JPH0466765B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a chain conveyor device for placing parts on a pallet and conveying the parts, and particularly relates to a chain conveyor device having a reciprocating path and a chain conveyor device in which the conveyance path is extendable and retractable. Regarding conveyor equipment.

[Prior Art] Chain conveyors, which transport parts by placing them on pallets, are often used in transport lines in factories. Conventionally, in this chain conveyor, a pallet 2 was fixed to a chain 1 as shown in FIG.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] According to the above-mentioned conventional chain conveyor device, the number of pallets 2 cannot be changed because the pallets 2 are fixed to the chain 1 of the chain conveyor device. was constantly moving along the entire length of the conveyor line. For this reason, when parts such as printed circuit boards from different production lots are transported, pallets 2 on which no parts are placed must also be transported onto the line, which poses a problem in productivity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and provides a chain conveyor device that can freely change the number of pallets on a chain conveyor and can improve productivity by making the conveyance path of the chain conveyor expandable and retractable. The purpose is to

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a chain conveyor device in which parts are placed on a pallet and transported on a reciprocating path formed approximately parallel to the pallet. A guide rail that guides the pallet rotating arm between the reciprocating path, a motor that rotates the pallet via the pallet rotating arm, and a pallet rotating arm that can be engaged and disengaged, a guide rail that guides the pallet rotating arm between the reciprocating paths, and a motor that rotates the pallet via the pallet rotating arm. A pallet rotation mechanism consisting of a guide plate movably supporting the pallet is provided to be movable, and the rotation speed of the motor is controlled so that the rotation speed of the pallet on the guide plate is synchronized with the moving speed of the chain. A control means is provided to enable the pallet to be transferred from the return trip to the outward trip at any position.

[Function] According to the above configuration, the pallets are only engaged with the chain via the connecting fittings and are not fixed, so the pallets can be easily removed from the conveyor, and the pallets can be adjusted according to the production lot. You can change the number. In addition, by providing a pallet rotation means at any position between the reciprocating path corresponding to the number of pallets, it is possible to expand and contract the conveyance path of the chain conveyor to the required length and transfer pallets from the incoming path to the outgoing path. . Furthermore, the speed of movement of the pallet on the guide plate can be made equal to the speed of movement of the chain by means of the control means.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of a chain conveyor device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.
Chain 1 of chain conveyor 3 as shown in Figure 3.
A bracket 4 is fixedly attached to the bracket 4, and a chain side connecting fitting 5 is rotatably attached to the bracket 4 via a shaft 6. The chain-side connecting fitting 5 is stopped from rotating clockwise in the figure in an upright state by a stopper 7 implanted below the shaft 6 of the bracket 4. In this state, the upper end of the chain-side connecting fitting 5 protrudes from the upper end of the bracket 4, and is capable of engaging with a pallet-side connecting fitting to be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the pallet 8 on which the parts are placed is formed into a rectangular shape made of a light material such as a plywood board, and a balance weight 9 is fixedly installed along one side of the pallet 8. Two pallet rotating arms 10 and 11 are fixedly installed downward at right angles to the pallet 8 at approximately the center of one side on the opposite side of the pallet 8, and a bearing 12, 13
is installed. A pallet-side connecting fitting 14 having a U-shaped notch 14a is fixed in the center of the lower surface of the pallet 8.
The opening side of a is formed to be opposite to the direction in which the pallet 8 moves. And this notch 14
a can be engaged with the chain side connecting fitting 5 described above.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of rows of swivel casters 16 are provided on the upper surface of the pedestal 15 on which the chain conveyor 3 is movably mounted, and which support the pallet 8 in a rollable manner. There is. This pedestal 15 is formed into a substantially U-shape, and is provided with a guide rail 17 along the inside thereof for slidably guiding the chain 1. And this guide rail 1
A cam plate 18 shown in FIG. 3 can be attached to an arbitrary position via a pin 18a on the inner upper surface of the cam plate 7, and a convex portion 18b formed on the upper surface of the cam plate 18 connects to the chain side connection. By abutting against the lower part of the metal fitting 5 and rotating the connecting metal fitting 5 counterclockwise in the figure, the engagement between the chain side connecting metal fitting 5 and the pallet side connecting metal fitting 14 can be released.

