JP7023649B6 - Transport system and processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer system and a processing system.

Generally, in a production line for assembling industrial products, a plurality of so-called stations for carrying out a specific work process are installed at predetermined intervals. A transport device for transporting the work is arranged between these stations. Conventionally, a work has been once delivered from a transfer device to a holding portion of each station, subjected to predetermined processing, processed, then transferred to a transfer device again, and transferred to a station in the next process.

In recent years, a transfer system has been used in which processing is performed at a station while holding a work on a trolley, and after processing, the work can be transported to a station in the next process while being held on the trolley. As such a transfer system, a movable magnet type linear motor system (moving magnet type linear motor) has been proposed. The movable magnet type linear motor system is a mover in which a plurality of permanent magnets are alternately arranged on a trolley, and a stator in which a plurality of coils are arranged in the traveling direction of the trolley, and a current is applied to the coils. It is configured in combination with a current controller to supply. This movable magnet type linear motor system has the advantage that processing can be performed while the work is held on the bogie, and since wiring is not required on the mover side, restrictions on the transport path can be relaxed.

Further, Patent Document 1 proposes a transport device for branching and transporting a pallet on which a part or a workpiece is placed between each station in an assembly line or a plurality of transport lines. The transport device described in Patent Document 1 includes a branching device for branching and delivering a pallet between an assembly line and a return line or another process.

Further, Patent Document 2 proposes a transport device having a traveling carriage loading station provided on the outside of the turntable on the extension of the transport path. In the transport device described in Patent Document 2, the traveling carriage loading station makes it possible to load or collect the traveling carriage while traveling another traveling carriage on the loop-shaped transport path of the main line.

Patent Document 3 discloses that a stopper for mechanically fixing the dolly is provided and fixed at a positioning position.

Japanese Patent No. 2904967 Japanese Patent No. 34508887 Japanese Patent No. 2801442

However, the conventional transfer systems described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the following first to third problems.

First, the first issue is as follows. In a transfer device as described in Patent Document 1, when the trolley is moved onto a transfer device for transferring a pallet or a trolley such as a branching device, the transfer device is used between the transfer device and the transfer path. There was a problem that the position shift occurred in the moving direction of the. If there is such a misalignment, in a transport system in which the bogie travels, an impact is generated when passing through the connecting portion between the transport path and the bogie transfer device, and high-speed traveling is difficult. Further, there is a concern that the trolley or the transport path may be damaged due to the impact when passing through the connecting portion. Further, when transferring, if the trolley is not driven in a state where the transport path on which the trolley is traveling and the transfer device are connected and the trolley can enter, the trolley may come off the transport path.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned first problem, and is a transport system capable of reducing damage to a transport path or a carriage when the carriage is transferred and transferring the carriage at high speed, and a transport system thereof. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing system having a transport system.

The second issue is as follows. In the transport device described in Patent Document 2, since the traveling carriage loading station is arranged only on the outside of the turntable on the extension of the transport path, the place where the carriage is taken out or loaded is limited. Further, it is difficult to install the traveling carriage loading station itself as described in Patent Document 2 for a closed transport path including a curved transport portion. Even if the transport path is closed, it is required to efficiently take out the trolley from the transport path in a short time or to put the trolley into the transport path.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned second problem, and has a transport system capable of efficiently accessing a specific carriage in a short time even in a closed transport path, and a processing system including the transport system. The other purpose is to provide.

The third issue is as follows. The positioning of the bogie with respect to the station when carrying out the processing work is performed by the motor controller based on the position information detected by the encoder installed on the transport path side of the scale attached to the bogie. In the work process at the station, there is also a process of applying strong stress such as a process of attaching a part to a held work by crimping. Therefore, even in the work process where large disturbances due to stress etc. are applied to the bogie, it is necessary to maintain high rigidity by high-speed, high-performance servo control and high-output motor in order to realize highly accurate positioning of the bogie. be. However, using a high-performance servo control and a high-output motor will lead to an increase in cost. The transport device described in Patent Document 3 is provided with a stopper piece for positioning the bogie at each station where the bogie stops. Therefore, in the technique described in Patent Document 3, unnecessary stopper pieces are arranged up to a stop position where the accuracy of positioning by servo control is sufficient, which leads to an increase in cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned third problem, and is a transport system capable of more reliably stopping the bogie and realizing highly accurate positioning at low cost, and a processing system including the transport system. To provide yet another purpose.

In order to solve the first problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, the first transport module in which the carriage moves in the first direction and the first transport module are movable to a position connected to the first transport module. A second transport module in which the carriage can move between the first transport module, a position detection unit that detects the position of the second transport module in the moving direction and outputs position information, and the above. The control unit has a control unit that controls the movement of the carriage on the first transfer module and the movement of the second transfer module in the second direction intersecting the first direction. Provides a transport system characterized in that the position where the second transport module is connected to the first transport module is corrected based on the position information output by the position detection unit.

In order to solve the second problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, between the transport path including the first and second transport modules in which the carriage moves and the first and second transport modules. A third transport module, which is configured to be movable to a position connected to the first and second transport modules, and the carriage can move between the first and second transport modules, and the transport path. It has a fourth transport module that is installed outside the included area and the carriage moves, and the third transport module is configured to be movable to a position connected to the fourth transport module. A transport system characterized by the above is provided.

In order to solve the third problem, according to still another aspect of the present invention, the carriage having a drive unit for driving the carriage and the carriage to which the carriage moves, and the carriage in the transport path by servo control are provided. It has a control unit for positioning and stopping the trolley, and a fixing portion for fixing the trolley to the transport path, and the fixing portion has a predetermined size when the trolley is stopped by the control unit. The trolley is fixed to the transport path at the first stop position where the above external force is applied to the trolley, and the trolley is fixed at the second stop position where the external force of a predetermined magnitude or more is not applied to the trolley. A transport system is provided that is not fixed to the transport path.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing system characterized by having the transfer system and a processing unit for processing a work conveyed by the carriage.

According to the transport system provided from one aspect of the present invention, damage to the transport path or the carriage when the carriage is transferred can be reduced, and the carriage can be transferred at high speed.

According to the transport system provided by another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently access a specific trolley in a short time even in a closed transport path.

According to the transfer system provided from still another aspect of the present invention, the carriage can be stopped more reliably and highly accurate positioning can be realized at low cost.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the carriage and the transport module in the transport system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the carriage and the transport module in the transport system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the carriage fixing mechanism in the transport system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the procedure of the carriage transfer processing in the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the procedure of the carriage transfer processing in the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the procedure of the carriage transfer processing in the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the procedure of the carriage transfer processing in the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the procedure of the carriage transfer processing in the processing system by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the bogie fixing mechanism by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the bogie fixing mechanism by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the processing system by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the processing system by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the processing system by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the processing system by 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the processing system by 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the processing system by 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the processing system by 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the processing system by 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the processing system by 7th Embodiment of this invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description and drawings, when distinguishing a plurality of the same constituent elements, a lowercase alphabet is added as an identifier at the end of the code of the same number, and the identifier is added when it is not particularly necessary to distinguish them. The code is omitted and only numbers are used.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5E.

First, the configuration of the processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2B. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the machining system 1 according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the entire machining system 1 including the transfer system 4 as viewed from above. FIG. 2A is a plan view showing the configuration of the carriage 20 on the mover side and the linear transfer module 10 on the stator side constituting the linear motor in the transfer system 4 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2B is a side view showing the configuration of the carriage 20 and the linear transfer module 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing system 1 according to the present embodiment has a transport path 101, a carriage transfer device 11, a processing station 30, and a carriage 20. The machining system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a transport system 4 for transporting a work W to be machined. The processing system 1 constitutes a production line such as an assembly line for the work W. In the drawings, the work W is designated by a reference numeral represented by “Wn” (n is a positive integer) to distinguish each work W. The transport system 4 has a transport path 101, a carriage transfer device 11, and a carriage 20.

Here, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis coordinate axes of the XYZ coordinate system, which is the orthogonal coordinate system used in the following description, are defined. First, the X-axis is taken along the transport direction of the carriage 20 that is horizontally transported. The vertical direction is the Z-axis, and the X-axis and the axis orthogonal to the Z-axis are the Y-axis with respect to the horizontally placed gantry (not shown). The gantry is such that the processing system 1 is installed on the gantry. In the XYZ coordinate system in which the coordinate axes are defined in this way, the direction along the X axis is referred to as the X axis direction, the direction along the Y axis is referred to as the Y axis direction, and the direction along the Z axis is referred to as the Z axis direction.

The transport system 4 in the processing system 1 is a circulation type transport system in which a plurality of carriages 20 are circulated and transported. In the transport system 4, the transport path 101 to which the carriage 20 is transported is a transport path of two systems, a transport path 101a as an outward path and a transport path 101b as a return path. The transport path 101a as the outward path and the transport path 101b as the return path are installed in parallel with each other.

The transport path 101 is a transport path of the carriage 20, and is configured by connecting a plurality of linear transport modules 10. The linear transfer module 10 is a linear transfer module in which the carriage 20 moves linearly.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the linear transfer module 10 has a linear guide rail 9 and a plurality of coils 19 which are stators of a linear motor. The plurality of coils 19 form a coil group and function as a drive unit for driving the carriage 20 as follows. In the linear transfer module 10, a guide rail 9 is installed above the linear transfer module 10 along the X-axis direction. Further, a plurality of coils 19 are arranged in the X-axis direction in which the carriage 20 travels. The linear transfer module 10 configured in this way is a module having a shorter size than the transfer path 101, and a plurality of linear transfer modules 10 are connected to form the transfer path 101. FIG. 1 illustrates a case where five linear transport modules 10 are connected to form a transport path 101. Further, in FIG. 2A, a case where the guide rail 9 is configured to have the same length as the linear transport module 10 is exemplified, but the guide rail 9 is configured to have a length straddling a plurality of linear transport modules 10. You may.

The carriage 20 holds and mounts the work W to be processed, and conveys the work W. The carriage 20 has a plurality of permanent magnets 21 in which N poles and S poles are alternately arranged in the X-axis direction, which is the traveling direction thereof. An electromagnetic force for driving the carriage 20 is generated by applying a current to the coil 19 as a driving unit between the plurality of permanent magnets 21 and the coil 19 of the linear transfer module 10. In this way, the carriage 20 is driven by the electromagnetic force generated between the plurality of permanent magnets 21 and the coil 19 as a mover of the linear motor, and guides on the guide rail 9 installed on the upper surface of the linear transfer module 10. It runs along the rail 9. As described above, in the present embodiment, the transfer system 4 by the movable magnet type linear motor is configured. Instead of the permanent magnet 21, a ferromagnetic material such as an iron core may be used to form a reluctance type linear motor.

The processing station 30 functions as a processing unit for processing the work W. The processing station 30 is installed inside the processing work area 100, which will be described later, along the transport path 101. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the processing station 30 is installed only on the transport path 101a side of the outward route and the processing station 30 is not installed on the transport path 101b side of the return route, but the present invention is limited to this. is not. The processing station 30 may also be installed on the transport path 101b side of the return path. The number of processing stations 30 is not particularly limited, and may be one or a plurality of processing stations.

At the processing station 30, a processing robot 31 that processes the work W conveyed by the carriage 20 is installed. The processing robot 31 is, for example, a biaxial orthogonal robot, an articulated robot, or the like. The carriage 20 stops at a predetermined stop position on the transport path 101 with respect to the processing station 30. The work W on the carriage 20 stopped on the transport path 101 is processed by the processing robot 31 under the control of the robot controller (see FIG. 3). The processing robot 31 performs predetermined processing work such as assembling and applying parts to the work W mounted on the trolley 20. The processing robot 31 is not particularly limited, and a robot that performs various processing operations on the work W can be used.

Here, since the transport path length of the transport path 101 can be changed by changing the number of linear transport modules 10 to be connected, the transport path 101 has a high degree of freedom in designing the transport path length. Therefore, the length of the transport path 101 can be easily changed according to the number of machining stations 30 in the machining system 1.

In this way, by processing the work W by the processing robot 31 of the processing station 30 that functions as a processing unit, articles such as electronic devices are manufactured. The article to be manufactured is not limited to a specific item, but may be any item. Various articles can be manufactured by the method of manufacturing articles using the processing system 00 according to the present embodiment.

The dolly transfer device 11 is a device for transferring the dolly 20 between different transport paths, that is, between transport modules that are not connected to each other. In the transport system 4, two bogie transfer devices 11a and 11b for transferring the bogie 20 between the transport path 101a on the outward route and the transport path 101b on the return route are installed.

The carriage transfer device 11 has a movable linear transfer module 12 that can move in the Y-axis direction. The carriage transfer device 11 can move the linear transfer module 12 in the Y-axis direction to stop the linear transfer module 12 adjacent to the end of the transfer path 101. The mechanism for moving the linear transfer module 12 in the Y-axis direction is not particularly limited, but for example, a uniaxial actuator including a ball screw or the like can be used.

The movable linear transfer module 12 installed in the carriage transfer device 11 has the same configuration as the linear transfer module 10 constituting the transfer path 101, and has a guide rail 9 and a coil 19 which is a stator of a linear motor. And have. Also in the movable linear transport module 12, in order to move the carriage 20 in the same manner as the linear transport module 10 of the transport path 101, a guide rail 9 is installed above the guide rail 9 along the X-axis direction, and the carriage 20 travels on X. A plurality of coils 19 are arranged in the axial direction.

In this way, the linear transfer module 12 of the trolley transfer device 11 is configured to be movable at a position connected to the linear transfer module 10 of the transfer path 101, and the trolley 20 can be moved to and from the linear transfer module 10 of the transfer path 101. It has become. As a result, the linear transport module 12 pulls in the trolley 20 on one transport path 101, moves the trolley 20 in the Y-axis direction with the trolley 20 placed on the trolley 20 and stopped, and moves the trolley 20 to the other transport path 101. Can be reprinted.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the bogie transfer device 11a has a downstream end (right end in the figure) of the forward transport path 101a and an upstream end of the return transport path 101b. It is connected to the part (the right end in the figure). The linear transfer module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a is configured to be connectable to the linear transfer module 10e at the downstream end of the forward transfer path 101a. As a result, the carriage 20 can be transferred from the linear transfer module 10e to the linear transfer module 12a. Further, the linear transfer module 12a is configured to be connectable to the linear transfer module 10f at the upstream end of the return transfer path 101b. As a result, the carriage 20 can transfer from the linear transfer module 12a to the linear transfer module 10f. Through such a linear transport module 12a, the trolley transfer device 11a transfers the trolley 20 on the transport path 101a on the outward route from the linear transport module 10e at the downstream end thereof to the linear transport at the upstream end of the transport path 101b on the return route. It can be transferred to the module 10f.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 1, the bogie transfer device 11b has an upstream end (left end in the figure) of the forward transport path 101a and a downstream end (in the figure) of the return transport path 101b. , Left end). The linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b is configured to be connectable to the linear transfer module 10j at the downstream end of the return transfer path 101b. As a result, the carriage 20 can transfer from the linear transfer module 10j to the linear transfer module 12b. Further, the linear transfer module 12b is configured to be connectable to the linear transfer module 10a at the upstream end of the forward transfer path 101a. As a result, the carriage 20 can transfer from the linear transfer module 12b to the linear transfer module 10a. Through such a linear transport module 12b, the trolley transfer device 11b transfers the trolley 20 on the transport path 101b on the return route from the linear transport module 10j at the downstream end thereof to the linear transport at the upstream end of the transport path 101a on the outward route. It can be transferred to module 10a.

In this way, in the transport system 4, the transport path 101a, the carriage transfer device 11a, the transport path 101b, and the carriage transfer device 11b form a circulation transport path, and the carriage 20 can be circulated and transported as a whole. There is. The transport system 4 has a maintenance linear transport module 13 which will be described later and constitutes a transport path separate from the circulation transport path.

Here, when the carriage 20 is transferred between the linear transfer modules 10 and 12, if the positions of the linear transfer module 12 and the linear transfer module 10 in the Y-axis direction do not match with high accuracy, both linear transfer modules 10 are used. , 12 is misaligned. Specifically, a misalignment occurs between the guide rails 9 of the two linear transport modules 10 and 12. If the trolley 20 is transferred while the guide rail 9 is misaligned, a high load may be applied to the trolley 20 or the linear transport modules 10 and 12 due to an impact or the like, and the trolley 20 or the linear transport modules 10 and 12 may be damaged. be. Therefore, there is a possibility that the carriage 20, the linear transfer modules 10, 12, and other components in the processing system 1 may be damaged, or the work W gripped by the carriage 20 may be defective. Further, if the trolley 20 is transferred and moved while the linear transfer module 12 of the trolley transfer device 11 is not located at a position where the trolley 20 can be transferred, the trolley 20 may fall off from the transport path 101. There is also.

In order to prevent these, the transport system 4 according to the present embodiment has a position detection sensor 14 provided in the carriage transfer device 11. The position detection sensor 14 functions as a position detection unit that detects a position in the moving direction (Y-axis direction) of the linear transfer module 12 of the trolley transfer device 11 and outputs an output signal including the position information.

As shown in FIG. 1, the trolley transfer device 11a has a position detection sensor 14a as a position detection sensor 14 that detects the position of the linear transfer module 12a connected to the linear transfer modules 10e and 10f in the Y-axis direction, respectively. 14b is provided. Of these, the position detection sensor 14a also detects the position of the linear transfer module 12a connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13b, which will be described later, in the Y-axis direction.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11b is provided with position detection sensors 14c and 14e as position detection sensors 14 for detecting the positions of the linear transfer modules 12b connected to the linear transfer modules 10j and 10a in the Y-axis direction, respectively. There is. Further, the trolley transfer device 11b is provided with a position detection sensor 14d as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the linear transfer module 12b connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a described later in the Y-axis direction.

The position detection sensor 14 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the transfer controller 40 is based on an output signal including position information output by the position detection sensor 14, and is oriented in the Y-axis direction of the linear transfer module 12 before starting the movement of the carriage 20. You can check the position and correct the position. As a result, in the present embodiment, the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 can be positioned with high accuracy even in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transfer module 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the machining system 1, the machining work area 100 indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is defined in the drawing. The processing work area 100 is an area including a transport path 101a, a carriage transfer device 11a, a transport path 101b, a carriage transfer device 11b, and a processing station 30. Since the processing work area 100 has a risk of coming into contact with the operating processing robot 31 and the trolley transfer device 11, the processing work area 100 is an area where the intrusion of the operator should be prohibited when the processing system 1 is operating in, for example, the automatic operation mode. be. In actual operation, for example, a safety fence, a door, and a door open / close detection sensor are installed at the boundary of the machining work area 100 to monitor the open / closed state of the door, or intrusion to detect intrusion into the machining work area 100. Intrusion monitoring may be performed by installing a detection sensor.

The transport system 4 has a maintenance linear transport module 13 installed outside the machining work area 100. The maintenance straight line transfer module 13 is installed adjacent to the carriage transfer device 11 inside the processing work area 100. In FIG. 1, a maintenance linear transfer module 13b is installed adjacent to the carriage transfer device 11a. The maintenance linear transport module 13b is installed on an extension of the transport path 101a. Further, a straight line transfer module 13a for maintenance is installed adjacent to the carriage transfer device 11b. The maintenance straight line transfer module 13a is installed between the transfer path 101a and the transfer path 101b.

The maintenance linear transport module 13 is a linear transport module for performing maintenance and the like of the trolley 20, and functions as a means for manually accessing a specific trolley 20 on the transport path 101. As will be described later, the maintenance straight line transfer module 13 may be used for purposes other than the purpose of maintaining the trolley 20, for example, for collecting the work W on the trolley 20, overtaking the trolley 20, and the like. can.

The maintenance linear transfer module 13 has the same configuration as the linear transfer module 10 constituting the transfer path 101, and has a guide rail 9 and a coil 19 which is a stator of a linear motor. In the maintenance straight line transfer module 13, in order to move the trolley 20 in the same manner as the linear transfer modules 10 and 12, a guide rail 9 is installed above the trolley 20 along the X-axis direction, and the trolley 20 travels in the X-axis direction. A plurality of coils 19 are arranged.

The linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 adjacent to the maintenance linear transfer module 13 is configured to be movable to a position connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13. As a result, the trolley 20 can be transferred between the linear transfer module 12 and the maintenance linear transfer module 13.

For example, the linear transport module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b pulls the trolley 20 from the transport path 101b, puts the trolley 20 on it, stops it, and moves in the Y-axis direction to move the trolley 20 in the Y-axis direction. The dolly 20 can be moved and reprinted. Further, the linear transport module 12b, for example, pulls the trolley 20 from the maintenance linear transport module 13a, puts the trolley 20 on the trolley 20 and moves in the Y-axis direction in a stopped state, and moves the trolley 20 to the transport path 101a. It can be moved and reprinted. The linear transfer module 12a of the other carriage transfer device 11a can also operate in the same manner with respect to the maintenance linear transfer module 13b.

The maintenance linear transport module 13 is installed outside the machining work area 100 including the transport path 101. Therefore, unlike the linear transfer modules 10 and 12 inside the processing work area 100, the maintenance linear transfer module 13 is safe for the operator with respect to the carriage 20 even when the processing system 1 is operating in, for example, the automatic operation mode. Is accessible to. Therefore, even when the processing system 1 is in operation, the operator can safely access the trolley 20 transferred to the maintenance linear transfer module 13 and perform maintenance on the trolley 20.

As another purpose of accessing the carriage 20 transferred to the maintenance straight line transfer module 13, the collection of the processed work W and the introduction of the unprocessed new work W are exemplified. In this case, for example, the carriage 20a on which the machined work W-1 is mounted is transferred from the return transfer path 101b to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a via the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b. Then, the work W-1 is collected. Subsequently, a new unprocessed work W-6 is mounted on the trolley 20a transferred to the maintenance linear transport module 13a, and the outbound transport path is mounted via the straight transport module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b. It is put into 101a.

At this time, the linear transfer module 12b of the bogie transfer device 11b has high accuracy in the Y-axis direction with respect to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a as well as with respect to the linear transfer modules 10a and 10j of the transfer paths 101a and 101b. Positioning is required. As described above, the trolley transfer device 11b is provided with a position detection sensor 14d as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the linear transfer module 12b connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a in the Y-axis direction. .. Therefore, the linear transfer module 12b can be positioned with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction even with respect to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a. The linear transfer module 12a of the other trolley transfer device 11a can also be positioned with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction with respect to the maintenance linear transfer module 13b by the position detection sensor 14a.

Further, for example, a defect may occur in the middle of processing performed at the processing stations 30a to 30e on the outbound transport path 101a, and the work W may become a defective product. In this case, the trolley 20 on which the defective work W is mounted is transferred to the maintenance linear transport module 13b installed on the extension of the forward transport path 101a. Subsequently, the defective work W is collected from the carriage 20 transferred to the maintenance straight line transfer module 13b. Here, since the maintenance straight line transfer module 13b is arranged outside the machining work area 100, the trolley 20 on which the defective work W is mounted can be collected without stopping the other trolley 20. Can be done. The processing in the processing station 30 after the trouble occurs can be skipped as unnecessary processing by instructing a NOP (No Operation) command from the system controller 50 described later.

Further, the maintenance linear transport module 13b can also perform maintenance on the carriage 20. Also in this case, only the specific trolley 20 can be accessed on the maintenance linear transport module 13 without affecting the other trolleys 20 in operation.

In addition, it is also possible to temporarily retract the preceding trolley 20 to the maintenance linear transport module 13b and allow the following trolley to flow the next process first, that is, to overtake the operating trolley 20.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the specific trolley 20 can be efficiently accessed in a short time, and therefore, the trolley 20 can be collected, put in, maintained, etc. without stopping the other trolley 20. Can be done.

Further, the machining system 1 according to the present embodiment has a transfer controller 40 and a system controller 50. The transfer controller 40 is connected by the respective controllers of the linear transfer modules 10, 12, 13 and the carriage transfer device 11 in the processing system 1, and the transfer system serial communication network 41 which is the same communication network as the position detection sensor 14. There is. The transfer controller 40 controls energization control of the coils 19 in the linear transfer modules 10, 12, and 13. The system controller 50 is connected to the robot controller (not shown) and the transfer controller 40 in the processing system 1 by the whole serial communication network 51. The system controller 50 realizes synchronous control between the processing robot 31 and the transfer controller 40.

Further, the transport system 4 according to the present embodiment has a carriage fixing mechanism 15 installed in the transport path 101. The bogie fixing mechanism 15 functions as a fixing portion for fixing the bogie 20 to the transport path 101 at a predetermined stop position on the transport path 101. Here, the predetermined stop position in the transport path 101 is the stop position of the carriage 20 for the specific processing station 30 among the plurality of processing stations 30 to process the work W on the carriage 20. By fixing the bogie 20 to the transport path 101, the bogie fixing mechanism 15 prevents the bogie 20 from being displaced during machining of the work W by the machining station 30.

FIG. 1 shows a bogie fixing mechanism 15 for fixing the bogie 20 to the transport path 101a at a stop position for one of the five machining stations 30a to 30e for machining the work W. .. Hereinafter, the carriage fixing mechanism 15 that functions as a fixing portion for preventing the displacement of the carriage 20 during processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the bogie fixing mechanism 15 according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the bogie fixing mechanism 15 and the bogie 20 fixed by the bogie fixing mechanism 15 as viewed from above.

Some processing stations 30 carry out a process in which a large external force is applied to the trolley 20 via the work W on the trolley 20 when the work W is processed by the processing robot 31. The process of applying a large external force to the carriage 20 is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, a process of press-fitting and assembling. During processing, the carriage 20 is positioned at a predetermined stop position by servo control under the control of the transfer controller 40. However, if the bogie 20 receives an external force of a predetermined size or more through the work W being machined, the bogie 20 may be misaligned. If the carriage 20 on which the work W being processed is displaced is displaced, the work W being processed becomes a defective product. The bogie fixing mechanism 15 fixes the bogie 20 to the transport path 101 at a predetermined stop position as described above, thereby preventing the bogie 20 from being displaced during processing of the work W.

FIG. 3 shows how the dolly fixing mechanism 15 fixes the dolly 20. Fences 1011 such as guardrails are installed along the transport path 101 at both ends of the transport path 101 in which the carriage fixing mechanism 15 is installed. The bogie fixing mechanism 15 has a pair of fixing units 150 installed on fences 1011 at both ends of the transport path 101. Each fixed unit 150 has a fixed pad 151 and a fixed actuator 152. The fixing pad 151 is configured to be able to press the carriage 20 on the transport path 101 from the side of the carriage 20 toward the center line of the transport path 101 in the Y-axis direction. The fixed actuator 152 drives the fixed pad 151 in the Y-axis direction. The fixed actuator 152 is, for example, a solenoid and is driven under a command from the system controller 50.

The trolley fixing mechanism 15 installed in the transport path 101 drives the pair of fixing pads 151 by the fixing actuator 152 of the pair of fixing units 150, and pushes the trolley 20 in the opposite directions to the trolley 20 by the pair of fixing pads 151. Hold it in place and fix it.

Here, under the command from the transfer controller 40, the module controller 110 (see FIG. 4) controls the energization of the linear transfer module 10 to the coil 19 to control the transfer of the carriage 20 in the transfer path 101. When fixing the bogie 20 by the bogie fixing mechanism 15, the module controller 110 positions the bogie 20 at a target stop position on the transport path 101 and stops by servo control.

Before and after fixing the dolly 20 by the dolly fixing mechanism 15, the module controller 110 switches the servo control of the dolly 20 on and off as follows. First, as described above, the bogie 20 is positioned at the stop position and stopped by the servo control by the module controller 110. Then, under the command from the system controller 50, the bogie fixing mechanism 15 is driven by turning on the fixed actuator 152. As a result, the trolley fixing mechanism 15 presses the trolleys 20 against each other with the fixing pads 151 of the pair of fixing units 150 to sandwich the trolleys 20 and fix the trolleys 20 to the transport path 101. When the bogie 20 is fixed by the bogie fixing mechanism 15, the module controller 110 turns off the servo control of the bogie 20 and stops it.

The work W on the fixed carriage 20 is processed by the processing robot 31 of the processing station 30. After finishing the machining, before turning off the fixed actuator 152 and releasing the fixing of the dolly 20, the module controller 110 sets the current position of the dolly 20 to the target position and turns on the servo control of the dolly 20 again to start. do. This is to avoid a servo error and sudden correction drive of the bogie 20.

After the servo control of the carriage 20 is started again, the carriage fixing mechanism 15 turns off the fixed actuator 152 under the command from the system controller 50. As a result, the dolly fixing mechanism 15 separates the fixing pads 151 of the pair of fixing units 150 from the dolly 20 to release the fixing of the dolly 20.

By the above series of control, when the work W on the bogie 20 is machined by the machining robot 31, the bogie 20 is mechanically fixed to the transport path 101 by the bogie fixing mechanism 15, so that the apparent rigidity of the bogie 20 is obtained. Can be raised. As a result, even if a large external force is applied to the bogie 20, the highly accurate positioning of the bogie 20 can be maintained, so that processing defects of the work W can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, the bogie fixing mechanism 15 described above is not installed at all the stop positions where the machining process of the work W by the machining robots 31a to 31e at the machining stations 30a to 30e is carried out. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the bogie fixing mechanism 15 fixes the bogie 20 at the stop position where the machining process by the machining robot 31d of the machining stations 30d among the machining stations 30a to 30e is carried out. It is installed to do.

The processing robot 31d, in which the trolley 20 is fixed by the trolley fixing mechanism 15 during processing, processes the work W while applying an external force of a predetermined size or more to the trolley 20 via the work W. On the other hand, the other processing robots 31a to 31c and 31e, in which the carriage 20 is not fixed by the carriage fixing mechanism 15 during processing, process the work W without applying an external force of a predetermined magnitude to the carriage 20. As described above, in the present embodiment, among the plurality of stop positions where the bogie 20 is stopped, the bogie fixing mechanism that fixes the bogie 20 at the stop position only at the stop position where an external force of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied to the bogie 20. 15 are installed. The carriage 20 is not fixed by the carriage fixing mechanism 15 at the stop positions where an external force of a predetermined magnitude or more is not applied among the plurality of stop positions. As a result, in the case of the present embodiment, the number of installations of the carriage fixing mechanism 15 can be reduced as compared with the case where the carriage fixing mechanism 15 is uniformly installed for each of the plurality of stop positions, so that the cost is reduced. be able to.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of installations of the carriage fixing mechanism 15 which is a means for fixing the carriage 20 can be reduced, so that the cost of the processing system 1 including the transport system 4 can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the dolly fixing mechanism 15 installed as described above can stop the dolly 20 more reliably and realize highly accurate positioning at low cost.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the machining system 1 according to the present embodiment. The system controller 50 is a control unit that controls the entire machining system 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer controller 40 and the robot controller 32 that controls the machining robot 31 at each machining station 30 are connected to the system controller 50 by a general serial communication network 51. The robot controller 32 is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of processing robots 31.

The transfer controller 40 is connected to the module controller 110 that controls the linear transfer module 10 constituting the transfer path 101 by a transfer system serial communication network 41. The module controller 110 is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of linear transport modules 10. Each module controller 110 is connected to a position detection sensor 114 that detects the position of the carriage 20 on the corresponding linear transport module 10 in the transport direction (X-axis direction). The position detection sensor 114 as the position detection unit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. The position detection sensor 114 is not shown in FIG.

Further, the transfer controller 40 is connected to the device controller 111 that controls the carriage transfer device 11 by a transfer system serial communication network 41. The device controller 111 is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of carriage transfer devices 11. Each device controller 111 is connected to a position detection sensor 14 as the above-mentioned position detection unit that detects the position of the linear transfer module 12 of the corresponding carriage transfer device 11 in the moving direction (Y-axis direction).

Further, the transfer controller 40 is connected to the module controller 112 that controls the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 by a transfer system serial communication network 41. The module controller 112 is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of linear transport modules 12. A position detection sensor 214 for detecting the position of the carriage 20 on the corresponding linear transport module 12 in the transport direction (X-axis direction) is connected to each module controller 112. The position detection sensor 214 as the position detection unit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. The position detection sensor 214 is not shown in FIG.

Further, the transfer controller 40 is connected to the module controller 113 that controls the maintenance linear transfer module 13 by a transfer system serial communication network 41. The module controller 113 is provided corresponding to a plurality of maintenance linear transport modules 13. Each module controller 113 is connected to a position detection sensor 314 that detects the position of the carriage 20 on the corresponding maintenance linear transport module 13 in the transport direction (X-axis direction). The position detection sensor 314 as the position detection unit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. The position detection sensor 314 is not shown in FIG.

In this way, the transfer controller 40 is connected to the module controllers 110, 112, 113, which are control units that control the movement of the carriage 20 on the corresponding transfer module. Further, the transfer controller 40 is connected to the device controller 111, which is a control unit that controls the movement of the linear transfer module of the carriage transfer device 11.

The transfer controller 40 functions as a control unit that controls the module controllers 110, 112, 113, and the device controller 111 connected to the transfer system serial communication network 41 as described above. Further, the position detection sensors 14, 114, 214, and 314 are connected to the transfer controller 40 by the transfer system serial communication network 41, and the output signals of the respective sensors are transmitted. By connecting these various controllers and sensors to the transport system serial communication network 41, which is the same communication network, the latency in the transport system 4 can be reduced.

According to the command of the transfer controller 40, each module controller 110, 112, 113 controls the energization of the coil 19 of the corresponding linear transfer modules 10, 12, 13 under the control thereof. As a result, each module controller 110, 112, 113 functions as a control unit and controls the movement of the carriage 20 on the corresponding linear transfer modules 10, 12, 13. Further, according to the command of the transfer controller 40, the device controller 111 functions as a control unit and controls the movement of the linear transfer module 12 by the carriage transfer device 11. In this way, the transfer controller 40 can control each of the module controllers 110, 112, 113 and the device controller 111 to individually control the plurality of carriages 20 on the transfer path 101 with desired drive profiles.

Further, the carriage fixing mechanism 15 is connected to the input / output control port of the system controller 50. The system controller 50 controls the operation of the bogie fixing mechanism 15 in accordance with the transportation of the bogie 20. Depending on the command system, the carriage fixing mechanism 15 may be connected to the input / output control port of the transport controller 40. In this case, the transport controller 40 controls the operation of the carriage fixing mechanism 15 in accordance with the transport of the carriage 20.

The transfer controller 40 controls each linear transfer module 10 on the transfer path 101 in synchronization with the carriage transfer device 11. Thereby, in the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the tact time in the processing system 1. Hereinafter, a specific procedure for transferring the carriage 20 will be described in chronological order with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5E. 5A to 5E are schematic views showing a procedure of transfer processing of the carriage 20 between the transfer path 101 and the carriage transfer device 11, and are positions of the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage 20 and the carriage transfer device 11. Is shown in chronological order. In the following, the module controllers 110 shown in FIG. 4 provided corresponding to the linear transport modules 10a to 10j shown in FIG. 1 are appropriately referred to as module controllers 110a to 110j, respectively. Further, the device controllers 111 shown in FIG. 4 provided corresponding to the trolley transfer devices 11a and 11b shown in FIG. 1 are appropriately referred to as device controllers 111a and 111b, respectively. Further, the module controllers 112 shown in FIG. 4 provided corresponding to the linear transfer modules 12a and 12b shown in FIG. 1 are appropriately referred to as module controllers 112a and 112b, respectively. Further, the module controller 113 shown in FIG. 4 provided corresponding to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a shown in FIG. 1 is appropriately referred to as a module controller 113a.

In FIG. 5A, the machining of the work W at the machining stations 30a, 30c, 30d, and 30e installed along the outbound transport path 101a is completed, and the carriages 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d move to the next process. It shows the started state. That is, the carriage 20a has started to move after the machining of the work W-1 at the machining station 30e is completed. The bogie 20b has started to move after the machining of the work W-2 at the machining station 30d is completed. The bogie 20c has started to move after the machining of the work W-3 at the machining station 30c is completed. The bogie 20d has started to move after the machining of the work W-4 at the machining station 30a is completed.

First, the transfer controller 40 detects from the output signal of the position detection sensor 14a that the linear transfer module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a is connected to the linear transfer module 10e of the transfer path 101a. Then, the transport controller 40 transmits the drive command of the carriage 20a to the module controllers 110e and 112a. The module controllers 110e and 112a that have received the drive command of the carriage 20a control the energization of the coils 19 of the linear transfer modules 10e and 12a, respectively. As a result, the module controllers 110e and 112a move the carriage 20a from the linear transfer module 10e onto the linear transfer module 12a and stop it, as shown in FIG. 5A.

Next, the transport controller 40 detects that the carriage 20a has moved onto the linear transport module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a by the output signal of the position detection sensor 214. Then, the transport controller 40 transmits a drive command of the linear transport module 12a in the direction (−Y-axis direction) from the transport path 101a side to the transport path 101b side along the Y axis to the device controller 111a. Upon receiving the drive command of the linear transfer module 12a, the device controller 111a moves the linear transfer module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a in the −Y axis direction as shown in FIG. 5B. As a result, the device controller 111a connects the linear transfer module 12a with the linear transfer module 10f of the return transfer path 101b.

Next, the transfer controller 40 detects that the linear transfer module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a is connected to the linear transfer module 10f by the output signal of the position detection sensor 14b. Then, the transport controller 40 transmits the drive command of the carriage 20a to the module controllers 112a and 110f. The module controllers 112a and 110f that have received the drive command of the carriage 20a control the energization of the coils 19 of the linear transfer modules 12a and 10f, respectively. As a result, the module controllers 112a and 110f move the carriage 20a from the linear transfer module 12a onto the linear transfer module 10f, as shown in FIG. 5C.

After the carriage 20a moves from the linear transfer module 12a onto the linear transfer module 10f, the transfer controller 40 controls to return the linear transfer module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a that has discharged the carriage 20a. That is, the transport controller 40 transmits a drive command of the linear transport module 12a in the direction (+ Y-axis direction) from the transport path 101b side to the transport path 101a side along the Y axis to the device controller 111a. Upon receiving the drive command of the linear transfer module 12a, the device controller 111a moves the linear transfer module 12a of the carriage transfer device 11a in the + Y-axis direction as shown in FIGS. 5D and 5E. As a result, the device controller 111a reconnects the linear transfer module 12a to the linear transfer module 10e of the forward transfer path 101a.

As described above, the dolly 20a on which the work W-1 processed in the outward transport path 101a is mounted is transferred from the outward transport path 101a to the return transport path 101b. Since the processing is not performed on the transport path 101b on the return route, the carriage 20a on the linear transport module 10f is subsequently collected. Therefore, the transport controller 40 transmits the drive command of the carriage 20a up to the linear transport module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b to the module controllers 110f to 110j, 112b. The module controllers 110f to 110j and 112b that have received the drive command of the carriage 20a control the energization of the coils 19 of the linear transport modules 10f to 10j and 12b, respectively. As a result, the module controllers 110f to 110j, 112b move the carriage 20a from the linear transfer module 10f toward the linear transfer module 12b, as shown in FIG. 5D.

As shown in FIG. 5C, when the movement of the trolley 20a toward the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b is started, the linear transfer module 12b is the linear transfer module 10a at the upstream end of the forward transfer path 101a. It is stopped at the stop position connected with. That is, at this point, the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b is not connected to the linear transfer module 10j at the downstream end of the return transfer path 101b. Therefore, the transport controller 40 transmits a drive command of the linear transport module 12b in the direction (−Y-axis direction) from the transport path 101a side to the transport path 101b side along the Y axis to the device controller 111b. Upon receiving the drive command of the linear transfer module 12b, the device controller 111b moves the linear transfer module 12b in the −Y axis direction and linearly transfers the linear transfer module 12b to the return transfer path 101b as shown in FIG. 5D. Connect with module 10j.

Here, the transport controller 40 takes into consideration the moving distance and speed of the carriage 20a and the moving distance and speed of the linear transport module 12b, and gives a drive command to the module controllers 110f to 110j and a drive command to the device controller 111b. Send a drive command. That is, the transport controller 40 transmits a drive command for the carriage 20a to the module controllers 110f to 110j to drive the carriage 20a without waiting for the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b to be connected to the linear transfer module 10j. Let me. In this way, by moving the carriage 20a without waiting for the connection between the linear transfer module 12b and the linear transfer module 10j, the entire processing time can be shortened. Then, the transfer controller 40 controls the module controllers 110f to 110j and the device controller 111b so that the linear transfer module 12b is connected to the linear transfer module 10j by the time the carriage 20a passes a predetermined position of the transfer path 101b. ..

Next, the transfer controller 40 detects that the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b is connected to the linear transfer module 10j by the output signal of the position detection sensor 14c. Then, the transport controller 40 transmits the drive command of the carriage 20a to the module controllers 110j and 112b. The module controllers 110j and 112b that have received the drive command of the carriage 20a control the energization of the coils 19 of the linear transfer modules 10j and 12b, respectively. As a result, the module controllers 110j and 112b move the carriage 20a from the linear transfer module 10j onto the linear transfer module 12b and stop it, as shown in FIG. 5E. In this way, the dolly 20a on which the processed work W-1 is mounted is transferred from the outward transport path 101a to the return transport path 101b and collected. The dolly 20a can be loaded with the work W again and transferred to the transport path 101a on the outward route by the dolly transfer device 11b.

At the time shown in FIG. 5E, the linear transport module 12a of the bogie transfer device 11a is moving in the + Y-axis direction toward the transport path 101a on the outward route, and is in a state of being connected to the linear transport module 10e. Not. Therefore, the transfer controller 40 does not transmit the drive command of the carriages 20b and 20c. On the other hand, the subsequent carriage 20d can move to the stop position in the linear transfer module 10c. Therefore, the transport controller 40 transmits a drive command for the carriage 20d to the module controllers 110b and 110c.

Further, the movement of the trolley 20 between the linear transfer module 13 for maintenance and the linear transfer module 12 of the trolley transfer device 11 is the same as the movement of the trolley 20 between the linear transfer module 10 and the linear transfer module 12 described above. Can be executed. Hereinafter, the movement of the trolley 20 between the straight line transfer module 13a for maintenance installed adjacent to the trolley transfer device 11b and the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b will be described as an example.

The trolley 20 can be transferred from the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b onto the maintenance linear transfer module 13a as follows. The carriage 20 can be moved and stopped on the linear transfer module 12b in the same manner as described above, for example.

First, the transport controller 40 detects that the carriage 20 has moved onto the linear transport module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b by the output signal of the position detection sensor 214. Then, the transfer controller 40 transmits a drive command of the linear transfer module 12b in the Y-axis direction toward the maintenance linear transfer module 13a side to the device controller 111b. Upon receiving the drive command of the linear transfer module 12b, the device controller 111b moves the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b in the Y-axis direction to connect the linear transfer module 12b to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a.

Next, the transfer controller 40 detects that the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b is connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a by the output signal of the position detection sensor 14d. Then, the transport controller 40 transmits the drive command of the carriage 20 to the module controllers 112b and 113a.

The module controllers 112b and 113a that have received the drive command of the carriage 20a control the energization of the coils 19 of the linear transfer modules 12b and 13a, respectively. As a result, the module controllers 112b and 113a move the carriage 20 from the linear transfer module 12b onto the maintenance linear transfer module 13a and stop it.

On the other hand, the carriage 20 can be transferred from the maintenance linear transfer module 13a onto the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b as follows.

First, the transfer controller 40 transmits a drive command of the linear transfer module 12b in the Y-axis direction toward the maintenance linear transfer module 13a where the carriage 20 is stopped to the device controller 111b. Upon receiving the drive command of the linear transfer module 12b, the device controller 111b moves the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b in the Y-axis direction to connect the linear transfer module 12b to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a.

Next, the transfer controller 40 detects that the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b is connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13a by the output signal of the position detection sensor 14d. Then, the transport controller 40 transmits the drive command of the carriage 20 to the module controllers 113a and 112b. The module controllers 113a and 112b that have received the drive command of the carriage 20a control the energization of the coils 19 of the linear transfer modules 13a and 12b, respectively. As a result, the module controllers 113a and 112b move the carriage 20 from the maintenance linear transfer module 13a onto the linear transfer module 12b and stop it. After that, the trolley 20 on the linear transport module 12b can be transferred to the transport path 101a on the outward route by the trolley transfer device 11b and loaded.

As described above, in the machining system 1 according to the present embodiment, the module controllers 110, 112, 113 of the linear transfer modules 10, 12, and 13 and the device controller 111 of the carriage transfer device 11 are under the control of the transfer controller 40. Therefore, in the present embodiment, all the carriages 20 can be efficiently and safely controlled according to the progress of the entire processing system 1.

Further, when connecting the linear transfer module 12 of the trolley transfer device 11 and the linear transfer module 10 of the transfer path 101, as described above, the linear transfer module 12 is higher than the linear transfer module 10 in the Y-axis direction. It is necessary to position it accurately. In the present embodiment, the position detection sensor 14 is used to correct the misalignment and realize highly accurate positioning of the linear transfer module 12 in the Y-axis direction. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 5D, a case where the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b is connected to the linear transfer module 10j of the return transfer path 101b will be described as an example. In the case of other connections, the positional deviation can be corrected and the connections can be made in the same manner. Further, when the straight line transfer module 13 for maintenance and the straight line transfer module 12 are connected, the positional deviation can be corrected and connected in the same manner.

As described above, the apparatus controller 111b moves the linear transfer module 12b in the −Y axis direction and stops the linear transfer module 12b at a target stop position for connecting to the linear transfer module 10j of the return transfer path 101b. .. A positional shift may occur in the Y-axis direction between the stopped linear transfer module 12b and the linear transfer module 10j.

At this time, the transfer controller 40 calculates the amount of misalignment in the Y-axis direction between the stopped linear transfer module 12b and the linear transfer module 10j based on the output signal of the position detection sensor 14c. Specifically, the amount of displacement in the Y-axis direction between the guide rail 9 of the linear transfer module 12b and the guide rail 9 of the linear transfer module 10j is calculated.

Next, the transfer controller 40 corrects and drives the linear transfer module 12b and transmits a correction drive command for correcting the positional deviation to the device controller 111b. The correction drive command commands the linear transport module 12b to be driven and moved in the direction of canceling the calculated misalignment amount with the correction movement amount corresponding to the misalignment amount. In this way, the transfer controller 40 corrects the position where the linear transfer module 12b is connected to the linear transfer module 10j so as to reduce the amount of misalignment.

If the amount of misalignment is too large, there is a risk of malfunction of the bogie transfer device 11b, etc., and if the misalignment is corrected even if there is no malfunction, the processing efficiency of the processing system 1 may be impaired. be. Therefore, when the amount of misalignment exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is possible to perform a process of notifying that the threshold value has been exceeded, instead of correcting the misalignment of the connected position. In this case, the transport controller 40 can be configured to output a notification signal indicating that the amount of misalignment exceeds a predetermined threshold value and transmit it to the system controller 50 via the overall serial communication network 51. .. Upon receiving the notification signal, the system controller 50 can temporarily stop the machining system 1 or perform warning processing such as a warning display to the operator.

Upon receiving the correction drive command, the device controller 111b moves the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b in the direction of canceling the misalignment amount by the correction movement amount. In this way, the device controller 111b corrects the positional deviation and connects the linear transfer module 12b to the linear transfer module 10j. Thus, in the present embodiment, when the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b is connected to the linear transfer module 10j, the linear transfer module 12b is positioned with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transfer module 10j. Can be done. Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the module controllers 110, 112, 113, the device controller 111, and the position detection sensor 14 are connected to the transport controller 40 by the transport serial communication network 41, which is the same communication network. There is. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the bogie 20 can be transferred at high speed by correcting the misalignment at high speed.

In the present embodiment, the transfer controller 40 can detect the amount of misalignment of the connecting portion of the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 as the position change of the linear transfer module 12 itself, and the carriage transfer device 11 It can be controlled as position correction. Further, in the present embodiment, a warning can be generated when it is recognized that the position is displaced by a predetermined value or more.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the damage to the transport path 101 or the carriage 20 when the carriage 20 is transferred can be reduced, and the carriage 20 can be transferred at high speed.

It should be noted that the amount of misalignment between the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 and the linear transfer module 10 of the transfer path 101 may vary due to changes over time or the like. Specifically, the amount of misalignment may increase. The same applies to the amount of misalignment between the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 and the linear transfer module 13 for maintenance. In this case, the transport controller 40 may monitor the output signal of the position detection sensor 14 in the carriage transfer device 11. As a result, the transfer controller 40 appropriately calculates the correction drive amount of the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 according to the position shift amount that fluctuates due to changes over time, and corrects and drives the linear transfer module 12. Can be done. Therefore, in this case, the linear transfer module 12 of the carriage transfer device 11 can be positioned with respect to the linear transfer modules 10 and 13 with high positioning accuracy at all times according to the fluctuating amount of misalignment.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

6A and 6B are schematic views showing the configuration of the trolley fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment, respectively, and are top views of the trolley fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment and the trolley 20 fixed thereto from above. And it is a side view seen from the side. FIG. 7 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of a machining system according to the present embodiment.

The bogie fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment, like the bogie fixing mechanism 15 according to the first embodiment, fixes the bogie 20 to the transport path 101 at a predetermined stop position in the transport path 101, but the installation location is different. It is different from the first embodiment. That is, the difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that the bogie fixing mechanism 15 according to the first embodiment is installed in the transport path 101, whereas the bogie fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment is the bogie 20. It is a point installed in.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the dolly fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment has a pair of fixing units 150' installed on the dolly 20. Each fixed unit 150'has a fixed pad 151'and a fixed actuator 152'. The fixing pad 151'is configured to be able to be pressed against the fence 1011 of the transport path 101 toward the outside of the carriage 20 in the Y-axis direction and stretched. The fixed actuator 152'is an actuator that drives the fixed pad 151'in the Y-axis direction. A permanent magnet 22 installed on the carriage 20 is connected to the fixed actuator 152'in addition to the permanent magnet 21 for traveling the carriage 20. The permanent magnet 22 is a permanent magnet that functions as a receiving unit for driving the fixed actuator 152'by an electromagnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 22 and the coil 19 of the linear transfer module 10. Instead of the permanent magnet 22, a ferromagnetic material such as an iron core can be used as the receiving portion.

The electromagnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 22 for receiving force and the coil 19 is converted from rotary motion to linear motion by a transmission mechanism such as a rack and pinion, and is used as a driving force of the fixed actuator 152'. To drive. The fixed actuator 152'is driven under a command from the module controller 110.

The carriage fixing mechanism 15'installed on the carriage 20 drives a fixed actuator 152'of a pair of fixing units 150'to extend toward the outside of the carriage 20 in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the bogie fixing mechanism 15'stretches a pair of fixing pads 151'on the fences 1011 at both ends of the transport path 101 to fix the bogie 20 in place.

In the first embodiment, since the bogie fixing mechanism 15 is installed in the transport path 101, the position where the bogie 20 is fixed by the bogie fixing mechanism 15 is determined at the time of designing the transport path 101. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the bogie fixing mechanism 15'is installed on the bogie 20, and the bogie 20 is fixed by the bogie fixing mechanism 15'by changing the energization control of the coil 19 of the linear transfer module 10. The position can be changed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position where the carriage 20 is fixed by the carriage fixing mechanism 15'can be set with a high degree of freedom and can be changed. When multi-product production is performed in the same processing system, the place where processing is performed and the external force applied to the work often differ depending on the product product. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the position where the bogie 20 is fixed can be changed by the bogie fixing mechanism 15'only by changing the software control. Therefore, the present embodiment has an advantage that the downtime of the processing system required for setup change can be shortened.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by installing the bogie fixing mechanism 15'on the bogie 20, it is possible to give flexibility in determining the fixing position of the bogie 20. According to the present embodiment, even if the fixed position of the bogie 20 is modified, the bogie stop command and the bogie fixing command may be changed by software, and no hardware change is required. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the correction man-hours for correcting the fixed position of the carriage 20.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the fixed actuator 152'of the bogie fixing mechanism 15'is driven by the energization control of the coil 19 of the linear transfer module 10. Therefore, unlike the control configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the bogie fixing mechanism 15'is not connected to the input / output control port of the system controller 50.

The control of the carriage fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment is executed as follows. First, the system controller 50 notifies the transport controller 40 of information about the processing station 30 that needs to fix the carriage 20. The transport controller 40 transmits control information of the coil 19 for fixing the carriage 20 to the module controller 110 of the linear transport module 10 to which the carriage 20 should be fixed. The module controller 110 controls the energization of the coil 19 according to the received control information, drives the carriage fixing mechanism 15', and fixes the carriage 20.

The trolley fixing mechanism 15'according to the present embodiment can also be used in combination with the trolley fixing mechanism 15 according to the first embodiment. By using both mechanisms together, it is possible to avoid the misalignment of the bogie 20 at the stop position even in a process in which a larger external force is applied.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The same components as those of the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the machining system 2 according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the entire machining system 2 including the transfer system 5 as viewed from above.

In the first and second embodiments, an annular transport path is composed of two transport paths 101a and 101b and two bogie transfer devices 11a and 11b connected to both ends thereof. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the curved transfer module 16 is used instead of the carriage transfer device 11, and a closed loop type, more specifically, an oval (oval) type circulation type transfer path 101'is configured. Has been done. In this respect, the present embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, the curved transport modules 16b and 16c are installed in place of the bogie transfer device 11a. The curved transport modules 16b and 16c form a semicircular transport path adjacent to each other. The end portion of the curved transport module 16b is connected to the end portion of the linear transport module 10e of the forward transport path 101a. The end of the curved transport module 16c is connected to the end of the linear transport module 10f of the return transport path 101b.

Further, in the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, the curved transport modules 16d and 16a are installed in place of the bogie transfer device 11b. The curved transport modules 16d and 16a form a semicircular transport path adjacent to each other. The end of the curved transport module 16d is connected to the end of the linear transport module 10j of the return transport path 101b. .. The end of the curved transport module 16a is connected to the end of the straight transport module 10a of the forward transport path 101a.

The curved transport module 16 is a curved transport module in which the carriage 20 moves in a curved shape, specifically, in an arc shape. The curved transfer module 16 has substantially the same configuration as the linear transfer module 10 except that it has a curved guide rail 9 instead of the linear guide rail 9. Similar to the linear transfer module 10, each curve transfer module 16 is controlled by the module controller 116 (see FIG. 9) to energize the coil 19, and the movement of the carriage 20 on the coil 19 is controlled.

As described above, in the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, a closed loop, that is, a closed transport path 101'having a configuration in which a terminal does not exist in the outward path and the return path is configured. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the drive control of the carriage 20 can be executed without the need to confirm the connection state between the linear transport modules 10 and 12 as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the processing system 2 according to the present embodiment can drive the carriage 20 at a higher speed and more safely than the processing system 1 according to the first embodiment.

Specifically, in the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5E, the linear transfer module 10e and the linear transfer module 11a of the carriage transfer device 11a are completed even though the process at the processing station 30e is completed. It may not be connected to 12a. In this case, in order to move the carriage 20b for which the process at the processing station 30e has been completed, it is necessary to wait for the establishment of the connection between the linear transfer modules 10e and 12a. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to wait for the establishment of the connection between the linear transport modules 10 and 12, it is possible to eliminate the waste of the carriage 20 in the standby state.

On the other hand, in the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, the end is not present in the closed transport path 101'. Therefore, in the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, in order to enable the maintenance linear transport module 13 to be connected to the transport path 101', a part of the linear transport modules 10 in the transport path 101'is a carriage transfer device 11. It has been replaced by the linear transfer module 12.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the carriage transfer device 11c is installed so as to straddle the boundary of the processing work area 100 with respect to the transport path 101b of the return path. On the outside of the processing work area 100, a maintenance straight line transfer module 13c is installed so as to be adjacent to one side of the carriage transfer device 11c.

The bogie transfer device 11c has a movable linear transfer module 12c that can move in the Y-axis direction, similar to the bogie transfer devices 11a and 11b according to the first embodiment. The linear transfer module 12c is configured to be functional as a part of the linear transfer modules 10 constituting the return transfer path 101b.

The linear transfer module 12c of the carriage transfer device 11c is configured to be movable to a position connected between the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the return transfer path 101b. As a result, the linear transport module 12c can form a part of the transport path 101b on the return path. Further, the linear transfer module 12c is configured to be movable to a position where it is connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13c. As a result, the trolley 20 can be transferred between the linear transfer module 12c and the maintenance linear transfer module 13c.

The maintenance straight line transfer module 13c is installed outside the processing work area 100 including the transfer path 101', like the maintenance straight line transfer modules 13a and 13b according to the first embodiment. Therefore, even in the maintenance straight line transfer module 13c, as in the case of the maintenance straight line transfer modules 13a and 13b, the work W is put into the trolley 20, the trolley 20 is collected, and the trolley 20 is maintained without stopping the process operation. It can be carried out.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the maintenance linear transport module 13c can be connected to the closed transport path 101'without stopping the work process. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even in the closed transport path 101', the specific trolley 20 can be efficiently accessed in a short time, and therefore, the trolley 20 can be accessed without stopping the other trolley 20. It can be collected, put in, maintained, etc.

FIG. 9 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the machining system 2 according to the present embodiment. The control configuration shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the control configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 when the bogie fixing mechanism 15'installed on the bogie 20 is used. Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the bogie 20 can be fixed by using the bogie fixing mechanism 15 installed in the transport path 101'instead of or together with the bogie fixing mechanism 15'.

As shown in FIG. 9, the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the module controller 116 that controls the curved transport module 16 is connected to the transport controller 40 by a transport system serial communication network 41. .. The module controller 116 is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of curve transfer modules 16. Each module controller 116 is connected to a position detection sensor 414 that detects the position of the carriage 20 on the corresponding curved transport module 16 in the transport direction. The position detection sensor 414 as the position detection unit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. The position detection sensor 414 is not shown in FIG.

In response to a command from the transfer controller 40, the module controller 116 controls the energization of the coil 19 of the corresponding curved transfer module 16 under its control. As a result, the module controller 116 controls the movement of the carriage 20 on the corresponding curve transfer module 16.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11c is provided with the device controller 111 as in the trolley transfer devices 11a and 11b according to the first embodiment. Further, the linear transfer module 12c of the carriage transfer device 11c is provided with a module controller 112 as in the linear transfer modules 12a and 12b according to the first embodiment. Further, the maintenance linear transfer module 13c is provided with the module controller 113 as in the maintenance linear transfer modules 13a and 13b according to the first embodiment.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11c is provided with a position detection sensor 14f as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the linear transfer module 12c connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13c in the Y-axis direction. Further, in the trolley transfer device 11c, as a position detection sensor 14, a position detection sensor 14g for detecting the position of the linear transfer module 12c connected to the linear transfer module 10g and 10h of the return transfer path 101b in the Y-axis direction is provided. It is provided.

The movement of the carriage 20 between the maintenance linear transfer module 13c and the linear transfer module 12c of the carriage transfer device 11c can also be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the movement of the trolley 20 can be executed in the same manner as the movement of the trolley 20 between the maintenance linear transfer module 13a and the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b in the first embodiment.

Further, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the linear transfer module 12c of the trolley transfer device 11c is Y-axis with respect to the maintenance linear transfer module 13c by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14f. It can be positioned with high accuracy in the direction. Further, as in the first embodiment, the linear transfer module 12c is positioned with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the transfer path 101b by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14g. be able to.

[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those of the first to third embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the machining system 2'according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the entire machining system 2'including the transfer system 5 as viewed from above. In this embodiment as well, a control configuration similar to the control configuration shown in FIG. 9 can be adopted.

The basic configuration of the machining system 2'according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the machining system 2 according to the third embodiment. The processing system 2'according to the present embodiment is different from the processing system 2 according to the third embodiment in that the linear transfer module 12c of the bogie transfer device 11c is connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13c for other maintenance purposes. It is a point that can be connected to the linear transfer module 13d. That is, in the transfer system 5 according to the present embodiment, the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d can be connected to both ends of the linear transfer module 12c.

In the transfer system 5 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, another maintenance linear transfer module 13d is installed outside the processing work area 100. The other maintenance linear transfer module 13d is installed so as to be adjacent to the other side of the carriage transfer device 11c opposite to the side on which the maintenance linear transfer module 13c is installed. Similar to the maintenance linear transfer module 13c, the maintenance linear transfer module 13d is also provided with the module controller 113.

The linear transfer module 12c of the trolley transfer device 11c is configured so that one end thereof can be connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13c and the other end can be connected to the other maintenance linear transfer module 13d. Has been done. That is, in the present embodiment, the linear transfer module 12c is configured to be connectable to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d at both ends thereof at the same stop position. As a result, the carriage 20 can be transferred between the linear transfer module 12c and any of the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d.

As described above, in the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, the linear transport module 12c of the bogie transfer device 11c can be simultaneously connected to both the two maintenance straight transport modules 13c and 13d at one stop position. can. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the following dolly 20 can be moved. In the present embodiment, since the linear transfer module 12c of the trolley transfer device 11c is connected to both the two maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d at the same time, the operation can be performed in a shorter time without human intervention.

For example, a trolley 20e on which the work W-5 to be machined is mounted is prepared in advance on the maintenance straight line transfer module 13d. On the other hand, the trolley 20a on which the machine W-1 that has been processed is mounted is collected in the maintenance straight line transfer module 13c. At the timing of collecting the trolley 20a, the trolley 20e on which the work W-5 is mounted is moved to the linear transfer module 12c of the trolley transfer device 11c. The bogie 20e moved to the linear transport module 12c is put into the transport path 101'by the bogie transfer device 11c. The bogie 20e thrown into the transport path 101'moves to the transport path 101a on the outward path, and the work W-5 is processed. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the work W to be machined can be loaded at the timing of collecting the work W that has been machined, the work W can be efficiently collected and loaded in a shorter time. ..

[Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those of the first to fourth embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the machining system 2 ″ according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the entire machining system 2 ″ including the transfer system 5 as viewed from above. In this embodiment as well, a control configuration similar to the control configuration shown in FIG. 9 can be adopted.

The basic configuration of the machining system 2 ″ according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the machining systems 2 and 2 ′ according to the third and fourth embodiments. The difference from the third and fourth embodiments is that the bogie is transferred. The point where the device 11d intersects the transport path at two points, and the point where the bogie transfer device 11d has two linear transport modules 12d and 12e.

In the transport system 5 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the bogie transfer device 11d intersects the transport paths 101a and 101b of the outward path and the return path, and the machining work area is formed on each side of the transport paths 101a and 101b. It is installed so as to straddle the boundary of 100.

Further, in the present embodiment, the processing stations 30a to 30d are installed along the transport path 101a on the outward route, and the processing stations 30e to 30h are installed along the transport path 101b on the return route. The bogie transfer device 11d intersects the transport path 101a between the processing stations 30c and 30d. Further, the bogie transfer device 11d intersects the transport path 101b between the processing stations 30e and 30f.

Similar to the fourth embodiment, maintenance linear transport modules 13c and 13d are installed on the outside of the machining work area 100 on the transport path 101b side so as to be adjacent to both sides of the carriage transfer device 11d. Similar to the maintenance straight line transport modules 13c and 13d, the maintenance straight line transport modules 13e and 13f are installed so as to be adjacent to both sides of the carriage transfer device 11d on the outside of the machining work area 100 on the transport path 101a side. ing.

The bogie transfer device 11d has movable linear transfer modules 12d and 12e that can move in the Y-axis direction. The bogie transfer device 11d drives the linear transfer modules 12d and 12e in the Y-axis direction by uniaxial actuators (not shown) independent of each other. The linear transfer module 12d is configured to be functional as a part of the linear transfer module 10 constituting the return transfer path 101b, and can also function as a part of the linear transfer module 10 constituting the forward transfer path 101a. It is configured in. The linear transfer module 12e can function as a part of the linear transfer module 10 constituting the forward transfer path 101a, and can also function as a part of the linear transfer module 10 constituting the return transfer path 101b. It is configured in.

One of the linear transport modules 12d of the bogie transfer device 11d is configured to be movable to a position connected between the linear transport modules 10g and 10h of the transport path 101b on the return route. As a result, the linear transport module 12d can form a part of the transport path 101b on the return path. Further, the linear transfer module 12d is configured to be movable to a position connected between the linear transfer modules 10c and 10d of the forward transfer path 101a. As a result, the linear transport module 12d can form a part of the forward transport path 101a. Further, the linear transfer module 12d is configured to be movable at a position connected to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d. As a result, the carriage 20 can be transferred between the linear transfer module 12d and any of the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d. The stop position where the linear transfer module 12d is connected to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d is the retracted position of the linear transfer module 12d when another linear transfer module 12e constitutes a part of the return transfer path 101b. It has become.

The other linear transport module 12e of the carriage transfer device 11d is configured to be movable to a position connected between the linear transport modules 10c and 10d of the forward transport path 101a. As a result, the linear transport module 12e can form a part of the forward transport path 101a. Further, the linear transfer module 12e is configured to be movable to a position connected between the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the return transfer path 101b. As a result, the linear transport module 12e can form a part of the transport path 101b on the return path. Further, the linear transfer module 12e is configured to be movable at a position connected to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13e and 13f. As a result, the carriage 20 can be transferred between the linear transfer module 12e and any of the maintenance linear transfer modules 13e and 13f. The stop position where the linear transfer module 12e is connected to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13e and 13f is the retracted position of the linear transfer module 12e when another linear transfer module 12d constitutes a part of the forward transfer path 101a. It has become.

The trolley transfer device 11d is provided with the device controller 111 as in the trolley transfer devices 11a and 11b according to the first embodiment. Further, for the linear transfer modules 12d and 12e of the carriage transfer device 11d, a module controller 112 is provided as in the linear transfer modules 12a and 12b according to the first embodiment. Further, the maintenance linear transport modules 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f are provided with module controllers 113, respectively, as in the case of the maintenance straight transport modules 13a, 13b according to the first embodiment.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11d is provided with a position detection sensor 14f as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the linear transfer module 12d connected to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d in the Y-axis direction. Further, the trolley transfer device 11d has a position detection sensor 14g as a position detection sensor 14 that detects the position of the linear transfer module 12d connected to the linear transfer module 10g and 10h of the return transfer path 101b in the Y-axis direction. It is provided.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11d has a position detection sensor 14h as a position detection sensor 14 that detects the position of the linear transport module 12e connected to the linear transport modules 10c and 10d of the forward transport path 101a in the Y-axis direction. It is provided. The trolley transfer device 11d is provided with a position detection sensor 14i as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the linear transfer module 12e connected to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13e and 13f in the Y-axis direction.

The movement of the carriage 20 between the maintenance straight transfer modules 13c and 13d and the linear transfer module 12d of the carriage transfer device 11d can also be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, the movement of the carriage 20 between the maintenance straight transfer modules 13e and 13f and the linear transfer module 12e of the carriage transfer device 11d can also be executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the movement of these carriages 20 can be executed in the same manner as the movement of the carriage 20 between the maintenance linear transfer module 13a and the linear transfer module 12b of the carriage transfer device 11b in the first embodiment.

Further, also in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the linear transport modules 12d and 12e of the bogie transfer device 11d can be positioned with high accuracy.

That is, as in the first embodiment, one of the linear transfer modules 12d is positioned with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction with respect to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14f. be able to. Further, as in the first embodiment, by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14g, one of the linear transport modules 12d is highly accurate in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transport modules 10g and 10h of the transport path 101b. Can be positioned. Further, as in the first embodiment, by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14h, one of the linear transport modules 12d is highly accurate in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transport modules 10c and 10d of the transport path 101a. Can be positioned.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14h allows the other linear transfer module 12e to be highly accurate in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transfer modules 10c and 10d of the transfer path 101a. Can be positioned. Further, as in the first embodiment, the other linear transfer module 12e is positioned with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction with respect to the maintenance linear transfer modules 13e and 13f by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14i. be able to. Further, as in the first embodiment, the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14g allows the other linear transfer module 12e to be highly accurate in the Y-axis direction with respect to the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the transfer path 101b. Can be positioned.

In the machining system 2 ″ according to the present embodiment, the carriage transfer device 11d is located between the machining stations 30. Thereby, the machining system 2 ″ according to the present embodiment changes the machining order by the machining station 30. Further, it is possible to omit the processing by some processing stations 30.

For example, when the machining process by the machining stations 30d and 30e is not necessarily necessary for all the workpieces W, after the process by the machining station 30c is completed, the carriage 20 on the transport path 101a is linearly transported by the carriage transfer device 11d. Move to module 12e. Next, the linear transfer module 12e is moved toward the transfer path 101b in the Y-axis direction, and the linear transfer module 12e is connected to the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the transfer path 101b at a position that can be detected by the position detection sensor 14g. Next, the carriage 20 on the linear transfer module 12e is moved to the linear transfer module 10h and sent to the processing station 30f. In this way, the machining process by the machining stations 30d and 30e can be omitted.

On the contrary, for example, the machining process by the machining stations 30d and 30e can be repeated a plurality of times in succession. In this case, after the machining process by the machining station 30e is completed, the carriage 20 on the transport path 101b is moved to the linear transport module 12d of the carriage transfer device 11d. Next, the linear transfer module 12d is moved toward the transfer path 101a in the Y-axis direction, and the linear transfer module 12d is connected to the linear transfer modules 10c and 10d of the transfer path 101a at a position that can be detected by the position detection sensor 14h. Next, the carriage 20 on the linear transfer module 12d is moved to the linear transfer module 10d and sent to the processing station 30d again. In this way, the machining process by the machining stations 30d and 30e can be repeated.

Further, for example, the order of the processing steps by the processing stations 30e and 30d can be changed. In this case, after the machining process by the machining station 30c is completed, the carriage 20 on the transport path 101a is moved to the linear transport module 12e of the carriage transfer device 11d. Next, the linear transfer module 12e is moved toward the transfer path 101b in the Y-axis direction, and the linear transfer module 12e is connected to the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the transfer path 101b at a position that can be detected by the position detection sensor 14g. Next, the carriage 20 on the linear transfer module 12e is moved to the linear transfer module 10g and sent to the processing station 30e. After the processing process by the processing station 30e is completed, the trolley 20 is sent to the processing station 30d by the curved transfer modules 16c and 16b. After the processing process by the processing station 30d is completed, the carriage 20 of the transport path 101a is moved to the linear transport module 12e of the carriage transfer device 11d again. Next, the linear transfer module 12e is moved toward the transfer path 101b in the Y-axis direction, and the linear transfer module 12e is reconnected with the linear transfer modules 10g and 10h of the transfer path 101b. Next, this time, the carriage 20 on the linear transfer module 12e is moved to the linear transfer module 10h and sent to the processing station 30f.

In short, in the present embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily connect the processing stations 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f via the carriage transfer device 11d and move the carriage 20 between them.

Further, in the present embodiment, the retracted positions of the linear transport modules 12d and 12e of the carriage transfer device 11d are provided outside the machining work area 100, respectively. These retracted positions also serve as a connection position between the linear transfer module 12d and the maintenance linear transfer modules 13c and 13d, and a connection position between the linear transfer module 12e and the maintenance linear transfer modules 13e and 13f. Since the retracted position also serves as the connecting position in this way, in the present embodiment, it is possible to save space in the installation place of the processing system 2 ″.

[Sixth Embodiment]
A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. The same components as those in the first to fifth embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the machining system 3 according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the entire machining system 3 including the transfer system 6 as viewed from above. FIG. 13 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the machining system 3 according to the present embodiment.

In the transfer system 6 included in the processing system 3 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of curved transfer modules 16 having the same curvature are connected to form an annular circulation type transfer path 101 ″. In the oval-shaped circulation type transport path 101'according to the third to fifth embodiments, two types of transport modules, a linear transport module 10 and a curved transport module 16, are connected to each other. In contrast, the annular shape according to the present embodiment is used. In the circulation type transport path 101 ″, only one type of transport modules 16 and 17 having the same curvature as each other is connected. Of the plurality of curve transfer modules 16 and 17, the curve transfer module 17 is the curve transfer module 17 of the carriage transfer device 11e.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the annular transport path 101 ″ is configured by connecting curved transport modules 16a to 16g and 17 having the same curvature to each other in an annular shape. Then, since the curvature of the transport path 101 ″ is uniform, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in the magnitude and direction of the external force applied to the carriage 20 traveling on the transport path 101 ″ and keep them constant. According to the embodiment, it is possible to suppress the influence of the displacement due to the external force of the carriage 20 traveling on the transport path 101 ″ and the work W mounted on the carriage 20.

In the present embodiment, the processing stations 30a to 30g are installed along the annular transport path 101 ″ so as to straddle the boundary of the machining work area 100 with respect to the annular transport path 101 ″. The trolley transfer device 11e is installed in the vehicle. On the outside of the processing work area 100, a maintenance straight line transfer module 13 g is installed so as to be adjacent to one side of the carriage transfer device 11e.

The carriage transfer device 11e has a movable movable curve transfer module 17. The bogie transfer device 11e drives the curve transfer module 17 in the OA direction described later by a uniaxial actuator (not shown). The curve transfer module 17 has the same configuration as the curve transfer module 16 constituting the transfer path 101 ″ and has the same curvature as the curve transfer module 16. The curve transfer module 17 has the same curvature as the curve transfer module 16. Similarly to 16, the module controller 117 (see FIG. 13) controls the energization of the coil 19 and controls the movement of the carriage 20 on the coil 19.

The curve transfer module 17 of the carriage transfer device 11e is configured to be functional as a part of the curve transfer modules 16 constituting the transfer path 101 ″. That is, the curve transfer module 17 is a curve transfer of the transfer path 101 ″. It is configured to be movable to a position where the modules 16a and 16g are connected to each other. This makes it possible for the curved transport module 17 to form a part of the transport path 101 ″.

The bogie transfer device 11e drives the curved transfer module 17 in the OA direction, which is the direction connecting the end surface A of the curved transfer module 17 and the center O of the transfer path 101 ″. In contrast, the maintenance linear transfer module 13g , Is installed along a direction parallel to the tangential direction of the annular transport path 101 ″, which is a direction perpendicular to the OA direction. In addition, in FIG. 12, the OA direction is a direction along the Y-axis direction, and the maintenance straight line transfer module 13g is installed along the X-axis direction which is a direction perpendicular to the OA direction.

Further, the curved transfer module 17 of the trolley transfer device 11e is configured to be movable to a position connected to the maintenance straight line transfer module 13 g installed adjacent to the trolley transfer device 11e as described above. As a result, the carriage 20 can be transferred between the curved transport module 17 and the maintenance straight transport module 13 g.

As described above, the maintenance straight line transfer module 13g is installed along the direction perpendicular to the OA direction. Therefore, when the curved transport module 17 is connected to the maintenance straight line transport module 13 g, the carriage 20 travels on the connecting portion of both module transports 17 and 13 g in the tangential direction of the curved transport module 17. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the external force received by the bogie 20 when connecting between the transport modules 17 and 13 g.

FIG. 13 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the machining system 3 according to the present embodiment. The control configuration shown in FIG. 13 is the same as the control configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 when the bogie fixing mechanism 15'installed on the bogie 20 is used. Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the bogie 20 can be fixed by using the bogie fixing mechanism 15 installed in the transport path 101 ″ instead of or together with the bogie fixing mechanism 15 ′.

In the present embodiment, since the linear transfer module 10 is not used in the transfer path 101 ″, as shown in FIG. 13, the module controller 110 for controlling the linear transfer module 10 is not provided.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11e is provided with the device controller 111 as in the trolley transfer devices 11a and 11b according to the first embodiment.

A module controller 117 that controls the curved transfer module 17 of the carriage transfer device 11e is connected to the transfer controller 40 by a transfer system serial communication network 41. A position detection sensor 514 that detects the position of the carriage 20 on the curved transport module 17 in the transport direction is connected to the module controller 117. The position detection sensor 514 as the position detection unit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. The position detection sensor 514 is not shown in FIG.

According to the command of the transfer controller 40, the module controller 117 controls the energization of the coil 19 of the curved transfer module 17. As a result, the module controller 117 controls the position of the carriage 20 on the curve transport module 17.

Further, the trolley transfer device 11e is provided with a position detection sensor 14j as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the curve transfer module 17 connected to the curve transfer module 16a of the transfer path 101 ″ in the OA direction. Further, the trolley transfer device 11e is provided with a position detection sensor 14k as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the curved transfer module 17 connected to the maintenance linear transfer module 13g in the OA direction.

A module controller 113 is provided for the maintenance linear transfer module 13g, as in the maintenance linear transfer modules 13a and 13b according to the first embodiment.

The movement of the carriage 20 between the maintenance straight transfer module 13g and the curved transfer module 17 of the carriage transfer device 11e can also be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the movement of the trolley 20 can be executed in the same manner as the movement of the trolley 20 between the maintenance linear transfer module 13a and the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b in the first embodiment.

Further, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the curved transfer module 17 of the trolley transfer device 11e is OA direction with respect to the maintenance straight line transfer module 13g by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14k. Can be positioned with high accuracy. Further, as in the first embodiment, the curve transfer module 17 can be positioned with high accuracy in the OA direction with respect to the curve transfer module 16 of the transfer path 101 ″ by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14j. can.

In the present embodiment, the case where the carriage transfer device 11e and the maintenance linear transport module 13 g are installed on the annular transport path 101 ″ has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example. As in the present embodiment, the carriage transfer device 11e and the maintenance straight line transfer module 13 g can be installed on the curved portion of the oval-shaped transfer path 101'according to the third embodiment.

[7th Embodiment]
A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. The same components as those in the first to sixth embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the machining system 3'according to the present embodiment, and is a top view of the entire machining system 3'including the transfer system 6 as viewed from above. FIG. 15 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the machining system 3'according to the present embodiment.

The basic configuration of the machining system 3'according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the machining system 3 according to the sixth embodiment. The processing system 3'according to the present embodiment is different from the processing system 3 according to the sixth embodiment in the end face of the curved transport module 17'of the bogie transfer device 11f and the shape of the transport module for maintenance.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the carriage transfer device 11f is installed so as to straddle the boundary of the processing work area 100 with respect to the annular transport path 101 ″. On the outside, maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b are installed so as to be adjacent to both sides of the carriage transfer device 11f. Even if both maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b are not installed. Often, either one may be installed.

The carriage transfer device 11f has a movable movable curve transfer module 17'. The bogie transfer device 11f drives the curved transport module 17'with a uniaxial actuator (not shown) in the moving direction which is a predetermined radial direction of the annular transport path 101 ″. The curved transport module 17'is a transport path 101 ′. It has the same configuration as the curve transport module 16 constituting the "" and has the same radius as the curve transport module 16. Similar to the curve transfer module 16, the curve transfer module 17'is controlled to energize the coil 19 by the module controller 117 (see FIG. 15), and the movement of the carriage 20 on the curve transfer module 17'is controlled.

The curved transport module 17 ′ of the carriage transfer device 11f is configured to be functional as a part of the curved transport module 16 constituting the transport path 101 ″. That is, the curved transfer module 17 ′ is configured in the transport path 101 ″. It is configured to be movable to a position connecting the curved transport modules 16a and 16g with each other.

In the present embodiment, both end faces B of the curve transfer module 17'of the carriage transfer device 11f are parallel to the moving direction of the curve transfer module 17'driven by the carriage transfer device 11f. On the other hand, the end faces connected to the curved transport module 16a of the transport path 101 ″ and the curved transport module 17 ′ of 16 g are also parallel to the moving direction of the curved transport module 17 ′, respectively. The transfer module 17'can be connected to the curved transfer modules 16a and 16g.

Further, the curve transfer module 17'of the trolley transfer device 11f is configured to be connectable to the maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b installed adjacent to the trolley transfer device 11f at both ends thereof. ing. The maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b are installed outside the machining work area 100 including the transport path 101 ″. The curved transport modules 17 ′ are at the same stop position as the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b. The trolley 20 can be connected to each other so that the carriage 20 can be transferred between the curved transport module 17'and the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b. The maintenance curved transport module 18a, Each of the 18b has the same configuration as the curved transport module 16 constituting the transport path 101 ″, and has the same curvature as the curved transport module 16. Similar to the curve transfer module 16, the maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b are energized and controlled by the module controller 118 (see FIG. 15), respectively, and the movement of the carriage 20 on the curve transfer modules 18a and 18b is controlled.

Also in this embodiment, as in the machining system 2'according to the fourth embodiment, the curve transfer module 17'of the carriage transfer device 11f is connected to the two maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b at one stop position. Can be done. As a result, in the present embodiment as well, the work W can be efficiently collected and loaded in a short time as in the fourth embodiment.

In this way, in order for the curve transport module 17'to move linearly on a plane and from the inside to the outside of the circle and to be connected to the maintenance curve transport modules 18a and 18b at the same position, the curve transport is as described above. Both end faces B of the module 17'must be parallel to its moving direction. That is, it is impossible to connect to the maintenance curve transport modules 18a and 18b in the curve transport module having a shape in which both end faces form a fan-shaped outer peripheral portion parallel to the radial direction of the circle.

Further, in order to install the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b outside the machining work area 100 so as not to interfere with the outer shape of the transport path 101 ″, that is, the machining work area 100, the distance y and the angle θ are predetermined conditions. Here, the distance y is a distance to move the curved transport module 17'of the trolley transfer device 11f from the transport path 101" in order to connect the curved transport modules 18a and 18b for maintenance. .. Further, the angle θ is separated from the center of the outer end faces C and D of the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b by the distance y from the center O of the annular transport path 101 ″ in the moving direction of the curved transport module 17 ′. It is 1/2 of the angle of the angle ∠CO'D formed by the center O'. The conditions under which these distances y and the angle θ should be satisfied are expressed by the following equation (1).
y (y + 2r ₁ cos θ) ≧ r ₂ ² -r ₁ ² … (1)
Here, r ₁ is the inner diameter of the transport path 101 ″ defined by the fence 1011 inside the transport path 101 ″. Further, r2 is the outer diameter of the transport path 101 ″ defined by the fence 1011 on the outer _side of the transport path 101 ″.

In the sixth embodiment, unlike the present embodiment, the maintenance straight line transfer module 13 g is a straight line transfer module, and is installed along the direction parallel to the tangential direction of the transfer path 101 ″. In the sixth embodiment, the maintenance curve transfer module 13g is installed at a position where the curve transfer module 17 of the trolley transfer device 11e can be connected to the maintenance straight transfer module 13g at a position where the curve transfer module 17 does not interfere with the machining work area 100. be able to.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the bogie transfer device 11f and the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b are installed on the annular transport path 101 ″ has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Similarly to the present embodiment, the carriage transfer device 11f and the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b can be installed on the curved portion of the oval-shaped transport path 101'according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of the machining system 3'according to the present embodiment. The control configuration shown in FIG. 15 is the same as the control configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 when the bogie fixing mechanism 15'installed on the bogie 20 is used. Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the bogie 20 can be fixed by using the bogie fixing mechanism 15 installed in the transport path 101 ″ instead of or together with the bogie fixing mechanism 15 ′.

The trolley transfer device 11f is provided with the device controller 111 as in the trolley transfer device 11e according to the sixth embodiment. A module controller 117 is provided for the curve transfer module 17'of the carriage transfer device 11f, as in the curve transfer module 17 according to the sixth embodiment.

The trolley transfer device 11f is provided with a position detection sensor 14l as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position in the moving direction of the curved transport module 17'connected to the curved transport modules 16a and 16g of the transport path 101 ″. Further, the trolley transfer device 11f is provided with a position detection sensor 14m as a position detection sensor 14 for detecting the position of the curve transfer module 17'connected to the maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b in the moving direction. ..

A module controller 118 for controlling the maintenance curved transfer modules 18a and 18b is connected to the transfer controller 40 by a transfer system serial communication network 41, respectively. A position detection sensor 614 for detecting the position of the carriage 20 on the maintenance curved transport modules 18a and 18b in the transport direction is connected to each module controller 118, respectively. The position detection sensor 614 as the position detection unit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a linear encoder. The position detection sensor 614 is not shown in FIG.

The movement of the carriage 20 between the maintenance curve transport modules 18a and 18b and the curve transport module 17'of the carriage transfer device 11f can also be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the movement of the trolley 20 can be executed in the same manner as the movement of the trolley 20 between the maintenance linear transfer module 13a and the linear transfer module 12b of the trolley transfer device 11b in the first embodiment.

Further, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the curve transfer module 17'of the trolley transfer device 11f is attached to the maintenance curve transfer modules 18a and 18b by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14m. It can be positioned with high accuracy in the moving direction. Further, as in the first embodiment, the curve transfer module 17'is positioned with high accuracy in the moving direction with respect to the curve transfer module 16 of the transfer path 101 ″ by the position deviation correction using the position detection sensor 14l. Can be done.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the carriage transfer device 11 for moving the transport modules 12, 17, 17'in the plane formed by the transport path in the Y-axis direction or the like is used has been described as an example, but the present invention is limited to these. It is not something that will be done. As the trolley transfer device, for example, a trolley transfer device in which the moving direction of the straight or curved transport module, that is, the transfer direction of the trolley is the Z-axis direction can also be used. In this case, the dolly transfer device moves the transport module upward or downward with respect to the plane formed by the transport path, and moves the transport module from one transport path having different positions in the Z-axis direction to another transport path or for maintenance. The dolly can be transferred to the transport module. This makes it possible to maintain a specific trolley without expanding the footprint of the transport system and without stopping the processing of other trolleys.

The transport module connecting surface of the fixed transport path may be configured to mesh with unevenness in the traveling direction of the bogie. In such a case, it is difficult to use a bogie transfer device having a transport module that moves in a direction different from the bogie traveling direction in the plane formed by the transport path. Even in such a case, by using the trolley transfer device that moves the transport module in the Z-axis direction as described above, the trolleys that are different from each other or between the transport paths and the maintenance transport module can be used. Movement can be realized.

Further, in the above case, the maintenance transfer module can be arranged at a position in the Z-axis direction different from the machining work area that does not interfere with the machining work area, and can be configured to be connectable to the carriage transfer device. As a result, even in the part where the curved transport module of the transport path is used, the restrictions on the end face shape of the transport module and the restrictions for avoiding the interference between the maintenance transport module and the machining work area can be greatly relaxed. can.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the transfer system is configured by the synchronous linear motor has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer system can also be configured by using the reluctance type linear motor.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the processing system constitutes a production line such as a work assembly line has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to a line in which a series of work processes are divided and executed by a plurality of stations, and can also be applied to various work lines other than a production line.

1,2,2',3,3'Processing system 4, 5, 6 Conveyance system 10 Linear transfer module 11 Cart transfer device 12 Linear transfer module 13 Straight transfer module for maintenance 14 Position detection sensor 15, 15'Carcel fixing mechanism 16 Curved transport module 17, 17 ′ Curved transport module 18 Maintenance curved transport module 20 Cart 30 Machining station 32 Robot controller 40 Transport controller 110 Module controller 111 Device controller 112 Module controller 116 Module controller 117 Module controller 118 Module controller W work

Claims (19)

The first transport module, in which the dolly moves in the first direction ,
A second transport module that is configured to be movable to a position connected to the first transport module and that the dolly can move to and from the first transport module.
A position detection unit that detects the position of the second transport module in the moving direction and outputs position information,
A control unit that controls the movement of the dolly on the first transport module and the movement of the second transport module in the second direction intersecting the first direction .
Have,
The control unit is a transfer system characterized in that the position where the second transfer module is connected to the first transfer module is corrected based on the position information output by the position detection unit. The control unit stops the second transfer module at a predetermined target position, and then the second transfer module becomes the first transfer module based on the position information output by the position detection unit. Correct the connecting position
The transport system according to claim 1. The control unit calculates the amount of misalignment of the second transfer module when the second transfer module is connected to the first transfer module based on the position information output by the position detection unit. 2. The transport system according to claim 2 . The transfer system according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit corrects a position in which the second transfer module is connected to the first transfer module so as to reduce the amount of misalignment. When the misalignment amount exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the control unit determines that the position where the second transfer module is connected to the first transfer module exceeds the threshold value instead of correcting the position where the second transfer module is connected to the first transfer module. The transport system according to claim 3 , wherein the notification signal is output. The misalignment amount is the misalignment amount in the second direction.
The transport system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the transport system is characterized by that. The control unit moves the trolley from the first transport module to the second transport module after connecting the second transport module and the first transport module.
The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the transport system is characterized by that. It also has a third transport module on which the dolly moves.
It has a transport path including the first and third transport modules, and has a transport path.
The second transfer module is configured to be movable between the first and third transfer modules at a position connected to the first and third transfer modules, and is configured to be movable with the first and third transfer modules. The dolly is movable between
It has a fourth transport module that is installed outside the area containing the transport path and to which the dolly moves.
The transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second transfer module is configured to be movable at a position connected to the fourth transfer module. It has a fifth transport module that is installed outside the region including the transport path and to which the dolly moves.
The transfer system according to claim 8 , wherein the second transfer module is configured to be connectable to the fourth and fifth transfer modules between the fourth and fifth transfer modules. The transport path includes sixth and seventh transport modules to which the dolly moves.
8 . 9. The transport system according to 9. The second transport module is a curved transport module.
The transfer system according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein the fourth transfer module is a linear transfer module. The second transport module is a curved transport module.
The transfer system according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein the fourth transfer module is a curved transfer module having the same curvature as the second transfer module. The first to fourth transfer modules each have a coil group and have a coil group.
The trolley has a permanent magnet or a ferromagnet that receives an electromagnetic force from the coil group, and the permanent magnet or the ferromagnet is driven by the electromagnetic force received from the coil group. The transport system according to any one of 8 to 12 . The second direction is the horizontal direction.
The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the transport system is characterized by that. The second direction is the vertical direction.
The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transport system is characterized by that. The position detection unit is an encoder.
The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that. A second transport module in which the trolley moves in the first direction and a second transport module that is configured to be movable at a position connected to the first transport module and the trolley can move between the first transport module. The transport module, the position detection unit that detects the position of the second transport module in the moving direction and outputs the position information, and the movement of the second transport module in the second direction intersecting the first direction. It is a control method of a transport system having a control unit for controlling
The control unit corrects the position where the second transfer module is connected to the first transfer module based on the position information output by the position detection unit.
A control method characterized by that. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 16 .
A processing system characterized by having a processing portion for processing a work conveyed by the trolley. A method for manufacturing an article, wherein the article is manufactured by using the processing system according to claim 18 .
The process of transporting the work by the trolley and
A method for manufacturing an article, which comprises a step of processing the work by the processing portion with respect to the work conveyed by the trolley.

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