JP7098381B2 - Work automatic carrier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic work transfer machine that automatically performs operations up to re-transportation when an emergency stop occurs during transfer of a work.

An automatic workpiece transfer machine for feeding a plurality of workpieces in order is used for supplying workpieces to a machine tool. For example, in an automatic work transfer machine consisting of conveyors with a certain transfer distance, the work is mounted on a transfer device such as a conveyor belt from the supply side end to the discharge side end by its drive, and the work is mounted up to a predetermined position. The work will be sent automatically. The supply of the work to such an automatic work transfer machine is automatically sent out from the work stocker by the supply device, or is manually transferred by the operator.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic work transfer machine that smoothly conveys a work without causing a work supply delay or a work inability to supply to the next process. In the work automatic transfer machine, the drive control of the conveyor is performed with the work discharge side as a reference. When it is detected that the work does not exist on the work transfer table due to setup change or the like, the conveyor is conveyed in the opposite direction, and the work is carried into the work transfer table where the work does not exist. Therefore, in the work automatic transfer machine of the same document, the work is mounted on all the work transfer tables set in the predetermined range.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-116944

A predetermined work may be performed by an operator around the automatic workpiece transfer machine. For example, it is a work of supplying a work to an automatic work transfer machine. Therefore, in the work automatic guided vehicle, when the worker approaches to a certain extent, for example, a detection signal is output from the light curtain and the driving is stopped to ensure the safety of the worker. However, when such an emergency stop occurs, the stop position of the automatically transported work cannot be confirmed, so it becomes necessary to temporarily return the position of the work. In addition, some automatic workpiece transfer machines are equipped with work equipment such as work inspection equipment during transportation, but after an emergency stop, the work equipment is also in a standby state such as an air cylinder. It will be necessary to return to such.

Until now, various recovery processes after such an emergency stop have been performed by an operator operating the operation panel. Therefore, a worker who is not accustomed to operating the operation panel may take a long time to re-transport the operation panel, which may reduce the productivity. In particular, an automatic workpiece transfer machine equipped with a work device other than transport, such as a work inspection device, requires more work to be performed as a recovery process, which increases the work time and causes forgetting to work. Furthermore, the time required for re-transportation has become longer.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic workpiece transfer machine that automatically performs operations from emergency stop to re-transport in order to solve such a problem.

The work automatic transfer machine according to the present invention includes a work transfer mechanism that transfers the work mounted on the transfer member from the supply position to the discharge position by driving a transfer motor, and an emergency stop sensor that detects a predetermined emergency stop state. , A recovery sensor for stopping the reversely transported work at a predetermined position of the transport member, a stop sensor for stopping the transported work at the discharge position, and a work from the supply position to the discharge position. When a plurality of workpieces are transported to the transport member at substantially constant intervals, the recovery sensor may be used from the stop sensor to the plurality of workpieces. The control device is provided at a position separated by one pitch of the work, and the control device stops the transport of the work based on the detection signal from the emergency stop sensor, confirms that the emergency stop state has been resolved, and then moves the work. It is reverse-transported, returned to a position where it stops according to the restoration sensor, and the work is re-transported from that position.

According to the above configuration, a light curtain or the like provided as an emergency stop sensor outputs a detection signal when the operator approaches the work automatic transfer machine to a certain extent, and the work transfer is stopped in an emergency. Then, after it is confirmed that the emergency stop state has been resolved, the work is returned to a predetermined position by reverse transport to the supply position side, and the work is re-transported from that position to the discharge position. In this way, even if an emergency stop occurs, the work up to re-transportation is automatically performed, so that it is not necessary for the operator to operate the operation panel to return the position of the work as in the conventional case.

It is a top view which simplified and showed the work automatic transfer machine of 1st Embodiment. It is the top view which showed the work automatic carrier in the emergency stop state in a simplified manner. It is a block diagram which showed the control system of the work automatic transfer machine simplified. It is the top view which showed the work automatic transfer machine of 2nd Embodiment in a simplified manner. It is the top view which showed the work automatic carrier in the emergency stop state in a simplified manner.

