JPH0567374B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a workpiece conveyance device that conveys a workpiece along a circular conveyance path.

(Prior art) Conventionally, as this type of conveying device,
According to Publication No. 111823, an annular frame is rotatably supported on a machine base, a plurality of carriers each having a chuck member for gripping a workpiece are attached to the annular frame at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the rotation of the annular frame It is known that a plurality of workpieces held by these carriers are conveyed along an annular conveyance path, and predetermined operations are performed on these workpieces at a plurality of work stations provided around the conveyance path.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the above system, when it becomes necessary to change the gripping position of the workpiece due to a model change, it is necessary to individually adjust the mounting position of the chuck member of each carrier, and the work There are problems that require time and effort.

In order to solve this problem, the first object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device that can simultaneously adjust the positions of all chuck members of the carrier.

By the way, when the workpiece is a rod-shaped object on a shaft or the like and is held in a vertical position by a carrier, a pair of upper and lower chuck members are provided on the carrier to grip the workpiece at two places, upper and lower. It is desirable to be able to adjust the positions of both chuck members separately so that the gripping span can be changed accordingly, and it is a second object of the present invention to provide a conveying device that meets this need.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the first object, the invention as claimed in claim 1, rotatably supports an annular frame of a machine base, and supports a carrier that holds a workpiece on the annular frame in a circumferential direction. A plurality of carriers are attached at intervals to each other, and a plurality of workpieces held by these carriers are transported along an annular conveyance path by rotation of the annular frame, and each carrier is attached to the annular frame. A chuck member for gripping the workpiece is attached to a carrier frame which is supported by a guide member fixed to the frame so as to be freely raised and lowered, and the machine base is provided with an annular lifting rail that is adjustable up and down and is concentric with the annular frame. Then, the carrier frames of all the carriers were slidably engaged with the elevating rail in the circumferential direction.

In the invention of claim 2, in order to achieve the second object, each carrier is configured to include a pair of upper and lower carrier frames to which chuck members are attached, and a pair of upper and lower carrier frames that are individually adjusted in elevation. A lifting rail is provided on the upper side of all the carriers, and a carrier frame and a lower carrier frame are engaged with the upper lifting rail and the lower lifting rail, respectively.

By the way, the lifting rail may be adjusted up and down using a lifting cylinder, but in this case, in order to raise and lower the lifting rail while maintaining levelness, there are multiple cylinders that operate synchronously with each other at intervals in the circumferential direction of the lifting rail. It is necessary to provide a lifting cylinder, which increases the cost.

Therefore, in the invention of claim 3, rods are erected at a plurality of locations around the lifting rail, and levers for moving the rods up and down are provided at multiple locations around the machine base, and a lever is provided at a central portion on the machine base. A rotating plate is provided to swing these levers in synchronization with each other via each link, and the rotation of the rotating plate causes multiple rods to move up and down in synchronization with each other via multiple levers. The elevator rail can be adjusted up and down using a single drive source while maintaining its levelness.

In addition, when a pair of upper and lower lifting rails is provided as in the invention of claim 2, a rotating plate that swings a lever that moves the rod of the upper lifting rail up and down via a link, and a lower lifting rail are used. A lever that moves the rod up and down and a rotating plate that swings via a link are provided in two stages, upper and lower, so that the lifting and lowering rails can be adjusted individually by rotating the rotating plates separately. do.

(Function) When the annular frame rotates, the carrier frame of each carrier swings in the circumferential direction relative to the lifting rail. By raising and lowering the lifting rail, the carrier frames of all carriers are raised and lowered together with the rail, and the positions of the chuck members of all carriers are simultaneously adjusted.

In the invention of claim 2, the chuck member attached to the upper carrier frame of all the carriers and the chuck member attached to the lower carrier frame of all the carriers are adjusted individually by raising and lowering the pair of upper and lower lifting rails. The positions are adjusted simultaneously and independently of each other, and the gripping span of the workpiece can be freely changed according to the model of the workpiece.

(Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 9, the illustrated embodiment includes a first joint unit B consisting of a level type constant velocity joint at one end A ₁ (output end), and a tripod type etc. at the other end A ₂ (input end). Second joint unit C consisting of a speed joint
The present invention is applied to the transportation of the drive shaft A in the assembly process of the drive shaft A for a front-wheel drive vehicle, which includes a damper weight D and a damper weight D in the middle.

Here, the first joint unit B includes an outer B ₁ ,
A joint body _B5 assembled with an inner _B2 , a ball _B3 , and a retainer _B4 , a stopper ring _B6 that locks the inner _B2 to the drive shaft A, and a rubber boot.
The second joint unit C consists of an outer _C1 , a spider C2, a roller ₃ attached to the spider _{C2 ,} and a pair of circlips that lock _the spider _C2 to the drive shaft A. Consisting of C ₄ , C ₅ and rubber boots C ₆ .

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a circular machine base;
2 shows a carrier that holds the drive shaft A in a vertical position; an annular frame 3 is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the machine base 1; 18 carriers 2 are attached to the annular frame 3 at 20° intervals; The frame 3 is rotated 20° clockwise in Figure 1 by the drive mechanism 4 on the machine base 1, which will be described later
The drive shafts A held by these carriers 2 are intermittently rotated by 20 degrees in the circumferential direction along the annular conveyance path 5 around the machine base 1, and Eighteen stations S ₁ to S ₁₈ were arranged at intervals so that the drive shaft A stopped at each of these stations and was sequentially transported to the subsequent station.

Here, S ₁ connects driveshaft A to carrier 2.
Loading station that is set in a vertical position with one end A ₁ facing down, S ₂ is an empty station, S ₃ is a damper weight D assembly station, S ₄ is a rubber boot
B ₇ is an assembly station, S ₅ is an empty station,
S ₆ is the assembly station of stopperingon B ₆ ,
S ₇ is the assembly station for the joint body B ₅ , S ₈ is the empty station, S ₉ is the inversion station that flips the drive shaft A upside down, S ₁₀ is the assembly station for the rubber boot C ₆ , and S ₁₁ is the assembly station for the circlip C ₄ . Assembly station, S ₁₂ is empty station, S ₁₃ is assembly station for spider C ₂ and circlip C ₅ ,
_S14 is a station for injecting grease into the first joint unit B, _S15 is an empty station, _S16 is an assembly station for roller _C3 and outer _C1 , _S17 is an empty station, and _S18 is a station for injecting grease from carrier 2 to drive shaft A.
This is a dispensing station that removes the material and discharges it to the next process.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the annular frame 3 is provided with an annular guide rail 3a on its inner peripheral surface, and a plurality of guide rails 3a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the machine base 1 to support the rail 3a. A plurality of guide blocks 6 each having a guide roller 6a are mounted at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction, so that the annular frame 3 can be freely rotated around the machine base 1, and on the upper surface of the annular frame 3, A total of 18 teeth 3b are provided protrudingly at 20° intervals, and the drive mechanism 4
The arm 4b is rotated intermittently by the drive source 4a.
The arm 4 is constructed of a Geneva mechanism in which a Geneva pin 4c that can be engaged is attached to the gap _3b1 between the teeth 3b, 3b adjacent to the tip of the arm 4.
According to the clockwise rotation of b, the pin 4c engages with the gap _3b1 and the annular frame 3 is rotated, and when the annular frame 3 rotates 20 degrees, the pin 4c engages with the gap 3b1. ₁ , and the tooth part 3 on the right between the two.
A half-moon-shaped stopper 4d protruding from the root of the arm 4b engages with the concave notch _3b2 at the upper end of the arm 4b, and the annular frame 3 is stopped. The annular frame 3 can be rotated intermittently by 20 degrees.

Each carrier 2 has a pair of upper and lower carrier frames 2.
A pair of upper and lower chuck members 2b and 2b for gripping the drive shaft A in a vertical position are attached to a and 2a, and a pair of vertically longitudinal guide bars 3c and 3c are provided on the lower surface of the annular frame 3. 18 guide members consisting of the above are installed vertically at 20° intervals, and the upper and lower 1 of each carrier 2 are attached to each pair of guide bars 3c, 3c.
A pair of carrier frames 2a, 2a are supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and are fixedly attached to the machine base 1 around the machine base 1, and arranged vertically along a plurality of longitudinal guide bars 7. A pair of upper and lower annular lifting rails 8, 8' that are movably supported are provided, and the upper carrier frame 2a of all 18 carriers 2 is connected to the upper lifting rail 8 and the lower side of these carriers 2. Carrier frame 2a
are engaged with the lower lifting rail 8' through a plurality of guide rollers _2a1 so as to be able to slide only in the circumferential direction, and the lifting and lowering movements of the respective lifting rails 8 and 8' move all of these up and down. Each carrier frame 2a of the carrier 2
can be raised and lowered following the respective lifting rails 8 and 8'.

