JP4341930B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transfer device that allows a workpiece supported by a conveyor to pass through a plurality of processing steps while changing its posture, and more particularly to a device suitable for a surface treatment line such as car body painting in vehicle manufacture.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the painting line of a vehicle, there are many processing steps such as pretreatment, electrodeposition, washing with water, painting and drying, and the workpiece is transferred between these processing steps by a conveyor. Among these, when dipping the body of a relatively large four-wheeled vehicle, as shown in FIG. 10A, the workpiece W transferred on the floor conveyor FC arranged on the floor surface, It is arranged to move up and down on the pretreatment / electrodeposition line, and is transferred to the overhead conveyor HC for suspension support. In this state, it is moved up and down while passing over the pretreatment / electrodeposition tank, etc., and dipped. After that, it is transferred again to the floor conveyor FC.
[0003]
In the case of electrodeposition coating, it is known to change the posture in various ways such as rotating a workpiece in an electrodeposition coating tank in order to obtain excellent coating quality (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-104920, JP-A-2-111481 etc.).
[0004]
On the other hand, when painting the body of a relatively small two-wheeled vehicle, as shown in FIG. 10B, the entire painting process can be processed by the overhead conveyor HC. Although it is not necessary to transfer like a wheeled vehicle, the same up and down movement operation is performed for the dipping process. In the following explanation, the workpiece posture of the type that places and supports the workpiece on the floor conveyor is the floor conveyor posture, the workpiece posture of the type that supports the suspension is the overhead conveyor posture, and is substantially horizontal to the side of the conveyor. The supported posture is called a side conveyor posture. Further, rotation in a plane parallel to and perpendicular to the traveling direction is referred to as longitudinal rotation, and rotation in a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction is referred to as lateral rotation.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in processing that requires the workpiece posture to be changed between the floor conveyor posture and the overhead conveyor posture, it takes time to transfer each time the workpiece posture changes during transfer, so at least in one continuous processing It is desired not to transfer the workpiece on the way even if the workpiece posture changes. In addition, in the method of continuously changing the transfer line up and down as in the dipping process, the ratio of the time required only for the entry / exit tank that is not useful for immersion increases with respect to the substantial immersion time of the workpiece. Improvement is also desired. Furthermore, in the case of an overhead conveyor, there is a possibility that the quality of the coating may be deteriorated due to adhesion of dust falling from an upper conveyor, so that it is also desired to adopt a conveyance type in which such falling objects are difficult to adhere. Accordingly, the present invention aims to solve such problems.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a conveying apparatus according to the present invention is a conveying apparatus in which a workpiece is supported on a conveyor via a carrier and a plurality of processing steps are allowed to pass while changing the workpiece posture. The movable part is provided with a rotating means for rotating the movable part in a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction, and the rotating part is rotated together with the carrier by the rotating means .
The carrier is supported on a conveyor including the movable part and moves in the length direction by a carrier feeding member.When the carrier moves onto the movable part, the carrier rotates integrally with the rotation,
The carrier feeding member is arranged in parallel with the conveyor, and engages with the carrier by a locking member provided on the carrier feeding member to move the carrier in the traveling direction.
The locking member must remain engaged with the carrier even when the carrier rotates on the movable part .
[0007]
In this case, the carrier can move in the traveling direction around a conveyor having a square cross section penetrating a square hole provided at the center thereof.
Further, the carrier can be provided with a flange portion that always engages with the locking member including when rotating with the movable portion, and the substantially U-shaped member that always engages the locking member with the flange portion; Ru can also be.
[0009]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when the movable part is provided in a part of the conveyor and is rotated by the rotating means, the carrier supported by the movable part is also rotated together with the movable part. It is possible to freely change the work posture to an overhead conveyor posture or the like. For this reason, even when it is necessary to change the workpiece posture for each successive process, it is not necessary to transfer, so that time loss can be reduced. In particular, it is suitable for tact processing in which conveyance is temporarily stopped for each process and necessary processing is performed.
