JP3356526B2 - Pallet transfer device - 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 transfer device for transferring a plurality of pallets to a predetermined position, for example, a processing station of a processing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an invention described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-49157 has been proposed as a pallet transfer device in which a workpiece is placed on a pallet and transferred to each processing station in a processing machine. I have.

In this pallet transfer device, a pallet is engaged with a guide rail, a cylindrical cam is disposed along an axis of the guide rail, and a cam follower installed on the pallet is fitted into a cam groove of the cylindrical cam. The pallet is provided so as to be transported along the guide rail via the cam follower and the cam groove by the rotational drive of the cylindrical cam.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional pallet transfer device, the pallet is returned by the action of the feed cylindrical cam and the feed side for transferring the pallet along the feed guide rail, and by the action of the return cylindrical cam. To transfer the pallet to and from the return side that transports along the guide rails,
The pallets are circulated and transferred by "manual or appropriate device". Therefore, the pallets cannot be reliably transferred, and therefore, the pallets cannot be transferred at a high speed.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a pallet transfer device capable of transferring a plurality of pallets reliably and at high speed.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a feed cylindrical cam is provided on each of a feed guide rail and a return guide rail.
The return cylindrical cams are arranged in parallel, the pallets are engaged with the guide rails, and the cam followers of the pallets are fitted into the cam grooves of the feed cylindrical cam and the return cylindrical cam. The pallet can be transported in the feed direction in the horizontal state along the feed guide rail by the rotary motion, and in the return direction in the vertical state along the return guide rail. A transfer device is installed, and in this transfer device, a plurality of arms are fixed to an index table that is intermittently rotated in one direction, and each arm is connected to the index.
The pallet is sequentially positioned on the extension of the feed guide rail or the extension of the return guide rail by the intermittent rotation of the stable , thereby rotating the pallet in a vertical plane with respect to the axis of the two guide rails and the two cylindrical cams. The pallet can be transferred between the feed guide rail and the feed cylindrical cam and the return guide rail and the return cylindrical cam, and the feed cylinder cam, the return cylindrical cam, and the transfer device are driven by the same drive. Driven by a source.

[0007]

[0008]

[0009]

According to the pallet transfer device of the present invention,
A feed cylindrical cam for transferring a pallet along a feed guide rail, a return cylindrical cam for transferring a pallet along a return guide rail, and a pallet including a feed guide rail, a feed cylindrical cam, a return guide rail, and a return cylindrical cam. Since the transfer device for transferring between the pallets is driven by the same drive source, there is a shift in the transfer timing of the pallets while circulating the pallets between the feed cylindrical cam, the return cylindrical cam and the transfer device. The pallets can be transported reliably without any occurrence.

Further, as described above, the pallet 11 circulated and transferred between the feed cylindrical cam, the return cylindrical cam and the transfer device.
Since the transfer timing of the pallet 11 is not increased, the transfer speed of the pallet 11 may be increased by increasing the rotation speed of the drive source.
Inconveniences such as stagnation do not occur on the pallet 11, and the pallet 11
Can be transferred at high speed.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing one embodiment of a pallet transfer device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the pallet transfer device of FIG. FIG. 3 shows FIGS. 1 and 2
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a drive system of the pallet transfer device of FIG. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows the VV line. 6A and 6B show the feed cylindrical cams of FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 6A is a front view and FIG. 6B is a cam development view. 7A and 7B show the return cylindrical cam of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 7A is a front view thereof and FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pallet transfer device 10 includes a feed guide rail 12 and a return guide rail 13 for guiding the traveling of a plurality of pallets 11, and between the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13. Pallet 1
A transfer device 14 and a feed transfer device 15 for intermittently transferring the pallet 1 and a feed cylindrical cam 16 for moving the pallet 11
And a return cylindrical cam 17, and a cam drive mechanism 18 that rotationally drives the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17.

The feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13 are arranged in the direction in which the pallet 11 is transported, and each has a rail element 19 bolted to a rail frame 20, as shown in FIG. These feed guide rail 12 and return guide rail 13
Are arranged about 90 degrees apart in a vertical plane, and a rail frame 20 is supported by a frame 22 by a rail stand 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. That is, the feed guide rail 12 enables the pallet 11 to be transferred in a horizontal state, and the return guide rail 13 enables the pallet 11 to be transferred in a vertical state.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the plurality of pallets 11 has a slider 24 fixed to a pallet plate 23 and a cam roller 25 as a cam follower.
Is configured. The slider 24 and the cam roller 25 are disposed about 90 degrees apart in a vertical plane, and the slider 24 is provided so as to be able to engage with the rail elements 19 of the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13.
Further, the cam roller 25 is fitted into cam grooves 29 and 30 (described later) of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17. A workpiece can be set on the surface 11A of the pallet plate 23.

The above-mentioned return transfer device 14, feed transfer device 15
Is a feed guide rail 1 as shown in FIGS.
2. Arranged at both ends of the return guide rail 13, the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17, respectively. In the return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15, the transfer device main body 26 converts the connection rotation from the drive system 50 described later into intermittent rotation, rotates the index table 26A intermittently, and outputs the index table 26A. A plurality of, for example, four arms 27 are fixed almost radially to each other, and a rail element 28 is fixed to the tip of the arm 27.
You. The rail element 28 has the same cross-sectional shape as the rail element 19 of the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13, and has an axial length slightly longer than the length of the pallet 11 in the direction of the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13. Set, index table 2
The intermittent rotation of 6A sequentially positions the feed guide rail 12 at the extended position of the rail element 19 or the return guide rail 13 at the extended position of the rail element 19.

The return transfer device 14 is provided with the feed guide rail 1.
Pallet 11 transferred from 2 to rail element 28
Is rotated 90 degrees downward in the vertical plane, and is transferred to the return guide rail 13. The feed transfer device 15 transfers the pallet 11 transferred from the return guide rail 13 to the rail element 28 to the feed guide rail 12 by rotating the pallet 11 vertically upward by about 90 degrees.

Feed cylindrical cam 16 and return cylindrical cam 17
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the axis is disposed in parallel along the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13, and is installed at a position about 90 degrees apart in a vertical plane (FIG. 4). A feed cam groove 29 and a return cam groove 30 are formed in the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17, respectively.
Of the cam rollers 25 can be fitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of feed cam grooves 29 of the feed cylindrical cam 16 are provided on the outer periphery of the feed cylindrical cam 16 along the axis X of the feed cylindrical cam 16 (11 in this embodiment). Cam groove elements 29A, 29B, 29C,
29D, 29E, 29F, 29G, 29H, 29I, 2
9J and 29K are continuously engraved. Reference numeral 44 in FIG. 6 indicates a thrust groove described later. Each of these cam groove elements 29A to 29K is provided with a linear portion a and an inclined portion b in series.
The straight portion a is formed at right angles to the axis X of the feed cylindrical cam 16, and the inclined portion b is formed to be inclined with respect to the axis X of the feed cylindrical cam 16. Adjacent cam groove elements 29A
To K are continuously formed.

In the cam groove elements 29B to 29J, the straight portion a extends from the 0 ° position on the side surface of the feed cylindrical cam 16 to the θ1 position, and the inclined portion b extends from this position to the 360 ° position in an inclined manner. This inclined part b is the axis X of the feed cylindrical cam 16.
The dimensions extending in the direction are the cam groove elements 29B, 29B.
S2 at C and 29D, cam groove elements 29E, 29F
And 29G are set to S3, and the cam groove elements 29H, 29I and 29J are set to S4, respectively (S3 <S2 <S
4).

In the cam groove element 29A, the linear portion a extends from the θ4 position on the side surface of the feed cylindrical cam 16 to the θ2 position beyond the 0 ° position, and the inclined portion b is inclined from this position to the 360 ° position. Extend. Further, in the cam groove element 29K, the inclined portion b is formed on the side surface of the feed cylindrical cam 16.
It extends obliquely from the 0 ° position to the θ3 position, and from this position the straight line portion a extends straight beyond the 360 ° position to the θ2 position. In these cam groove elements 29A and 29K, the dimension in which the inclined portion b extends in the axis X direction of the feed cylindrical cam 16 is set to S1 (S3 <S1 <S2).

When the cam roller 25 of the pallet 11 moves within the linear portion a of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K due to the rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16, the pallet 11 stops in the axis X direction of the feed cylindrical cam 16, When the cam roller 25 moves along the inclined portion b of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K, the pallet 11
, And transported in the A direction along the feed guide rail 12. Accordingly, the rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16 causes the cam roller 25 of the pallet 11 to move in the feed cam groove 29 including the cam groove elements 29A to 29K, so that the pallet 11 can be intermittently transferred along the feed guide rail 12. Be composed.

