JP2713154B2 - Pallet positioning device in automated line 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 pallet positioning apparatus in an automated line system composed of an assembly module having an assembly robot and a base module having a conveyor, and more particularly to a pallet positioning apparatus for rebuilding a production line or changing a line. The present invention relates to a pallet positioning device that does not need to perform a re-teaching operation of an assembly robot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, assembling products such as electronic devices,
It is performed by an automated line system to automate the work. Generally, an automated line system comprises an assembly module and a base module. The assembly module is composed of an assembly robot for assembling products, a base on which the assembly robot performs assembly work, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the assembly robot. It had been. Further, the base module has been configured by a mounting table for the assembly module and a conveyor for transporting the pallet on which the work is mounted to the assembly robot. Furthermore, in an automated line system consisting of these assembly modules and a base module, when assembling products such as electronic devices by an assembly robot, the pallet conveyed to the front of the assembly robot is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the head of the assembly robot. It is necessary to position so that
Conventionally, the conveyor is provided with a pallet positioning device.

Although the pallet positioning is not performed, a technique similar to the pallet positioning apparatus is, for example, provided on a work transfer means such as a conveyor or a rotary table in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 61-125785. There has been proposed a work positioning device that holds a work conveyed to a robot at a predetermined posture position. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-12518, two ascending and descending positioning pins are provided at a part assembling position of a conveyer, and the conveyed member is conveyed to an assembling robot by the conveyer. Forming two holes corresponding to the positioning pins, and when the member to be mounted is conveyed to the component mounting position, the positioning pins are lowered to be inserted into the holes of the member to be mounted, and the mounting of the assembly robot is performed. There has been proposed a positioning device for positioning an attached member.

[0004]

However, in the above-described pallet positioning device in the conventional automated line system, since the pallet positioning device is provided on a conveyor, the pallet positioning device is reconfigured or the model of an assembled product is changed by the pallet positioning device. If you change the line,
The relative positional relationship between the assembling robot and the pallet positioning device has changed, and there has been a problem that the operation amount of the assembling robot must be newly taught. Problems re teaching work for such an assembly robot, as long as there be provided with a positioning device to the conveyor (conveying means), even the positioning device of JP 61-12578 No.5 and JP 63-12518 mentioned above The same occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problems. For the purpose of providing.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pallet positioning apparatus for an automatic line system, comprising: an assembly module for assembling a product; and a work to be supplied to the assembly module. Ri Do a pallet having a base module to transport by the conveyor, and the assembly module and the base
Module coupled to a separable automated line system, provided in the assembly module, the Rutoki by coupling the assembled modules to the base module, wherein
It has been retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the base module.
Serial <br/> the assembly module when coupled to the base module is moved disposed to the working position below the conveyor, on a pallet that has been transported to the front of the assembly module
It is configured to include a backup member that performs downward positioning.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pallet positioning apparatus for an automated line system, comprising: a substrate formed in a work area of the assembly module; A cam, a slide table fixed to the cam and sliding on the substrate together with the cam, a cylinder base mounted on the slide table so as to be movable up and down, and a lower surface contacting the cam; A backup member fixed to the tip of the attached second cylinder, a holding plate attached to one end of the substrate and having a hook-shaped upper portion, and located at the other end of the substrate and interlocked with the slide table. The cam is retracted, and when the cam retreats, it is in a collapsed state, and when the cam moves forward, Facing the raised state and is in the pressing plate can, the top is a configuration in which a pallet guide hook.

Further, the pallet positioning device in the automated line system according to the third aspect of the present invention is arranged such that when the assembly module and the base module are connected, the pallet is located on the exit side of the backup member in the pallet transport direction, and the tip of the pallet transported. A stopper that is movable forward and backward to stop the pallet in front of the assembly module by contacting the pallet; and It has a configuration that includes an escaper that can move forward and backward.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pallet positioning apparatus in the automated line system, wherein an operation panel of the pallet positioning apparatus is arranged on a front surface of the assembly module, and the pallet positioning apparatus operates when the assembly module and the base module are connected. The operation panel is configured to be located near the conveyor.

[0010]

According to the pallet positioning device in the automated line system of the present invention having the above-described structure, the positioning device provided in the assembly module positions the pallet with respect to the assembling robot. Even when the setup is changed, the positional relationship between the head of the assembly robot and the pallet can always be kept constant.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a pallet positioning device in an automated line system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automated line system provided with a pallet positioning device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pallet positioning device.
3A and 3B are partial cross-sectional side views of the present pallet positioning device.

The automated line system of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes an assembly module 10 and a base module 20. The assembling module 10 includes an assembling robot 11 for assembling products such as electronic devices, a base 12 on which the assembling robot 11 performs assembling work, and a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the assembling robot 11. I have. A pallet positioning device 100 is provided at one end on the base 12.

Here, the configuration of the pallet positioning device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10
Reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate on which various components constituting the pallet positioning device are mounted. At one end of the substrate 101,
A press plate 102 having a hook-shaped upper portion is provided upright. A first air cylinder 103 in which a piston rod reciprocates horizontally on a substrate 101 is attached to the press plate 102. A pair of wedge-shaped cams 104a and 104b that are inclined toward the other end of the substrate 101 are attached to the distal end of the piston rod of the first air cylinder 103. The cams 104a and 104b advance and retreat on the substrate 101 by the first air cylinder 103. Also,
Reference numeral 105 denotes a slide table, and the cams 104a, 104
4b is fixed and slides on the substrate 101 together with the cams 104a and 104b by the reciprocating motion of the piston rod of the first air cylinder 103.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a plate-shaped cylinder base, which is located on the slide table 105 and is vertically movably mounted along guide rails 110a and 110b vertically provided. A roller 107 is attached to the lower surface of the cylinder base 106 so as to contact the inclined surfaces of the cams 104a and 104b. Further, the cylinder base 10
A second air cylinder 108 in which a piston rod reciprocates vertically is mounted on 6, and a plate-shaped backup member 109 is horizontally fixed to the tip of the piston rod of the second air cylinder 108. .

Reference numeral 120 denotes a pallet guide having a hook-shaped upper portion, both sides of which are rotatably supported by side plates 122a and 122b by straight pins 121a and 121b, and a center of one end of which is connected to a connecting rod 12 by a connecting pin 123.
4 is rotatably connected to one end. In addition, connecting rod 1
The other end of 24 is rotatably connected to the other end of the slide table 105 by a connecting pin 125. That is,
The pallet guide 120 is connected to the straight pin 121.
a, 121b, a connecting pin 123, a connecting rod 124, a connecting pin 125, a slide table 105, and the like constitute a link mechanism. Therefore, the pallet guide 120 is
When the cams 104a and 104b move backward, they fall down, and when the cams 104a and 104b move forward, they rise up. When the pallet guide 120 is raised, the distance between the holding plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 is substantially the same as the width in the direction (transverse direction) orthogonal to the pallet 30 transport direction.

Reference numeral 126 denotes an operation panel for controlling the operation of the first and second air cylinders 103 and 108, which is attached to the front of the base 12 of the assembly module 10. As described above, by attaching the operation panel 126 to the front surface of the base 12, the operation panel 126 is located below the upper conveyor 22 when the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are connected, and is easily opened by opening the door 28. (FIGS. 6A and 6B). Further, a plurality of assembly modules 10 can be arranged in close contact with each other, and effective use of space can be achieved.

The base module 20 comprises a mounting table 21 on which the assembly module 10 is mounted, an upper conveyor 22 and a lower conveyor 23. The upper conveyor 22 and the lower conveyor 23 are configured such that a pair of conveyor belts are arranged on both sides between side plates. The upper conveyor 22 transports the pallet on which the work is mounted to the assembly module 10, and the side plates 24 a and 24 b of the upper conveyor 22 include the pallet positioning device 100.
Notch portions 25a and 25b corresponding to are formed. Further, the notches 25a and 25b on the bottom surface of the upper conveyor 22 are provided.
A stopper 26 and an escaper 27 for positioning the pallet in the horizontal direction are arranged in the vicinity of.

In the automatic line system according to the present embodiment, although not shown, an unloader is disposed at an end point of the upper conveyor 22 and a loader is disposed at an end point of the lower conveyor 23. The pallet whose work has been emptied by the completion of the assembling work is transferred from the upper conveyor 22 to the lower conveyor 23.
To be transported by the unloader.

Next, the operation of the pallet positioning apparatus of the present embodiment having the above configuration when the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are connected will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 4A to 4C are explanatory views of the operation of the pallet positioning device when the assembly module and the base module are connected. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the automated line system in a state where the assembly module and the base module are combined. FIGS. 6A and 6B show the assembled state of the assembly module and the base module in FIG. 5, wherein FIG. 6A is a front view and FIG. 6B is a side view.
FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the present pallet positioning device in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Assembly module 10 and base module 2
0, first, the cams 104a, 104b
And the backup member 109 of the pallet positioning device 100 is lowered, and the pallet guide 120 is lowered (FIG. 3A,
FIG. 4 (a). Then, the base 12 of the assembly module 10
The assembly module 10 is moved toward the base module 20 so that the tip is located below the upper conveyor 22, and the two are joined. At this time, the positioning device is a side plate 24a,
The pallet guide 120 protrudes from the notch 25b after passing through the notches 25a and 25b of FIG. 24b (FIG. 4B).

After that, it is confirmed that the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are surely connected, the door 28 of the base module 20 is opened, and the operation panel 126 is operated (FIGS. 6A and 6B). The piston rod of the first air cylinder 103 is pushed out. Then, the cam 104
a, 104b are advanced, the third air cylinder 108 is lifted, and the backup member 109 is moved to a predetermined height (operation
Position) . At the same time, the slide table 105 slides, and the pallet guide 120 is raised vertically by this sliding operation (FIG. 4C,
5 to 7). The pallet positioning device 100 stands by in this state until a pallet is conveyed by the upper conveyor 22.

Next, a pallet positioning operation of the pallet positioning device of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the pallet positioning device, and FIG.
(A)-(d) is explanatory drawing of the positioning operation of this pallet positioning device.

When the pallet 30 conveyed by the upper conveyor 22 is located in front of the assembly module 10, the tip of the pallet 30 contacts the stopper 26 which has been pushed up beforehand, and the pallet 30 stops on the upper conveyor 22 ( FIG. 9 (a)). The pallet 30
Positioning of the lateral direction are pressing plate 102 and Parettoga
This is performed when the pallet 30 has entered between the ids 120. Therefore, the pallet 30 is positioned in the horizontal direction.

[0024] Then, escaper 27 is pushed upward that is located on the opposite side of the stopper 26, abuts against the rear end of the pallet 30, thereby, the pallet 30 is to position so as not to move in the horizontal direction (FIG. 9 ( b)).

[0025] After that, raise the back-up member 109 by driving the second air cylinder 108, pressed against the respective upper hook portion of the pressing plate 102 and the pallet guides 120 pallets 30, for positioning in the vertical direction of the pallet 30 (FIG. 9 (c)).

[0026] performing the overall positioning of the pallet 30 in this manner by the positioning of the horizontal and vertical directions.
After the completion of the positioning operation, the assembly robot 11
Starts assembling the electronic device. And pallet 3
When there is no work mounted on the pallet 0, the second air cylinder 108 is driven to lower the backup member 109. Thereafter, the piston rod of the stopper 26 is retracted, and the pallet 30 is conveyed to an unloader (not shown). 9 (d)).

According to the pallet positioning device in the automated line system of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the positioning device 100 provided in the assembly module 10 is used.
However, since the backup member 109 is moved up and down to position the pallet 30 horizontally and vertically with respect to the assembly robot 11, even when the production line is reconstructed or the line is changed, the head of the assembly robot 11 and the pallet 30 are moved. Can always be kept constant. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the re-taught operation of the assembly robot 11. In the present embodiment, the operation panel 126 of the pallet positioning device 100 is connected to the assembly module 1.
The pallet positioning device 100 can be easily operated by opening the door 28 because the pallet positioning unit 100 is mounted on the front surface of the base 12 of the 0 ’.

