JPH0388612A - Positioning device for movable member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the adjusting time by detecting the advance and retreat position of a movable member, and driving a motor to reach the preset position to control an adjusting mechanism in a positioning device for movable guide rails of a conveyer or the like. CONSTITUTION:The setting position of guide rails 4 is input from setting means 26 according to the kind of an article transported by a conveyer 3. Subsequently, a connector 27 of a portable driving mechanism 21 is connected to a connector 19 of the first adjusting mechanism 5, and a driving shaft 22 of a motor 23 is connected to a rotary shaft 9. A start button 28 is pressed to operate a control device 25. Whereupon, the current position information of the guide rails 4 is input from a detector 15 to the control device 25. The control device 25 controls the adjusting mechanism 5 to set the guide rails 4 in the setting position according to the setting position and the detecting position. Similarly, the guide rails are adjusted in each position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a positioning device for a movable member, and more particularly, the guide rail of a conveyor as a movable member is adjusted in width according to the type of article to be conveyed. The present invention relates to a positioning device for a movable member that is moved in a direction and positioned at a predetermined position.

``Prior Art'' Conventionally, a conveyor that conveys articles is generally provided with guide rails on both sides to guide the articles, but when the size of the article to be conveyed is changed, the guide rails are moved in the width direction. It is necessary to change the distance between the pair of guide rails.

Conventionally, various types of positioning devices for such guide rails have been proposed. -M-wise, a large number of positioning devices are provided at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail, and each positioning device is manually adjusted. Was. Alternatively, a motor is provided for each positioning device, or each positioning device is linked to a common motor, and each positioning device is adjusted all at once by the motor.

``Problems to be Solved by the Invention'' However, when each positioning device is manually adjusted, the work becomes complicated and time-consuming, and it is difficult to adjust each positioning device by linking each positioning device to a common motor. In some cases, it is necessary to dispose a long driving system along the conveyor for interlocking, which has the disadvantage of being expensive, similar to the case where a motor is provided for each positioning device.

"Means for Solving the Problem" In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides an adjustment mechanism that is provided at a plurality of positions and has movable members that can move forward and backward, and that selectively engages one of the adjustment mechanisms. and a portable drive mechanism capable of moving the movable member forward and backward, each of the adjustment mechanisms having at least a rotary shaft that is rotatably supported, and a rotary shaft that is interlocked with the forward and reverse rotation of the rotary shaft. The movable member is moved forward and backward, and the portable drive mechanism includes a motor that is detachably engaged with at least the rotating shaft and rotates the rotating shaft in forward and reverse directions. a detector for detecting forward and backward movement positions of the member; a setting means for setting a movement position of the movable member; and a movement position of the movable member is adjusted to the movement position set by the setting means in response to a signal from the detector. The present invention provides a positioning device for a movable member, characterized in that it is equipped with a control device that controls the operation of the motor so as to match the motor.

"Operation" According to the above configuration, the motor of the portable drive mechanism that can be carried is engaged with the rotating shaft of each adjustment mechanism, and the moving position of the movable member is set by the setting means, and in this state, the control device When the motor is controlled, the control device detects the position of the movable member based on the signal from the detector and causes the moving position of the movable member to match the moving position set by the setting means.

Therefore, since the control device automatically moves the movable member to a predetermined position, the adjustment work for each adjustment mechanism is extremely easy compared to the conventional method in which the positioning was done manually. can be manufactured at a lower cost than conventional automated equipment.

``Embodiment'' The present invention will be described below with reference to an illustrated embodiment. In FIG. 1, a conveyor 3 provided on a frame l and conveying an article 2 is provided with a pair of guide rails 4 for guiding the article 2 on both sides. ing. The above frame 1 includes a conveyor 3
A large number of adjustment mechanisms 5 are provided at predetermined intervals in the transport direction, and in this embodiment, one guide rail 4 can be moved forward and backward in the width direction by each adjustment mechanism 5.

