JP2517819B2 - Ceiling carrier transport system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveyor system for a ceiling carrier used for supplying wefts to a loom, which has an elevating table hung by a belt and is installed along a rail laid on the ceiling. Related to traveling overhead carrier vehicles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a textile factory, a large number of weaving machines are installed. In recent years, the weft threads applied to this weaving machine are supplied as a cone-shaped package having a large yarn amount, and the packages are set and used in the weaving machine. . Therefore, automation of weft supply to the loom has been demanded for tidying up around the loom and labor saving.

As an automated weft supply method,
As disclosed in JP-A-1-317965, between a loading station connected to a warehouse stocking packages and a weft supply station near the loom,
There is known an overhead traveling vehicle that grips and conveys a package.

By the way, the package supplied by the loom in the above-described weft supply method may be a multi-product rather than a single product. In this case, in order for the package transport vehicle to transport a specific type of package to the weft supply station of a specific loom, a ceiling transport that can receive multiple packages of different types at the loading station and supply them to the predetermined weft supply station A car transport system is required.

Therefore, an example of a transfer system using a conventional general-purpose ceiling transfer vehicle and capable of supplying different types of packages will be described with reference to FIG. The ceiling transport vehicle 40 includes a main body 41.
And a lifting table 42. The main body 41 can travel along the rails 3 laid on the beams 44 on the ceiling, and the lifting platform 42 is hung up and down from the body 41 by the belt 43, and a plurality of chucks 23 ( In the figure, two are illustrated for simplicity) are attached downward. Here, the package P is a cylindrical or conical bobbin B whose both ends are open, and a thread is wound on the bobbin B. The bobbin chuck 23 is inserted into the bobbin B and opened to hold the package P on the lift table 42. At a predetermined position where the ceiling carrier 40 stops, a loading station 60,
The supply stations 61 are located, and peg shafts 62 project from these stations, and the bobbins B of the package P are inserted on the peg shafts 62.

The transport system using the above-mentioned ceiling transport vehicle is as follows. The illustrated example shows a case where the ceiling transport vehicle receives the package of the loading station 60 and transports it to the supply station 61. The ceiling transfer vehicle 40 stopped above the loading station 60 lowers the elevator 42 and lowers the bobbin chuck 23 toward the package P inserted on the peg shaft 62. Then, the package P is held by the chuck 23 on the right side. Next, packages of other types are delivered to the loading station 60.
In order to grip this package on the left chuck 23, it is necessary to raise the lift table 42 (arrow a), laterally move the main body 41 (arrow b), and lower the lift table 42 (c arrow). .

The peg shaft 62 on the right side of the supply station 61
In order to supply the package P to the package, the operations of raising the elevating table 42 (d arrow), traveling the main body (e arrow), and lowering the elevating table 42 (f arrow) are performed. Then, in order to receive the empty bobbin B inserted into the peg shaft 62 on the left side of the supply station 61 on the empty right chuck 23, the lift table 42 is raised (g arrow) and the main body 41 is moved laterally. Let (h
The operation of lowering the elevating table 42 (i arrow) is required.

[0008]

In the above-described transportation system for the ceiling guided vehicle, the operation (arrows a, c, g, i) for raising and lowering the elevating table 42 and the main body in each of the loading station 60 or the supply station 61. An operation (arrows b and h) of running 41 is required. Although the traveling distance is short, the elevating distance is considerable, and this elevating operation causes a problem that the transportation time becomes long. The operations of solid lines (arrows d, e, f) are originally necessary for the ceiling guided vehicle 40.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to move laterally while the elevating table is suspended from the main body, and An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer system for a ceiling transfer vehicle, which can quickly move its position in the vehicle and shorten the transfer time.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a transportation system for a ceiling guided vehicle according to the present invention has an elevator which is hung by a belt and runs along a rail laid on the ceiling. In the transfer system using the ceiling guided vehicle, when the elevator is hung at a predetermined position of the station, driving of the belt or traveling of the ceiling guided vehicle main body is made free, and the lateral moving means with respect to the elevator is the station. It was installed in.

[0011]

By driving the belt or freeing the traveling of the ceiling guided vehicle main body, the lateral moving means can laterally move the lift base, and the position can be moved without lifting the lift base.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a main part of a transportation system for a ceiling guided vehicle according to the present invention.

1 is different from the conventional conveying system for a ceiling guided vehicle in FIG. 6 in that the brake 57a of the drive motor 57 for driving the belt 43 of the ceiling guided vehicle has a switching means 70 for switching between the normal mode and the lateral movement mode. Is provided, and the stations 60 and 61 are provided with a lateral movement device 71 with respect to the lift table 42.

