JP6315982B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lifting and lowering conveying device that changes the conveying direction and height of a conveyed product.

  For example, in an automobile manufacturing process, various processes are performed on a workpiece while a pallet on which the workpiece is placed is conveyed by a conveyor or the like. In such a transfer line, it may be necessary to change the height of the pallet during transfer due to the layout of the equipment. For example, in the transport line shown in FIG. 9, the pallet P transported on the upstream transport path 101 is lifted by the lifting transport apparatus 103 (see arrow D) and is transported onto the downstream transport path 102.

  For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a lifting and conveying apparatus that raises a conveyed product carried into a bucket from a carry-in entrance and carries out the product from a carry-out exit. In this elevating and conveying device, the bottom surface of the bucket is inclined from the carry-in port toward the carry-out port, and the carry-in and carry-out of the conveyed product are performed using this tilt. Thereby, carrying in of the conveyed product to a bucket and unloading of the conveyed product from a bucket can be performed with the dead weight of a conveyed product, without requiring a separate carrying in / out mechanism.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-149384

  By the way, depending on the layout of the equipment, it may be necessary to change not only the height of the pallet but also the transport direction in the middle of the transport line. For example, in the conveyance line shown in FIG. 10, the downstream conveyance path 202 is higher than the upstream conveyance path 201 (a side view is omitted), and the conveyance direction (carrying-in direction A) and conveyance of the conveyance path 201 are performed. The conveyance direction (unloading direction B) of the path 202 is orthogonal. In this case, the lifting / lowering conveyance device 203 provided between the conveyance paths 201 and 202 not only changes the height of the pallet P but also needs to carry out the pallet P in the unloading direction B orthogonal to the loading direction A. However, since the lifting and conveying apparatus of Patent Document 1 can carry out the pallet only in the same direction as the carry-in direction, the carry-in direction A and the carry-out direction B are the same direction as shown in FIG. However, it cannot be provided on a conveyance line where the carry-in direction A and the carry-out direction B intersect as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the elevating / conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to a conveying line as shown in FIG. 10, a separate mechanism for changing the conveying direction of the pallet is required, resulting in an increase in cost and size of the conveying line.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevating / conveying device capable of changing the conveying direction and height of a conveyed product without increasing the cost and size of the conveying line.

  The present invention made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems is an elevating / conveying device that changes the conveying direction and height of a conveyed product, and a lifting platform on which the conveyed product is mounted, and a drive unit that drives the lifting platform up and down. A connecting member that connects the lifting platform and the drive unit, and can hold the lifting platform in a suspended manner, and a support unit that can support the lifting platform from below, and the lifting platform is below the support unit. The tilting direction of the lifting platform is different between the lower end position supported from the top and the upper end position where the lifting platform is suspended and held by the connecting member.

  According to this lifting and lowering conveying apparatus, the lifting platform is suspended and held by the connecting member at the upper end position. For example, by adjusting the length of the connecting member, the tilting direction and tilting angle of the lifting platform can be set. . On the other hand, since the lifting platform is supported by the support portion from below at the lower end position, the tilt direction and tilt angle of the lifting platform can be set by adjusting the position (height) of the support portion. Therefore, it is possible to change the tilting direction of the lifting platform simply by lifting the lifting platform supported from below by the support portion at the lower end position by the drive unit via the connecting member.

  Specifically, for example, the connection member is configured by a plurality of string-like bodies having one end attached to the elevator and the other end attached to the drive unit, and at the upper end position, the plurality of string-like bodies The lifting platform is suspended and held, and at the lower end position, the lifting platform can be supported by the support portion while the plurality of string-like bodies are slackened.

  As described above, according to the lifting and lowering conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the height and inclination direction of the lifting platform can be changed between the lower end position and the upper end position. In addition, the conveyance direction can be changed. As a result, the equipment is simplified, and the cost and size of the transfer line can be avoided.

It is a top view of the conveyance line in which the raising / lowering conveyance apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was integrated. It is a perspective view of the said raising / lowering drive device. (A) is a top view of the raising / lowering stand integrated in the said raising / lowering conveying apparatus, (B) is the same side view. It is a figure which shows a mode that a conveyed product is carried in to a lifting platform, (A) is the side view seen from the carrying-in direction A, (B) is the side view seen from the carrying-out direction B. It is a figure which shows the mode in the middle of raising the raising / lowering stand, (A) is the side view seen from carrying-in direction A, (B) is the side view seen from carrying-out direction B. It is the side view which looked at the mode of carrying out an unloading thing from an elevator stand from the carrying-in direction A. It is a top view which shows the other example of a conveyance line. (A) is a side view which shows a mode that a conveyed product is carried in to the rotation unit of the conveyance line of FIG. 7, (B) is a side view which shows a mode that a conveyed product is transferred from the said rotation unit to a lifting platform. is there. (A) is a top view which shows the reference example of a conveyance line, (B) is the same side view. It is a top view which shows the other reference example of a conveyance line.

  The transport line shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a first transport path 1, a second transport path 2, and a lift transport apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This transfer line is provided, for example, in an automobile manufacturing facility, and various processes are performed on the workpiece W placed on the pallet P while the pallet P is transferred on the first transfer path 1 and the second transfer path 2. The

  The 1st conveyance path 1 is comprised by the roller conveyor provided with the some roller (illustration omitted) which has a rotating shaft orthogonal to a conveyance direction, for example. The transport surface of the first transport path 1 (the surface with which the pallet P contacts) is inclined downward toward the downstream side. As a result, the pallet P on the first transport path 1 is transported downstream by its own weight.

  The second transport path 2 is different from the first transport path 1 in the transport direction and height. In the illustrated example, the transport direction of the first transport path 1 (hereinafter referred to as the carry-in direction A) and the transport direction of the second transport path 2 (hereinafter referred to as the unload direction B) are orthogonal to each other. The upstream end of the second transport path 2 is disposed above the downstream end of the first transport path 1. Other configurations of the second transport path 2 are the same as those of the first transport path 1.

  The lifting / lowering conveyance device 10 is provided between the first conveyance path 1 and the second conveyance path 2. The lifting / lowering conveying device 10 is a lifting / lowering base 11 on which a conveyed product (pallet P and workpiece W) is mounted, a driving unit 12 that drives the lifting / lowering base 11 to move up / down, and a connecting member that connects the lifting / lowering base 11 and the driving unit 12. A plurality of string-like bodies 13 and a support portion 14 are mainly provided.

  The elevator 11 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the elevator 11 includes a carry-in roller 11 a that can carry the pallet P in the carry-in direction A and a carry-out roller 11 b that can carry the pallet P in the carry-out direction B. The conveyance surface of the carry-in roller 11a and the conveyance surface of the carry-out roller 11b are arranged on the same plane. A first stopper 15 that locks the pallet P is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the carry-in roller 11a (downstream in the carry-in direction A). In this embodiment, the 1st stopper 15 is provided in the downstream end part (upper end of FIG. 3 (A)) of the raising / lowering stand 11 in the carrying-in direction A, and protrudes upwards rather than the carrying-out roller 11b {FIG. B) See}. A second stopper 16 that locks the pallet P is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the carry-out roller 11b (on the downstream side in the carry-out direction B) (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the second stopper 16 is provided on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 3A) of the lifting platform 11 in the carry-out direction B, and is fixed to a fixed frame (not shown). For example, the second stopper 16 includes a plurality of columnar members extending downward from the upstream end of the second transport path 2 (see FIG. 2). The upper end of the second stopper 16 is disposed below the upstream end of the transport surface of the second transport path 2. The lower end of the second stopper 16 extends to a position where the pallet P on the lifting platform 11 supported by the support portion 14 can be locked.