The adjustment mechanism 5 is provided with a screw shaft 6 that is disposed in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 3 and slidably provided on the frame 1, and the guide rail 4 is attached to one end of the screw shaft 6. Fixed and supported. Then, a worm wheel 7 is screwed onto the screw shaft 6, and a worm 8 is meshed with the worm wheel 7, and the worm 8 is disposed parallel to the conveyor 3 and rotatably supported on the frame 1. It is attached to shaft 9.

At this time, the worm wheel 7 is the stopper member lO
The screw shaft 6 is supported so that it does not move in the axial direction even if it rotates, so that when the rotary shaft 9 is rotated in the forward or reverse direction, the screw is rotated through the worm 8 and the worm wheel 7. The shaft 6 can be moved back and forth in the axial direction, that is, the guide rail 4 can be moved back and forth in the width direction.

Further, the adjustment mechanism 5 includes a detector 15 that detects the forward and backward positions of the guide rail 4. This detector 15 is
A rod 16 fixed to the guide rail 4 and protruding horizontally to the side, a resistor 17 provided on the rod 16, and a contact 1 provided on the frame 1 and in contact with the resistor 17.
8 and a connector 19 electrically connected to this contact 18
From the voltage value detected by the contactor 18, the forward and backward movement position of the rod 16, and therefore the forward and backward movement position of the guide rail 4 can be detected.

Therefore, the rotation shaft 9 of each adjustment mechanism 5 is connected to the portable drive mechanism 2.
The portable drive mechanism 21 is manually transported to any position of each adjustment mechanism 5 and engaged with the rotation shaft 9 of the adjustment mechanism 5. It is now possible to do so.

In this embodiment, the portable drive mechanism 21 includes a drive shaft 22 that is detachably engaged with the rotation shaft 9 of the adjustment mechanism 5, a motor 23 that rotates the drive shaft 22 in forward and reverse directions, and a motor 23 that rotates the drive shaft 22 in forward and reverse directions. A brake 24 for stopping the rotation of the drive shaft 22 is provided, and an engagement hole with a square cross section provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 9 is provided in an engagement hole with a square cross section provided at the tip of the drive shaft 22. By relatively fitting the parts, the two can be connected in the rotational direction.

The operation of the motor 23 and the brake 24 is controlled by a control device 25 that constitutes a part of the portable drive mechanism 21, and this control device 25 is controlled by the setting means 26.
The position to which the guide rail 4 should be moved is inputted via the detector 15, and the current moving position of the guide rail 4 is inputted from the detector 15 via the connector 27 detachably connected to the connector 19. .

When the control device 25 receives a work start command signal from a start button 28 provided near the motor 23, it releases the braking action of the brake 24, rotates the motor 23 in the forward or reverse direction, and rotates the guide rail 4. It can be moved to a predetermined movement position set by the setting means 26.

In addition, in this embodiment, an indicator lamp 2 indicating the end of work is used.
9 is provided in a position close to the motor 23, and the control device 25 stops the operation of the motor 23 after moving the guide rail 4 to a predetermined position, operates the brake 24 to fix the drive shaft 22, and The display lamp 29 can be turned on.

In the above configuration, when changing the article 2 to be conveyed by the conveyor 3, first input the type of article to be newly conveyed into the setting means 26, and then enter the type of article to be newly conveyed into the setting means 26, and then input the type of article to be conveyed to the connector 19 of the first adjustment mechanism 5. The connector 27 of the drive mechanism 21 is connected, and the drive shaft 2 of the motor 23 is connected to the rotation shaft 9 of the adjustment mechanism 5.
Connect 2. At this time, the drive shaft 22 of the motor 23 is fixed by the braking action of the brake 24.

In this state, when the start button 28 is pressed and a work start command signal is given to the control device 25, the control device 25 inputs the new moving position of the guide rail 4 from the setting means 26, and also receives the guide rail from the detector 15. Input the current movement position of 4, and if there is a difference between the two,
The braking action of the brake 24 is released, the motor 23 is rotated forward or reverse, and the guide rail 4 is moved to the movement position set by the setting means 26.

