JPH058046Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] "Industrial application field" This invention is a pallet transport system that constitutes a pallet pool line that accumulates workpieces and selectively supplies the workpieces to the processing section as necessary. Regarding equipment.

``Conventional technology'' In recent years, with automation and mass production, pallets with a large number of workpieces placed on them have been prepared and a pallet pool line has been constructed to save labor and manpower. , the number of pallets tends to increase to improve efficiency.

A conventional pallet conveying device constituting a pallet pool line stacks pallets in a two-dimensional manner.

``Problems that the invention attempts to solve'' However, in such conventional pallet conveying equipment, in order to cope with the increase in the number of pallets,
The problem was that the pool line spread horizontally and became larger, requiring a large floor space, which not only restricted the layout of machines but also increased costs.

The present invention was developed by focusing on these conventional problems, and it is possible to hold pallets in a stacked manner and take out appropriate pallets as necessary and supply them to the processing section of the machine. The purpose is to provide a pallet conveying device that solves the problems.

``Means for Solving the Problems'' The gist of the present invention for achieving the above purpose is to provide a stocker that three-dimensionally stores a pallet on which a workpiece is placed, and a cover on the pallet. A transport device for selectively transporting the pallets into and out of a processing section of a machine tool that processes a workpiece, a support frame forming the base of the pallet transport device;
an elevating pedestal that is movable up and down along the support frame; an elevating drive means that is provided between the support frame and the elevating pedestal and moves and positions the elevating pedestal relative to the support frame; a rotating base rotatably provided on the top so as to face the loading/unloading section of the stocker or the processing section; a parallel link mechanism having one end swingably attached to the rotating base; and a parallel link mechanism having the other end of the parallel link mechanism. a transport unit that is swingably mounted and moves parallel to the rotating base; and a guide unit that is movable forward and backward relative to the transport unit and that places the pallet on top of the stocker or the transport unit. A horizontal moving table having a guide slope formed on the lower part of the side opposite to the loading/unloading section of the processing section, which rides on the guide rollers provided on the support frame; A pair of sprockets are provided vertically, and a sprocket is spanned between the pair of sprockets, rotates in a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the lateral movement table, and has an upper part that engages with an engagement groove formed in the pallet. A chain having a mating engagement pin fixed thereto, a pinion integrally provided on the shaft portion of one of the pair of sprockets, and a pinion fixed to the rotation base, and the horizontal movement table is moved to the stocker or A moving cylinder device for moving between the loading/unloading section of the processing section and the rotating base, and a rack fixed to the rotating base and meshing with the pinion are formed in the form of a rod, and the chain is rotated by the forward and backward movement of the rod. and an engagement cylinder device for engaging and disengaging the engagement pin fixed to the chain in the engagement groove of the pallet, and when the horizontal movement table is moved by the movement of the movement cylinder device, the pinion rotating the pair of sprockets from engagement with the rack of the engaging cylinder device;
As the sprocket rotates, the engagement pin fixed to the chain is moved in the same direction as the movement direction of the lateral moving table, and the engagement pin for moving the pallet is moved between the rod movement of the moving cylinder device and the chain movement. The present invention relates to a pallet conveying device characterized by interlocking movement.

``Operation'' Therefore, a large number of pallets are stacked and held through the loading unit of the stocker, and the stocker is rotated and indexed to an appropriate position, and then the rotating base of the elevator is used to hold a large number of pallets. The pallet can be raised and lowered to a rough height, and even if there is a slight difference in height, it can be accurately positioned in the height direction via a parallel link mechanism, the pallet can be transferred using a horizontal moving table, and the pallet can be positioned at the processing section of the machine. The height is determined and the rotation is indexed so that pallets can be supplied to the processing section, and conversely, pallets from the processing section can be taken out.

“Embodiment” An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Figure 2 shows an example of the arrangement of machine tools.
Machining centers A and B are arranged on both sides, each having processing sections A1 and B1 for machining,
A pallet pool line 10 is provided between machining centers A and B.

The pallet pool line 10 has a stocker 20 and an elevator 30 as main parts, is attached with a setup table 11, is controlled by a control panel 12, and pallets C are held at various locations.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the stocker 2
0 is composed of three stacked stacking units 21, 21, .