Next, an embodiment of the automatic workpiece transfer machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of the automatic workpiece transfer machine according to the first embodiment. The work automatic transfer machine 1 is incorporated as a part of a production line composed of a plurality of work machines such as a lathe. In the drawing, the work automatic transfer machine 1 is arranged between the first processing section 3 and the second machining section 5, and the work W is fed between the first machining section 3 and the second machining section 5 in the transport direction indicated by the arrow. The work automatic transfer machine 1 uses, for example, a belt conveyor in which a transfer belt 11 is rotated by driving a transfer motor 12 as a work transfer mechanism.

The transport belt 11 hung in the horizontal direction has the supply side end on the first processing machine 3 side and the discharge side end on the second processing machine 5 side, and the position surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line is supplied. The position 13 and the discharge position 14. A work W that has passed through the first processing unit 3 is placed at the supply position 13, and after being conveyed to the discharge position 14, the work W is taken out and put into the next second processing unit 5. It has become. When the work W at the discharge position 14 is sent to the second processing portion 5 side by using a robot, the work W cannot be grasped by the robot unless the stop position of the work W is accurate at the discharge position 14. Therefore, the discharge position 14 is provided with a stop sensor 15 using a photoelectric sensor or the like for stopping the conveyed work W.

In the work automatic transfer machine 1, in order to ensure the safety of the worker, a light curtain 16 which is an emergency stop sensor is provided corresponding to the work area of the worker. In the present embodiment, since the work W is manually supplied to the supply position 13, the light curtain 16 receives light rays from the light transmission side in a certain region on the supply position 13 side of the transport belt 11. It is attached so that it can be sent to the side. Further, since the light curtain 16 has a plurality of light rays arranged in a certain range in the height direction, even a part of the worker's body may enter the transport belt 11 side and block even one light beam. The automatic carrier 1 is to be stopped urgently.

Here, FIG. 2 is a simplified plan view of the work automatic guided vehicle 1 in the emergency stop state. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of work Ws are conveyed from the supply position 13 to the discharge position 14 at substantially constant intervals on the transfer belt 11. Then, when the work automatic transfer machine 1 is urgently stopped, as shown in FIG. 2, the work W at the head is stopped at a position before reaching the discharge position 14. In such a case, even if the work automatic guided vehicle 1 is re-transported in the same state, it cannot be correctly positioned at the discharge position 14 and cannot be grasped by the robot on the second processing unit 5 side.

Therefore, the work automatic transfer machine 1 is provided with a recovery sensor 17 using a photoelectric sensor or the like for temporarily returning the work W to confirm the position. The recovery sensor 17 can detect the work W at a position in front of the discharge position 14 by a predetermined distance when viewed in the transport direction. The predetermined distance in the present embodiment is the distance between the stop sensor 15 and the recovery sensor 17, and corresponds to the distance for one pitch of a plurality of work Ws sent at substantially constant intervals. The recovery sensor 17 is removable from the automatic workpiece transfer machine 1 and can be attached to an arbitrary position from the supply position 13 to the discharge position 14.

The control device of the work automatic transfer machine 1 is configured to drive control of the transfer motor 12 based on the detection signals from the stop sensor 15, the recovery sensor 17, or the light curtain 16. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a simplified control system of the automatic workpiece transfer machine 1. The control device 20 is mainly a computer equipped with a storage device such as a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and a non-volatile memory 24 in addition to the CPU 21, and is connected to a drive unit such as a transfer motor 12. Then, in the control device 20, a work transfer program 401 for causing the transfer motor 12 and the like to execute the transfer of the work is stored in the memory.

In the work automatic transfer machine 1, the work W is transferred by the work transfer program 401 as follows. First, the work W mounted on the transport belt 11 is fed from the supply position 13 to the discharge position 14 by driving the transport motor 12. When the work W reaches the discharge position 14, the work W is detected by the stop sensor 15, and a detection signal is sent from the stop sensor 15 to the control device 20. After receiving the detection signal, the control device 20 controls the drive stop of the transport motor 12 at a predetermined timing so that the work W is located at the center of the discharge position 14 as shown in FIG. Then, the work W at the discharge position 14 is grabbed by the robot of the second processing unit 5 and sent to the next process.

