JPH0512166Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Field of industrial application) This invention consists of a rail that extends along the work process line and has an inclined section, and a rail that is suspended movably by its own weight along the inclined section of the rail. The present invention relates to a hanger conveyor equipped with a plurality of hangers, and particularly to a hanger alignment device used when feeding objects to the hanger conveyor.

(Prior art) In a typical hanger conveyor system, a conveyor rail with a plurality of consecutive chevron-shaped conveying sections is provided, and a work station equipped with a sewing machine is installed corresponding to the valley of each chevron-shaped conveying section. After placing the hanger along one slope of the chevron-shaped conveyance section and lifting the hanger from one valley to the top, the hanger is moved along the other slope to the other valley by its own weight. The sewn parts are conveyed from a given work station to the next adjacent work station.

In order to feed the sewn parts into the above-mentioned hanger conveyor system, the sewn parts feeding device installed in the system is disclosed in Utility Model Application No. 62-136415 by the same applicant as the applicant of this application.
There is something described in the Publication No. (published on August 27, 1986). This conventional device is equipped with a horizontally extending loading rail, and after the completion of all work steps, multiple hangers transferred to the loading rail are held in a predetermined position by multiple wire spring holding members disposed along the rail. The sewn parts are removed from the hanger and the unsewn parts are attached to the hanger while the hangers are kept aligned at intervals of .

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the above-mentioned conventional device, it is necessary to use an input rail that has a different shape and configuration from the conveyor rail that connects each work station, so the number of components of the entire system is There was a risk that the increase in types would lead to a rise in manufacturing costs.

(Purpose of the invention) This invention was made in order to solve the above problems, and the purpose was to install a guide rail with an inclined part connecting each work station at the loading station for the transported objects. In addition, multiple hangers can be reliably aligned at a predetermined interval on the slope, and by sharing the guide rail between the work station and the input station, it is possible to manufacture the entire system. An object of the present invention is to provide a hanger alignment device for a hanger conveyor that can reduce costs.

(Means for solving the problem) In order to achieve the above purpose, in this invention,
A guide rail consisting of an upwardly inclined section and a downwardly inclined section connected alternately is suspended and supported on a support rail extending along the work process line, and a plurality of hangers are attached by their own weight along the downwardly inclined section of the guide rail. The movably suspended hanger conveyor includes a plurality of hanger feeding devices attached at predetermined intervals to a support rail on the downward slope, each of the hanger feeding devices being engaged with the hanger. A blocking piece that can be switched between an engagement position where the hanger is prevented from moving on the downward slope and a disengaging position where the hanger is disengaged from the hanger and allowed to move, and the blocking piece is switchably disposed in both of the positions. and an adjusting means for adjusting the movement of at least the blocking piece between the highest point and the lowest point of the descending slope.

(Function) By adopting the above means, this device
By attaching each hanger feeding device to a predetermined location on the support rail, and adjusting the height of the blocking piece up and down with the height of the guide rail using the adjusting means until the height of the blocking piece is at a position where it can be engaged with and detached from the hanger, one of the hanger conveyors can be moved. A system is formed. When the blocking pieces of each hanger feeding device are placed in the engagement position by the driving means, the plurality of hangers are stopped on the descending slope in a state in which they are aligned at a predetermined interval,
When the blocking piece is placed in the disengaged position, movement of the hanger on the downward slope is permitted.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying this invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of support rods 2 are suspended and fixed at predetermined intervals from a support rail 1 extending along a work process line, and a guide rail 3 is supported by the support rods 2. This guide rail 3 includes a plurality of mountain-shaped conveying sections 4 between a pair of adjacent support rods 2, and a trough 4a, which is the lowest point of the conveyance section 4, is arranged near the lower end of the support rods 2. There is. A work station Sa equipped with a sewing machine M such as a sewing machine is set below the valley 4a, and a charging station Sa for feeding sewing parts into the guide rail 3 is provided between any pair of valleys 4a.
Sb is set.

A plurality of hangers 5 are movably suspended from the guide rail 3. This hanger 5 includes a rod-shaped main body 6 and a wheel 7 rotatably attached to the upper end of the main body 6 and having a guide groove 7a on the circumferential surface of the central part.
It is attached to the lower end and middle part of the main body 6, and the best time to see it.
It is composed of a pair of locking parts 8 and 9 that removably lock a plurality of sewn parts such as cuffs and pockets, and is movably fitted to the guide rail 3 in the guide groove 7a of the wheel 7. There is.

Each conveyor section 4 of the guide rail 3 is provided with a hanger lift device (not shown) having the same configuration as the chain type hanger lift device described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 126421/1983 by the same applicant as the applicant of this application. is built-in, and when the hanger 5 is operated, the hanger 5 is moved to the conveyor section 4.
It is lifted from one trough 4a to the top 4c, which is the highest point of the conveying section 4, along one slope 4b.

Further, the support rail 1 is equipped with three types of intermittent feeding devices 10, 11, and 24 as hanger feeding devices of the present invention for feeding the hanger 5. That is, the first intermittent feeding device 10 includes a hanger feeding mechanism to be described later and a control device 20 for setting the number of hangers 5 to be fed, etc., and is installed near the valley portion 4a of each station Sa, Sb. The second intermittent feeding device 11 includes a hanger feeding mechanism, a vertical position adjustment mechanism for the hanger feeding mechanism, and an overflow switch 21, and is installed near the top 4c of the work station Sa. Further, the third intermittent feeding device 24 includes a hanger feeding mechanism and a vertical position adjustment mechanism, and is installed at predetermined intervals along the other inclined portion 4d of the input station Sb.

Here, each intermittent feeding device 10, 11, 24 will be explained in detail. Each intermittent feed device 10, 1
Reference numerals 1 and 24 include a main frame 12 supported by the support rail 1 in a vertically adjustable manner, and a subframe 13 fixed at its upper end or connected to the main frame 12 in a vertically adjustable manner. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, four elongated holes 12 extending vertically are provided on both left and right sides of the main frame 12 of each intermittent feeding device 10, 11, and 24.
a is formed, and a bracket 12b is fitted to the support rail 1.
b and four screws 12c passing through each long hole 12a.
are screwed onto a pair of left and right connecting plates 12d arranged inside the main frame 12, and their vertical positions can be adjusted by moving the main frame 12 along each elongated hole 12a with each screw 12c loosened. I'm starting to be able to do it.

A plurality of through holes 13a are bored at a predetermined pitch in the left and right sides of the sub-frame 13 of the second and third intermittent feeding devices 11 and 24, and the main frame 12 has a plurality of through holes 13a formed at a predetermined pitch. A pair of through holes 12e of the same pitch are formed, and the sub frame 13 is inserted into the pair of through holes 12e of the main frame 12.
With an arbitrary pair of through holes 13a aligned with each other,
Insert the screw 13b through both, and
By screwing b to the connecting plate 13c, the subframe 13 is connected to the main frame 12 so that its vertical position can be adjusted. In the second and third intermittent feeding devices 11 and 24, the length of the subframe 13 protruding downward from the main frame 12 is determined depending on the distance between the support rail 1 and the inclined portion 4d. It is set by selective use. Therefore, mainframe 1
2. By adjusting the length of the subframe 13 projecting downward, the height of the blocking member 14 (described later) can be freely adjusted between the valley portion 4a and the top portion 4c.

The main frame 12, the elongated hole 12a, the bracket 12b, the screw 12c, the connecting plate 12d, the through hole 12e, the subframe 13, the through hole 13a, and the screw 13b constitute the adjusting means of the present invention.

A blocking member 14 constituting a hanger feeding mechanism is supported at the center of the lower part of the subframe 13 of each intermittent feeding device 10, 11, 24 so as to be rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the guide rail 3. A first blocking piece 15 as a blocking piece of the present invention is provided protrudingly on one side, and a fan-shaped second blocking piece 1 is provided on the other side.
6 is provided protrudingly. A piston 18 of an air cylinder 17 as a driving means of the present invention disposed within the subframe 13 is connected to the second blocking piece 16, and the other end of a spring 19 that is latched to the subframe 13 at one end is connected to the second blocking piece 16. It is locked. and,
When the air cylinder 17 is inactive, the urging force of the spring 19 causes the blocking member 14 to be placed at the solid line position in FIG.
a is placed in an engagement position that engages with the bottom part, and
The second blocking piece 16 is disposed at the disengaged position where it disengages from the bottom of the guide groove 7a, and due to the engagement of the first blocking piece 15 disposed at the engaging position with the wheel 7, one of the plurality of consecutive hangers 5 is disposed. Movement of the leading hanger 5 and the subsequent hangers 5 is prevented.

