JP3356527B2 - 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, in a processing machine, a pallet transfer device for placing a workpiece on a pallet and transferring it to each processing station is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-49157 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-114444. Have been proposed.

In these pallet transfer devices, 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 a guide rail via a cam follower and a cam groove by the rotational driving of the cylindrical cam.

[0004]

However, in the processing machine equipment, the pallet is intermittently transferred in the pallet feed direction, the pallet is stopped corresponding to the processing station, and the workpiece on the pallet is processed. Therefore, the length of the pallet transfer device in the pallet feed direction is set as a product of the area of the processing station and the number of the processing stations. As the number of processing stations increases, the longitudinal length of the pallet transfer device increases. Becomes large.

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 downsizing the device.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a pallet is engaged with a guide rail, a cylindrical cam is disposed along an axis of the guide rail, and a cam follower mounted on the pallet is provided with a cylindrical cam. Of the cam groove,
By the rotation drive of the cylindrical cam, a pallet transfer device provided so that the pallet can be transferred along the guide rail via the cam follower and the cam groove.
The guide rail comprises a feed guide rail, and a return guide rail disposed approximately 180 degrees apart in a vertical plane with respect to the feed guide rail, and the cylindrical cam is a single feed cylinder along the feed guide rail. Cam and feed cylinder
Beam to be installed in about 90 degrees away in a vertical plane, back consists of a single return cylindrical cam along the guide rail, these feed guide rails and the return guide rail to the pallet in a horizontal state, and whereas Is intermittently transported with its front side and the other side facing upward.

[0007]

Therefore, the pallet transfer device according to the present invention is
Since the feed guide rail and the return guide rail transfer the opposite surfaces of the pallet upward, the two surfaces of the pallet can be used as the installation surface of the workpiece. Therefore, if the return side pallet is intermittently transferred in the same manner as the feed side pallet, the stop position of the return side pallet corresponds to the processing station, and the workpiece set on the pallet even when the pallet is transferred in the return direction. Can be processed. As described above, since it is possible to correspond to the processing station not only on the feed side but also on the return side, it is necessary to extend the length of the pallet transfer device in the longitudinal direction even in processing machine equipment in which various types of processing stations are arranged. Therefore, the device can be downsized.

[0008]

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 sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows a line. Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in 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 . Each of the feed guide rails 12 and the return guide rails 13 is configured such that a rail element 19 is bolted to a rail frame 20 as shown in FIG . These feed guide rail 12 and return guide rail 13
They are spaced apart approximately 180 degrees in a vertical plane, as shown in FIG. 1, the rail frame 20 is supported on the frame 22 by rail stand 21. Palette 11, palette play
Pallet plate 2 as well as surface 11A of
The workpiece can be set on the back surface 11B of the third member 3 as well. That is, the feed guide rail 12 enables the pallet 11 to be transferred in a horizontal state, and the return guide rail 13 also moves the pallet 11
Can be transported in a horizontal state.

As shown in FIG. 2, 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 .

The return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 1
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of, for example, four arms 27 are fixed substantially radially to an index table 26A which is intermittently rotated by the transfer device main body 26 as shown in FIG. 28 is fixed. The rail element 28 has the same cross-sectional shape as the rail elements 19 of the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13, and has an axial length of the pallet 11.
Is slightly longer than the length of the feed guide rail 12 and the return guide rail 13 in the direction of the feed guide rail 12 and the intermittent rotation of the index table 26A.
In the extension position of the rail element 19 or the extension position of the rail element 19 of the return guide rail 13.

The return transfer device 14 includes the feed guide rail 1.
Pallet 11 transferred from 2 to rail element 28
And it is rotated in a vertical plane, causing transfer to the return guide rail 13. Further, the feed transfer device 15 rotates the pallet 11 transferred from the return guide rail 13 to the rail element 28 in the vertical plane and transfers the pallet 11 to the feed guide rail 12.

Feed cylindrical cam 16 and return cylindrical cam 17
As shown in FIG. 1 , the axis of the feed guide rail 1
2 and along the return guide rail 13 and are installed at a position about 90 degrees apart in a vertical plane (FIG. 2) . 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.
9 and the return cam groove 30, the cam roller 2 of the pallet 11
5 can be fitted.

The feed cam groove 29 is formed so that the pallet 11 can be intermittently transferred along the feed guide rail 12 by the rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16. In this example, the intermittent transfer time of the pallet 11 by the feed cam 29 and the intermittent rotation time of the return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15 are set to be the same. The cam groove 30 return sends cylindrical mosquito
As with the feed cam groove 29 of the
Can be transported. The rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 is performed by a cam drive mechanism 18.

The cam drive mechanism 18, especially as shown <br/> in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive gear 31, a motor as a rotation drive source (not shown), the feed driven gear 32 and the return driven gear 33 It is configured to have. Feed driven gear 3
2. The return driven gear 33 is directly engraved on the outer peripheral surface of each of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 at an arbitrary position in the axial direction of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17. 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 causes the flat belt 34 to drive the drive gear 3 via the timing pulley 39.
1 and the rotational driving force is transmitted to the driven gear 3
2, feed cylindrical cam 16 via return driven gear 33,
It is transmitted to the return cylindrical cam 17 respectively.

Reference numeral 40 in FIG. 1 is a radial guide device, and reference numeral 41 is a thrust guide device. The radial guide device 40 uses a radial roller 42 to control each of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 for three times.
It is point-supported and supports the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 in the radial direction. This radial guide device 40
A plurality of (for example, three) axial positions of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 are provided.

The thrust guide device 41 is provided with a thrust roller 43 (not shown) at the tip, and the thrust roller 43 meshes with a thrust groove 44 formed in the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17. . The thrust groove 44 is formed perpendicular to the axis of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17. When the thrust roller 43 is fitted into the thrust groove 44, the rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 causes the feed cylindrical cam 16 to rotate.
And the return cylindrical cam 17 is supported in the thrust direction.

Next, the operation will be described. Cam drive mechanism 18
When the drive gear 31 is driven to rotate, the feed cylindrical cam 16 and the return cylindrical cam 17 rotate in the same direction, and at the same time,
The return transfer device 14 and the feed transfer device 15 rotate intermittently. By the rotation of the feed cylindrical cam 16, the pallet 11 is intermittently transferred in the direction of arrow A along the feed guide rail 12 via the feed cam groove 29 and the cam roller 25. The intermittently transferred pallet 11 is transferred to the return guide rail 13 side by the intermittent rotation of the return transfer device 14, and is rotated by the rotation of the return cylindrical cam 17 via the return cam groove 30 and the cam roller 25. And 13 intermittently . The intermittently transferred pallet 11 is transferred to the feed guide rail 12 side by intermittent rotation of the feed transfer device 15, and is again intermittently transferred on the feed guide rail 12 by the feed cylindrical cam 16.

For example, while the pallet 11 is intermittently transported on the feed guide rail 12, a workpiece placed on the pallet 11 is processed by a processing machine at a stop position (processing station) of the pallet 11. Feed guide rail
Processing steps along the return guide rail 13 in addition to the
If the pallet 11 is moved in the return direction,
Workpiece placed on back 11B of pallet 11
Can be processed. For this reason, especially a large number of processing stations
Pallet transfer device 1
It is not necessary to increase the longitudinal length of the pallet.
The feeder can be downsized. Also, on the return guide rail 13
Stations other than processing, such as painting stations
It may be installed so that other operations can be performed.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment , the feed driven gear 32 and the return driven gear 33 which mesh with the drive gear 31 which is driven to rotate by the motor via the flat belt 34 and the timing pulley 39 are provided with the feed cylindrical cam 16, respectively. Since it is directly engraved on the outer periphery of the return cylindrical cam 17, the number of parts such as the number of gears of the cam drive mechanism 18 can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, 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 .

[0024]

As described above, according to the pallet transfer device according to the present invention, the size of the device can be reduced.

[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 sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG . 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Pallet transfer device 11 Pallet 12 Feed guide rail 13 Return guide rail 16 Feed cylindrical cam 17 Return cylindrical cam 18 Cam drive mechanism 19 Rail element 24 Slider 25 Cam roller 29 Feed cam groove 30 Return cam groove 31 Drive gear 32 Feed driven gear 33 Return Driven gear 34 Flat belt 39 Timing pulley

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Makoto Terui 5-14-33 Higashikashigaya, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Toshiba Seiki Co., Ltd. No. 33 Toshiba Seiki Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-209213 (JP, A) JP-A-62-120938 (JP, A) JP-A-63-59125 (JP, U) JP-A-5-209125 85724 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B23Q 7/00 B65G 35/06 B65G 35/08 B65G 37/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pallet is engaged with a guide rail, a cylindrical cam is disposed with its axis along the guide rail, and a cam follower installed on the pallet is fitted into a cam groove of the cylindrical cam. A pallet transfer device provided so that the pallet can be transferred along the guide rail through the cam follower and the cam groove by the rotational drive of the cylindrical cam; the guide rail is a feed guide rail; A return guide rail that is disposed approximately 180 degrees apart in a vertical plane, wherein the cylindrical cam has a single feed cylindrical cam along the feed guide rail , and About 90 degrees apart
Is installed in position, the return consists of a single return cylindrical cam along the guide rail, in these feed guide rails and the return guide rail above pallet horizontal state, and one of its surface, the other the back surface upwards A pallet transfer device, wherein the pallet is transported intermittently.