JP5495765B2 - Pallet transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pallet transport apparatus for transporting a pallet on which a workpiece is placed to a predetermined position, and in particular, a pallet transport apparatus having a transport path for returning an empty pallet from which a work has been removed to its original position. About.

  Conventionally, in parts processing lines and assembly lines of factories, in order to prevent the occurrence of breakage during the transport of machined parts, the parts are placed on a pallet and transported. It has been broken. At this time, in order to increase the efficiency of use of the pallet, the work is taken out (separated) from the pallet near the end of the pallet transport path, and the empty pallet is moved to the position of the transport source using the movable transport path. Some of them are returned to. As a transport apparatus provided with this type of so-called pallet return mechanism, for example, a transport apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the transport device includes a fixed carry-in surface 101 and a fixed carry-out surface 102 of the pallet 100 that are inclined to move vertically downward toward the downstream side, as well as the fixed carry-in surface 101 and the fixed carry-out surface. It further includes a movable transfer surface 103 that can be raised or lowered independently of the surface 102 and can be connected to the end of the fixed carry-in surface 101 and the start end of the fixed carry-out surface 102, respectively. When the pallet 100 is loaded onto the movable conveyance surface 103 connected to the fixed loading surface 101 by the conveyance device having this configuration (indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6), the pallet 100 is placed on the pallet 100. The operator takes out the workpiece 104 in the state, and tilts and lowers the movable conveyance surface 103 on which the pallet 100 is placed, and connects it to the fixed carrying-out surface 102, so that the empty pallet 100 from which the workpiece 104 has been taken out is fixedly carried out. It is carried out to the surface 102 (state shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 6).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-20406

  However, in the conveyance device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to move the movable conveyance surface 103 connected to the fixed carry-in surface 101 and the fixed carry-out surface 102 up and down, so that it is necessary to secure a corresponding movable space. First, the equipment was enlarged. Further, in this transport apparatus, it is necessary to secure a space for installing a movable frame actuator (driving means) having the movable transport surface 103, which also increases the size of the transport apparatus.

  For example, if the mechanism allows the operator to move the movable frame up and down manually (manual operation is possible), it is possible to reduce the size of the actuator installation space. is there. That is, if it is a large movable part like the movable conveyance surface 103 (movable frame), the weight will also become considerable. Therefore, when the movable frame is lifted or lowered by human power as described above, a large amount of force is required for the operation, and the inertia is increased, and there is a concern that workability may be reduced.

  Further, in the transport device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the movable transport surface 103 is connected to the fixed carry-out surface 102, and the pallet 100 placed on the movable transport surface 103 is sent out by gravity toward the fixed carry-out surface 102. Therefore, the initial speed at the time of feeding is substantially zero, and the vehicle is slid while being gradually accelerated according to the inclination angle of the fixed carrying-out surface 102. Further, considering the weight of the pallet placed on the movable conveyance surface 103, the lowering speed of the movable conveyance surface 103 (movable frame) cannot be increased so much. From the above, it takes a long time to take the workpiece 104 and return the pallet 100 to the original position.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present specification solves the problem of the present invention by providing a pallet transport device that has excellent workability while enabling downsizing, and that can reduce the time required for pallet transfer. It should be a technical issue to be done.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, the pallet conveying device according to the present invention is located at the first conveying path for conveying the pallet on which the workpiece is placed toward the workpiece taking-out position, and below the first conveying path, and takes out the workpiece at the taking-out position. In the pallet transport apparatus having the second transport path for transporting the pallet after being moved in the direction opposite to the transport direction of the first transport path, guide parts for guiding the transport of the pallet are provided in both transport paths. The pallet is transferred from the first transport path to the second transport path by a pallet drop movement, and the first transport path has a size that allows the front part and the rear part of the pallet to drop sequentially. Is provided, and the rear part of the pallet is always guided by the guide part of the first transport path and dropped while the front part of the pallet is moving through the drop port to the second transport path. Carry to mouth Is, that the rear portion of the pallet is to be conveyed by being guided by the guide portion between the forward portion of the pallet is always a second transport path which is performed falling motion of the second transport path through the chute Is characterized by

