JP5983448B2 - Work transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is for conveying a work by repeatedly circulating a plurality of work support portions between a carry-in position where the work is carried in and a carry-out position where the work is carried out at a position lower than the carry-in position. The present invention relates to a work transfer device.

For example, in an assembly line of an automobile or the like, a gantry provided with a transfer device such as a conveyor is formed above the assembling process, and workpieces such as parts are supplied to the assembling process using the gantry. The work conveyed by the gantry is lowered to the assembly process from the gantry using a lifter or the like.
Patent Document 1 discloses a transport device that supplies an assembly process while rotating a tire that is a workpiece on an inclined transport surface.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-25364

However, the above conveying device has the following problems.
The lifter is operated by a drive source such as a motor or a cylinder, and it is necessary to use electric power or factory air in order to drive the drive source. That is, when the lifter is arranged, it is necessary to provide electric wiring or air piping for using electric power or factory air for the drive source. For this reason, the structure of the transfer device is likely to be complicated, and there are cases where restrictions are imposed on the assembly process and transfer is difficult.

  In the transport apparatus of Patent Document 1, since the tire is rolled and transported in the vertical direction, a drive source is not required. On the other hand, normally, when a tire is conveyed by a conveyor or the like, the tire is placed sideways on the conveyor or the like in order to stabilize the conveyance posture. Therefore, when the tire is moved from the gantry to the transport device, it is necessary to change the posture of the tire from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction, and an apparatus for changing the tire posture is required. Even in this apparatus, a drive source may be required, and there is a problem similar to that of the lifter described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a work transfer device that can be easily installed and moved by simplifying the structure.

One aspect of the present invention is an annular shape for repeatedly circulating a plurality of workpiece support portions between a loading position where a workpiece is loaded and a loading position where the workpiece is unloaded at a position lower than the loading position. A circulation member;
A rotation support frame that rotatably supports the circulation member,
The rotation support frame is configured to convey the workpiece in the vertical direction from the gently inclined rail for placing the workpiece horizontally on the workpiece support portion at the carry-in position and the work support portion moved to the carry-out position. A steeply inclined rail, and the circulation member is disposed along the gently inclined rail and the steeply inclined rail,
When the workpiece is supported by the workpiece support portion at the carry-in position, the circulating member rotates due to the weight of the workpiece, and the workpiece support portion that supports the workpiece moves to the carry-out position and simultaneously supports the other workpieces. The part is configured to move to the carry-in position (claim 1).

  As described above, the workpiece transfer device is configured to rotate the circulating member using the load of the workpiece and move the workpiece supported by the workpiece support portion from the loading position to the unloading position. . That is, the workpiece transfer device can move the workpiece from the carry-in position to the carry-out position without providing a drive source such as an electric motor or a cylinder. Accordingly, it is not necessary to supply electric power or factory air for driving the drive source, and the structure of the workpiece transfer device can be simplified. Thereby, installation and transfer of the said workpiece conveyance apparatus can be performed easily.

  As mentioned above, according to the said workpiece conveyance apparatus, a structure can be simplified and installation and transfer can be performed easily.

The front view of the workpiece conveyance apparatus in Example 1. FIG. The side view of the workpiece conveyance apparatus in Example 1. FIG. The front view of the workpiece | work support part in Example 1. FIG. The side view of the workpiece | work support part in Example 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the guide rail in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a workpiece transfer device in the middle of transfer in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a work transfer device when transfer is completed in the first embodiment.

  In the workpiece transfer device, the workpiece may be vertically set at the unloading position from a state where the workpiece is tilted horizontally at the loading position. In this case, the posture of the workpiece is stably transferred by setting it to a lateral orientation suitable for conveyance at the loading position, and the workpiece is assembled in the vertical direction, which is the mounting posture to the vehicle, at the unloading position. Workability can be improved.

The rotation support frame conveys the work in a vertical direction from the gently inclined rail for placing the work horizontally on the work support part at the carry-in position and the work support part moved to the carry-out position. has a steep rail for said circulation member is that are located along the aforementioned gentle slope rail and the steep rail. In this case, in order to change the posture of the workpiece, the posture of the workpiece is changed from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction by transporting the workpiece from the carry-in position to the carry-out position without providing a new drive source or drive mechanism. Can be changed. Thus, the workpiece posture can be easily changed by the workpiece transfer device.

