JP7195080B2 - Conveyor system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport system that transports a tray that can hold a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel.

Conventionally, a transport system for transporting small liquid crystal panels is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The transport system described in Patent Document 1 includes a conveyor that transports a tray that can accommodate a liquid crystal panel, a tray stage on which the tray is placed, and a first transport robot that transports the tray between the conveyor and the tray stage. and a second transport robot for transporting the liquid crystal panel from the tray placed on the tray stage. The first transport robot is a so-called 3-axis orthogonal robot, and has a tray gripper that grips a tray. The second transport robot is a so-called parallel link robot, and has a panel gripper that grips the liquid crystal panel.

The transport system described in Patent Document 1 includes a feed-side conveyor and a discharge-side conveyor as conveyors for transporting trays, and two tray stages. The conveyor on the supply side and the conveyor on the discharge side are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and the two tray stages are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The first transport robot transports the trays one by one from the conveyor on the supply side to the tray stage, and transports the trays one by one from the tray stage to the conveyor on the discharge side.

In the transport system described in Patent Literature 1, the conveyor linearly transports trays stacked in multiple stages in the front-rear direction. Also, the conveyor is composed of a plurality of divided conveyors that are divided in the front-rear direction. Of the divided conveyors constituting the conveyor on the supply side, the rearmost divided conveyor has a stage number detection mechanism for detecting the number of tray stages on the conveyor. In the transport system described in Patent Document 1, the first transport robot operates based on the detection result of the stage number detection mechanism, and transports the tray from the conveyor on the supply side to the tray stage.

JP 2018-6518 A

In the transport system described in Patent Document 1, one of two trays that are in contact with each other in the vertical direction on the conveyor on the supply side bites into the other tray, and two trays are transferred from the conveyor on the supply side to the tray stage. If the above trays are transported in an overlapping state, the second transport robot cannot carry out the liquid crystal panel from the tray placed on the tray stage, or the liquid crystal panel accommodated in the tray placed on the tray stage cannot be transported. There is a risk that various problems such as damage to the liquid crystal panel due to collision with the panel gripper of the second transfer robot may occur.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport system capable of transporting trays one by one to a tray stage from a tray placement section in which trays capable of accommodating display panels are stacked in a plurality of tiers. That's what it is.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the transport system of the present invention includes a tray placement section in which trays capable of accommodating display panels are stacked in a plurality of stages, a tray stage on which the trays are placed, and a tray placement. a conveying robot that conveys the trays one by one from the unit to the tray stage; and a detection mechanism that detects the upper end of the first tray, which is the uppermost tray among the trays stacked in a plurality of tiers in the tray arranging unit. , a tray separation mechanism for separating the first tray from the second tray, which is the tray placed second from the top among the trays stacked in a plurality of stages in the tray placement section; and a detection mechanism for the tray placement section. and an elevating mechanism for relatively elevating the tray separating mechanism. A claw moving mechanism for moving the claw member between a separation position where the claw member enters and a retracted position where the claw member is removed from between the first tray and the second tray, and the conveying robot moves from the tray arrangement portion to the tray stage. Each time the first tray is conveyed, the elevating mechanism raises and lowers the detection mechanism relative to the tray placement portion so that the detection mechanism detects the upper end of the first tray to be conveyed next, and the first tray is detected by the detection mechanism. According to the detection result of the upper end of the tray, a claw member arranged at a predetermined position in the vertical direction with respect to the tray arrangement portion is moved from the retracted position to the separated position.

In the present invention, among the trays stacked in a plurality of levels in the tray placement section, the tray placed in the uppermost stage is defined as the first tray, and among the trays stacked in a plurality of levels in the tray placement section, the tray placed second from the top. is the second tray, the transport system includes a tray separation mechanism for separating the first tray and the second tray. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to transport the trays one by one from the tray placement section where the trays are stacked in a plurality of stages to the tray stage by the transport robot.

Further, the conveying system of the present invention includes a detection mechanism for detecting the upper end of the first tray, and an elevating mechanism for elevating the detection mechanism and the tray separation mechanism relative to the tray placement portion, and The separation mechanism includes a claw member that enters between the first tray and the second tray, and a claw moving mechanism that moves the claw member between the separation position and the retracted position. In the present invention, each time the transport robot transports the first tray from the tray placement section to the tray stage, the elevating mechanism raises and lowers the detection mechanism relative to the tray placement section so that the detection mechanism is transported next. The claw member arranged at a predetermined position in the vertical direction with respect to the tray arrangement portion moves from the retracted position to the separated position based on the detection result of the upper end of the first tray by the detection mechanism. Moving.

Therefore, in the present invention, even if the vertical pitch of the stacked trays is not constant due to the influence of distortion or the like of the individual trays stacked in multiple stages, the distance between the first tray and the second tray is increased. It becomes possible to insert the claw member with probability. Therefore, in the present invention, it becomes possible to separate the first tray and the second tray with a higher probability using the tray separation mechanism. As a result, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to reliably transport the trays one by one from the tray placement section to the tray stage by the transport robot.