  Since the present invention is characterized in that the pallet is transferred from the first transport path to the second transport path using the drop movement due to gravity of the pallet as described above. A part of the path is movable, and the pallet can be easily transferred without moving the movable conveyance path up and down. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to secure a movable space of the movable conveyance path, and the space can be saved accordingly. In addition, since the pallet is transferred using the gravity acting on the pallet, there is no need to provide a movable conveyance path or a drive mechanism for moving the conveyance path up and down. Simplification or miniaturization can be achieved. In addition, by transferring the pallet using the gravity acting on the pallet as a driving force as described above, the operator does not need to have a large human power. Further, it is not necessary to move the gravitational object other than the pallet. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the labor of the transfer operation as a whole, and to improve the workability. Further, in the present invention, the guide part for guiding the conveyance of the pallet is provided in both the conveyance paths, and the drop movement toward the second conveyance path is performed while guiding the pallet with this guide part. Even such heavy objects can stabilize the falling posture (the posture when falling while sliding). For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation where the operation is interrupted due to the pallet being removed from the conveyance path, and the workability of the pallet conveyance can be improved. Moreover, since the impact which arises on a 2nd conveyance path | route at the time of transfer can be relieved, the damage of a pallet can be suppressed by this and the said pallet can be implemented repeatedly. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the pallet is transferred using the drop motion due to gravity, the initial acceleration is large, and the pallet is transferred from the first transfer path to the second transfer path in a very short time. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time (transport cycle) required to return the pallet to the transport source position.

  In this case, for example, a drop port is provided in the first transport path, the front part of the pallet starts a drop movement to the second transport path through the drop port, and then the rear part of the pallet passes through the drop port to the second. You may make it start the fall movement to a conveyance path | route.

  By doing so, the pallet is transferred to the upright state while changing the dropping posture, so that the front part of the pallet can reach the second transport path in a short time. Further, since the distance between the pallet front part and the second transport path is reduced (because the drop distance is shortened), the pallet front part and the second transport path can be brought into contact with each other in a certain manner. Thereby, a more stable pallet transfer operation can be performed.

  Further, when adopting the above configuration, as the front part of the pallet falls, the rear part of the pallet is guided by the guide part of the first transport path and conveyed toward the dropping port, and the rear part of the pallet performs the falling motion. When starting, you may make it the front part of a pallet guide and guide the guide part of a 2nd conveyance path | route.

  By comprising in this way, while the one part before and behind the pallet is falling, the other part is always conveyed in the state guided by the guide part. Thereby, the attitude | position at the time of the fall of a pallet can be stabilized further, and the pallet transfer can be implemented smoothly and in a short time.

  Further, the pallet may be provided with a plurality of wheels that can rotate along the conveying direction of the pallet, and the guide portion may be constituted by a rail, and the wheel may be guided rotatably by the rail.

  With this configuration, the pallet can be more smoothly transported on each transport path, and the posture or the width direction during transport (horizontal and perpendicular to the transport direction. The same applies hereinafter. .) Position can be kept constant. Therefore, the pallet transfer operation can be performed in a more stable state.

  Further, both the first and second transport paths may be inclined so as to move vertically downward toward the downstream side, whereby the pallet may be transported to the downstream side by gravity.

  By comprising in this way, conveyance of the pallet on each conveyance path | route and transfer between each conveyance path | route can be performed using the gravity which acts on a pallet. This eliminates the need for a pallet drive mechanism, thereby saving labor and space.

  In addition, when the conveyance path is inclined in this way, and the drop movement to the second conveyance path is started from the front part of the pallet as described above, the second conveyance path is first performed. The rear part of the pallet starts the falling motion in a state in which the front part of the pallet that has reached is started to be conveyed downstream. For this reason, the rear part of the pallet starts the falling motion while rotating toward the upstream side of the second transport path. That is, the rear part of the pallet starts to fall while being reversed. Therefore, the rear part of the pallet that has started dropping can reach the second transport path with the shortest distance, and the time required for the transfer can be shortened. Further, the time during which the rear part does not interfere with any of the transport paths can be shortened, and the transfer posture can be stabilized at an early stage.

  Further, the pallet transport device according to the present invention may further include a drop restricting means for restricting the drop movement of the pallet and an operation means for performing an operation for switching between the restriction and release of the drop movement by the drop restricting means. Good.

  With this configuration, for example, even when the workpiece take-out position and the pallet transfer position (drop position) are close to or coincide with each other, the operator can reliably remove the work before dropping the pallet. Can be made. Therefore, the certainty of work can be further increased.

  The pallet transport device may further include an intrusion restricting means for restricting a subsequent pallet from entering the pallet dropping position. In addition, the pallet transport device may be intruded when the restriction by the drop restricting means is released. You may make it the penetration | invasion of a subsequent pallet be controlled by a control means.