  The rotation support frame includes a carry-in side rotating body arranged on the carry-in position side, and a carry-out side rotary body arranged on the carry-out position side. It may be spanned between the side rotator and the carry-out side rotator, and the carry-in side rotator may be provided with a decelerating means for decelerating the rotation speed of the circulation member. In this case, the workpiece can be stably conveyed by reducing the workpiece conveyance speed.

  The deceleration means may be a centrifugal brake that decelerates the rotational speed of the circulating member when the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation becomes a certain value or more. In this case, the conveyance speed can be reduced using centrifugal force, and the rotation speed of the circulation member can be reduced by the reduction means without newly setting a drive source. Thereby, the said workpiece conveyance apparatus can be made into a still simpler structure.

Example 1
The Example concerning a workpiece conveyance apparatus is described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece transfer apparatus 1 includes five workpiece support units between a loading position 101 where the workpiece 4 is loaded and a loading position 102 where the workpiece 4 is unloaded at a position lower than the loading position 101. 17 (17a-17e) is provided with the cyclic | annular circulation member 11 for circulating repeatedly, and the rotation support frame 2 which supports the circulation member 11 rotatably. When the workpiece 4 is supported by the workpiece support portion 17 at the loading position 101, the workpiece conveyance device 1 rotates the circulating member 11 by its own weight, and the workpiece support portion 17 that supports the workpiece 4 reaches the loading position 102. Simultaneously with the movement, the other work support portion 17 is configured to move to the loading position 101.

This will be described in more detail below.
As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece transfer apparatus 1 of the present example transfers a workpiece 4 from a supply path (not shown) arranged in the production line to an assembling process in an automobile production line. In addition, the workpiece | work 4 conveyed by the workpiece conveyance apparatus 1 is the tire 4 of a motor vehicle, and is assembled | attached to a vehicle body in an assembly | attachment process. The supply line of the production line is arranged on a pedestal formed above the assembly process, and is configured to be able to transport the tire 4 by a transport conveyor. Further, the end point of the supply path is located above the assembly process. The tire 4 conveyed on the supply path is delivered to the work transfer apparatus 1 arranged adjacent to the end point of the supply path, and is lowered to the assembling process by the work transfer apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the annular circulation member 11 in the workpiece transfer device 1 is composed of a conveyor chain. The workpiece transfer apparatus 1 of this example has a pair of circulation members 11, and the pair of circulation members 11 are arranged in parallel to each other in the transverse direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction and the vertical direction of the tire 4. ing. Each circulation member 11 is formed by connecting a plurality of chain links 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the chain link 12 is composed of a plurality of links 13 with attachments constituting the work support part 17 and a plurality of connection links 14 arranged between the work support parts 17. Multiple sets are connected. In this example, the circulation member 11 is composed of a total of 130 chain links 12 by alternately connecting 10 attached links 13 and 16 connecting links 14. Therefore, the work support portions 17 are formed at five locations on the circulation member 11 at equal intervals.

As shown in FIG. 3, the attached link 13 includes a link main body 131 that has a substantially oval shape, and an attachment 132 that protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the link main body 131.
A through hole (not shown) for inserting the connecting shaft 15 is formed in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the link main body 131.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in the link with attachment 13 constituting each work support portion 17, the attachment link 13 disposed on the most front side in the transport direction supports the tire 4 as an attachment portion 132. Support arms 133 are provided, and the omni wheels 134 are provided on the other nine attached links 13. In addition, the attachment part 132 is distribute | arranged so that it may protrude toward the outer peripheral side, when the circulation member 11 is formed.