In the present invention, when the transport robot transports the first tray from the tray placement section to the tray stage, the lifting mechanism is next transported to the tray placement section before the detection mechanism detects the upper end of the next first tray. It is preferable that the detection mechanism is relatively moved up and down to the position where the first tray to be conveyed is arranged, and the detection mechanism detects the presence or absence of the first tray to be conveyed next. With this configuration, even if two or more trays are transported from the tray placement section to the tray stage by the transport robot, the two or more trays will not be transported from the tray placement section to the tray stage. can be detected. Therefore, when two or more trays are conveyed from the tray placement unit to the tray stage while being stacked, it is possible to perform predetermined error processing.

In the present invention, the transport system includes a second transport robot that unloads the display panel from the tray placed on the tray stage. It is preferable that the transport robot stops. With this configuration, even if two or more stacked trays are transported from the tray placement unit to the tray stage by the transport robot, the display panel accommodated in the tray placed on the tray stage and the second tray are not displayed. It is possible to prevent the display panel from being damaged due to the collision with the second transport robot.

In the present invention, an upper inclined surface that slopes downward toward the tip of the claw member is formed on the upper surface of the tip of the claw member, and a lower surface of the tip of the claw member is formed on the lower surface of the tip of the claw member. It is preferable that a lower inclined surface is formed which inclines upward as it goes toward the edge. With this configuration, it is possible to insert the claw member between the first tray and the second tray with a higher probability, and the first tray and the second tray can be further separated by using the tray separation mechanism. Separation becomes possible with probability. Therefore, it is possible to reliably transport the trays one by one from the tray placement section to the tray stage by the transport robot.

As described above, in the transport system of the present invention, it is possible to transport the trays one by one from the tray placement section in which the trays capable of accommodating the display panels are stacked in a plurality of stages to the tray stage. .

1 is a side view of a transport system according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the transport system from the EE direction of FIG. 1; 2 is a perspective view of the divided conveyor shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of an F portion in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a detection mechanism, a tray separation mechanism, and the like shown in FIG. 4; 3 is a diagram for explaining operations of a tray separating mechanism, an elevating mechanism, and the like when conveying a tray from the divided conveyor shown in FIG. 1 to the tray stage; FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining operations of a tray separating mechanism, an elevating mechanism, and the like when conveying a tray from the divided conveyor shown in FIG. 1 to the tray stage; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of transport system)
FIG. 1 is a side view of a transport system 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the transport system 1 from the EE direction of FIG.

The conveying system 1 of this embodiment is used by being incorporated in a production line for small liquid crystal displays used in mobile devices and the like. The transport system 1 transports a liquid crystal panel 2 as a display panel and supplies the liquid crystal panel 2 to a processing device 15 (see FIG. 2) that performs a predetermined process on the liquid crystal panel 2 . The liquid crystal panel 2 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape.

The transport system 1 includes two conveyors 4 and 5 for transporting trays 3 capable of accommodating liquid crystal panels 2 . That is, the transport system 1 transports the tray 3 . The tray 3 is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. The upper surface of the tray 3 is formed with a recess in which the liquid crystal panel 2 is accommodated. Moreover, the tray 3 is made of resin and is relatively easily deformed. Conveyors 4 and 5 linearly convey trays 3 stacked in a plurality of stages (stacked trays 3) in the horizontal direction.

In the following description, the conveying direction (X direction in FIG. 1 etc.) of the tray 3 by the conveyors 4 and 5 is defined as the "front-rear direction", and the up-down direction (vertical direction) and the front-rear direction (Y direction in FIG. 1 etc.) are perpendicular to each other. direction) shall be referred to as the “horizontal direction”. In addition, the X1 direction side in FIG. 1 etc., which is one side in the front-rear direction, is defined as the "front" side, and the opposite side, the X2 direction side in FIG. 2 etc. is the "right" side, and the opposite Y2 direction side in FIG. 2 etc. is the "left" side. In this embodiment, the processing device 15 is arranged behind the transport system 1 .

The transport system 1 also includes two tray stages 6 and 7 on which the trays 3 are placed, and a robot 8 as a transport robot that transports the trays 3 between the conveyors 4 and 5 and the tray stages 6 and 7. , a robot 9 as a second transfer robot that carries out the liquid crystal panel 2 from the tray 3 placed on the tray stages 6 and 7, and a supply unit 10 that receives the liquid crystal panel 2 from the robot 9 and supplies it to the processing device 15. I have. The tray stages 6 and 7 are arranged behind the conveyors 4 and 5.例文帳に追加The supply unit 10 is arranged behind the tray stages 6 and 7 .