  By comprising in this way, invasion of the following pallet can be controlled in a state where the regulation related to the drop movement of the pallet is released and the pallet can be dropped. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an unexpected situation in which a plurality of pallets are continuously dropped, and to transfer each pallet one by one at a predetermined timing. If the release of the restriction by the drop restricting means and the restriction by the intrusion restricting means can be performed by one operation by the operating means, the structure can be simplified and the workability can be improved and the working time can be shortened. be able to.

  As described above, according to the pallet transport device of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time required for transferring the pallet while having excellent workability while enabling miniaturization. Therefore, the productivity can be increased.

It is a side view for demonstrating the whole structure of the pallet conveying apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of a pallet conveying apparatus. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the transfer operation | movement of a pallet. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the transfer operation | movement of a pallet. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the transfer operation | movement of a pallet. It is a principal part enlarged view of the conventional pallet conveying apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a pallet transport device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the chain cover attached to the side portion of the engine is used as a work, and the work is transported to a predetermined work take-out position, and the empty pallet from which the work is taken out at the take-out position is returned to the transport source position. Will be described as an example.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pallet transport device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pallet transfer device 1 is positioned below the first transfer path 4 and the first transfer path 4 for transferring the pallet 3 on which the work 2 is placed toward the take-out position P ₁ of the work 2. The second transport path 5 transports the pallet 3 after the workpiece 2 is taken out in ₁ in the direction opposite to the transport direction of the first transport path 4, and the first transport from the downstream end (end) of the second transport path 5. Pallet returning means 6 for returning the pallet 3 to the upstream end (starting end) of the path 4 is mainly provided. In this embodiment, the pallet returning means 6 sets the workpiece 2 on the empty pallet 3 conveyed to the end of the second conveyance path 5 and also integrally carries the pallet 3 in a state where the workpiece 2 is set in the first conveyance. A transfer robot arm 7 that transfers to the start end side of the path 4 and a reversing device 8 that is connected to the start end of the first transfer path 4 and reverses the pallet 3 transferred by the transfer robot arm 7 together with the workpiece 2. It is configured. Hereinafter, the description will mainly focus on the configuration related to the first transport path 4 and the second transport path 5 and both the transport paths 4 and 5.

  First, the first transport path 4 and the second transport path 5 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the first transport path 4 extends linearly and is inclined to move downward as it goes downstream. It has a form. Moreover, the 2nd conveyance path | route 5 is mainly arrange | positioned in the perpendicular downward direction of the 1st conveyance path | route 4, and has the form inclined in the direction which transfers below as it goes to the downstream. In this embodiment, the second conveyance path 5 is continuous with the first straight part 5a extending in a substantially vertical direction, the first straight part 5a and the lower part thereof, and moves downward as it goes downstream of the second conveyance path 5. In addition, the curved portion 5b curved in a convex shape toward the lower side, the second linear portion 5c continuous with the curved portion 5b and the downstream side thereof, and linearly moved downward toward the downstream side. It consists of Therefore, the pallet 3 placed on the first transport path 4 is transported downstream (self-propelled) by gravity acting on the pallet 3. In addition, the pallet 3 transferred from the first transport path 4 to the second transport path 5 by using a drop motion described later is transported downstream by gravity acting on the pallet 3. Further, one or a plurality of positioning pins 31 are provided on one surface of the pallet 3 so as to place and position the workpiece 2 thereon. Therefore, in a state where the workpiece 2 is placed on the pallet 3 and the workpiece 2 is positioned and held by the positioning pins 31, the workpiece 2 can be conveyed integrally with the pallet 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a drop port 9 having a gap width in which the pallet 3 can drop from the front portion is provided between the terminal end of the first transfer path 4 and the second transfer path 5. The pallet 3 falls downward through the drop port 9 so that the pallet 3 can be transferred from the first transport path 4 to the second transport path 5.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two rails 41 are provided as a guide portion for guiding the transport operation of the first transport path 4 of the pallet 3 with a predetermined interval in the width direction. Arranged in the first transport path 4. Similarly, two rails 51 are disposed in the second transport path 5 with a predetermined interval in the width direction as a guide portion for guiding the transport operation of the pallet 3 in the second transport path 5. ing. Further, in correspondence with this, a total of four wheels 32 are provided on each side of the pallet 3 in the width direction, one for each front and rear wheel, and these wheels 32 are rails provided in the respective transport paths 4 and 5. It can roll on 41 and 51, respectively. Each of these wheels 32 is set to a size that can pass through the drop port 9 provided between the end of the rail 41 of the first transport path 4 and the rail 51 of the second transport path 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the rail 41 of the first transport path 4 integrally includes a mounting surface on which the wheel 32 is mounted and a side wall portion that rises from the outer side in the width direction of the mounting surface. Thereby, when the wheel 32 rolls or slides on the rail 41 (mounting surface thereof), the movement in the width direction can be restricted by the side wall portion. Although not shown, the rail 41 of the second transport path 5 is integrated with a mounting surface on which the wheel 32 is mounted and a side wall portion that rises from the outer side in the width direction of the mounting surface. The wheel 32 can be controlled by the side wall portion when the wheel 32 rolls or slides. Of course, the side walls of the rails 41 and 51 can be provided on the inner side in the width direction of the mounting surface.