On the other hand, a new work W is supplied to the supply position 13 by the operator to the stopped transfer belt 11. At this time, the light beam of the light curtain 16 is cut off by the operator until the work supply work is completed, and the detection signal is sent to the control device 20, so that even if the work carry-in process at the discharge position 14 is completed, the transfer motor 12 will not be driven. Then, when the worker finishes the work supply work and retreats, the light rays of the light curtain 16 are sent from the light transmitting side to the light receiving side. The drive of the transport motor 12 is restarted by the detection signal, and the next work W is sent to the discharge position 14.

However, if the operator accidentally blocks the light beam of the light curtain 16, the automatic workpiece carrier 1 will stop urgently, and the workpiece W will not be correctly sent to the discharge position 14, as shown in FIG. It will stop on the way. In the example of FIG. 2, the head work W is stopped at a position away from the discharge position 14, but in some cases, the work W partially enters the discharge position 14 and the stop sensor is at an inaccurate stop position. Detection by 15 may be performed. However, the detection of the stop sensor 15 cannot correctly grasp the stop position of such a work W. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the work W is once returned and retracted, and then re-transported so as to be correctly stopped at the discharge position 14.

Specifically, when the light beam of the light curtain 16 is sent from the light transmitting side to the light receiving side after the emergency stop and the emergency stop state is resolved, the transport motor 12 reverses and is as shown by the arrow in FIG. , The transport belt 11 is switched to reverse transport to the supply position 13 side. Therefore, the work W changes its direction and retreats to the position indicated by the broken line, where the work W is detected by the recovery sensor 17. A detection signal is sent from the recovery sensor 17 to the control device 20, and drive stop control of the transport motor 12 is performed at a predetermined timing so that the work W stops at the position shown by the broken line in FIG. After that, the transfer motor 12 rotates in the normal direction again, and the transfer is performed again, and the head work W is stopped at substantially the center of the discharge position 14 by the above-mentioned stop control.

Therefore, according to the work automatic transfer machine 1 of the present embodiment, even if an emergency stop occurs, the recovery process is automatically performed, so that it is not necessary for the operator to operate the operation panel as in the conventional case. .. Therefore, the worker is not required to have more than a certain amount of experience and ability. Further, since the handling that forces the re-transportation without performing the restoration process is eliminated, it is possible to avoid causing a problem in the transportation of the work W or imposing a burden on the machine. Since the recovery process is performed by automatic control, the time until re-transportation can be shortened, which leads to an improvement in productivity.

Next, a second embodiment of the automatic workpiece transfer machine will be described. FIG. 4 is a simplified plan view of the work automatic carrier of the second embodiment. The same configurations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The work automatic transfer machine 2 is a belt conveyor in which the transfer belt 11 is rotated by the drive of the transfer motor 12, and the work W is from the supply position 13 on the first processing machine 3 side to the discharge position 14 on the second processing machine 5 side. Will be sent to. A stop sensor 15 is provided at the discharge position 14, and a light curtain 16 is provided corresponding to the work area.

The work automatic transfer machine 2 incorporates an inspection device 18 for confirming the dimensions of the work W during transfer. Although detailed description of the specific configuration of the inspection device 18 is omitted, for example, a drive mechanism such as a positioning cylinder 31 for arranging the work W at the inspection position is provided. Further, in this automatic workpiece transfer machine 2, a control device 20 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided, connected to various sensors such as a stop sensor 15 and a transfer motor 12, and an electromagnetic wave for operating a positioning cylinder 31. It is also connected to valves. Then, in the control device 20, a work transfer program for executing the transfer of the work W in the work automatic transfer machine 2 is stored in the memory.

In the work automatic transfer machine 2, the work W on the transfer belt 11 is sent from the supply position 13 to the discharge position 14 by the drive of the transfer motor 12, and the measurement is performed by the inspection device 18 during the transfer. A stop sensor (not shown) is provided in the inspection device 18, and drive stop control of the transport motor 12 is performed based on the detection signal. Then, the positioning cylinder 31 operates and the work W is positioned at the inspection position. After the measurement, the work W is released, the transport motor 12 is driven again, and the work W is transported to the discharge position 14.

