JPH0214916Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention is a flexible manufac- turing system (hereinafter referred to as FMS) for machine tools that transports pallets on an unmanned forklift or an unmanned cart to the machine tool side or This relates to a pallet stand located in the middle during loading.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in an FMS for a machine tool, for example, a plurality of machining centers are installed in parallel, and an automatic pallet changer (hereinafter referred to as APC) is installed in front of the machining center. Moreover,
In front of the APC, an unmanned forklift or an unmanned trolley carrying a pallet with workpieces to be processed moves under the control of a central controller, and is accurately positioned at a predetermined position in front of the APC. Then, the pallet that has been processed by APC and the pallet for the next processing are automatically exchanged.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, as mentioned above, when the pallet is carried into or out of the machine tool via the APC,
It is necessary to carry the pallet using an unmanned forklift or an unmanned trolley and position it at a predetermined position in front of the APC with high precision and reliability. Therefore, in order to perform accurate positioning with unmanned forklifts and unmanned trolleys, it is necessary to use unmanned forklifts and unmanned trolleys that have robust and highly accurate positioning means, which requires high production costs and I had to rely on slow movement.

The purpose of this invention was proposed in order to solve the problems in view of the above circumstances, and the purpose of this invention is to place pallets on the floating mechanism even if the positioning of an unmanned forklift or an unmanned cart is relatively rough. ,
An object of the present invention is to provide a pallet holder that performs accurate positioning using a centering mechanism.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

The present invention is a pallet holder that allows for rough positioning and final positioning of pallets when positioning an unmanned forklift or an unmanned cart at a predetermined position. placed at the front.

A concrete means for the pallet placing table is to mount a vertically movable centering member on a fixed table.
The centering member includes two centering members inserted into and out of the lower inner wall surface of each of the pallets or the pallet mounting portion of the moving platform. In addition, a second centering piece is integrally provided downward and inserted into and out of the lower inner wall surface of the pallet mounting portion of the movable table. Further, a movable table which is floated by the centering member is mounted on the fixed table independently of the centering member. The movable table is integrally provided with pallet placement parts that can be carried out on both sides. For example, the pallets are placed on a plurality of guide rollers attached to the inner wall of the tip end of a receiving member that receives the pallets on both sides of the moving table.

After the pallet transported by an unmanned forklift or an unmanned trolley is placed in a rough state on the pallet loading section of the pallet loading table of the present invention,
To accurately and reliably position a pallet by activating a drive source for a pallet holder. Then by the conveyor
It transports pallets to APC.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the pallet holder of the present invention installed in front of the APC installed in front of the machine tool, Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a view of Figure 2. It is an arrow view.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3, FMS
A plurality of machine tools such as horizontal machining centers M are installed in parallel, and a table 1 on which a pallet P is placed is disposed in front of each horizontal machining center M. APC2 is in front of the table 1.
is provided. The APC 2 is composed of a base 201, a turntable 202 on which a pallet P is placed and can rotate 180 degrees, and a loading/unloading device 203 for loading or unloading the pallet. The loading/unloading device 203 consists of two rails 203a and a plurality of guide rollers 203b at both ends of the rails 203a.

The pallet holder 3 of the present invention is arranged in front of the APC 2.

Although the specific structure of the pallet holder 3 will be described later, a fixed base 301 of the pallet holder 3 is installed on the floor, and a movable base 302 that can float is placed on the fixed base 301. The moving table 302
A pallet mounting section is integrally provided on both sides of the pallet mounting section, and a plurality of guide rollers 303 serving as the pallet mounting section
A pallet P can be placed on top.

Then, the pallet P for next processing is transferred from the pallet stocker (not shown) to the fork 4 of the unmanned forklift 4.
01 and carried to the front of the pallet stand 3 by the central control device. The unmanned forklift 4 is moved to the pallet holder 3 side and roughly positioned. The fork 401 of the unmanned forklift 4 is lowered, and the pallet P is placed on a plurality of guide rollers 303 of a pallet placement section integrally provided on the moving table 302 of the pallet placement table 3.

A conveying device 5 is provided beside the pallet table 3. Note that the transport device 5 uses a known transport mechanism, so the details will be omitted. An engagement member 501 is attached to an approximately central portion of the inner wall of the conveyance device 5 . On the other hand, an engagement piece 304 is attached to the approximate center of the outer wall of the pallet P.

The conveying device 5 is moved by a drive device (not shown), and the engaging member 501 engages with the engaging piece 304 . Next, as the conveyance device 5 moves toward the machine tool side, the pallet P also moves in the same direction, and the pallet P for next processing is placed on one side of the turntable 202 of the APC 2.
is transported. The processed pallet P processed by the machine tool is conveyed to the other turntable 202 of the APC 2. Therefore, the table 202 of APC2
By rotating the APC 2 180 degrees with the processed pallet P placed on the other side and the next processing pallet P placed on the other side, the positions of the processed pallet P and the next processing pallet P are exchanged. .

The pallet P for next processing is transferred to the machine tool, and the processed pallet P is transferred to the pallet stand 3 by the transfer device 5.

Next, the concrete structure of the pallet holder according to the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along the arrow in FIG.

In FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, a fixing base 301 is disposed on the floor, and the tip of a cylinder 305 is made to protrude upward into a hole bored in the center of the fixing base 301, The tip of the cylinder 305 is attached to a U-shaped member 306. Note that the U-shaped member 306 is fixed to the fixed base 301. A piston rod 307 is inserted into the cylinder 305, and a centering member 308 is inserted into the tip of the piston rod 307 and fixed via a nut member 309. A fixed frame 310 is placed on the fixed base 301.
is installed.

A guide bar 312 is inserted into two holes drilled in the centering member 308 via a guide bush 311 (FIG. 5). Guide bar 31
The lower part of 2 is connected to the fixed base 301 via the support member 313.
The upper part of the guide bar 312 is fixed to the fixed frame 3.
It is fixed at 10. As the cylinder 305 operates, the piston rod 307 inserted into the cylinder 305 moves up and down, and the centering member 3
08 is guided by the guide bar 312 and moves up and down.

A first centering piece 314 facing upward and a second centering piece 315 facing downward are screwed onto the centering member 308 by bolts 316 and 317, respectively.

Therefore, the first centering piece 314 and the second centering piece 31
5 is moved up and down together with the centering member 308. (Fig. 4) On the other hand, four brackets 31 are placed on the fixed base 301.
8a, 318b, 318c, and 318d are attached to the paired brackets 318a, 31
A fixed shaft 319 is fitted into the brackets 8b and brackets 318c and 318d. The movable base 302 is attached to the fixed shaft 319 in advance via a ball guide 320.

Pallet placement parts 302 are provided on both sides of the moving table 302.
A is provided integrally. Pallet placement section 302
A is composed of a pallet receiving member 321 and a plurality of guide rollers 303. Pallet placement section 302
A pallet receiving member 321 is attached to extend toward the APC2 direction, and the pallet receiving member 32
A plurality of guide rollers 303 are rotatably supported inside the upper end of the roller 1 .

The movable table 302 is floated so as to be slightly movable in the direction of the arrow via a ball guide 320. (FIG. 4) A pallet P carried by an unmanned forklift is placed on a plurality of guide rollers 303.

Before the engaging member 501 of the conveying device 5 engages the engaging piece 304 of the pallet P, the pallet P is placed in a rough state on the plurality of guide rollers 303.
position accurately and reliably. When the aforementioned cylinder 305 is activated and the piston rod 307 attached to the tip of the cylinder 305 is lifted upward, the piston rod 307 is inserted into the centering member 308, so the centering member 308 is guided upward by the guide bar 312. be lifted up. The centering member 308 has a first centering piece 314 facing upward and a second centering piece 31 facing upward.
5 is attached downward, the first centering piece 31 moves upward as the centering member 308 moves upward.
4 moves upward, lower inner wall surface Pa of pallet P
The center is aligned and positioned while touching the . By aligning the centers, the pallet P moves slightly to the left or right in the figure, and the moving table 302 moves to the ball guide 32 via a plurality of guide rollers 303 and a pallet receiving member 321 due to the weight of the pallet P.
0 allows for accurate and reliable positioning by floating in the axial direction of the fixed shaft 319.

After the pallet P is conveyed to the APC 2 by the conveyance device 5, if the moving platform 302 is left as it is, it will be floating slightly to the left or right from the predetermined position, so the next pallet will be transferred to the unmanned fork. Even if the pallet is carried by the lift 4 and placed on the plurality of guide rollers 303 of the pallet mounting table and an attempt is made to position it at a predetermined position, accurate positioning is not possible. Therefore, immediately after the pallet P is transferred to the APC 2, the cylinder 305 is activated to lower the piston rod 307. A second piston rod 307 is connected to the piston rod 307 via a centering member 308.
Since the centering piece 315 is attached downward, the second centering piece 315 lowers to the original position while touching the lower inner wall surface 321a of the pallet receiving member 321.
By descending while in contact with the moving platform 3
02 is floated to the right or left of the fixed shaft 319 by the ball guide 320, and returned by the amount moved by the first centering piece 314 to return to its original position.

The operation of replacing pallets using the apparatus of the present invention will be explained.

A pallet P is carried by an unmanned forklift 4 from a pallet stocker (not shown), the unmanned forklift 4 is stopped in front of a pallet holder 3 which is the device of the present invention, and then advanced to the side of the pallet holder 3 and stopped.

The fork 401 of the unmanned forklift 4 is lowered and the pallet P placed on the fork 401 is transferred to the pallet receiving member 3 of the pallet mounting table.
21 Guide roller 3 attached to the inner wall of the tip
Transfer it to 03 in rough condition.

