JP7473412B2 - Conveyor structure for curved glass - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveyor structure for conveying curved glass in an automobile vehicle assembly line.

Conventionally, curved glass with a gently curved surface, such as the front or rear windshield of an automobile, is transported from the manufacturing line to the assembly line using a transport rack or transport conveyor. Once transported to the assembly line, the curved glass is transferred to another parts transport conveyor by hand or by a transfer device, and then transported to the final assembly area.

The parts transfer conveyor that transports the glass to the final assembly area consists of two sets of conveyors arranged in series in the forward and backward travel direction, with each set arranged in two rows on the left and right. In this way, the curved glass is transported by the parts transfer conveyor to the position where it is attached to the vehicle frame, which is the final assembly area.

The curved glass is transported by the parts transfer conveyor to the position where it is to be assembled on the vehicle frame, and is then adsorbed and held by a transfer device located near the end of the parts transfer conveyor, and transferred from the parts transfer conveyor to the assembly position on the vehicle frame. At this time, the glass adsorption and transfer device aims at the center of gravity of the curved glass to prevent it from shaking during transfer.

To ensure that the curved glass is transported in the same position to the vehicle frame installation position, the curved glass is always stopped and transported in the same position at a fixed location. To achieve this, the suction and transfer device suctions the curved glass at its center of gravity to prevent it from swinging and transfers it accurately to the vehicle frame installation position.

However, because the curved glass is placed in a downward convex position on the upper surface of the part transfer conveyor, variations in the position and stopping position during transfer occur due to the oscillations caused by the part transfer conveyor during transport and the impacts caused by transfers between multiple transfer conveyors connected in series.

Therefore, when transporting this type of curved glass, it was necessary to fine-tune the suction position of the suction transfer device so that the curved glass could be suctioned as accurately as possible to the center of gravity when it was transferred to another conveyor.

To this end, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is a means for suppressing variations in posture and position of curved objects during transport.

Patent Document 1 discloses a supply conveyor that sequentially transports tubular objects at regular intervals, a sorting conveyor that intersects with the supply conveyor and sorts the tubular objects from the supply conveyor at the intersection, and a transport mechanism for tubular objects that is configured to store and transport the tubular objects in a hollow attachment that has a recess shape substantially identical to that of the tubular objects on the sorting conveyor. When the tubular objects transported by this transport mechanism are handed over from the supply conveyor to the sorting conveyor, they are fitted and stored in the hollow attachment, allowing the tubular objects to be accurately positioned.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-187362

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires an attachment with a hollow recess that corresponds to the shape of the transported object, so the hollow attachment needs to be replaced each time to match the shape of the transported object, making such replacement work cumbersome.

In consideration of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a conveyor structure for transporting curved glass that can minimize variations in transport position and posture when transporting curved windshields such as those of automobiles, and can adapt to differences in the size and curved shape of the transported object.

The first aspect of the present invention is a conveyor structure for transporting curved glass, which comprises a delivery conveyor, a receiving conveyor, and an intermediate conveyor interposed between them, the delivery conveyor and the receiving conveyor each being composed of a plurality of parallel single conveyors, the delivery section and the receiving section of each conveyor being disposed at a predetermined distance from each other, the intermediate conveyor being disposed between the delivery section and the receiving section of each conveyor, and further, the front, rear, left and right support protrusions for supporting the curved glass are erected on the surface side of the delivery conveyor and the receiving conveyor at intervals shorter than at least the front, rear and left and right widths of the curved glass to be transported, and the surface side of the intermediate conveyor is provided with a central protrusion for supporting the central portion of the downward convex curved surface of the curved glass.