  The omni wheel 134 is rotatable around a main rotation axis orthogonal to the traveling direction and an auxiliary rotation axis arranged in the circumferential direction of the main wheel, and is disposed on the outer periphery of the main wheel. And equipped with side wheels. Therefore, when the tire 4 moves along the traveling direction on the omni wheel 134 at the carry-in position 101, the main wheel can be rotated and the tire 4 can be easily placed on the work support portion 17. Further, when the tire 4 moves along the lateral direction on the omni wheel 134 at the carry-out position 102, the side wheel can be rotated and the tire 4 can be easily carried out from the work support portion 17.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting link 14 that connects between the work support portions 17 has a substantially oval shape in the same manner as the link main body 131 in the link with attachment 13, A through hole (not shown) for inserting the shaft 15 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, each chain link 12 is arranged such that the through-holes of adjacent chain links 12 are overlapped on the same axis, and the connecting shaft 15 is inserted and arranged so that they can rotate with each other and are endless. It is connected in a ring. As shown in FIG. 5, movable wheels 16 that move in a pair of guide rails 21 included in the rotation support frame 2 are rotatably supported at both ends of each connecting shaft 15.
As shown in FIG. 1, the circulation member 11 is arranged so that the moving wheel 16 can be rotated by being placed in the guide rail 21 of the rotation support frame 2 and spanning the carry-in side rotary body 251 and the carry-out side rotary body 252. Has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation support frame 2 includes a guide rail 21 on which the moving wheel 16 of the circulation member 11 can move, and a loading-side rotating body 251 disposed on the loading position 101 side and the loading position 102 side, respectively. And a carry-out side rotator 252 and a speed reduction means 26 connected to the carry-in side rotator 251.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide rail 21 includes a pair of forward rails 22 that move the work support portion 17 from the carry-in position 101 toward the carry-out position 102, and a work piece that moves from the carry-out position 102 toward the carry-in position 101. A pair of return path rails 23 for moving the support portion 17 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of forward rails 22 are arranged in parallel to each other in the lateral direction. Each outward-path rail 22 has a gently inclined rail 221 for placing the tire 4 sideways on the work support 17 at the carry-in position 101 and the tire 4 from the work support 17 moved to the carry-out position 102 in the vertical direction. And a steeply inclined rail 222 for lowering. Further, the gently inclined rail 221 and the steeply inclined rail 222 are connected by a corner rail 223 that is smoothly curved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gently inclined rail 221 and the steeply inclined rail 222 are inclined so as to descend from the carry-in position 101 toward the carry-out position 102 side. The inclination angle of the gently inclined rail 221 is 1 ° to 5 °, and the inclination angle of the steeply inclined rail 222 is 80 ° to 90 °. In this example, the inclination angle of the gently inclined rail 221 is 3 ° with respect to the horizontal plane, and the inclination angle of the steeply inclined rail 222 is 85 ° with respect to the horizontal plane.

  In this example, the carry-in position 101 is a position in the vicinity of the end of the forward path side rail 22 opposite to the traveling direction, and the carry-out position 102 is a position in the vicinity of the front end in the travel direction of the forward path side rail 22. It is. Further, the moving distance from the carry-in position 101 to the carry-out position 102 corresponds to two-fifths of the entire length of the circulation member 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of return-path rails 23 are arranged in parallel to each other in the lateral direction, inside the forward-path rail 22, that is, on the lower side of the gently-inclined rail 221 and the steeply-inclined rail 222. It is arranged in parallel with the outward path side rail 22 at a position on the carry-in position 101 side. In this example, the return path side rail 23 is arranged in parallel with the forward path side rail 22. However, the arrangement is not limited to this, and the arrangement is appropriately changed according to the total length of the circulating member 11, the conveyance distance of the workpiece, and the like. May be.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the forward side rail 22 and the return side rail 23 are formed by arranging a pair of opening rails 24 having a substantially U-shaped cross section perpendicular to the traveling direction so that the openings face each other. Has been. By arranging the moving wheel 16 of the circulation member 11 inside each opening rail 24, the circulation member 11 can be moved along the guide rail 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the carry-in side rotary body 251 and the carry-out side rotary body 252 respectively arranged on the carry-in position 101 side and the carry-out position 102 side are the carry-in position 101 side of the forward path side rail 22 and the return path side rail 23. One each is arranged at the end and the end on the carry-out position 102 side. The carry-in side rotary body 251 and the carry-out side rotary body 252 are sprockets that can mesh with the conveyor chain 12 that is the circulation member 11, and the outer diameter thereof is substantially the same as the distance between the forward path side rail 22 and the return path side rail 23. It is set.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the speed reducing means 26 connected to the carry-in side rotator 251 includes a centrifugal brake and has a rotation shaft that rotates integrally with the carry-in side rotator 251. The speed reduction means 26 has a brake pad and a brake drum (not shown). When the rotation shaft exceeds a specific rotation speed and the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation exceeds a certain value, the brake pad and the brake drum Are brought into contact with each other to generate a frictional force and reduce the rotational speed of the circulation member 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide rail 21, the carry-in side rotator 251, and the carry-out side rotator 252 are supported by the frame member 30.
The frame member 30 is provided with an introduction path 31 that connects the supply path and the carry-in position 101 and a pusher 32 for starting the movement of the circulation member 11.
The introduction path 31 is composed of a roller conveyor that can move along the traveling direction of the tire 4 and is inclined by 1 ° to 5 °. In this example, the inclination angle of the introduction path 31 is set to 3 °, similarly to the gently inclined rail 221.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pusher 32 is disposed above the carry-in position 101, and a cylinder 321 configured to be expandable and contractable in the traveling direction, and an engaging member 322 disposed integrally with the slide bar 323 of the cylinder 321. And. The engaging member 322 is disposed so as to hang down at a rear position with respect to the traveling direction of the tire 4 disposed on the carry-in position 101 side in the introduction path 31.