The transfer system 1 also includes a body frame 11 on which the conveyors 4 and 5, the tray stages 6 and 7, the robot 8 and the supply unit 10 are installed, and a body frame 12 on which the robot 9 is installed. The body frame 11 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction and has a low height. Conveyors 4 and 5 , tray stages 6 and 7 , robot 8 , and supply unit 10 are installed on the upper surface of body frame 11 . The body frame 12 is a substantially gate-shaped frame, and is installed so as to straddle the rear end portion of the body frame 11 when viewed from the front-rear direction.

Conveyors 4, 5 are roller conveyors with a plurality of rollers. The conveyor 4 and the conveyor 5 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The conveyor 4 conveys the stacked trays 3 toward the rear side, and the conveyor 5 conveys the stacked trays 3 toward the front side. A plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 are accommodated in a tray 3 conveyed by a conveyor 4. - 特許庁On the other hand, the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 does not contain the liquid crystal panel 2, and the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 is an empty tray. Incidentally, the conveyors 4 and 5 may be belt conveyors or the like.

The conveyor 4 is composed of a plurality of divided conveyors 16 to 20 divided in the front-rear direction. For example, the conveyor 4 is composed of five divided conveyors 16-20. The divided conveyors 16-20 are arranged in this order from the front side to the rear side. Similarly, the conveyor 5 is composed of five divided conveyors 21 to 25 divided in the front-rear direction. The divided conveyors 21 to 25 are arranged in this order from the front side to the rear side. The divided conveyors 16-25 are individually drivable.

Stacked trays 3 carried by an operator from a temporary storage shelf (not shown) are placed on the divided conveyor 16 . The stacked trays 3 placed on the divided conveyor 16 are conveyed rearward by the conveyor 4 . The stacked trays 3 conveyed to the dividing conveyor 20 are unstacked by the robot 8 as described later. Empty trays 3 are stacked on the divided conveyor 25 by the robot 8 as described later. When the trays 3 are stacked up to a predetermined number of stages, the stacked trays 3 are conveyed forward by the conveyor 5 . The stacked trays 3 conveyed to the dividing conveyor 21 are carried to a rack for empty trays by an operator.

The divided conveyor 20 includes a detection mechanism 28 for detecting the upper end of the tray 3 arranged in the uppermost stage among the trays 3 stacked in multiple stages on the divided conveyor 20, and a detection mechanism 28 for detecting the upper end of the tray 3 stacked in multiple stages on the divided conveyor 20. A tray separation mechanism 29 for separating the tray 3 arranged second from the top and the tray 3 arranged in the uppermost stage, and a detection mechanism 28 and a tray separation mechanism 29 for raising and lowering the dividing conveyor 20. A lifting mechanism 30 is installed for the purpose (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Specific configurations of the detection mechanism 28, the tray separating mechanism 29, and the lifting mechanism 30 will be described later. Note that the divided conveyor 20 of this embodiment is a tray arrangement section in which the trays 3 capable of accommodating the liquid crystal panels 2 are arranged in a state of being stacked in a plurality of stages.

One tray 3 is placed on the tray stages 6 and 7 . The tray stage 6 and the tray stage 7 are arranged with a predetermined gap in the left-right direction. The tray stage 6 is arranged at substantially the same position as the conveyor 4 in the horizontal direction, and the tray stage 7 is arranged at substantially the same position as the conveyor 5 in the horizontal direction. Also, the tray stage 6 is arranged just behind the divided conveyor 20 , and the tray stage 7 is arranged just behind the divided conveyor 25 . The upper surfaces of the tray stages 6 and 7 are planes perpendicular to the vertical direction.

The robot 8 is a so-called three-axis orthogonal robot. The robot 8 includes a body frame 35 formed in a gate shape, a movable frame 36 held by the body frame 35 so as to be able to slide in the left-right direction with respect to the body frame 35 , and A movable frame 37 held by a movable frame 36 so as to be slidable in the front-back direction, and a movable frame 38 held by the movable frame 37 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the movable frame 37. , and a tray gripper 39 attached to a movable frame 38 . The robot 8 also includes a drive mechanism that slides the movable frame 36 in the horizontal direction, a drive mechanism that slides the movable frame 37 in the front-rear direction, and a drive mechanism that slides the movable frame 38 in the vertical direction.

The body frame 35 is installed so as to straddle the rear end portions of the divided conveyors 19 and 24 and the front end portions of the divided conveyors 20 and 25 in the left-right direction. The body frame 35 is fixed to the upper surface of the body frame 11 so as to rise from the upper surface of the body frame 11 . The movable frame 36 is attached to the upper surface side of the body frame 35 , the movable frame 37 is attached to the right side of the movable frame 36 , and the movable frame 38 is attached to the rear end side of the movable frame 37 . A tray gripper 39 is attached to the lower end of the movable frame 38 . The tray gripping portion 39 has a plurality of suction portions that suction the tray 3 . When the robot 8 conveys the tray 3 , the suction unit contacts the upper surface of the tray 3 and vacuum-sucks the tray 3 .