Further, when the piston 10 is projected due to the operation of the air cylinder 17, the blocking member 14 is rotated to the chain line position in the figure against the biasing force of the spring 19, and the first blocking piece 15 is moved against the wheel 7. The second blocking piece 16 is disposed at the disengagement position where it disengages from the bottom of the guide groove 7a, and the second blocking piece 16 is disposed at the engagement position where it engages with the bottom of the guide groove 7a.As a result, the leading hanger 5 is allowed to move due to its own weight. At the same time, the next movement of the hanger 5 is prevented. As shown in FIG. 1, an overflow switch 22 is also provided near the top 4c of the guide rail 3 at the work station Sa.

Now, in FIG. 1, the blocking members 14 of each intermittent feeding device 10, 24 are arranged at the solid line position in FIG. 2, the wheels 7 of the hanger 5 are engaged with each first blocking piece 15, and the loading station Sb is This shows a state in which the movement of five hangers 5 on the transport section 4 is blocked. In this state, each hanger 5
are arranged at predetermined intervals and prevented from crowding, so that the sewing parts can be easily attached to and detached from each of the locking portions 8 and 9.

Then, based on the operation of the air cylinder 17 of each intermittent feeding device 10, 24, each blocking member 14 moves to the second
When the first blocking piece 15 of each blocking member 14 is rotated almost simultaneously between the solid line position and the chain line position in the figure,
is reciprocated between the engagement position and the disengagement position, and the second blocking piece 16 is reciprocated between the disengagement position and the engagement position. Then, each hanger 5 separates from the first blocking piece 15 that has been moved to the detached position, is allowed to move, and engages with the second blocking piece 16 on the downstream side (right side) that has been moved to the engaging position. Then, it is stopped after being moved by the arrangement interval of each third intermittent feeding device 24. Thereafter, each hanger 5 separates from the second blocking piece 16 that is moved back to the detached position, moves slightly downstream, engages with the first blocking piece 15 that moves back to the engagement position, and stops. be done. Due to this operation, only the first hanger 5 is pushed by its own weight into the trough 4 along the slope 4d of the loading station Sb.
a (the center of FIG. 1). By repeating the above operation, the plurality of hangers 5 are moved from the input station Sb toward the first work station Sa.

At the first work station Sa, one hanger 5 located in the trough 4a (in the center of FIG. 1) is lifted to the top 4c by the hanger lift device in the conveying section 4, and then moved to the second intermittent feeding device. By engaging with the first blocking piece 15 of No. 11, it is stopped near the top portion 4c. Thereafter, when the air cylinder 17 of the second intermittent feeding device 11 is activated in response to signals from the overflow switches 21 and 22, the blocking member 14 reciprocates between the solid line position and the chain line position in FIG. As the hanger 5 is rotated, one hanger 5 is moved along the other inclined portion 4d due to its own weight. At this time, if the blocking member 14 of the first intermittent feeding device 10 is placed at the solid line position in FIG. 2, the movement of the hanger 5 is stopped by the engagement of the first blocking piece 15 with the wheel 7.

Next, the air cylinder 1 of the first intermittent feeding device 10
7 is activated, and accordingly, the blocking member 14 moves to the second position.
When the hanger 5 is rotated back and forth between the solid line position and the chain line position in the figure, the hanger 5 is moved by its own weight to the trough 4a (the first
(right end in the figure) and is stopped at the valley 4a. Therefore, the operator can perform predetermined sewing on the sewing parts attached to the hanger 5 using the sewing machine M of the first work station Sa. After the sewing is finished, the hanger 5 is moved to the next work station Sa by operating the hanger lift device and the first and second intermittent feed devices 10 and 11 at the next work station Sa.
Moved to Sa.

And the final work station of the work process
When the machining at Sa (left end in Figure 1) is completed,
The hanger 5 is moved to the trough 4a by a hanger lift device in the transfer section 4 at the input station Sb.
(left end in Figure 1) to the third intermittent feeder 2 at the left end
4 and are sequentially lifted up and aligned in the input station Sb by the respective third intermittent feeders 24 and the first intermittent feeder 10.

As described above, in this embodiment, the plurality of intermittent feeding devices 10 and 24 are arranged along the inclined portion 4d of the loading station Sb, so each of the intermittent feeding devices 10 and 24 moves the plurality of hangers 5 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the sewing parts can be attached and detached from the hanger 5 very easily. Moreover, the same components as the transport section 4 of the guide rail 3 for transporting the hanger 5 between normal work stations are used at the loading station Sb, and an intermittent feeding device having almost the same configuration is used at each station Sa, Sb. Since this is used, it is possible to standardize parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the entire system.

Further, in this embodiment, the main frame 12 of the third intermittent feeding device 24 is connected to the support rail 1 so that its vertical position can be adjusted, and the main frame 1
Since the subframe 13 is connected to 2 so that its vertical position can be adjusted, the subframe 1
3 can be adjusted, and changes in the amount of inclination of the inclined portion 4d can be reliably dealt with.

Note that this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and for example, the second blocking piece of each intermittent feeding device 10, 24 disposed in the loading station may be omitted, or an electromagnetic solenoid or the like may be used as a driving means for the blocking member 14. It is also possible to use

(Effects of the invention) As detailed above, this invention can prevent the guide rail structure from becoming complicated by attaching the hanger feeding device using the support rail that suspends and supports the guide rail. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate obstacles such as hindering the feeding of the hanger or staining the conveyed object, and it is possible to carry out the hanger feeding operation smoothly.

In addition, the vertical position of the blocking piece in the plurality of hanger feeding devices supported by the support rail can be adjusted by the adjustment means, and by arranging each hanger feeding device at intervals, the hangers can be stopped at intervals. Since the necessary loading station can be provided on the downward slope of the guide rail, the work station and the loading station can be constructed from a common guide rail, reducing the manufacturing cost of the entire system.

Furthermore, since the adjustment means allows the blocking piece to be adjusted to the optimal position according to the distance between the support rail and the guide rail, there is no need to manufacture multiple types of hanger feeding devices with different lengths, further reducing manufacturing costs. This has the advantage of being able to respond flexibly to changes in the system.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a hanger conveyor embodying this invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged front sectional view of the intermittent feeding device, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged side sectional view. 1... Support rail, 3... Guide rail, 4d...
... Inclined part, 5... Hanger, 10, 11, 24...
...first, second and third as hanger feeding devices
Intermittent feeding device, 12, 12a to 12e, 13, 1
3a to 13c...Main frame, elongated hole, bracket, screw, connecting plate, through hole, constituting the adjustment means,
Subframe, through hole and screw, 15...first blocking piece as blocking piece, 17...air cylinder as driving means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of claim for utility model registration] Support rail 1 extending along the work process line
A guide rail 3 formed by alternately connecting upwardly inclined parts 4b and downwardly inclined parts 4d is suspended and supported, and a plurality of hangers 5 can be moved by their own weight along the downwardly inclined parts 4d of the guide rail 3. The suspended hanger conveyor includes a plurality of hanger feeding devices 10, 11, 24 attached to the support rail 1 on the downward slope portion 4d at predetermined intervals, each of the hanger feeding devices 10, 11, 24.
an engagement position that engages with the hanger 5 to prevent movement of the hanger 5 on the downward slope portion 4d;
A blocking piece 15 that can be detached from the hanger 5 and switched to a detached position that allows movement of the hanger 5; a driving means 17 for switching and arranging the blocking piece 15 in both of the positions; , descending slope part 4d
Adjustable means 12, 12a to 12e, 13, 13a that can be moved between the highest point 4c and the lowest point 4a of
13c. A hanger alignment device for a hanger conveyor, characterized by comprising: -13c.