  The engaging member 322 is configured to bend forward in the traveling direction in the vicinity of the connecting portion with the cylinder 321 when pushed forward from the rear in the traveling direction of the tire 4. The engaging member 322 does not bend when it is pushed from the front in the traveling direction toward the rear or the side. The pusher 32 normally extends the cylinder 321, and when the tire 4 is arranged at the carry-in position 101, the cylinder 321 can be contracted and the tire 4 can be pushed out in the traveling direction by the engagement member 322.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a carry-out support portion 53 that supports the tire 4 and a take-out path 52 that moves the tire 4 from the carry-out position 102 to the assembly process are arranged at the carry-out position 102 in the work transfer device 1. Yes.
The carry-out support part 53 is arranged in the vicinity of the lower end of the carry-out position 102, and is configured to be able to support the tire 4 transported by the work transport device 1. At the carry-out position 102, the tire 4 is supported by the work support part 17. To the carry-out support part 53.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the take-out path 52 includes a take-out inclined surface 521 for rolling and moving the tire, a guide roller 522 arranged along the take-out inclined surface 521 and supporting the tire from the side, and a take-out path 52. And a stopper 523 for stopping the tire rolling. The take-out route 52 is provided with a work completion button (not shown) that is pressed when the worker takes out the tire 4.

Next, the procedure for transporting the tire 4 in the workpiece transport apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tire 4 conveyed on the supply path moves to the carry-in position 101 via the introduction path 31. At this time, the engaging member 322 of the pusher 32 is bent by being pushed in the traveling direction by the tire 4, and the tire 4 moves onto the work support portion 17 a arranged at the loading position 101.

  When the tire 4 is supported by the work support portion 17a, the cylinder 321 of the pusher 32 is contracted and the engagement member 322 moves in the traveling direction, and the work support portion 17a that supports the tire 4 is pushed out. The workpiece support 17a pushed out by the pusher 32 moves from the gently inclined rail 221 of the guide rail 21 to the steeply inclined rail 222.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the work support portion 17 a reaches the steeply inclined rail 222, the circulating member 11 moves along the guide rail 21 due to the weight of the tire 4, and the work support portion 17 a descends to the carry-out position 102. To do. At the same time, the workpiece support portion 17c moves to the carry-in position 101, and the tire 4 is supported by the workpiece support portion 17c.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the tire 4 is delivered from the work support portion 17 a to the carry-out support portion 53 at the carry-out position 102. The tire 4 supported by the carry-out support portion 53 moves onto the take-out path 52, and further moves to the take-out position while rolling on the take-out inclined surface 521. When the tire 4 reaches the take-out position, the tire 4 comes into contact with the stopper 523 and stops. Then, when the operator takes out the tire 4 from the take-out path 52 and presses the work completion button, the work support portion 17c on which the tire 4 is placed moves to the carry-out position 102 in the same manner as the work support portion 17a described above.

  When the workpiece support portion 17c moves to the carry-out position 102, the workpiece support portion 17e moves to the carry-in position 101 at the same time, and the tire 4 is placed. As described above, by repeatedly circulating the five work support portions 17a to 17e between the carry-in position 101 and the carry-out position 102, the tire 4 can be transported using all the work support portions 17. It is configured.