[0010]
In addition, since a part of the conveyor itself is a movable part, the movable part can be made strong and relatively simple in structure. In addition, the rotation means can be easily configured with a step motor or the like, and when a step motor is used, it can be easily accommodated in the hollow portion of the conveyor, and the rotation direction and angle can be freely controlled.
[0011]
In addition, if the carrier is supported on the conveyor so as to move around the conveyor of the square cross section penetrating the square hole provided in the center portion, the support of the carrier becomes simple and strong in structure, The conveyance of the workpiece can be stabilized, which is particularly advantageous when supporting a heavy workpiece. Furthermore, if engaged in the carrier feed means for collimating this by a flange provided on the carrier conveyor, Ru can enable movement of the carrier to maintain the carrier engagement and constantly carrier feed means be rotated.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment applied to a painting line of a motorcycle will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a process diagram of the entire coating line, in which each process of charging / fixing A, pretreatment B, electrodeposition coating C, electrodeposition drying D, top coating E, and top coating drying F is sequentially performed. . Circled numbers in the figure indicate steps in FIG. (In addition, the display of the process number in the figure is shown by a corresponding circled number. The same applies hereinafter)
[0013]
In the loading / jig mounting A, the work 1 which is the body of the motorcycle suspended and transported by the overhead conveyor HC of the welding line, which is the previous process of the painting line, is transferred to the conveyor 2 via the carrier 3. It is supported in a conveyor posture (1).
[0014]
When moving to pretreatment B, the work posture is rotated horizontally to continuously change between a floor conveyor posture and an overhead conveyor posture, while degreasing 2 (overhead conveyor posture), water washing and surface adjustment 3 (floor conveyor posture), chemical conversion treatment 4 (overhead conveyor posture), water washing 5 (floor conveyor posture), 6 (overhead conveyor posture), pure water washing and draining 7 (floor conveyor posture) are performed.
[0015]
Similarly, in the electrodeposition coating C, while changing horizontally and horizontally between the floor conveyor posture and the overhead conveyor posture, the electrodeposition coating 8 (overhead conveyor posture), water washing 9 (floor conveyor posture), 10 (overhead conveyor posture), pure Each process of the water washing 11 (floor conveyor attitude | position) is performed.
[0016]
In the pretreatment drying D, the electrodeposition drying furnace is passed through without changing the workpiece posture while maintaining the floor conveyor posture (12).
[0017]
In the top coat E, if it is put into a spray type top coat booth and is moved while being rotated 90 degrees around the axis of the conveyor 2 at the movable part provided in the conveyor 2, the bottom coating (13) in the overhead conveyor posture, the side conveyor The side painting (14) in the posture, the other side painting (15) in the same posture, and then the top conveyor painting (16) can be performed again by returning to the floor conveyor posture. Can do.
[0018]
In the top coating drying F, the workpiece 1 is passed through the top coating drying furnace while maintaining the posture of the floor conveyor (17).
[0019]
2 to 5 relate to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view partially cut away of a part of the conveyor, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. FIG. 5 and FIG. 5 are views similar to FIG. 4 showing the state during rotation.
[0020]
In these drawings, a position of a part of the conveyor 2, which is a hollow member having a substantially square cross section, corresponding to a process that needs to change the workpiece posture from a floor conveyor posture to an overhead conveyor posture, etc. And The movable portion 4 has the same cross section as the front and rear conveyors 2 and is rotatable in a lateral direction rotating in a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction F.
[0021]
That is, the step motor 5 is fixed inside one side of the conveyor 2 with the movable part 4 interposed therebetween, and the rotation shaft 6 is provided in parallel with the centers of the conveyor 2 and the movable part 4. 7 and allows the vertical wall 7 to rotate integrally. The tip of the rotating shaft 6 is fixed to the vertical wall 8 of the other conveyor 2 with a nut 9.
[0022]
Thereby, when the step motor 5 rotates by a predetermined angle, the movable part 4 integrated with the rotating shaft 6 integrally rotates laterally at the same angle as the rotation angle. The bottom surface of the conveyor 2 is supported on the floor surface by the support columns 10 at predetermined intervals in the length direction. The movable part 4 is made rotatable without the support 10. The step motor 5 can freely control the rotation angle and the rotation direction, and can be controlled by a known method.