  The drive part 12 is comprised with a cylinder, especially an electric cylinder, for example. In the present embodiment, the drive unit 12 and the lifting platform 11 are connected via a plurality of string-like bodies 13. As the string-like body 13, for example, a wire or a chain can be used, and a wire is used in the present embodiment. One end of the string-like body 13 is attached to the lifting platform 11, and the other end is attached to the lifting member 12 a of the drive unit 12. In the present embodiment, one end of the plurality of string-like bodies 13 is attached to at least three places on the lifting platform 11 that are not on the same straight line. In the illustrated example, the central portion of the upstream edge in the unloading direction B {the short side on the right side in Fig. 3 (B)} and the downstream edge in the unloading direction B {the short side on the left side in Fig. 3 (B)}. One end of the string-like body 13 is attached to each of the three ends in total. An intermediate portion of each string-like body 13 is wound around a pulley. By adjusting the length of each string-like body 13, specifically, the length between the attachment portion of each string-like body 13 to the lifting platform 11 and the attachment portion to the lifting member 12 a, the string-like body 13 An inclination direction and an inclination angle of the lifting platform 11 held in a suspended state are set. In the present embodiment, in the state where the lifting platform 11 is suspended and held by the string-like body 13, the tilt direction and the tilt angle of the transport surface of the lift platform 11 and the tilt direction and the tilt angle of the transport surface of the second transport path 2. Are matched (that is, the lengths of the respective cord-like bodies 13 are set so that both transport surfaces are parallel).

  The support part 14 supports the elevator 11 from below and is fixed to a fixed frame (not shown). The support part 14 is provided in at least three places which are not on the same straight line in the lifting platform 11. In the example of illustration, the support part 14 is provided in the position which supports the four corners of the raising / lowering stand 11 from the downward direction. By adjusting the position (particularly the height) of each support portion 14, the tilt direction, tilt angle, and height of the elevator 11 supported by the support portion 14 are set. In the present embodiment, the inclination direction and the inclination angle of the conveyance surface of the lifting platform 11 supported by the support unit 14 coincide with the inclination direction and the inclination angle of the conveyance surface of the first conveyance path 1 (that is, both conveyance surfaces). The positions of the support portions 14 are set so that they are parallel to each other.

  The lifting / lowering conveyance device 10 is provided with a sensor for controlling the driving of the driving unit 12. In the present embodiment, the elevator 11 is provided with a first sensor 4 that detects the presence or absence of the pallet P on the elevator 11 {see FIG. 3A}, and the second conveyor 2 is connected to the second conveyor 2. A second sensor 5 (see FIG. 2) is provided for detecting the presence or absence of the pallet P near the upstream end.

  Hereinafter, a procedure for transporting the pallet P and the workpiece W along the transport line will be described.

  First, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2, the lifting platform 11 is placed on the support portion 14 (this position is referred to as a lower end position). At this time, the elevator 11 is inclined in the carry-in direction A {see FIG. 4B) and is horizontal in the carry-out direction B {see FIG. 4A}. The transport surface of the lifting platform 11 arranged at the lower end position is inclined in the same direction at the same angle as the transport surface of the first transport path 1 and is substantially continuously downstream of the transport surface of the first transport path 1 (that is, The pallet P is provided close enough to deliver the pallet P). In the state where the lifting platform 11 is arranged at the lower end position, the string-like body 13 is not in the weight of the lifting platform 11 and is in a slack state.

