, the Y axis extends in a substantially horizontal front-rear direction, and the Z axis extends in a vertical direction. The configuration will be described.

  The pallet transport device 10 palletally mounts a pallet 11 on which a workpiece (not shown; the same applies hereinafter) is mounted on a plurality of pallet rails 21 and 31, and the pallet 11 is moved along the pallet rails 21 and 31. It is the pallet conveying apparatus 10 to convey.

  Although FIG. 1 shows a case where four machine tools 1 to 4 are provided on both sides of the pallet conveying apparatus 10 of the present invention, this is an example, and the number of machine tools 1 to 4 is the number of machines. Depending on the required work, the number of pallets 11 is appropriately increased or decreased according to the number of machine tools 1 to 4.

  The pallet transport device 10 in the present embodiment is a plurality of pallet rails on which the pallet 11 is movably mounted. Specifically, the pallet transport device 10 is provided in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction). The case where the one pallet rail 21 and the second pallet rail 31 are provided will be described.

  The first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 are for mounting the pallet 11 so as to be movable. Each of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 is provided so as to extend straight in the X-axis direction on the gantry 9, and the pallet 11 moves in a circulating manner. It is to be transported.

  Since both have the same structure, the first pallet rail 21 will be described as a representative. The first pallet rail 21 is used for mounting the pallet 11 in a horizontal state, and is shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. Further, a support plate 22 provided directly fixed on the gantry 9 and a commercially available linear motion guide rail 23 fixed to the upper edge of the support plate 22 by screws are provided.

  On the other hand, the pallet 11 mounted on the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 straddles the linear motion guide rail 23 and is configured to be movable on the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31. And a base 13 screwed to the linear motion block 12 and a locking member 14 provided on the base 13.

  The linear motion block 12 is a commercially available product sold as a pair with the linear motion guide rail 23, and preferably includes a roller retainer (not shown). By using the linear motion block 12 having this roller retainer, the pallet 11 is prevented from moving in the width direction (Y-axis direction) and tilting with respect to the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 while the pallet 11 is in the first and second pallets. The resistance to move on the rails 21 and 31 can be remarkably reduced.

  On one side of the pedestal 13, a mounting tool (not shown; the same applies hereinafter) for mounting a workpiece is provided on the upper surface. The linear motion block 12 is fixed to the other side of the pedestal 13, and the locking member 14 is provided on the pedestal 13 between the linear motion block 12 and the mounting tool.

  In this way, by supporting the linear motion block 12 fixed to the other side portion of the pedestal 13 so as to be movable across the linear motion guide rails 23 in the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31, The pallet 11 is movably mounted on the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 in a horizontal state.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the base 13 in the pallet 11 is formed such that the length L in the X-axis direction is the same as or shorter than the pitch P at which the machine tools 1 to 4 are installed. It is preferable.

  For this reason, when the plurality of pallets 11 move on the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 with a predetermined pitch P in a state where workpieces are mounted, one side portion of the pedestal 13 in the horizontal state becomes the machine tool 1. The plurality of pallets 11 face each of the machine tools 1 to 4 so that the workpieces mounted on the side portions thereof can be machined by the machine tools 1 to 4 through the mounting tool. The

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pallet carrying device 10 according to the present embodiment has a first pallet feeding means 41 for carrying the pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 21 along the first pallet rail 21. And a second pallet feeding means 51 (FIG. 1) for conveying the pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 21 along the second pallet rail 31.

  Since the first pallet feeding means 41 and the second pallet feeding means 51 have the same structure, the first pallet feeding means 41 will be described below as a representative.

  The first pallet feeding means 41 is configured to be engageable with the pallet 11 and is provided endlessly along the first pallet rail 21 and circulates, and a circulation mechanism 43 that circulates the circulation belt 42 (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 22 of the first pallet rail 21 is provided with driven pulleys 44 at its four corners, and the circulation belt 42 is wound around the four driven pulleys 44.

  The support plate 22 is provided with a servo motor 43 as a circulation mechanism for circulating the circulation belt 42, and a drive pulley 45 is attached to the rotation shaft 43a. The drive pulley 45 is provided on the same plane as the four driven pulleys 44, and in the vicinity of the drive pulley 45, a pair of turning pulleys that turn the circulation belt 42 around the drive pulley 45 so that the circulation belt 42 is wound around the drive pulley 45. 46 is pivotally supported on the support plate 22.

  When the servo motor 43 is driven by a command from a controller (not shown), the rotary shaft 43a rotates with the drive pulley 45, and the circulating belt 42 wound around the drive pulley 45 circulates in a state of surrounding the four driven pulleys 44. Configured as follows.

  The circulation belt 42 is a so-called toothed belt. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the circulation belt 42 is a belt in which unevenness 42a and 42b extending in the width direction are alternately continued in the longitudinal direction, and the unevenness 14a that can be engaged with the unevenness 42a and 42b. , 14 b are formed on the pallet 11. The irregularities 14 a and 14 b are formed on the locking member 14 constituting the pallet 11.

  The locking member 14 provided on the same lower side as the linear motion block 12 is configured to overlap and engage with the circulation belt 42. That is, when the circulation belt 42 is superposed on the locking member 14, the irregularities 42 a and 42 b formed on the circulation belt 42 are engaged with the irregularities 14 a and 14 b formed on the engagement member 14, so that When the locking member 14 is lifted and separated, the engagement between the irregularities 42a and 42b of the circulation belt 42 and the irregularities 14a and 14b of the locking member 14 is released.

  When the irregularities 14a and 14b on the pallet 11 are engaged with the irregularities 42a and 42b of the circulation belt 42, movement of the pallet 11 independent of the circulation belt 42 in the X-axis direction is prohibited. Accordingly, when the servo motor 43 is driven to circulate the circulation belt 42 with which the pallet 11 is engaged, the pallet 11 moves together with the circulation belt 42, and the first and second pallet rails 21 along which the circulation belt 42 follows. , 31, the pallet 11 is conveyed.

  Here, reference numeral 47 in FIG. 2 is a support member 47 that prevents the circulation belt 42 between the driven pulleys 44 from loosening and prevents the circulation belt 42 from being separated from the locking member 14. An attachment 48 for attaching the support member 47 to the support plate 22 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, pallet moving means 61 are provided at both ends of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31, respectively.

  The pallet moving means 61 moves the pallet 11 mounted on either the first or second pallet rail 21 or 31 to the second or first pallet rail 31 or the other pallet rail. Is.

  In the present embodiment, the pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 21 is moved to the second pallet rail 31 and the pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 31 is moved to the first pallet rail 21. This is the case.

  The pallet moving means 61 in this embodiment has one end of the vertical axis on the intermediate line m of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 provided at a predetermined interval, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. A swinging member 62 that can swing as a rotating shaft, a short rail 63 provided at the other end of the swinging member 62, and an actuator 64 that swings the swinging member 62 (FIGS. 6 and 7). Is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the short rail 63 will be described as a case where the short rail 63 is provided on the other end of the swinging member 62 constituting the pallet moving means 61 so as to extend in the tangential direction at the other end that moves in a semicircle or arc shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the actuator 64 in this embodiment has a rotating rod 64b that protrudes upward from a substantially central portion of the upper surface of a main body 64a having a rectangular box shape with a vertical line as a rotation axis O. The case where the rotary shaft 64 of the rotary rod 64b is positioned on the intermediate line m (FIG. 1) of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 and the main body 64a is attached to the gantry 9 will be described.

  The swinging member 62 is fixed to the upper end of the rotating rod 64b in the horizontal state with one end screwed, and the actuator 64 can rotate the rotating rod 64b forward and backward within 180 degrees by the fluid pressure supplied to and discharged from the main body 64a. As shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 10, the swing member 62 is configured to swing about one end as the rotation axis O.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the swinging member 62 in this embodiment is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which the other end provided with the short rail 63 is the bottom side and the width is reduced toward one end serving as the rotation axis O in a top view. The short rail 63 provided at the other end of the swing member 62 is the same as the linear motion guide rail 23 in the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31.

  The length W of the short rail 63 is the same as or longer than the length L of the pallet 11 in the X-axis direction, and the length from the rotation axis O to the short rail 63 is the first and second pallet rails. The interval between 21 and 31 is half.

  As a result, when the short rail 63 continuous to the linear motion guide rail 23 in the first pallet rail 21 is swung 180 degrees with the rocking member 62 around the rotation axis O, the short rail 63 is moved to the second pallet rail 31. Are arranged so as to be continuous with the linear motion guide rail 23.

  And when the short rail 63 continues to the linear motion guide rail 23 of the 1st and 2nd pallet rails 21 and 31, the short rail 63 is the linear motion guide rail 23 in the 1st and 2nd pallet rails 21 and 31. The pallet 11 moved from the pallet 11 is mounted, or the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 is configured to be movable to the linear motion guide rails 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the swing member 62 is a pallet that prevents the pallet 11 from moving in a state where the pallet 11 is mounted on a short rail 63 provided at the other end of the swing member 62. A locking mechanism 71 is provided.

  The pallet locking mechanism 71 in this embodiment includes an elevating rod 72 that is provided on the swing member 62 and is formed so that its upper end can come into contact with the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63, and its upper end is attached to the pallet 11. An elastic body 73 that urges the elevating rod 72 in the contacting direction and a stopper 74 that prohibits the elevating rod 72 from rising by a predetermined amount or more are provided.

  The swing member 62 is formed with a through-hole 62a through which the elevating rod 72 penetrates. The elevating rod 72 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction through the through-hole 62a, and a flange 72a is provided in the vicinity of the upper end thereof.

  The coil spring 73, which is an elastic body, is interposed between the flange 72a and the swinging member 62 in a compressed state, and biases the lifting rod 72 upward by the biasing force of the coil spring 73 to extend. And

  The stopper 74 is provided on the elevating rod 72 below the swing member 62, and prevents the elevating rod 72 from rising above a predetermined amount by coming into contact with the hole edge of the through hole 62a in the swing member 62 from below. Configured.

