JPH0712584B2 - Pallet attachment / detachment device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pallet attaching / detaching device, and more specifically, for example, a pallet holding a workpiece is radially installed on a machine tool along an annular conveying path. The vertical pair of guide rails forming a part of the annular transport path can be moved up and down, and the pallet can be automatically and reliably converted into a horizontal posture and a vertical posture. Pallet attaching / detaching device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In general, line production in which various kinds of machine tools are arranged along a machining line and a predetermined machining operation is sequentially performed on a workpiece conveyed to the machining line via the machine tool. The process is known. In this case, for example, in a machining line that requires a large number of different machining operations such as a cylinder head that constitutes an engine, a predetermined number of machine tools should not be interfered with each other along the machining line. Must be placed at intervals of. For this reason, the entire manufacturing line including the processing line becomes considerably long, making it difficult to effectively use the effective space in the workplace, and the inefficiency of the line production process cannot be achieved. Has been done.

Therefore, an indexing table that can be rotated and indexed is prepared, and jigs that are separated from each other by a predetermined angle and are rotatable are arranged on the indexing table, and the jig is indexed while the workpiece is clamped. A rotation indexing device has been proposed which is configured to rotate the table by a predetermined angle and each jig itself by a desired angle (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-42847). Therefore, by arranging a plurality of machine tools radially outside the indexing table, each jig is rotated by a desired angle and clamped to the jig when the indexing table is rotated by a predetermined angle. The work being machined is indexed and positioned for each machine tool. As a result, it is possible to arrange a plurality of machine tools in a narrow space, shorten the entire machining line at once, and effectively utilize the effective space in the workplace.

In such a rotary indexing device, an arc-shaped guide rail is provided, a traveling roller provided on a pallet on which a work is attached is rolled on the upper surface of the guide rail, and a guide provided on the pallet is also provided. Rollers are rolled on the side surfaces of the guide rails to convey the pallet.

However, the work is normally conveyed on the manufacturing line in a horizontal posture for attachment / detachment work to the pallet, while the work is placed in a vertical posture on the jig via the pallet when performing the machining work. Retained. Therefore, at the time of this posture change, the guide rail may come into contact with the traveling rollers of the pallet or the like to complicate the posture change work of the pallet.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, and when the pallet is changed in posture and is attached to or detached from the annular conveying path, the pallet is supported to roll on the annular conveying path. An object of the present invention is to provide a pallet attaching / detaching device capable of reliably and easily attaching / detaching the pallet in a vertical posture to / from the annular conveying path without the traveling roller and the guide roller interfering with the annular conveying path. And

[Means for Achieving the Object] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a traveling roller that rolls on an upper surface portion of the upper rail with respect to an annular conveying path including an upper rail and a lower rail. A device for automatically attaching / detaching a pallet supporting a guide roller for rolling the side portions of the upper rail and the lower rail in a vertical posture, wherein the upper rail is an attachment / detachment of the upper fixed rail and the pallet. An upper actuator that is movable up and down at a position, and an upper actuator that raises the upper guide rail to avoid interference with the pallet when the pallet is transferred to the attachment / detachment position. The rail includes a lower fixed rail and a lower guide rail that can move up and down at a mounting / demounting position of the pallet, and the pallet is transferred to the mounting / demounting position. A lower actuator that lowers the lower guide rail to avoid interference with the pallet when the upper pallet is lowered under the action of the upper actuator. A cutout portion for inserting the traveling roller of the pallet held on the upper guide rail from the lower surface side to the upper surface side, and a part of the cutout portion formed to have a predetermined depth on the upper surface side and communicated with each other. A groove portion and a notch portion that is rotatably disposed in the groove portion and that corresponds to the notch portion so that the traveling roller is inserted from the lower surface side to the upper surface side of the upper guide rail, and is rotated by a predetermined angle. Accordingly, the upper guide rail is provided with a rotating body which is continuous with the upper surface of the upper guide rail and constitutes the rolling surface for the traveling roller.

