JPH0647845Y2 - Pallet traveling path conversion device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a pallet traveling path conversion device for moving a pallet between conveyors arranged in two stages, for example.

(Prior Art) In production facilities, etc., a conveyor device is arranged to convey products, parts, and other objects to be conveyed between each process, and a large amount of pallets for placing objects to be conveyed are used in this conveyor device. It has been done. The pallet used in the final process needs to be returned to the first process, usually the conveyor is divided into upper and lower two stages, for example, the upper stage is used for work and the lower stage is used for return (or vice versa) .

Such a conveyor device is shown in FIG. 3, and the conveyor device 1 includes a frame 2 and other housings 2, for example, a return (return) conveyor 3 in an upper stage and a forward (going) conveyor 4 in a lower stage. And are arranged in upper and lower two stages. Each of the conveyors 3 and 4 is composed of, for example, a chain conveyor, and the pallets 5 on which the objects to be conveyed are placed move by their traveling. That is, the used pallet 5 conveyed by the lower conveyor 4 is provided with a plurality of drive rollers 7 and is placed on the elevating table 8 which is located off the conveyor line. When the lifting table 8 is in the state shown in the figure, the stopper 6 operated by a solenoid or the like operates to move the pallet 5
Prevent the movement of. After that, when the lift table 8 is lowered, the movement of the pallet 5 by the stopper 6 is released, and at the same time, the pallet 5 is moved onto the lift table 8 by the forward rotation of the driving roller 7, and the lift table 8 operates by the lift cylinder 9. The frame 10 is moved up along the up-and-down guides 10a, 10a, and is then moved to the return (return) conveyor 3 in the upper stage by the reverse rotation of the driving roller 7 and is conveyed in the first step.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the above-described conventional device, the structure of the conversion device itself is complicated, and the lifting table 8 having the drive roller 7 and having a large weight has to be moved up and down. In addition to being hung, there is a problem that the installation cost becomes large because it is necessary to secure a space for disposing this and to provide a protective fence as shown by a chain double-dashed line.

Further, since the lifting table 8 is heavy, the output of the device is also large. Further, such a complicated device has a problem that the layout cannot be easily changed because the addition or change of the line is not taken into consideration.

(Means for Solving the Problem) The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and moves a pallet on which an object is to be transported between an upper conveyor and a lower conveyor having a predetermined interval. A pallet traveling path conversion device, comprising: a pallet gripping means for gripping the pallet conveyed by any of the conveyors and reaching a predetermined position; and the pallet gripping means is rotated in a space within the width of the conveyor on the conveyor line. By moving the pallet to hold the pallet gripping means at an angular position where the pallet passes through the space of the upper conveyor, and raises and lowers the rotating means between the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet traveling path conversion device characterized by comprising pallet lifting means for moving.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an external view of a conveyor device showing an embodiment of a pallet traveling path conversion device according to the present invention.

The conveyor device 11 has a backward (return) conveyor 13 on the upper stage of the casing 12 and a forward (return) conveyor 14 on the lower stage in two upper and lower stages. Each of the conveyors 13 and 14 is composed of, for example, a pair of opposing chain conveyors, a space portion is provided between the pair of chain conveyors in the transport direction, and the space portions of the upper stage and the lower stage are connected. The traveling of the chain conveyor moves the pallet 5 on which the transported object is placed.

A rotary cylinder 17 operated by a lifting cylinder 16 attached to the frame 15 is arranged at the end of the conveyor line (housing 12). The rotary cylinder 17 moves up and down along an elevating guide 18, and its operating rod 19 extends into the conveyor line and serves to adsorb the used pallet 5 conveyed by the lower conveyor 14. It has a suction pad 20.

The suction pad 20 is operated by an intake device (not shown).

When the pallet 5 conveyed by the lower conveyor 14 is detected by a sensor (not shown), the conveyor device 11 configured as described above is moved to a lower position (or an upper position by the operation of the lifting cylinder 16) by the signal. The existing rotary cylinder 17 is moved down and the rotary cylinder 17 is operated, and the pallet 5 is sucked by the suction pad 20 as shown in FIG.

Then, the pallet 5 sucked on the suction pad 20 is lifted by the operation of the rotary cylinder 17 as the lift cylinder 16 is lifted while being inclined by θ with respect to the conveyor line. The rotating operation of the pallet 5 is performed by rotating the suction pad 20, which is a pallet holding means, by the rotary cylinder 17 in a space within the width of the conveyor on the conveyor line (see FIGS. 1 and 2). This inclination angle θ is an angle comparable to that of the pallet 5 passing through the width W of the upper conveyor 12.
The rotary cylinder 17 holds the suction pad 20 at an angular position (tilt angle θ) where the pallet 5 passes through the space (width W) of the upper conveyor, and in this state, the rotary cylinder 17 is moved by the lifting cylinder 16. To rise. The pallet 5 passes through the upper conveyor 12 in an inclined state by the rotary cylinder 17 and reaches the uppermost position as shown in FIG.
Is operated to bring the pallet 5 into a horizontal state, and at the same time, the lifting cylinder 16 is operated to lower the rotary cylinder 17 to place the pallet 5 on the upper conveyor 12. Then, the pallet 5 is released from the gripped state by the suction pad 20, and is conveyed to the initial position by the conveyor 13.

(Effects of the Invention) With the above configuration and operation, the pallet traveling path conversion device according to the present invention has the following effects.

Since only the rotating means such as the rotary cylinder that rotates and holds the pallet is moved up and down, the elevating part is very lightweight, the installation cost is low and the output of the device is low. Since the structure is simpler than that of the conventional device, the size can be reduced.

Since the pallet is rotated in the space within the width of the conveyor on the conveyor line, the rotation space can be taken on the conveyor installation space. Further, the lifting means can move the pallet up and down with the rotating means holding the pallet gripping means in an angular position where the pallet can pass through the space portion of the upper conveyor, so that the elevator moving space is also used. Can be taken on the installation space. Therefore, there is no need for a special installation space for the ascending / descending movement space and the rotating space, and it is sufficient if there is an installation space for the pallet elevating means and the rotating means in addition to the conveyor installation space. Therefore, the installation space can be significantly reduced.

Since the pallet can be moved up and down at an angular position where the pallet can pass through the space of the upper conveyor, it is not necessary to perform processing for moving the existing conveyor itself, and the existing conveyor can be easily installed on the existing conveyor. Furthermore, as described above, cost reduction, miniaturization, and space saving can be achieved, so that layout changes such as line additions and changes can be easily accommodated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a conveyor device showing an embodiment of a pallet path conversion device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing a pallet path conversion state, and FIG. 3 is an external view of a conventional device. . 5 ... Pallet, 13 ... Upper conveyor, 14 ... Lower conveyor, 16 ... Lifting cylinder, 17 ... Rotating cylinder, 20 ... Suction pad.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A pallet traveling path conversion device for moving a pallet on which an object to be conveyed is placed between an upper conveyor and a lower conveyor having a predetermined interval, the pallet traveling path converting device being conveyed by any one of the conveyors. Pallet gripping means for gripping the pallet reaching a predetermined position, and an angle at which the pallet passes through the space part of the upper conveyor by rotating the pallet gripping means in a space within the width of the conveyor on the conveyor line. A pallet traveling path conversion device comprising: rotating means for holding the pallet gripping means at a position; and pallet elevating means for moving the rotating means up and down between the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor. .