JP3252942B2 - Work transfer device and work transfer method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work transfer apparatus and a work transfer method used for transferring, for example, an outer side body part (work) of a vehicle body to a vehicle body assembly line. The present invention relates to a work transfer device and a work transfer method used for transferring one outer side body part to a body assembly line one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as the above-mentioned work transfer device, for example, there is one shown in FIG.

The work transfer device 101 transfers an outer side body part (work) Bo of a vehicle body to a body assembly line, and positions a plurality of outer side body parts Bo in two directions orthogonal to each other on a plane. And a work storage truck 102, which is stacked at equal intervals and in the same posture, and a gripping portion 103 set in accordance with the posture of the outer side body part Bo laminated on the work storage truck 102, at the tip of a hand 104a. A robot 104 is provided.

When a plurality of outer side body parts Bo are transported by using the work transport apparatus 101, the plurality of outer side body parts Bo are positioned and stacked on the work storage cart 102 at equal intervals. Then, the work storage cart 102 is moved to a predetermined position to be in a fixed state, and then the handling robot 1
04 is approached from above the work storage trolley 102, and the outer side body part Bo located at the top of the outer side body part Bo stacked on the work storage trolley 102 is gripped by the gripping part 103. Then, the hand 104a of the handling robot 104 is raised to take out the uppermost outer side body part Bo and transport it to the next step.
The above operation is repeatedly performed to sequentially convey the outer side body part Bo.

[0005]

However, in the above-described work transfer device 101 and work transfer method,
Since the grip portion 103 provided at the tip of the hand 104a of the handling robot 104 is set in accordance with the posture of the outer side body part Bo stacked on the work storage cart 102, a plurality of The outer side body parts Bo must be stacked at equal intervals and in the same posture in a state where they are accurately positioned in two directions orthogonal to each other on a plane, and the positioning structure of the work storage cart 102 is inevitably complicated. Therefore, there was a problem that the cost of manufacturing the bogie was increased.

Further, when stacking a plurality of outer side body parts Bo on the work storage cart 102, there is a problem that workability cannot be said to be good because high accuracy and reliable positioning is required. Solving these problems has been a conventional problem.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is intended to reduce the production cost of a trolley and to improve the workability when loading a work. It is intended to provide a transport method.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work storage truck having a plurality of works mounted thereon and moving, and taking out the works one by one from the work storage truck stopped at a predetermined position. In a work transfer device provided with a handling robot for carrying to the next step, the work storage truck is provided with a work unloading / loading unit for loading / unloading a work from a horizontal direction, and horizontally supported in a depth direction from the work loading / unloading unit. A plurality of work holding bars for holding the work and positioning in the vertical and horizontal directions perpendicular to the depth direction are provided, and the handling robot is supported by the hand and provided on the work holding bar of the work storage cart. A posture correction mechanism that corrects the posture in the depth direction one by one from the work near the carried-in / out section and And characterized in that a structure in which a workpiece holding mechanism for gripping the over click, and a means for solving the conventional problems described above the configuration of the workpiece transfer device.

Further, in the work transfer device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the work holding bar is configured to suspend and hold the work, and in the work transfer device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the work holding bar is provided. Is configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the depth direction with respect to the work storage cart.

Further, in the work transfer device according to claim 4 of the present invention, the posture correction mechanism is configured to include a suction portion that can move forward and backward with respect to the work and can suction and separate from the work. In the work transfer device according to the fifth aspect, the posture correction mechanism is configured to include a plurality of suction units, and it is desirable to use a vacuum pad or an electromagnet as the suction unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work transfer method for transferring a plurality of works using the work transfer apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. Then, the work holding bar is loaded from the work unloading / loading section, and is held in a state where the work holding bar is positioned in the vertical and horizontal directions orthogonal to the depth direction.
The work storage trolley is moved to a predetermined position, and then the hand of the handling robot is caused to approach the work carry-out / load-in section of the work storage trolley from the horizontal direction, and the work carry-out / load-in section of the work storage trolley is moved by a posture correcting mechanism. In addition to correcting the posture of the work located in the depth direction in the depth direction and holding the corrected work by the work holding mechanism, the hand of the handling robot is separated from the work storage cart, and then the work is transferred from the work loading / unloading unit. The work is conveyed to the next step by taking out the work, and the structure of the work transfer method is a means for solving the above-mentioned conventional problem.

[0012]

In the work transfer device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the work is mounted on the work storage vehicle, the work is positioned in the vertical and horizontal directions orthogonal to the depth direction of the work storage vehicle, and the work holding mechanism is provided. When gripping the work, the position of the work in the depth direction of the bogie is corrected by the posture correction mechanism.
Work positioning in the depth direction in the work storage cart can be made rough to some extent, which simplifies the positioning structure of the work storage cart and reduces the burden of positioning work, thereby reducing the production cost of the cart and mounting the work. The workability at the time is improved.

In the work transfer device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the work is mounted on the work storage cart, the mounting is completed only by passing a workable portion such as a hole of the work through the work holding bar. Therefore, the workability is further improved, and in the work transfer device according to the third aspect of the present invention, by appropriately changing the interval between the work holding bars, different types of work can be mounted, and The nature will increase.

Further, in the work transfer device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when correcting the posture in the depth direction of the work located near the work carry-out / load-in portion of the work storage truck, the suction portion of the posture correction mechanism is provided with the work. The workpiece moves partially in the direction of the depth of the bogie because the workpiece is moved forward and backward, and the posture correction is quickly performed. For example, if it is arranged on both sides of the work unloading /
Even if the inclination of the workpiece in the depth direction of the carriage is different, the posture correction can be performed efficiently.

On the other hand, in the work transfer method according to claim 6 of the present invention, when the work is mounted, it is not necessary to position the work in the depth direction inside the work storage vehicle, and therefore, the structure for positioning the work storage vehicle is simple. In addition, the burden associated with the positioning operation is reduced, so that the cost of manufacturing the truck is reduced and the workability when the work is mounted is improved.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a work transfer device and a work transfer method according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the work transfer device and the work transfer method according to the present invention are described on the outer side of a vehicle body. Body parts (work)
Is shown for transporting to a vehicle body assembly line.

As shown in FIG. 1, this work transfer device 1
Is a work storage truck 2 that moves with a plurality of outer side body parts B mounted thereon, and a handling robot 3 that takes out the outer side body parts B one by one from the work storage truck 2 stopped at a predetermined position and carries it to the next process. Have.

The work storage trolley 2 has a frame structure, and a work carry-out / carry-in section 21 for taking in / out the outer side body part B from a horizontal direction (X direction in FIG. 1), and a work carry-out / carrying section 21. The outer side body part B is suspended horizontally and supported in the depth direction, and the plurality of pieces are positioned in the vertical and horizontal directions (Z direction and Y direction in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the depth direction of the outer side body part B (FIG. 1). In this embodiment, three (3) work holding bars 22 are provided.
The upper frame 2a has an end opposite to the work carry-in / carry-in section 21 movably supported in the Y direction.

The handling robot 3 partially shown in FIG. 1 has an outer side which is supported by a plate 3b mounted on the hand 3a and which is held by a work holding bar 22 of the work storage trolley 2 and which is closer to a work unloading / loading portion 21. A posture correction mechanism 4 for correcting the posture in the depth direction one by one from the body part B and a work gripping mechanism 5 for gripping the corrected outer side body part B are provided, and the work of the work storage cart 2 is provided on the plate 3b. A relief portion (not shown) is provided to prevent interference with the holding bar 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the posture correction mechanism 4
A cylinder-type actuator 42 that can be stopped at multiple points mounted on the plate 3b via a bracket 41, a vacuum pad 43 as an adsorbing portion mounted on the tip of a cylinder rod 42a of the actuator 42, and a vacuum on the tip of the cylinder rod 42a. An air cylinder 44 mounted in parallel with the pad 43 is provided.
A work detection rod 45 immersible in the air cylinder 44 is provided in a protruding state, and a contact confirmation switch 46 for detecting that the work detection rod 45 has contacted the outer side body part B, Work detection rod 45
Is provided with a retreat confirmation switch 47 for detecting that the. Has moved in the immersion direction.

In this case, the posture correction mechanism 4 is a plate 3b
Are set at both ends of the work holding bar 22.
FR side (left side in the figure) and rear RR side (right side in the figure) of the outer side body part B suspended and held
Are opposed to each other.

The work gripping mechanism 5 includes a plate 3b
And a workpiece detection unit 52 for confirming that the clamp 51 and the part to be gripped set on the outer side body part B are at appropriate positions with respect to each other. In the gripping mechanism 5, the presence detector 5
The outer side body part B is gripped by the clamp 51 by the ON operation of the second lever 2.

In the above-described work transfer device 1, first, a plurality of outer side body parts B are loaded from the work loading / unloading section 21 of the work storage cart 2, and the work holding bar 2 is loaded.
The work storage cart 2 is moved to a predetermined position in the vicinity of the handling robot 3 after the work storage cart 2 is suspended and held in a state where it is positioned in the vertical and horizontal directions perpendicular to the depth direction.

Next, as shown in FIG.
In, a forward command is given to the handling robot 3, and the hand 3a moves the work storage cart 2 to carry out the work.
It approaches the loading section 21 from the horizontal direction.

At this time, the outer side body part B located near the work carry-out / carry-in section 21 of the work storage cart 2
2 is the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, while the vacuum pad 43 and the work detection rod 45 of the front-side attitude correcting mechanism 4 of the two sets of the attitude correcting mechanisms 4 and 4 are in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. The vacuum pad 43 and the work detection rod 45 of the rear-side posture correction mechanism 4 are in a state shown by a dashed line in FIG. 2 (all of the work detection rods 45 are in a protruding state).

When the work detection rod 45 of the front-side attitude correcting mechanism 4 comes into contact with the outer side body part B, the contact confirmation switch 46 is operated to activate the air cylinder 44.
Is released to the atmosphere, and the work detection rod 45 on the front FR side can move in the immersion direction. In step 62, the work detection rod 45 is
When the retreat confirmation switch 47 is turned on by this operation, a slow speed forward command is given to the handling robot 3 in step 63, and the hand 3a moves forward at a slow speed.

Next, when the vacuum pad 43 of the front-side attitude correcting mechanism 4 is attracted to the front FR portion of the outer side body part B, and in step 64 a vacuum switch (not shown) is turned on, simultaneously with step 65, Then, a stop command is given to the handling robot 3 to stop the hand 3a, and at the same time, the actuator 42 of the rear side posture correction mechanism 4 pushes out the rod and the vacuum pad 43 moves forward.

Next, when the vacuum pad 43 of the rear side posture correcting mechanism 4 is attracted to the rear RR portion of the outer side body part B, and in step 66 a vacuum switch (not shown) is turned on, simultaneously with step 67,
, Each of the actuators 42, 42 of the front-side posture correcting mechanism 4 and the rear-side posture correcting mechanism 4 operates to retract the rod, respectively, so that the front FR side and the rear RR
The vacuum pads 43 on both sides are retracted, whereby the outer side body part B is brought into a state shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
Is completed in the depth direction of the truck.

Subsequently, the presence detection unit 5 of the work gripping mechanism 5
2 confirms that the clamp 51 and the portion to be gripped set on the outer side body part B are at appropriate positions with each other. The component B is gripped, and in step 69, the grip by the clamp 51 is confirmed, and at the same time, the front F
Vacuum pads 43 on both the R side and the rear RR side,
The vacuum valve 43 is turned off.

Thereafter, the hand 3b of the handling robot 3 separates from the work storage trolley 2, takes out the outer side body part B from the work carry-in / carry-out section 21, and puts it into the body assembly line which is the next step.

Thereafter, the above operation is repeatedly performed by the handling robot 3, and the outer side body parts B in the work storage cart 2 are put into the body assembly line one by one.

When the posture of the outer side body part B located near the work carry-in / carry-in part 21 is opposite to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 (the rear side of the outer side body part B is more visible than the front side). 2), when the posture is corrected when the outer side body part B is taken out from the work carry-in / carry-in section 21, the control is performed by exchanging the front-side posture correction mechanism 4 and the rear-side posture correction mechanism 4 in the above control. Will be performed.

When the shape of the work is complicated, FIG.
In step 67, the actuators 42, 42 of the two posture correction mechanisms 4, 4 are not simultaneously operated to retract the rod, but one of the vacuum pads 43 is operated.
Only once, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2, the work and the plate 3b of the hand 3a are made parallel to each other, and then the actuators 42, 42 of the two posture correction mechanisms 4, 4 are moved. It is desirable that the rod be retracted at a constant speed.

As described above, in the work transfer device 1 and the work transfer method, when the work is mounted on the work storage vehicle 2, the up / down / left / right directions (the Z direction and the X direction) are orthogonal to the depth direction (X direction) of the work storage vehicle 2. The outer side body component B is positioned with respect to the Y direction), and the position of the outer side body component B in the bogie depth direction is corrected by the posture correction mechanism 4 when the work is gripped by the work gripping mechanism 5. Storage cart 2
The positioning of the outer side body part B in the depth direction in the inside becomes almost unnecessary, and the positioning structure of the work storage truck 2 is simplified or omitted by that much, and the load related to the positioning work is greatly reduced. The trolley manufacturing cost can be kept low, and workability at the time of mounting the work can be improved.

In the work transfer device 1, when the work is mounted on the work storage trolley 2, the mounting is completed only by passing the window hole of the outer side body part B through the work holding bar 22. Can be further simplified, and in addition, by appropriately changing the intervals between the plurality of work holding bars 22, mounting of various kinds of works having different shapes is realized, that is, versatility is improved.

Further, in the work transfer apparatus 1, when correcting the posture in the depth direction of the outer side body part B located near the work carry-out / transport portion 21 of the work storage cart 2, the vacuum pad 43 of the posture correcting mechanism 4 is used. Is adsorbed on the outer side body part B and advances and retreats, so that the outer side body part B can be partially moved in the depth direction of the bogie, and as a result, the posture correction can be performed quickly. , Vacuum pad 43
Are arranged on both sides of the work carry-in / carry-in section 21,
It is possible to flexibly cope with the difference in the inclination of the outer side body part B, and efficient posture correction is always performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the work transfer apparatus and the work transfer method according to the present invention are adopted to transfer the outer side body parts of the vehicle body to the vehicle body assembly line has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Not something.

The detailed configurations of the work transfer device and the work transfer method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0040]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
In the work transfer device according to the above, since the above-described configuration, when the work is mounted on the work storage trolley, positioning of the work in the vertical and horizontal directions orthogonal to the depth direction of the trolley is performed in the bogie depth direction by the work gripping mechanism. Since the posture is corrected by the posture correction mechanism when gripping the workpiece, the workpiece can be positioned roughly in the depth direction within the workpiece storage vehicle when the workpiece is mounted, and the positioning structure of the workpiece storage vehicle can be simplified. It is possible to greatly reduce the load related to the positioning operation, and as a result, it is possible to obtain an extremely excellent effect that it is possible to reduce the cost of manufacturing the bogie and to improve the workability when the work is mounted.

Further, in the work transfer device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the work is mounted on the work storage cart, it is only necessary to pass a hookable portion such as a hole of the work through the work holding bar. In the work transfer device according to the third aspect of the present invention, if the distance between the work holding bars in the work storage truck is appropriately changed, different types of works can be mounted on the work storage truck. Therefore, an extremely excellent effect of being able to cope with the conveyance of various types of works is provided.

Further, in the work transfer device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when correcting the posture in the depth direction of the work located near the work carry-out / load-in portion of the work storage cart, the suction portion of the posture correcting mechanism is provided with the work correcting portion. The workpiece can be partially moved in the direction of the depth of the bogie because it is attracted to the workpiece and moves forward and backward, so that the posture can be corrected quickly by that much, and the work transfer apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention. In this case, if the suction sections are arranged on both sides of the work carry-in / carry-out section, for example, even when the inclinations of the work in the depth direction of the carriage are different from each other, there is an extremely excellent effect that the posture can be efficiently corrected.

On the other hand, in the work transfer method according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to position the work in the depth direction in the work storage truck when the work is mounted, so that the positioning structure of the work storage truck is simplified. In addition to this, it is possible to reduce the burden associated with the positioning operation, and therefore, it is possible to obtain an extremely excellent effect that the trolley manufacturing cost can be reduced and the workability at the time of mounting the work can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a plan view showing one embodiment of a work transfer device and a work transfer method according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing the work holding mechanism omitted.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan explanatory view showing in detail an attitude correction mechanism and a work gripping mechanism of the work transfer device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control when the posture of the work is corrected and gripped by the posture correction mechanism and the work gripping mechanism of the work transfer device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory front view of a conventional work transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Work transfer apparatus 2 Work storage cart 3 Handling robot 3a Hand 4 Attitude correction mechanism 5 Work gripping mechanism 21 Work carry-out / in part 22 Work holding bar 43 Vacuum pad (Suction part) B Outer side body part (Work)

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65G 61/00 B23P 19/00 302 B25J 15/00 B65G 59/00, 65/40 B62D 65/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A work transfer device comprising: a work storage truck on which a plurality of works are mounted and moved; and a handling robot for taking out the works one by one from the work storage truck stopped at a predetermined position and carrying the work to a next process. The work storage truck has a work unloading / loading unit for loading / unloading the work from a horizontal direction, and a vertically supported / horizontal direction which is horizontally supported in the depth direction from the work loading / unloading unit and holds the work, and which is orthogonal to the depth direction. A plurality of work holding bars for performing positioning of the work are provided, and the handling robot is provided one by one from the work near the work unloading / loading unit supported by the hand and held by the work holding bar of the work storage cart. Features a posture correction mechanism that corrects the posture in the depth direction and a work gripping mechanism that grips the work after correction Work transfer device. 2. The work transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the work holding bar suspends and holds the work. 3. The work transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the work holding bar is movable with respect to the work storage cart in a direction orthogonal to the depth direction. 4. The work transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the posture correction mechanism includes a suction unit that can move forward and backward with respect to the work and that can suck and separate from the work. 5. The work transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the posture correction mechanism includes a plurality of suction units. 6. A method for transferring a plurality of works by using the work transfer apparatus according to claim 1.
Following the loading of a plurality of workpieces from the workpiece unloading / loading portion of the workpiece storage trolley and holding the workpiece holding bar in a state where the workpieces are positioned in the vertical and horizontal directions orthogonal to the depth direction, the workpiece storage trolley is moved to a predetermined position. Then, the hand of the handling robot is caused to approach the work unloading / loading unit of the work storage truck from the horizontal direction, and the depth of the work positioned near the work unloading / loading unit of the work storage truck by the posture correction mechanism. In addition to correcting the orientation in the direction and gripping the corrected workpiece by the workpiece gripping mechanism, the hand of the handling robot is separated from the workpiece storage trolley, the workpiece is taken out from the workpiece loading / unloading section, and transported to the next process. A method for transporting a work, comprising: