JP6397304B2 - Work transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a work transfer device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a work conveyance for transferring a plurality of works conveyed in one direction by a conveyor to a holding means arranged on a circumference of a holding table by using a movable input holding member. An apparatus is disclosed. In this apparatus, a plurality of workpieces conveyed by the conveyor are individually held in a plurality of holding holes provided on the circumference of the holding holding member, and the holding holding member is moved above the holding table to The holding holes correspond to the plurality of holding means. Then, the plurality of workpieces held in the plurality of holding holes are collectively transferred to a plurality of holding means.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-21994

  In the above conveying device, when holding a plurality of workpieces conveyed by the conveyor in a plurality of holding holes, the holding member for rotation is intermittently rotated, so that a rotating device and an index device are necessary. is there. However, if such a rotation device and an index device are provided, the entire device has a complicated structure, which increases the cost.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to simplify the structure.

The workpiece transfer device of the present invention is
A conveyor for conveying a plurality of workpieces in one direction;
A plurality of holding members for holding a plurality of workpieces arranged in a two-dimensional direction;
Between the conveyor and the plurality of holding members, a transfer member that intermittently moves linearly in a direction that intersects the conveying direction of the conveyor,
A stopper that is provided on the conveyor and stops in a state in which a plurality of works to be conveyed are arranged in a line,
A plurality of chucks provided on the transfer member, holding the workpiece on the conveyor, and releasing the held workpiece and holding the workpiece on the holding member;
A plurality of chucks arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a plurality of chuck rows arranged at intervals in the moving direction of the transfer member ,
Any one of the plurality of chucks constituting the chuck row is movable relative to the other chucks;
The chuck is characterized in that a relative movement direction between the chuck and the other chuck is a direction parallel to a movement direction of the transfer member .

When the plurality of workpieces conveyed by the conveyor are stopped in a line by the stopper, the plurality of stopped workpieces are held in any one of the plurality of chuck rows. Thereafter, the transfer member moves by a predetermined distance, and a plurality of newly conveyed workpieces are stopped in a row by the stopper, and the stopped plurality of workpieces are held in another chuck row. . In the process of holding a plurality of workpieces conveyed by a conveyor with a plurality of chucks, the transfer member does not rotate, so that the structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified compared to the case where the transfer member is rotated intermittently. Can do. In addition, since a plurality of workpieces transferred to a plurality of holding members that are separated in the moving direction of the transfer member can be collectively held by only one chuck row, work efficiency is high.

The top view showing the positional relationship of a conveyor, a stopper, and a holding member in Example 1. Partially cutaway plan view showing the positional relationship of multiple chucks in the process of holding the workpiece on the conveyor Partially cutaway plan view showing a process in which a plurality of chucks transfer a workpiece to a plurality of holding members at the loading position FIG. 3 is an arrow view showing the configuration of the transfer member. The top view showing the state where the 1st auxiliary stopper has stopped the work in the conveyor The top view showing the state where the work stopped by the 1st auxiliary stopper is conveyed toward the 1st stopper A plan view showing a state in which the workpiece is stopped by the first stopper The top view showing the state where the work stopped by the 1st auxiliary stopper is conveyed toward the 2nd stopper A plan view showing a state in which the workpiece is stopped by the second stopper The top view showing the state where the work stopped by the 1st auxiliary stopper is conveyed toward the 3rd stopper A plan view showing a state in which the workpiece is stopped by the third stopper Partially cutaway plan view showing the process of holding the polished workpiece by a plurality of discharge chucks at the discharge position

(1) The workpiece transfer device of the present invention is
The plurality of holding members are provided on a rotary table, and are moved from a loading position for receiving the workpiece from the transfer member to a discharging position for discharging the workpiece as the rotary table rotates.
Between the discharge position and the conveyor, there is a discharge member that transfers a plurality of workpieces moved to the discharge position to the conveyor by intermittently moving linearly in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the conveyor. Provided,
The discharge member is arranged to correspond to all of the plurality of holding members at the discharge position, and holds a plurality of discharge chucks that hold the work at the discharge position and release the held work on the conveyor. Have
The plurality of discharge chucks constitute a discharge chuck row by being arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor,
The discharge chuck row may be provided in a plurality of rows at intervals in the moving direction of the discharge member.