Each loading unit 21 has four loading locations each having rails 21a laid on all sides, and a motor 24 fixedly installed near the stocker base 22 is connected to a pivot 23 via chains 24a and 24b. , the pivot 23 is rotated by the motor 24,
One of the loading locations of each loading unit 21 is determined as a pallet loading/unloading position 25.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the elevator 30, the four corners of the elevating frame 50 are slidably supported by the side columns 41, 41, . . . of the support frame 40 via rollers 41a, 41a, . A motor 51 with a brake and capable of stopping at an appropriate position is fixed to the upper part of the elevating frame 50, and an idling pulley 52 is attached thereto. A cable 54 is installed between the upper beam 42 of the support frame 40 and a take-up pulley 53 fixed to the motor 51.
As the cable 54 is wound up or let out, the elevating frame 50 is raised and lowered.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, a rotating base 60 is rotatably supported on the elevating frame 50 via a pivot 61, and is conveyed via link members 62 and 63 constituting a parallel link mechanism. A unit 70 is supported on the rotating base 60.

In the conveying unit 70, a moving table base 81 of a horizontal moving table 80 is connected to a conveying unit base 71, and a roller 7 is connected to the conveying unit base 71.
2, 72 . . . , and a pallet C is supported on the movable base 81 so as to be movable substantially horizontally via rollers 82 , 82 .

As can be seen from FIGS. 8 to 10, a rack 83 is disposed at the bottom of the transport unit 70 in the direction of movement of the lateral movement table 80, and a hook engaging cylinder 84 for vertically moving the rack 83 is attached to the transport unit 70. It is fixedly installed.

A rear moving shaft 8 is provided before and after the moving table base 81.
5 and a front moving shaft 86 are pivotally supported, and a rear moving shaft 85
A pinion 85a that meshes with the rack 83 is located at the base of the pinion 85a.
are solidified, and the rear moving shaft 85 and the front moving shaft 86
The base of the moving cylinder 87 that moves the moving base 81 that connects the moving table base 81 back and forth is the transport unit 7.
Fixed to 0.

Sprockets 85b and 86a are fixed to the upper ends of the rear moving shaft 85 and the front moving shaft 86, a chain 88 is mounted between the sprockets 85b and 86a, and an engagement pin 89 is provided protruding from the chain 88. ing. An engagement groove C1 is provided in the pallet C in correspondence with the engagement pin 89.

As can be seen in FIG.
Three stages of crosspieces 43, 43, . The running guide roller 45 is arranged at the tip side where it meets the lateral moving table 80, and a downward guiding slope 81a that rides on the running guide roller 45 is formed at the tip of the moving table base 81 of the lateral moving table 80. (Figure 1).

The motor 51 of the elevator 30 stops the elevating frame 50 within a fairly large error range that allows the guide slope 81a of the movable base 81 of the lateral movable base 80 to run over the guide roller 45 of the roller unit 44. controlled to a certain extent.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

When supplying a predetermined pallet C to machining center A or machining center B for machining, the stocker 20 ensures that its rail 21a is aligned with the pallet loading/unloading position 25, no matter which floor the loading unit 21 on which the predetermined pallet C is located is. Rotate and index it so that it is in the position you are looking at. Since it is known in advance on which floor the target palette C is located,
The motor 51 of the elevator 30 raises and lowers the elevating frame 50 from the current position to a position facing the floor, and is stopped by applying a brake.

In the transport unit 70, the horizontal moving table 80 is used to transport pallets C.
It is rotated and indexed to a position where you can go and retrieve it. The hook engaging cylinder 84 and the moving cylinder 87 are shortened.

The operation of the lateral movement table 80 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, which are conceptually shown.

Initially, the lateral moving table 80 is in the state shown in FIG. 11a, and the engagement pin 89 is located at the rear. From this state, the moving cylinder 87 first operates to extend.

As shown in FIG. 11b, the moving cylinder 87
When it extends, the moving base 81 moves forward as a whole, and along with this movement, the rear moving shaft 85 and the front moving shaft 8
6. The chain 88 also advances integrally. roller 8
2 is stopped, the pinion 85a rotates, the chain 88 wound around the sprockets 85b and 86a rotates relatively, and the engagement pin 89 moves and is located at the tip. The trajectory of the engagement pin 89 during this time is as shown in FIG.
An engaging groove C1 extends into the pallet C placed on the pallet C1.
Stop a little before. Then, the hook engaging cylinder 84 is activated.

As shown in FIG. 11c, when the hook engaging cylinder 84 is extended, the pinion 85a is rotated, the chain 88 is rotated by the sprockets 85b and 86a, and the engaging pin 89 moves in a circular motion. At this time, the locus of the engagement pin 89 is as shown in FIG. 12b, and the engagement pin 89 engages with the engagement groove C1 of the pallet C. Then, the moving cylinder 87 is activated to shorten the length.

As shown in FIG. 11d, the moving cylinder 87
When shortens, when the state shown in Fig. 11a changes to the state shown in Fig. 11b, the engaging pin 89 moves in the opposite direction and follows the trajectory shown in Fig. 12c while being engaged with the engaging groove C1 of the pallet C. It returns and retreats, and the pallet C is pulled out from the mounting unit 21 onto the transport unit 70.

When the lateral moving table 80 enters the pallet loading/unloading position 25 of the loading unit 21, the tip of the moving table base 81 is guided by the guide rollers 45.
At that time, even if there is a slight error in the height of the lateral moving table 80, the guide inclined surface 81a rides on the guide roller 45, and the moving table base 81 loses its posture due to the parallel link mechanism constituted by the link members 62 and 63. The height can be adjusted by rising without any problem.

When the pallet C is pulled out onto the horizontal moving table 80, the rotating base 60 rotates around the pivot 61,
The direction of the lateral movement table 80 is directed toward machining center A or machining center B, and the engagement pin 89 moves in the opposite direction to the path previously explained in FIG. 12c, pushing pallet C toward machining center A or pallet C. Thereafter, the pallets C are sequentially opened in the reverse direction of FIGS. 12b and 12a.

In the stocker 20, pallet loading/unloading positions 25 can be provided on all four sides as appropriate, elevators 30 can be provided correspondingly, machine tools or processing sections can be provided accordingly, and processing lines can be appropriately arranged.

"Effects of the invention" According to the pallet conveying device according to the invention, a large amount of pallets can be collected without taking up space by stacking and holding the pallets on the stocker, and the stopping position of the elevator can be adjusted. Even if the pallet is roughly determined, the pallet can be taken out properly from the stocker, and the structure allows for easy positioning in the height direction, making it possible to create a space-saving pallet pool line with a simple structure and minimal cost. It can be realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the elevator, Figure 2 is an overall layout, and Figure 3 is a front view of the elevator.
The figure is a front view showing the arrangement of the stocker, elevator, and setup table, Figure 4 is a plan view of the stocker, Figure 5 is a partially cutaway front view of the stocker, and Figure 6 is the elevation of the elevator. A front view showing the mechanism, Fig. 7 is a plan view of the elevator, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the elevator taken near the rear movement axis, Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upper part of the elevator, and Fig. 10 is a plan view of the elevator. 11a to 11d are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the lateral moving table, and FIGS. 12a to 12c are locus diagrams of the engagement pins. A, B... Machining center, C... Pallet, C1... Engagement groove, 10... Pallet pool line, 20... Stocker, 21... Placement unit, 21a... Rail, 30... Elevator, 6
0... Rotation base, 62, 63... Link member (parallel link mechanism), 70... Conveyance unit, 80
... Lateral moving table.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A stocker that three-dimensionally stores a pallet on which a workpiece is placed, and a processing section of a machine tool that processes the workpiece on the pallet. A conveyance device for selectively loading and unloading pallets, which comprises: a support frame forming a base of the pallet conveyance device; an elevating pedestal provided along the support frame so as to be movable up and down; and the support frame and the elevating pedestal. provided between
an elevating drive means for elevating and positioning the elevating pedestal with respect to the support frame; a rotating base rotatably provided on the elevating pedestal so as to face the loading/unloading section of the stocker or the processing section; a parallel link mechanism that is swingably attached to one end of the parallel link mechanism; a transport unit that is swingably mounted to the other end of the parallel link mechanism and moves parallel to the rotation base; The guide part on which the pallet is placed is placed on the upper part, and the guide part on the lower part of the side facing the loading/unloading part of the stocker or the processing part is provided with a lateral guide surface that rides on the guide roller provided on the support frame. a movable base; a pair of sprockets rotatably erected along the moving direction of the horizontal movable base; and a sprocket extending between the pair of sprockets and parallel to the moving direction of the horizontal movable base. a chain that rotates in a plane and has an engagement pin fixed to its upper part that engages with an engagement groove formed in the pallet; and a pinion that is integrally provided on the shaft of one of the pair of sprockets. , a moving cylinder device fixed to the rotating base and moving the lateral moving table between the stocker or the loading/unloading section of the processing section and the rotating base by forward and backward movement of the rod; fixed to the rotating base; and an engagement cylinder device in which a rack that engages with the pinion is formed as a rod, and the chain is rotated by the forward and backward movement of the rod to engage and disengage the engagement pin fixed to the chain in the engagement groove of the pallet. When the horizontal moving table is moved by the driving of the moving cylinder device, the pair of sprockets are rotated due to the engagement between the pinion and the rack of the engaging cylinder device, and the sprockets are fixed to the chain by rotation of the sprockets. The engaging pin for moving the pallet is moved in the same direction as the moving direction of the lateral moving table, and the engaging pin for moving the pallet is moved in conjunction with the rod movement and chain movement of the moving cylinder device. Pallet conveying device.