The dimension s of the feed cylindrical cam 16 in the direction of the axis X in the inclined portions b of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K is set as the position interval of each pallet 11 fitted to each of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K. Also, from the position interval and the rotation speed of the feed cylindrical cam 16,
The transfer time of each pallet 11 fitted to each of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K is determined. Further, based on the length of the linear portion a in each of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K and the rotation speed of the feed cylindrical cam 16, the cam groove elements 29A to 29
The stop time of each pallet 11 fitted to each K is determined.

The intermittent transfer time of the pallet 11 by the feed cylindrical cam 16 determined by the transfer time and the stop time of the pallet 11 is the same as the intermittent rotation time of the pallet 11 by the return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15. Is set to

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the return cam groove 30 of the return cylindrical cam 17 made of a resin material is
7, a plurality of (seven in this embodiment) cam groove elements 30 along the axis Y of the return cylindrical cam 17.
A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 30E, 30F and 30
G is continuously engraved. This FIG.
Reference numeral 44 also indicates a thrust groove described later. Of these cam groove elements 30A to 30G, the cam groove element 30
A and 30G are provided with a series of linear portions α extending at right angles to the axis Y of the return cylindrical cam 17 and inclined portions β extending at an angle to the axis Y of the return cylindrical cam 17. Further, the cam groove elements 30B to 30F are constituted only by the inclined portions β. The inclined portions β of the adjacent cam groove elements 30A to 30G are continuously provided.

In the cam groove element 30A, the linear portion α
Extends from the θ6 position on the side surface of the return cylindrical cam 17 to the θ5 position beyond the 0 ° position, and the inclined portion β extends from this position to the 360 ° position. In the cam groove element 30G, the linear portion α is shifted from the 0 ° position on the side surface of the return cylindrical cam by θ.
6 from which a slope β is formed over the entire length of 360 °.

These cam groove elements 30A and 30A
In G, the dimension of the return cylindrical cam 17 in the axis Y direction at the inclined portion β is set to 11. In the cam groove elements 30B to 30F, the return cylindrical cam 17 at the inclined portion β is used.
Is set to l2 (> l1).
Therefore, the rotation of the return cylindrical cam 17 causes the pallet 11 to rotate.
Of the cam groove elements 30A to 30G, the pallet 11 continuously moves in the axis Y direction of the return cylindrical cam 17, and moves along the return guide rail 13 in the direction of arrow B. High-speed continuous transfer.

The straight portions α of the cam groove elements 30A and 30G are used for fitting the cam rollers 25 of the pallet 11 when the pallet 11 is rotated vertically by the return / transfer device 14 and the feed / transfer device 15. It is a groove. Similarly, the straight portions a of the cam groove elements 29A and 29K of the feed cam groove 29 are also returned to the return transfer device 14, the transfer device 1
When the pallet 11 is rotated vertically by 5, the cam roller 25 of the pallet 11 is fitted.

The feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 1
The rotation of 7 is performed by the cam drive mechanism 18. 4 and 5, the cam drive mechanism 18 includes a drive gear 31, a motor (not shown) serving as a rotational drive source, a feed driven gear 32, and a return driven gear 33.
Is configured. The feed driven gear 32 and the return driven gear 33 include a feed cylindrical cam 16 and a return cylindrical cam 17.
At the arbitrary position in the axial direction of the feed cylinder cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 are directly engraved on the respective outer peripheral surfaces. The drive gear 31 is meshed with the feed driven gear 32 and the return driven gear 33, and the driving force of the motor is transmitted via the flat belt 34 to be driven to rotate.

That is, the drive gear 31 is rotatably fixed to the gear shaft 35, and the gear shaft 35 is rotatably disposed on the gear housing 37 via the bearing 36. The gear housing 37 is bolted to a gear stand 38 and is supported by the frame 22. A timing pulley 39 is fixed to one end of the gear shaft 35 so as to rotate integrally therewith, and the flat belt 34 is wound around the timing pulley 39. Accordingly, the rotation of the motor 55 described below causes the flat belt 34 to rotate the drive gear 31 via the timing pulley 39, and this rotational driving force is transmitted via the feed driven gear 32 and the return driven gear 33, and the return cylindrical cam 16 is returned. The power is transmitted to the cylindrical cams 17 respectively.