[0023]
The carrier 3 has a similar shape that penetrates the conveyor 2 and the movable part 4, and has a main body part 11 having a slightly larger square hole shape, and the conveyor 2 and the movable part 4 penetrate through the main body part 11. The movable part 4 is guided on the conveyor 2 and the movable part 4 and can move in the traveling direction in the form of a monorail.
[0024]
One end of a support rod 12 is integrally attached to the upper surface of the main body 11, and the work 1 is supported at the other end. In addition, rollers 13 are rotatably supported at a total of four front and rear, left and right sides of each surface, and these roll on the outer surfaces of the conveyor 2 and the movable portion 4.
[0025]
Disc-shaped flanges 14 are provided at both front and rear ends of the main body 11, and a cutout portion 15 is formed at a part of the lower portion when the floor conveyor is in a posture so as to avoid interference with 10 when traveling. It has become. The flange 14 is always engaged with a substantially U-shaped locking member 16, and this engaged state is maintained even when the carrier 3 rotates laterally.
[0026]
The locking member 16 is fixed to a belt-shaped carrier feeding member 17 disposed in parallel with the conveyor 2, and the carrier 3 is engaged with the flange 14 by moving the carrier feeding member 17 in the traveling direction F. The member 16 moves in the traveling direction F regardless of whether the carrier 3 rotates laterally on each of the conveyor 2 and the movable portion 6.
[0027]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows the electrodeposition coating process C. When the carrier 3 moves on the conveyor 2 in the floor conveyor posture and stops on the movable part 4 provided in the upper part of the electrodeposition paint tank 18 in the conveyor 2. . Here, when the step motor 5 rotates 180 °, the carrier 3 rotates 180 ° laterally through the vertical wall 7 integrated with the rotating shaft 6.
[0028]
For this reason, the work 1 is rotated horizontally to become an overhead conveyor posture, etc., is immersed in the electrodeposition paint tank 18, and after the paint is attached by dipping, if it is further rotated 180 °, it comes out of the electrodeposition paint tank 18. Return to the original floor conveyor posture.
[0029]
At this time, the workpiece 1 can be continuously rotated laterally or intermittently in the electrodeposition paint tank 18 by setting the step motor 5. The electrodeposition coating is made good by moving the workpiece 1 in the electrodeposition coating tank 18.
[0030]
In addition, since the conveyor 2 itself does not change up and down and maintains a straight line in the same horizontal plane, the workpiece 1 can be immediately dipped, and the loss time that is not related to immersion can be significantly shortened because it is spent only in the entry / exit tank. The entire time of the painting process can be shortened.
[0031]
In addition, since the workpiece posture can be freely changed to the floor conveyor posture, the overhead conveyor posture, etc. by rotating the workpiece 1 sideways, even when the workpiece posture needs to be changed every successive steps, for example, 13-15. Since there is no need to transfer, time loss can be reduced. In particular, it is suitable for tact processing in which necessary processing is performed by temporarily stopping conveyance for each process (for example, 13 to 15).
[0032]
In addition, since a part of the conveyor 2 itself is the movable part 4, the movable part 4 can be made strong and relatively simple in structure. In addition, the rotating means can be easily configured by the step motor 5, and by using the step motor 5, it can be easily accommodated in the hollow portion of the conveyor 2, and the rotation direction and angle can be freely controlled.
[0033]
Further, since the carrier 3 is supported on the conveyor 2 in a monorail shape, the support of the carrier 3 becomes simple and strong in structure, and the conveyance of the workpiece 1 can be stabilized. This is particularly advantageous when supporting a heavy workpiece 1. Further, since the flange 3 is provided on the carrier 3 and engaged with the locking member 16 of the carrier feeding member 17 parallel to the conveyor 2, the engagement with the locking member 16 is always maintained even when the carrier 3 rotates. Thus, the carrier 3 can be moved, which is suitable as a mechanism for moving the carrier 3 regardless of the rotational position.