After moving the guide rail 4 to the predetermined movement position,
The control device 25 stops the operation of the motor 23, operates the brake 24 to fix the drive shaft 22, and turns on the indicator lamp 29 to notify the worker that the work has been completed.

When the adjustment work in the first adjustment mechanism 5 is completed in this way, the drive shaft 22 is removed from the rotating shaft 9, and the connector 27 is removed from the connector 19. In this state, even if the guide rail 4 is pushed in the axial direction of the screw shaft 6, the guide rail 4 can be held in that position due to the engagement between the worm wheel 7 and the worm 8.

Next, connect the connector 27 of the portable drive mechanism 21 to the connector 19 of the second adjustment mechanism 5, connect the drive shaft 22 of the motor 23 to the rotation shaft 9 of the adjustment mechanism 5, and press the start button 28. If the button is pressed, the same operation as described above is repeated, and from now on, this operation can be performed for all adjustment mechanisms 5.

In the above embodiment, each detector 15 is provided with a connector 19.
．． Although the controller 25 is connected to the controller 25 via the detector 27, it is also possible to connect all the detectors 15 to the controller 25 in advance and input the location to be changed into the setting means 26. In this case, the control device 25 does not necessarily need to be transported together with the motor 23, and may be fixed at a desired position.

Next, FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the portable drive mechanism 21 is provided with a detector 35 for detecting the forward and backward movement position of the guide rail 4. . This detector 35 is detachably set on the frame (2), and the first distance measuring means 36 of the detector 35 connects the detector 35 and the reference plate 3.
In addition to measuring the distance between the detector 35 and the guide rail 4, the second distance measuring means 38 can also measure the distance between the detector 35 and the guide rail 4.

Therefore, since the position of the guide rail 4 relative to the reference plate 37 can be detected from the above two distances, the position of the guide rail 4 relative to the reference plate 37 can be detected depending on the size of the article 2.
What is necessary is to change the position appropriately.

The rest of the structure is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, so a description of that part will be omitted.

Further, in this embodiment, if the detector 35 can be removably set accurately at a predetermined position on the frame 1, the first distance measuring means 36 and the reference plate 37 can be omitted.

Further, although the above embodiment describes positioning of the guide rail 4, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in casers and uncasers, the guide rails in multiple rows are adjusted depending on the size of the container, and the position of the gripping head that grips the container is also changed, and the present invention is applicable to such a gripping head positioning device. can be applied.

At this time, the amount of adjustment of the guide rail and the amount of adjustment of the gripping head are usually different, so in this case, the type of article to be newly processed is input to the setting means 26, and the type of the adjustment location is input. For example, it is possible to input whether it is a guide rail or a gripping head, and it is possible to automatically set the amount of movement of the guide rail or gripping head depending on the adjustment location even for the same article. In this case, it is desirable that the setting means 26 be provided near the motor 23.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, in the present invention, adjustment work is required for each adjustment mechanism, but the positioning of movable members such as guide rails and gripping heads, which requires the most effort, is automatically performed by the control device. Therefore, the adjustment work can be carried out in a shorter time and easier than in the past, and on the other hand, it is possible to manufacture the apparatus at a lower cost compared to the conventional apparatus which is completely automated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of essential parts showing another embodiment of the invention. 2... Goods 3... Conveyor 4... Guide rail (movable member)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An adjustment mechanism having movable members provided at a plurality of positions and capable of moving forward and backward, and a transportable movable member that is selectively engaged with any one of the adjustment mechanisms to move the movable member forward and backward. Each of the adjustment mechanisms includes at least a rotary shaft that is rotatably supported, and the movable member that moves forward and backward in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the rotary shaft, and The portable drive mechanism includes at least a motor that is removably engaged with the rotating shaft and rotates the rotating shaft in forward and reverse directions, and further includes a detector that detects forward and backward movement positions of the movable member; a setting means for setting a moving position of the movable member; and a control device receiving a signal from the detector and controlling the operation of the motor so that the moving position of the movable member matches the moving position set by the setting means. A positioning device for a movable member, comprising: