JP2020117348A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a conveying device capable of accelerating transfer processing of a pallet at a lifting part.SOLUTION: A conveying device comprises a main conveying part 2, a reversely conveying part 3, and lifting parts 5 and 6 for transferring a pallet 4 between the main conveying part 2 and the reversely conveying part 3. Each of the lifting parts 5 and 6 allows the pallet 4 to be placed thereon, and has two lifting members 13 and 14 which are disposed so as to ascend and descend between a first position for receiving the pallet 4 and a second position for delivering the pallet 4. The conveying device is formed so as to move/drive the two lifting members in such a manner that when one lifting member of the two lifting members 13 and 14 is located at the first position, the other lifting member is located at the second position, and when one lifting member is moved from the first position to the second position, the other lifting member is moved from the second position to the first position at the same time, and when one lifting member is located at the second position, the other lifting member is located at the first position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a transport device.

In the equipment of the factory, the transfer device for transferring the pallet on which the work is placed is a main transfer section (that is, a main conveyor), a reverse transfer section (that is, a return conveyor), and a pallet from the main transfer section to the reverse transfer section. And an elevating part for transferring the. Acceleration of pallet transportation For example, in equipment that requires a cycle time of 2 seconds or less, pallet transfer processing in the lifting unit is also required to be accelerated.

JP-A-57-48523

The pallet transfer process by the elevating unit, for example, the process of pallet transfer from the main transfer unit to the reverse transfer unit, includes a first operation of transferring the pallet from the main transfer unit to the lifter of the elevating unit and a second operation of lowering the lifter. , A third operation of moving the pallet from the lifter to the reverse transport unit, and a fourth operation of raising an empty lifter to return it to its original position. With respect to these four operations, there are restrictions such as a limit point of the ability of the actuator for each operation, that is, a limit point for stably operating the actuator, so that it is difficult to speed up each operation as compared with the current state.
An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device capable of speeding up the transfer process of pallets in the lifting unit.

The invention of claim 1 includes a main transport unit 2 that transports a pallet 4 on which a work is placed, a reverse transport unit 3 that transports the pallet in a reverse direction, and a main transport unit 2 and the reverse transport unit 3. A transporting device comprising lifting and lowering parts 5 and 6 for transferring the pallet 4 between them, the lifting and lowering parts 5 and 6 being capable of mounting the pallet 4 from the main transfer part 2. The two raising/lowering members 13 and 14 provided so as to move up and down between the first position for receiving the pallet 4 and the second position for feeding the pallet 4 to the reverse transport unit 3 are provided. When one of the lifting members 13, 14 is located at the first position, the other lifting member is positioned at the second position, and the one lifting member is moved from the first position to the second position. When moving to the position, at the same time, the other elevating member is moved from the second position to the first position, and when the one elevating member is located at the second position, the other elevating member is moved to the above-mentioned It is provided with a drive mechanism for moving and driving the two elevating members so as to be positioned at the first position.

The front view of the conveyance apparatus which shows 1st Embodiment. Perspective view of the carrier Perspective view of the first lifting unit Front view of the first lifting unit Perspective view showing the lifter and its drive mechanism Sectional drawing which follows the C1-C1 line in FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the C2-C2 line in FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the C3-C3 line in FIG. Perspective view showing the back side of one lifter Perspective view showing the back side of the other lifter Sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of movement of a lifter, and is taken along the line C1-C1 in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state after the movement of the lifter, and which follows the C1-C1 line in FIG. Top view of the first lifting unit Top view of the first lift unit without pallets Sectional drawing which follows the C4-C4 line in FIG.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment includes a main transfer unit, for example, a main conveyor 2, and a reverse transfer unit, for example, a return conveyor 3. The main conveyor 2 and the return conveyor 3 are configured to be independently driven in the directions indicated by arrows. In this case, the pallet 4 placed on the main conveyor 2 is conveyed rightward in FIG. 1, and the pallet 4 placed on the return conveyor 3 is conveyed leftward in FIG. A work is placed and fixed on the pallet 4.

At the right end of the main conveyor 2 and the return conveyor 3, a first elevating unit 5 for transferring the pallet 4 from the main conveyor 2 to the return conveyor 3 is provided. Further, a second elevating unit 6 for transferring the pallet 4 from the return conveyor 3 to the main conveyor 2 is provided at the left end portions of the main conveyor 2 and the return conveyor 3. Since the first elevating unit 5 and the second elevating unit 6 have almost the same configuration, the specific configuration of the first elevating unit 5 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 15.