The second aspect of the present invention is a conveyor structure for transporting curved glass, characterized in that the start timing of each conveyor is controlled so that at the end of the delivery conveyor, the left and right support protrusions erected at the end of the delivery conveyor and the central protrusion of the intermediate conveyor are aligned in a substantially horizontal line when the curved glass is transported, and the start timing of each conveyor is controlled so that at the start of the receiving conveyor, the left and right support protrusions at the start of the receiving conveyor and the central protrusion of the intermediate conveyor are aligned in a substantially horizontal line.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the system comprises a delivery conveyor, a receiving conveyor, and an intermediate conveyor interposed therebetween, the delivery conveyor and the receiving conveyor each being composed of a plurality of parallel single conveyors, the delivery section and the receiving section of each conveyor being arranged at a predetermined distance apart, the intermediate conveyor being arranged between the delivery section and the receiving section of each conveyor, and further, front, rear, left and right support protrusions are provided on the surface sides of the delivery conveyor and the receiving conveyor at intervals shorter than at least the front, rear and left and right widths of the curved glass to be transported, and a central protrusion is provided on the surface side of the intermediate conveyor for supporting the central portion of the downward convex curved surface of the curved glass. Therefore, regardless of whether the longitudinal direction of the curved glass is "perpendicular" or "parallel" to the transport direction, the curved glass is accurately supported at four points by the front, rear, left and right support protrusions, which has the effect of reducing the risk of the transfer position being shifted due to vibration or inconvenience in transfer during transport.
In addition, since the central part of the downward convex curved surface of the curved glass is supported by a central protrusion, horizontal rotational moment is prevented from being generated in the curved glass when it is transferred from the delivery conveyor to the intermediate conveyor, and when it is transferred from the intermediate conveyor to the receiving conveyor, eliminating the risk of the curved glass changing its posture and becoming tilted relative to the direction of travel.Furthermore, the tilt displacement of the curved glass during transfer is suppressed, suppressing variations in the transfer position and posture to the receiving conveyor, maintaining the glass in the exact specified posture, and enabling it to be transferred to the next process and the specified work to be carried out smoothly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the start timing of each conveyor is controlled so that the left and right support protrusions erected at the end of the transfer conveyor and the central protrusion of the intermediate conveyor are aligned in a substantially horizontal line when the curved glass is transported at the end of the transfer conveyor, and the start timing of each conveyor is controlled so that the left and right support protrusions at the start of the receiving conveyor and the central protrusion of the intermediate conveyor are aligned in a substantially horizontal line at the start of the receiving conveyor. As a result, the support form of the curved glass is always changed from four-point support to three-point support, or from three-point support to four-point support, from the start of the transfer conveyor to the end of the receiving conveyor, and the disturbance of the posture caused by the horizontal rotation moment generated during the transfer between the conveyors and the variation caused by the lifting of the curved portion of the glass can be suppressed as much as possible, and the accurate position and posture of the curved glass can be maintained, allowing the suction and transfer device to accurately suction the center of gravity of the glass, which contributes to the efficiency of the curved glass assembly work.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the transport conveyor structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a delivery conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the toothed belt and the toothed pulley, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the configuration of the toothed belt and the toothed pulley of the drive unit, and FIG. 1C is a schematic view showing the fitting state of the support protrusion and the support protrusion fixing base according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a diagram showing a configuration of a photoelectric sensor and a detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1A is a partially enlarged perspective view of the photoelectric sensor and the detection unit, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the detection unit passes through the photoelectric sensor. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the operation of a limit switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view showing a state before the limit switch is activated, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing the limit switch in an activated state. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transfer structure of each conveyor according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a process in which a transfer conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports a curved glass sheet, and are a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass sheet is supported at four points by a delivery conveyor. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and is a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass is supported at five points by a delivery conveyor and an intermediate conveyor. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and is a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass is supported at three points by a delivery conveyor and an intermediate conveyor. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and is a plan view and a side view showing the curved glass being supported at five points by a delivery conveyor, an intermediate conveyor, and a receiving conveyor. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and are a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass is supported at four points by a delivery conveyor and a receiving conveyor. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and is a plan view and a side view showing the curved glass being supported at five points by a delivery conveyor, an intermediate conveyor, and a receiving conveyor. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and is a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass is supported at three points by an intermediate conveyor and a receiving conveyor. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process in which a transport conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and is a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass is supported at five points by an intermediate conveyor and a receiving conveyor. FIG. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a process in which a transfer conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention transports curved glass, and are a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the curved glass is supported at four points by a receiving conveyor.

The gist of the present invention is that the system comprises a delivery conveyor, a receiving conveyor, and an intermediate conveyor interposed between them, each of which is composed of a plurality of parallel individual conveyors, with the delivery and receiving sections of each conveyor arranged at a predetermined distance apart, and the intermediate conveyor arranged between the delivery and receiving sections of each conveyor, and further, front, rear, left and right support protrusions are erected on the surface sides of the delivery conveyor and receiving conveyor at intervals shorter than at least the front, rear and left and right widths of the curved glass to be transported, for supporting the curved glass, and a central protrusion is erected on the surface side of the intermediate conveyor for supporting the central portion of the downward convex curved surface of the curved glass.
Another feature is that at the end of the transfer conveyor, the timing of starting each conveyor is controlled so that the left and right support protrusions at the end of the transfer conveyor and the central protrusion of the intermediate conveyor are aligned in approximately a straight line horizontally when transporting curved glass, and at the starting end of the receiving conveyor, the timing of starting each conveyor is controlled so that the left and right support protrusions at the starting end of the receiving conveyor and the central protrusion of the intermediate conveyor are aligned in approximately a straight line horizontally.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire conveyor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the left and right conveyors are treated as one unit and various conveyors of each unit are connected in series in the conveying direction. Among the various conveyors according to this embodiment, the intermediate conveyor refers to a conveyor belt that has the same drive source as the drive unit of the delivery conveyor, and does not strictly refer to a conveyor unit. However, since it is assumed that the intermediate conveyor is configured as a conveyor unit having a self-driven unit, it is called the intermediate conveyor in the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the object to be conveyed is, for example, a curved windshield or rear windshield to be attached to an automobile body. The outline arrow in the figure indicates the conveying direction in which the curved glass G is conveyed.