Here, FIG. 5 is a simplified plan view of the work automatic carrier 2 in the emergency stop state. That is, it is a case where the operator accidentally blocks the light beam of the light curtain 16. In the present embodiment, the movement of the transport belt 11 is stopped by stopping the drive of the transport motor 12, and the positioning cylinder 31 in the inspection device 18 is also stopped. At this time, it cannot be confirmed whether the work W in the middle of transportation is, for example, the E1 position in front of the inspection device 18 or the E2 position beyond the inspection device 18. Therefore, the work automatic transfer machine 2 is configured to return the work W to the supply position 13, and the recovery sensor 17 is provided at the same position.

Therefore, after the emergency stop, the light beam of the light curtain 16 is sent from the light transmitting side to the light receiving side, and when the emergency stop state is resolved, the transport motor 12 reverses and is transported as shown by the arrow in FIG. The belt 11 is sent to the supply position 13 side. When the work W is conveyed in the opposite direction and retracts to the supply position 13, the detection signal from the recovery sensor 17 is sent to the control device 20, and the work W is stopped in accordance with the supply position 13. After that, the transfer motor 12 rotates in the normal direction again, and the work W is transported to the inside of the inspection device 18.

Further, in the work automatic transfer machine 2 of the present embodiment, the drive unit of the inspection device 18 is returned to the standby state in accordance with the reverse transfer of the work W. For example, the positioning cylinder 31 is a single-acting air cylinder, and is extended by compressed air at the time of measurement. As for the drive of such a work device, the operating state at the time of emergency stop is not confirmed, so that the control is performed so as to return to the standby state before the operation. After an emergency stop, the cylinder 31 is switched to a solenoid valve (not shown) and returned to a contracted standby state by releasing compressed air to the atmosphere.

Therefore, even in the work automatic transfer machine 2 of the present embodiment, the recovery process is automatically performed when an emergency stop occurs, so that it is not necessary for the operator to operate the operation panel as in the conventional case. Therefore, the worker is not required to have more than a certain amount of experience and ability. In particular, the automatic workpiece transfer machine 2 having a built-in work device such as the inspection device 18 is more effective because the work is complicated and complicated. It is also effective in preventing forgetting to work. Further, since the handling that forces the re-transportation without performing the restoration process is eliminated, it is possible to avoid causing a problem in the transportation of the work W or imposing a burden on the machine. Since the recovery process is performed by automatic control, the time until re-transportation can be shortened, which leads to an improvement in productivity.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the light curtain 16 has been described as an example of the emergency stop sensor, but any safety sensor or the like required depending on the work content can be used.
Further, although one inspection device 18 is taken as an example as a working device, the type and number of devices can be arbitrarily designed.
Further, the present invention provides an automatic workpiece transfer machine that automatically performs operations from emergency stop to re-conveyance, but for work devices other than transfer devices such as belt conveyors, some of them are for restoration. There may be something that the worker manually performs the work of.

1 ... Automatic workpiece transfer machine 11 ... Transfer belt 12 ... Transfer motor 13 ... Supply position 14 ... Discharge position 15 ... Stop sensor 16 ... Light curtain 17 ... Restoration sensor 18 ... Inspection device 20 ... Control device 31 ... Positioning cylinder 401 ... Work transfer program

Claims (3)

A work transfer mechanism that transfers the work mounted on the transfer member from the supply position to the discharge position by driving the transfer motor.
An emergency stop sensor that detects a predetermined emergency stop state,
A recovery sensor for stopping the reversely conveyed work at a predetermined position on the conveyed member, and a recovery sensor.
A stop sensor for stopping the transported work at the discharge position, and
It has a control device for transport control for transporting the work from the supply position to the discharge position.
When a plurality of workpieces are transported to the transport member at substantially constant intervals, the recovery sensor is provided at a position separated from the stop sensor by a distance of one pitch of the plurality of workpieces.
Based on the detection signal from the emergency stop sensor, the control device stops the transport of the work, and after confirming that the emergency stop state has been resolved, reverse transports the work and returns it to the position where it stops according to the recovery sensor. A work automatic transfer machine that re-conveys the work from that position. It has a work device that performs a predetermined work on the work transported by the work transfer mechanism.
The control device returns the drive unit of the work device to the standby state based on the normal control for causing the drive unit of the work device to perform the predetermined work and the detection signal from the emergency stop sensor. The automatic work transfer machine according to claim 1, wherein the emergency stop control is performed. The automatic workpiece transfer machine according to claim 2 , wherein the recovery sensor is provided at a supply position of the transfer member.

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