Parallel portion 15 of the U-shaped pedestal 15
A pallet rotation mechanism 19 is provided between a and 15b so as to be transferable. This pallet rotation mechanism 1
Reference numeral 9 consists of a rail board 21 having a substantially semicircular guide rail 20 on its upper surface, and a motor 23 which is fixed at the center of the guide rail 20 and has an arm 22 attached to a drive shaft. Pallet rotating arms 10 and 11 fixed to the pallet 8 are engaged with and guided by the guide rail 20 via bearings 12 and 13, respectively. Also, the rotation of the motor 23 pushes the pallet rotating arm 10 via the arm 22,
The pallet 8 is rotated along a guide rail 20. A guide plate 24 that rotatably supports the pallet 8 is provided adjacent to the rail board 21 at a position away from the transfer locus of the pallet rotation arms 10 and 11. A plurality of flexible casters 25 are provided so that their upper surfaces are substantially flush with the upper surface of the caster 16. Further, a sprocket wheel 26 that is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) and meshes with the chain 1 is provided at the end of the pedestal 15 opposite to the turn portion 15c.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. The pallet rotation mechanism 19 is fixed in advance at a suitable position to form the shortest conveyance path for circulating the number of pallets required for the work. Next, the pallets 8 are sequentially placed on the chain conveyor 3, and the notches 14a of the pallet-side connecting fittings 14 are engaged with the chain-side connecting fittings 5. At this time, the chain side connecting fitting 5 stands upright due to its own weight, and is prevented from rotating clockwise in FIG. 3 by the stopper 7. Then, by moving the chain conveyor 3 in the direction of arrow A, the pallet 8 is
is also moved in the direction of arrow A via these connecting fittings 5 and 14. When the pallet 8 enters the return path 15b and reaches the inner end of the pallet rotation mechanism 19,
The lower end of the chain-side connecting fitting 5 comes into contact with the convex portion 18b of the cam plate 18 that is attached to the corresponding position in advance, and the connecting fitting 5 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure to connect with the chain-side connecting fitting 5. The engagement with the pallet side connecting fitting 14 is released. At the same time, the bearings 12 and 13 provided at the tips of the pallet rotating arms 10 and 11 begin to enter the guide rails 20 provided on the rail board 21. At this time, a micro switch (not shown) is activated and the motor 23 starts rotating, and the pallet rotation arm 10 is pushed counterclockwise in the figure via the arm 22, so that the pallet 8 is moved along the guide rail 20 and onto the guide plate. Almost on 24
Rotate 180 degrees. At this time, the rotational speed of the motor 23 is controlled so that the rotational speed of the pallet 8 is synchronized with the moving speed of the chain conveyor 3. After the pallet 8 reaches the chain conveyor 3 on the outbound side, when the next chain side connecting fitting 5 again engages with the notch 14a of the pallet side connecting fitting 14, the pallet 8 is moved by the chain conveyor 3 onto the frame. Outward journey 15
Move on a in the direction of arrow A and repeat the initial operation. The motor 23 stops every 360 degree rotation and waits for the next pallet 8 to arrive.

According to this embodiment, the pallets 8 and the chain 1 can be attached and detached freely, and the number of pallets can be increased or decreased depending on the production lot. Further, the effective length of the chain conveyor 3 can be made expandable and retractable depending on the number of pallets via the pallet rotation mechanism 19, and conveyance by the chain conveyor 3 can be carried out in the minimum required cycle time.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the chain conveyor and the pallet are removably connected via the connecting fittings, the pallet rotation mechanism is movably provided between the reciprocating path of the conveyance line, and the chain Since the effective length of the conveyor can be expanded and contracted according to the number of pallets, the number of pallets can be increased or decreased according to the production lot of parts to be placed on the pallets, and the conveyance path of the chain conveyor can be adjusted to the minimum required length according to the number of pallets. It can be length. Further, since the rotational speed of the pallet on the guide plate is controlled to be synchronized with the moving speed of the chain, the moving speed of the pallet on the guide plate can be made the same as the moving speed of the chain. Therefore, if there are a plurality of pallets, the spacing between them will not be changed by this pallet rotation mechanism.
Therefore, productivity can be improved if parts are placed on pallets that are transported in this manner and assembly work is performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the chain conveyor device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the pallet in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the chain side connection fittings in Fig. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a conventional chain conveyor device. 1... Chain, 3... Chain conveyor, 5...
Chain side connection fitting, 8...Pallet, 10, 11
... Pallet rotation arm, 14 ... Pallet side connection fitting, 15 ... Frame, 15a ... Outward path, 15
b...Return trip, 19...Pallet rotation mechanism, 20...
...Guide rail, 22...Arm, 23...Motor, 24...Guide plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a chain conveyor device in which parts are placed on a pallet and transported on a reciprocating path formed approximately parallel to each other, a connection is provided on the lower surface of the pallet that can be engaged with and detached from the chain of the chain conveyor device. A means for rotating the pallet is provided, a guide rail for guiding the arm for rotating the pallet between the reciprocating path, a motor for rotating the pallet via the arm for rotating the pallet, and a motor for movably moving the pallet. A pallet rotation mechanism including a supporting guide plate is movably provided, and a control means is provided for controlling the rotation speed of the motor so that the rotation speed of the pallet on the guide plate is synchronized with the moving speed of the chain. A chain conveyor apparatus characterized in that the pallet can be transferred from a return trip to an outbound trip at any position. 2 In claim 1, the means for connecting the pallet and the chain is a connecting fitting provided on the pallet side and the chain side, respectively, and this chain side connecting fitting rotates in the pallet rotating part to connect the pallet side. A chain conveyor device characterized in that engagement with metal fittings can be released.