JP2019142680A - Work supply mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce workload to a worker by improving work efficiency by reducing a time needed for moving a work-piece.SOLUTION: A work-piece supply mechanism which supplies a work-piece W at a designated position D set in a building 100 comprises: a carriage 1 capable of moving in the building 100; a supply lane 17 of the work-piece W which is provided to the movable carriage 1 and is inclined in a direction where a carry-out port 17a provided to one end 10a in the longitudinal direction is positioned lower than a carry-in port 17b provided to the other end 10b; and a stopper 24 which is provided to the carry-out port 17a of the supply lane 17 and is capable of displacing to a position for restraining movement of the work-piece W from the carry-out port 17a by its own weight and to a position for releasing the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece supply mechanism.

  In a building such as a factory, workpieces such as materials or intermediate products are transported in the facility and supplied to a designated position where the next process is performed. The workpiece is transferred by, for example, a self-propelled carriage.

JP 2000-211152 A

  The work can be performed by a cart that travels unattended, such as an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). However, it is necessary for the worker to manually move the workpiece or move it using another device to carry the workpiece into the cart or to carry the workpiece from the cart at the designated position. There is a risk that the movement work takes time and the work efficiency is affected, and the work load on the worker is increased.

  In the workpiece supply mechanism, it is required to reduce the time required for moving the workpiece to improve the work efficiency and reduce the work load on the operator.

The workpiece supply mechanism of the present invention is
The work is supplied at the designated position installed in the building,
A carriage movable in the building;
The work supply lane provided in the movable carriage, the carry-out opening provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage is inclined in a direction positioned below the carry-in opening provided at the other end, and
A first stopper provided at a carry-out port of the supply lane and displaceable between a position for restricting movement from the carry-out port due to the weight of the work and a position for releasing the work.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the work efficiency by reducing the time taken to move the work, and to reduce the work load on the worker.

(A) is a schematic diagram which shows the building provided with the workpiece | work supply mechanism, (b) is a figure which shows the workpiece | work accommodated in the tray. It is the figure which looked at the trolley | bogie and the raising / lowering apparatus from the longitudinal direction of the trolley | bogie. (A) is the figure which looked at the trolley | bogie and the raising / lowering apparatus from the width direction of the trolley | bogie, (b) is an enlarged view of the circled part of (a). It is a figure explaining the movement of a lever and a supply lane, (a) is a figure before a movement, (b) is a figure which shows after a movement. (A) is the figure which looked at the fixed chute from the longitudinal direction, (b) is the figure which looked at the fixed chute from the width direction. It is the figure which showed typically the relationship of the height position and inclination of the supply lane and collection | recovery lane of a trolley | bogie, the supply lane of a fixed chute, and a return lane. (A) is a figure which shows supply of a workpiece | work, (b) is a figure which shows collection | recovery of a tray.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(A) of FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram which shows the building interior part of facilities, such as a factory, and (b) of FIG. 1 is a figure which shows the workpiece | work accommodated in the tray.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the workpiece supply mechanism includes a carriage 1 and a lifting device 3. The cart 1 is arranged in a building 100 of a facility such as a factory, and conveys a workpiece.
The workpiece is not limited to a specific one, but is, for example, a raw material or an intermediate product used in a certain manufacturing process. The workpiece is loaded onto the carriage 1 at a workpiece loading position (not shown), and is conveyed by the carriage 1 to a designated position D where a manufacturing process line using the workpiece is located.

  The cart 1 can use, for example, a magnetic induction AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). A magnetic sensor (not shown) is attached to the carriage 1, and a magnetic tape 200 for guiding the carriage 1 is laid on the floor surface in the building 100. By reading the magnetic tape 200 with a magnetic sensor (not shown) of the carriage 1, the carriage 1 can be run unattended. In addition, the cart 1 should just be what can convey a workpiece | work, and is not restricted to a specific structure. For example, instead of the magnetic induction type, an electromagnetic induction type or optical induction type AGV may be used.

  A workpiece is loaded into the carriage 1 at a workpiece loading position (not shown) such as a previous manufacturing process line. As shown in FIG. 1B, for example, a plurality of workpieces W are collectively stored in one tray T, and the trays T are loaded on the cart 1 together.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a magnetic tape 200 that guides the carriage 1 to a designated position D is laid on the floor surface of the building 100. The carriage 1 travels in the building 100 in the direction indicated by the arrow and stops at the designated position D. The carriage 1 supplies the conveyed work W to the fixed chute 5 at the designated position D. The lifting device 3 is installed above the carriage 1 at the designated position D and is fixed to the building 100. The lifting device 3 raises the cart 1 to a height position where it can be connected to the fixed chute 5. The workpiece W is supplied from the carriage 1 to the fixed chute 5 for each tray T that accommodates the workpiece W. The operator takes out the work W supplied to the fixed chute 5 from the tray T and uses it for the next manufacturing process.

  At the designated position D, the empty tray T after the work W is taken out is also collected. The empty tray T is previously loaded on the fixed chute 5 by an operator, and the carriage 1 supplies the workpiece W to the fixed chute 5 and receives the empty tray T from the fixed chute 5. When the supply of the workpiece W and the collection of the tray T are completed, the lifting device 3 lowers the carriage 1 to the original height position. The cart 1 transports the collected tray T to the workpiece loading position, where the empty tray T is loaded and unloaded at the workpiece loading position, and a new workpiece W is loaded.

FIG. 2 is a view of the carriage 1 and the lifting device 3 as seen from the longitudinal direction of the carriage 1.
3A is a view of the carriage 1 and the lifting device 3 as viewed from the width direction of the carriage 1, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a circled portion of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 1 has wheels 12 attached to the lower surface of a base frame 11. The wheel 12 is attached to each corner of the base frame 11 and both ends in the width direction of the center of the base frame 11 in the longitudinal direction. Although not shown, the base frame 11 is provided with various sensors such as a magnetic sensor that reads the magnetic tape 200, a motor that drives the wheel, a processor that controls the motor based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor, and the like. Yes.

  Corner frames 13 erected upward from the base frame 11 are attached to the respective corners of the surface of the base frame 11 opposite to the mounting surface of the wheels 12. Side frames 14 erected upward from the base frame 11 are attached at a plurality of locations on both ends in the width direction of the surface of the base frame 11 opposite to the mounting surface of the wheels 12. The side frame 14 is attached to a position in the center of the base frame 11 in the longitudinal direction, and the side frame 14 is further attached to an intermediate position between each corner frame 13 and the side frame 14 in the center in the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, a center frame 15 erected upward from the base frame 11 is attached to the center of the base frame 11 in the width direction. The center frame 15 is provided between the intermediate position of the corner frames 13 adjacent in the width direction and the side frames 14 (not shown) adjacent in the width direction. The corner frame 13, the side frame 14, and the center frame 15 have the same upper end height, and a top frame 16 is attached so as to connect adjacent upper ends.

  The space inside the carriage 1 surrounded by the base frame 11, the corner frame 13, the side frame 14, and the top frame 16 is further divided into two in the width direction by the central frame 15.

One of the divided spaces Sa1 is provided with a supply lane 17 on which a tray T containing workpieces W is loaded. The supply lane 17 supplies the workpiece W together with the tray T to the fixed chute 5 at the designated position D.
The other space Sa2 is provided with a collection lane 18 for collecting and loading an empty tray T from the fixed chute 5 at the designated position D. The supply lane 17 and the recovery lane 18 are provided so that the supply lane 17 is positioned on the near side and the recovery lane 18 is positioned on the rear side when viewed from the operator handling the workpiece W at the designated position D. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 to be described later, the recovery lane 18 located on the back side is indicated by a two-dot chain line for easy understanding.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the supply lane 17 is stretched from one end 10 a in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 1 to the other end 10 b. The supply lane 17 has a configuration in which side walls (see FIG. 3B) are attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the mounting surface of the long tray T.

  In the example of the embodiment, the two supply lanes 17 are installed with a space in the vertical direction of the space Sa1, but only one supply lane 17 may be provided, or three or more supply lanes 17 may be provided. good. The interval between the supply lanes 17 is set so as not to interfere with the upper supply lane 17 in a state where the tray T is placed on the lower supply lane 17.

  Of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the supply lane 17, the other end 10 b side is provided with a carry-in port 17 b for carrying the tray T containing the work W, and the one end 10 a side is connected to the fixed chute 5 and accommodates the work W. A carry-out port 17a for carrying out the tray T is provided.

  The supply lane 17 is installed such that the carry-out port 17a is inclined in a direction positioned below the carry-in port 17b. Although the inclination angle of the supply lane 17 can be determined as appropriate, it can be set to such an extent that the tray T accommodating the workpiece W moves through the supply lane 17 by its own weight. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, in order to move the tray T smoothly, you may lay a conveyor bearing etc. in the mounting surface of the tray T. FIG.

The supply lane 17 is provided by a lever 19 so as to be movable in the vertical direction in the space Sa1 while fixing the inclination angle and the interval between the upper and lower lanes.
The lever 19 is attached to the side frame 14 positioned at the center in the longitudinal direction via a guide rail (not shown). The upper end of the lever 19 protrudes above the carriage 1 beyond the side frame 14 and the top frame 16 and is bent toward the center in the width direction of the carriage 1 (see FIG. 3A).

  The lever 19 is stopped at the initial position when no load is applied. When the bent portion 19 a at the upper end of the lever 19 is pulled upward by the lifting device 3 described later, the lever 19 moves upward from the initial position along the side frame 14. When the lifting of the lifting device 3 is released, the lever 19 descends and returns to the initial position.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a support portion 20 that is located above the base frame 11 and supports the supply lane 17 is attached to the lower end of the lever 19. The support portion 20 is fixed to the lower end of the lever 19 and is attached to the bar 20a extending in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 1 and the bar 20a. The support portion 20 extends from the bar 20a to the inside of the side frame 14 and covers the lower surface of the lower supply lane 17. A supporting bar 20b is provided. A plurality of bars 20b are attached to the bar 20a. The plurality of bars 20b are provided at intervals, and the height of each bar 20b is adjusted according to the inclination angle of the supply lane 17.

  The side walls of the upper and lower supply lanes 17 are integrally fixed by a plate 21 while maintaining a distance from each other. The plate 21 is provided at a position facing each side frame 14 on the supply lane 17 side. A roller 22 is disposed on the surface of the plate 21 opposite to the surface attached to the supply lane 17. The roller 22 slidably holds the side frame 14.

  As described above, when the lever 19 is moved upward by the elevating device 3, the bars 20a and 20b of the support portion 20 attached to the lower end of the lever 19 are also moved upward integrally. The bar 20b pushes up the lower surface of the lower supply lane 17 and moves it upward. The lower supply lane 17 and the upper supply lane 17 fixed integrally by the plate 21 also move upward integrally. Since the roller 22 attached to the plate 21 slides on the side frame 14, the upper and lower supply lanes 17 move upward along the side frame 14.

  4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the movement of the lever 19 and the supply lane 17. FIG. 4A is a diagram before the movement, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the movement after the movement. Here, the vertical movement of the inclined supply lane 17 will be described with reference to the height position of the carry-out port 17a of the upper supply lane 17.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the supply lane 17 is at the height position P1 in a state where the lever 19 is not pulled up by the lifting device 3. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the lever 19 is pulled up to the lifting device 3, the supply lane 17 moves to a height position P2 above the height position P1. A connecting portion 23a with the fixed chute 5 is provided at the height position P2. The connection part 23a can be comprised by the conveyor bearing etc. which protrude in the width direction inner side from the corner frame 13 by the side of space Sa1, for example. The supply lane 17 can be connected to the fixed chute 5 via the connecting portion 23a by moving to the height position P2.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a stopper 24 is attached to the carry-out port 17 a of the supply lane 17.
The stopper 24 includes, for example, a rod that is rotatably attached to the end surface of the supply lane 17 by a hinge or the like. The stopper 24 is rotated by an electric motor (not shown) or the like, and is displaced between the restriction position and the release position. In the restricting position, as shown in FIG. 3B, the tip of the rod protrudes upward from the placement surface of the tray T at the carry-out port 17a. At the release position (see FIG. 7A), the tip of the rod is positioned below the placement surface of the tray T. As described above, the supply lane 17 is inclined, and the tray T accommodating the workpiece W moves on the supply lane 17 by its own weight. However, when the stopper 24 is in the restricting position, the tip of the rod moves the tray T. Therefore, the outward movement from the carry-out port 17a is restricted. When the stopper 24 is in the release position, the tray T can be moved outward from the carry-out port 17a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recovery lane 18 is stretched from one end 10a in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 1 to the other end 10b. As shown in FIG. 3A, the collection lane 18 has a configuration in which side walls are attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the mounting surface of the long plate-like tray T, similarly to the supply lane 17.

  In the example of the embodiment, the two recovery lanes 18 are installed with a space in the vertical direction of the space Sa2, but the number of the recovery lanes 18 is not limited as in the supply lane 17. The interval between the recovery lanes 18 is preferably set so as not to interfere with the upper recovery lane 18 in a state where the tray T is placed on the lower recovery lane 18. The collection lane 18 may be set narrower than the interval between the supply lanes 17 because the tray T that does not contain the workpiece W is placed thereon.

  As shown in FIG. 2, among the longitudinal ends of the recovery lane 18, one end 10 a side is provided with a carry-in port 18 a into which an empty tray T is carried from the fixed chute 5, and the other end 10 b side is an empty tray. A carry-out port 18b for carrying out T is provided. That is, the carry-in port 18 a of the collection lane 18 is provided on the carry-out port 17 a side of the supply lane 17, and the carry-out port 18 b of the collection lane 18 is provided on the carry-in port 17 b side of the supply lane 17.

  The collection lane 18 is also installed so that the carry-out port 18b is inclined in a direction positioned below the carry-in port 18a. That is, when the cart 1 is viewed from the longitudinal direction, the collection lane 18 is inclined in the direction opposite to the supply lane 17. Although the inclination angle of the recovery lane 18 can be determined as appropriate, it can be set such that the empty tray T moves on the supply lane 17 by its own weight. Since the empty tray T is lighter than the tray T containing the workpieces W, the inclination angle of the collection lane 18 may be larger than that of the supply lane 17. In addition, you may lay a conveyor bearing etc. on the mounting surface of the tray T so that the tray T may move easily.

  Unlike the supply lane 17, the recovery lane 18 is fixedly installed in the space Sa2. The collection lane 18 is fixed to the corner frame 13, the side frame 14, the center frame 15, and the like by, for example, screwing. A stopper 25 having the same configuration as the stopper 24 of the supply lane 17 is attached to the carry-out port 18b of the recovery lane 18 (see FIG. 7B). The collection lane 18 is inclined, and the empty tray T moves on the collection lane 18 due to its own weight. However, when the stopper 25 is in the regulation position, the movement of the tray T from the carry-out port 18b is regulated. .

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a connecting portion 23 b with the fixed chute 5 is installed at a height position of the carry-in port 18 a of the recovery lane 18. The connection part 23b can be comprised by the conveyor bearing etc. which protrude in the width direction inner side from the corner frame 13 by the side of space Sa2, for example. The recovery lane 18 is connected to the fixed chute 5 via a conveyor bearing. 2 and 4, the connecting portion 23b of the recovery lane 18 is not shown for easy understanding of the drawings.

As shown to (a) of FIG. 3, the raising / lowering apparatus 3 is provided with the gate 31 through which the trolley | bogie 1 passes, and the air cylinder 32 installed in the gate 31. As shown in FIG.
The gate 31 includes a pair of leg portions 31a standing from the floor surface of the building 100 and a head portion 31b connecting the upper ends of the leg portions 31a. The pair of leg portions 31 a are arranged with a gap larger than the width of the carriage 1. The head portion 31 b is provided at a position higher than the lever 19 protruding above the carriage 1.

  The air cylinder 32 is driven in the vertical direction by a cylinder case 33 fixed to the head portion 31 b of the gate 31 and a piston (not shown) provided inside the cylinder case 33. A piston rod 34 is provided. An inverted U-shaped hook 35 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the tip of the piston rod 34 when viewed from the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the hook 35 has a bent portion 19a at the tip of the lever 19 of the carriage 1 between the upper end 35a and the lower end 35b of the carriage 1 when the carriage 1 enters the gate 31. It is arranged at a height to enter. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the piston rod 34 is driven upward, the bent portion 19 a of the lever 19 contacts the lower end portion 35 b of the hook 35, so that the lever 19 is engaged with the hook 35. The lever 19 engaged with the hook 35 moves upward as the piston rod 34 is driven, and the supply lane 17 connected to the lever 19 via the support portion 20 also moves upward. When the piston rod 34 moves downward, the lever 19 and the supply lane 17 also move downward. When the piston rod 34 stops driving and the engagement between the lower end portion 35b of the hook 35 and the bent portion 19a of the lever 19 is released, the movement of the supply lane 17 also stops.

5A is a view of the fixed chute 5 viewed from the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 5B is a view of the fixed chute 5 viewed from the width direction.
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the fixed chute 5 has a structure in which a plurality of frames are combined in the same manner as the carriage 1, but is fixedly installed on the floor surface of the building 100. The wheel 12 is not provided. In the fixed chute 5, a corner frame 52 and a side frame 53 are erected on a base frame 51 fixed to a floor surface, and a top frame 54 that connects each upper end is attached. The space inside the fixed chute 5 surrounded by the base frame 51, the corner frame 52, the side frame 53, and the top frame 54 is divided into two in the width direction by the central frame 55, similarly to the carriage 1.

  One of the divided spaces Sb <b> 1 is provided with a supply lane 56 to which a tray T containing workpieces W is supplied from the supply lane 17 of the carriage 1. The other space Sb <b> 2 is provided with a return lane 57 that supplies an empty tray T after the workpiece W is taken out to the collection lane 18 of the carriage 1.

  A supply lane 56 is arranged on the near side with respect to an operator who works at the designated position D, and a return lane 57 is arranged on the far side. When the carriage 1 stops at the designated position D, the supplied lane 56 faces the supply lane 17 and the return lane 57 faces the collection lane 18.