  In this embodiment, the pallet transport device 1 further includes a drop restricting means 10 that restricts the drop movement of the pallet 3 and an operation means 11 that performs an operation of switching the restriction and release of the drop movement by the drop restricting means 10. I have. The drop restricting means 10 integrally has a closing portion 12 that closes a portion directly below the drop opening 9, and the drop restricting means 10 (blocking portion 10) is operated by tilting a lever 13 constituting the operating means 11 in a predetermined direction. 12) can be slid to open and close the drop opening 9.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an intrusion restricting means 14 is provided on the tip side of the drop restricting means 10. In this embodiment, the intrusion restricting means 14 has a claw shape, is connected to the drop restricting means 10 via a predetermined link mechanism, and is located on the inner side in the width direction of the first transport path 4 (accordingly). In FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 5 described later, the intrusion restricting means 14 is located in front of the first transport path 4). Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the closing portion 12 of the drop restricting means 10 is slid in a predetermined direction by tilting the lever 13 to open the drop opening 9, and at the same time through the drop restricting means 10 and the link mechanism. The connected intrusion restricting means 14 moves in conjunction with the first transport path 4 so as to protrude upward. This prevents the subsequent pallet 3 from entering the transfer position to the second transport path 5 (here, the position above the drop port 9). In the state where the operating means 11 is not operated at all (the lever 13 is in the neutral state), as shown in FIG. 1, the drop opening 9 is closed by the closing portion 12 of the drop restricting means 10 and the intrusion restricting means 14 is the first. A predetermined urging force may be constantly applied to the drop restricting means 10 so as to be positioned below the transport path 4.

  Hereinafter, the conveyance aspect of the pallet 3 in the pallet conveyance apparatus 1 of the said structure is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the pallet 3 on which the work 2 is placed is supplied onto the first transport path 4 and the pallet 3 is picked up at the downstream side of the first transport path 4. It is conveyed to the P _1. Then, after the operator has taken out the workpiece 2 from the pallet 3 at the workpiece P take-out position P ₁ , the empty pallet 3 is dropped downward from the dropping port 9, whereby the first conveyance route 4 to the second conveyance route. Transfer to 5. Here, FIG. 3 is a side view of the main part of the pallet conveying device 1 immediately before the transfer of the pallet 3. The pallet 3 is located at the end of the first conveying path 4, and the wheel 32 at the front part thereof is a drop port 9. It is mounted on the closing part 12 which closes. Further, the pallet 3 stops in a state in which the wheel 32 at the front portion thereof is in contact with a part (substantially upright portion) of the rail 51 of the second transport path 5 protruding upward from the first transport path 4. ing.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the lever 13 constituting the operation means 11 is tilted to move the drop restricting means 10 in a predetermined direction (in FIG. 4, the direction from the end to the start of the first transport path 4). Is moved to the open position (position shown in FIG. 4) from the closed position of the drop opening 9 (position shown in FIG. 3). Thereby, the wheel 32 at the front portion of the pallet 3 placed on the closing portion 12 starts to fall downward. Further, at the start of this falling motion, the wheel 32 at the rear of the pallet 3 is still on the rail 41. Therefore, as the front part of the pallet 3 descends (falls), the wheels 32 at the rear part of the pallet 3 roll toward the downstream side of the first transport path 4 while being guided by the rails 41. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the pallet 3 continues to move downward while gradually approaching an upright state (increasing the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction) and with the rear portion guided by the rail 41. In addition, since the pallet 3 itself is usually formed of a material having a relatively large specific gravity such as metal, even if the front portion of the pallet 3 falls while rapidly increasing the speed according to the gravitational acceleration, The rear part of the pallet 3 does not float up. Therefore, as described above, the rear portion of the pallet 3 is conveyed toward the downstream side (work removal position P ₁ ) of the first conveyance path 4 while being guided by the rail 41. Further, when the falling movement of the pallet 3 is started from the state in which the wheel 32 at the front part of the pallet 3 is in contact with the rail 51 of the second transport path 5 as in this embodiment, the wheel at the front part of the pallet 3 is started. The falling motion of the pallet 3 is carried out while 32 rolls or slides on the rail 51. In other words, the wheel 32 in front of the pallet 3 slides down on the rail 51 with rolling. Therefore, even if the rear part of the pallet 3 is temporarily lifted, the falling posture can be stabilized.