The pallet positioning device in the automated line system of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, this pallet positioning device
As long as the pallet is provided on the assembly module 10 and can move the pallet up and down to a predetermined position, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Therefore, for example, the shapes of the holding plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 may be changed according to the shape of the pallet to be used. Further, the holding plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 are connected to the side plates 24a, 24b.
And may be formed integrally. With such a configuration,
The structure of the pallet positioning device becomes simple, and the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 can be easily joined. Further, the pallet positioning device 100 may be provided so as to be able to protrude and retract from the base 12 of the assembly module 10, and after the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are connected, the pallet positioning device 100 may be moved up onto the base 12 by a motor or the like. .

[0029]

As described above, according to the pallet positioning device in the automated line system of the present invention, the positional relationship between the head of the assembly robot and the pallet can be kept constant, so that the production line can be reconfigured. Alternatively, there is no need to re-teach the assembly robot at the time of line setup change.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automated line system provided with a pallet positioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the present pallet positioning device.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are partial cross-sectional side views showing the configuration and operation of the present pallet positioning device.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are explanatory views showing the flow of the operation of the pallet positioning device when the assembly module and the base module are connected.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the automated line system in a state where the assembly module and the base module are combined.

FIG. 6 (a) is a front view of the assembled state of the assembly module and the base module in FIG. 5, and FIG.
FIG. 2B is a side view.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state of the pallet positioning device in FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the present pallet positioning device at the time of pallet positioning.

FIGS. 9A to 9D are explanatory views showing the positioning operation of the present pallet positioning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Assembly module 11 Assembly robot 12 Base 20 Base module 21 Mounting table 22 Upper conveyor 23 Lower conveyor 24a, 24b Side plate 25a, 25b Notch 26 Stopper 27 Escaper 28 Door 100 Pallet positioning device 101 Substrate 102 Holding plate 103 First air cylinder 104a, 104b Cam 105 Slide table 106 Cylinder base 107 Roller 108 Second air cylinder 109 Backup member 110a, 110b Guide rail 120 Pallet guide 121a, 121b Straight pin 122a, 122b Side plate 123 Connection pin 124 Connection rod 125 Connection pin

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A and product assembly module for assembly of, Ri Do and a base module for transporting the pallets equipped with work supplied to the assembled module by the conveyor, and the assembly module and the base module
But binding to a separable automated line system, provided in the assembly module, the Rutoki by coupling the assembly module to <br/> base module, said Besumo
Has been retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the
When the module is coupled to the base module, the module is provided with a backup member which is moved to a work position below the conveyor and performs vertical positioning of the pallet conveyed to the front of the assembly module. Pallet positioning device in an automated line system. 2. A substrate formed in a work area of the assembly module; a wedge-shaped cam for moving forward and backward on the substrate by a first cylinder; A slide table that slides, and is mounted on this slide table so that it can move up and down,
A cylinder base having a lower surface in contact with the cam, a backup member fixed to the tip of a second cylinder attached to the cylinder base, a holding plate attached to one end of the substrate and having a hook-shaped upper portion, It is located at the other end of the substrate, is rotatably mounted in conjunction with the slide table, is in a state of falling when the cam retreats, and is in a state of rising when the cam moves forward. To oppose the holding plate,
2. The pallet positioning device in an automated line system according to claim 1, further comprising a hook-shaped pallet guide at an upper portion. 3. When the assembling module and the base module are connected, the backing member is located on the side of the pallet conveying direction and comes into contact with the tip of the conveyed pallet to stop the pallet in front of the assembling module. When the assembly module and the base module are combined, the stopper is located on the pallet conveyance direction entry side of the backup member,
3. The pallet positioning device in the automated line system according to claim 1, further comprising: a retractable escaper that comes into contact with a rear end of the pallet. 4. An operation panel of the pallet positioning device is arranged on a front surface of the assembly module, and the operation panel is located near a conveyor when the assembly module and the base module are combined. 3
A pallet positioning device in the automated line system as described.