  Similarly to the supply lane 17 and the recovery lane 18 of the carriage 1, the supplied lane 56 and the return lane 57 are also spanned from the one end 50 a in the longitudinal direction of the fixed chute 5 to the other end 50 b, and the long plate-like tray T is loaded. It is the structure which attached the side wall to the longitudinal direction both ends of the mounting surface. A conveyor bearing or the like may be laid on the placement surface of the tray T in order to make the tray T move smoothly. The number of the supplied lanes 56 and the return lanes 57 and the interval between the lanes can be appropriately changed corresponding to the supply lane 17 and the recovery lane 18, respectively.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the relationship between the height position and the inclination of the supply lane 17 and the recovery lane 18 of the carriage 1 and the supply lane 56 and the return lane 57 of the fixed chute 5. FIG. 6 shows a state where the supply lane 17 is at the height position P <b> 2 when it is moved upward by the lifting device 3.

  The to-be-supplied lane 56 is provided with a delivery port 56a for the tray T in which workpieces W are accommodated on one end 50a side facing the supply lane 17 in both ends in the longitudinal direction. The delivery port 56a is installed at the same height position as the height position P2 of the carry-out port 17a when the supply lane 17 is moved upward. In the example of FIG. 6, the delivery port 56a and the carry-out port 17a are installed such that the upper position is 1440 mm and the lower position is 1160 mm.

  On the other end 50b side of the supplied lane 56, a carry-out port 56b for the tray T is provided. The supplied lane 56 is installed so that the carry-out port 56b is inclined so as to be positioned below the delivery port 56a. And inclined in the same direction as the supply lane 17. The inclination angle of the supplied lane 56 is the same as that of the supply lane 17. With such a configuration, when the supplied lane 56 and the supply lane 17 are connected via the connecting portion 23a (see FIG. 3A) installed at the height position P2, a continuous movement path of the tray T is formed. Is done.

  The return lane 57 is provided with a delivery port 57a for an empty tray T on one end 50a side facing the collection lane 18 in both ends in the longitudinal direction. The delivery port 57 a is installed at the same height as the carry-in port 18 a of the collection lane 18. In the example of FIG. 6, the upper stage height position is 1225 mm, and the lower stage height position is 945 mm. An empty tray T carry-in port 57b is provided on the other end 50b side of the return lane 57. The return lane 57 is installed so that the delivery port 57a is inclined in a direction positioned below the carry-in port 57b. It is inclined in the same direction as the recovery lane 18. The inclination angle of the return lane 57 is the same as that of the recovery lane 18. With such a configuration, when the return lane 57 and the recovery lane 18 are connected via the connecting portion 23b of the recovery lane 18 (see FIG. 3B), a continuous tray T movement path is formed. Note that the numerical value of the height position described in FIG. 6 is merely an example, and the height position and the inclination angle of each lane are not limited to specific numerical values.

At the delivery port 57a of the return lane 57, a stopper 58 having the same configuration as the stopper 24 provided at the carry-out port 17a of the supply lane 17 is installed.
The restricting position is a position where the tip of the rod protrudes above the placement surface of the tray T at the transfer port 57a. The release position is such that the tip of the rod is located below the placement surface of the tray T. As described above, the return lane 57 is inclined, and the empty tray T moves on the return lane 57 due to its own weight. However, when the stopper 58 is in the restricting position, the tip of the rod presses the tray T. The outward movement from the delivery port 57a is restricted. When the stopper 58 is in the release position, the tray T can move outward from the transfer port 57a.
A stopper 59 having the same configuration is also installed at the carry-out port 56b of the supplied lane 56 (see FIG. 7A).

  Both the supplied lane 56 and the return lane 57 are fixedly installed inside the fixed chute 5. Although illustration is omitted, the return lane 57 is fixed to the corner frame 52, the side frame 53, the center frame 55, and the like by, for example, screwing or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the workpiece supply mechanism includes a control device 7. The control device 7 is configured by, for example, a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer that operates with a predetermined program, and controls operations of the carriage 1 and the lifting device 3 by wired or wireless communication. The control device 7 controls, for example, control of running and stopping of the carriage 1, control of the timing of displacement of the stoppers 24, 25, 58, 59, drive timing of the air cylinder 32 of the lifting device 3, and the like.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the workpiece supply mechanism according to the embodiment will be described.

  The tray T accommodating the workpiece W is loaded into the supply lane 17 of the carriage 1 at a workpiece loading position (not shown). During loading, the supply lane 17 is at the height position P1 (see FIG. 4A). When the operator inserts the tray T from the carry-in port 17b of the supply lane 17, the tray T moves to the carry-out port 17a side on the supply lane 17 inclined by its own weight. In the drawing, for simplification, only one tray T is shown in each of the upper and lower supply lanes 17, but the supply lane 17 can be loaded with a plurality of trays T according to the length thereof.

  A stopper 24 (see FIG. 3B) installed at the carry-out port 17a of the supply lane 17 is in a restricting position, and movement of the tray T from the carry-out port 17a is restricted by the stopper 24. The collection lane 18 is in a state where nothing is loaded, but the stopper 25 provided at the carry-out port 18b of the collection lane 18 is set to a restricted position.

  When the loading of the tray T accommodating the workpiece W into the supply lane 17 is completed, the carriage 1 travels along the magnetic tape 200 in the building 100 and stops at the designated position D shown in FIG. When the carriage 1 is stopped at the designated position D, the recovery lane 18 and the return lane 57 are connected to each other by the connecting portion 23b, but the supply lane 17 is still at the height position P1, so Is not connected.

  The carriage 1 enters under the gate 31 of the lifting device 3 at the designated position D and faces the fixed chute 5. An empty tray T is loaded in the return lane 57 of the fixed chute 5 in advance. A stopper 58 (see FIG. 5B) installed in the delivery port 57a of the return lane 57 is in a restricting position, and movement of the empty tray T from the delivery port 57a is restricted by the stopper 58.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, when the carriage 1 stops at the specified position D, the bent portion 19 a of the lever 19 enters between the upper end portion 35 a and the lower end portion 35 b of the hook 35 of the lifting device 3. When the piston rod 34 of the lifting / lowering device 3 is driven upward, the lever 19 engages with the hook 35, and the lever 19 and the supply lane 17 move upward. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the supply lane 17 has moved to the height position P2, the piston rod 34 is stopped, and the supply lane 17 is held at the same height position P2 as the connecting portion 23a. When moving to the height position P2 of the supply lane 17, the supply lane 17 is connected to the supply lane 56 by the connecting portion 23a.

With the supply lane 17 and the recovery lane 18 of the carriage 1 connected to the supply lane 56 and the return lane 57 of the fixed chute 5 respectively, the supply of the workpiece W and the recovery of the empty tray T are performed.
FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing the supply of the workpiece W. FIG. For the sake of clarity, only the upper lane is shown as the supply lane 17 and the supplied lane 56. Moreover, the figure of the outlet 17a of the supply lane 17 seen from the width direction and the outlet 56b of the to-be-supplied lane 56 seen from the width direction are also shown below the figure of the supply lane 17 seen from the longitudinal direction, and the to-be-supplied lane 56.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the stopper 24 provided at the carry-in port 17a of the supply lane 17 of the carriage 1 is displaced from the restriction position to the release position. Due to the displacement of the stopper 24 to the release position, the tray T accommodating the workpieces W on the supply lane 17 can be moved. The tray T moves by its own weight to the supply lane 56 of the fixed chute 5 through the carry-in port 17 b of the supply lane 17 and the delivery port 56 a of the supply lane 56. The tray T moves along the inclined supply lane 56 toward the carry-out port 56b. Since the stopper 58 of the carry-out port 56b of the supplied lane 56 is in the restriction position, the movement of the tray T from the carry-out port 56b is restricted.

  FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing collection of the tray T. For the sake of simplicity, only the upper lane is shown in the collection lane 18 and the return lane 57. Further, below the drawing of the recovery lane 18 and the return lane 57 viewed from the longitudinal direction, a view of the carry-out port 18ba of the recovery lane 18 and the delivery port 57a of the return lane 57 viewed from the width direction is also shown.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the stopper 58 provided at the transfer port 57a of the return lane 57 of the fixed chute 5 is displaced from the restriction position to the release position. The empty tray T on the return lane 57 can be moved by the displacement of the stopper 58 to the release position. The tray T moves to the collection lane 18 of the carriage 1 by its own weight through the transfer port 57a of the return lane 57 and the carry-in port 18a of the collection lane 18. The tray T moves along the inclined collection lane 18 toward the carry-out port 18b. Since the stopper 25 provided at the carry-out port 18b of the recovery lane 18 is in the restriction position, the movement of the tray T from the carry-out port 18b is restricted.

  The supply of the workpiece W and the collection of the tray T may be performed at the same time, or after either one is performed, the other may be performed. By controlling the timing of displacement of the stoppers 24 and 58, the timing can be appropriately determined. Can be changed.

  When the supply of the workpiece W and the collection of the tray T are completed, the piston rod 34 of the elevating device 3 is driven downward to return the supply lane 17 from the height position P2 to the height position P1. When the lever 19 returns to the initial position and the engagement of the lifting device 3 with the hook 35 is released, the driving of the piston rod 34 is stopped.

  The carriage 1 loaded with an empty tray T on the collection lane 18 is caused to travel again, and is returned from the designated position D to the workpiece loading position. At the work carry-in position, the operator displaces the stopper 25 of the carry-out port 18b of the collection lane 18 to the release position, and takes out the empty tray T from the carry-out port 18b. The empty tray T that has been taken out is used again to accommodate the workpiece W.

  The worker at the designated position D displaces the stopper 59 of the carry-out port 56b of the supply lane 56 of the fixed chute 5 to the release position, takes out the workpiece W together with the tray T from the carry-out port 56b, and uses it for the production process line. . The tray T after the work W is taken out is loaded into the return lane 57 of the fixed chute 5.

  As described above, the carriage 1 reciprocates between the work carry-in position and the designated position D to supply the work W and collect the empty tray T.

As described above, the workpiece supply mechanism of the embodiment is
(1) The workpiece W is supplied at a designated position D installed in the building 100,
A cart 1 that can move in the building 100;
A supply lane 17 for the workpiece W, which is provided in the movable carriage 1 and is inclined in a direction in which a carry-out port 17a provided in one end 10a in the longitudinal direction is positioned below a carry-in port 17b provided in the other end 10b;
A stopper 24 (first stopper) is provided at the carry-out port 17a of the supply lane 17 and is displaceable between a position for restricting movement of the work W from the carry-out port 17a due to its own weight and a release position.

  By tilting the supply lane 17, the workpiece W moves the supply lane 17 toward the carry-out port 17 a due to its own weight. Therefore, the worker can load the work W only by inserting it from the carry-in port 17 b, and the work load is reduced. It is reduced. Further, by releasing the stopper 24 of the carry-out port 17a at the designated position D, the workpiece W moves out of the carry-out port 17a by its own weight. By providing the fixed chute 5 connected to the carry-out port 17a, it is not necessary for the operator to manually carry out the work W from the supply lane 17, and the work time and work load are reduced.

(2) The supply lane 17 supplies the work W at the designated position D while being accommodated in the tray T.
The work supply mechanism includes a collection lane 18 that is provided in the carriage 1 along with the supply lane 17 and collects the tray T after supplying the work W,
The recovery lane 18 includes a tray T loading / unloading port 18b provided at the other end 10b of the supply lane 17 on the carry-in port 17b side, and a tray T loading / unloading port 18a provided at the one end 10a of the supply lane 17 on the loading port 17a side. Inclined in a direction located below the mouth 18a,
The work supply mechanism includes a stopper 25 (second stopper) that is provided at the carry-out port 18b of the recovery lane 18 and is displaceable between a position at which the movement of the tray T from the carry-out port 18b is stopped and a position at which the tray T is released. .

  By providing the carriage 1 integrally with the collection lane 18 for collecting the empty tray T after supplying the workpiece W, the supply of the workpiece W and the collection of the tray T can be performed by the same carriage 1. In addition, since the carry-in port 18a of the collection lane 18 is provided on the carry-out port 17a side of the supply lane 17 for the workpiece W, both the supply of the workpiece W and the collection of the tray T are performed without changing the direction of the carriage 1. Can do. Further, since the tray T moves on the side of the carry-out port 18b through the collection lane 18 inclined by its own weight, the operator can load the tray T simply by inserting the tray T from the carry-in port 18a of the collection lane 18. As a result, the work efficiency can be improved, and the work time and work load of the worker are reduced.

(3) provided with an elevating device 3 (elevating mechanism) for moving the supply lane 17 up and down;
The supply lane 17 delivers the workpiece W accommodated in the tray T from the carry-out port 17a of the supply lane 17 to the workpiece W delivery port 56a of the fixed chute 5 provided at the designated position D.
At the designated position D, the lifting device 3 moves the supply lane 17 between a height position P1 (first height position) and a height position P2 (second height position) above the height position P1. Move between
When the lifting device 3 moves the supply lane 17 to the height position P2, the carry-out port 17a of the supply lane 17 can be connected to the delivery port 56a of the workpiece W, respectively.

  When supplying the workpiece W, the workpiece W can be supplied to a position where the operator can easily take out the workpiece W on the fixed chute 5 side by moving the supply lane 17 to the upper height position P2 by the elevating device 3. . Further, when the carriage 1 is traveling before supplying the workpiece W, the supply lane 17 is set to the lower height position P1, so that the carriage 1 can be stabilized even if the supply lane 17 loads the workpiece W and the weight increases. Easy to run. Furthermore, when loading the workpiece W onto the carriage 1 at the workpiece loading position, the worker can easily load the workpiece W onto the carriage 1 by setting the supply lane 17 to the lower height position P1.

(4) The lifting device 3 is fixed to the building 100.
The elevating device 3 is fixed to the building 100 without being installed on the cart 1 provided with the supply lane 17, so that the weight of the cart 1 can be reduced.

(5) The carry-in port 18a of the collection lane 18 is provided at a height position that can be connected to the delivery port 57a of the tray T provided at the designated position D when the carriage 1 stops at the designated position D.
By providing the carry-in port 18a of the collection lane 18 at a height position that can be connected to the transfer port 57a of the tray T of the fixed chute 5, the collection lane 18 can be collected without moving up and down. Efficiency can be improved.

(6) The supply lane 17 is arranged on the near side of the worker handling the workpiece W, and the recovery lane 18 is arranged on the far side of the worker.
By setting the supply lane 17 on the near side of the worker, the work W supplied by the worker can be easily used, so that work efficiency can be improved.

<Modification 1>
In the embodiment described above, the fixed chute 5 has a configuration in which an inclined lane is spanned inside the combined frame, like the cart 1, but the fixed chute 5 receives the workpiece W from the supply lane 17 of the cart 1, Any device that can supply an empty tray T to the recovery lane 18 may be used, and is not limited to a specific configuration. For example, the supply lane 56 may be formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and the workpieces W supplied from the supply lane 17 may be stacked in the vertical direction.

<Modification 2>
In the above-described embodiment, the lifting device 3 is fixed to the building 100, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lifting mechanism may be provided on the cart 1 itself.

1 trolley 3 lifting device 5 fixed chute 7 control device 10a one end 10b other end 11 base frame 12 wheel 13 corner frame 14 side frame 15 central frame 16 top frame 17 supply lane 17a carry-out port 17b carry-in port 18 collection lane 18a carry-in port 18b carry Exit 19 Lever 19a Bending part 20 Supporting part 20a Bar 20b Bar 21 Plate 22 Roller 23a Connecting part 23b Connecting part 24, 25 Stopper 31 Gate 31a Leg part 31b Head 32 Air cylinder 33 Cylinder case 34 Piston rod 35 Hook 35a Upper end part 35b Lower end 50a One end 50b The other end 51 Base frame 52 Corner frame 53 Side frame 54 Top frame 55 Central frame 56 Supply lane 57 Return lane 56a Delivery port 56b Unloading port 7a transfer port 57b entrance 58,59 stopper 200 tape Sa1, Sa2 space Sb1, Sb2 space W workpiece T tray D specified position

Claims (6)

A workpiece supply mechanism that supplies workpieces at designated positions installed in a building,
A carriage movable in the building;
The work supply lane provided in the movable carriage, the carry-out opening provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the carriage is inclined in a direction positioned below the carry-in opening provided at the other end, and
A workpiece supply mechanism, comprising: a first stopper that is provided at a carry-out port of the supply lane and is displaceable between a position for restricting movement from the carry-out port due to the weight of the work and a position for releasing the position. . The supply lane is for supplying the workpiece at the designated position in a state where the workpiece is accommodated in a tray.
The carriage is provided side by side with the supply lane, and includes a collection lane for collecting the tray after the workpiece is supplied,
The collection lane has a tray outlet provided at the one end of the supply lane, and a tray outlet provided at the other end of the supply lane. Than in the direction of the lower position,
2. The second stopper according to claim 1, further comprising a second stopper which is provided at a carry-out port of the recovery lane and is displaceable between a position where movement from the carry-out port due to the weight of the tray is stopped and a position where the tray is released. Work supply mechanism. An elevating mechanism for moving the supply lane up and down;
The supply lane is to deliver the work housed in the tray from the carry-out port of the supply lane to the work delivery port provided at the designated position.
The elevating mechanism moves the supply lane between a first height position and a second height position above the first height position at the designated position,
3. The carry-out port of the supply lane can be connected to a delivery port of the workpiece, respectively, when the elevating mechanism moves the supply lane to the second height position. Work supply mechanism.   4. The workpiece supply mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the elevating mechanism is fixed to the building.   The carry-in port of the recovery lane is provided at a height position that can be connected to a delivery port of the tray provided at the designated position when the carriage stops at the designated position. Item 2. The workpiece supply mechanism according to Item 2.   The workpiece according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the supply lane is arranged on the front side of an operator handling the workpiece, and the recovery lane is arranged on the back side of the worker. Supply mechanism.

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