JPH0671536A - Automatic feeding and recovering device of article, and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make an operator easy to handle a heavy part, etc., in particular as well as to make him conformable in a short time even in an emergency at replacement, etc., for those of stocked parts in addition to secureness of safety for the operator. CONSTITUTION:A stocker 1 formed with multistage racks is installed and each of drawer 6 being drawable toward an operator (an arrow C direction) is clamped to these racks. Next, each pallet 2 for charging parts is housed in the drawers 6, and this pallet 2 is clamped by each stopper 7 so as not to shift to the side of an automatic apparatus in an opposite direction to the operator. A lifting gear 5 shiftable in a vertical direction (arrow B) holds a pallet holder 3, while a pallet operating unit 4 is clamped to this pallet holder 3, installing it there shiftably in a horizontal direction (arrow A). Each unit is controlled by a controller in an electric accessory box (unillustrated herein) on the basis of operation of the automatic apparatus available in this device and information of the pallets 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article or the like for automatically supplying parts or the like to an automatic device such as a robot or for collecting parts processed by a processing machine or the like through the automatic device or the like. Of automatic supply and recovery device of

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the technical development of automatic assembly and automatic processing, automatic supply and recovery of articles have become essential. In the case of an assembling machine for assembling small lots or a plurality of parts by one automatic device, an automatic feeder for stocking parts in a magazine type stocker is used, as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-62-24936. Has been done.

In such an apparatus, a stocker in which a pallet loaded with parts and the like is housed in a large number of shelves in a central portion of the apparatus, a first pallet operating device adjacent to an opening on one side of the stocker, and the stocker The second pallet operating device is adjacent to the opening on the other side, and the pallet supplying device and the pallet discharging device are adjacent to the second pallet operating device.

The pallets loaded with the parts are set in a stacked state on the pallet feeder. The stacked pallets are unstacked and sequentially pulled out by the second pallet operating device from the bottom pallet.
The second pallet operating device moves vertically (horizontally) and is accommodated in the target stage of the stocker. On the other hand, in response to a command from the information processing device, the first pallet operating device takes out the instructed pallet (with the components loaded) from the stocker and moves it to a preset work area. The pallet in the work area is moved up and down (horizontally) by the first pallet operation device according to a command from the information processing device, and is stored in the target stage of the stocker. The empty pallets stored in the stocker are stored in the pallet discharging device by the second pallet operating device. The pallet discharging device is sequentially stacked like the pallet supplying device.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional automatic feeder, firstly, since the pallets to be supplied and the pallets to be discharged are basically stacked, the operator puts in the parts. When emptying or discharging empty pallets, it is necessary to move the pallets themselves out of the supply device, which results in extremely heavy labor when the pallets themselves are large or the weight of the parts to be handled is heavy. It was

Secondly, since the pallets to be supplied are in a stacked state, for example, when it is desired to replace a pallet that has already been set in the pallet supply device due to a change of parts or a mistake in the input, the target pallet is stacked. In the case of being on the lower side, it was not possible to replace it without replacing all the set pallets. Further, when exchanging the pallets stored in the stocker, it was necessary to make full use of the second pallet operating device and the pallet supplying / discharging device.
In other words, it took time to deal with such an emergency.

Thirdly, although there is an advantage that the pallet supplying / discharging device is automatically operated and is close to the worker side, it has a merit that it is far from the working area of the automatic equipment. There was a demerit that we had to consider a lot to ensure safety.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and basically adopts a component loading system in which the operator does not move the pallet, and makes it easy for the operator to handle particularly heavy parts. At the same time, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic supply / discharge device for articles or the like that can respond in an emergency in the event of an exchange of stocked parts in a short time and can ensure the safety of workers.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a stocker having one or more shelves, and each of the shelves so that the stocker can be pulled out to the operator side. A drawer device, a pallet in which parts and the like are loaded and stored in the drawer device, a stopper that prevents the pallet from moving to the automatic device side when the pallet is stored in the drawer device, and the stopper is retracted. A pallet actuating device that pulls out the pallet from the drawer to the automatic equipment and stores it again in the drawer, a pallet holding device that holds the drawn pallet, and a lift that raises and lowers the pallet holding device in correspondence with each shelf of the stocker. And an automatic supply / collection device for articles and the like.

With the above structure, it becomes possible to easily replace the parts placed on the pallet in a short time even while the apparatus is in operation. Further, since the work area in which the worker works on the apparatus and the work area for the automatic device and the like are completely separated, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator from abnormal operation of the present apparatus and the automatic apparatus.

That is, the automatic supply / recovery device of the present invention is
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a stocker 1 having a multi-tiered shelf is provided, and a drawer device 6 that can be withdrawn in the worker direction (direction of arrow C) is fixed to each shelf. A pallet 2 for loading components and the like is housed in the drawer device 6, and a stopper device 7 is fixed so that the pallet 2 does not move to the automatic device side in the direction opposite to the worker.
On the other hand, the lifting device 5 movable in the vertical direction (arrow B) holds the pallet holding device 3, and the pallet operating device 4 is fixed to the pallet holding device 3 and is movable in the horizontal direction (arrow A). There is. Each of the above devices is controlled by a control device in an electrical equipment box (not shown) according to the operation of an automatic device using this device and the information of the pallet 2.

The pallet 2 is loaded by a worker, and the pallet 2 is accommodated in an arbitrary shelf of the stocker 1 through the worker's opening. According to an instruction from the control device, the lifting device 5 first moves to the designated position of the shelf, and the pallet operating device 4 pulls out the pallet 2. The pulled-out pallet 2 is held by the pallet holding device 3 and is moved to the work area of the automatic device by the lifting device 5. Pallet 2 that is completely used by automatic equipment
Moves to the position of the stocker 1 loaded by the lifting device 5. Next, the pallet 2 leaves the pallet holding device 3 by the pallet operating device 4 and is stored in the shelf of the stocker 1. Further, the pallet 2 in which the parts and the like are empty is pulled out by the worker by the stocker 1 and the parts and the like are supplied again.

The drawer 6 is provided on each shelf of the stocker 1 and can be drawn in the direction of arrow C to the extent of the length of the pallet 2 with the pallet 2 accommodated therein. Stopper device 7
Is fixed to the drawer device 6, holds the pallet 2 so as not to move toward the work area while the pallet 2 is accommodated in the drawer device 6, and moves the pallet 2 by the pallet operating device 4 when the pallet 2 is moved. It has the function of evacuating so as not to interfere.

[0014]

Example 1 An automatic supply / collection device for articles and the like according to this example is
FIG. 1 shows a main part, FIG. 2 an overall perspective view, and FIG. 3 a plan view.
FIG. 4 is a side view as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram of the pallet and the drawer, FIG. 6 shows a pattern diagram when the pallet is pulled out from the stocker (drawer), and FIG.
Shows a pattern diagram when the drawn pallet is stored in a stocker (drawing device), FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a control system, and FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the operation.

The automatic supply / collection device for articles and the like of this embodiment is
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a stocker 1 that stores a pallet 2, a pallet holding device 3 that has a pallet operating device 4 that pulls out the pallet 2, and a lifting device 5 that lifts and lowers the pallet holding device 3. And a switch box 9 for the operator to input information about the stocker 1 to the electrical equipment box 10, and these equipments are fixed on the frame 8. ing.

A large number of switches 9a are mounted on the front surface of the switch box 9, and an electrical equipment box 10 and a stocker 1 are arranged on both sides of the switch box 9, respectively. Hereinafter, in this apparatus, the front side of the switch box 9 will be referred to as the operator side of the apparatus. Further, an elevating device 5 provided with a pallet holding device 3 capable of elevating and lowering is arranged on the side of the stocker 1 opposite to the operator side. Hereinafter, the pallet holding device 3 side of the stocker 1 (the side opposite to the worker side of the stocker 1) will be referred to as the automatic device side of this device.

The details of each device will be described below.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a switch box 9 is arranged beside the electrical equipment box 10, and a stocker 1 is arranged beside the switch box 9. Stocker 1
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, each of the shelves is provided with a large number of shelves composed of holding plates 16, and each of these shelves accommodates the pallet 2 and can be pulled out to the length of the pallet 2. A device 6 is provided. The drawer device 6 has a front plate 6a for restricting the movement of the drawer device 6 toward the automatic equipment. The front plate 6a has a handle 14 for a worker to manually draw the drawer device 6 toward the worker. Is installed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pull-out device 6 can be pulled out from the stocker 1 by pulling the handle 14, and the front plate 6 constituting the pull-out device 6 can be pulled out.
The contact of a with the frame constituting the stocker 1 restricts the movement toward the automatic device. In addition, the pallet 2 to be placed is attached to the end of the drawing device 6 on the automatic device side.
A stopper device 7 is provided to prevent the pulling device 6 from moving toward the automatic device side.

The stopper device 7 has a bearing 7a at the upper part that is slidable in the vertical direction. The bearing 7a is always urged upward by a spring (not shown), and the bearing 7a can be pushed downward against the force of the spring. Therefore, the stopper device 7 can cancel the function as a stopper by pushing the bearing 7a downward.

A pallet operating device 4 for withdrawing the pallet 2 from the stocker 1 is arranged near the stocker 1 on the automatic equipment side of the drawer device 6 as shown in FIGS. The pallet holding device 3 holds and holds the pallet 2 when the pallet 2 is pulled out from the pulling device 6. A pallet holding device 3 for mounting and holding the pallet 2 is provided near the stocker 1 on the automatic device side of the drawer device 6.
The pallet holding device 3 is fixed to a lifting plate 11 attached to the lifting device 5, and the lifting device 5 guides the pallet holding device 3.
Move up and down along.

A pallet actuating device 4 for pulling out the pallet 2 from the pull-out device 6 is attached to the pallet holding device 3. The pallet operating device 4 can be driven in the drawing direction of the drawing device 6 (direction D in FIG. 3) by the screw shaft 13 provided in the pallet holding device 3. Further, the pallet operating device 4 is provided with a claw 4a for hooking the pallet 2 as shown in FIG.

In order to automatically supply the pallet 2 on which parts and the like are placed to the automatic equipment and to collect the empty pallet 2 discharged from the automatic equipment, the electrical equipment box 10 in this apparatus is not shown in the automatic equipment. Connected to the control system.

The switch 9a provided in the switch box 9 is an illuminated push button switch. The switch box 9 is provided with each drawer device 6 provided in the stocker 1.
One switch 9a is provided for one drawer device 6 in correspondence with the position.

The operator pulls out the drawer device 6 in the specified stage to the operator side, and loads the necessary parts into the empty pallet 2 housed in the drawer device 6. When pulled out, the pallet 2 is accommodated in the drawer device 6 by the stopper device 7. When loading is completed, the drawer device 6 is returned to the stocker 1, and the switch 9a on the corresponding shelf of the switch box 9 is pushed. The pressed switch 9a illuminates, and at this time, the control system in the electrical equipment box 10 grasps the position of the shelf of the pallet 2 to which the parts are supplied. Then, when a signal such as pulling out the pallet 2 from the automatic device to the work area or replacing the pallet 2 is input to the control system,
The present apparatus starts the drawing operation or the storing operation of the pallet 2. Hereinafter, each operation will be described.

As shown in the pattern diagram of FIG. 6, the pallet operating device 4 is inserted into the stocker 1, and the claws 4a fixed to the pallet operating device 4 are inserted into the pallet 2 in the hole position. It stops when it comes to. On the other hand, the stopper device 7 is provided with a bearing 7a and is movable in the direction of arrow I, but is not movable in the direction perpendicular to the direction I (the bearing 7a is constantly raised by the action of a spring or the like). Is in a state). Therefore, when the pallet operating device 4 is lowered in the direction of the arrow E, the claws 4a are moved to
, And at the same time the bearing 7a is pushed down by the bottom of the pallet operating device 4. If the pallet operating device 4 is moved in the direction of the arrow F in the above state, the bearing 7a does not have a difference in height between the bottom side of the pallet operating device 4 and the bottom side of the pallet 2, so that the bearing 7a is positioned below the pallet 2 without resistance. Get in. Since the bearing 7a rotates, the pallet 2
Will not hurt. The pallet 2 pulled out in this way is moved and fixed to a prescribed position on the holding plate 16 of the pallet holding device 3. From the moment the pull-out operation starts, the switch 9a changes from illuminated (lighted) to blinking and continues until the pallet 2 is stored again.
It is easy for the operator to judge.

In the storing operation, as shown in a pattern diagram in FIG. 7, the pallet operating device 4 enters the stocker 1 at a position slightly higher than the stopper device 7 on the shelf in which the pallet 2 was previously stored. The end of the pallet 2 is a drawer 6
Upon reaching the top, the pallet 2 moves in the direction of arrow G. When the bottom of the pallet 2 and the upper side of the drawer 6 are stopped when they are stopped, the bearing 7a is pushed down by the weight of the pallet 2 as shown in the figure. If the pallet operating device 4 is moved in the direction of arrow H in this state, the pallet 2 is stored in the original position. The E and G of the movement are operated by the lifting device 5.

The effect of this embodiment is as follows. First, when the parts are loaded, the pallet 2 is also pulled out when the drawer 6 is pulled out, so that the pallet 2 does not need to be moved by the operator and is kept as it is. It can be put in the state of, and it becomes very easy for the operator especially when handling heavy parts or pallets 2 and the like.

Secondly, even if the pallet 2 is stored in any stage, it can be freely taken in and out by the drawer device 6, so that it is necessary to replace the parts set in the pallet 2 during the operation of the device. Even if it does, it is easy to reset the parts.

Thirdly, since the work area of the worker and the work area of the automatic device are completely separated from each other, the worker's safety can be secured from the abnormal operation of the present apparatus and the automatic device.

Fourthly, when the pallet 2 is pulled out, the operation of hooking the claw 4a provided on the pallet operating device 4 into the hole provided on the pallet 2 is performed by the pallet holding device 3 provided with the pallet operating device 4. Since the lifting and lowering device 5 is moved up and down to correspond to each shelf of the stocker 1, it is not necessary to provide a driving means for lifting and lowering only the pallet operating device 4.

In this embodiment, the screw shaft 13 is used for the drive system, but the drive system may have any mechanism as long as the position information is controlled. The stopper device 7 may be any mechanism as long as it satisfies the conditions for explaining the function of the stopper device 7 of this embodiment. Further, although the stocker 1 has a plurality of stages, it may have only one stage. In the case of one stage, the pallet holding device 3 provided with the pallet operating device 4 is removed to remove the lifting device 5 that moves up and down to correspond to each shelf of the stocker 1, and instead the pallet operating device is used when the pallet 2 is pulled out. It suffices to include a lifting device 5 that lifts and lowers only 4.

[0032]

Second Embodiment FIG. 8 shows the configuration of this embodiment. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, except that the stocker 1 has a slide rail movable in the arrow L direction instead of the holding plate 16 (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment. 17 is fixed to the position of each shelf. On the other hand, the drawer device 6 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment and is fixed to the slide rail 17. In order to prevent the drawer device 6 from being drawn out more than necessary during work, the slide rail 17 and the drawer device 6 are provided with stoppers. Reference numeral 18 denotes a bearing, which is mounted on the pallet 2 and is fixed to a plurality of drawer devices 6 (also similarly attached to the opposite wall) on the lower side of the pallet 2 as illustrated. The bearing 18 is rotatable in the direction of arrow K, so that the pallet 2 is L
The bearing 18 can be moved in any direction.

Further, the pallet holding device 3 is also provided with a bearing 18 of the same mechanism (not shown), and the pulled out pallet 2 has the same moving effect on the pallet holding device 3 as described above.

The operation of this embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment.

In addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the sliding system of the first embodiment is used when the drawer device 6 is pulled out to the operator side or when the pallet 2 moves on the drawer device 6 or the pallet holding device 3. Unlike the above, since the coefficient of friction in the moving direction is small, when the worker pulls out the pulling-out device 6, it is possible to reduce the burden on the worker by using a light force. It is especially effective for heavy parts. Also, the pallet operating device 4
When the pallet 2 is moved, it is possible even if the driving force is small, which can contribute to downsizing of the drive system and cost reduction. It is especially effective for heavy parts.

In the above construction, the slide rail 17 and the bearing 18 are used to reduce the friction coefficient, but it goes without saying that any method may be used as long as it is smaller than the sliding resistance. is there.

[0037]

Third Embodiment FIG. 9 shows an overall perspective view of this embodiment. The configuration is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, but a safety cover 19 is added, and this safety cover 19 is the switch box 9.
It is mounted rotatably in the direction of arrow M at the position shown in the figure.
Further, the safety cover 19 is provided with a peep window (not shown) so that the switch 9a can be confirmed even if the switch 9a is pushed toward the stocker 1 from outside. Can't).

A sensor 20 detects the state of the safety cover 19. That is, the control system can determine whether the safety cover 19 is open or closed. The state in which the safety cover 19 is closed means that the end of the safety cover 19 opposite to the rotation axis is in close contact with the stocker 1 (the length of the safety cover 19 in the horizontal direction is longer than the thickness of the switch box 9). ) In this state, the switch 9a cannot be pressed and the drawer 6 cannot be withdrawn.

When inserting a component, the worker first opens the safety cover 19 and pulls out the pull-out device 6. When the loading is completed, the drawer device 6 is housed in the stocker 1 and the switch 9a
Press to close the safety cover 19. Since the safety cover 19 is opened while the pallet 2 is being put in, the pallet 2 is not replaced even if the control system judges and the instruction to replace the pallet 2 is received.

As the effects, the following effects are obtained in addition to the effects of the first embodiment. That is, in the mechanism of the present invention,
When the pallet 2 is pulled out, the operator
The drawer device 6 of the stocker 1 that had stored the
It is conceivable that if the accommodation operation of the pallet 2 happens to occur there, the pallet 2 will drop because there is no drawer 6 for accommodating the pallet 2. However, in this embodiment, the pallet 2 cannot be operated by the control system when the safety cover 19 is open, so that the above problem can be solved. Further, since the switch 9a of the switch box 9 cannot be pressed with the safety cover 19 closed, it is possible to protect against the problem of accidentally pressing the switch 9a. That is, a safer and highly reliable device can be provided.

[0041]

As described above, according to the automatic supply / recovery apparatus for articles and the like of the present invention, when the drawer is pulled out when the parts are loaded, the pallet is also pulled out, so that the pallet can be removed by the operator. Can be loaded as it is without moving, and it is very easy for the operator especially when handling heavy parts or pallets. Also, even if you want to replace the parts set in the stocker, you can easily pull out the pallet at any stage,
It can be easily replaced in a short time. Since the stocker is located on the worker side and is completely away from the work area of the automatic device or the like, it is possible to ensure safety from abnormal operation of the worker's device or automatic device or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a pallet and a drawer device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a pattern diagram when the pallet is pulled out from the stocker in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a pattern diagram when a pallet is stored in a stocker in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an overall perspective view of an apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control system in the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation in the first embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 stocker 2 pallet 3 pallet holding device 4 pallet operating device 5 lifting device 6 drawer device 7 stopper device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stocker having one or more shelves, a drawer provided on each of the shelves in a state in which the operator of the stocker can draw it out, and a pallet in which parts are loaded and stored in the drawer. And a stopper that prevents the pallet from moving to the automatic device side when the pallet is stored in the drawer device, and a pallet that retracts the stopper and draws the pallet from the drawer device to the automatic device side and stores it again in the drawer device. An automatic supply / collection device for articles and the like, comprising: an operating device, a pallet holding device for holding a pulled-out pallet, and an elevating device for raising and lowering the pallet holding device in correspondence with each shelf of the stocker.