JP2525172B2 - How to supply and discharge the work storage container - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method of supplying and discharging a work storage container, which is mainly applied when a robot automatically takes out a work.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, a transfer path for planarly transferring a container for storing a work from a loading place to a paying out place is provided, and the container is stopped at a fixed position at an unloading position in the middle of the transfer path to take out the work. I am trying.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the above, there is a problem that the transfer path occupies a relatively large space due to the planar transfer of the container, resulting in poor space efficiency.

In this case, a predetermined number of containers for storing the work can be put in and out, a waiting place in front of the putting in and out place, an taking out place above the waiting place, and a putting in and out place behind the taking out place. There is a return place located above the place,
After the stacked containers to be put into the loading / unloading place are sent to the waiting place, these containers are sequentially lifted from the upper one to the unloading place to take out the work, and the emptied containers are emptied from the unloading place. Return to the place of entry and exit through the place of return,
It is also conceivable to transfer the container in three dimensions to reduce the space.

However, when empty containers returned to the return place by this one are sequentially lowered to the in / out place to be stacked at the in / out place, all the containers previously put into the in / out place are placed in the in / out place. The next container cannot be loaded into the loading / unloading place until it is returned to the loading / unloading place, and after the work loading from the lowermost loaded container is completed, It takes time until the work is taken out from the container, and this time is lost time, which lowers productivity. Therefore, it is desired to solve this problem.

It should be noted that the container loading / unloading work is carried out by placing an empty container taken out from the loading / unloading place on the trolley and inserting the container containing the work previously placed on the dolly into the loading / unloading place. If the place is separate from the workability, the workability is poor, and it is better that the container can be put in and taken out at the same place as described above.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container feeding / discharging method which solves the above-mentioned problems in a container in which a container is three-dimensionally transferred so that the container can be continuously supplied to a work taking-out place. To that end.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an entrance / exit location in which a predetermined number of containers for accommodating workpieces can be loaded and unloaded, and a standby location in front of the entry / exit location. A stacking container to be loaded into the loading / unloading place, a unloading place above the waiting place for picking up the works from the container, and a returning place located behind the unloading place and above the loading / unloading place. After sending to the standby place, these containers are sequentially raised from the upper one to the take-out place to take out the work, and the empty container is returned from the take-out place to the return place to the take-out place. In this case, the containers to be returned to the returning place are sequentially stacked on the returning place, and when a predetermined number of stacked containers are stacked, these containers are lowered to the entrance / exit.

(Operation) Until the container at the bottom of the previously stacked containers (hereinafter referred to as the first container group) is lifted from the standby position to the take-out position and emptied and returned to the return place, The containers from which the work has been taken out ahead of the first container group are stocked in a stacked state on the returning place, and therefore the next container in the stacked state in advance at the in / out place (hereinafter referred to as the second container group) Can be put in.

Then, when the lowermost container rises to the take-out position, the second container group is sent to the standby place, and when the lowermost container is emptied and returned to the return place, the second container group The uppermost container is moved up to the extraction location, and the extraction of the work from the container group is started.

Further, when the bottommost container is returned to the return place, the container of the first container group is lowered to the loading / unloading place in a stacked state, and is taken out from the loading / unloading place to be loaded into the container in the next stacked state. It is put in the place of taking in and out, and the container is continuously supplied to the place of taking out by the same procedure as above.

(Embodiment) Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, (1) shows a machine frame framed so that a container w containing a work can be transferred back and forth and up and down. , A lower rear entrance / exit location (2) where a predetermined number of, for example, three containers w can be stacked and unloaded, a standby location (3) in front of the lower entry / exit location, and a standby location (3) for removing a work from the container w A take-out place (4) above the take-out place (4) and a return place (5) located behind the take-out place (2) above the take-out place (2), and the container w put in the take-out place (2) Are sent to the waiting place (3) in a stacked state by the first transfer device (6) arranged at the bottom of the machine casing (1), and these containers w are arranged at the rear of the machine casing (1). 1 The lifting device (7) sequentially raises the upper one to the take-out place (4), and the positioning device (8) ), The work in the container w is taken out by a robot or the like, and the empty container w is returned to the return place (5) by the second transfer device (9) arranged above the machine frame (1). The containers w that have been returned are stacked on the returning place (5) by the second elevating device (10) arranged at the rear of the machine frame (1), and three containers w are stacked. By the way, I decided to lower this to the access point (2).

The first transfer device (6) includes a plurality of transfer rollers (6c) rotated by a motor (6a) via a chain (6b).
It is assumed that the first lifting device (7) is composed of a chain lifter driven by a motor (7a), that is, on the left and right sides of the front part of the machine casing (1). The chain (7d) is wound between the lower drive sprocket (7b) and the upper driven sprocket (7c) provided in the front and rear pairs, and the front and rear two pairs of the left and right chains (7d) (7d) A support plate (7
e) is installed, and the first sprocket (7g) and the second sprocket (7g) that rotate in opposite directions by the power from the motor (7a) to the gear box (7f) connected to the motor (7a).
h) is provided, and the drive sprocket (7b) (7b) on the left side in FIG. 3 is connected to the chain (7j) by the first sprocket (7g) and the chain (7j) by the second sprocket (7h). The drive sprocket (7b) (7b) on the right side in FIG.
A pair of front and rear supporting plates (7e) and (7e) are vertically moved in synchronization with each other by the forward and reverse rotations of (a), and the container w is placed on both supporting plates (7e) and (7e) accordingly. I was able to go up and down in the state.

The positioning device (8) includes a pair of pressing cylinders (8a) (8a) for pressing the corners on both sides of the rear of the container w raised to the take-out location (4) in a diagonal direction of the container w, and the container w. A pair of positioning frames (8b) (8b) fixed to the machine frame (1) that receives the corners on both sides of the front of the container, and a pair of left and right support arms (8c) (8c) that support the bottom surface of the container w. Each of the support arms (8c) is composed of a pair of upper and lower cams formed on a guide plate (8e) fixed to the machine frame (1) by a cylinder (8d) as shown in FIG. Along the grooves (8f) (8f), it is possible to freely move in and out between the standby position (3) and the take-out position (4) in the operating position protruding into the container elevating path and the escape position outside thereof, and the escape By moving to the position, the container w can be moved up and down without interfering with the respective support arms (8c).

The second transfer device (9) includes a pair of left and right conveyor frames (9) extending between the take-out place (4) and the return place (5).
a) Return roller (9a) that receives both sides of the bottom of container w
b) and a pair of starter rollers (9c) (9c) abutting against the side surface of the container w existing at the take-out position (4) are attached, and these return frames of each conveyor frame (9a) are provided. The rollers (9b) are interlocked with each other via a chain (9d), and the starting rollers (9c) (9c) are connected to the return roller (9) at the front end.
b) is linked via a belt (9e), and a motor (9f) is provided between the take-out place (4) and the return place (5) as shown in FIG. An appropriate return roller (9b) of the conveyor frame (9a) on one side of the shaft (9h) connected via a chain (9g) and another return roller (9b) of the support frame (9a) of the one side. Via the shaft (9i) to the appropriate return roller (9) of the conveyor frame (9a) on the other side.
b), and thus the motor (9f) gives the return roller (9b) and the starting roller (9c) of the two conveyor frames (9a) and (9a) rotation in synchronization with each other, and the take-out place The container w existing in (4) is sent out from the support arms (8c) (8c) to the return roller (9b) by the starting roller (9c), and is conveyed to the return place (5) by the return roller (9b). It was to so.

As shown in FIG. 6, the two conveyor frames (9a) and (9a) are rotatably supported laterally with respect to the machine frame (1) by a supporting piece (9j) standing on the upper surface thereof. , A rotary actuator (9k) arranged near the motor (9f)
The lever (9l) interlocking with the above allows the containers (9m) to be opened and closed in synchronization with each other via the links (9m), and the container w is conveyed at the closed position shown by the solid line in FIG. Open both conveyor frames (9a) (9a) as shown by the phantom line in the figure,
When the container w is raised from the waiting place (3) to the take-out place (4) and when the container w is lowered from the return place (5) to the take-in place (2), the starting roller (9c) and the return roller (9b) are put on the container w. )
Did not interfere. The shaft (9h) (9
The i) is configured to have a hook joint so as not to hinder the opening / closing operation of the both conveyor frames (9a) (9a). In the figure, (9n) shows a guide plate provided on each conveyor frame (9a) for preventing lateral displacement of the container w.

The second lifting device (10) is composed of a chain lifter driven by a motor (10a), and is different from the first lifting device (7) in that the support plate (7e) is replaced by a container. w
The hooks (10e) that engage with the engaging grooves wa formed as shown in FIG. 7 are provided on both sides of the bottom part of the same, and other configurations are not particularly different, and are common to the first lifting device (7). Is the sign
The same alphabet as that of the numeral 7 is given to 10 and the description thereof is omitted.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, each hook (10e) is attached to each chain (10d) so as to be tiltable between a laterally inward projecting position for engaging with the container w and a laterally outwardly escaping position, When lowering the hooks (10e) with respect to the container w from above, the hooks (10e) are pushed by the side surface of the container and tilted to the escape position, and the hooks (10e) with respect to the container w from underneath. When raising, the hooks (10e), which are held at the projecting position by their own weight or appropriate springs, are engaged with the engaging grooves wa of the container w, and the chains (10d) are moved by the motor (10a). These hooks (10e) can be moved up and down in synchronization with each other between a rising end position above the return location (5) and an intermediate position slightly below the return location (5), and It is possible to descend from the intermediate position to the descending end position slightly below the entrance / exit location (2), and further to the descending end. It was freely backward to put et raised end position through the outer circulation passage of the chain (10d).

The machine frame (1) includes the above-mentioned devices (6) (7) (8).
Various sensors for performing the sequence operations of (9) and (10) are provided, and the operation of this embodiment will be described below in addition to the description of these sensors.

A container loading sensor (3) in which work-containing containers in a three-tiered stack are put into the entrance / exit location (2), and the bottom end of the container w is a photoelectric tube arranged in front of the lower part of the entrance / exit location (2) ( When it reaches 11), the motor (6a) of the first transfer device (6) is activated by the signal from the sensor (11), the container group is transferred to the waiting place (3), and the bottom container w When the front end of the container reaches a container carry-in sensor (12) composed of a photoelectric tube arranged on the lower front side of the waiting place (3), the sensor (1
The motor (6a) is stopped by the signal from 2), then the first
When the motor (7a) of the lifting device (7) operates, the container group rises in a stacked state and the uppermost container w rises to the take-out position (4). The detection claw (13a) provided on the front side swings inward and engages with the detection groove wb formed on the bottom of the front surface of the container w, and the tail end of the detection claw (13a) comprises a proximity switch to raise the container. Opposed to the sensor (13), the sensor (13) takes out the container w from the extraction position (4).
Is confirmed to rise.

At this time, the motor (7a) is stopped by the signal from the sensor (13) and the pressing cylinder (8a) of the positioning device (8) is operated to move the uppermost first container w to the positioning frame (8b). ) Is temporarily fixed to the take-out position (4) in a state of being positioned in two horizontal directions with respect to the above, and then the motor (7a) is reversely operated to lower the remaining container w and the second container w in the middle stage is taken out. When the sensor descends to a position below the remaining container lowering sensor (14) composed of a photoelectric tube arranged below the position (4) and does not interfere with the supporting arm (8c) of the positioning device (8), the sensor ( 14) The supporting arm (8c) is projected to the operating position by the signal from 14) to position the first container w in the vertical direction, and then the arrangement of the model identification holes wc formed on the front surface of the container w is taken out ( Detected by the model identification sensor (15) provided on the front side of 4), It collates with the model data stored in advance, and when it matches the data, the robot sequentially takes out the workpiece from the container w.

After the work is taken out, the conveyor frame (9a) of the second transfer device (9) is closed and the pressing cylinder (8a) is retracted, and the swinging of the conveyor frame (9a) to the closed position is performed by the support piece (9j). ) And a conveyor frame opening / closing sensor (16) consisting of a proximity switch to operate the motor (9f), and the empty first container w is returned from the extraction location (4) to the return location (5). Return to.

Then, when the rear end of the container w reaches the container return sensor (17) composed of a photoelectric tube arranged at the rear side of the return place (5), the motor (9f) is driven by the signal from the sensor (17). At the same time as stopping, the motor (10a) of the second lifting device (10) is actuated to move the hook (10) at the rising end position.
e) is lowered, and when the hook (10e) is lowered to the intermediate position, the hook intermediate position sensor (1
When detected by 7), the motor (10f) reversely rotates, the hook (10e) rises and lifts the container w, and the hook (1
The motor (10f) is stopped when the hook rising end sensor (18) composed of a proximity switch detects the rising of 0e) to the rising end position.

At the same time, the signal from the sensor (18) opens the conveyor frame (9a), the support arm (8c) retracts to the escape position, and then the motor (7a) operates to raise the remaining container. , The second container w in the middle stage rises to the take-out place (4), and when this is detected by the container raising sensor (13) in the same manner as above, the motor (7a) is stopped, and thereafter the same procedure as above is followed. Temporary fixing of the container w at the take-out location (4) and the third step at the bottom
Of the second container w, the final positioning of the second container w, the work removal, the returning of the empty second container w to the returning place (5), and the rising end position of the hook (10e). The descending to the intermediate position and the ascending to the ascending position are performed, and the second container w is lifted above the return place (5) with the first container w stacked thereon. Then, the lowermost third container w is lifted to the take-out place (4) and positioned.

In this case, the support plate (7e) has risen to the lower surface level of the extraction place (4), the support plate rising end sensor (19) consisting of a proximity switch has been activated, and the standby place (3) has become empty. If it is confirmed that the next container group has been previously inserted into the entrance / exit location (2) and a signal has been generated from the container insertion sensor (11), the support plate (7e) descends to the lower end position and the support plate (not shown) is shown. When a signal is generated from the descending end sensor, the motor (6a) is activated and the next container w is carried into the waiting place (3).

When the work removal from the third container w is completed and returned to the return location (5), the hook (10e) descends from the ascending end position to the intermediate position and then temporarily ascends to the ascending end position. , The third container w and the second and first container w on top of it
, Then the conveyor frame (9a) is opened, then the hook (10e) descends to the descending end position, and these containers w are placed on the carrying roller (6c) existing at the loading / unloading place (2). On the other hand, the uppermost container w of the next container group carried into the waiting place (3) is raised to the taking-out place (4), and the work taking-out from the next container group is started.

It should be noted that the hook (10e) descends to the descending end position, this is detected by the hook descending end sensor (20) composed of a proximity switch, and that the empty container descending sensor consisting of a photoelectric tube indicates the descending of the empty container group to the entrance / exit position. When detected by (21), an appropriate alarm is activated to prompt the operator to move the container in and out, and the hook (10e) is activated by the continuous operation of the motor (10a) to cause the chain (10e) to move.
It is returned to the ascending end position via the circulation path on the outside of d) and prepares for stock of empty containers on the above-mentioned return place (5).

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the containers are supplied from the loading / unloading place through the front standby position to the upper loading position, and the empty containers are once stacked at the returning position behind the loading position. It is stocked in the state and lowered to the entrance / exit place, and the three-dimensional transfer of the container is performed to improve space efficiency, and the next container group is entered / exited while the workpiece is taken out from the container group that was previously put in. It is possible to start the work taking-out from the next container group without causing a loss time after the completion of the work taking-out from the previous container group, and there is an effect that the productivity can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an example of a container feeding / discharging device used for carrying out the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof.
4 is a plan view, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are V- of FIG. 4, respectively.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the container, and FIG. 7 is a side view cut along the line V and VI-VI. w …… Container (2) …… Entry / exit location (3) …… Standby location (4) …… Extraction location (5) …… Return location

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Izumi Uno 2198 Motomachi, Kui-shi, Mie Prefecture (72) Inventor Toshiaki Hasegawa 1 Oka, Okimura, Nishiharu-cho, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Sanyo Kiko Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kawabuchi Shigemasa 1 Oka, Okimura, Nishiharu-cho, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Prefecture Sanyo Kiko Co., Ltd. (56) References JP 61-145034 (JP, A) JP 60-122632 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A loading / unloading place capable of loading and unloading a predetermined number of containers for storing works, a standby position in front of the loading / unloading place, and a loading position above the standby position for removing the work from the container. A return place located behind the take-out place and above the take-in place, and after feeding the stacked containers to be put into the take-in place to the waiting place, the containers from the upper one In the one in which the work is sequentially raised to the take-out place, the work is taken out, and an empty container is returned from the take-out place to the return place to the take-out place, the container returned to the return place is the return place. A method for supplying and discharging a work storage container, characterized in that the containers are sequentially stacked on top of each other, and when a predetermined number of them are stacked, these containers are lowered to the entrance.