  In this embodiment, when the restriction by the drop restricting means 10 is released by the tilting operation of the lever 13, the intrusion restricting means 14 drops so that the intrusion to the transfer position of the subsequent pallet 3 is restricted. The restriction means 10 and the intrusion restriction means 14 are configured to work together. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the closing portion 12 of the drop restricting means 10 is shifted in the horizontal direction and the drop opening 9 is opened, the claw-shaped intrusion restricting means 14 protrudes above the first transport path 4. . Thereby, the subsequent pallet 3 main body can be locked by the claw-shaped intrusion restricting means 14, and the situation where the subsequent pallet 3 enters the transfer position can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the wheel 32 at the rear part of the pallet 3 reaches the drop port 9 of the first conveying path 4 as shown in FIG. The wheel 32 starts to fall downward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the wheel 32 at the rear part of the pallet 3 may start a falling motion without contacting any of the transport paths 4 and 5 (rails 41 and 51). Even in such a case, the position (height) and shape of the second transport path 5 are adjusted according to the distance between the front and rear wheels of the pallet 3 so that the wheel 32 in the front part of the pallet 3 By dropping the rear part of the pallet 3 while being guided by the rail 51, the falling movement of the rear part of the pallet 3 can be performed in a stable posture. As shown in FIG. 5, when the pallet 3 front part reaches the curved part 5b of the second transport path 5 at the start of dropping of the rear part of the pallet 3, the pallet 3 is easily reversed (FIG. 5). In other words, it rotates in a counterclockwise direction. Therefore, the rear part of the pallet 3 that has started the drop movement quickly reaches the first straight part 5 a of the second transport path 5. As described above, the transfer of the pallet 3 from the first transport path 4 to the second transport path 5 is always guided to the rails 41 and 51 of any one of the transport paths 4 and 5 by at least some of the wheels 32 of the pallet 3. Thus, the transfer of the pallet 3 in a short time is stably performed.

  Although not shown in the drawings, when the rear part of the pallet 3 is moved in a state where the rails 51 of the second conveying path 5 erected substantially vertically and the wheels 32 of the rear part of the pallet 3 are in contact with each other. Since the falling movement of the rear part is started in a state where all the front and rear wheels of the pallet 3 are guided by the rails 51 of the second conveying path 5, it is possible to maintain a very stable posture from the beginning of the pallet. 3 can be slid down smoothly and at high speed.

  As described above, the pallet 3 is transferred from the first transport path 4 to the second transport path 5, so that the empty pallet 3 is transported toward the end of the second transport path 5. In this case, since the pallet 3 is transported to the end of the second transport path 5 in a state inverted upside down from when it is supplied to the first transport path 4, the pallet 3 is reached by the appropriate pallet returning means 6 after reaching the end. Then, the pallet 3 is inverted again and raised to the height of the starting end position of the first transport path 4. Further, when the reversing and raising work is completed or during the reversing and raising work, the next work 2 is set on the placement surface of the pallet 3 (here, the standing surface of the positioning pin 31), thereby the work 2 The pallet 3 in a state where is placed is again supplied to the start end of the first transport path 4. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the work 2 is gripped by the tip of the transfer robot arm 7, and the gripped work 2 is set on an empty pallet 3 transported to the end of the second transport path 5. To do. Then, by lifting the workpiece 2 in the set state, the pallet 3 in the state in which the workpiece 2 is set is lifted integrally and transferred to the reversing device 8 disposed on the start end side of the first transport path 4. Included. Then, the pallet 3 transferred to the reversing device 8 is reversed together with the work 2 and sent to the adjacent first conveying path 4 so that the pallet 3 goes around the conveying path of the pallet conveying apparatus 1 once. It is supplied again to the starting end of the first transport path 4.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of the pallet conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention was described, this conveying apparatus is not limited to the said illustration form, Of course, it can take arbitrary forms within the scope of the present invention. is there.