  The upper end 72b of the elevating rod 72 protruding from the flange 72a is formed in a conical or hemispherical shape, and the first or second pallet rail 21 or 31 is changed from the first or second pallet rail 21 or 31 to the short rail 63 with the stopper 74 contacting the hole edge of the through hole 62a. When the pallet 11 moves, the pedestal 13 in the pallet 11 comes into contact with the inclined portion or hemispherical portion of the cone at the upper end 72b of the lifting rod 72, and when the pallet 11 further moves, it is guided by the inclined portion or hemispherical portion at the upper end 72b. The lifting rod 72 is configured to move downward against the urging force of the coil spring 73 that is an elastic body.

  When the pallet 11 is mounted on the short rail 63, the upper end 72 b of the lifting rod 72 is pressed against the pedestal 13 in the pallet 11 by the urging force of the coil spring 73, and the contact resistance with the lifting rod 72 causes the short rail 63 to contact the short rail 63. It is configured to prevent free movement of the mounted pallet 11.

  In this state, the pallet feed assisting means 81 described later is lowered, and then the swinging member 62 is swung together with the pallet 11 so that the short rail 63 on which the pallet 11 is mounted is connected to the first pallet rail 21. The position of the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 can be prevented from being displaced during the movement from the position to the second position continuous with the second pallet rail 31. become.

  Then, in a state where the short rail 63 on which the pallet 11 is mounted has moved to the second position, the short rail 63 is continuous with the second pallet rail 31 as shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, when the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 is moved against the contact resistance caused by the coil spring 73 pressing the lifting rod 72 against the pedestal 13 of the pallet 11 as shown in FIG. 11 can be moved to the second pallet rail 31.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the pallet transport device 10 moves the pallet 11 transported along the first or second pallet rails 21, 31 from the first or second pallet rails 21, 31 to the first or second. The pallet which moves to the short rail 63 which continues to the 2nd pallet rail 21 and 31, or moves the pallet 11 mounted in the short rail 63 to the 1st or 2nd pallet rail 21 and 31 which continues to the short rail 63 Feed assisting means 81 is provided.

  The pallet feed auxiliary means 81 is provided at both ends of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31, respectively, and has the same structure. Therefore, one of them will be described as a representative.

  The pallet feed assisting means 81 in this embodiment is provided continuously to the circulation belt 42 so as to circulate along the end portions of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 and the short rail 63 continuous to the end portions. And an auxiliary circulation mechanism 83 (FIG. 2) for circulating these auxiliary circulation belts 82.

  The auxiliary circulation belt 82 is a so-called toothed belt similar to the circulation belt 62, and the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is also formed with irregularities 82a, 82b extending in the width direction alternately and continuously in the longitudinal direction (FIG. 2). Enlarged view). And the unevenness | corrugation 14a, 14b formed in the latching member 14 of the pallet 11 is comprised so that engagement with this unevenness | corrugation 82a, 82b is also possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the auxiliary plate 91 is attached to the gantry 9 via the fluid pressure cylinder 95. The auxiliary plate 91 is attached so as to be continuous with the support plate 22 in the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31.

  At the upper end of the auxiliary plate 91, a guide material 92 extends in the X-axis direction along the end portions of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 and the short rail 63 continuous to the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31. It extends and is provided horizontally.

  This guide material 92 supports the auxiliary circulation belt 82 along the short rails 63 continuous with the end portions of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 and the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 from below. .

  An auxiliary pulley 93 is pivotally supported on the auxiliary plate 91 on both sides of the guide member 92. The auxiliary plate 91 is provided with a servo motor 83 which is an auxiliary circulation mechanism for circulating the auxiliary circulation belt 82, and an auxiliary drive pulley 84 is attached to the rotation shaft 83a.

  The auxiliary drive pulley 84 is provided on the same plane as the two auxiliary pulleys 93, and the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is wound around the auxiliary drive pulley 84 and the auxiliary pulley 93 (FIG. 2).

  When the servo motor 83 is driven by a command from a controller (not shown), the auxiliary circulation belt 82 wound around the auxiliary drive pulley 84 circulates, and the auxiliary circulation belt 82 between the two auxiliary pulleys 93 is a horizontal guide member 92. Is moved in the X-axis direction so as to be along the end portions of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 and the short rail 63 continuous to the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31.

  Since the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is also formed with unevenness 82a, 82b extending in the width direction which is the same shape as the circulation belt 42 alternately in the longitudinal direction, when the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is superposed on the locking member 14, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 The projections and depressions 82a and 82b formed on the pin 82 are engaged with the projections and depressions 14a and 14b on the locking member 14.

  Accordingly, if the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is circulated in the same direction at the same speed as the circulation belt 42 in a state where the irregularities 82a and 82b of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 are continuous with the irregularities 42a and 42b of the circulation belt 42, the circulation The pallet 11 that is engaged with the belt 42 and moves on the first pallet rail 21 is engaged with the auxiliary circulation belt 82 from the circulation belt 42 at the end of the first pallet rail 21 as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. Move.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the unevenness 14a, 14b on the pallet 11 engages the unevenness 82a, 82b of the auxiliary circulation belt 82, movement of the pallet 11 independent of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 in the X-axis direction is prohibited. Therefore, when the auxiliary circulation belt 82 engaged with the pallet 11 is circulated, the pallet 11 moves together with the auxiliary circulation belt 82, and the short rail 63 or the first and second pallet rails 21, 31 along which the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is along. The pallet 11 is conveyed along

  Accordingly, when the auxiliary circulation belt 82 engaged with the locking member 14 is further circulated, the pallet 11 is continued from the end of the first pallet rail 21 to the first pallet rail 21 as shown in FIG. It moves to the short rail 63. When the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is circulated in the reverse direction, the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 is moved to the first or second pallet rail 21 or 31.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pallet transport device 10 includes an elevating unit 95 that elevates and lowers the pallet feed auxiliary unit 81. The elevating means in this embodiment is a pair of fluid pressure cylinders 95 in which the main body 95b is fixed to the gantry 9 with the in / out rod 95a facing upward, and both ends of the auxiliary plate 91 are connected to the upper end of the in / out rod 95a. Mounted.