The cam drive mechanism 18 for rotating the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 and the return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15 are driven by a power system 50 shown in FIG. You. The power system 50 is housed in the frame 22 and includes a single motor 55, a first speed reducer 51, a second speed reducer 52, a third speed reducer 53 and a fourth speed reducer 54.

A drive pulley 56 installed on the shaft of the motor 55 and a driven pulley 57 of the first speed reducer 51
Are continued by the drive belt 58, and the rotational driving force from the motor 55 is transmitted to the first reduction gear 51, where it is decelerated. The rotational driving force decelerated by the first reduction gear 51 is
The power is transmitted to the second speed reducer 52, the third speed reducer 53, and the fourth speed reducer 54 via the drive shaft 59, and the speed is reduced again by the second speed reducer 52, the third speed reducer 53, and the fourth speed reducer 54. You.

The rotational driving force from the second reduction gear 52 is transmitted to the drive gear 31 of the cam drive mechanism 18 via the timing pulley 60, the timing belt 34, and the timing pulley 39. Further, the rotational driving force from the third reduction gear 53 is transmitted to the transfer device main body 26 of the return transfer device 14 via the drive pulley 61, the drive belt 62, and the driven pulley 63. Further, the rotational driving force from the fourth reduction gear 54 is transmitted to the transfer device main body 26 of the feed transfer device 15 via the drive pulley 64, the drive belt 65, and the driven pulley 66. Thus, a single motor 55
The drive gear 31 of the cam drive mechanism 18, the transfer device main body 26 of the return transfer device 14, and the transfer device main body 26 of the feed transfer device 15 are rotationally driven by the rotational driving force.

Reference numeral 40 in FIGS. 1 and 2 denotes a radial guide device, and reference numeral 41 denotes a thrust guide device. The radial guide device 40 includes the feed cylindrical cam 1.
6. Return each of the return cylindrical cams 17 to a radial roller 42.
To support the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 in the radial direction. The radial guide device 40 is installed at a plurality of (for example, three) positions in the axial direction of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17.

The thrust guide device 41 is provided with a thrust roller 43 at the tip thereof, and the thrust roller 43 meshes with a thrust groove 44 formed on the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17. Thrust groove 44
Are formed perpendicular to the axis of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17. Thrust roller 43 is in thrust groove 4
When the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 are rotated, the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 are supported in the thrust direction.

Next, the operation will be described. When the motor 55 of the drive system 50 is started, the drive gear 31 of the cam drive mechanism 18 is driven to rotate, and the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 rotate in the same direction.
The transfer device main body 26 of the feed transfer device 15 intermittently rotates the index table 26A. By the rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16, the pallet 11 moves along the feed guide rail 12 through the feed cam groove 29 and the cam roller 25 along the arrow A.
It is intermittently transported in the direction. This intermittently transferred pallet 1
1 is transferred to the return guide rail 13 side by the intermittent rotation of the index table 26A in the return transfer device 14, and the return cam groove 30 is rotated by the rotation of the return cylindrical cam 17.
And is transferred at high speed in the direction of arrow B along the return guide rail 13 via the cam roller 25. The pallet 11 transferred at a high speed is transferred to the feed guide rail 12 side by the intermittent rotation of the index table 26A in the feed transfer device 15, and is again transferred intermittently on the feed guide rail 12 by the feed cylindrical cam 16.

For example, while the pallet 11 is intermittently transferred on the feed guide rail 12, the workpiece placed on the pallet 11 is processed by a processing machine at a stop position (processing station) of the pallet 11.

According to the above embodiment, the feed guide rail 1
Feed cylinder cam 16 for transferring the pallet 11 along
And the return cylindrical cam 17 for transferring the pallet 11 along the return guide rail 13, and the feed guide rail 12 and the feed cylindrical cam 16 for transferring the pallet 11 to the return guide rail 1.
Transfer device 1 for transferring between 3 and return cylindrical cam 17
4 and 15 are driven by a single motor 55 of the drive system 50, so that the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 1
7. During the circulating transfer of the pallet 11 between the return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15, there is no shift in the transfer timing of the pallet 11, and the pallet 11 can be transferred reliably.