  For example, the form of each of the transport paths 4 and 5 is arbitrary as long as the drop movement of the pallet 3 is performed with guidance by a guide portion provided on at least one of the transport paths 4 and 5. In the description of the embodiment, the rear part (the wheel 32) of the pallet 3 is in the first transport path 4 from when the front part of the pallet 3 starts dropping until it reaches the second transport path 5. The front part of the pallet 3 (the wheel 32 thereof) is guided by the guide part (rail 41) of the pallet 3 and the rear part of the pallet 3 starts dropping and reaches the second transport path 5. As long as is guided by the guide part (rail 51) of the second transport path 5, the forms of the transport paths 4 and 5 can be freely adopted. For example, the second conveyance path 5 can be configured by one of the straight portions 5a and 5c and the curved portion 5b or a combination of any two. Further, a restraining portion for restraining the pallet 3 may be provided on the extended line of the first transport path 4 separately from the second transport path 5 (the rail 51). As long as the part is guided, the starting end of the second transport path 5 may be positioned below the first transport path 4.

  Further, the formation position of the drop port 9 is not particularly limited to the above embodiment. For example, the drop port 9 may be provided at a midway position of the first transport path 4 (starting side from the end of the first transport path 4). Moreover, the number is also arbitrary, For example, by providing the wheel 32 of a different diameter before and behind the pallet 3, it is also possible to make a fall start position differ in the front part and rear part of the pallet 3. FIG.

  Of course, the guide form of the pallet 3 is also free, and a rolling part or a sliding part other than the wheels 32 may be provided on the pallet 3 as a guided part. Further, regarding the guide portion provided on the side of each of the transport paths 4 and 5, not only the rails 41 and 51 but also various guide mechanisms can be provided.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, both the 1st conveyance path | route 4 and the 2nd conveyance path | route 5 are made to incline in the direction which moves below as it goes downstream, and, thereby, the pallet 3 mounted on each conveyance path | route 4 and 5 is carried out. However, it is of course possible to adopt other forms of conveyance. For example, each of the transport paths 4 and 5 may be configured by driving means such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor.

  Further, the pallet returning means 6 may have a configuration other than that described above. For example, the end of the second transport path 5 and the start of the first transport path 4 are connected to form a loop-shaped transport path. May be. In this case, the pallet 3 may be raised from the end of the second transport path 5 to the start of the first transport path 4 with an appropriate lift-up means. Alternatively, if both the front and back surfaces of the pallet 3 are configured to be used as the mounting surface of the workpiece 2, the pallet 3 conveyed to the end of the second conveyance path 5 in the inverted state is lifted as it is, and the first It is also possible to transfer to the start end of the transport path 4.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pallet conveyance apparatus 2 Workpiece | work 3 Pallet 4 1st conveyance path 5 2nd conveyance path 5a, 5c Straight line part 5b Curved part 6 Pallet return means 7 Transfer robot arm 8 Reversing device 9 Drop port 10 Drop regulation means 11 Operation means 12 Blocking Part 13 Lever 14 Intrusion restricting means 31 Positioning pin 32 Wheel 41 Rail (first transport path)
51 rail (second transport route)
100 Pallet 101 Fixed carry-in surface 102 Fixed carry-out surface 103 Movable transport surface 104 Work P ₁ Work take-out position

Claims (2)

A first transport path for transporting a pallet on which a workpiece is placed toward the work take-out position, and the pallet after the work is taken out at the take-out position, located below the first transport path. In the pallet transport device provided with the second transport path for transporting in the direction opposite to the transport direction of the first transport path,
A guide portion for guiding the conveyance of the pallet is provided in both the conveyance paths, and the transfer of the pallet from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path is performed by a falling movement of the pallet. I,
The first transport path is provided with a drop opening of a size that allows the front part and the rear part of the pallet to fall sequentially,
While the front part of the pallet performs a drop movement to the second transport path through the drop port, the rear part of the pallet is always guided by the guide part of the first transport path to the drop port. Transported towards
While the rear part of the pallet is moving through the drop port to the second transport path, the front part of the pallet is always guided and transported by the guide part of the second transport path. A pallet transport device characterized by that. 2. The pallet transport device according to claim 1 , wherein both the first and second transport paths are inclined so as to move vertically downward toward the downstream side, whereby the pallet is transported to the downstream side by gravity.

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