[Advantageous Effects of the Invention] When mounting the pallet on the annular conveying path, first, the upper actuator displaces the upper guide rail upward from the state of connection with the upper fixed rail, and the lower actuator displaces the lower guide rail. It is displaced downward from the connection state with the lower fixed rail. At this time, in the upper guide rail, the rotating body is rotated to open the notch. In this way, the pallet with the work attached is positioned in the vertical posture in the portions where the upper and lower guide rails are vertically separated. Then, when the upper guide rail descends and is connected to the upper fixed rail, the traveling roller provided on the pallet rolls on the upper surface of the upper roller, so that the cutout portion of the upper guide rail and the rotating body is removed. It passes integrally and reaches the upper surface part. Finally, the notch of the upper guide rail is closed by rotating the rotating body. As a result, the rotator also forms the same rolling surface as the upper surface of the upper guide rail in the closed notch. Therefore, the traveling roller can roll on the upper guide rail and the upper fixed rail.

[Embodiment] Next, a preferred embodiment of the pallet attaching / detaching device according to the present invention will be given and described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3, reference numeral 10 indicates a rotary transfer system incorporating the pallet attaching / detaching device according to the present embodiment. The rotary transfer system 10 is incorporated in the manufacturing line 12, and the work W conveyed along the manufacturing line 12 in the direction of the arrow is attached to the pallet 50 to be converted into a desired posture, and then the annular shape. After being sequentially conveyed by a predetermined angle along the conveyance path, the processing devices 16a to 16c radially arranged on the outside of the system 10 perform predetermined processing, and then the posture is changed again. It is returned to the production line 12 and conveyed to the next work position.

That is, the system 10 includes a base 18, which
A pillar 20 having a prismatic shape is erected at a substantially central portion of the. The pillar
One end of each of the lower support members 22a to 22d, which has a bent shape and projects outward, is fixed to each of the lower end side corners of the 20, and the other end of each of the lower support members 22a to 22d is fixed. Prop 20
Circular arc-shaped lower fixed rails 24a to 24d arranged on the same circumference centering on the center are supported. Upper support members 26a to 26d are fixed to upper corners of the column 20, and the upper support members 26a to 26d are located above the lower fixed rails 24a to 24d and arranged on the same circumference. Arcuate upper fixed rails 28a to 28d are provided. Therefore, an annular conveying path 29 is formed by the lower fixed rails 24a to 24d, a lower guide rail that can be displaced, which will be described later, and the upper fixed rails 28a to 28d, and an upper guide rail that can be displaced, which will be described later.

Further, at the upper part of the column 20, the fixed arms 30 are deviated from each other by 90 ° and protruded between the upper support members 26a to 26d.
a to 30d are retained. In this case, the fixed arm 30a
The elements constituting the pallet attaching / detaching device and the processing station according to the present embodiment, which will be described later, are attached to the members 30 to 30d, the details of which will be described in the pallet attaching / detaching device and the processing station.

Next, the transport means 32 is provided on the upper part of the support column 20. The transfer means 32 has a rotating body 34 rotatably mounted on the upper part of the column 20, and each of the rotating bodies 34 has movable arms 36a to 36d protruding outward at 90 ° intervals. It is provided integrally. A rotary drive source 37 is erected at a boundary portion between the movable arm 36a and the rotary body 34, and gear wheels (not shown) are axially attached to the rotary drive source 37 and the rotary body 34 in a meshed state with each other. The movable arm 36a is the upper fixed rail 2
The pair of guide bars 38a and 38b are vertically supported at the end portions of the guide bars 38a and 38b so as to project outward from the portions 8a to 28d. A rectangular body 40 is horizontally extended and held at the lower ends of the guide bars 38a, 38b, and locking members 42a are separated at both ends of the rectangular body 40 in correspondence with the width of a pallet 50 described later. 42b is fixed. The other movable arms 36b to 36d have substantially the same configuration as that of the movable arm 36a described above, and the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Therefore, the pallet attaching / detaching device 100 according to the present embodiment is provided on the fixed arm 30a extending toward the manufacturing line 12 among the fixed arms 30a to 30d. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, a support member 102 is fixed to the end of the fixed arm 30a, a cylinder 104 is mounted at substantially the center of the support member 102, and A bracket 106 is attached to a piston rod 104a extending vertically downward. As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 106
Guide bars 108a and 108b are provided upright on the guide bars 108a and 108b, and the guide bars 108a and 108b are fitted to both ends of the support member 106. Further, an arc-shaped upper guide rail 110 which can be arranged integrally with the upper fixed rails 28a and 28b on the same circumference is fixed to the bracket 106.

The upper surface of the upper guide rail 110 is located at a position corresponding to a traveling roller (described later) of the pallet 50 and extends along a virtual circumference having a diameter larger than the width of the upper guide rail 110 in the radial direction. A first groove portion 112a and a second groove portion 112b are formed by cutting out to a plate thickness of about half of the guide rail 110. The first and second groove portions 112a,
112b has first and second cutouts 114a, 11a formed by cutting out the outer peripheral portion of the upper guide rail 110 in a substantially rectangular shape.
4b communicates. In this case, the first and second groove portions 112a, 11
2b is provided with first and second rotating bodies 116a and 116b,
The first and second rotating bodies 116a and 116b are integrally rotated by a predetermined angle via a driving means 118.

That is, the driving means 118 includes a cylinder 120, which is fixedly mounted on the bracket 106, and one end of the link piece 122 engages with the piston rod 120a extending from the cylinder 120. The center portion of the link piece 122 has a pin 124.
Is rotatably supported by the bracket 106 via
The first link bar 126a and the second link bar 126b engage with the other end of the link piece 122. The first link bar
126a and the second link bar 126b extend substantially coaxially, and one ends of the first swing link 128a and the second swing link 128b are engaged with the respective ends. At the other ends of the first and second swing links 128a and 128b, first and second rotating shafts 130 are provided.
a and 130b are attached to the first and second rotating shafts 130a and 1
30b penetrates the bracket 106 and the first and second rotating bodies 11
Shaft is attached to 6a and 116b.

The first rotating body 116a is substantially fitted into the first groove portion 112a to form the same plane as the upper surface of the upper guide rail 110, and the upper guide rail is provided on the side peripheral portion of the first rotating body 116a.
A first arc surface 132a corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of 110 is formed. On the other hand, the second circular arc surface 1 corresponding to the inner peripheral surface of the upper guide rail 110 is located at a position opposite to the first circular arc surface 132a.
Provide 34a. Further, the first rotating body 116a is located at a predetermined angular position with respect to the respective arcuate surfaces 132a and 134a, and has a first cutout portion.
A notch 136a corresponding to 114a is formed.

The second rotating body 116b has the same structure as the first rotating body 116a described above, and the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, holding members 138a and 138b for engaging with the locking members 42a and 42b constituting the conveying means 32 and moving them up and down are fixedly mounted on the bracket 106 at a predetermined distance.

On the other hand, below the upper guide rail 110, the cylinders 140a, 1
The posture changing station 200 is provided with a lower guide rail 142 that is vertically movable under the action of 40b. That is, the posture conversion station 200 includes a rotary base 202 that is disposed between the base 18 and the manufacturing line 12 and is rotatable under the driving action of a rotary drive source (not shown). The above-mentioned cylinders 140a and 140b are fixed to the rotary table 202 so as to be eccentric from the center of rotation thereof, and the lower guide rails 142 are mounted on the piston rods 144a and 144b extending from the respective cylinders 140a and 140b. (See Figure 2). A support pin 204 is provided at one end of the turntable 202.
The pallet holder 206 is mounted so as to be vertically swingable via a and 204b. The pallet holder 206 is provided with clamp means 208a, 208b capable of fixing the pallet 50, and a piston rod 212 extending from a cylinder 210 rotatably held at the other end of the rotary table 202 has the pallet. Holder 206
It is attached to one end of the.

Next, processing stations 300a to 300c are provided on the base 18 below the fixed arms 30b to 30d and corresponding to the respective processing devices 16a to 16c. The processing station
300a has a cylindrical support base 302, and an indexing base 304 rotatable on a predetermined angle basis is mounted on the upper part of the support base 302.
In this case, a rotary shaft 306a extends from the rotary drive source 306 mounted on the base 18 into the support 302, and a worm (not shown) provided on the rotary shaft 306a is pivotally attached to the indexing base 304. Mesh with a worm gear (not shown). A jig main body 308 is provided upright on the indexing base 304 close to the column 20, and a pair of guide pins 309a, 309b and 310a, 310b are fitted on the upper side and the lower side of the jig main body 308, respectively. To meet.
One end of the guide pins 309a, 309b and 310a, 310b penetrates the jig body 308 and projects toward the support column 20 and is integrally attached to the mounting plate 312, while the guide pins 310a, 310b and 30 are provided.
A lower guide rail 314 and an upper guide rail 316 are attached to the other ends of 9a and 309b, respectively (see processing station 300c in FIG. 2). In this case, both ends of the lower guide rail 314 and the upper guide rail 316 are formed parallel to each other in the axial direction of the guide pins 309a, 309b and 310a, 310b.

The jig body 308 includes guide pins 309a, 309b and 310.
cylinders 318a to 318d are mounted in proximity to a and 310b,
The claw members 322a to 322d are attached to the piston rods 320a to 320d protruding from the respective cylinders 318a to 318d in the direction opposite to the mounting plate 312. Mounting plates from cylinders 318a through 318d
The ends of the piston rods 320a to 320d protruding toward the 312 side are engaged with the mounting plate 312. Positioning pins (not shown) for positioning the pallet 50 with respect to the jig body 308 are implanted in the jig body 308. A rotary join 324 is attached to the fixed arm 30b located above the jig main body 308, and this rotary joint 324 has a function of introducing and extracting a fluid into and from the cylinders 318a to 318d.

The processing station 300a is configured as described above, and the other processing stations 300b to 300c are configured in the same manner as this processing station 300a, and therefore, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals. Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the pallet 50 that circulates along the annular transport path 29 has a plurality of rotatable guide rollers 52 that sandwich the lower guide rail 142 at one end, which is the lower end side when positioned vertically by the posture changing station 200. Will be supported. Further, the upper end of the pallet 50 at the other end is a plurality of rotatable guide rollers 5 that sandwich the upper guide rail 110 and are rotatable.
4 and traveling rollers 55a, 55b that roll on the upper surface of the upper guide rail 110 to suspend the pallet 50 are supported. Further, on the back surface side corresponding to the side surface on which the work W of the pallet 50 is mounted, the claw members 322a to 322a provided on the cylinders 318a to 318d configuring the processing stations 300a to 300c.
Locking members 56a to 56d with which 322d is engaged are fixed.

The rotary transfer system incorporating the pallet attaching / detaching device according to the present embodiment is basically constructed as described above. Next, its operation and effect will be described.

First, in the manufacturing line 12, the works W are sequentially conveyed in a horizontal posture, and the works W reach the posture changing station 200 that constitutes the system 10. At that time, the pallet 50 is held in advance on the pallet holder 206, and the pallet 50 is positioned in the horizontal direction.

Therefore, when the work W is clamped on the pallet 50 and the cylinder 210 is driven to displace the piston rod 212 to the production line 12 side, the pallet holding body 206 attached to the piston rod 212 causes the support pins 204a and 204b to be supported. With the fulcrum as a fulcrum, it swings vertically upward. Therefore, if the driving of the cylinder 210 is stopped when the pallet holder 206 stands upright, the pallet 50 held by the pallet holder 206 will have its posture with the workpiece W facing the support column 20 side.
It will be converted 90 ° (see Fig. 1). Further, when the rotary table 202 is rotated 180 ° under the driving action of a rotary drive source (not shown), the pallet holder 206 supported at a position deviated from the center of rotation of the rotary table 202 rotates 180 ° in its direction. It is also positioned close to the column 20 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the turntable 202 holds the lower guide rail 142 that constitutes the pallet attaching / detaching device 100, and the lower guide rail 142 is connected to the cylinders 140a, 1a.
It is displaced vertically downward in advance under the action of 40b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lower guide rail 142 from interfering with the lower fixed rails 24a and 24b when the lower guide rail 142 rotates integrally with the rotary table 202.

Next, the pallet attaching / detaching device 100 is driven. That is, when the cylinders 140a and 140b provided on the rotary table 202 are driven to displace the piston rods 144a and 144b in the vertically upward direction, the lower guide rails 142 mounted on the pistons 144a and 144b are raised and the lower guide rails 142 are moved. The rail 142 is held by a plurality of guide rollers 52 supported by the pallet 50. On the other hand, when the cylinder 104 attached to the fixed arm 30a via the support member 102 is driven to displace the piston rod 104a in the vertically downward direction, the bracket 106 supported by the cylinder 104 guides the guide bars 108a and 108b. Lower guide rail 11
It goes down with 0.

At that time, the first and second groove portions 112 of the upper guide rail 110.
First and second rotating bodies 116a, 1 arranged on a, 112b
As shown in FIG. 4, 16b are notches 136a and 136b, respectively.
Are aligned with the first and second cutouts 114a and 114b.
Therefore, when the upper guide rail 110 is lowered, the traveling rollers 55a and 55b of the pallet 50 are inserted into the respective cutouts 114a, 136a and 114b, 136b. Therefore, when the traveling rollers 55a and 55b are located above the upper guide rail 110 and both side circumferential surfaces of the upper guide rail 110 are nipped by the plurality of guide rollers 54, the driving of the cylinder 104 is stopped and driven. Drive means 118.

That is, the piston rod 1
When 20a is displaced in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, the link piece 122 engaging one end of this piston rod 120a rotates in the direction of the arrow around the pin 124, and the link piece 1
First and second link bars 126a engaging the other end of 22;
126b is displaced integrally in the direction of the arrow. A first swinging link 128a is engaged with the first link bar 126a, and the first swinging link 12 is subjected to a pulling action of the first link bar 126a.
8a swings in the direction of the arrow, and the first rotating body 116a coaxially engaged therewith via the first rotating shaft 130a rotates in the direction of the arrow. Then, the first rotating body 116a closes above the first notch 114a, and the first and second arc surfaces 132a and 134a thereof are formed.
The drive means 118 is stopped at a position where is aligned with the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the upper guide rail 110. On the other hand, the second swing link 128b swings in the arrow direction under the pulling action of the second link bar 126b, and the second rotary body 116b engaging with this via the second rotary shaft 130b also similarly moves in the arrow direction. Rotate. Therefore, the second rotating body 116b closes the second notch portion 114b, and the first and second arcuate surfaces 132b and 134b of the second rotating body 116b have the upper guide rails.
Matches both sides of 110.

As described above, the first and second rotating bodies 116a and 116b forming the same plane as the upper surface of the upper guide rail 110 block the upper portions of the first and second cutouts 114a and 114b,
The upper guide rail 110 is provided with a continuous rolling path for the traveling rollers 55a and 55b (see FIG. 5). In addition, the first circular arc surfaces 132a and 132b and the second circular arc surfaces 134a and 134b of the first and second rotating bodies 116a and 116b coincide with the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the upper guide rail 110. Therefore, continuous rolling paths for the guide rollers 54 are formed on both circumferential surfaces of the upper guide rail 110.

As described above, the lower guide rail 142 rises, the upper guide rail 110 descends, and the lower guide rail 142 and the upper guide rail 110 move the lower fixed rails 24a and 24b and the upper fixed rails 28a and 28b. And are arranged on the same circumference. As a result, the pallet 50 is arranged on the annular transport path 29 of the system 10.

On the other hand, when lowering the upper guide rail 110 under the driving action of the pallet attaching / detaching device 100, the locking members 42a, 4 mounted on the holding members 138a, 138b to which the bracket 106 is fixed.
2b descends integrally with the cuboid 40. Therefore, the locking members 42a and 42b sandwich the upper side of the pallet 50.

Next, after releasing the fixing action of the pallet 50 by the clamp means 208a, 208b, the rotation drive source 37 constituting the transport means 32.
To drive. Therefore, the rotating body 34 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, and the pallet 50 held by the locking members 42a, 42b of the movable arm 36a is guided to the guide rollers 52, 54 and the traveling rollers 55a, 55b. And is displaced along the lower guide rail 142 and the upper guide rail 110, and moves from the lower fixed rail 24b and the upper fixed rail 28b to the lower guide rail 31.
4 and up to the upper guide rail 316. In this way, the drive of the rotary drive source 37 is stopped when the movable arm 36a is displaced from the posture conversion station 200 by 90 °, that is, when it reaches the processing station 300a.

In the processing station 300a, first, the cylinders 318a to 318d are driven, and the piston rods 320a to 320d are displaced integrally with the claw members 322a to 322d toward the mounting plate 312 side. Therefore, the claw members 322a to 322d are engaged with the locking members 56a to 56d provided on the back surface side of the pallet 50 and pulled to the mounting plate 312 side, and the pallet 50 is attached to the jig body 308. This jig body comes in contact with the positioning pin (not shown).
Positioned and held with respect to 308. At that time, the pallet 5
Since 0 is displaced to the jig main body 308 side, the pallet 50 comes to be released from the locking members 42a and 42b forming the transporting means 32.

Further, the mounting plate 312 moves toward the support column 20 side by driving the cylinders 318a to 318d, and the guide pins 309a, 309b and 310a, 31 having one end fixed to the mounting plate 312.
Similarly, 0b is displaced toward the column 20 side. Therefore, the lower guide rail 314 and the upper guide rail 316 held by the guide pins 309a, 309b and 310a, 310b are displaced inward in the radial direction (toward the column 20).

Next, the rotary drive source 306 provided on the base 18 is driven to rotate the rotary shaft 306a in a predetermined direction.
The indexing base 304 rotates by a predetermined angle with respect to the support base 302 via a worm (not shown) provided on 6a and a worm gear that meshes with the worm. As a result, the pallet 50 positioned and held by the jig body 308 is indexed at a predetermined angular position with respect to the processing device 16a. During the indexing work, the lower guide rail 314 and the upper guide rail 316 are displaced inward in the radial direction.
314 and upper guide rail 316 together with lower fixed rails 24b, 24c
In addition, it does not interfere with the upper fixed rails 28b and 28c.

After the predetermined working operation on the work W is completed, the rotary drive source 306 is driven to rotate the indexing base 304 in the opposite direction to the position of the jig main body 308 at the attachment / detachment angular position of the pallet 50. Further, when the cylinders 318a to 318d are driven to displace the claw members 322a to 322d to the side opposite to the mounting plate 312, the mounting plate 312 is displaced in the direction of separating from the support column 20, and the lower guide rail 314 and the upper side. The guide rail 316 is displaced together with the pallet 50 in the radially outward direction (the direction away from the column 20). Therefore, the lower guide rail 314
Corresponds to the lower fixed rails 24b and 24c, and the upper guide rail 316 corresponds to the upper fixed rails 28b and 28c to form an annular conveying path 29. Further, since the pallet 50 moves radially outward, the upper side of the pallet 50 fits between the locking members 42a and 42b provided on the movable arm 36a.

Next, when the rotary drive source 37 is driven to rotate the rotary body 34 by 90 °, the pallet 50 reaches the processing station 300b integrally with the movable arm 36a. Therefore, similarly to the above-described processing station 300a, a predetermined processing operation is performed on the work W held on the pallet 50 at the processing station 300b via the processing device 16b.

Further, the pallet 50 is transported to the processing station 300c under the driving action of the transportation means 32, subjected to predetermined processing by the processing device 16c, and then transported to the posture conversion station 200. The pallet holder 206 stands upright in the posture changing station 200, and holds the pallet 50 on the pallet holder 206 under the action of the clamp means 208a and 208b.

Therefore, the pallet attaching / detaching device 100 is driven. That is, the traveling rollers 55a and 55b that suspend the pallet 50 are
As shown in FIG. 5, the first and second rotating bodies 116a, 116a,
It is mounted on 116b, and first, the cylinder 120 which constitutes the drive means 118 is driven to move the piston rod 120a to the fifth position.
In the figure, it is displaced in the direction of the arrow. The piston rod 120a
The link piece 122 is engaged with the link piece 122. The link piece 122 rotates about the piston 124 in the direction of the arrow, and the first and second link bars 126a and 126b connected to the first and second link bars 126a and 126b are used. The second swing links 128a and 128b swing in the arrow direction. Accordingly, the first and second swing links 128a, 12
The first and second rotating bodies 116a, 116b coaxially provided on the 8b via the first and second rotating shafts 130a, 130b rotate by a predetermined angle, and the notches 136a, 136b are respectively provided on the upper guide rails. It coincides with the first and second cutouts 114a, 114b of 110.

Next, the upper guide rail 110 is driven through the bracket 106 under the driving action of the cylinder 104 supported by the fixed arm 30a.
The holding members 138a, 138b fixed to the bracket 106 are engaged with the locking members 42a, 42b to separate them from the pallet 50 as the ascends. At that time, the notches 136a and 136b of the first and second rotating bodies 116a and 116b are aligned with the first and second notches 114a and 114b of the upper guide rail 110. Therefore, when the upper guide rail 110 rises, the traveling rollers 55 supported on the pallet 50 are supported.
a and 55b pass between the notches 114a, 136a and 114b, 136b, respectively, while the guide roller 54 is the upper guide rail.
It is separated from both sides of 110.

Also, drive the cylinders 140a and 140b to lower guide rails.
The 142 is lowered, and the guide rollers 52 are disengaged from both side peripheral surfaces of the lower guide rail 142.

In this manner, while the pallet 50 is held only by the pallet holder 206, the rotary table 202 is rotated 180 ° under the driving action of the rotary driving source (not shown), and the pallet holder 206 is further driven under the driving action of the cylinder 210. Rock vertically. Therefore, since the pallet 50 is positioned in the horizontal direction, the work W is removed from the pallet 50 and the work W is sent to the next work position along the manufacturing line 12.

By the way, when the movable arm 36a is displaced to the processing station 300a, the movable arm 36d moves to the posture conversion station 200.
Leading to. Then, the other pallet 50 supported by the movable arm 30d is held by the pallet holder 206 to perform the posture changing work, and then the work W attached to the pallet 50 is sent to the manufacturing line 12. At the same time, the work of mounting a new work W on the pallet 50 is performed. That is, the movable arms 36a to 36d hold the pallets 50, respectively, and of course, the predetermined machining operations for the respective works W simultaneously proceed under the action of the processing devices 16a to 16c in the processing stations 300a to 300c. Is.

In this case, in this embodiment, the posture conversion station 200
At the time of changing the posture of the pallet 50 from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture via the pallet holder 206, the lower guide rail 142 forming the annular conveying path 29 is raised while the upper guide rail forming the annular conveying path 29 is raised. Displace 110 down. Therefore, the plurality of guide rollers 52 and 54 supported by the pallet 50 engage with the peripheral surfaces on both sides of the lower guide rail 142 and the upper guide rail 110, respectively, and clamp them.

Here, the pallet 50 is provided with traveling rollers 55a and 55b that hang the pallet 50 when it is displaced along the annular transport path 29 and roll on the annular transport path 29. 55a and 55b may interfere with the upper guide rail 110 that is displaced downward.

However, in the pallet attaching / detaching device 100, the first and second cutouts 114a and 114b are formed so that the traveling rollers 55a and 55b can be inserted into the upper guide rail 110, respectively.
Notches corresponding to the first and second notches 114a, 114b
First and second rotating bodies 116a, 116b having 136a, 136b and forming the same plane as the upper surface of the upper guide rail 110 are arranged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, if the notches 114a and 136a and 114b and 136b are aligned,
When moving the upper guide rail 110 up and down, the traveling roller 5
5a and 55b do not come into contact with the upper guide rail 110.

Further, lower the upper guide rail 110 to lower the traveling roller 5
After exposing 5a and 55b above the upper guide rail 110, the first and second rotating bodies 1 are driven by the driving means 118.
Rotate 16a and 116b by a specified angle to rotate each arc surface 132
The a, 134a and 132b, 134b are arranged on the same plane as both side circumferential surfaces of the upper guide rail 110. Therefore, the upper surface of the upper guide rail 110 and the first and second rotating bodies 116a and 116b are
The upper surface of the upper guide rail 11 forms a continuous rolling surface for rolling the traveling rollers 55a, 55b.
0 peripheral surfaces and respective arc surfaces 132a, 132b and 134a, 134
By b, a continuous rolling surface for the guide roller 54 is provided. As a result, the effect that the pallet 50 can be smoothly and reliably transported along the annular transport path 29 under the driving action of the transport means 32 is obtained. As a result, the pallet 50 can be automatically and easily converted into a horizontal posture and a vertical posture, and in particular, various processing operations can be efficiently performed on the work W in the rotary transfer system 10. Is mentioned.

[Advantages of the Invention] When the pallet is mounted on the conveyance path, the upper and lower guide rails are respectively displaced vertically, and the pallet having the work attached thereto is positioned at the vertically separated portions. Therefore, the traveling rollers of the pallet do not interfere with the upper and lower guide rails during positioning.
Further, after the positioning, the upper guide rail is lowered to be connected to the upper fixed rail to form the upper rail. At this time, the traveling roller of the pallet rolling on the upper surface of the upper rail is in contact with the descending upper roller, but the notch provided on the upper rail is opened by the rotation of the rotating body, The traveling roller is inserted through the notch. Moreover, after the traveling roller is inserted, the rotary body is rotated to close the cutout portion, and the cutout portion is also flush with the upper surface portion of the upper guide rail by the upper surface portion of the rotary body. Has been formed.
Therefore, the traveling roller can roll properly on the upper guide rail. On the contrary, when the pallet is removed, the operation reverse to this may be performed. In this way, the running rollers and the like provided on the pallet can be automatically attached and detached without interfering with each other.

Further, when a plurality of the cutout portions are provided and a rotating body is provided for each cutout portion, if a drive mechanism that integrally rotates the plurality of rotating bodies is provided, the opening / closing operation of the plurality of cutout portions Can be done synchronously.

Further, since the upper surface portion and the side surface portion of the rotating body are configured to be flush with the upper surface portion and the side surface portion of the upper guide rail, when the rotating body is rotated to close the notch, the upper guide The upper surface and the side surface of the rail are on the same plane as a whole, and the traveling roller and the guide roller of the pallet are smoothly rolled on the upper surface and the side surface.

Furthermore, since the conveying means that engages with the pallet moves up and down integrally with the upper guide rail by the bracket, when the upper guide roller is connected to the upper fixed roller, the conveying means engages with the pallet and the upper guide roller. When the pallet is raised, the conveying means is separated from the pallet, which makes it easier to attach and detach the pallet.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment,
It goes without saying that various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view of a rotary transfer system incorporating a pallet attaching / detaching device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the system, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the system, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of an essential part of the invention device, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the invention device. 10 …… Rotary transfer system 12 …… Manufacturing line 16a to 16c …… Processing equipment, 29 …… Conveying path 32 …… Conveying means, 50 …… Pallet 100 …… Pallet attaching / detaching device, 104 …… Cylinder 106 …… Bracket , 110 ...... upper guide rail, 114a, 114b ...... notch 116a, 116b ...... rotating body, 118 ...... driving means 136a, 136b ...... notch 140a, 140b ...... notch 142 ...... lower guide rail 200 …… Posture change station 300a ～ 300c …… Processing station

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A traveling roller that rolls on an upper surface of the upper rail and a guide roller that rolls on side surfaces of the upper rail and the lower rail with respect to an annular conveying path formed of an upper rail and a lower rail. Is a device for automatically attaching / detaching a pallet supporting the pallet in a vertical posture, wherein the upper rail includes an upper fixed rail and an upper guide rail that is movable up and down at a pallet attaching / detaching position, and the pallet is An upper actuator that raises the upper guide rail is provided to avoid interference with the pallet when the pallet is transferred to the attachment / detachment position, and the lower rail is vertically movable at the attachment / detachment position between the lower fixed rail and the pallet. A lower guide rail, and the lower guide for avoiding interference with the pallet when the pallet is transferred to the attachment / detachment position. A lower actuator for lowering the rail is provided, and when the upper guide rail descends under the action of the upper actuator, the lower guide lowers the traveling roller of the pallet held in a vertical posture at the attachment / detachment position. Side to the upper surface side, a notch portion, a groove portion having a predetermined depth on the upper surface side and partially communicating with the notch portion, and a groove portion rotatably disposed in the groove portion, the traveling In order to insert the roller from the lower surface side of the upper guide rail to the upper surface side, the traveling roller has a notch corresponding to the notch and is rotated by a predetermined angle so as to be continuous with the upper surface of the upper guide rail. A pallet attaching / detaching device, comprising: a rotating body that constitutes a rolling surface for use. 2. The pallet attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said rotating bodies are provided, and a drive mechanism for integrally rotating said plurality of rotating bodies under the action of a single drive source. A pallet attaching / detaching device characterized by being provided. 3. The pallet attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body has an upper surface portion of the upper guide rail at a position where an upper surface portion and a side surface of the rotating body close a notch portion of the upper guide rail. And a pallet attaching / detaching device having a rolling surface that is flush with the side surface. 4. The pallet attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, wherein the upper guide rail is mounted, and the bracket is movable up and down under the action of the upper actuator, and constitutes a conveying means to engage with the pallet to engage the pallet. And a holding member provided on the bracket, the upper guide rail being lifted under the action of the upper actuator. At this time, the locking member is separated from the pallet via the holding member, while the locking member engages with the pallet and holds the pallet when the upper guide rail is lowered. Pallet attachment / detachment device.