  The fluid pressure cylinder 95 is configured such that the auxiliary circulation belt 82 in the auxiliary plate 91 overlaps with the locking member 14 of the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 in a state where the protruding and retracting rod 95a protrudes upward.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, since the locking member 14 is provided on the lower surface of the pedestal 13 in the pallet, when the retracting rod 95a of the fluid pressure cylinder 95 is inserted into the main body 95b below the locking member 14, the locking member 14 is The pallet feed assisting means 81 including the attached auxiliary plate 91 is lowered, and the auxiliary circulation belt 82 in the auxiliary plate 91 is also lowered.

  Concavities and convexities 14 a and 14 b on the retaining member 14 of the pallet 11 are formed on the auxiliary circulation belt 82 in a state where the pallet retaining mechanism 71 prohibits the free movement of the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63. When engaged with 82a and 82b, free swinging of the swinging member 62 provided with the short rail 63 is prohibited.

  However, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, when the auxiliary plate 91 is lowered and the pallet feed auxiliary means 81 is lowered, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is superposed on the locking member 14 and moved to the short rail 63. The irregularities 82a and 82b formed on the auxiliary circulation belt 82 are separated from the irregularities 14a and 14b on the locking member 14 of the pallet 11.

  As a result, the engagement between the irregularities 82a and 82b of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 and the irregularities 14a and 14b of the locking member 14 is released, and the pallet moving means 61 having the short rail 63 on which the pallet 11 is mounted is constituted. The moving member 62 is configured to allow swinging in the horizontal plane.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 10, when the short rail 63 provided around the swinging member 62 is continuous with the first and second pallet rails 21, 31, the hydraulic cylinder When the auxiliary plate 91 that has been lowered is raised by causing the protruding and retracting rod 95 to protrude upward again, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is superposed on the locking member 14 of the pallet 11, and the irregularities formed on the auxiliary circulation belt 82. 82a and 82b are configured to re-engage with the irregularities 14a and 14b in the locking member 14.

  Next, a pallet conveying method using the pallet conveying device will be described.

  The pallet conveying method using the pallet conveying device 10 is a method of circulating the pallet 11, and the first pallet that conveys the pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 21 along the first pallet rail 21. A first pallet moving step of moving the pallet 11 reaching the end of the first pallet rail 21 to the second pallet rail 31; and a pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 31 And a second pallet moving step for moving the pallet 11 that has reached the end of the second pallet rail 31 to the first pallet rail 21.

  In this embodiment, each step will be described below on the assumption that the pallet 11 circulates in a counterclockwise orbit in the top view in FIG.

<First pallet transport process>
In this step, the pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 21 is transported.

  The pallet 11 in this embodiment is for mounting a workpiece on which predetermined processing is performed, and the workpiece is mounted on the pallet 11 mounted on the first pallet rail 21. Further, the pallet 11 is It is assumed that the work is mounted on the pallet 11 via this mounting tool.

  The pallet 11 is mounted on the first pallet rail 21 by mounting the linear motion block 12 of the pallet 11 from the end of the linear motion guide rail 23 in the first pallet rail 21.

  When the pallet 11 is thus mounted on the first pallet rail 21, the unevennesses 14 a and 14 b provided on the pallet 11 are engaged with the unevenness 42 a and 42 b of the circulation belt 42 provided along the first pallet rail 21. It will be. Therefore, the pallet 11 can be conveyed along the first pallet rail 21 by driving the servo motor 43 as a drive mechanism and circulating the circulation belt 42 thereafter.

  This conveyance is performed until the pallet 11 faces the machine tools 1 and 2 provided along the first pallet rail 21, and the servo motor 43a is stopped in a state where the pallet 11 faces the machine tools 1 and 2. The workpieces mounted on the pallet 11 are processed by the machine tools 1 and 2. At this time, by carrying a plurality of pallets 11 at the same pitch as the pitch P of the machine tools 1 and 2, it becomes possible to perform machining by the machine tools 1 and 2 simultaneously.

<First pallet moving process>
In this step, the pallet 11 that has reached the end of the first pallet rail 21 is moved to the second pallet rail 31. This movement is performed by a pallet moving means 61 provided at one end of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31.

  In this embodiment in which the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is provided continuously to the circulation belt 42, in the above-described first pallet conveying step, the retracting rod 95a of the fluid pressure cylinder 95 in the elevating means is protruded upward to assist the pallet feed. If the means 81 is raised, the pallet 11 that moves along the first pallet rail 21 immediately before reaching the end of the first pallet rail 21, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. Then, it engages with the auxiliary circulation belt 82 that is continuous therewith.