  According to this configuration, among the plurality of workpieces that have moved to the discharge position, the workpieces arranged in the transport direction of the conveyor are held by any one of the plurality of discharge chuck rows. Thereafter, the discharge member moves by a predetermined distance, and another discharge chuck row holds another workpiece arranged in the transport direction of the conveyor. As the discharge member holding the plurality of workpieces intermittently moves in this manner, each discharge chuck row sequentially releases the workpieces and transfers them onto the conveyor. In the process of transferring a plurality of workpieces to the conveyor, the discharge member does not rotate, so that the structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified as compared with the case where the discharge member is rotated intermittently.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The workpiece transfer apparatus A of the first embodiment is applied to the polishing apparatus B. As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus B includes a circular rotary table 10 that rotates intermittently about a vertical axis. A circular jig 11 is fixedly provided at four positions that are eccentric from the center of rotation on the turntable 10 and are equiangularly spaced in the circumferential direction.

  Six holding members 12 a to 12 f are fixedly provided on the horizontal upper surface of each jig 11. The six holding members 12a to 12f are arranged at equal angular intervals of 60 ° on the same circumference. That is, the six holding members 12a to 12f are arranged in a two-dimensional direction on the horizontal plane. Each of the holding members 12a to 12f is configured to hold a workpiece W having a bottomed cylindrical shape in a vertically inverted posture (a posture in which the bottom wall portion is directed upward).

  The turntable 10 is intermittently rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. 1, 3 and 12 while being temporarily stopped every 90 °. In FIG. 1, among the four jigs 11, the jig 11 on the right front side is stopped at the loading position Pi, and the jig 11 on the left front side is stopped at the discharge position Pe. Further, the two jigs 11 at the right back and left back are stopped at the polishing position Pw. At the loading position Pi, six pre-polishing workpieces W carried by a transfer member 20 described later are collectively transferred to the six holding members 12a to 12f.

  At the discharge position Pe, six polished workpieces W held by the six holding members 12a to 12f are taken out by the discharge member 30. At the two polishing positions Pw, the workpiece W is polished by a polishing mechanism (not shown). The transfer of the workpiece W at the loading position Pi, the discharge of the workpiece W from the discharge position Pe, and the polishing of the workpiece W at the polishing position Pw are all performed while the rotary table 10 is temporarily stopped.

  The workpiece transfer apparatus A includes a conveyor 13 (see FIGS. 1 and 5 to 11), a transfer member 20 (see FIGS. 2 to 4), and a discharge member 30 (see FIG. 12). Yes. The conveyor 13 is disposed in parallel with a line connecting the input position Pi and the discharge position Pe. The width of the conveyor 13 is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W. Therefore, the conveyor 13 conveys the workpieces W in a line. The direction in which the workpiece W is conveyed is the same as the direction from the loading position Pi to the discharging position Pe, as shown in FIGS. Further, during the process of stopping the work W on the conveyor 13, the process of transferring the work W from the conveyor 13 to the loading position Pi, and the process of transferring (discharging) the work W from the discharge position Pe to the conveyor 13, the conveyor No. 13 always maintains a state where it can be driven to transport the workpiece W.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 to 11, the conveyor 13 has a first stopper 14 (stopper described in claims) and a second stopper 15 (stopper described in claims). ), A third stopper 16 (a stopper described in claims), a first auxiliary stopper 17, and a second auxiliary stopper 18. All of these five stoppers 14 to 18 abut the conveyed workpiece W and restrict the workpiece W from moving downstream.

  The first stopper 14 is located on the most downstream side of the five stoppers 14 to 18 in the transport direction of the conveyor 13, and is fixed in a state of protruding onto the transport path of the conveyor 13. The second stopper 15 is located upstream of the first stopper 14 in the transport direction. The second stopper 15 is configured to move between a stop position where the second stopper 15 advances on the transport path of the conveyor 13 and a retract position where the second stopper 15 retracts outside the transport path.