The transport conveyor structure 100 of this embodiment relates to a conveyor for transporting an object to be transported (hereinafter referred to as "curved glass"), and relates to a support and transport structure for curved glass G for transporting glass having a curved surface, such as an automobile windshield, to an assembly area in an automobile assembly plant.
In this conveyor structure 100, the support frame 10 serves as a machine frame for supporting each conveyor structure, and each conveyor unit arranged on the inside left and right sides of the support frame 10 is treated as one unit, with the conveyors of each unit being arranged in series in two units, and an intermediate conveyor is interposed between the conveyors of the two units, so that a total of three types of conveyors are used to transport and transfer the curved glass G without disturbing its posture.

Specifically, the individual conveyors of each unit are described below. The individual conveyors installed on the left and right sides inside the support frame 10 serving as the machine frame are made up of left and right conveyor frame bodies 20, 20, left and right delivery conveyors 30 respectively surrounding and suspended around the outer periphery of the left and right conveyor frame bodies 20, 20, left and right receiving conveyors 40 respectively located on the downstream side of the delivery conveyor 30 and surrounding and suspended around the outer periphery of the left and right conveyor frame bodies 20, 20, and a single intermediate conveyor 50 interposed between the left and right delivery conveyors 30 and the left and right receiving conveyors 40 in series and arranged so as to overlap partially with each other in the center of the width of the left and right conveyors.
As described below, the surfaces of the delivery conveyor 30 and the receiving conveyor 40 are provided with a plurality of support projections 33, 43 arranged at regular intervals, and the intermediate conveyor 50 is provided with a central projection 53 located at the center of the surface.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 that make up various conveyor units are supported and arranged within the support frame 10 via support posts 11, 12.

The left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 are rectangular frames around which the belt conveyors can surround and suspend each other, and toothed pulleys 35, 135 for driving the conveyor belts are mounted on the front and rear of the frames 20, 20 via a drive shaft 36 and a driven shaft 136.
In the drawing, reference numerals 26 and 126 denote supports for mounting and supporting the drive shaft 36 and driven shaft 136 of the toothed pulleys 35 and 135 disposed at the front and rear of the conveyor frame 20, and are attached to the outer surface of the conveyor frame 20. The support 126 located on the driven side is configured so that its mounting position can be adjusted in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, the tension of the toothed belt 31 suspended between the drive-side toothed pulley 35 and the driven-side toothed pulley 135 can be adjusted.
In addition, as described below, a bracket 60 (see Figure 5 (a)), a limit switch 70, and a photoelectric sensor 80 are protruding from the sides of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20, and are configured to sense the presence or absence of curved glass G transported on each conveyor and to control the drive motors 37, 47 based on the sensing results to control the transport of the transfer conveyor 30, the receiving conveyor 40, and the intermediate conveyor 50.

The left and right delivery conveyors 30, 30 are composed of left and right toothed belts 31, 31 suspended around the outer circumference of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and support protrusions 33 protruding from the surface of the belts 31 in order to support the curved glass G. The support protrusions 33 protrude from the surfaces of the left and right toothed belts 31, 31 at positions corresponding to the four corners of the curved glass G.
In other words, support protrusions 33 are provided on the surface of the toothed belt 31 so that a single piece of curved glass G can be supported at four points at the front, back, left and right corners, and the four-point support protrusions 33 are arranged in succession at regular intervals so that multiple pieces of glass can be placed in a row.

The support projections 33 in this four-point support configuration are provided on the surface of the toothed belt 31 at the four corner positions corresponding to an area of the curved glass G as a continuation of the area.
In addition, the support protrusions 33 are protruded from the surface of the toothed belt 31 via support protrusion fixing bases 32, and the support protrusion fixing bases 32 that do not support the support protrusions 33 are provided with detection units 34 at every half-circumference position of the toothed belt 31, and are used to control the rotation and stopping operation of the toothed belt 31 suspended on the conveyor frame 20.