  For this reason, by circulating the auxiliary circulation belt 82 in the same direction at the same speed as the circulation belt 42 in a state where the irregularities 82a, 82b of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 are continuous with the irregularities 42a, 42b of the circulation belt 42, The pallet 11 reaches the end of the first pallet rail 21.

  Here, in this embodiment, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 that circulates along the end portion of the first pallet rail 21 and the short rail 63 continuous to the end portion is provided continuously to the circulation belt 42. Therefore, if the circulation of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is stopped and the pallet 11 engaged with the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is retained at the end of the first pallet rail 21 and the circulation belt 42 is circulated separately, the first pallet The pallet 11 on the rail 21 can be moved along the first pallet rail 21. That is, by providing the auxiliary circulation belt 82 continuously to the circulation belt 42, the pallet 11 can be moved on the first pallet rail 21 separately from the first pallet moving step.

  In this first pallet moving step, the swing member 62 is swung by the actuator 64 in the pallet moving means 61 (FIG. 6), and the short rail 63 is continued to the first pallet rail 21. In this state, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is moved. , And the pallet 11 reaching the end of the first pallet rail 21 is moved from the first pallet rail 21 to the short rail 63 and mounted on the short rail 63 as shown in FIG.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pallet 11 moves from the first pallet rail 21 to the short rail 63, the pallet is placed on the conical inclined portion or hemispherical portion at the upper end 72 b of the elevating rod 72 provided on the swing member 62. 11, the pedestal 13 contacts and is guided by the inclined portion or hemispherical portion, and the lifting rod 72 moves downward against the urging force of the coil spring 73 which is an elastic body. When the pallet 11 is mounted on the short rail 63, the upper end of the lifting rod 72 is pressed against the pedestal 13 of the pallet 11 by the urging force of the coil spring 73, and is mounted on the short rail 63 by the contact resistance with the lifting rod 72. Thus, the free movement of the pallet 11 is prevented. Thereby, the movement with respect to the short rail 63 of the pallet 11 mounted in the short rail 63 can be stopped in the middle of moving the pallet 11 to a semicircle after that.

  Then, in this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the retracting rod 95a of the fluid pressure cylinder 95 in the elevating means is immersed in the main body 95b below, and as shown in FIG. The means 81 is lowered to release the engagement between the pallet 11 and the auxiliary circulation belt 82.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the actuator 64 swings the swing member 62 to move the short rail 63 on which the pallet 11 is mounted away from the first position continuing to the first pallet rail 21, and The pallet rail 31 is moved semicircularly to a second position. At this time, the pallet feed assisting means 81 provided continuously to the second pallet rail 31 is lowered.

  After the short rail 63 on which the pallet 11 is mounted continues to the linear motion guide rail 23 of the second pallet rail 31, as shown in FIG. 2, a fluid pressure cylinder 95 provided continuously to the second pallet rail 31. The protruding and retracting rod 95 is protruded upward, and the lowered pallet feed assisting means 81 is raised and continued to the second pallet rail 31.

  Thereby, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 continuing to the second pallet rail 31 is superposed on the locking member 14 in the pallet 11, and the irregularities 82 a and 82 b formed on the auxiliary circulation belt 82 are irregularities 14 a and 14 b in the locking member 14. Engage with.

  When the pallet feed assisting means 81 is raised, it is set in advance so that the unevenness 14a, 14b of the locking member 14 of the pallet 11 and the unevenness 82a, 82b of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 can be reliably engaged. The rotation angle of the servo motor 83 is controlled by the program.

  Thereafter, as indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. 10, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is circulated at the end of the second pallet rail 31 with which the pallet 11 is engaged, and the pallet 11 is resisted against contact resistance with which the lifting rod 72 contacts. Is moved together with the auxiliary circulation belt 82, and the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 is moved to the second pallet rail 31.

  In this way, the pallet 11 is moved from the end of the first pallet rail 21 to the second pallet rail 31.

<Second pallet transport process>
In this step, the pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 31 is transported. In the previous first pallet moving step, as shown in FIG. 10, the pallet 11 moved from the short rail 63 to the second pallet rail 31 is provided at the end of the second pallet rail 31 along the auxiliary circulation belt. It moves in the state engaged with 82.

  In this second pallet transporting step, the pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 31 is transported, and therefore, the circulation belt 42 provided along the second pallet rail 31 continues to the auxiliary circulation belt 82. In addition, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is circulated in the same direction at the same speed as the circulation belt 42 in a state where the irregularities 82 a and 82 b of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 are continuous with the irregularities 42 a and 42 b of the circulation belt 42.

  As a result, the pallet 11 starts to move in the opposite direction from the end of the second pallet rail 31 and is newly engaged with the circulation belt 42 from the auxiliary circulation belt 82 when separated from the end as shown in FIG. The pallet 11 can be conveyed along the second pallet rail 31 by circulating the circulation belt 42.

  The conveyance along the second pallet rail 31 is performed until the pallet 11 faces each machine tool 3, 4 provided along the second pallet rail 31, and the pallet 11 faces each machine tool 3, 4. In this state, the servo motor 43a is stopped, and the workpieces mounted on the pallet 11 are processed by the machine tools 3 and 4.

