JP5280690B2 - Direction change device and transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a direction changing device and a conveyor device, capable of lowering conveying surface and easily changing an assembly line. <P>SOLUTION: The direction changing device includes: a plurality of rollers 3 abutting on the lower surface of an object to be conveyed; a drive motor 7 rotating these rollers 3; and a turning mechanism 4 for simultaneously turning each of the rotating shafts of the rollers 3 around a vertical shaft. The conveyor device conveys the object to be conveyed in an approximately U-shaped conveying direction in a plane view by combining the direction changing device with a conveyor linearly conveying the object to be conveyed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a direction changing device and a conveying device that are arranged on the same floor as a conveyor that conveys a conveyance object in one direction, are interposed between the conveyors, and change the conveyance direction of the conveyance object.

  For example, in an assembly line in which each part is assembled and assembled on a work such as an engine, the conveyor is placed along each assembly station and the work is placed on a pallet-type jig and then palletized by the conveyor. By transporting the workpiece, the worker is working and assembling the workpiece in each process.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a conventional transport device 90. This transfer device 90 interposes a direction changing device 93 between the conveyors 92 that transfer the pallet 91 from the worker Mf in the initial process to the worker Ml in the final process. Assembling line L can be formed. Further, by connecting the assembly line L in a ring shape, a separate conveyor for transporting the empty pallet 91 from the final process to the first process can be eliminated. The direction changing unit 93 includes, for example, a transport unit 94 that transports the pallet 91 in a predetermined direction, and a turning unit 95 (see an enlarged view) that is attached to the lower portion of the transport unit 94 and rotates the entire transport unit 94 by 90 degrees. Is provided.

  Since the transfer device 90 having the above-described configuration has a transfer surface formed at a position 500 to 700 mm higher than the floor level, the workability and assembling work by the workers Mf to Ml are reduced, and parts are transferred. There is a problem that it takes a great restriction to do so. Therefore, in order to facilitate the processing and assembling work by the workers Mf to Ml and the conveyance of the parts, it is conceivable to form the conveyance surface of the conveyor 92 low.

  However, in the transport device 90 having the above-described configuration, the direction changing device 93 is configured to rotate the entire transport unit 94 by the swivel unit 95, so that the transport surface has to be higher than the conveyor 92.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, when the transport height of the direction changing device 93 of the transport unit 94 is lowered, the floor of the direction changing device 93 is adjusted to the height of the transport surface of the conveyor 92. The pit 96 was formed in F and the foundation work which embeds the direction change apparatus 93 in the floor F was performed. However, if there is a change in the shape of the engine or a change in the number of units produced due to a car model change, etc., it will be necessary to increase or decrease the assembly process. In order to change the length of the assembly line L, etc., a large-scale foundation work is required, and there is a problem that adjustment becomes difficult.

  In addition, when the pallet 91 is turned by the direction changing device 93, the transport unit 94 is turned 90 degrees to prevent the pallet 91 and the work from hitting an operator when turning. It is necessary to install protective fences and area sensors for management.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned matters, and an object of the present invention is to provide a direction changing device and a transport device that can lower the transport surface and can easily change the assembly line. Is to provide.

The first invention includes a plurality of rollers in contact with the lower surface of the object to be transported, a drive motor that rotates these rollers, and a turning mechanism that simultaneously turns the rotation shafts of the individual rollers around the vertical axis. ,
Each of the rollers is provided with the drive motor to constitute a roller unit,
The turning mechanism supports the roller unit so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis, respectively, and a movable body disposed in the vicinity of the turning support and movable in a substantially horizontal direction and formed with a plurality of cams. And an air cylinder or hydraulic cylinder or motor for moving the movable body, a cam lever having a cam follower engaged with the cam at the free end, and a base end attached to the roller unit. There is provided a direction changing device configured to change only the conveying direction without turning an object. (Claim 1)

  According to the above configuration, the plurality of rollers in contact with the lower surface of the object to be conveyed are rotated by the drive motor, so that the object to be conveyed can be conveyed in the direction in which the roller rotates as the rollers rotate. Further, since the turning mechanism turns the rotation axis of each roller around the vertical axis, the conveying direction can be freely changed. Since the turning mechanism does not turn the entire transport unit as in the prior art, the weight and size of the turning mechanism can be reduced. That is, the conveyance surface of the direction changing device can be formed as low as possible. By limiting the height of the direction changing device to the minimum necessary height from the floor, the direction changing device can be stably installed on the floor without special foundation work.

  Furthermore, since the swivel device can change the direction of conveyance without swiveling the object to be transported in a substantially horizontal direction, it is not necessary to perform safety management associated with the swiveling of the object to be transported, and switching of the transport direction is wasted. It can be done smoothly. Moreover, since only the conveyance direction can be changed to a substantially U shape without turning the object to be conveyed, the operator can perform processing or assembling work from different directions along with the change of the conveyance direction.

  It is preferable that the object to be transported has a flat plane on which the plurality of rollers are uniformly in contact with the lower surface, and a flat plane may be formed on the lower surface of the workpiece itself. However, a flat plane may be formed on the lower surface of the pallet on which the pallet is mounted. Or the tray and components storage shelf which accommodate the components assembled | attached with respect to a workpiece | work may be sufficient.

  The shape of the roller is, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape, and it is preferable to form a contact surface formed of a material having elasticity such as rubber or synthetic resin on the outer periphery thereof. The turning mechanism turns the rotation axis of the roller about the vertical axis centering on the contact portion between the roller and the object to be conveyed, so that the object to be conveyed can be kept stationary when the direction of conveyance is changed.

  The drive motor only needs to be able to supply enough power to transport the object to be transported on the direction changing device, so that downsizing can be achieved. In addition, you may provide the power transmission mechanism which transmits the rotational force of one drive motor to each roller.

In the first invention, each of the rollers is provided with the drive motor to constitute a roller unit, and the turning mechanism supports the roller unit so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, A movable body arranged in the vicinity of the swivel support portion and movable in a substantially horizontal direction and having a plurality of cams, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or a motor for moving the movable body, and a free end portion engaged with the cam Since each cam follower is provided with a cam lever having a base end portion attached to the roller unit, each roller can be reliably driven by being provided with a drive motor. Since the drive motor is a synchronous motor or a servo motor, the rotation speed of each roller can be easily synchronized.

  Since each drive motor drives one roller, the load applied to each drive motor can be reduced, and the drive motor can be further reduced in size. Therefore, the roller unit composed of the roller and the drive motor can be reduced in size, and the plurality of roller units can be rotated without colliding with the roller units being arranged.

  The drive motor is preferably a direct drive, and may be built in between the roller axis and the outer peripheral surface. In this case, the roller unit can be further reduced in size, and can be swung in a state where a large number of roller units are arranged without colliding with adjacent roller units.

  By engaging the cam and the cam follower formed on the moving body, all the rollers can be swung simultaneously using the linear movement of the moving body by the actuator. The actuator is preferably an air cylinder, but may be a hydraulic cylinder or a motor. The cam formed on the moving body is a groove (hereinafter referred to as a cam groove) formed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the moving body, and the cam follower is preferably a roller that engages with the cam groove.

  When the roller contacts the object to be transported at a position away from the center of turning by the turning mechanism (Claim 2), when the rotating shaft of the roller is turned by the turning mechanism, the roller is conveyed along with the turning. By rolling in contact with the object, it is possible to turn without damaging the object to be conveyed.

  It is preferable that the roller has a tapered surface, such as a substantially truncated cone shape, whose outer diameter gradually increases. In other words, a roller having a tapered surface can extremely reduce the contact area of the contact portion with the conveyance object when the conveyance object is lightweight, so that the loss due to friction in the conveyance using the roller is reduced accordingly. The drive motor can convey the object to be conveyed with a small drive torque.