After the pallet P is roughly transferred onto the guide roller 303, the fork 401 of the unmanned forklift 4 is further lowered slightly, so that the fork 401 is completely removed from the pallet P.

The unmanned forklift 4 is moved backward and removed from the pallet holder 3.

Next, the pallet holder 3, which is the device of the present invention, is activated. That is, (a) the cylinder 305 is operated and the cylinder 3
The piston rod 307 attached to the tip of 05 is moved upward.

(b) As the piston rod 307 moves upward, the centering member 308 fitted into the piston rod 307 moves upward.

(c) The first centering piece 314 attached upward to the centering member 308 moves upward at the same time.

(d) While the first centering piece 314 moves upward,
It moves to a predetermined position while contacting the lower inner wall surface Pa of the pallet P placed in a rough state on the guide roller 303. As a result, the pallet P is moved slightly to the left or right and is accurately centered at a predetermined position.

(The movable table 302 is floated in the axial direction to the left or right of the fixed shaft 319 by the ball guide 320 via the plurality of guide rollers 303 and the pallet receiving member 321 due to the weight of the pallet P.) First centering piece 314 After centering the pallet P accurately, the conveying device 5 is driven by an unillustrated drive device to first engage the engaging member 501 attached to the conveying device 5 with the engaging piece 304 attached to the side wall of the pallet. let

(At this time, the first centering piece 314 remains raised upward.) The conveying device 5 is advanced toward the APC2 side, and the APC2
is conveyed onto a plurality of guide rollers 203b.

The piston rod 307 is activated by operating the cylinder 305 of the pallet table 3, which is the device of the present invention.
By lowering the centering member 3
08 descends.

As the centering member 308 descends, the second centering piece 3 moves downward while moving the movable table 30.
It returns to its original position while contacting the lower inner wall surface 302a of No. 2. As a result, the movable table 302 floats in the right or left axial direction of the fixed shaft 319 via the ball guide 320 and returns to the original central position.

The engaging member 501 attached to the conveying device 5 is slightly moved in the opposite direction and removed from the engaging piece 304.

The conveying device 5 is moved back toward the pallet table 3 and returned to its original position.

The processing of the pallet P placed on the table 1 is completed, and the processed pallet is carried out onto the rail 203a on the other side of the turntable 202 by the carry-in/out device 203 of the APC 2.

Rotate APC2 180 degrees to automatically exchange the processed pallet and the next processing pallet.

After moving the conveying device 5 and engaging the engaging member 501 with the engaging piece 304 of the processed pallet, the conveying device 5 is moved backward toward the pallet placing table 3, and then the processed pallet is moved onto the plurality of guide rollers 303. Transfer to.

The unmanned forklift 4 is advanced onto the pallet holder 3, and the processed pallet P is lifted by the fork 401, and then the unmanned forklift 4 is moved backward. The processed pallet P is transported by an unmanned forklift 4 to a predetermined pallet stocker.

〔effect〕

By installing the pallet holder of the present invention in front of the APC, it is possible to accurately position the pallets during delivery, and the unmanned forklift or unmanned trolley that transports the pallets only has to make a rough stop in front of the pallet holder. High-speed movement becomes possible, thus leading to improved productivity in FMS.

Since the unmanned forklift or the unmanned cart can be stopped only roughly, the structure of the unmanned forklift or the unmanned cart does not need to be strong, and the structure becomes simple and the manufacturing cost is low.

Adopting the pallet holder of the present invention has the ripple effect of making it easier to construct and introduce an FMS.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a plan view of the pallet holder of the present invention installed in front of the APC installed in front of the machine tool, Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1, and
The figure is a view taken in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along the arrow in FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Table, 2...APC, 201...Base, 202...Turntable, 203...Carry-in/out device, 203b...Guide roller, 3...Pallet stand, 301...Fixing stand, 302... ...Moving table, 303...Guide roller, 304...Engaging piece, 305...Cylinder, 307...Piston rod, 308...Centering member, 312...
Guide bar, 314...first centering piece, 315...
...Second centering piece, 319...Fixed shaft, 320...
Ball guide, 321...Pallet receiving member, 4
...Unmanned forklift, 401...Fork,
5... Conveying device, 501... Engaging member, P... Pallet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a pallet stand disposed close to an automatic pallet exchange device, a fixed stand, a centering member attached to the fixed stand and movable back and forth in the vertical direction, and integrally provided on the upper part of the centering member. A first centering piece, a second centering piece integrally provided at the bottom of the centering member, and a floating movement that is attached to the fixed base and moves in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the centering member. It consists of a table and a pallet placement member provided on the movable table for placing pallets so as to be able to be carried in and out.
A pallet placing table characterized in that a centering piece positions a pallet placed on a pallet placing member, and a second centering piece engages with a moving table and positions the moving table by the downward movement of the centering member. .