JP3743968B2 - Device for transferring articles from a forward conveyor to a backward conveyor - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring an article from a forward conveyor to a backward conveyor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The forward conveyor and the backward conveyor are arranged in parallel, and the processing operation is performed on the workpiece that is placed on the pallet and conveyed by the forward conveyor, and the processed workpiece or the workpiece is taken out. A conveyor system in which an empty pallet or the like is placed on a return conveyor and returned is known.
[0003]
In this type of conveyor system, a device for transferring the pallet from the forward conveyor to the backward conveyor is provided between the end of the forward conveyor and the end of the backward conveyor to perform the pallet transfer operation. In particular, when this type of conveyor system is applied to automation operations such as assembly, the pallet must be accurately positioned during processing operations on the pallet.
[0004]
As a device for achieving such an object, a pallet transfer device as shown in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 62-29326 has been proposed. This device superimposes a forward conveyor and a backward conveyor vertically. In order to achieve delivery of the pallet between these conveyors, a drive cylinder for moving the pallet up and down and a torque actuator for rotating the pallet are required. In addition, the forward conveyor is constituted by two pallet feeding means, and the pallet is moved vertically and horizontally because the pallet is lowered and transferred to the backward conveyor by scraping between the two pallet feeding means. Limited to those with different ratios.
Further, as a device for moving a pallet in a horizontal direction between a forward conveyor and a backward conveyor by a single drive source, a transfer device as shown in JP-A-60-191748 is disclosed. Are known. However, although this one employs a wide variety of links and cam interlocking mechanisms to make the drive source one, the vertical feed and lateral feed mechanisms are only linked to the drive shaft, The mechanisms themselves are not interrelated. On the other hand, a structure in which the entire apparatus is operated with a single drive source as in this apparatus has a complicated structure, requires a high degree of part processing accuracy during manufacture, and also requires complicated linkage adjustment operations. Therefore, there is a drawback that maintenance is complicated.
[0005]
Note that what is transferred from the forward conveyor to the backward conveyor is not limited to a pallet and can be generally referred to as an article.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The subject of this invention is providing the apparatus which reprints the articles | goods which can deliver an article | item between the forward conveyor and the backward conveyor with a single drive source.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention, which will be described in detail later, includes a fixed table, a transfer arm, a drive source, a stopper, an article delivery lever, an urging means, and an urging mechanism. Further, a positioning arm, a second urging means, and a second urging mechanism may be added thereto.
[0008]
This apparatus is arranged at the end of two conveyor belts arranged side by side with the conveyance surfaces aligned in the same plane, that is, the forward conveyor and the backward conveyor, and the article is transferred from the forward conveyor to the backward conveyor. The two conveyors are positioned with their ends mixed in plan view, and are operated by a drive source different from the apparatus of the present invention.
[0009]
The fixed table is a flat plate made of metal or synthetic resin and is used for placing articles, and is provided in a state in which the conveyance path is in communication with the end of the reverse conveyor.
[0010]
The transfer arm is configured in an L shape as a whole, and reciprocates the upper part of the forward conveyor in the direction crossing the transport direction of each conveyor between the outer end of the forward conveyor and the fixed table on the backward conveyor side. The article is transferred from the forward conveyor to the fixed table.
[0011]
Note that the outer side of the end portion refers to both sides of the side where both of the juxtaposed forward and backward conveyors are in contact with each other.
[0012]
The drive source is for reciprocating the transfer arm, and a motor can be used. However, a linear actuator using air pressure or hydraulic pressure is often used.
[0013]
The stopper is for prohibiting articles from entering the end of the forward conveyor while the transfer arm is operating, and is often driven by an electromagnetic solenoid and an actuator by air pressure.
[0014]
The article delivery lever is pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the fixed table, and is located at a delivery completion position located at a connecting portion between the fixed table and the return conveyor, and at an end opposite to the delivery completion place. The upper part of the fixed table is provided so as to be able to swing between the retreat location.
[0015]
The urging means is generally an elastic body such as a coil spring that expands and contracts in a linear direction or a spiral spring that exerts elasticity in the rotation direction, and urges the article delivery lever from the delivery completion position toward the retraction position.