Further, the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 1
7. Since there is no shift in the transfer timing of the pallet 11 circulated between the return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15 as described above, the rotation speed of the single motor 55 is increased and the pallet 11 Even if the transfer speed of the pallet 11 is increased, the pallet 11 can be transferred at a high speed without inconvenience such as stagnation.

Further, a feed driven gear 32 and a return driven gear 33 meshing with a drive gear 31 which is rotationally driven by a motor via a flat belt 34 and a timing pulley 39 are connected to the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 1 respectively.
7 is directly engraved on the outer periphery of the cam drive mechanism 18.
The number of parts such as the number of gears can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Since the feed driven gear 32 and the return driven gear 33 are engraved on the outer circumference of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 at arbitrary positions, the degree of freedom of the layout of the cam drive mechanism 18 is increased. If the installation position of the cam drive mechanism 18 is adjusted, the pallet transfer device 1
0 can be reduced in size.

Further, the return guide rail 13 is used for the pallet 1
Since the pallet 11 is transferred in the return direction in a vertical state, the pallet 11 transferred in the return direction is within the installation area of the return cylindrical cam 17. As a result, the installation area of the pallet transfer device 10 can be reduced, and the pallet transfer device 10 can be downsized.

The feed cam groove 29 formed in the feed cylindrical cam 16 is composed of continuous cam groove elements 29A to 29K. Each of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K has a linear portion a and an inclined portion b individually. Is formed. Therefore, the pallet 11 fitted to these cam groove elements 29A to 29K.
Can be set for each position of the cam groove elements 29A to 29K, and the pallet 11 can be independently transferred at these positions.

Further, cam groove elements 29A and 29A located at both ends of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 are provided.
9K is formed with a straight portion a, and the cam groove element 3
0A and 30G are formed with linear portions α, and the cam roller 25 of the pallet 11 is fitted to these linear portions a and α to feed the pallet 11 to the cylindrical cam 16.
And, it can be positioned in the axial direction of the return cylindrical cam 17. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a stopper for the pallet 11.

[0044]

As described above, according to the pallet transfer device of the present invention, a plurality of pallets can be transferred reliably and at high speed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing one embodiment of a pallet transfer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the pallet transfer device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a drive system of the pallet transfer device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows the feed cylindrical cam of FIGS. 1 and 2,
(A) is the front view, (B) is the cam development figure.

7A and 7B show the return cylindrical cam of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 7A is a front view thereof, and FIG. 7B is a cam development view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 pallet transfer device 11 pallet 12 feed guide rail 13 return guide rail 14 return transfer device 15 feed transfer device 16 feed cylindrical cam 17 return cylindrical cam 18 cam drive mechanism 25 cam roller 26 transfer device main body 26A index table 29 feed cam groove Reference Signs List 30 return cam groove 31 drive gear 32 feed driven gear 33 return driven gear 50 drive system 55 motor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Makoto Terui 5-14-33 Higashikashigaya, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Toshiba Seiki Co., Ltd. (72) Hiroo Yamazaki 5--14 Higashikashigaya, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 33 Toshiba Seiki Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-62-102947 (JP, A) JP-A-63-59125 (JP, U) JP-A-5-85724 (JP, U) (58) Investigated Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B23Q 7/00 B65G 35/06

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A feed cylindrical cam and a return cylindrical cam are respectively arranged in parallel on a feed guide rail and a return guide rail, and a pallet is engaged with the two guide rails. The pallet is fitted in the cam groove of the cylindrical cam, and the pallet is rotated in the horizontal direction along the feed guide rail by the rotational movement of the feed cylindrical cam and the return cylindrical cam, and is returned in the vertical state along the return guide rail. Respectively, and a transfer device is installed at both ends of the guide rails and the cylindrical cams. The transfer device has a plurality of arms fixed to an index table that is intermittently rotated in one direction. each arm forward on the extension of the feed guide extending on or the return guide rail of the rail by the intermittent rotation of the index table Is positioned, whereby the pallet is rotated in a vertical plane with respect to the axis of the two guide rails and the two cylindrical cams, and the pallet is rotated between the feed guide rail and the feed cylindrical cam and the return guide rail and the return cylindrical cam. A pallet transfer apparatus, wherein the feed cylinder cam, the return cylindrical cam, and the transfer apparatus are driven by the same drive source.