The lateral moving device 71 is composed of a positioning table 72 and a rodless cylinder 75, and its drive is controlled by the switching means 70. The positioning table 72 is fixed to the slider 73a of the rodless cylinder 73, and can be laterally moved by reciprocating the slider 73a within the section L. A pedestal guide bar 74 is erected on the positioning table 72, and the guide hole member 42 of the lift table 42 is provided.
When a enters the pedestal guide bar 74,
2 is placed on the positioning table 72. This state is detected by the sensor 75, and the switching means 70 receiving the signal from the sensor 75 switches the drive motor 57 to the lateral movement mode, and the brake 57a is made free so that the belt 43 can be fed out freely. Further, the switching means 70 drives the rodless cylinder 73 of the lateral movement device 71 at a predetermined timing.

Further, the lift table 50 is structured so that the chuck 23 alone can be lifted and lowered. That is, two bobbin chucks 23 are provided on the lower surface of the lifting table 50 so as to project downward via the cylinder 21 and the guide 22. Cylinder 21
A bobbin chuck 23 is attached to the tip of the rod 21a of the above, and is prevented from rotating by a guide 22. Therefore,
When the rod 21a of the cylinder 21 is extended or shortened,
Each bobbin chuck 23 independently moves up and down with respect to the lift table 50. This vertical movement distance H is at least a distance exceeding the height of the package P, so that the package P gripped by the bobbin chuck 23 which is not lowered and the auxiliary package P inserted on the peg shaft 57 do not interfere with each other. There is. Instead of raising and lowering the chuck 23 with respect to the raising and lowering table 42, the entire lateral movement device 71 may be moved up and down by a distance H.

Next, the package transfer by the above-mentioned transfer system will be described. The lifting table 42 is hung from the ceiling carrier stopped at the supply station 61, and the guide hole member 4
2a enters the pedestal guide bar 74 and stops lowering at a predetermined height. This state is detected by the sensor 75, the lifting motor 57 is stopped, and the mode is switched to the lateral movement mode.
7a becomes free. And the rod 2 of the cylinder 21
By extending 1a and releasing the chuck 23, the package P is transferred to the right peg shaft 52. Chuck 2
At the same time when 3 moves up, the rodless cylinder 73 of the lateral movement device 71 is driven in the direction so that the right chuck 23 is positioned right above the left peg shaft 52. At this time, since the brake 57a is free, the belt 43 is pulled out only by being pulled, and the elevating table 42 moves laterally smoothly. The belt 43 has a width in the thickness direction of the paper surface, can easily follow lateral movement, and can be fed out without difficulty. Instead of freeing the lifting motor 57 for the belt 43, the traveling motor of the main body of the ceiling guided vehicle may be freed so that the main body is pulled by the belt 43 and follows. Then, the chuck 23 is lowered to grip the empty bobbin B. Next, the elevating motor 57 is returned to the normal mode by the switching means 70, and the elevating table 42 is raised to be integrated with the main body of the ceiling guided vehicle to travel to the next station. Thus, for a slight repositioning within the stations 60,61,
It is not necessary to raise and lower the elevating table 42, the lateral movement device 71 can quickly move laterally, and the transport cycle can be greatly shortened.

Next, the structure and operation of the main body of the ceiling guided vehicle for suspending the lift will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The ceiling transfer vehicle 40 has drive wheels 48 that travel on the rails 3 on the hangers 46 attached to the ceiling beams 44 and the like via U bolts 45, and driven wheels 49, and further drive wheels 48.
It has a traveling motor 50 for driving. In addition, a plurality of guide rollers 51 that engage with the rails 3 at appropriate positions are provided on the upper portion of the ceiling transport vehicle 40 in order to prevent rolling on the rails 3. Further, a sensor 52 for detecting stop / passage or the like is provided at an appropriate position of the ceiling guided vehicle 40.
Are provided in the desired number.

The mechanism for suspending the elevating table of the ceiling transfer vehicle 40 so that it can be raised and lowered is as follows. The ceiling transport vehicle 40 has a pair of horizontal shafts 53 for winding and unwinding a plurality of belts 43 that suspend the lifting platform.
The horizontal shaft 53 has belts 4 at both ends.
A drum 54 around which 3 is wound directly is attached. Further, the horizontal shafts 53 are connected via a timing belt 55 so as to rotate in synchronization with each other.
Then, one horizontal shaft 53 is rotated by a lifting motor 57 via a belt 56, whereby the belt 4
3. Winding and unwinding 3. An encoder 58 for measuring the winding or unwinding amount of the belt 43 is provided at the end of the other horizontal shaft 53. In addition, the limit switch 5 for detecting the uppermost position of the lifting platform
9 is also provided in place.