The robot 8 conveys the trays 3 from the conveyor 4 to the tray stages 6 and 7 one by one, and also conveys the trays 3 from the tray stages 6 and 7 to the conveyor 5 one by one. Specifically, the robot 8 conveys the stacked trays 3 conveyed to the dividing conveyor 20 to the tray stage 6 or the tray stage 7 one by one, and stacks the stacked trays 3 on the dividing conveyor 20. Break down the steps. Further, the robot 8 conveys one empty tray 3 from the tray stage 6 or the tray stage 7 to the dividing conveyor 25, and divides the stacked trays 3 on the dividing conveyor 25 until the number of stages reaches a predetermined number. The trays 3 are stacked on the conveyor 25. - 特許庁

The robot 9 is a so-called parallel link robot. The robot 9 includes a body portion 45 , three levers 46 connected to the body portion 45 , three arm portions 47 connected to each of the three levers 46 , and three arm portions 47 connected to each other. and a panel gripper 49 attached to the head unit 48 . The body portion 45 is fixed to the upper surface portion 12a of the body frame 12, and the robot 9 is arranged below the upper surface portion 12a. That is, the robot 9 is installed on the upper surface portion 12a so as to hang from the upper surface portion 12a. Further, the body portion 45 is arranged above the tray stages 6 and 7 and behind the body frame 35 of the robot 8 .

The three levers 46 are connected to the body portion 45 so as to extend substantially radially toward the outer periphery of the body portion 45 at substantially equal angular pitches. That is, the three levers 46 are connected to the body portion 45 so as to extend substantially radially toward the outer periphery of the body portion 45 at a pitch of approximately 120°. The proximal ends of the three levers 46 are rotatably connected to the body portion 45 . A motor 50 for rotating the lever 46 is arranged at the connecting portion between the body portion 45 and the lever 46 . The robot 9 of this embodiment includes three motors 50 that rotate the three levers 46, respectively.

A proximal end of the arm portion 47 is rotatably connected to a distal end of the lever 46 . Specifically, the arm portion 47 includes two linear arms 52 that are parallel to each other. there is The head unit 48 is rotatably connected to the distal end sides of the three arm portions 47 . A panel gripper 49 is attached to the lower end of the head unit 48 . The panel gripping portion 49 includes a plurality of suction portions that vacuum-suck the liquid crystal panel 2, and grips the liquid crystal panel 2 by suctioning the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 with the suction portions. A motor is attached to the upper end of the head unit 48 to rotate the panel gripper 49 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation.

By driving the three motors 50 individually, the robot 9 can be moved to any position in the vertical, horizontal, and front-back directions within a predetermined area while the head unit 48 maintains a fixed posture. (specifically, with the panel gripping portion 49 facing downward), the head unit 48 can be moved. The robot 9 unloads the liquid crystal panels 2 one by one from the tray 3 placed on the tray stage 6 or from the tray 3 placed on the tray stage 7 . Specifically, the robot 9 unloads the liquid crystal panels 2 one by one from the trays 3 placed on the tray stages 6 and 7 until the trays 3 are empty, and carries them into the supply unit 10 .

The supply unit 10 includes a data reader for reading data such as inspection data recorded on the liquid crystal panel 2 outside the display area, and a data reader for reading the data on the liquid crystal panel 2 before the data on the liquid crystal panel 2 is read by the data reader. An alignment device for alignment and a robot for transporting the liquid crystal panel 2 after the data is read by the data reader to the processing device 15 are provided. The supply unit 10 receives the liquid crystal panel 2 from the robot 9 and supplies it to the processing device 15 .

(Structures of Detection Mechanism, Tray Separation Mechanism and Lifting Mechanism)
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dividing conveyor 20 shown in FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the F portion of FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the detection mechanism 28, the tray separation mechanism 29, etc. shown in FIG.

The lifting mechanism 30 is an electric cylinder. Therefore, in the following description, the lifting mechanism 30 is referred to as "electric cylinder 30". The electric cylinders 30 are installed on both end sides of the divided conveyor 20 in the left-right direction. The two electric cylinders 30 installed at both ends of the divided conveyor 20 in the left-right direction are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. Also, the electric cylinder 30 is arranged at a substantially central position of the divided conveyor 20 in the front-rear direction. The electric cylinder 30 is arranged so that the rod of the electric cylinder 30 protrudes upward.

A fixed plate 55 is fixed to the upper end of the rod of the electric cylinder 30 . A guide shaft 56 is fixed to the fixed plate 55 for guiding the fixed plate 55 in the vertical direction. The guide shaft 56 extends downward from the fixed plate 55 . The guide shaft 56 is inserted through a guide bush 57 fixed to the divided conveyor 20 . The lifting mechanism 30 may be composed of a ball screw having a screw shaft rotatably supported by the divided conveyor 20 and a nut fixed to the fixing plate 55, and a motor for rotating the screw shaft of the ball screw. good.