  As described above, the workpiece transfer device 1 is configured to rotate the circulation member 11 using the load of the tire 4 and move the tire 4 supported by the workpiece support unit 17 from the loading position 101 to the loading position 102. ing. That is, the workpiece transfer apparatus 1 can move the tire 4 from the carry-in position 101 to the carry-out position 102 without providing a drive source such as an electric motor or a cylinder. Accordingly, it is not necessary to supply power for driving the drive source, factory air, or the like, and the structure of the workpiece transfer apparatus 1 can be simplified. Thereby, installation and transfer of the workpiece conveyance apparatus 1 can be performed easily.

  Further, the rotation support frame 2 causes the tire 4 to be vertically oriented from the gently inclined rail 221 for placing the tire 4 sideways on the work support portion 17 at the carry-in position 101 and the work support portion 17 moved to the carry-out position 102. The circulating member 11 is disposed along the gently inclined rail 221 and the steeply inclined rail 222. Therefore, in order to change the posture of the tire 4, the posture of the tire 4 is changed from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction by transporting from the carry-in position 101 to the carry-out position 102 without providing a new drive source or drive mechanism. Can be made. Thereby, the structure of the workpiece conveyance apparatus 1 can be further simplified.

  Further, the tire 4 is a tire of a vehicle that is erected vertically at the carry-out position 102 from a state where the tire 4 is tilted horizontally at the carry-in position 101. For this reason, the posture of the tire is stably transported by making it suitable for transportation at the carry-in position 101, and the workability is improved by setting the tire to the vertical orientation, which is the posture of assembling to the vehicle, at the carry-out position 102. can do.

  The rotation support frame 2 includes a carry-in side rotary body 251 disposed on the carry-in position 101 side, and a carry-out side rotary body 252 disposed on the carry-out position 102 side. It is spanned between the carry-in side rotator 251 and the carry-out side rotator 252, and the carry-in side rotator 251 is provided with a decelerating means 26 for decelerating the rotational speed of the circulation member 11. Therefore, the tire 4 can be transported more stably by reducing the transport speed of the tire 4.

  Moreover, the deceleration means 26 is a centrifugal brake that decelerates the rotational speed of the circulation member 11 when the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation becomes a certain value or more. Therefore, since the conveyance speed can be reduced using centrifugal force, the rotation speed of the circulation member 11 can be reduced by the reduction means 26 without setting a new drive source. Thereby, the workpiece conveyance apparatus 1 can be made into a simpler structure.

  As described above, according to the workpiece transfer device 1 of the present example, the structure can be simplified and installation and relocation can be easily performed.

  In this example, the work support portions are set at five locations, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least two work support portions are provided on the circulation member for each transport distance from the carry-in position to the carry-out position. It only has to be provided. Moreover, it is preferable that the some workpiece | work support part is distribute | arranged on the circulation member at equal intervals. In this case, the work can be efficiently conveyed.

  Further, the workpiece support unit may sequentially convey the workpieces in the order in which they are arranged, or may convey the workpiece while skipping one or more workpiece support units. Thereby, a workpiece | work can be conveyed using all the workpiece | work support parts.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Work conveying apparatus 101 Carry-in position 102 Carry-out position 11 Circulating member 17 Work support part 2 Rotation support frame 221 Slightly inclined rail 222 Steeply inclined rail 251 Carry-in side rotary body 252 Carry-out side rotary body 26 Deceleration means 4 Workpiece

Claims (2)

An annular circulating member for repeatedly circulating a plurality of workpiece support portions between a loading position where a workpiece is loaded and a loading position where the workpiece is unloaded at a position lower than the loading position;
A rotation support frame that rotatably supports the circulation member,
The rotation support frame is configured to convey the workpiece in the vertical direction from the gently inclined rail for placing the workpiece horizontally on the workpiece support portion at the carry-in position and the work support portion moved to the carry-out position. A steeply inclined rail, and the circulation member is disposed along the gently inclined rail and the steeply inclined rail,
When the workpiece is supported by the workpiece support portion at the carry-in position, the circulating member rotates due to the weight of the workpiece, and the workpiece support portion that supports the workpiece moves to the carry-out position at the same time as the other workpieces. A work transfer device, wherein the support portion is configured to move to the carry-in position.   2. The work transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work is erected vertically at the carry-out position from a state where the work is tilted horizontally at the carry-in position.

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