Further, a weft supply method to which the conveying system of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In FIG. 5, 1a to 1d are looms, and a large number of looms (four in the illustrated example are shown for simplicity) are installed below the circulation rail 3 of the ceiling carrier 2. In addition, weft supply stations 4a to 4d are installed on the lateral side of the loom 1. Further, a loading station 5 and an empty tube collecting station 6 are continuously installed below the rail 3. A product classifying device 7 is connected to the loading station 5. Further, 8 is a transfer station, 9 is a transfer robot, 10 is a warehouse, and 11 is a control device.

In FIG. 5, the slicing device 7 for each product type is 8
The storage conveyors 31 are arranged in rows, and the trays can be sent out one by one by the stoppers 32. In addition, the transport conveyor 33 is located at the center of the storage conveyors 31 in four rows on both sides. This transfer conveyor 33 is used for loading station 5 and transfer station 8.
Via the communication conveyor 34. The communication conveyor 34 is connected to the entrances of the eight rows of storage conveyors 31. The storage conveyor 31 stores the tray 28 in which the packages of specific types to are inserted. Then, the trays of the specific type are sent to the transport conveyor 33 in the requested order, and stopped at the loading station 5 by the stopper 35. Further, the empty tray 28 is stopped at the transfer station 8 by the stopper 36, and the transfer robot 9 receives the replenishment of the package of the specific type. Then, it returns to the predetermined storage conveyor 31 via the communication conveyor 34. In this way, the tray 28 itself is reused. The stoppers 32, 35, 36 can be freely retracted, and the tray 28 can be temporarily stopped at each station.

The procedure of the above weft supply method will be described with reference to FIG. For example, there is no request for the loom 1a, the loom 1b requests the type, the loom 1c requests the type, and the loom 1d.
Request a variety. This request signal is the communication line f1.
Is input to the control device 11 via the communication line f2, and the control device 11 drives the product type slicing device 7 based on a program incorporated in advance via the communication line f2. First, the tray is sent out from the storage conveyor 31 of the product type to the loading station 5 via the transfer conveyor 33, and the package of the product type is held by the chuck of the elevating table 40 of the package transfer vehicle 2. Then, due to the lateral movement of the lifting platform 40, the other chucks are positioned downward. At the same time, the product type is sent from the storage conveyor 31 to the loading station 5, and the chuck of the elevator 40 holds the product type package. Similarly, the type of package is gripped by another chuck. At this time, four or more chucks of the lifting table are provided, and at least one chuck is left empty. Then, after raising the elevating table 40, the package transport vehicle 2 travels, stops right above the weft supply station 4b, lowers the elevating table 40, holds an empty tube in an empty chuck, and lifts the elevating table 40. The package of the product is supplied with the chuck that holds the product being moved laterally downward.
Next, the weft supply station 4c supplies the product type and holds the empty tube in the empty chuck,
To move the package horizontally and supply the package of the variety. Similarly, the weft supply station 4d grips an empty tube and supplies a package of a type. Then, since three empty tubes are held in the chuck of the lifting table 40, the package transport vehicle 2 stops on the empty paper tube collecting station 6 and drops the empty tubes into the box.

After the package transport vehicle 2 transports a specific type of package, the empty tray 28 left in the loading station 5 is transported to the transfer station 8, and the transfer robot 9 transfers the type of package from the warehouse 10. Will be replenished in order. Then, these trays return to the storage conveyor of the product type via the communication conveyor 34.

By repeating the above process, a package of a specific product type can be supplied to the loom and the product type can be arbitrarily selected, which is suitable for a loom line for multi-product production. Also, empty tubes can be collected at the same time. Further, the position movement at the station can be dealt with by the lateral movement of the elevating table, and the cycle time required for transportation can be shortened.

[0024]

The carrying system of the ceiling guided vehicle according to the present invention, when the elevator is suspended at a predetermined position of the station,
The belt drive or the traveling of the ceiling guided vehicle main body is made free, and the lateral movement means for the lifting platform is provided in the station. The lifting platform can be laterally moved, and the lifting of the lifting platform can be omitted. Since it is possible to move the existing position, it is possible to greatly reduce the carrying time when, for example, holding an empty bobbin in the same station and supplying a package of a specific product.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a main part of a transportation system for a ceiling guided vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a ceiling guided vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a ceiling guided vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a weft supply system in which the transport system of the present invention is used.

5 is a top view of the cutting device of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a conventional transportation system for a ceiling guided vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 40 Ceiling carrier 41 Main body 42 Lifting table 70 Switching means 71 Horizontal moving device (horizontal moving means) 60 Loading station 61 Supply station

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a transfer system using an overhead transfer vehicle having an elevator table suspended by a belt and traveling along rails laid on the ceiling, when the elevator table is suspended at a predetermined position of a station. A transportation system for a ceiling guided vehicle, wherein driving of the belt or traveling of the main body of the overhead guided vehicle is made free, and a lateral moving unit for the lift is provided at the station.