  And the pallet P and the workpiece | work W slide on the conveyance surface of the 1st conveyance path 1 with dead weight, and as shown in FIG.4 (B), it is carried in on the raising / lowering stand 11 of the raising / lowering conveyance apparatus 10 from the 1st conveyance path 1. FIG. The The pallet P carried into the lifting platform 11 from the first transport path 1 slides on the loading roller 11a of the lifting platform 11 and is brought into contact with the first stopper 15 and locked. At this time, the 1st sensor 4 detects carrying-in of the pallet P on the raising / lowering stand 11, and the drive part 12 is driven in response to this detection signal. Specifically, the elevating member 12 a is lowered by the drive unit 12, whereby the elevating platform 11 is pulled up via the string-like body 13. At this time, the slack of the plurality of string-like bodies 13 is pulled, so that the posture of the lift base 11, particularly the inclination direction of the lift base 11 is changed according to the length of each string-like body {FIG. A) See}. Specifically, the transport surface of the lifting platform 11 suspended and held by the string-like body 13 is inclined so as to be parallel to the transport surface of the second transport path 2. At this time, the pallet P placed on the lifting platform 11 tries to slide down to the downstream side in the unloading direction B (left side in FIG. 5A), but the pallet P is locked by the second stopper 16. P is held on the lifting platform 11. That is, the pallet P rises while sliding with the second stopper 16.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the lifting platform 11 is raised to the same height as the second transport path 2, the drive unit 12 is stopped (this position is referred to as the upper end position). At this time, the transport surface of the lifting platform 11 is inclined in the same direction at the same angle as the transport surface of the second transport path 2 and is substantially continuous upstream of the transport surface of the second transport path 2 (that is, the pallet P). Provided as close as possible). When the elevator 11 reaches the upper end position, the pallet P on the elevator 11 is disposed above the upper end of the second stopper 16. Thereby, the restriction | limiting of the movement to the carrying-out direction B of the pallet P by the 2nd stopper 16 is cancelled | released, and the pallet P and the workpiece | work W are carried out to the 2nd conveyance path 2. Thus, when there is no pallet P on the elevator 11, the detection signal by the first sensor 4 is turned OFF, thereby driving the drive unit 12 and lowering the elevator 11 to the lower end position. By repeating the above, the pallet P and the workpiece W are sequentially conveyed from the first conveyance path 1 to the second conveyance path 2.

  As described above, the lifting / lowering conveyance device 10 supports the lifting platform 11 from below at the lower end position with the support portion 14 and holds the lifting platform 11 with the string-like body 13 suspended at the upper end position. By appropriately adjusting the position of 14 and the length of the string-like body 13, the inclination direction of the lifting platform 11 can be made different between the lower end position and the upper end position. Accordingly, the lifting platform 11 that is parallel to the transport surface of the first transport path 1 at the lower end position is lifted by the string-like body 13 and raised to the upper end position, thereby changing the tilt direction of the lifting platform 11 and the second. It can be parallel to the conveyance surface of the conveyance path 2. As described above, since the height and conveying direction of the pallet P can be changed without requiring a separate mechanism simply by raising the elevator 11, the cost and size of the equipment can be avoided. Moreover, since the inclination direction can be changed while raising the lifting / lowering base 11, the time required for conveyance can be shortened compared with the case where these are performed separately.

  By the way, the pallet P may stay in the second transport path 2 for some reason, and the staying pallet P may reach the vicinity of the upstream end of the second transport path 2. In this case, since there is no space for receiving a new pallet P in the second transport path 2, if the pallet P is further supplied from the lifting / lowering transport apparatus 10 to the second transport path 2 in this state, the pallet P is lifted / lowered transport apparatus. 10 is not completely carried out to the second conveyance path 2, and the lifting and conveying apparatus 10 may cause a malfunction. In order to avoid such problems, the second sensor 5 is provided in the vicinity of the upstream end of the second transport path 2 in the present embodiment. When the pallet P stays near the upstream end of the second transport path 2, the second sensor 5 detects the pallet P, and this detection signal is transmitted to the drive unit 12. When the detection signal from the second sensor 5 is transmitted to the drive unit 12, even if the pallet P is carried on the lifting platform 11 at the lower end position, the detection signal from the first sensor 5 is transmitted to the drive unit 12. However, the elevator 11 is kept at the lower end position without driving the drive unit 12. As a result, the pallets P exceeding the allowable number are not supplied to the second transport path 2, so that the above problems can be avoided.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the conveyance line shown in FIG. 7 changes the height of the pallet P while conveying the pallet P in an S shape while avoiding the pillar M. Specifically, in this transport line, a rotation unit 20 is provided between the first transport path 1 and the lift transport device 10. The rotation unit 20 has a conveyance surface parallel to the conveyance surface of the first conveyance path 1, and can be rotated by 90 ° around the vertical rotation axis while maintaining the inclination angle (see arrow R in the figure). ). Specifically, the rotation unit 20 rotates the conveyance surface 90 degrees from the carry-in position {refer to FIG. 8 (A)} in which the conveyance surface is continued downstream of the conveyance surface of the first conveyance path 1 and the initial position, It is possible to switch between a carry-out position {refer to FIG. 8B) that is made continuous on the upstream side of the conveyance surface of the lifting platform 11 arranged at the lower end position. In the present embodiment, the rotating unit 20 is rotated from the carry-in position to the carry-out position by the weight of the pallet P and the workpiece W. The rotation unit 20 is provided with a stopper 21 that can protrude upward and downward from the conveyance surface.

  In this transport line, the pallet P and the workpiece W slide on the transport surface of the first transport path 1 and are transported onto the rotary unit 20 disposed at the transport position (see arrow A in FIG. 7). The pallet P carried into the rotary unit 20 is locked by the stopper 21 {see FIG. 8A}. Then, due to the weight of the pallet P and the work W loaded on the rotating unit 20, the rotating unit 20 rotates 90 ° (see arrow R in FIG. 7). As a result, the rotating unit 20 is arranged at the unloading position, and the stopper 21 of the rotating unit 20 is lowered by a release mechanism (not shown), and the pallet P and the workpiece W are transferred from the rotating unit 20 to the lifting platform 11 {FIG. And the arrow C in FIG. 8B}. The rotating unit 20 from which the pallet P and the workpiece W are unloaded rotates 90 ° in the direction opposite to the arrow R in FIG. 7, and is returned to the loading position shown in FIG. By repeating the above, the pallet P and the workpiece W are sequentially conveyed. In addition, since the structure except the conveyance direction of the 1st conveyance path 1 and the point which provided the rotation unit 20 is the same as that of said embodiment, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Although the case where the drive unit 12 is an electric cylinder has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the drive unit 12 may be configured by a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder. In addition, you may comprise the drive part 12 with the gear and motor which meshes and drives the motor which winds a string-like body (wire), and a string-like body (chain).

  Moreover, in the above embodiment, although the raising / lowering conveying apparatus 10 which raises the conveyed product (pallet P and the workpiece | work W) carried in from the 1st conveyance path 1 and carries it out to the 2nd conveyance path 2 was shown, it is restricted to this. I can't. For example, the conveyed product may be carried into the elevator 11 arranged at the upper end position, lowered to the lower end position, and carried out by changing the conveying direction (not shown).

  Moreover, in the above embodiment, the case where the elevator 11 is tilted both when it is placed at the upper end position and when it is placed at the lower end position is not limited to this. When arranged on one side (in particular, the position where the conveyed product is carried in), the lifting platform 11 may be horizontal.

  The elevating / conveying apparatus is not limited to automobile manufacturing equipment, but can be applied to other uses that change the height and direction of a conveyed product.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st conveyance path 2 2nd conveyance path 4 1st sensor 5 2nd sensor 10 Elevating conveyance apparatus 11 Elevating stand 12 Drive part 13 String-like body (connection member)
14 Supporting portion 15 First stopper 16 Second stopper A Loading direction B Unloading direction P Pallet (conveyed material)
W Workpiece (conveyed item)

Claims (1)

A lifting and lowering conveying device that changes the conveying direction and height of a conveyed object,
A lifting platform on which a transported object is mounted; a driving unit that drives the lifting platform; a connecting member that connects the lifting platform and the driving unit and can hold the lifting platform suspended; and the lifting platform. A support portion that can be supported from below,
The tilting direction of the lifting platform is made different between a lower end position where the lifting platform is supported by the support portion from below and an upper end position where the lifting platform is suspended and held by the connection member ,
The connection member is composed of a plurality of string-like bodies with one end attached to the elevator and the other end attached to the drive unit, and the elevator base is suspended and held by the plurality of string-like bodies at the upper end position. And in the said lower end position, the raising / lowering conveying apparatus which supports the said raising / lowering stand in the said support part in the state which slackened these several string-like bodies .

Images