The detection mechanism 28 is a transmissive optical sensor that includes a light-emitting portion 58 and a light-receiving portion 59 that receives light emitted from the light-emitting portion 58 . The light-emitting portion 58 and the light-receiving portion 59 are installed so as to sandwich the tray 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20 in the left-right direction. The light emitting portion 58 and the light receiving portion 59 are fixed to the upper surface side of the fixing plate 55, and the light emitting portion 58 and the light receiving portion 59 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. Note that the detection mechanism 28 may be a reflective optical sensor.

The uppermost tray 3 among the trays 3 stacked in multiple stages on the dividing conveyor 20 is called the "first tray 3A", and the second tray 3 from the top among the trays 3 stacked in multiple stages on the dividing conveyor 20 is arranged. Assuming that the tray 3 to be loaded is a "second tray 3B", the tray separating mechanism 29 includes a claw member 60 that enters between the first tray 3A and the second tray 3B, and a claw moving mechanism 61 that moves the claw member 60. I have. The pawl moving mechanism 61 is an air cylinder. Therefore, in the following description, the pawl moving mechanism 61 is referred to as "air cylinder 61".

The air cylinders 61 are fixed to the upper surface of the fixed plate 55, and the two air cylinders 61 are installed so as to sandwich the tray 3 placed on the divided conveyor 20 in the left-right direction. The two air cylinders 61 are arranged such that the rods of the air cylinders 61 protrude inward in the left-right direction. The claw member 60 is formed integrally with a fixing member 62 fixed to the tip of the rod of the air cylinder 61, and the two claw members 60 sandwich the tray 3 placed on the divided conveyor 20 in the left-right direction. is installed as The fixing member 62 is formed in a flat plate shape orthogonal to the left-right direction. The claw member 60 is connected to the bottom surface of the fixing member 62 . Further, the claw member 60 protrudes inward in the left-right direction from the fixed member 62 .

An upper sloped surface 60a is formed on the upper surface of the tip of the claw member 60, and the lower surface of the tip of the claw member 60 is formed on the lower surface of the claw member 60. A lower inclined surface 60b is formed that slopes upward toward the tip. That is, the upper surface of the left end portion of the claw member 60 arranged on the right side of the tray 3 placed on the divided conveyor 20 and the right end portion of the claw member 60 arranged on the left side of the tray 3 placed on the divided conveyor 20 and the lower surface of the left end of the claw member 60 arranged on the right side of the tray 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20, and the left side of the tray 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20. A lower inclined surface 60b is formed on the lower surface of the right end portion of the pawl member 60 arranged in the .

The tray 3 is formed with an annular (frame-shaped) flange 3a extending to the outer peripheral side of the tray 3, and the claw member 60 is formed between the flange 3a of the first tray 3A and the flange 3a of the second tray 3B. get in between. The air cylinder 61 allows the claw member 60 to enter between the first tray 3A and the second tray 3B (specifically, between the flange 3a of the first tray 3A and the flange 3a of the second tray 3B). Between the separation position 60A (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) and the retracted position 60B (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5) where the claw member 60 is removed from between the first tray 3A and the second tray 3B The pawl member 60 is moved.

(Operation of Tray Separating Mechanism and Elevating Mechanism During Tray Conveyance)
6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the operations of the tray separating mechanism 29, the lifting mechanism 30, etc. when the tray 3 is conveyed from the dividing conveyor 20 shown in FIG. 1 to the tray stages 6 and 7. FIG.

When the stacked trays 3 are conveyed to the dividing conveyor 20, the rod of the electric cylinder 30 projects upward, and the fixed plate 55 moves to a predetermined upper limit position (see FIG. 6A). Assuming that the thickness of the tray 3 (thickness of the stacked trays 3 in the vertical direction) is t (see FIG. 5), the fixing plate 55 moves to the upper limit position, and then the detection mechanism 28 detects the first tray 3A. It descends by the same distance as the thickness t and stops until it is detected (see FIG. 6(B)). Further, the number of stages of the trays 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20 is detected by the detection mechanism 28 detecting the first tray 3A. At this time, the optical axis of the light emitting portion 58 and the light receiving portion 59 (that is, the optical axis of the detection mechanism 28) L is arranged below the upper end of the first tray 3A in the vertical direction. Further, when the fixed plate 55 is moved up and down, the claw member 60 is arranged at the retracted position 60B.

After that, the fixed plate 55 rises and stops until the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A (see FIG. 6C). That is, the electric cylinder 30 raises and lowers the detection mechanism 28 with respect to the dividing conveyor 20, and the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A. After that, with the upper end of the first tray 3A detected by the detection mechanism 28 as a reference, the fixing plate is moved to a position where the claw member 60 enters between the flange 3a of the first tray 3A and the flange 3a of the second tray 3B. 55 moves up and down, the claw member 60 at the retracted position 60B moves to the separation position 60A (see FIG. 7A). That is, based on the detection result of the upper end of the first tray 3A by the detection mechanism 28, the electric cylinder 30 raises and lowers the tray separation mechanism 29 with respect to the divided conveyor 20, and then the air cylinder 61 moves from the retracted position 60B to the separated position 60A. Move member 60 .

In the vertical direction, the position where the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A and the position where the claw member 60 enters between the flange portion 3a of the first tray 3A and the flange portion 3a of the second tray 3B. may match. In this case, when the fixed plate 55 rises and stops until the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A, the claw member 60 moves from the retracted position 60B to the separation position 60A.

When the claw member 60 moves to the separation position 60A, the tray gripping part 39 of the robot 8 vacuum-sucks the upper surface of the first tray 3A and conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 (Fig. 7(A)). When the first tray 3A is conveyed from the dividing conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the claw members 60 at the separation position 60A move to the retreat position 60B. The robot 8 operates based on the detection result of the number of trays 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20 in order to prevent collision between the tray gripper 39 and the first tray 3A.

Further, when the first tray 3A is conveyed from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the first tray 3A to be conveyed next in the vertical direction (that is, the first tray 3A is conveyed). The fixing plate 55 descends and stops until the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is arranged at the position where the front second tray 3B) is arranged (see FIG. 7B). That is, when the first tray 3A is conveyed from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the electric cylinder 30 arranges the first tray 3A to be conveyed next to the divided conveyor 20. The detection mechanism 28 is lowered to the position, and the detection mechanism 28 detects the presence or absence of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next.

When only one tray 3 is transported from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8 (that is, when only the first tray 3A is transported), the next transport in the vertical direction is When the fixing plate 55 is lowered until the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is positioned at the position where the first tray 3A to be placed is stopped, as shown in FIG. detects the next first tray 3A. On the other hand, when two or more stacked trays 3 are conveyed from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is arranged in the vertical direction. The detection mechanism 28 does not detect the next first tray 3A when the fixing plate 55 is lowered and stopped until the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is positioned at the position where the detection mechanism 28 is positioned.

That is, after the first tray 3A is conveyed from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the electric cylinder 30 is arranged to next convey the first tray 3A to the divided conveyor 20. By lowering the detection mechanism 28 to the position and detecting the presence or absence of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next by the detection mechanism 28, the robot 8 moves two stacked sheets from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7. It is possible to detect that the above tray 3 has been transported.

When the fixing plate 55 is lowered until the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is arranged in the vertical direction at the position where the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is arranged, the tray 3A to be conveyed next is stopped. When the detection mechanism 28 detects the absence of the first tray 3A (that is, when the detection mechanism 28 does not detect the next first tray 3A), the robot 8 moves the tray from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7. Since it is assumed that two or more trays 3 have been transported, the robot 9 stops, and the unloading of the liquid crystal panels 2 from the trays 3 on the lay stages 6 and 7 is stopped. Moreover, the robot 8 also stops.

On the other hand, when the fixing plate 55 descends until the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is arranged in the vertical direction at the position where the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is arranged, the next conveying tray 3A is stopped. When the detection mechanism 28 detects that there is a first tray 3A to be loaded (that is, when the detection mechanism 28 detects the next first tray 3A), the robot 9 continues to operate and the detection mechanism 28 detects the first tray 3A. The fixing plate 55 rises and stops until the upper end of 3A is detected (see FIG. 7(C)).

After that, with the upper end of the first tray 3A detected by the detection mechanism 28 as a reference, the fixing plate is moved to a position where the claw member 60 enters between the flange 3a of the first tray 3A and the flange 3a of the second tray 3B. 55 moves up and down, the claw member 60 at the retracted position 60B moves to the separation position 60A (see FIG. 7A). As described above, in the vertical direction, the claw member is provided between the position where the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A and the flange portion 3a of the first tray 3A and the flange portion 3a of the second tray 3B. When the position where the 60 enters coincides, the fixed plate 55 rises until the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A and stops, and the claw member 60 at the retracted position 60B is separated. Move to position 60A.

When the claw member 60 moves to the separation position 60A, the tray gripping part 39 of the robot 8 vacuum-sucks the upper surface of the first tray 3A and conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 (Fig. 7(A)). When the first tray 3A is conveyed from the dividing conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the claw members 60 at the separation position 60A move to the retreat position 60B.

Also, when the first tray 3A is conveyed from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the light of the detection mechanism 28 is positioned at the position where the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is arranged in the vertical direction. The fixing plate 55 descends and stops until the shaft L is arranged (see FIG. 7B). detects the upper end of the first tray 3A, the fixing plate 55 rises and stops (see FIG. 7(C)). Thereafter, the operations shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C are repeated until all the trays 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20 are carried out to the tray stages 6 and 7. FIG.

As described above, in this embodiment, each time the robot 8 conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7, the electric cylinder 30 raises and lowers the detection mechanism 28 relative to the divided conveyor 20. The detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next, and based on the detection result of the upper end of the first tray 3A by the detection mechanism 28, it is arranged at a predetermined position in the vertical direction with respect to the dividing conveyor 20. The claw member 60 to be pulled moves from the retracted position 60B to the separation position 60A.

Further, in this embodiment, when the robot 8 conveys the first tray 3A from the dividing conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7, the electric cylinder 30 separates the first tray 3A before the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the next first tray 3A. The detection mechanism 28 is moved up and down relative to the conveyor 20 to the position where the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is arranged, and the detection mechanism 28 detects the presence or absence of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next. do.

From the state shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B, the fixing plate 55 is once raised to a predetermined position where the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is arranged above the upper end of the first tray 3A. After that, the fixed plate 55 may be lowered and stopped until the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the first tray 3A.

(Main effects of this form)
As described above, in this embodiment, the tray separating mechanism 29 for separating the first tray 3A and the second tray 3B is installed on the dividing conveyor 20. As shown in FIG. Therefore, in this embodiment, the robot 8 can convey the trays one by one from the divided conveyor 20 on which the trays 3 are stacked in a plurality of stages to the tray stages 6 and 7 .

In this embodiment, each time the robot 8 conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7, the electric cylinder 30 raises and lowers the detection mechanism 28 with respect to the divided conveyor 20 so that the detection mechanism 28 A claw member that detects the upper end of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next and is arranged at a predetermined position in the vertical direction with respect to the dividing conveyor 20 based on the detection result of the upper end of the first tray 3A by the detection mechanism 28. 60 has moved from the retracted position 60B to the separated position 60A.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the vertical pitch of the stacked trays 3 is not constant due to the influence of the distortion of the individual trays 3 stacked in multiple stages, the flange portion 3a of the first tray 3A and the first tray 3A can be aligned. It becomes possible to insert the claw member 60 with a higher probability between it and the flange portion 3a of the second tray 3B. Therefore, in this embodiment, the tray separating mechanism 29 can be used to separate the first tray 3A and the second tray 3B with a higher probability. As a result, in this embodiment, the robot 8 can reliably transport the trays 3 from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 one by one.

Further, in this embodiment, the upper inclined surface 60a is formed on the upper surface of the tip of the claw member 60, and the lower inclined surface 60b is formed on the lower surface of the tip of the claw member. It is possible to insert the claw member 60 between 3a and the flange 3a of the second tray 3B with a higher probability, and the first tray 3A and the second tray 3B can be further separated by using the tray separation mechanism 29. Separation is possible with high probability. Therefore, in this embodiment, the robot 8 can reliably convey the trays 3 one by one from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 .

In this embodiment, when the robot 8 conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7, the electric cylinder 30 next conveys the first tray 3A before the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the next first tray 3A. The detection mechanism 28 is moved up and down to the position where the first tray 3A to be conveyed is arranged, and the detection mechanism 28 detects the presence or absence of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if two or more trays 3 are transported from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, two or more trays 3 are transferred from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 as described above. It becomes possible to detect that more than one tray 3 has been conveyed.

In this embodiment, when the fixed plate 55 is lowered until the optical axis L of the detection mechanism 28 is arranged at the position where the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is arranged, the first tray 3A to be conveyed next is When the detection mechanism 28 detects that there is no 3A, the robot 9 has stopped. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if two or more trays 3 are transported from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 8, the trays 3 placed on the tray stages 6 and 7 are accommodated. It is possible to prevent damage to the liquid crystal panel 2 due to collision between the liquid crystal panel 2 and the robot 9 .

(Other embodiments)
The embodiment described above is an example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the embodiment described above, the transport system 1 may include an elevating mechanism for elevating the trays 3 placed on the dividing conveyor 20 . In this case, the detection mechanism 28 and the tray separation mechanism 29 are fixed vertically, and the electric cylinder 30 becomes unnecessary. In this case, each time the robot 8 conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7, the elevating mechanism raises and lowers the divided conveyor 20, and the detection mechanism 28 detects the next conveyed tray. After the upper end of the first tray 3A is detected, and based on the detection result of the upper end of the first tray 3A by the detection mechanism 28, the elevating mechanism raises and lowers the divided conveyor 20, and then the divided conveyor 20 is moved in a predetermined vertical direction. The pawl member 60 arranged at the position moves from the retracted position 60B to the separation position 60A.

Also, in this case, when the robot 8 conveys the first tray 3A from the divided conveyor 20 to the tray stages 6 and 7, the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the next first tray 3A before the detection mechanism 28 detects the upper end of the next first tray 3A. The elevating mechanism raises and lowers the first tray 3A to be conveyed next to the arranged position, and the detection mechanism 28 detects the presence or absence of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next.

In the embodiment described above, the tray stages 6 and 7 may be provided with a detection mechanism for detecting that two or more trays 3 are loaded onto the tray stages 6 and 7 in an overlapping state. In this case, the detection mechanism 28 does not need to detect the presence or absence of the first tray 3A to be conveyed next. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the dividing conveyor 20 may be provided with a lifting mechanism for lifting the detection mechanism 28 and a lifting mechanism for lifting the tray separation mechanism 29 separately.

In the embodiment described above, the divided conveyor 20 having the function of transporting the trays 3 serves as the tray arrangement part in which the trays 3 stacked in a plurality of stages are arranged. 3 may be a tray arrangement portion arranged in a state of being stacked in a plurality of stages. Further, in the embodiment described above, the conveyors 4 and 5 are composed of a plurality of divided conveyors, but the conveyors 4 and 5 may be integrated conveyors. In this case, the conveyor 4 serves as a tray placement section in which the trays 3 capable of accommodating the liquid crystal panels 2 are stacked in a plurality of stages.

In the form described above, the transport system 1 may transport the liquid crystal panel 2 ejected from the processing device 15 . In this case, the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 4 is an empty tray, and the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 contains a plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 . Further, in the above embodiment, the transport system 1 may transport the liquid crystal panel 2 to supply the liquid crystal panel 2 to the processing device 15 and transport the liquid crystal panel 2 ejected from the processing device 15 .

In the embodiment described above, a plurality of trays 3 may be placed on the tray stages 6 and 7 so as not to overlap each other. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the number of tray stages included in the transport system 1 may be one, or may be three or more. Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the number of conveyors included in the transport system 1 may be one, or may be three or more. In the above-described embodiment, the upper inclined surface 60a may not be formed on the upper surface of the tip of the claw member 60, and the lower inclined surface 60b may not be formed on the lower surface of the tip of the claw member 60. Also good.

In the embodiment described above, at least one of the robot 8 and the robot 9 may be a vertical articulated robot or a horizontal articulated robot. Further, in the above embodiment, the display panel transported by the transport system 1 is the liquid crystal panel 2, but the display panel transported by the transport system 1 may be a display panel other than the liquid crystal panel 2. For example, the display panel transported by transport system 1 may be an organic EL panel.

1 transport system 2 liquid crystal panel (display panel)
3 tray 3A first tray 3B second tray 6, 7 tray stage 8 robot (transport robot)
9 Robot (second transfer robot)
20 division conveyor (tray arrangement part)
28 detection mechanism 29 tray separation mechanism 30 electric cylinder (elevating mechanism)
60 claw member 60A separation position 60B retracted position 60a upper inclined surface 60b lower inclined surface 61 air cylinder (claw moving mechanism)

Claims (4)

A tray placement section in which trays capable of accommodating display panels are stacked in a plurality of stages, a tray stage on which the trays are placed, and the trays are conveyed one by one from the tray placement section to the tray stage. a detection mechanism for detecting the upper end of a first tray which is the uppermost tray among the trays stacked in a plurality of stages in the tray placement section; and a plurality of stages in the tray placement section. a tray separation mechanism for separating a second tray, which is the tray placed second from the top, from the first tray among the trays stacked on top of each other; an elevating mechanism for relatively elevating the tray separating mechanism,
The tray separation mechanism includes a claw member that enters between the first tray and the second tray, a separation position that the claw member enters between the first tray and the second tray, and the first tray. a pawl moving mechanism for moving the pawl member between a retracted position at which the pawl member is disengaged from the second tray,
Each time the transport robot transports the first tray from the tray placement section to the tray stage, the elevating mechanism raises and lowers the detection mechanism relative to the tray placement section, and the detection mechanism moves to the next position. The claw member detects the upper end of the conveyed first tray and is arranged at a predetermined position in the vertical direction with respect to the tray placement section based on the detection result of the upper end of the first tray by the detection mechanism. moves from the retracted position to the separation position. When the transport robot transports the first tray from the tray placement section to the tray stage, before the detection mechanism detects the upper end of the next first tray, the lifting mechanism moves to the tray placement section. The detection mechanism is relatively moved up and down to a position where the first tray to be conveyed next is arranged, and the detection mechanism detects the presence or absence of the first tray to be conveyed next. The transport system according to claim 1. comprising a second transport robot that transports the display panel from the tray placed on the tray stage;
3. The transfer system according to claim 2, wherein the second transfer robot stops when the detection mechanism detects that there is no first tray to be transferred next. An upper inclined surface that slopes downward toward the tip of the claw member is formed on the upper surface of the tip of the claw member,
4. The claw member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a lower surface inclined upward toward the tip of the claw member is formed on the lower surface of the tip portion of the claw member. transport system.

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