  The distance between the first stopper 14 and the second stopper 15 at the stop position is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W. The third stopper 16 is located upstream of the second stopper 15 in the transport direction. Similar to the second stopper 15, the third stopper 16 moves between a stop position where the third stopper 16 advances on the conveyance path of the conveyor 13 and a retreat position where the third stopper 16 retracts outside the conveyance path. The distance between the second stopper 15 and the third stopper 16 at the stop position is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W.

  The first auxiliary stopper 17 is located upstream of the third stopper 16 in the transport direction. The first auxiliary stopper 17 is configured to move between a stop position where the first auxiliary stopper 17 advances on the conveyance path of the conveyor 13 and a retreat position where the first auxiliary stopper 17 retracts outside the conveyance path. The distance between the third stopper 16 and the first auxiliary stopper 17 at the stop position is larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W. The second auxiliary stopper 18 is positioned upstream of the first auxiliary stopper 17 in the transport direction. The second auxiliary stopper 18 moves between a stop position where the second auxiliary stopper 18 advances on the transport path of the conveyor 13 and a retreat position where the second auxiliary stopper 18 retracts outside the transport path. The distance between the first auxiliary stopper 17 and the second auxiliary stopper 18 at the stop position is larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 12, the six holding members 12 a to 12 f are positioned so as to be the vertices of a regular hexagon, and the loading position Pi and the discharging position Pe are only 90 ° in the rotation direction of the turntable 10. It's off. Therefore, the arrangement of the six holding members 12a to 12f at the loading position Pi is different from the arrangement of the six holding members 12a to 12f at the discharge position Pe. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, only one of the six holding members 12 a to 12 f is located closest to the conveyor 13 at the loading position Pi. Hereinafter, the one closest to the conveyor 13 among the six holding members 12a to 12f is defined as the first holding member 12a. The first holding member 12a is defined as second to sixth holding members 12b to 12f in the order in which the first holding member 12a is aligned in the clockwise direction.

  At the loading position Pi, the first holding member 12a and the fourth holding member 12d that are diagonally arranged so as to sandwich the center of the regular hexagon having the six holding members 12a to 12f as apexes are perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. They are arranged side by side. Further, the second holding member 12b and the fifth holding member 12e arranged diagonally across the center of the regular hexagon are arranged so as to form an angle of 60 ° with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. Similarly, the third holding member 12c and the sixth holding member 12f arranged diagonally across the center of the regular hexagon are also arranged at an angle of 60 ° with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13.

  Similarly, at the loading position Pi, the second holding member 12b and the third holding member 12c are arranged so as to be aligned at right angles to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13, and are located on the most downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. The fifth holding member 12 e and the sixth holding member 12 f are arranged so as to be aligned at right angles to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13, and are located on the most upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. The first holding member 12a and the fourth holding member 12d are positioned in the middle of the second and third holding members 12b and 12c and the fifth and sixth holding members 12e and 12f in the conveying direction of the conveyor 13.

  Similarly, at the closing position Pi, the second holding member 12b and the sixth holding member 12f are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor 13, and are disposed at a position farther from the conveyor 13 than the first holding member 12a. The third holding member 12c and the fifth holding member 12e are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor 13, and are arranged at a position farther from the conveyor 13 than the second and sixth holding members 12b and 12f. The fourth holding member 12d is arranged at a position farther from the conveyor 13 than the third and fifth holding members 12c and 12e. That is, at the closing position Pi, the second, third, fifth and sixth holding members 12b, 12c, 12e and 12f are in a positional relationship along with the other holding members along the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. The first holding member 12a and the fourth holding member 12d are arranged independently without being aligned with other holding members in the conveying direction of the conveyor 13.

  On the other hand, at the discharge position Pe, as shown in FIG. 12, the fifth holding member 12 e and the sixth holding member 12 f are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor 13 and are disposed at the position closest to the conveyor 13. The first holding member 12a and the fourth holding member 12d are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor 13, and are disposed at a position farther from the conveyor 13 than the fifth and sixth holding members 12e and 12f. The second holding member 12b and the third holding member 12c are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor 13, and are disposed at a position farther from the conveyor 13 than the first and fourth holding members 12a and 12d. That is, at the discharge position Pe, all the holding members 12a to 12f are in a positional relationship along with the other holding members along the conveying direction of the conveyor 13.

  The transfer member 20 is intermittently moved linearly at right angles to the conveyance direction of the conveyor 13 between the region where the stoppers 14 to 18 of the conveyor 13 are provided and the loading position Pi by a driving mechanism (not shown). It has become. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer member 20 is provided with four fixed chucks 21 (chucks described in claims) and two movable chucks 22 (chucks described in claims). . Each chuck 21, 22 is constituted by a pair of fingers 23 that can approach and separate from each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13.

  The four fixed chucks 21 are arranged at positions corresponding to the second, third, fifth, and sixth holding members 12b, 12c, 12e, and 12f at the loading position Pi in a state where the transfer member 20 is at the loading position Pi. Has been. The two movable chucks 22 are arranged at positions corresponding to the first and fourth holding members 12 a and 12 d in the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. The two movable chucks 22 are arranged between a holding position (see FIG. 2) and a release position (see FIG. 3) in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13 (that is, the moving direction of the transfer member 20). Parallel direction).

  As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the two movable chucks 22 are in the holding position, one movable chuck 22 is positioned between the two fixed chucks 21, and the chuck row 24 aligned in parallel with the transport direction of the conveyor 13. Two rows are configured. The two rows of chucks 24 are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13 (a direction parallel to the moving direction of the transfer member 20). In the state where the two rows of chuck rows 24 are configured, the four fixed chucks 21 correspond to the second, third, fifth, and sixth holding members 12b, 12c, 12e, and 12f, but two movable The chuck 22 does not correspond to the first and fourth holding members 12a and 12d.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the two movable chucks 22 move to the release position, one movable chuck 22 corresponds to the first holding member 12a, and the other movable chuck 22 corresponds to the fourth holding member 12d. That is, the six chucks 21 and 22 have a positional relationship corresponding to all of the six holding members 12a to 12f at the loading position Pi. Further, in a state where the three workpieces W on the conveyor 13 are stopped by the first to third stoppers 14 to 16, the arrangement pitch of the three workpieces W in the transport direction constitutes one chuck row 24. This is the same as the arrangement pitch of the three chucks 21, 22, and 21.

  The discharge member 30 is intermittently moved linearly at right angles to the conveyance direction of the conveyor 13 between the region downstream of the stoppers 14 to 18 of the conveyor 13 and the discharge position Pe by a driving mechanism (not shown). It has become. As shown in FIG. 12, the discharge member 30 is provided with six discharge chucks 31 fixed. Each discharge chuck 31 is configured by a pair of discharge fingers (not shown) that can approach and separate from each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13.

  The six discharge chucks 31 are arranged at positions corresponding to the six holding members 12a to 12f at the discharge position Pe in a state where the discharge member 30 is at the discharge position Pe. The six discharge chucks 31 constitute three rows of discharge chuck rows 32 arranged in parallel at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. One discharge chuck row 32 is constituted by two discharge chucks 31 arranged in the transport direction of the conveyor 13.

  In a state where the discharge member 30 has moved to the discharge position Pe, the two discharge chucks 31 constituting the discharge chuck row 32 closest to the conveyor 13 correspond to the fifth and sixth holding members 12e and 12f, and the conveyor 13 The two discharge chucks 31 constituting the discharge chuck row 32 farthest from the first and second holding members 12b and 12c correspond to the second discharge chuck row 32, and the remaining discharge chuck rows 32 are the first and fourth holding members 12a. , 12d.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. When transferring the workpiece W transported by the conveyor 13 to the holding members 12a to 12f that are stopped at the input position Pi and are waiting, the workpiece W is first stopped on the conveyor 13. When stopping, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the first auxiliary stopper 17 advances to the stop position on the conveyor 13 and stops the plurality of works W in a row in a row. At this time, the second stopper 15, the third stopper 16, and the second auxiliary stopper 18 are waiting at the retracted position.