  In the case where a top cover that forms a substantially horizontal plane in which a through hole for projecting the upper end of the roller is formed at the position of each roller (Claim 3), the object to be conveyed comes into contact with the upper end surface of the roller. Thus, the object to be transported can be moved, and foreign matter can be prevented from entering between the rollers, thereby improving safety.

  In the case where a guide plate that adjusts the rotation angle in the horizontal direction of the transport object by contacting the transport object that has been carried in is provided (claim 4), each time the transport object is carried into the direction changing device. Since the horizontal rotation angle of the conveyance object is adjusted, the horizontal rotation angle of the conveyance object can be prevented from shifting even if the direction change is repeated by the direction changing device.

  2nd invention combines the said direction change apparatus and the conveyor which conveys the said conveyance target object linearly, and conveys a conveyance target object in a substantially U-shaped conveyance direction in planar view, The conveyance apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. (Claim 5).

  The said conveying apparatus can make the conveyance surface of a direction changing apparatus and a conveying apparatus uniformly low by restraining the height of a direction changing apparatus to a required minimum height from a floor. That is, the conveyor and the direction changing device can be stably installed on the floor without performing special foundation work. In addition, since the conveyor and the direction changing device have a low conveying surface, it is possible for an operator to get on the conveyor and perform processing or assembling work on the object to be conveyed. In addition, the worker can work at a position where the worker is stopped relative to the conveyance object.

  When the conveyance object is a pallet including a support arm that supports a workpiece in a plurality of different postures and a bottom plate that forms a flat lower surface below the support arm (Claim 6), the conveyance object Since the bottom plate formed on the lower surface of the plate abuts on the roller, stable conveyance can be performed. In addition, since the support arm supports the workpiece in different postures, the operator can adjust the support arm so that the workpiece can be easily processed or assembled. The work efficiency becomes easier. The support arm is preferably rotatable in the horizontal direction in plan view with respect to the bottom plate.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the width in the height direction of the direction changing device can be reduced, it is possible to reduce both the direction changing device arranged on the floor of the same height and the conveying surface of the conveyor. It can be installed stably without any special foundation work. That is, it is possible to easily adjust the arrangement of the direction changing device in accordance with a change in the number of workpieces produced and / or a change in machining or assembly process for the workpieces.

  In addition, since the direction changing device can change the direction of the conveying object without turning the object to be conveyed, the danger associated with changing the direction of the conveying object can be reduced, and the safety is increased accordingly. Management can be facilitated. In addition, since there is no time loss for turning the object to be transported which is a heavy object, it is possible to carry out promptly.

  1-7 is a figure which shows the structure of the direction change apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the direction changing device 1 of the present invention is disposed in a two-dimensional direction substantially parallel to the conveyance surface S and abuts on the lower surface of a pallet 2 (conveyance object) on which a workpiece W such as an engine is mounted. A plurality of rollers 3, a turning mechanism 4 for turning the rotation shafts of the individual rollers 3 all around the vertical axis, and a through hole 5a formed in parallel with the conveying surface and at the position of each roller 3 A substantially square top cover 5 and a guide plate 6 attached to the side surface of the direction changing device 1 along two sides of the top cover 5 are provided.

  The direction changing apparatus 1 according to the present invention can transport not only the pallet 2 on which the workpiece W is mounted as a transport object, but also a pallet or a component shelf on which the component is mounted, although illustration is omitted. Note that the pallet 2 on which the workpiece W shown in FIG. 1 is mounted includes a bottom plate 2a that is in contact with the conveying surface S, an elevating means 2b that stands on the center of the bottom plate 2a, and a vertical axis P around the elevating means 2b. A turntable 2c that is pivotably attached to the turntable, a support portion 2d that is erected on the turntable 2c and bent in a substantially U shape, and a work W at the upper end of the support portion 2d. Supporting means 2e that stops and rotates around the horizontal axis Q is provided, and these members 2b to 2e are collectively referred to as a supporting arm. That is, the pallet 2 includes support arms 2b to 2e that support the workpiece W in a plurality of different postures that facilitate the assembly work by the operator.