  Here, in this embodiment, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 that circulates along the end portion of the second pallet rail 31 and the short rail 63 continuous to the end portion is provided continuously to the circulation belt 42. Therefore, the circulation of the circulation belt 42 and the circulation of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 are performed separately, and the pallet 11 is moved from the short rail 63 to the end of the second pallet rail 31 by the circulation of the auxiliary circulation belt 82 as shown in FIG. The pallet 11 can be maintained at the end of the second pallet rail 31 by stopping the circulation after the movement.

  When the circulation belt 42 is circulated separately from the circulation of the auxiliary circulation belt 82, the pallet 11 engaged with the circulation belt 42 is conveyed on the second pallet rail 31, and the end of the second pallet rail 31 is The pallet 11 mounted on the second pallet rail 31 can be moved by engaging the circulation belt 42 without moving the pallet 11 mounted on the auxiliary circulation belt 82.

  Then, when a predetermined pitch is reached with the pallet 11 with which the circulation belt 42 is engaged, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is circulated, and the pallet 11 with which it is engaged is moved to engage with the circulation belt 42. The plurality of pallets 11 can be transported on the second pallet rail 31 at a predetermined pitch.

  In this way, if a plurality of pallets 11 are transported at the same pitch as the pitch P of each of the machine tools 3 and 4 (FIG. 1), machining by the plurality of machine tools 3 and 4 can be performed simultaneously. It becomes.

<Second pallet moving process>
In this step, the pallet 11 that has reached the end of the second pallet rail 31 is moved to the first pallet rail 21. This movement is performed by a pallet moving means 61 provided at the other end of the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31. Since the specific moving procedure is the same as the first pallet moving step, repeated description is omitted.

  Thus, by performing each process mentioned above once, each pallet 11 can be conveyed in a track-shaped track in the counterclockwise direction one by one.

  And each time such each process is performed once, each machine tool 1-4 is operated in the state which stopped operation | movement of the pallet conveying apparatus 10, and predetermined | prescribed with respect to each workpiece | work mounted on each pallet 11 Various processes are performed in parallel. During the operation of each of the machine tools 1 to 4, the work is carried in and out of any pallet 11.

  As described above, in the pallet transport device 10 of the present invention, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is engaged with the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63. Therefore, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 can reliably guide the pallet 11 to the short rail 63.

  On the other hand, the pallet transport device 10 includes a lifting / lowering means 95 that lifts and lowers the pallet feed assisting means 81. For this reason, by lowering the pallet feed assisting means 81, the engagement between the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63 and the pallet feed assisting means 81 can be eliminated. Therefore, by swinging and rotating the swing member 62 together with the short rail 63, the pallet 11 is reliably moved in a semicircular shape from the end of one pallet rail 21 to the end of the other pallet rail 31. be able to.

  Thereafter, when the pallet feed assisting means 81 is raised, the auxiliary circulation belt 82 is again engaged with the pallet 11 mounted on the short rail 63, so that it moves in a semicircular shape together with the pallet 11 and moves to the other pallet rail 31. The pallet 11 can be reliably moved from the short rail 63 connected to the end edge to the other pallet rail 31.

  Thereby, in the pallet conveying apparatus 10 of the present invention, the pallet 11 can be reliably circulated in the track-shaped track.

  Here, in the engagement and cancellation of the pallet 11 and the pallet feed assisting means 81, it is conceivable to raise and lower the pallet 11, but the weight of the pallet 11 on which the workpiece is mounted becomes relatively large, and the pallet 11 is raised and lowered This causes consumption of power and also raises and lowers the workpiece, so that it is necessary to be able to withstand the raising and lowering. Therefore, the structure of the mounting tool on which the workpiece is mounted may be complicated.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, since the pallet feed assisting means 81 is raised and lowered, the pallet 11 and the pallet feed assisting means 81 can be engaged and released with a small amount of power, and the structure of the mounting tool on which the work is mounted. Even in this case, it is not necessary to consider raising and lowering of the workpiece, and the structure can be relatively simplified.

  In the present invention, the swinging member 62 is swung, and the short rail 63 provided at the other end is moved in an arc shape or a semicircular shape. Therefore, the short rail 63 is moved to the first or second pallet rail 21. , 31 can be continued relatively easily, and the structure can be further simplified.

  Further, if the actuator 64 that swings the swing member 62 is configured to be able to rotate the rotating rod 64b forward and backward by fluid pressure, the structure is further simplified. As a result, the pallet transport device 10 according to the present invention is simplified. Can be avoided.

  The workpiece is mounted on one side of the pedestal 13 on the pallet 11, and the linear motion block 12 is fixed to the other side of the pedestal 13, so that the linear motion block 12 is attached to the first and second pallets. By supporting the rails 21 and 31, the pallet 11 can be circulated in a track-shaped track with one side of the pedestal 13 on which the workpiece is mounted always facing outward. For this reason, it becomes possible to install the processing machines 1-4 of a workpiece | work on both sides of this pallet conveying apparatus 10. FIG.

  Moreover, in this pallet conveying apparatus 10, since the pallet 11 is engaged with a circulating belt 42 that is provided endlessly and circulates, the pallet 11 is conveyed along the first pallet rail 21 and the second pallet rail 31. By changing the position of the pallet 11 that engages with the circulation belt 42, the distance from the previous pallet 11 that is engaged with the circulation belt 42 and conveyed along the first pallet rail 21 or the second pallet rail 31. That is, the transport pitch with the previous pallet 11 can be easily changed.

  Therefore, even if each of the machine tools 1 to 4 is changed or the workpiece is changed and the pitch of the workpiece is changed, the pitch can be changed quickly without changing the pallet 11 itself. It becomes possible to make it correspond.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 are provided in parallel to each other with a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the plurality of pallet rails 21 and 31 may be provided at a right angle or a predetermined angle, and three or more pallet rails may be used.

  Here, in FIG. 12, in addition to the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 that are parallel to each other described in the above-described embodiment, within the swing range of the swing member 62, they are perpendicular to each other, that is, 90. The case where the 3rd pallet rail 36 which cross | intersects is provided is shown. The third pallet rail 36 has the same structure as the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31, and shows a case where a total of three pallet rails 21, 31, and 36 are used.

  The first to third pallet rails 21, 31, and 36 are arranged so as to be continuous with the short rail 63 at any position of the short rail 63 that is rotated by the swing of the swing member 62. The third pallet rail 36 is also provided with a pallet feeding means 56 and a pallet feeding auxiliary means 81 having the same structure as that provided for the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31.

  Here, when three or more pallet rails 21, 31, 36 are used, the first pallet rails 21, 31 between the first and second pallet rails 31, 31 are within the movement range of the short rail 63 due to the swing of the swing member 62. In the case of the three pallet rails 36, if the distance between the third pallet rail 36 and the short rail 63 is increased in order to ensure the movement of the short rail 63, the pallet between the short rail 63 and the third pallet rail 36 will be described. 11 is difficult to move, it is preferable to provide an auxiliary rail 96 between them as shown in FIG.

  The auxiliary rail 96 shown in the figure is provided on the same straight line of the third pallet rail 36 and along the pallet feed auxiliary means 81 so as to be continuous with the end portion of the third pallet rail 36. The same one as the linear motion guide rail 23 and the short rail 63 in the third pallet rail 36 is used. If there is no auxiliary rail 96, the length of the auxiliary rail 96 is set to a length that allows the semi-circular or arcuate movement of the short rail 63 between the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31. Is done.

  And with this auxiliary rail 96, the auxiliary rail raising / lowering means which raises / lowers this auxiliary rail 96 between the 1st position which continues to the edge part of the 3rd pallet rails 21 and 31, and the 2nd position below the 1st position. 97 is further provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the auxiliary rail 96 in this embodiment is provided with a fulcrum 96a at the end close to the third pallet rail 36, and the other end facing the short rail 63 with the fulcrum 96a as a rotation axis. Is configured to move up and down.

  Specifically, a pivot post 90 is erected on the gantry 9 in the vicinity of the end of the third pallet rail 36, and at the upper end of the pivot post 90, at the end of the auxiliary rail 96 near the third pallet rail 36. The fulcrum 96a is pivotally supported. The auxiliary rail lifting / lowering means 97 is a fluid pressure cylinder 97 in which a main body 97b is fixed to the gantry 9 with the in / out rod 97a facing upward, and the other end of the auxiliary rail 96 is pivotally supported on the upper end of the in / out rod 97a. .

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the fluid pressure cylinder 97, the auxiliary rail 96 is located between the linear motion guide rail 23 in the third pallet rail 36 and the continuous short rail 63 in a state where the protruding and retracting rod 97a protrudes upward. It is configured to close the gaps and make them continuous.

  On the other hand, the other end of the auxiliary rail 96 is attached with a locking plate 96c having a long hole 96b extending in the longitudinal direction on the lower surface thereof. The upper end of the rod 97a is pivotally supported via a pin 96d. Then, when the retracting rod 97a is immersed in the lower body 97b, as shown in FIG. 14, the other end of the auxiliary rail 96 is moved while the pin 96d provided at the upper end moves inside the elongated hole 96b. Configured to lower.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the auxiliary rail 96 closes the gap between the linear motion guide rail 23 and the short rail 63 continuous thereto in the third pallet rail 36, the presence of the auxiliary rail 96 causes the pallet 11. Can be moved from the third pallet rail 36 to the short rail 63 continuous thereto, or from the short rail 63 to the third pallet rail 36.

  On the other hand, if the auxiliary rail 96 closes the gap between the linear motion guide rail 23 and the continuous short rail 63 in the third pallet rail 36, the movement of the short rail 63 toward the auxiliary rail 96 becomes impossible. Therefore, free swinging rotation of the swinging member 62 provided with the short rail 63 is prohibited.

  However, as shown in FIG. 14, when the other end of the auxiliary rail 96 facing the short rail 63 is lowered, the short rail 63 can be moved toward the auxiliary rail 96, so that the short rail on which the pallet 11 is mounted. The swinging rotation of the swinging member 62 having 63 is allowed.