  From this state, as shown in FIG. 6, the second auxiliary stopper 18 advances to the stop position, and the first auxiliary stopper 17 retracts to the retracted position. Then, the top workpiece W in the conveyance direction that has been stopped by the first auxiliary stopper 17 is conveyed downstream. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the work W is brought into contact with the first stopper 14 and stopped. During this time, the second auxiliary stopper 18 retracts to the retracted position, and the first auxiliary stopper 17 advances to the stop position, and the subsequent workpiece W comes into contact with the first auxiliary stopper 17 and is stopped.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the second auxiliary stopper 18 advances to the stop position, and the first auxiliary stopper 17 retracts to the retreat position. Then, the workpiece W stopped by the first auxiliary stopper 17 is conveyed downstream. During this time, the second stopper 15 advances to the stop position. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the work W is brought into contact with the second stopper 15 and stopped. During this time, the second auxiliary stopper 18 retracts to the retracted position, and the first auxiliary stopper 17 advances to the stop position, and the subsequent workpiece W comes into contact with the first auxiliary stopper 17 and is stopped.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the second auxiliary stopper 18 advances to the stop position, and the first auxiliary stopper 17 retracts to the retreat position. Then, the workpiece W stopped by the first auxiliary stopper 17 is conveyed downstream. During this time, the third stopper 16 advances to the stop position. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the work W comes into contact with the third stopper 16 and is stopped. During this time, the second auxiliary stopper 18 retracts to the retracted position, and the first auxiliary stopper 17 advances to the stop position, and the subsequent workpiece W comes into contact with the first auxiliary stopper 17 and is stopped.

  As described above, the three workpieces W are stopped by the three stoppers 14 to 16. The arrangement pitch of the three workpieces W in the conveying direction of the conveyor 13 is the same as the arrangement pitch of the three chucks 21, 22, and 21 constituting one chuck row 24. While the three workpieces W are stopped by the stoppers 14 to 16, one chuck row 24 of the two chuck rows 24 of the transfer member 20 moves right above the conveyor 13 and stands by. The stopped three workpieces W are held at the same time by the three chucks 21, 22, and 21 constituting one chuck row 24. At this time, the finger 23 moves in parallel with the advancing / retreating direction of the stoppers 14 to 16, and thus does not interfere with the stoppers 14 to 16.

  When the three workpieces W are held by one chuck row 24, the transfer member 20 once rises and moves to the loading position Pi side by a predetermined dimension. As a result, another chuck row 24 moves directly above the conveyor 13. During this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 11, the stoppers 14 to 18 perform the same operation as described above, whereby the three workpieces W are stopped by the three stoppers 14 to 16. The three workpieces W are held by the three chucks 21, 22, and 21 of the chuck row 24 waiting above the three workpieces W. Thus, all the chucks 21 and 22 hold the workpiece W, respectively.

  Thereafter, the transfer member 20 moves all at once to just above the loading position Pi. During this time, the two movable chucks 22 in the holding position move to the release position in parallel with the moving direction of the transfer member 20 (perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 13) (see FIG. 3). Thereby, all the six chucks 21 and 22 are positioned so as to individually correspond to the six holding members 12a to 12f. When the six chucks 21 and 22 release the workpiece W all at once, the six workpieces W are held by the six holding members 12a to 12f. Thus, the six workpieces W before polishing are held on the transfer member 20 by two actions (two steps) on the conveyor 13, but are held in one action (one step) at the loading position Pi. Transferred to the members 12a to 12f. After the six workpieces W are transferred to the six holding members 12a to 12f, the rotary table 10 is rotated by 90 °, and the workpieces W held by the six holding members 12a to 12f are polished.

  The six workpieces W that have been polished move to the discharge position Pe. At the discharge position Pe, the six discharge chucks 31 of the discharge device hold the six workpieces W all at once. Thereafter, the discharge member 30 moves to the conveyor 13 and stops. At this time, the discharge chuck row 32 closest to the conveyor 13 among the three discharge chuck rows 32 is positioned directly above the conveyor 13. Then, only the two workpieces W held by the discharge chuck row 32 positioned directly above the conveyor 13 are placed on the conveyor 13 and discharged downstream by the conveyor 13.

  Thereafter, when the discharge member 30 moves by a predetermined dimension, the discharge chuck row 32 positioned second on the conveyor 13 moves right above the conveyor 13. The two workpieces W held in the discharge chuck row 32 are placed on the conveyor 13 and discharged downstream by the conveyor 13 as described above. Thereafter, the discharge member 30 moves by a predetermined distance, and the discharge chuck row 32 farthest from the conveyor 13 moves right above the conveyor 13. Then, the last two workpieces W held by the discharge chuck row 32 are placed on the conveyor 13 and discharged. As described above, the six polished workpieces W are held on the discharge member 30 by one action at the discharge position Pe, but are sequentially placed on the conveyor 13 by three actions (three steps) two by two. It has become so.

  As described above, the workpiece transfer apparatus A according to the first embodiment is configured to hold the conveyor 13 that transfers six (a plurality of) workpieces W in one direction and the six workpieces W that are aligned and arranged in a two-dimensional direction. One (plurality) of holding members 12a to 12f, and a transfer member 20 that intermittently moves linearly in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor 13 between the conveyor 13 and the six holding members 12a to 12f. . The conveyor 13 is provided with stoppers 14 to 16 that stop three (a plurality of) workpieces W to be conveyed in a line. The transfer member 20 is provided with six (a plurality of) chucks 21 and 22 that hold the workpiece W on the conveyor 13 and release the held workpiece W to be held by the holding members 12a to 12f. Two of the six chucks 21, 22 are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor 13 by arranging three chucks 21, 22, 21 in two rows (a plurality of rows arranged at intervals in the moving direction of the transfer member 20). ) Chuck row 24 is configured.

  According to the workpiece transfer apparatus A of the first embodiment, when the three workpieces W transported by the conveyor 13 are stopped in a row by the stopper, the stopped three workpieces W are arranged in two rows. The chuck row 24 is held by one of the chuck rows 24. Thereafter, the transfer member 20 moves by a predetermined distance, and the three newly transferred workpieces W are stopped in a line by the stoppers 14 to 16, and the stopped three workpieces W are stopped. It is held by the other chuck row 24. In the process of holding the six workpieces W conveyed by the conveyor 13 with the six chucks 21 and 22, the transfer member 20 does not rotate. Therefore, compared with the case where the transfer member 20 is rotated intermittently, the workpiece transfer apparatus A of the first embodiment realizes simplification of the structure of the entire apparatus.

  In addition, any one of the three chucks 21 and 22 constituting the chuck row 24 can move relative to the other two fixed chucks 21 in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the transfer member 20. It has become. According to this configuration, the three workpieces W transferred to the first holding member 12a, the second holding member 12b, and the sixth holding member 12f, which are in a positional relationship separated in the moving direction of the transfer member 20, Only one chuck row 24 can be held together. Similarly, three workpieces W transferred to the third holding member 12c, the fourth holding member 12d, and the fifth holding member 12e, which are in a positional relationship separated in the moving direction of the transfer member 20, are also included in one chuck. The column 24 can be held together.

  The six holding members 12a to 12f are provided on the turntable 10, and the six holding members 12a to 12f receive the workpiece W from the transfer member 20 as the turntable 10 rotates. From Pi, the workpiece W is moved to a discharge position Pe where the workpiece W is discharged. A plurality of workpieces W moved to the discharge position Pe are transferred to the conveyor 13 by intermittently linearly moving between the discharge position Pe and the conveyor 13 in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the conveyor 13. A discharge member 30 is provided.

  The discharge member 30 is arranged so as to correspond to all of the six holding members 12a to 12f at the discharge position Pe, holds the workpiece W at the discharge position Pe, and releases the held workpiece W on the conveyor 13. A plurality of discharge chucks 31 are provided. The two discharge chucks 31 constituting the six discharge chucks 31 constitute a discharge chuck row 32 by being arranged in parallel with the transport direction of the conveyor 13. The discharge chuck rows 32 are provided in three rows (a plurality of rows) at intervals in the movement direction of the discharge member 30.

  According to this configuration, the six workpieces W can be collectively held by the discharge chuck 31 at the discharge position Pe. Then, by moving the discharge member 30 from the discharge position Pe to the conveyor 13, any one of the plurality of discharge chuck rows 32 is arranged on the conveyor 13, and this discharge chuck row 32. The workpiece W held in step 1 is transferred to the conveyor 13. Thereafter, by moving the discharge member 30 by a predetermined distance, another discharge chuck row 32 is arranged on the conveyor 13, and the workpiece W held by the discharge chuck row 32 is transferred onto the conveyor 13. To do.

  Thus, as the discharge member 30 holding the six workpieces W moves intermittently, each discharge chuck row 32 sequentially releases the workpieces W and transfers them onto the conveyor 13. In the process of transferring a plurality of workpieces W onto the conveyor 13, the discharge member 30 does not rotate. Therefore, compared with the case where the discharge member 30 is rotated intermittently, the workpiece transfer apparatus A of the first embodiment realizes simplification of the structure of the entire apparatus.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, since the first holding member and the fourth holding member at the loading position are arranged independently without being aligned with other holding members in the conveying direction of the conveyor, one chuck row is configured. One (or any) of the three (plural) chucks is moved relative to the movement direction of the transfer member, but all the holding members at the loading position are at the discharge position. In addition, when the positional relationship is aligned with other holding members along the conveying direction of the conveyor, the relative positional relationship of the plurality of chucks constituting the chuck row may be constant without change.
(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a polishing apparatus has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to apparatuses and equipment other than the polishing apparatus.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, six (plural) holding members are arranged at equal angular intervals on the same circumference (that is, so as to form the apex of a regular polygon). As for the arrangement form, they may be arranged at unequal angular intervals on the same circumference, may be arranged vertically and horizontally in a lattice pattern, or may be arranged randomly.
(4) In the above embodiment, six holding members are provided in one processing jig, but the number of holding members provided in one processing jig may be five or less, or may be seven or more.
(5) In the said Example, although one stopper stopped one workpiece | work on the conveyor, one stopper may stop a some workpiece | work in the shape of a daisy chain.
(6) In the above embodiment, one chuck row is constituted by three chucks, but the number of chucks constituting one chuck row may be two, or four or more.
(7) In the above embodiment, one discharge chuck row is constituted by two discharge chuck rows, but the number of discharge chucks constituting one discharge chuck row may be three or more.
(8) In the above embodiment, one of the plurality of discharge chucks provided on the discharge member may be movable relative to the other discharge chucks.

A ... Work conveying device W ... Work Pe ... Discharging position Pi ... Loading position 10 ... Rotary table 12a ... First holding member (holding member)
12b ... 2nd holding member (holding member)
12c ... 3rd holding member (holding member)
12d ... Fourth holding member (holding member)
12e: Fifth holding member (holding member)
12f ... Sixth holding member (holding member)
13 ... conveyor 14 ... first stopper (stopper)
15 ... Second stopper (stopper)
16 ... Third stopper (stopper)
20 ... Transfer member 21 ... Fixed chuck (chuck)
22 ... Moveable chuck (chuck)
24 ... chuck row 30 ... discharge member 31 ... discharge chuck 32 ... discharge chuck row

Claims (2)

A conveyor for conveying a plurality of workpieces in one direction;
A plurality of holding members for holding a plurality of workpieces arranged in a two-dimensional direction;
Between the conveyor and the plurality of holding members, a transfer member that intermittently moves linearly in a direction that intersects the conveying direction of the conveyor,
A stopper that is provided on the conveyor and stops in a state in which a plurality of works to be conveyed are arranged in a line,
A plurality of chucks provided on the transfer member, holding the workpiece on the conveyor, and releasing the held workpiece and holding the workpiece on the holding member;
A plurality of chucks arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a plurality of chuck rows arranged at intervals in the moving direction of the transfer member ,
Any one of the plurality of chucks constituting the chuck row is movable relative to the other chucks;
The workpiece transfer apparatus , wherein a relative movement direction of the chuck and the other chuck is a direction parallel to a movement direction of the transfer member . The plurality of holding members are provided on a rotary table, and are moved from a loading position for receiving the workpiece from the transfer member to a discharging position for discharging the workpiece as the rotary table rotates.
Between the discharge position and the conveyor, there is a discharge member that transfers a plurality of workpieces moved to the discharge position to the conveyor by intermittently moving linearly in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the conveyor. Provided,
The discharge member is arranged to correspond to all of the plurality of holding members at the discharge position, and holds a plurality of discharge chucks that hold the work at the discharge position and release the held work on the conveyor. Have
The plurality of discharging chucks constitute a discharging chuck row by being arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the conveyor,
The work conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge chuck row is provided in a plurality of rows at intervals in the moving direction of the discharge member .

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