  2 to 4, each roller 3 is provided with a drive motor 7 for rotating each roller 3, as shown through the top cover 5 of the direction changing device 1. A bearing 8 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 3a (see FIG. 5) and a drive motor 7 that is connected to the bearing 8 constitute a roller unit 10. Reference numeral 11 denotes a base of the direction changing device 1, and 12 denotes legs that are arranged on the floor F so as to be adjustable in height and support the direction changing device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, 13 can rotate the roller unit 10 around a vertical axis (axis perpendicular to the conveyance surface S) about the contact portion between the roller 3 and the conveyance object 2. Further, reference numeral 14 denotes a swivel support portion which is supported on the base 11 via a bearing. Reference numeral 14 denotes a cam lever whose base end portion is attached to the roller unit 10, and 15 denotes a cam follower attached to the free end portion of the cam lever 14.

  The shape of the roller 3 is, for example, a substantially falling cylindrical shape, and the rotation shaft 3a is rotatably supported by the bearing 8 so as to be substantially horizontal (a direction parallel to the transport surface S). In addition, a contact surface 3b made of an elastic material such as rubber or synthetic resin is formed on the outer periphery of the roller 3, and the conveyance object 2 is scratched or a sound is generated as the roller 3 rotates. It is to prevent that.

  The turning mechanism 4 turns the rotating shafts 3a of a plurality of rollers 3 around the vertical axis at the same time. In addition to the turning support portion 13, the cam lever 14, and the cam follower 15, the rollers 3 arranged in a linear direction. The movable body 19 is composed of a plurality of sliding bodies 17 each having a cam groove 16 with which each cam follower 15 is engaged, and a blade 18 for connecting the plurality of sliding bodies 17 together, and the movable body 19 is advanced and retracted in a substantially horizontal direction. And a cylinder 20 to be moved (an example of an actuator). Reference numeral 17a denotes a support body that slidably supports the slide body 17 on the base 11.

  The top surface cover 5 is formed with a through hole 5a so that the transport object 2 can be brought into contact with the upper end surface of the roller 3 to move the transport object 2, and foreign matter enters between the rollers 3. Is to improve safety. The shape of the through hole 5a is a circle that the roller 3 can freely turn. Further, the top cover 5 is supported by a column portion 5 b erected on the base 11.

  The upper end of the guide plate 6 is disposed at a position higher than the upper surface of the top cover 5 so that the conveyance object 2 carried into the direction changing device 1 can be brought into contact with the guide plate 6. When the conveyance object 2 comes into contact with this, even if the horizontal rotation angle is adjusted and the direction change is repeated, the rotation angle of the conveyance object 2 is prevented from shifting. An opening 6c is formed in the guide plate 6 on the side where the cylinder 20 is provided so that the moving body 19 can move.

  The drive motor 7 is a direct drive type synchronous motor whose rotation shaft is directly connected to the roller 3. The drive motor 7 synchronizes the power supplied to all the drive motors 7 to rotate each roller 3 synchronously. is there. That is, the roller 3 can be driven with an extremely simple configuration. However, the present invention is not limited to the drive motor 7 being a synchronous motor, and other types of motors may be used. A transmission such as a gear may be interposed between the drive motor 7 and the roller 3.

  Further, as described above, the turning mechanism 4 of the present embodiment includes the turning support portion 13 that supports the roller unit 10 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis, and the rotation support portion 13 disposed in the vicinity of the turning support portion 13 in a substantially horizontal direction. A movable body 19 that is movable and has a plurality of cam grooves 16, a cylinder 20 that moves the movable body 19, a cam follower 15 at the free end, and a base end attached to the roller unit 10. However, various modifications are easily conceivable. For example, a rib may be formed instead of the cam groove 16 and engaged with the cam follower 15. Further, the sliding body 17 and the cam lever 14 may be slidably connected by a connecting rod.

