JPH04201129A - Part feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten a time required for preparation and exchange of a tray by providing a positioning part to receive a tray delivered from a tray containing part through a tray lifter and vertically move it by a given distance to position the tray. CONSTITUTION:The position of a tray lifter part 3 to a tray containing part 1 is set, and with this state, a desired tray 1a is drawn out from the tray containing part to contain it in the upper or the lower part of a tray lifter part 3. The tray lifter part 3 is elevated to the position located facing a positioning part 5, and a tray 1a contained at an upper or a lower part is delivered toward the positioning part. In this case, since the tray 1a a work for which is completed is present at the positioning part, the tray 1a a work for which is completed is drawn out and contained in the lower or the upper part of the tray lifter part 3. Thus, thereafter, the tray 1a fed to the positioning part is lowered or raised by a given distance to effect positioning, and a work to set dinner ready is carried out by a robot 6 to set dinner ready.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a parts supply device, and more specifically,
The present invention relates to a parts supply device suitable for pulling out a tray containing parts from a tray accommodating part and supplying it to an assembly or processing line.

<Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention> Conventionally, as a part supply method for parts such as small mechanical parts to an assembly line, a catering supply method is often applied at the head of the line. In this case, since it is necessary to supply a plurality of parts to the fishing boat, it is necessary to change the parts to be supplied. Particularly, in the case of high-mix, low-volume production, the frequency of setup changes increases. In other words, the frequency of performing a series of tasks is to arbitrarily take out a tray containing parts, use a serving robot to serve the parts in the tray, and then replace the relevant tray with the next tray containing the necessary parts. It gets expensive.

As a component supply device suitable for such setup change, for example, a component supply device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-87122, a component supply device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 84-40244, etc. have been proposed.

The preceding component supply device is also of the so-called random access type that can pull out and feed trays in any stage, and positions the trays fed out from the tray lifter section and the tray lifter section. Although it includes a positioning part, since the positioning part positions the tray in the state in which it has been sent out, the work of pulling the tray from the positioning part to the tray/lifter part and the work of feeding it from the tray/lifter part to the positioning part is easy. This has to be done in this order, which inconveniently increases the time required for changeovers and reduces the workability of assembly, processing, etc.

<Object of the invention> This invention was made in view of the above problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a parts supply device that can significantly shorten the time required for setup changes and achieve random access.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the component supply device of the present invention includes a tray storage section that stores trays in multiple stages above and below, and a top and bottom position to take in and take out a desired tray. A tray lifter section including a pair of upper and lower pull-in and feed-out control sections that are controlled and pull in and feed out the tray; and a tray lifter section that receives the tray sent out from the tray housing section and moves it up and down by a predetermined distance. and a positioning section for positioning the tray.

However, it is preferable that the tray lifter section simultaneously sends out the tray to the positioning section and pulls the tray in from the positioning section.

Further, the tray has engaging portions near both ends of both side surfaces, and the tray lifter portion is a reciprocating clamp member having a pair of engaging portions that can be engaged simultaneously with the image body joining portion. It is preferable that it contains.

Function> With the component supply device having the above configuration, the position of the tray lifter section with respect to the tray accommodating section is set, and in this state, a desired tray is pulled out from the tray accommodating section and stored in the upper or lower part of the tray lifter section.

Then, the tray lifter section is raised and lowered to a position corresponding to the positioning section, and the tray accommodated in the upper or lower portion is sent out toward the positioning section. In this case, since the tray on which the work has been completed is present in the positioning section, the tray on which the work has been completed is pulled out and stored in the lower or upper part of the tray lifter section. Therefore, after that,
Positioning is performed by lowering or raising the tray fed into the positioning section by a predetermined distance, and the serving robot performs serving work. Also, during this time, the tray lifter section moves up and down until it corresponds to a predetermined position in the tray storage section, feeds the lower or upper tray to the corresponding stage of the tray storage section, and then moves up and down again to the predetermined position to place the tray on which the next work will be performed. bring out.

As is clear from the above explanation, it is no longer necessary to sequentially process the trays after the serving work is completed and the trays on which the serving work is to be performed, and it is now possible to perform image processing in parallel. Therefore, the time required for changing tray setup can be significantly shortened, and the efficiency of the overall serving work can be greatly increased.

Furthermore, since the positioning section itself does not move up or down, interference with the serving robot can be reliably eliminated.

If the tray lifter unit simultaneously sends out the tray to the positioning unit and pulls the tray in from the positioning unit, it also handles the trays after the serving work is completed and the trays that are to be subjected to the serving work. Since this is always done in parallel, the time required for tray setup can be reduced to the maximum, and the overall efficiency of the serving work can be maximized.

Further, the clamp member has engaging portions near both ends of both sides of the tray, and the tray lifter portion has a pair of engaging portions that can be engaged at the same time as the image body joining portion. , the tray lifter can be made smaller in plan size, making it more compact.
As a result, the entire component supply device can be downsized.

<Example> Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of the component supply device of the present invention, which includes a tray storage section (1) that stores trays (1a) in multiple stages, a tray supply/discharge conveyor, and a tray storage section (1). ), which transfers the tray (Ia) to and from the tray feeding/discharging section (2), which pulls out the desired tray (1a) from the tray accommodating section (1), or inserts the tray (1a) into the tray accommodating section (1). a tray lifter section (3) that feeds the tray into the tray, a positioning section (5) that receives the tray (1a) pulled out from the tray accommodating section (1) by the tray lifter section (3) and positions it for serving work, and a serving robot ( 6
), and a main conveyor (7) that conveys a pallet (7a) to which a plurality of necessary parts are supplied by a serving robot (6).

Referring to Figures 2 to 5, the tray lifter section (
3) and the positioning section (5) will be explained in detail.

The tray lifter section 0) has a pair of upper and lower tray storage shelves (31
a) Tray lifter body (31b) integrally formed (
31) and the tray lifter body (31) into the tray housing part (
1) A lifting drive unit (
32). In addition, the lifting drive unit (32) includes:
Balancer air cylinder (32a) for reducing the force required to raise the tray lifter body (31)
is provided.

Each tray storage shelf (31a) is equipped with a servo motor (3
3), a frame member (35) that engages with the ball screw (34) and slides following the rotation of the ball screw (34), and a predetermined position of the frame member (35). a pair of clamp members (36) provided in the
A clamp cylinder (36a) that moves a pair of clamp members (36) in the approaching direction and the separating direction, and a tray (1
a) and a pair of rail members (37) that support the rail. The clamp member (36) has engaging protrusions (36c) formed at predetermined positions near both ends of the main body (36b), which is not longer than the tray (1a).
36c) is set to be equal to the distance between a pair of engaging recesses (lb) formed at predetermined positions on the side surface of the tray (1a) (see FIG. 6).

Regarding the other tray storage shelf (31b), the only difference is that the positions of the ball screw (34) and frame member (35) with respect to the rail member (37) are upside down, and the other configurations are the same, so the details will not be described. Further explanation will be omitted.

The positioning part (5) includes a pair of rail members (
51) and a tray lifting cylinder (52) for raising the tray (1a) together with the rail member (51). Then, the raised tray (1
A support frame member (53a) which is brought closer together by the tray receiving cylinder (53) to support only the support frame member (53a), and a positioning cylinder to press the tray (1a) supported by the support frame member (53a) from both sides. (54) and a tray pressing member (54a) rotated by the tray pressing member (54).

The configurations of the tray accommodating section (1), the tray feeding/discharging section (2), the serving robot (6), and the main conveyor (7) are conventionally known, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the parts supplying device configured as described above.
The tray lifter main body (
31) is raised and lowered to bring the lower tray storage shelf (31b) directly opposite the designated tray (1a). Next, in step (2), the clamp members (36) that are spaced apart from each other are inserted into the tray housing part (first place), and in this state, the clamp members (36) are brought close to each other to separate the clamp members (36) from each other.
6) is engaged with the engaging recess (1b) near one end of the tray (1a).
Perform gripping a) (see Fig. 8 (A)), and step ■
By moving the clamp member (36) in the opposite direction, the tray (1a) is drawn into the tray storage shelf (31b) (see FIG. 8(B)).

Next, in step (2), the tray lifter main body (31) starts moving up and down in order to bring the tray storage shelf (31b) directly opposite the lower stage of the positioning part (5), and in step (2), the clamp members (36) are separated from each other. By moving the clamp members (36) in the same direction as step (3) and bringing them closer together, the image body joining protrusion (
38c) is engaged with the image body matching recess (1b) of the tray (1a) to grip the tray (1a) (Fig. 8(C)).
), the tray (1a) is moved inside the tray storage shelf (31b) by moving the clamp member (36) in the same direction as step (2) in step (2) (see FIG. 8(D)). Thereafter, in step (2), the clamp member (36) is operated in the same manner as in step (2), thereby completing preparations for sending out the tray (1a).
(See Figure 8(E)). As above, the tray (1a)
After preparation for sending out is completed, wait until the tray storage shelf (31b) directly faces the lower stage of the positioning part (5) in step (2), and then press the clamp member (3) in step [phase].
36) in the same direction as step (2), the tray (1a) is sent out from the tray storage shelf (31b) and stored in the lower stage of the positioning section (5) (see FIG. 8(F)). Also, in this step [phase], the clamp member (36) of the tray storage shelf (31a) is moved to the positioning part (5).
), the serving robot (6) grasps the tray (1a) from which parts have been taken out, and then moves the clamp member (36) of the tray storage shelf (31a) in the opposite direction. The tray (1a) is stored in the tray storage shelf (31a). After that, in step (2), the tray (1
a) to directly face the corresponding setting of the tray accommodating section (1) (the stage to which the tray (1a) should be returned).
) starts moving up and down, and in step ■ the positioning part (5
) The lower tray (1a) is raised to the upper stage of the positioning unit (5), positioned, and waits for necessary processing by the serving robot (6). In this flowchart, the tray (1a) of the tray storage stage (31a) is placed in the tray storage section (1).
) The only difference is that the direction in which the tray (1a) is moved by the clamp member (36) is reversed, so a description thereof will be omitted.

As is clear from the above explanation, a series of operations from taking the tray (1a) into the tray storage shelf (31b) to completing preparations for sending out the tray (1a) are carried out during the raising and lowering operation of the tray lifter section (3). Therefore, the tray storage stage and positioning section (1) in the tray storage section (1) can be
5) It is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that the time required for supplying parts increases due to the series of operations described above, except when the parts are close to each other. In addition, the feeding of the tray (1a) from the tray storage shelf (31b) to the positioning section (5) and the positioning section (5) are also carried out.
) to the tray storage shelf (31a) at the same time. Therefore, after pulling the tray (1a) from the positioning part (5), a new tray (1a) can be pulled into the tray storage shelf (31a) from the positioning part (5). ), the time required for parts supply can be reduced by almost half, and the time required for parts supply can be further shortened. As a result, it is possible to cope with a high-mix, low-volume production line in which trays are frequently exchanged without significantly increasing the overall component supply time.

Furthermore, since the positioning part (5) itself does not move up or down, there is no interference with the serving robot (6).

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and for example, the tray (1a) is fed from the upper tray storage shelf (31a) toward the positioning section (5), and the tray is placed in the positioning section (5). It is better to position the tray (1a) with the tray (1a) lowered.
) can be provided with an engaging protrusion and an engaging recess can be provided in the clamp member (36), and various other design changes can be made without changing the gist of the invention. .

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the first invention eliminates the necessity of sequentially processing the tray after the serving work is completed and the tray on which the serving work is to be performed.
Since image processing can be performed in parallel, the time required for changing tray setup can be significantly shortened, and the overall efficiency of serving work can be greatly improved, which is a unique effect.

In the second invention, since the processing of trays after the completion of the serving work and the processing of the trays on which the serving work is to be performed are always carried out in parallel, the time required for changing tray setup can be reduced to the maximum, and the overall It has the unique effect of maximizing the efficiency of serving food.

The third aspect of the present invention has the unique effect that the planar size of the tray lifter section can be reduced to the minimum necessary size, thereby achieving downsizing of the tray lifter section and, by extension, downsizing of the component supply device as a whole.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of the component supply device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the relationship among the tray storage section, tray lifter section, and positioning section, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same as above, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the positioning section; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the tray and the clamp member; FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the component supply operation; FIG. 8 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the state of each part. (1)...Tray accommodating section, (1a)...Tray, (
1b)...Engagement recess, (3)...Tray lifter part,
(31a) (31b)...Tray storage shelf, (36)
... Clamp member, (36c) ... Engaging protrusion Patent applicant: Daikin Industries, Ltd. Agent: Patent attorney: Tomoshi Tsugawa Figure 4 Figure 5 36 Clamp member Figure 8-2 (D) Ia Tray 36 clamp member (E) (F) Clamp member 36 5 31t) Tray collection

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tray accommodating section (1) that accommodates trays (1a) in a plurality of upper and lower stages; The tray lifter section (3) includes a pair of upper and lower pull-in/feed-out control sections (31a, 31b, and 36) for pulling in and feeding out the tray, and the tray lifter section (3) includes a pair of upper and lower pull-in/feed-out control sections (31a, 31b, and 36). a positioning unit (5) for positioning the tray (1a) by receiving the tray (1a) and moving the tray (1a) up and down a predetermined distance; 2. The tray lifter section (3) simultaneously delivers the tray (1a) to the positioning section (5) and pulls the tray (1a) in from the positioning section (5). Parts feeding device described in section. 3. The tray (1a) has engaging parts (1b) on both sides near both ends.
), and has a tray lifter part (31a) (31b).
Claim 1, wherein the clamp member (36) includes a reciprocating clamp member (36) having a pair of engaging portions (36c) that can be engaged with both of the engaging portions (1b) at the same time. Component supply device according to item 2.