[0016]
The engagement mechanism mechanically connects the drive source, the transfer arm, and the article delivery arm. When the transfer arm is moved by the drive source, the article delivery arm is driven over a predetermined timing and range in conjunction with the movement. It is what you want to do.
[0017]
Specifically, a follower (for example, a cam follower) provided on the article delivery lever and a cam integrally formed with the transfer arm are provided, and the transfer arm is located outside the end of the forward conveyor. In this state, the article delivery lever is swung to the delivery completion position against the urging force of the urging means, and the article delivery lever is urged by the urging means as the transfer arm moves toward the fixed table. Is a mechanism that completes the retreating operation of the article delivery lever until the article on the forward conveyor enters the fixed table by the movement of the transfer arm.
[0018]
According to this configuration, the article delivery lever urged toward the retracted position by the urging means made of an elastic body is driven by the transfer arm via the urging mechanism, so that the transfer arm is driven to reciprocate. Only by the drive source for doing this, the transfer of the article from the forward conveyor to the fixed table and the delivery of the article from the fixed table to the backward conveyor can be performed collectively.
[0019]
The operation timing of each part is determined mechanically, and there is no need for a step such as obtaining a confirmation signal. In addition, since the operation is determined mechanically, the operation is reliable even if the speed is increased.
[0020]
The engagement mechanism itself has a simple structure including a follower provided on the article delivery lever and a cam formed integrally with the transfer arm, and daily maintenance is easy.
[0021]
If there is no problem with the slipping of the article and the impact resistance of the article itself, a roller conveyor that conveys the article using the inclination of the conveyor itself is used as the forward conveyor and the backward conveyor. It doesn't matter.
[0022]
The positioning arm is attached to be slidable in the direction of projecting from the outer side of the end of the fixed table into the upper portion of the area of the fixed table, and has a cam surface at the base.
[0023]
Similar to the urging means, the second urging means is an elastic body such as a coil spring, and urges the positioning arm from the outside of the end of the fixed table toward the area of the fixed table.
[0024]
The second urging mechanism includes a lever pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the outer end of the fixed table so as to be rotatable at the center, and a cam surface that is integrated with the positioning arm and intersects the urging direction thereof. A follower provided at one end of the lever so as to be in sliding contact with the cam surface of a second cam plate formed integrally with the transfer arm, and the other end of the lever to be in sliding contact with the cam surface. And a follower provided. When the transfer arm is positioned outside the end of the forward conveyor, the lever is swung against the urging force of the second urging means to move the positioning arm within the area of the fixed table. When the transfer arm moves toward the fixed table beyond the position corresponding to the completion position of the retracting operation of the article delivery lever, the lever is moved by the biasing force of the second biasing means. Swing to cause the positioning arm to enter the upper part of the fixed table area.
[0025]
With this configuration, the positioning of the article on the fixed table is ensured, and the trouble in sending the article to the backward conveyor is eliminated. Further, when the work is performed on a workpiece on the pallet at the position of the fixed table, which is an article or a pallet, the handling of the workpiece is stabilized because the position is accurate.
[0026]
The positioning arm urged by the second urging means made of an elastic body from the outside of the end of the fixed table toward the area of the fixed table is caused to follow the transfer arm via the second urging mechanism. Therefore, the positioning arm can be driven only by the driving source for reciprocating the transfer arm.
[0027]
In addition, the second engagement mechanism itself includes a cam surface that is provided integrally with a lever pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the outer end of the fixed table and a positioning arm so as to be integrated with the positioning arm in the urging direction. A follower provided at one end of the lever so as to be in sliding contact with the cam, a cam surface formed integrally with the transfer arm, and a follower provided at the other end of the lever so as to be in sliding contact with the cam surface. It is a purely mechanical mechanism that makes daily maintenance easy.
[0028]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a part of an assembly line in which a workpiece placed on a pallet is conveyed and assembled by a pick-and-place machine or the like. From the forward conveyor to the backward conveyor according to an embodiment to which the configuration of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the apparatus 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing the apparatus 1.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 1, the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 are arranged in parallel in the same horizontal plane, and the apparatus 1 is arranged between the end of the forward conveyor 2 and the end of the backward conveyor 3. ing.
[0030]
The apparatus 1 generally includes a fixed table 4 for placing an article, a transfer arm 5 having an approximately L shape, an air cylinder 6 as a drive source, a stopper 8, an article delivery lever 9, and an urging means for the article delivery lever 9. On the fixed table 4 by the transfer arm 5 from the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 and the first urging mechanism 11 for operating the spring 10 and the article delivery lever 9 driven by the transfer arm 5. A positioning arm 12 for accurately positioning the carried article (pallet 7 in the embodiment), a spring 13 serving as a second urging means for urging the positioning arm 12, and the positioning arm 12 to the transfer arm 5. The second engagement mechanism 14 is configured to be driven and operated.
[0031]
In this embodiment, both the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 are motor-driven belt conveyors, and the conveying direction is the direction from the right to the left in FIG. The conveyor 3 is the direction from the left to the right in FIG.
[0032]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 (b), the fixed table 4 is fixed to the supporting members 15 and 16 for laterally setting the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 with bolts or the like and does not move at all. . In FIG. 1, the end 3a of the reverse conveyor 3 and the fixed table 4 appear to interfere with each other. This is because the radius of the driven roller 17 located at the end of the reverse conveyor 3 is fixed. This is because it is larger than the thickness of 4, and there is no actual interference between the two.
[0033]
An end piece 18 formed of a substantially rectangular steel plate as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 is integrally fixed to the end portions of the support members 15, 16. A prismatic linear guide 19 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is fixed by embedded bolts. The direction of the axis of the linear guide 19 is orthogonal to the transport direction of the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 and is parallel to the article transport surface of the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3.
[0034]
A plate-shaped part mounting plate 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is fixed to the saddle 20 slidably mounted on the linear guide 19. The transfer arm 5 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is provided with a cam 23 on the upper surface of the other end of the part mounting plate 21 for moving the article delivery lever 9 with respect to the operation of the transfer arm 5. The cam plate 22 is fixed. The cam 23 should be called a sliding engagement body, and protrudes toward the fixed table 4 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the cam plate 22. The cam plate 22 is also a part of the urging mechanism 11.
[0035]
Further, the parts mounting plate 21 has a second cam plate 24 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 spaced below the cam plate 22 and superimposed on the lower surface of the cam plate 22 in FIG. It is fixed with. In FIG. 1, the shape of the second cam plate 24 cannot be clearly shown by being blocked by the cam plate 22, but the planar shape is as shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 11. The second cam plate 24 is also a part of the second engagement mechanism 14.
[0036]
Further, a long rectangular pawl 25 as shown in FIG. 1 is integrally fixed to the upper surface of the end piece 18, and abuts against the pallet 7 conveyed to the end 2 b of the forward conveyor 2 and stops. In addition to restricting the position, the path of the pallet 7 conveyed from the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 to the fixed table 4 by the transfer arm 5 is restricted from the side in the movement direction. The total height of the pallet 7 is larger than the thickness of the backing metal 25.
[0037]
A drive source for reciprocating the transfer arm 5 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 is constituted by an air cylinder 6 fixed on an end piece 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the air cylinder 6 has a cylinder head portion fixed onto the end piece 18 via an L-shaped stay, and the tip of the piston rod 26 is as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The transfer arm 5 is fixed to the lower end of the transfer arm 5 with a nut. The fixing is a floating system in which the transfer arm 5 side can be tilted to some extent with respect to the piston rod 26 so as not to be twisted. The air cylinder 6 is a pull-type air cylinder that maintains the protruding state of the piston rod 26 in a non-operating state, retracts the piston rod 26 in response to an operation command, and then protrudes the piston rod 26 again to return to the original position. In this embodiment, one reciprocating operation takes approximately 1 second.
[0038]
The bolts 29 and 30 attached to both ends of the end piece 18 via the stays 27 and 28 come into contact with the left and right ends (see FIG. 2) of the part mounting plate 21, and the protrusion limit and degeneration limit of the piston rod 26, That is, it is for adjusting the stroke end of the transfer arm 5, and the stop position of the transfer arm 5 at the stroke end can be adjusted by changing the protruding amount of the bolts 29, 30 with respect to the stays 27, 28. .
[0039]
The article delivery lever 9 has a substantially L-shaped planar shape as shown in FIG. 1, and a pin 32 is attached to an attachment piece 31 fixed on the support member 15 by being slightly offset from the fixed table 4. It is pivotally attached via a shaft. The other end of the spring 10 (biasing means) whose one end is locked on the cam plate 22 is attached to the tip of the article delivery lever 9 and is always urged to rotate clockwise around the pin 32 in FIG. The rotational position of the article delivery lever 9 is restricted by the engagement relationship between the cam 23 fixed to the cam plate 22 and the cam follower 34 that is rotatably supported on the article delivery lever 9. Has been. The cam follower 34 is a member that constitutes the urging mechanism 11 together with the cam plate 22.
The cam follower 34 is one of the followers, and other wear resistant pins can be used as the followers.
Hereinafter, it is simply referred to as a cam follower.
[0040]
FIG. 1 shows the case where the piston rod 26 of the air cylinder 6 protrudes the most, the transfer arm 5 is positioned on the outer end 2a of the forward conveyor 2, and the article delivery lever 9 is located at the delivery completion point 35. However, when the position of the cam 23 changes with the movement of the transfer arm 5 due to the contraction of the piston rod 26, the article delivery lever 9 can swing to the retreat position (36) indicated by the broken line in FIG. It is.
[0041]
When the contraction of the piston rod 26 is started from the state shown in FIG. 1, the article delivery lever 9 is pulled clockwise by the spring 10 as is apparent from the engagement relationship between the cam 23 and the cam follower 34 shown in FIG. Swing to. The pivoting position of the pin 32 with respect to the mounting piece 31 and the mounting position of the cam follower 34 with respect to the article delivery lever 9 are completed when the transfer arm 5 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 8), the tip of the article delivery lever 9 is pushed to the edge of the pallet 7 which is pushed by the transfer arm 5 and moves from the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 to the fixed table 4. There will be no interference. A cylindrical buffer member 37 made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to the tip of the article delivery lever 9 so as to absorb an impact when the pallet 7 is delivered from the fixed table 4 to the return conveyor 3. It has become. However, when some impact is allowed, a metal or hard plastic roller may be used.
[0042]
In order to transport the pallet 7 from the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 to the fixed table 4, the transfer arm 5 further moves from the position shown in FIG. 8 to the position shown in FIG. Since the pin 38 for restricting the swing limit of 9 is erected, the article delivery lever 9 exceeds the position shown in FIG. 8 or 10 even if the cam 23 is separated from the cam follower 34 as shown in FIG. Will not swing.
[0043]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 (A), guide rods 40, 41 fixed to a mounting plate 39 fixed with a positioning arm 12 are slid onto the support member 15 of the reverse conveyor 3. Sleeves 42 (not shown) and 43 for movably supporting are integrally fixed by bolts. Taking one of the guide rods 41 and the sleeve 43 as an example, the attachment state of the guide rod to the sleeve on the support member 15 side is shown in FIG. The relationship between the other guide rod 40 and the corresponding sleeve 42 (not shown) is the same as in FIG. 4 (a), and these two guide rods 40, 41 and the sleeves corresponding to each of them are the same. 42 and 43 allow the mounting plate 39 to freely move toward and away in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyors 2 and 3 while being parallel to the support member 15.
[0044]
The mounting state of the positioning arm 12 with respect to the mounting plate 39 is as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4B, and a taper for facilitating reception of the pallet 7 is provided inside the distal end portion of the positioning arm 12 facing the pad 25. A surface 44 is formed.
[0045]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the attachment plate 39 has a spring 13 penetrating the support member 15 with one end locked to the support member 16 positioned at the boundary between the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3. The other end of the fixing plate 4 is locked, and the spring 13 (second urging means) causes the mounting plate 39 and the positioning arm 12 fixed thereto to be constantly urged toward the area of the fixed table 4. Yes. The minimum separation distance of the mounting plate 39 with respect to the support member 15, that is, the amount of protrusion of the positioning arm 12 with respect to the area of the fixed table 4 is the protruding amount of the bolt 45 screwed to the mounting plate 39 so as to abut against the support member 15 Can be adjusted by changing
[0046]
As shown in FIG. 1, the second engagement mechanism 14 for engaging the positioning arm 12 with the movement of the transfer arm 5 is connected to the pin 32 on the attachment piece 31 together with the article delivery lever 9 but not to this. One end of the lever 33 is slidably in contact with a lever 33 (FIG. 7) that is rotatably supported independently and a cam surface 46 formed on the inner surface of a mounting plate 39 fixed integrally with the positioning arm 12. And a cam follower 48 provided at the other end of the lever 33 so as to be in sliding contact with the cam surface 24a of the second cam plate 24 formed integrally with the transfer arm 5.
[0047]
In FIG. 1, it is not possible to confirm the whole of the lever 33, but the lever 33 is overlapped on the lower surface of the article delivery lever 9 by the pin 32 on the mounting piece 31 as shown in FIG. It is pivotally supported and can rotate independently of the article delivery lever 9. FIG. 5B shows the engagement relationship between the lever 33 and the cam surface 46 of the mounting plate 39 and the cam surface 24a of the second cam plate 24 by removing the article delivery lever 9 located on the upper side.
[0048]
First, in the state where the transfer arm 5 is located on the outer end 2a of the forward conveyor 2 and the article delivery lever 9 is located at the delivery completion point (35) as shown in FIGS. Since the cam follower 48 of the lever 33 is supported by the upper end portion of the straight portion of the cam surface 24a of the second cam plate 24 (see FIG. 7), the lever 33 cannot swing further clockwise. Therefore, in this state, the mounting plate 39 urged by the spring 13 is held at the position farthest from the support member 15 by the cam follower 47 attached to one end of the lever 33, and the tip of the positioning arm 12 is fixed to the fixed table 4. It is completely evacuated from the area.
[0049]
As described above, if the piston rod 26 starts to retract from the state shown in FIG. 1, the movement of the transfer arm 5 and the swinging of the article delivery lever 9 in the clockwise direction start immediately. Since the straight portion is formed over a considerable length on the cam surface 24 a of the second cam plate 24 that moves integrally, until the straight portion passes the position of the cam follower 48. The posture of the lever 33 and the position of the positioning arm 12 are maintained in the state shown in FIG. The retracting operation of the article delivery lever 9 described above is completed before the straight portion of the cam surface 24 a passes the position of the cam follower 48.
[0050]
Further, the leading edge of the positioning arm 12 starts to enter the region of the fixed table 4 by the biasing force of the spring 13 as shown in FIG. 9 due to the degeneration of the piston rod 26 and the movement of the transfer arm 5. This is after the taper portion 24a reaches the position of the cam follower 48, and the clockwise rotation of the lever 33 is allowed. Since the taper portion of the cam surface 24a is formed with a steep slope, once the plunging operation of the positioning arm 12 is started, the time required to complete the rushing is short.
[0051]
In order to transport the pallet 7 from the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 to the fixed table 4, the transfer arm 5 moves further from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. Since the pin 49 for restricting the swing limit is erected, the lever 33 does not swing beyond the position shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 11, and therefore the positioning arm 12 is also in FIG. It does not enter the area of the fixed table 4 beyond the position shown in FIG. Since the pin 49 is formed slightly shorter than the pin 38 that restricts the swing limit of the article delivery lever 9 as shown in FIG. 2, the article delivery lever 9 does not interfere with the pin 49.
[0052]
1 and 4 (b) is for regulating the stop position of the pallet 7 carried onto the fixed table 4 by the transfer arm 5.
[0053]
Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it is sent from the upstream side of the forward conveyor 2 onto the support member 51 that is located on the outer end 2 a side of the forward conveyor 2 and supports the forward conveyor 2. A stopper 8 is provided for restricting the coming pallet 7 from entering the end 2 b of the forward conveyor 2. The stopper 8 has a restricting piece 52 that can be projected / retracted at the tip thereof, and is engaged with the transfer arm 5 (FIG. 1). The restricting piece 52 is always urged in the protruding direction by an internal spring, and protrudes when the transfer arm 5 moves to the backward conveyor 3 side, and is in a retracted position when it returns to the forward conveyor 2 side.
[0054]
Further, a light emitting part 54a of the optical sensor is fixed on the support member 51 via a stay 53, and a light receiving part 54b of the optical sensor is fixed on the metal pad 25 so as to face the light receiving part 54a. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as a sensor 54. The deployment position of the sensor 54 is adjusted so that the optical path thereof intersects with a part of the pallet 7 that is located at the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 and is in contact with the stopper 25. Here, the detection characteristic of the sensor 54 is dark on.