  Further, instead of the cylinder 20, a motor or the like may be used to advance and retract. That is, the turning mechanism 4 can use various mechanisms as long as it can convert the forward / backward movement of the cylinder 20 into the turning action of the rotating shaft 3a of the roller 3. In addition, in this embodiment, the turning angle of the roller 3 by the turning mechanism 4 is set to 90 °, but it is also possible to turn the roller 3 to other angles.

  Next, operation | movement of the direction change apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 6, in a state where the cylinder 20 is retracted, all four sliding bodies 17 connected by the blade 18 are located on the right side in the drawing, and three cam grooves formed in each sliding body 17 16 is also located on the right side. At this time, since the cam follower 15 engaged with the cam groove 16 is also located on the right side in the figure, all the cam levers 14 are arranged in the right lower direction in the figure, and the rotating shaft 3a of the roller 3 is arranged in the vertical direction in the figure. The That is, by rotating the drive motor 7 in this state, the conveyance object 2 can be carried in from the left side in the figure (or the conveyance object 2 is carried out to the left side in the figure).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the cylinder 20 is extended, the four sliding bodies 17 connected by the blade 18 are all located on the left side of the figure, and the three cams formed on each sliding body 17 The groove 16 is also located on the left side. At this time, since the cam follower 15 engaged with the cam groove 16 is also located on the left side in the figure, all the cam levers 14 are arranged in the position in the lower left direction in the figure, and the rotating shaft 3a of the roller 3 is arranged in the horizontal direction in the figure. . That is, by rotating the drive motor 7 in this state, the conveyance object 2 can be carried out to the lower side in the figure (or the conveyance object 2 can be carried in from the lower side in the figure).

  Therefore, since the roller 3 can be turned 90 ° in accordance with the forward / backward movement of the cylinder 20, the conveyance object 2 can be conveyed in a direction different by 90 °. Since the rotation shaft 3a of the roller 3 is turned around the vertical axis passing through the contact point between the roller 3 and the conveyance object 2 at the time of switching the conveyance direction, the conveyance object 2 does not move along with the turning operation. That is, since only the roller 3 is turned in the direction changing device 1 of the present invention, the conveyance object 2 itself does not turn when the movement direction of the conveyance object 2 changes. Therefore, safety management associated with the turning operation is performed. Not only is it unnecessary, but the operation of turning only the relatively light roller 3 can be performed at high speed without difficulty, and the time required for changing the direction can be shortened.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a modification of the drive motor 7. As shown in FIG. 8, when the drive motor 7 'is built between the shaft center 3c and the outer peripheral surface 3b of the roller 3, the roller unit 10 can be further reduced in size. These roller units 10 can be rotated about the vertical axis even when they are arranged side by side at a narrow interval.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing a modification of the turning mechanism 4. As shown in FIG. 9, as the turning mechanism 4 ′, each roller unit 10 is provided with a separate servo motor 25 for turning about its vertical axis, and each roller unit 10 is turned by electric control. Also good.

  In this case, the turning mechanism 4 ′ can change the turning direction of each roller unit 10. That is, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 10, the roller 3 is positioned in the illustrated lateral direction and the conveyance object 2 is conveyed so as to move straight as indicated by the arrow A, and the roller as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10. It is possible to switch to a state in which the conveyance object 2 is conveyed so as to draw an arc indicated by an arrow B by directing 3 in different directions and rotating them at different speeds Vr. Furthermore, as shown by an arrow C in FIG. 11, the conveyance target object 2 can be turned without accompanying the horizontal movement of the conveyance target object 2.

  12 and 13 are views showing modifications of the roller. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the roller 3 'has a substantially truncated cone shape and includes a tapered surface 3d whose outer diameter gradually increases. Accordingly, the roller 3 ′ is configured such that the outer diameter of the roller 3 ′ becomes maximum at a position away from the turning center O by the turning support portion 13. In other words, the roller 3 ′ has only a small contact portion 3e (shown in black in FIG. 13 for ease of understanding) at a position away from the center O of the rotation. Touch.

  Further, since the drive motor 7 of the present embodiment is a synchronous motor, the roller 3 ′ can be freely rotated about the rotation shaft 3 a only by stopping the power supply during turning. That is, in the present embodiment, a motor control circuit (not shown) that stops power supply to the drive motor 7 during turning is provided as a rotation-free mechanism. Note that this rotation-free mechanism may be a clutch mechanism that is interposed between the drive motor 7 and the roller 3 ′ and is disconnected when turning.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, when the rotation shaft 3a of the roller 3 ′ is turned clockwise as shown by the arrow R using the turning support portion 13, the roller 3 ′ and the conveyance object 2 are moved. A rotational torque indicated by an arrow T is generated in the contact portion 3e, and as shown in FIG. 13B, the roller 3 ′ rotates while contacting the conveyance object 2 only by the contact portion 3e.

  Therefore, the conveyance object 2 is not worn down by friction with the roller 3 'during turning. In addition, since there is no friction between the conveyance object 2 and the roller 3 ′, the turning mechanism 4 (or 4 ′) can change the direction with a small force.

  Furthermore, the smaller the area of the abutting portion 3e where the conveyance object 2 and the roller 3 'abut, the smaller the rotation torque when the conveyance object 2 is conveyed using the drive motor 7, the smaller the rotation torque is. The object 2 can be conveyed. Therefore, the direction changing device 1 can be further reduced in size by using a smaller drive motor 7.

  In this embodiment, since the shape of the roller 3 ′ is substantially frustoconical, the roller 3 ′ has a maximum diameter at one end in the width direction, but is configured to have a maximum diameter at the center in the width direction. May be used.

  FIG. 14 is a view showing a further modification of the roller. As shown in FIG. 14, when a roller 3 ″ configured to have a maximum diameter at the center in the width direction is used, the contact portion 3e is placed on the conveyance object 2 at a position away from the center O of rotation. Rollers 3 '' can be arranged to abut.

  The roller 3 ″ configured as shown in FIGS. 15A to 15C is similar to the roller 3 ′ shown in FIGS. 13A to 13C when the roller 3 ″ is turned. Is rotated and only the contact portion 3e is in contact with the conveyance object 2, so that the conveyance object 2 is not worn down by friction with the roller 3 '' at the time of turning.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the transport device 30 using the direction changing device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 15. 16 conveys a work pallet 2A on which a workpiece W such as an engine is mounted as the conveyance object 2, and a component pallet 2B having a tray 31 in which components to be assembled to the workpiece W are accommodated. To do. Further, the transport device 30 combines the conveyor 32 that linearly transports these transport objects 2 in one direction and the direction changing device 1 that switches only the transport direction by 90 degrees without turning the transport object 2. The transport object 2 is transported in a transport direction that is substantially U-shaped in plan view. In addition, the conveyor 32 when arrange | positioning on the floor F of the same height and the conveyance surface of the direction change apparatus 1 are adjusted so that it may be the same height.

  Each conveyor 32 includes short conveyor units 32a, 32b,... Each having a drive motor 33, and an assembly line L bent 90 degrees is formed by interposing the direction changing device 1 therebetween. More specifically, in the assembly line L from the worker M1 in the first process to the worker M12 in the last process, the three direction changing devices 1a to 1c are intermittently provided between the conveyors 32a, 32b. By interposing, a substantially annular assembly line L is formed. Further, the end of the assembly line L is connected to the head by interposing the direction changing device 1d between the last worker M12 and the first worker M1.

  Next, the operation of the transport apparatus 30 having the above configuration will be described. That is, when the work pallet 2A and the parts pallet 2B are transported to the first direction changing device 1a by the first conveyor 32a, the direction changing device 1a sequentially transfers the transported objects 2A and 2B carried in from the upper direction in the figure. The direction is changed 90 degrees to the right and carried out to the second conveyor 32b.

  Similarly, when the conveyance object 2 is conveyed rightward in the drawing by the second to fifth conveyor units 32b to 32e and conveyed to the second direction changing device 1b, the direction changing device 1b is only in the conveyance direction of the conveyance object 2. Is turned 90 degrees and carried out to the sixth conveyor unit 32f. Similarly, the conveyance object 2 is further turned 90 degrees by the third direction changing device 1c, and is conveyed leftward in the drawing by the seventh to tenth conveyor units 32g to 32j.

  Further, the work W that has been processed and assembled is removed from the work pallet 2A after the work by the last worker M12 is completed, and the empty conveyance object 2 is turned 90 degrees by the fourth direction changing device 1d. Then, it is transported to a position where the worker M1 in the first process is present.

  In the transport device 30, none of the direction changing devices 1 a to 1 d turns the heavy transport objects 2 </ b> A and 2 </ b> B themselves, so that not only safety management associated with the turning of the workpiece W can be facilitated. The transfer direction can be quickly switched. Workers M1 and M2 are from the left side of the workpiece W, workers M3 to M6 are from the upper side of the workpiece W, workers M7 to M8 are from the right side of the workpiece W, and workers M9 to M12 are from the workpiece W. As shown from the lower side in the drawing, the workpiece W can be processed or assembled from a plurality of different directions. Since the work pallet 2A includes support arms 2b to 2e that can support the work W in different postures, the orientation and posture of the work W may be changed so that the workers M1 to M12 can easily perform the work. .

  Moreover, when a change occurs in the assembly line L, the assembly line L can be adjusted by increasing the number of conveyor units 32a, 32b. In particular, even when arranged on the same floor, the height of the conveyor surface 32 of the low floor conveyor unit 32a, 32b... And the conveying surface S of the direction changing device 1 is matched, so that the assembly line L can be changed very easily. be able to.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the direction change apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which permeate | transmits and shows a part of said direction change apparatus. It is a side view of the said direction change apparatus. It is a side view of the direction different from FIG. 3 of the said direction change apparatus. It is a figure explaining the principal part of the said direction change apparatus. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the said direction change apparatus. It is another figure explaining operation | movement of the said direction change apparatus. It is a figure which shows the modification of FIG. It is a figure which shows another modification of FIG. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the modification shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining another operation | movement in the modification shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of a roller. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the modification shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows another modification of a roller. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the modification shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the conveying apparatus using the said direction change apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional conveying apparatus. It is a figure explaining the problem of the conventional conveying apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Direction change apparatus 2 Object to be conveyed 2a Bottom plate 2b-2e Support arm 3, 3 ', 3''roller 4, 4' Turning mechanism 5 Top cover 6 Guide plate 7, 7 'Drive motor 10 Roller unit 13 Turning support part 14 cam lever 15 cam follower 16 cam 19 moving body 20 actuator 32 conveyor O center of rotation

Claims (6)

A plurality of rollers in contact with the lower surface of the conveyance object;
A drive motor that rotates these rollers;
A rotation mechanism that simultaneously rotates the rotation shafts of the individual rollers around the vertical axis;
Each of the rollers is provided with the drive motor to constitute a roller unit,
The turning mechanism supports the roller unit so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis, respectively, and a movable body disposed in the vicinity of the turning support and movable in a substantially horizontal direction and formed with a plurality of cams. And an air cylinder or hydraulic cylinder or motor for moving the movable body, a cam lever having a cam follower engaged with the cam at the free end, and a base end attached to the roller unit. A direction changing device configured to change only the conveying direction of a target without turning the target.   The direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the roller is in contact with an object to be conveyed at a position away from the center of turning by the turning mechanism.   The direction changing device according to claim 1, further comprising a top cover that forms a substantially horizontal plane in which a through hole for projecting an upper end of the roller is formed at the position of each roller.   The direction changing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a guide plate that adjusts a horizontal rotation angle of the transport object by bringing the transport object to be brought into contact therewith.   A direction changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and a conveyor that linearly conveys the object to be conveyed are combined to convey the object to be conveyed in a substantially U-shaped conveying direction in plan view. A conveying apparatus characterized by that. The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transport object is a pallet including a support arm that supports a workpiece in a plurality of different postures and a bottom plate that forms a flat lower surface below the support arm.

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