Three rods 8a, 8 are provided at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of each lifting rail 8, 8'.
A is erected, and at the upper end of each rod 8a, 8'a,
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, forks 8b and 8'b which are vertically movably supported are connected to guide bars 9a provided on each bracket 9 on the machine base 1,
One end of a lever 8c, 8'c pivotally supported by each bracket 9 is engaged with each fork 8b, 8'b, and a link 8d, 8' is connected with the other end of each lever 8c, 8'c. d, and furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of upper and lower rotating plates 8e and 8'e are provided at the center of the upper surface of the machine base 1, and the upper elevating rail 8
The first link 8d connected to each first lever 8c corresponding to each vertically installed first rod 8a is connected to the upper first rotating plate 8e and each second rod 8' adjacent to the lower lifting rail 8'. The second link 8'd connected to each second lever 8'c corresponding to a is connected to the lower second rotating plate 8'e.
According to the rotation of the first rotating plate 8e, the plurality of first levers 8c swing synchronously via the first link 8d, and accordingly, the plurality of first rods 8a
move up and down synchronously, the upper lifting rail 8 is raised and lowered while maintaining horizontality, and according to the rotation of the second rotating plate 8'e, the second link 8'd and the second lever 8'c, the lower elevating rail 8' is raised and lowered through the second rod 8'a while maintaining its levelness.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first and second rotating plates 8e and 8'e have dual inner and outer rotating shafts 8f and 8' that are pivotally supported by a housing 10 provided at the center of the upper surface of the first machine.
The inner first rotating shaft 8f, which connects the first rotating plate 8e, and the second rotating plate 8'e
The outer second rotating shaft 8'f that connects the worms 8h and 8'h, which are driven by special rotary actuators 8g and 8'g, respectively, is rotatable to any angle. Rotary actuator 8
The two lifting rails 8, 8' can be adjusted up and down individually by the separate rotation of the two rotating plates 8e, 8'e by the operation of the rotating plates 8e, 8'g. In this way, the positions of the chuck members 2b, 2b attached to the pair of upper and lower carrier frames 2a, 3a of each carrier 2 can be adjusted independently from each other, and the gripping span of the shaft can be changed depending on the model of the drive shaft A. becomes possible.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the invention of claim 1, the positions of all the carrier chuck members can be adjusted simultaneously by raising and lowering the lifting rail, and the position adjustment when changing the model of the workpiece is possible. The work can be carried out quickly, and furthermore, according to the invention of claim 2, the positions of the upper and lower chuck members of each carrier can be adjusted independently of each other by raising and lowering the pair of upper and lower lifting rails separately. It has the effect of stably holding rod-shaped workpieces of different lengths with a required gripping span corresponding to each length.

Further, according to the inventions of claims 3 and 4, each lifting rail can be raised and lowered smoothly while maintaining levelness by rotating one rotary plate, and the lifting mechanism can be simplified and costs can be reduced. have

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an example of the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view taken along the - line in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the main parts thereof, and Fig. 4 is a - line in Fig. 3. FIGS. 5 to 7 are cross-sectional side views taken from the line - to -- in FIG. 4, respectively. FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the drive shaft. A... Drive shaft (work), 1... Machine base, 2... Carrier, 2a... Carrier frame, 2b
...chuck member, 3... annular frame, 3c... guide bar (guide member), 8... upper lifting rail,
8'... lower lifting rail, 8a... first rod,
8'a...Second rod, 8c...First lever,
8'c...Second lever, 8d...First link,
8'd...Second link, 8e...First rotating plate,
8'e...Second rotating plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An annular frame is rotatably supported on a machine base, a plurality of carriers for holding workpieces are attached to the annular frame at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of carriers held by these carriers are A workpiece is conveyed along an annular conveyance path by rotation of the annular frame,
Each carrier is configured such that a chuck member for gripping a workpiece is attached to a carrier frame that is movably supported by a guide member fixed to the annular frame,
The machine base is provided with an annular elevating rail that can be freely adjusted up and down and is concentric with the annular frame, and the carrier frames of all carriers are engaged with the elevating rail so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction. Workpiece conveyance device. 2. Each of the carriers is configured such that a chuck member is attached to a pair of upper and lower carrier frames supported by the guide member so as to be able to move up and down, so that a bar-shaped workpiece can be gripped at two upper and lower positions, and the lifting rail is A pair of upper and lower lifting rails are provided so that the lifting and lowering rails can be adjusted individually, and the upper carrier frame and lower carrier frame of all carriers are connected to the upper lifting rail and the lower lifting rail, respectively. 2. The workpiece conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece conveyance device is engaged with the workpiece conveyance device. 3. Rods are erected at multiple locations around the lifting rail, and levers for moving the rods up and down are installed at multiple locations around the machine base, and these levers are connected to the center of the machine base via links. 2. The workpiece conveyance device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotary plate that swings in synchronization with each other. 4 The first
A first rod and second rods are erected at a plurality of locations around the lower lifting rail, a first lever for vertically moving each of the first rods at a plurality of locations around the machine base, and a first lever for vertically moving each of the first rods at a plurality of locations around the machine base; A second lever that moves the rod up and down is provided, and a first rotating plate that swings these first levers in synchronization with each other via each first link is provided in the center of the machine base. 3. The workpiece conveying device according to claim 2, further comprising second rotating plates arranged in upper and lower stages for swinging the two levers in synchronization with each other via respective second links.