  Therefore, if such an auxiliary rail 96 and auxiliary rail raising / lowering means 97 are provided, the movement of the pallet 11 from the third pallet rail 36 to the short rail 63 continuous thereto or the short pallet 63 to the third pallet rail 36 is achieved. This ensures the movement of the pallet 11 and allows the swinging member 62 to freely swing and rotate. As a result, the pallet carrying device 10 that can move and carry the pallet 11 to any of the plurality of pallet rails 21, 31, and 36 is obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first and second pallet rails 21 and 31 that are parallel to each other and the third pallet rail 36 that intersects them at right angles (90 degrees) are shown. If within the swing range of 62, for example, the first pallet rail 21 and the second pallet rail 31 intersect each other at an angle of 45 degrees, and the first pallet rail 21 and the third pallet rail 31 are 135 degrees with respect to each other. The structure which cross | intersects at the angle of may be sufficient.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pallet feeding means 41, 51, 56 includes the circulation belt 42 and the circulation mechanism 43 that circulates the circulation belt 42. , 56 are not limited to this, and may have other configurations as long as the pallet 11 can be conveyed along the pallet rails 21, 31, 36.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the pallet 11 circulates in the counterclockwise direction has been described. However, the pallet 11 can be transported in the clockwise direction as well as the counterclockwise direction. .

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the pallet feed assisting means 81 is moved up and down by the fluid pressure cylinder 95 has been described. However, the pallet feed assisting means 81 is rotated so that one side of the pallet feed assisting means 81 is lowered, and the pallet feeding assisting means 81 11 may be released.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the other end of the auxiliary rail 96 is raised and lowered has been described. However, the auxiliary rail raising and lowering means 97 may be such that the auxiliary rail 96 is raised and lowered while being horizontal.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the mounting tool for mounting the workpiece is provided on one side of the base 13 has been described. However, although not shown, a through hole may be formed in the pedestal 13, a mounting tool may be provided in the through hole, and the workpiece may be mounted through the pedestal 13 through the through hole.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the actuator that swings the swing member 62 is exemplified by a structure in which the rotating rod 64b can be rotated forward and backward within 180 degrees by the fluid pressure supplied to and discharged from the main body 64a. However, the actuator may be an electric motor configured to be able to rotate forward and reverse within 180 degrees of the rotation shaft.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pallet conveying apparatus 11 Pallet 14a, 14b Concavity and convexity 21 First pallet rail 31 Second pallet rail 36 Third pallet rail 41 First pallet feeding means 51 Second pallet feeding means 56 Third pallet feeding means 61 Pallet moving means 62 Shaking Moving member 63 Short rail 81 Pallet feed auxiliary means 82 Auxiliary circulation belt 82a, 82b Concavity and convexity 95 Lifting means 96 Auxiliary rail 96a Support point 97 Auxiliary rail lifting means

Claims (5)

A plurality of pallet rails (21, 31, 36) on which the pallet (11) is movably mounted;
Pallet feeding means (41, 51, 56) for conveying the pallet (11) along the pallet rails (21, 31, 36);
A swinging member (62) swinging with one end as a rotation axis (O) and provided at the other end of the swinging member (62) move in a semicircular or arcuate shape with swinging of the swinging member (62). A pallet moving means (61) for moving the pallet (11) mounted on any one of the pallet rails (21, 31, 36) to the other pallet rail, comprising a short rail (63) When,
The pallet (11) is moved from the pallet rail (21, 31, 36) to the short rail (63) or the pallet (11) mounted on the short rail (63) is moved to the pallet rail (21, 31, Pallet feed auxiliary means (81) to be moved to 36),
Elevating means (95) for lowering and raising the pallet feed auxiliary means (81),
The swing of the swing member (62) is permitted by lowering the pallet feed auxiliary means (81).   The pallet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pallet rails (21, 31, 36) are provided in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction, or at a right angle or a predetermined angle. The pallet feed assisting means (81) has uneven portions (82a, 82b) extending in the width direction alternately and continuously formed in the longitudinal direction at the end of the pallet rail (21, 31) and the short rail (63) continuous therewith. Provided with an auxiliary circulation belt (82) that is provided endlessly and circulates,
Concavities and convexities (14a, 14b) engageable with the irregularities (82a, 82b) are formed on the lower surface of the pallet (11),
When the pallet feed assisting means (81) is raised, the unevenness (82a, 14b) of the pallet is engaged with the unevenness (82a, 82b) of the auxiliary circulation belt (82) to circulate the auxiliary circulation belt (82). The pallet (11) is moved by
The pallet conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the unevenness (82a, 82b) is separated from the unevenness (14a, 14b) when the pallet feed assisting means (81) is lowered.   An auxiliary rail (96) provided on the same straight line of the pallet rail (36) and along the pallet feed auxiliary means (81) so as to be continuous with the end of the pallet rail (36), and the auxiliary rail (96) 4 further comprising an auxiliary rail elevating means (97) for elevating and lowering between a first position continuing to an end of the pallet rail (36) and a second position below the first position. The pallet conveyance apparatus of any one of Claims.   The auxiliary rail (96) is provided with a fulcrum (96a) at an end near the pallet rail (36), and the other end moves up and down with the fulcrum (96a) as a rotation axis. Pallet transport device.

Images