In the drawing, reference numeral 37 denotes a drive motor provided on the side of the suspension support of the transfer conveyor 30, and is connected in conjunction with the drive shaft 36 of the toothed pulley 35 which serves as the drive shaft of the transfer conveyor 30. Of the driven shaft 136 and the drive shaft 36 arranged at the front and rear ends of the conveyor frame 20 on the left and right sides, the drive shaft 36 serves as the drive source for the toothed pulley 55 of the intermediate conveyor 50.
That is, the drive shaft 36 of the toothed pulley 35 of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20, which serve as the drive shaft of the transfer conveyor 30, receives power directly from the drive motor 37, and the power is then transmitted to the intermediate conveyor 50 via a power transmission path from the drive shaft 36.
Specifically, as described later, the drive shaft 36 of the delivery conveyor 30 also serves as the drive shaft of the intermediate conveyor 50 .
In addition, the driven shaft 156 located near the driven portion of the intermediate conveyor 50 and the driven shaft 146 located on the driven portion side of the receiving conveyor 40 operate individually without being linked together, and in particular, the drive shaft 46 of the receiving conveyor 40 is independently mounted on the conveyor frame body 20 on the left and right sides.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the toothed belt 31 is an endless belt conveyor with a support protrusion fixing base 32 protruding from the front side (outside) and a trapezoidal belt tooth portion 31a protruding from the back side (inside).

The support protrusion fixing base 32 is formed into a rectangular convex portion as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), and a fixing hole 32a is threadedly formed as shown in Figure 4(c). A support protrusion 33 having a hemispherical top and made of an elastic material such as rubber is screwed and fixed to the base 32.
In Fig. 4(c), the reference symbol B denotes a fixing bolt, the reference symbol 33b denotes a semispherical portion made of an elastic body, the reference symbol 33c denotes a restriction hole formed in the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion 33a, and the reference symbol 33d denotes a counterbore portion formed at a position opposite to the fixing hole 32a.

3 and 5(a) and (b), a detection portion 34 made of a plate having an L-shaped cross section is provided protruding laterally from a support protrusion fixing base 32 provided protruding from the surface of the toothed belt 31.
Therefore, the detector 34, which moves together with the toothed belt 31, moves in synchronization with the rotation of the toothed belt 31. A base 34a of the detector 34 protrudes from the support protrusion fixing base 32. A tip plate formed by bending the tip of the base 34a by 90 degrees passes between the light projecting portion 82 and the light receiving portion 83 of the photoelectric sensor 80 and functions as a shielding portion 34b that fulfills the sensing function of the photoelectric sensor 80.
In this way, by sending the sensing signal from the detection unit 34 using the photoelectric sensor 80 to the actuator (drive motor 47) of the receiving conveyor 40 via a sequencer (PLC), the drive timing of the transfer conveyor 30, the intermediate conveyor 50, and the receiving conveyor 40 is adjusted, and the control is configured to ensure that the transfer of curved glass G between each conveyor is carried out reliably.

The photoelectric sensor 80 that senses the detection unit 34 while it is moving is attached to the outer surface of one side of the conveyor frame 20 that supports the left and right delivery conveyors 30, 30 and the left and right receiving conveyors 40, 40.

Next, the toothed belts 31, 51, 41 for placing the curved glass sheet G of the present invention on the upper surface and transferring and receiving the same to the respective conveyors to transport the curved glass sheet G to a predetermined assembly site will be described.
In other words, the toothed belts 31, 51, 41 form part of the transport function of each of the left and right delivery conveyors 30, 30, the intermediate conveyor 50, and the left and right receiving conveyors 40, 40, and are suspended between toothed pulleys 35, 135, 55, 155, 45, 145 provided in the drive section and driven section of each conveyor 30, 50, 40.

As already mentioned, the transfer conveyor 30 and the receiving conveyor 40 other than the intermediate conveyor 50 are composed of single conveyors on the left and right sides and are arranged in series in the conveying direction of the curved glass G within the frame of the support frame 10, and at least the left-right distance between the single conveyors is shorter than the width of the glass, particularly the short side of the curved glass G, so that the curved glass G can be installed.

The toothed belts 31, 51, 41 constituting each conveyor have uneven teeth 31a, 51a, 41a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the belt body, respectively, and are suspended in a mutually meshing state around toothed pulleys 35, 135, 55, 155, 45, 145 provided in the driving section and driven section of each conveyor 30, 50, 40.
The toothed pulleys 35, 135, 55, 155, 45, 145 provided in the drive section and driven section of each conveyor 30, 50, 40 are supported on drive shafts 36, 56, 46 installed between the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 of each conveyor 30, 50, 40 and driven shafts 136, 156, 146 protruding from the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20, and support the toothed belts 31, 51, 41 suspended between the respective toothed pulleys.

A drive shaft 36 is installed in the drive section of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 on which the toothed belts 31, 31 of the left and right transfer conveyors 30 are suspended. Left and right toothed pulleys 35, 35 on which the toothed belts 31 of the left and right transfer conveyors 30 are suspended are mounted on this drive shaft 36, and a toothed pulley 55 for driving the intermediate conveyor 50 is disposed approximately in the center between the toothed pulleys 35, 35, and a toothed belt 51 (described later) is suspended on the pulley 55 and the toothed pulley 155 on the driven side of the intermediate conveyor 50.

Therefore, the drive shaft 36 installed on the drive section of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 linked to the drive motor 37 can drive the toothed belt 31 via the toothed pulley 35. Furthermore, at the same time as this operation, the toothed pulley 55 for suspending the intermediate conveyor, which is integrated with the drive shaft 36, drives the toothed belt 51 of the intermediate conveyor 50 in synchronization.
The receiving conveyor 40 is driven by a drive motor 47 provided on a side wall near the drive unit of the conveyor frame 20. The drive motor 47 is controlled by a photoelectric sensor 80 attached to the outer surface of either the left or right of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 supporting the delivery conveyor 30. In other words, the drive motor 47 is configured to operate when the photoelectric sensor 80 detects the detection unit 34. This allows the drive motor 47 to be driven in conjunction with the operation of the drive motor 37.

Power is transmitted from the drive motors 37, 47 to the drive shafts of the delivery conveyor 30 and the receiving conveyor 40 via a power transmission belt that has belt teeth 31a protruding from its back surface, similar to the toothed belt 31.

Limit switches 70 are attached to the inner surfaces of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20 on which the left and right delivery conveyors 30, 30 and the left and right receiving conveyors 40, 40 are suspended.

As shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the limit switch 70 is composed of a switch body 71 and a head portion 72 connected to the switch body 71. The switch body 71 has a built-in switch, and controls the ON/OFF state of the limit switch 70 in conjunction with the movement of the head portion 72.

One end of the head part 72 is interlockingly connected to the built-in switch via a plunger, and the other end is connected to the roller part 73. The roller part 73 is supported by a bracket 75 via a support shaft 74 and is configured to be freely rotatable downward with the support shaft 74 as a base point, and turns on the built-in switch via the plunger.

The conduit at the bottom of the switch body 71 is connected to the drive motor 37 via a sequence controller (PLC). This allows communication control between the limit switch 70 and the drive motor 37 via the sequence controller (PLC).
That is, when the curved glass G is placed on the delivery conveyor 30, the limit switch 70 is turned on and a start button (not shown) is pressed, which activates the drive motor 37 to rotate the left and right toothed belts 31, 31 to start a conveying operation for conveying the curved glass G to the driving side of the delivery conveyor 30. After that, when the detector 34 attached to the support protrusion fixing base 32 is detected by the photoelectric sensor 80 attached to the left or right outer surface of the left or right conveyor frame 20, 20, a detection signal is sent from the photoelectric sensor 80 to the drive motor 47 via a sequencer (PLC), which drives the drive motor 47. This causes the rotational operation of each toothed belt 31, 51, 41 to be linked, and each protrusion 33, 53, 43 supporting the curved glass G can be aligned horizontally in a straight line when the curved glass G is delivered.

In this way, the front and rear drive motors 37, 47 are controlled by the control signal from the limit switch 70 attached to the transfer conveyor 30 and the photoelectric sensor 80 attached to the transfer conveyor 30, and the drive timing of the three different continuous conveyors can be controlled. As a result, the curved glass G is transferred in an accurate position without being disturbed when transferring between the conveyors, and is transported to the assembly work site for the next process.

As shown in FIGS. 4( a ), 4 ( b ), 4 ( c ) and 7 , the intermediate conveyor 50 has a drive unit disposed in the center of the transfer section 38 of the right and left transfer conveyors 30 .
The intermediate conveyor 50 is configured in the same manner as the other conveyors, by a toothed belt 51, a central protrusion fixing base 52 protruding from the surface side, and a central protrusion 53 on the conveyor surface. The drive shaft 36 of the toothed pulley 55 on the driving side is supported on the conveyor frames 20, 20 provided on the left and right sides of the transfer conveyor 30, and the toothed pulley 155 on the driven side is supported on the driven shaft 156.

The central projection 53 of the intermediate conveyor 50 is composed of a top hemisphere 53b and a cylindrical portion 53a that supports it.

The driven part of the receiving conveyor 40 is arranged on the driven part side of the intermediate conveyor 50 in a state where it overlaps partially in a side view. The receiving conveyor 40 consists of a receiving part 48 located in the driven part for receiving the curved glass G from the intermediate conveyor 50, left and right toothed belts 41 that have the transport function of the left and right receiving conveyors 40, and support protrusions 43 on the belt surface. The toothed belt 41 is suspended between the toothed pulleys 145, 45 of the driven shaft 146 and the drive shaft 46 provided at the front and rear of the conveyor frame 20.

The drive shaft 46 of the toothed pulley 45 is connected to a drive motor 47 attached to the side walls of the left and right conveyor frames 20, 20, and drives the toothed belts 41 that make up the left and right receiving conveyors 40.

The conveyor structure 100 for conveying curved glass G of the present invention is constructed as described above.
Next, a transport operation for transporting the curved glass sheet G using the transport conveyor structure 100 will be described.

First, the curved glass G is sucked from a transport rack or transport conveyor (not shown) by a transfer device with a glass suction function and transferred to the toothed belts 31, 31 of the transfer conveyors 30, 30 with the convex glass surface facing downward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the glass to be transported is placed on the support protrusions 33, 33, 33, 33 protruding from the belts 31, 31, so that the curved glass G is supported at four points.

The lower convex surface of the curved glass G is placed on the support protrusions 33, 33, 33, 33 and interferes with the roller portion 73 of the limit switch 70 arranged on either the left or right conveyor frame 20, and when the switch body 71 of the limit switch 70 is turned ON and a start button (not shown) is pressed, a drive signal is sent to the drive motor 37, which then drives the drive motor 37, causing the delivery conveyor 30 to rotate via the power transmission belt and begin transporting the curved glass G. After that, the detection portion 34 attached to the support protrusion fixing base 32 passes the photoelectric sensor 80, which starts driving the drive motor 47 of the receiving conveyor 40.

A power transmission belt for transmitting power from the drive motor 37 to the drive shaft 36 of the transfer conveyor 30 meshes with a toothed pulley 35 on the drive side of the transfer conveyor 30 via the belt teeth. The rotation of the toothed pulley 35 rotates the toothed pulleys 35, 55 provided on the drive side via the drive shaft 36. The rotation of the drive shaft 36 is transmitted by an engagement recess 35d provided on the toothed pulleys 35, 55.
In the toothed pulleys 35, 55, the toothed pulley 35 meshes with the toothed belt 31, and the toothed pulley 55 meshes with the toothed belt 51, so that the delivery conveyor 30 and the intermediate conveyor 50 rotate synchronously, and the curved glass G is delivered from the delivery conveyor 30 to the receiving conveyor 40 via the intermediate conveyor 50.

The detector 34, which is an L-shaped plate connected to the toothed belt 31, rotates in response to the rotation of the toothed belt 31 and reaches the opening 81 between the light projecting part 82 and the light receiving part 83 of the photoelectric sensor 80 protruding from the side panels of the left and right conveyor frame 20. When the detector 34 of the L-shaped plate passes between the light projecting part 82 and the light receiving part 83, a signal is sent from the photoelectric sensor 80 to drive the drive motor 47 of the receiving conveyor 40.

In this way, the delivery conveyor 30 and the intermediate conveyor 50 rotate in tandem via a common drive shaft 36 to transport the curved glass G in the direction of the receiving conveyor 40. Furthermore, the receiving conveyor 40 operates in synchronization with the rotation of the delivery conveyor 30 and the intermediate conveyor 50 in response to signals from the detection unit 34 and the photoelectric sensor 80, allowing the curved glass G to be smoothly delivered to the receiving conveyor 40 without losing its transport position.

The left and right support protrusions 33, 33 located on the drive section of the transfer conveyor 30 and the central protrusion 53 located on the drive section of the intermediate conveyor 50 control the start timing of the transfer conveyor 30 and the intermediate conveyor 50 so that when the starting end of the curved glass G reaches the support protrusions 33 and the central protrusion 53, the protrusions 33, 33, 53 are aligned in a roughly straight line and in a horizontal line position.

The position adjustment control is performed by the control operation of the limit switch 70, the detector 34, the photoelectric sensor 80, and a start button (not shown). That is, the limit switch 70 and the start button (not shown) control the start of the delivery conveyor 30 and the intermediate conveyor 50, and the photoelectric sensor 80 controls the timing of the start of the receiving conveyor 40 so that the central protrusion 53 of the intermediate conveyor 50, which rotates in synchronization with the delivery conveyor 30, and the support protrusion 43 of the receiving conveyor 40 are arranged in a horizontal line when the curved glass G is delivered. As a result, the curved glass G can be delivered to the receiving conveyor 40 without causing positional deviation or disturbance in the transport posture.

As described above, when the curved glass sheet G is transferred from the delivery conveyor 30 to the receiving conveyor 40, the timing of starting each conveyor is controlled so that each protrusion is aligned horizontally in a straight line.
In other words, the main point of the present invention is to control the timing of starting each conveyor so that the above-mentioned protrusions are aligned in a horizontal line at the time of intermediate movement from the delivery conveyor 30 to the intermediate conveyor 50 and at the time of final delivery from the intermediate conveyor 50 to the receiving conveyor 40.
The positional relationship between the curved glass sheet G and the three types of conveyors will be described below in relation to the positional relationship of the support protrusions.
9 to 17 show a schematic diagram of the state in which the curved glass sheet G is transferred from the delivery conveyor 30 to the receiving conveyor 40 via the intermediate conveyor 50 in relation to the supporting protrusions 33. FIG.

(1) As shown in FIG. 9, when the entire surface of the curved glass G is on the transfer conveyor 30, the curved glass G is supported at four points on the entire surface by the four support protrusions 33, 33, 33, 33 of the transfer conveyor 30.

(2) As shown in FIG. 10, when the front end of the curved glass G in (1) advances beyond the front end of the terminal return of the transfer conveyor 30, the front end of the curved glass G is also supported by a single central protrusion 53 in the center of the intermediate conveyor 50, i.e., the front of the curved glass G is supported at three horizontal points. The support protrusions 33 on the left and right sides of the front end of the curved glass G and the central protrusion 53 in the center of the starting end of the intermediate conveyor 50 are aligned in a horizontal line. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at five points: two points at the rear end and three points on the sides of the front end.

(3) As shown in FIG. 11, when the curved glass G advances further from the state in (2), the curved glass G is released from the support of the left and right support protrusions 33, 33 of the delivery conveyor 30. The front of the curved glass G is then supported only by the single central protrusion 53 in the center of the delivery conveyor 30 and the intermediate conveyor 50. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at three points: two points at the rear end and one point at the front end.

(4) As shown in FIG. 12, when the front end of the curved glass G advances beyond the rear end of the receiving conveyor 40 from the state in (3), the front of the curved glass G is also supported by the support protrusions 43, 43 of the left and right receiving conveyors 40, i.e., the front of the curved glass G is supported at three horizontal points. The support protrusions 43, 43 on the front end side of the left and right receiving conveyors 40 and the central protrusion 53 at the center of the end of the intermediate conveyor 50 are aligned horizontally in a straight line. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at five points: two points at the rear end and three points horizontally at the front end.

(5) As shown in FIG. 13, when proceeding further from state (4), the curved glass G is completely released from the support state of the central protrusion 53 at the center of the rear end of the intermediate conveyor 50. The front part of the curved glass G is then supported only by the support protrusions 43, 43 of the left and right receiving conveyors 40. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at four points: two points at the rear end and two points at the front end.

(6) As shown in Figure 14, going further from the state in (5), the rear of the curved glass G is also supported by a single central protrusion 53 in the center of the intermediate conveyor 50, i.e., the rear of the curved glass G is supported at three horizontal points. The support protrusions 33, 33 on the left and right sides of the rear end of the curved glass G and the central protrusion 53 in the center of the starting end of the intermediate conveyor 50 are aligned in a horizontal line. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at five points: three points at the rear end and two points at the front end.

(7) As shown in FIG. 15, when proceeding further from the state of (6), the rear of the curved glass G is completely released from the support state of the support protrusions 33, 33 of the left and right delivery conveyors 30. The rear of the curved glass G is then supported only by the central protrusion at the center of the terminal end of the intermediate conveyor 50. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at three points: one point at the rear end and two points at the front end.

(8) As shown in Figure 16, going further from the state of (7), the rear of the curved glass G is also supported by the support protrusions 43, 43 of the left and right receiving conveyors 40, i.e., the rear of the curved glass G is supported at three horizontal points. The support protrusions 43, 43 on the left and right sides of the rear end of the curved glass G and the central protrusion 53 at the center of the rear end of the intermediate conveyor 50 are aligned in a horizontal line. In other words, the entire curved glass G is supported at five points: three points at the rear end and two points at the front end.

(9) As shown in Fig. 17, when proceeding further from the state of (8), the rear part of the curved glass sheet G is completely released from the support state of the central protrusion 53 of the intermediate conveyor 50. The rear part of the curved glass sheet G is then supported by the support protrusions 43, 43 of the left and right receiving conveyors 40. In other words, the curved glass sheet G as a whole is supported at four points, with the left and right front parts being supported by the left and right support protrusions 33, 33 of the left and right receiving conveyors 40, and the left and right rear parts being supported by the left and right support protrusions 33, 33 of the left and right receiving conveyors 40.
The curved glass sheet G is thus placed entirely on the left and right delivery conveyors 30, and then transported to a predetermined position on the receiving conveyor 40, and then transported to the assembly site.

(10) As shown in Figures 9 to 17, a piece of curved glass G is supported by the protrusions (support protrusions 33 or central protrusion 53) of the three conveyors 30, 50, and 40 during the transfer operation. In particular, curved glass has a characteristic of being convex downwards, which makes it prone to unstable posture on the conveyor. However, by forming a single central protrusion 53 on the intermediate conveyor 50, the convex curved portion of the curved glass G can be supported by the central protrusion 53, which has the effect of preventing as much as possible variations and tilts in the transport posture caused by differences in height of the convex curved portion.

By synchronizing the displacement timing of each protrusion 33, 53, 43 when transferring the curved glass G in this manner, positional misalignment between the conveyor belts transporting the curved glass G is prevented, and the curved glass G can be transported to the end of the conveying line without compromising the correct shape of the curved glass G during transport.
In particular, when the curved glass is being transported and displaced, the curved glass is supported at three, four, or five points at some positions by the support protrusions 33 of each conveyor, and therefore even if the curved glass is about to become distorted in its transport position during transport, the distortion is corrected by the positional relationship of these support protrusions, and the glass is always transported in a position facing the correct direction of travel.
Therefore, there is no error in the operating position of the robot arm during subsequent assembly work, and the curved glass can be accurately assembled onto the vehicle body.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the above description is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Therefore, even if the embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment, various modifications can be made depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Support frame 11, 12 Support pillar 20 Conveyor frame 21 Side plate 26 Support body 30 Delivery conveyor 31 Toothed belt 31a Toothed portion 32 Support projection fixing base 32a Fixing hole 33 Support projection 34 Detection portion 35, 35' Toothed pulley 36 Drive shaft 136 Driven shaft 37 Drive motor 38 Delivery portion 40 Receiving conveyor 41 Toothed belt 42 Support projection fixing base 43 Support projection 44 Detection portion 45 Toothed pulley 46 Drive shaft 146 Driven shaft 47 Drive motor 48 Receiving portion 50 Intermediate conveyor 51 Toothed belt 52 Center projection fixing base 53 Center projection 55 Toothed pulley 156 Driven shaft 60 Bracket 70 Limit switch 71 Switch body 72 Head portion 73 Roller portion 74 Support shaft 75 Bracket 80 Photoelectric sensor 81 Opening 82 Light projecting portion 83 Light receiving portion 100 Transport conveyor structure G Curved glass

Claims (2)

A delivery conveyor;
A receiving conveyor;
An intermediate conveyor is installed between them,
It consists of
The delivery conveyor and the receiving conveyor are each composed of multiple parallel single conveyors.
The transfer section and the receiving section of each conveyor are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other, and the intermediate conveyor is disposed at a center between the transfer section and the receiving section of each conveyor, and
A curved glass transport conveyor structure characterized in that front, rear, left and right support protrusions for supporting the curved glass are provided on the surface sides of the delivery conveyor and the receiving conveyor at intervals shorter than at least the front, rear and left and right widths of the curved glass to be transported, and a central protrusion is provided on the surface side of the intermediate conveyor for supporting the central portion of the downward convex curved surface. The curved glass conveyor structure described in claim 1, characterized in that at the end of the delivery conveyor, the left and right support protrusions at the end of the delivery conveyor for supporting the curved glass and the central protrusion are arranged in a substantially horizontal line, and at the start of the receiving conveyor, the left and right support protrusions at the start of the receiving conveyor and the central protrusion are arranged in a substantially horizontal line.

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