The first elevating unit 5 is configured to include a transport unit 10, a lifter unit 11, and a payout unit 12. The transport unit 10 has a function of separating a single pallet 4 in a state where a plurality of pallets 4 are connected from the main conveyor 2 to the lifter unit 11 and sending the pallet 4 to the lifter unit 11 from the connected state. The transport unit 10 has a function as a feeding unit. The lifter unit 11 has a function of lowering one pallet 4 fed from the transport unit 10. The payout unit 12 has a function of paying out the pallet 4 lowered by the lifter unit 11 to the return conveyor 3.

First, a specific configuration of the lifter unit 11 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lifter unit 11 is vertically driven and has two lifters 13 and 14 on which the pallet 4 is removably placed. These lifters 13 and 14 form an elevating member.

As shown in FIG. 7, the two lifters 13 and 14 are attached to two moving members 15 and 16 that are vertically driven to be movable in the lateral direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the two moving members 15 and 16 are attached and fixed to the timing belt 19 hung across the drive pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 by attaching portions 15a and 16a. The timing belt 19 is driven to move in the arrow X direction and the counter arrow X direction in FIG. 8 by the motor 20 via the speed reduction mechanism 21 and the drive pulley 17.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, cam plates 22 and 23 are arranged on both sides of the lifters 13 and 14 so as to extend in the vertical direction. Grooves 22a and 23a are formed. As shown in FIG. 9, a cam follower 24 provided on the back surface of the lifter 13 is fitted into one of the cam grooves 22a, and the other cam groove 23a is provided on the back surface of the lifter 14 as shown in FIG. The cam follower 25 provided is fitted.

In the case of the above configuration, in the state shown in FIG. 6, one lifter 13 is located at the upper feeding position (that is, the first position), and the other lifter 14 is at the lower dispensing position (that is, the second position). Position). In this state, when the motor 20 is driven to move the timing belt 19 in the arrow X direction, one lifter 13 moves down and the other lifter 14 moves up. At this time, since the cam followers 24 and 25 of the lifters 13 and 14 are guided by the cam grooves 22a and 23a, the lifter 13 moves downward while moving leftward, and the lifter 14 moves upward while moving rightward. Thus, the state shown in FIG. 11 is obtained. That is, when the lifter 13 descends and the lifter 14 rises, they are guided so as not to collide with each other. The cam grooves 22a and 23a and the cam followers 24 and 25 have a function as a guide part. Further, the motor 20, the timing belt 19 and the guide portion have a function as a drive mechanism.

Then, when the motor 20 is further driven to move the timing belt 19 in the direction of the arrow X, the one lifter 13 is further lowered and the other lifter 14 is raised. At this time, since the cam followers 24 and 25 of the lifters 13 and 14 are guided by the cam grooves 22a and 23a, the lifter 13 moves downward while moving to the right, and the lifter 14 moves upward while moving to the left. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 12 is entered and the motor 20 is stopped. As a result, one lifter 13 is located at the lower payout position, and the other lifter 14 is located at the upper feed position.

Further, after that, when the two lifters 13 and 14 are moved up and down from the state shown in FIG. 12 to the state shown in FIG. 6 via the state shown in FIG. 11, the motor 20 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction. The drive may be controlled so that the timing belt 19 is driven to move in the opposite arrow X direction.

Next, a specific configuration of the transport unit 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 13, and FIG. 14, the transport unit 10 projects a screw member 29 rotatably driven by a motor 27 via a belt 28 and a plurality of pallets 4 sent from the main conveyor 2 into a bead shape. And a pallet retaining section 30 for retaining the pallet in a continuous state.

In the case of the above configuration, the protruding portion 29a of the screw member 29 is configured to mesh with the protruding portions 4a and 4a protruding from the side surface portion of the pallet 4 that is staying, and when the screw member 29 is rotated, The pallet 4 that is staying is configured to be sent to the right in FIG. Then, when the screw member 29 is rotated by a set amount, only one piece is separated from the pallet 4 which is staying and can be sent and placed on the lifter 13 (or the lifter 14) of the lifter unit 11 to be placed. ing. In this case, when the rotation of the screw member 29 is stopped, the ridge portion 29a of the screw member 29 meshes with the convex portions 4a and 4a of the pallet 4, so that the pallet 4 that is staying does not move at that position. It is configured to be stopped like this. The motor 27 and the screw member 29 have a function as a feeding part.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the lifters 13 and 14 are provided with an engagement member 31 for positioning the pallet 4 placed thereon. The engagement member 31 is configured to rotate to a position where it is engaged with the frame portion 4c of the pallet 4 and positioned by the urging force of a spring (not shown). When the lifters 13 and 14 are located at the upper feeding position or the lower payout position, as shown in FIG. 15, the engagement releasing member 32 pushes the engaging member 31 downward, so that the engaging member 31 and It is configured to be disengaged from the frame portion 4c of the pallet 4. The lower disengagement member is not shown. Accordingly, when the lifters 13 and 14 are located at the feed-in position or the pay-out position, the pallet 4 can be fed onto the lifters 13 and 14, and the pallet 4 can be fed out from the lifters 13 and 14. Is configured to be.

As shown in FIG. 4, the payout unit 12 is configured in the same manner as the payout unit having a known configuration. The payout unit 12 is configured to drive a payout mechanism (not shown) by the motor 33, and pay out the pallet 4 from the lifters 13 and 14 located at the payout position below and transfer the pallet 4 onto the return conveyor 3.

In the present embodiment having such a configuration, when one of the two lifters 13 and 14 is located at the feed-in position, the other lifter 14 is located at the payout position, and one lifter 13 is located at the payout position. When moving from the feed position to the payout position, at the same time, the other lifter 14 is moved from the payout position to the feed position, and when one lifter 13 is located at the payout position, the other lifter 14 is positioned at the feed position. In addition, the two lifters 13 and 14 are configured to be driven to move. According to this configuration, it is possible to simultaneously perform the operation of lowering the lifter 13 on which the pallet 4 is placed and the operation of raising the empty lifter 14, so that the first elevating unit 5 or the second elevating unit 6 is operated. The transfer processing of the pallet 4 can be speeded up.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, since the drive source for moving and driving the two lifters 13 and 14 includes the single motor 20, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, the cam 20 is provided with a timing belt 19 that is driven to rotate by the motor 20 to move the two lifters 13 and 14, and guides the two lifters 13 and 14 so that they do not collide when moving up and down. Since the grooves 22a and 23 and the cam followers 24 and 25 are provided, the configuration in which the two lifters 13 and 14 are simultaneously moved up and down by the single motor 20 can be easily realized with a simple configuration.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the screw member 29 of the transport unit 10 is rotated to feed the pallets 4 one by one onto the lifter 13 (or the lifter 14 ), so that the pallets 4 in a state where a plurality of pallets 4 are connected are separated. And, the feeding can be surely executed.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to examples, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within an equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, and other combinations and forms including only one element, more, or less than them are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

In the drawings, 1 is a conveying device, 2 is a main conveyor, 3 is a return conveyor, 4 is a pallet, 5 is a first elevating unit, 6 is a second elevating unit, 10 is a conveying unit, 11 is a lifter unit, 12 is a payout unit. , 13 is a lifter, 14 is a lifter, 17 is a drive pulley, 18 is a driven pulley, 18 is a timing belt, 20 is a motor, 22 is a cam plate, 22a is a cam groove, 23 is a cam plate, 23a is a cam groove, and 24 is a A cam follower, 25 is a cam follower, 27 is a motor, 29 is a screw member, 30 is a pallet retaining portion, 31 is an engaging member, 32 is an engagement releasing member, and 33 is a motor.

Claims (5)

A main transfer unit (2) that transfers a pallet (4) on which a work is placed, a reverse transfer unit (3) that transfers the pallet in the reverse direction, and the main transfer unit and the reverse transfer unit between the main transfer unit and the reverse transfer unit. And a lifting unit (5, 6) for transferring pallets,
The elevating unit is capable of mounting the pallet and moves up and down between a first position for receiving the pallet from the main transport unit and a second position for delivering the pallet to the reverse transport unit. Equipped with two lifting members (13, 14)
When one of the two lifting members is located at the first position, the other lifting member is located at the second position, and the one lifting member is moved from the first position to the first position. When moving to the second position, at the same time, the other elevating member is moved from the second position to the first position, and when the one elevating member is located at the second position, the other elevating member is moved. A conveyance device comprising a drive mechanism for moving and driving the two elevating members so as to be positioned at the first position. 2. The transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a feeding unit that feeds the pallets one by one from the main transport unit onto the lifting member when the lifting member is located at the first position. The transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes one motor (20) as a drive source for moving and driving the two lifting members. The transport device according to claim 2, wherein the feeding unit includes a screw member (29) that feeds the pallets one by one. The drive mechanism includes a timing belt (19) that is rotationally driven by the motor to move the two lifting members, and a guide unit that guides the two lifting members so that they do not collide when moving up and down. The transport device according to claim 3,

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