[0034]
Next, a reference example will be described. 7 is a side view with a part of the movable portion cut away, FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the action, and FIG. 9 is a view showing the action from the front in the traveling direction F. In addition, about a common function part and a previous Example, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol.
[0035]
In these drawings, the conveyor 2 has a rectangular tube shape and has a movable part 4 in a part thereof. The movable part 4 can be rotated laterally by a step motor 5, the step motor 5 is fixed in one conveyor 2 sandwiching the movable part 4, and the rotation shaft 6 passes through the movable part 4 to the other conveyor 2. The tip is fixed to the vertical wall 8 here. The movable portion 4 can rotate integrally with the vertical wall 7 and the rotary shaft 6, thereby rotating synchronously with the rotary shaft 6.
[0036]
The carrier 3 is connected so as to move along each side surface of the conveyor 2 and the movable portion 4, and from the slit 20 formed continuously on the side surface in the length direction to the inside of the conveyor 2 and the movable portion 4, The protrusion 21 of the carrier 3 protrudes, and rollers 22 provided at the four corners of the front and rear and upper and lower sides are supported by the protrusion 21.
[0037]
The carrier 3 is movable by a roller 22 that rolls inside the conveyor 2 and the movable portion 4, and moves in the traveling direction F by appropriate driving means (not shown). A horizontal arm 23 extends laterally from one side of the carrier 3, and its tip 24 is bent at a right angle so that the workpiece 1 is supported in an upright state when used as a motorcycle, and the floor conveyor is positioned. (FIG. 9A). Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, the work 1 is supported at a position away from the conveyor 2 and one side (left side in this example ) of the conveyor 2 and the movable part 4 in a plan view.
[0038]
Next, the operation of this example will be described. When the carrier 3 moves onto the electrodeposition paint tank 18, the carrier 3 stops and the step motor 5 rotates 180 °. Thereby, since the movable part 4 rotates sideways, it becomes an overhead conveyor attitude | position etc. which are shown to FIG. 8B and FIG. 9B, and a dipping process is attained like a previous Example. Since this process is the same as in the previous embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.
[0039]
If the carrier 3 is supported on one side of the conveyor 2 in this way, the workpiece 1 can be supported on the side away from the conveyor 2, so that falling objects such as dust from the conveyor 2 adhere to the workpiece 1. It becomes difficult. Therefore, it becomes suitable for the painting line which dislikes such a deposit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a process diagram of an entire body painting line according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part in a floor conveyor posture according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof. line cross-sectional view and FIG. 5 work posture control explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 4 at the time of the overhead conveyor orientation Fig. 6 electrodeposition coating step 7 partial side view at the time of a floor conveyor position according to a reference example [ FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the plan view together with the action. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the action together from the front in the traveling direction. FIG. 10 is a process diagram for conventional car body painting.
1: Workpiece, 2: Conveyor, 3: Carrier, 4: Movable part, 5: Step motor, 6: Rotating shaft, 10: Strut, 11: Main body part, 14: Flange, 16: Locking member, 17: Carrier feed Member, 18: Electrodeposition paint tank, 23: Horizontal arm

Claims (4)

In a transfer device in which a workpiece is supported on a conveyor through a carrier and a plurality of processing steps are allowed to pass while changing the workpiece posture, a part of the conveyor is a movable portion, and the movable portion is a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction. A rotating means for rotating in the inside, the rotating means rotates the movable part together with the carrier , and
The carrier is supported on a conveyor including the movable part and moved in the length direction by a carrier feeding member.When the carrier moves onto the movable part, the carrier rotates integrally with the rotating part,
The carrier feeding member is arranged in parallel with the conveyor, and engages with the carrier by a locking member provided on the carrier feeding member to move the carrier in the traveling direction.
The conveying device characterized in that the locking member maintains the engagement with the carrier even when the carrier rotates on the movable portion . The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier moves in a traveling direction around a conveyor having a square cross section penetrating a square hole provided in a central portion thereof. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is provided with a flange portion that is always engaged with the locking member, including during rotation with the movable portion . The conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein the locking member provided on the carrier feeding member is a substantially U-shaped member that is always engaged with the flange portion .

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