[0055]
As already described, the air cylinder 6 maintains the extended state in the OFF state, and performs one reciprocating operation of contraction → extension (return to the original position) with one operation command.
[0056]
Hereinafter, an outline of the overall operation of the apparatus 1 on the line including the operations of the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 will be described. It is assumed that the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3 operate constantly.
[0057]
Since the forward conveyor 2 is always in operation, if the pallet 7 is placed on the upstream side of the forward conveyor 2, the pallet 7 is conveyed downstream and reaches the position of the stopper 8. In the initial state, the transfer arm 5 is on the forward conveyor side and is in a state in which the regulating piece 52 of the stopper 8 is retracted, so that the pallet 7 passes through the position of the stopper 8 as it is, and the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 is reached. The pallet 7 blocks the optical path of the sensor 54 and the sensor 54 outputs a detection signal.
[0058]
The sequencer that has detected the detection signal from the sensor 54 outputs an operation command to the air cylinder 6 and starts the contraction operation of the piston rod 26, that is, the transfer operation of the pallet 7 from the end 2 b to the fixed table 4 by the transfer arm 5. Let At this time, since the wedge-shaped protrusion provided at the tip of the transfer arm 5 is engaged with the corner portion of the pallet 7, an unexpected shift in the conveying posture of the pallet 7 does not occur. Further, when the transfer arm 5 starts moving toward the reverse conveyor 3, the stopper 8 protrudes, and another pallet 7 other than the one received in the end 2 b in this processing is placed on the end 2 b of the forward conveyor 2. Intrusion is prohibited (FIG. 8).
[0059]
Simultaneously with the operation of the transfer arm 5, the swinging operation of the article delivery lever 9 in the clockwise direction by the spring 10 is started, but before the transfer arm 5 moves to the position shown in FIG. Since the pivoting position of the pin 32 with respect to the mounting piece 31 and the mounting position of the cam follower 34 with respect to the article delivery lever 9 are adjusted so as to be completed, it is pushed by the transfer arm 5 from the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 There is no interference between the pallet 7 moving to the fixed table 4 and the tip of the article delivery lever 9 (buffer member 37).
[0060]
At the same time, the second cam plate 24 starts to move together with the transfer arm 5. However, since the cam surface 24a of the second cam plate 24 has a straight portion having a considerable length, the spring 13 is actually attached. The reason why the lever 33 swings clockwise by the force and the positioning arm 12 starts to enter the area of the fixed table 4 is after the retracting operation of the article delivery lever 9 as shown in FIG. 8 is completed. That is.
[0061]
When the transfer arm 5 reaches a position as shown in FIG. 9 and the straight portion on the cam surface 24a of the second cam plate 24 exceeds the position of the cam follower 48 of the lever 33, the lever 13 is biased by the biasing force of the spring 13. 33 is swung clockwise at once, and the positioning arm 12 enters the area of the fixed table 4. Note that the swing limit of the article delivery lever 9 and the swing limit of the lever 33 are regulated by pins 38 and 49.
[0062]
The movement of the transfer arm 5 due to the contraction of the piston rod 26 continues, and the pallet 7 which is regulated on both sides by the positioning arm 12 which has entered into the area of the stopper 25 and the fixed table 4 is shown in FIGS. As shown in the figure, the transfer arm 5 is pushed directly onto the fixed table 4, one side of the pallet 7 abuts against the metal plate 50, and the four corners are surrounded by the positioning arm 12, the metal plate 25, the transfer arm 5 and the metal plate 50. The positioning of the pallet 7 is completed.
[0063]
At this time, the transfer arm 5 completely passes over the forward conveyor 2 and is positioned between the forward conveyor 2 and the backward conveyor 3, but the restriction piece 52 of the stopper 8 is disposed on the transport path of the forward conveyor 2. Rushes into and prohibits the movement of the other pallet 7, so that another pallet 7 does not enter the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2 (see FIG. 10).
[0064]
In this state, the piston rod 26 is located at the dead point on the contraction side. In this embodiment, the piston rod 26 is immediately started to project (return to the original position). It is also possible to maintain the contracted state of the above and to allow the article on the pallet 7 located on the fixed table 4 to be processed or handled by an industrial robot or the like. In this case, a predetermined sequencer receives a loading operation end signal from the loading device, and the operation of returning the piston rod 26 to the original position by the air cylinder 6 is started.
[0065]
The sequence of operations caused by the projecting motion of the piston rod 26 occurs in a completely reverse order except for the movement of the transfer arm 5.
[0066]
That is, the original position return operation of the transfer arm 5 is started first by the projecting operation of the piston rod 26, and then the transfer cam 5 returns to the position as shown in FIG. The cam surface 24 a is in sliding contact with the cam follower 48 of the lever 33, and the lever 33 is swung in a counterclockwise direction so that the positioning arm 12 is retracted from the area of the fixed table 4. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the cam 23 of the cam plate 22 comes into contact with the cam follower 34 of the article delivery lever 9, and the article delivery lever 9 starts to swing counterclockwise. The member 37) comes into contact with the pallet 7 on the fixed table 4 and presses it to push it out from the fixed table 4 onto the reverse conveyor 3.
[0067]
As described above, since the retracting operation of the positioning arm 12 has already been completed at this stage, there is nothing that refuses to send the pallet 7 by the article delivery lever 9. Eventually, when the piston rod 26 returns to the original position in the fully protruding state, the transfer arm 5 and the article delivery lever 9 also return to the initial positions as shown in FIGS. Since the reverse conveyor 3 is always operating, the pallet 7 pushed onto the reverse conveyor 3 by the article delivery lever 9 is carried away by the reverse conveyor 3 as it is.
[0068]
In addition, when the piston rod 26 returns to the original position, the restricting piece 52 of the stopper 8 is retracted, and the new pallet 7 is allowed to be received from the forward conveyor 2 to the end 2b.
[0069]
Thereafter, each time the sensor 54 detects that the pallet 7 has entered the end 2b of the forward conveyor 2, the same processing operation as described above is repeatedly executed.
[0070]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the article (pallet 7) is transferred from the forward conveyor 2 to the fixed table 4 by using one air cylinder 6 as a drive source, and from the fixed table 4 to the backward conveyor 3. Therefore, the overall configuration can be greatly simplified as compared with the conventional apparatus in which each of the driving sources is provided for processing in two different directions. . Further, there is no control complexity such as timing sharing among a plurality of drive sources.
[0071]
Further, the operation of retracting the article delivery lever 9 from the fixed table 4, the operation of the positioning arm 12 entering the fixed table 4, and the protruding operation of the restricting piece 52 at the stopper 8 are performed by moving the cam 23 and attaching the spring 10. Because the force and the movement of the cam plate 24 and the bias of the spring 13 or the engagement with the transfer arm 5 and the bias of the spring in the stopper 8 are biased, a confirmation signal or the like is not required for the operation timing, and the shift is not caused. It never happens. Therefore, it is less likely to cause malfunction even at high speed operation.
[0072]
As long as two operations with different directions are performed by a single drive source, some kind of urging mechanism must be provided, but the members constituting the urging mechanism 11 and the second urging mechanism 14 are Are only flat cam plates, simple cam followers or levers, and their movements are limited to simple linear or rotary movements, so no special machining techniques or high machining accuracy is required. , Manufacturing costs can be kept low. Moreover, maintenance is easy.
[0073]
It should be noted that the engagement mechanism 11 may be provided as long as the articles are transferred from the forward conveyor 2 to the fixed table 4 and the articles are transferred from the fixed table 4 to the backward conveyor 3. However, if the article is accurately positioned on the fixed table 4 and mechanical work is performed on the article in that state, the second urging mechanism 14 and the positioning arm 12 are required.
[0074]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, articles can be transferred between the forward conveyor and the backward conveyor with a single drive source. In addition, the structure of the engagement mechanism that interlocks the transfer arm including the operation of the stopper and the article delivery lever, and the mechanism of interlocking the transfer arm that includes the operation of the stopper, the article delivery lever, and the positioning arm are simple. Therefore, daily maintenance can be easily performed.
Since the feed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is performed purely mechanically by a single drive source, there are few malfunctions.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the same embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the same embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the positioning arm of the embodiment (the directionality follows that of FIG. 2).
FIG. 5 is a half sectional view showing the lever of the same embodiment;
FIG. 6 is an operational principle diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an operational principle diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an operation principle diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an operational principle diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an operational principle diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an operation principle diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Equipment to transfer articles from the forward conveyor to the backward conveyor
2 Forward conveyor
2a End outside
2b end
3 Conveyor for reverse operation
3a end
4 Fixed table for placing goods
5 Transfer arm
6 Air cylinder
7 Goods (pallets)
8 Stopper
9 Article delivery lever
10 Biasing means (spring)
11 Engaging mechanism
12 Positioning arm
13 Second urging means (spring)
14 Second engagement mechanism
15 Support member
16 Support member
17 Followed roller
18 Endpiece
19 Linear guide
20 saddles
21 Parts mounting plate
22 Cam plate
23 cams
24 Second cam plate
24a Cam surface
25 Deposit
26 Piston rod
27 Stay
28 Stay
29 volts
30 volts
31 Mounting piece
32 pins
33 lever
34 Cam follower
35 Sending completion point
36 Retreat Location
37 Buffer member
38 pins
39 Mounting plate
40 Guide rod
41 Guide rod
42 sleeve
43 sleeve
44 Tapered surface
45 volts
46 Cam surface
47 Cam Follower
48 Cam Follower
49 pins
50 deposit
51 Support member
52 Restriction piece
53 stays
54 Optical sensor
54a Light emitting part of optical sensor
54b Light receiving portion of optical sensor

Claims (2)

In an apparatus for transferring an article from a forward conveyor to a backward conveyor by deploying between a pair of forward conveyors arranged in parallel and an end of the backward conveyor,
A stationary table for placing articles that communicates with an end of the reverse conveyor;
A transfer arm that reciprocates the upper part of the forward conveyor between the outer side of the forward conveyor and the fixed table in a direction crossing the conveying direction of each conveyor to transfer articles from the forward conveyor to the fixed table. When,
A drive source for reciprocating the transfer arm;
While the transfer arm is operating, a stopper that prohibits the entry of articles into the end of the forward conveyor,
A delivery completion point that is pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the fixed table and is located at a connecting portion between the fixed table and the reverse conveyor, and a retreat point that is located at an end opposite to the delivery completion point. An article delivery lever provided so that the upper part of the fixed table can swing between,
An urging means comprising an elastic body for urging the article delivery lever from the delivery completion location toward the withdrawal location;
The article delivery lever is configured by a follower provided in the article delivery lever and a cam integrally formed with the follower arm, and the article delivery lever is positioned outside the end of the forward conveyor. Is swung to a delivery completion position against the urging force of the urging means, and as the transfer arm moves toward the fixed table, the article delivery lever is directed to the retreat position by the urging force of the urging means. The drive source that completes the retracting operation of the article delivery lever until the article on the forward conveyor enters the fixed table by the movement of the transfer arm, and between the transfer arm and the article delivery lever. An apparatus for transferring an article from a forward conveyor to a backward conveyor, comprising a mechanically linked engagement mechanism. A positioning arm that is slidably attached in a direction to enter the upper part in the area of the fixed table from the outer end of the fixed table;
Second urging means comprising an elastic body for urging the positioning arm from the outside of the end of the fixed table toward the area of the fixed table;
In the vicinity of the outside of the end portion of the fixed table, a lever pivotally attached to the center portion,
A follower provided at one end of the lever so as to be slidably contacted with a cam surface provided integrally with the positioning arm in the urging direction; a cam surface formed integrally with the transfer arm; and the cam A follower provided at the other end of the lever for sliding contact with the surface, and the lever is attached to the second urging means in a state where the transfer arm is located outside the end of the forward conveyor. While swinging against the force and retracting the positioning arm from within the area of the fixed table, and when the transfer arm moves toward the fixed table beyond the position corresponding to the completion position of the retracting operation of the article delivery lever, The lever is swung by the urging force of the second urging means to mechanically move between the drive source, the transfer arm, and the article delivery lever that cause the positioning arm to enter the upper portion of the fixed table area. Apparatus to reprint an article to backward conveyor from forward conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that a second Kakarido mechanism for interlocking.

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