JPH07251913A - Pallet positioning device for automated line system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To dispense with the need of the reinstruction work of an assembling robot by providing a pallet positioning device with a backup member which is provided to an assembling module and is positioned below a conveyor when it is connected with a base module, and by which the positioning of the pallet transferred to the front of the assembling module is carried out. CONSTITUTION:An assembling module is moved to a base module side, and both are combined. When the piston rod of a first air cylinder 103 is pushed out, a cam 104a is moved forward and a second air cylinder 108 is lifted up, so that a backup member 109 is arranged to a prescribed height. When the pallet transferred by an upper conveyor is positioned in front of the assembling module, the forefront of the pallet abuts on a stopper, and the pallet is stopped on the upper conveyor. The backup member 109 is lifted up by the second air cylinder 108, and the pallet is pushed against the respective upper hooked parts of a pressing plate 102 and a pallet guide 120 for positioning it in the vertical direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pallet positioning device in an automated line system composed of an assembly module having an assembly robot and a base module having a conveyor, and more particularly, when a production line is rebuilt or a line is changed. , A pallet positioning device that does not require re-teaching work of an assembly robot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, the assembly of products such as electronic devices is
It is carried out by an automated line system in order to automate the work. Generally, an automated line system is composed of an assembly module and a base module. The assembly module is composed of an assembly robot that assembles products, a base on which the assembly robot assembles, and a control unit that controls the operation of the assembly robot. It had been. Further, the base module is composed of a mounting table of the assembly module and a conveyor for transporting a pallet on which the work is mounted to the assembly robot. Furthermore, in an automated line system consisting of these assembly modules and base modules, when assembling products such as electronic devices by the assembly robot, the pallet conveyed to the front of the assembly robot is at a predetermined position with respect to the head of the assembly robot. It is necessary to position so that
Conventionally, the conveyor is provided with a pallet positioning device.

Although a pallet is not positioned, a technique similar to the above-mentioned pallet positioning device is provided, for example, on a work conveying means such as a conveyor or a rotary table in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-125785, and is assembled. There has been proposed a work positioning device that holds a work conveyed to a robot in a predetermined posture position. Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-12518, two assembling positioning pins that hang down toward the conveyor are provided at the parts assembly position of the conveyor, and the member to be assembled is conveyed to the assembly robot by the conveyor. , Two holes corresponding to the positioning pins are formed, and when the member to be assembled is conveyed to the component assembling position, the positioning pin is lowered to be inserted into the hole of the member to be assembled, and the assembly robot for the assembly robot is assembled. Positioning devices for positioning the attached member have been proposed.

[0004]

However, in the pallet positioning device in the above-mentioned conventional automated line system, since the pallet positioning device is provided on the conveyor, it is necessary to rebuild the production line or change the model of the assembled product. If the line setup is changed,
There is a problem that the relative positional relationship between the assembly robot and the pallet positioning device is changed, and the operation amount of the assembly robot must be taught again. The problem of the re-teaching work for such an assembly robot is that, as long as the positioning device is provided on the conveyer (conveying means), the above-mentioned JP-A-61-2578 and JP-A-6-12578.
The same happens with the positioning device of No. 3-12518.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a pallet positioning apparatus in an automated line system that does not require re-teaching work of an assembly robot when reconstructing a production line or changing lines. For the purpose of provision.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a pallet positioning device in an automated line system according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises an assembly module for assembling products and a work to be supplied to the assembly module. In an automated line system consisting of a base module that conveys a loaded pallet by a conveyor, the assembly module is provided, is located below the conveyor when the assembly module and the base module are combined, and is the front of the assembly module. The structure is provided with a backup member that moves the pallet conveyed to the up and down direction to perform positioning.

Further, the pallet positioning device in the automated line system according to claim 2 of the present invention is a wedge-shaped device for advancing and retracting on the substrate formed by the substrate formed in the work area of the assembly module and the first cylinder. A cam, a slide table that is fixed to the cam and slides on the substrate together with the cam, a cylinder base that is vertically movably mounted on the slide table, and a lower surface of the cylinder base contacts the cam, and A backup member fixed to the tip of the attached second cylinder, a holding plate attached to one end side of the substrate and having a hook-shaped upper portion, and located on the other end side of the substrate, interlocking with the slide table And is rotatably attached, and falls when the cam moves backward, and when the cam moves forward, Facing the raised state and is in the pressing plate can, the top is a configuration in which a pallet guide hook.

Further, the pallet positioning device in the automated line system according to claim 3 of the present invention is located at the pallet conveying direction outlet side of the backup member when the assembly module and the base module are coupled, and the tip of the conveyed pallet. When the assembly module and the base module are combined, the stopper is placed on the inlet side of the backup member when the assembly module and the base module are coupled to each other and contacts the rear end of the pallet. It is equipped with an escaper that can move back and forth.

Further, in the pallet positioning device in the automated line system according to claim 4 of the present invention, the operation panel of the pallet positioning device is disposed on the front surface of the assembly module, and when the assembly module and the base module are coupled, The operation panel is located near the conveyor.

[0010]

According to the pallet positioning apparatus in the automated line system of the present invention having such a configuration, since the positioning apparatus provided in the assembly module positions the pallet with respect to the assembly robot, the production run is reconstructed and the line is rebuilt. Even when the setup is changed, the positional relationship between the head of the assembling robot and the pallet can be kept constant.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a pallet positioning device in an automated line system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automated line system including a pallet positioning device according to this embodiment.
2 is a plan view of the pallet positioning device,
3 (a) and 3 (b) are partial sectional side views of the pallet positioning device.

The automated line system of this embodiment in FIG. 1 is composed of an assembly module 10 and a base module 20. The assembly module 10 includes an assembly robot 11 that assembles products such as electronic devices, a base 12 that the assembly robot 11 assembles, and a controller (not shown) that controls the operation of the assembly robot 11. There is. A pallet positioning device 100 is provided at one end on the base 12.

The structure of the pallet positioning device 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 10
Reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate, on which various components constituting the pallet positioning device are mounted. At one end of this substrate 101,
A holding plate 102 having a hook-shaped upper portion is provided upright, and a first air cylinder 103 in which a piston rod reciprocates horizontally on the substrate 101 is attached to the holding plate 102. A pair of wedge-shaped cams 104a and 104b inclined toward the other end of the base plate 101 are attached to the tip of the piston rod of the first air cylinder 103. The cams 104a and 104b move forward and backward on the substrate 101 by the first air cylinder 103. Also,
Reference numeral 105 denotes a slide table, which is the cam 104a, 10
4b is fixed and configured to slide on the substrate 101 together with the cams 104a and 104b by the reciprocating movement of the piston rod of the first air cylinder 103.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a plate-shaped cylinder base, which is located on the slide table 105 and is vertically movable along guide rails 110a and 110b provided upright in the vertical direction. A roller 107 is attached to the lower surface of the cylinder base 106 so as to contact the inclined surfaces of the cams 104a and 104b. Furthermore, the cylinder base 10
A second air cylinder 108, in which a piston rod reciprocates in the vertical direction, is attached to the top of 6, and a plate-shaped backup member 109 is horizontally fixed to the tip of the piston rod of the second air cylinder 108. .

Reference numeral 120 denotes a hook-shaped pallet guide, both sides of which are rotatably supported by side plates 122a and 122b by straight pins 121a and 121b, and one end center of which is connected by a connecting pin 123.
4 is rotatably connected to one end. Also, the connecting rod 1
The other end of 24 is rotatably connected to the other end of the slide table 105 by a connecting pin 125. That is,
The pallet guide 120 is the straight pin 121 described above.
a, 121b, the connecting pin 123, the connecting rod 124, the connecting pin 125, the slide table 105 and the like constitute a link mechanism. Therefore, the pallet guide 120
When the cams 104a and 104b retreat, they fall down, and when the cams 104a and 104b move forward, they rise up. When the pallet guide 120 is raised, the distance between the pressing plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 is substantially the same as the width in the direction (short direction) orthogonal to the transport direction of the pallet 30.

Reference numeral 126 is an operation panel for controlling the operation of the first and second air cylinders 103 and 108, which is attached to the front surface of the base 12 of the assembly module 10. As described above, by mounting the operation panel 126 on the front surface of the base 12, the operation panel 126 is located below the upper conveyor 22 when the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are combined, and the door 28 can be easily opened. Can be operated (FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b)). In addition, a plurality of assembly modules 10 can be arranged in close contact with each other, and the space can be effectively used.

The base module 20 comprises a mounting table 21 on which the assembly module 10 is mounted, an upper conveyor 22 and a lower conveyor 23. Each of the upper conveyor 22 and the lower conveyor 23 has a structure in which a pair of conveyor belts are arranged on both sides between side plates. The upper conveyor 22 conveys a pallet on which the work is mounted to the assembly module 10. The side plates 24a and 24b of the upper conveyor 22 include the pallet positioning device 100.
Notch portions 25a and 25b corresponding to are formed. In addition, the cutouts 25a and 25b on the bottom surface of the upper conveyor 22.
A stopper 26 and an escaper 27 for positioning the pallet in the horizontal direction are arranged in the vicinity of.

In the automated line system of this embodiment, although not shown, an unloader is arranged at the end of the upper conveyor 22 and a loader is arranged at the end of the lower conveyor 23. The pallets whose work has been emptied by the end of the assembly work are transferred from the upper conveyor 22 to the lower conveyor 23.
To the unloader.

Next, the operation when the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 of the pallet positioning apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure are connected will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C are operation explanatory views of the pallet positioning device when the assembly module and the base module are coupled. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the automated line system in which the assembly module and the base module are combined. 6 shows the assembled state of the assembly module and the base module in FIG. 5, FIG. 6 (a) is a front view, and FIG. 6 (b) is a side view.
FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the pallet positioning device shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Assembly module 10 and base module 2
When connecting 0, first, the cams 104a and 104b
Back to bring the backup member 109 of the pallet positioning apparatus 100 into a lowered state and the pallet guide 120 to a tilted state (FIG. 3A,
FIG. 4A). Then, the base 12 of the assembly module 10
The assembly module 10 is moved to the base module 20 side so that the front end is located under the upper conveyor 22, and the both are coupled. At this time, the positioning device uses the side plates 24a,
After passing through the notches 25a and 25b of 24b, the pallet guide 120 projects from the notches 25b (FIG. 4B).

After that, it is confirmed that the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are surely connected, the door 28 of the base module 20 is opened, and the operation panel 126 is operated (FIGS. 6A and 6B). The piston rod of the first air cylinder 103 is pushed out. Then, the cam 104
a and 104b move forward to lift the third air cylinder 108, and the backup member 109 is arranged at a predetermined height. At the same time, the slide table 105 slides, and the sliding operation causes the pallet guide 120 to rise vertically (FIG. 4C, FIGS. 5 to 7). The pallet positioning apparatus 100 stands by until the pallet is conveyed by the upper conveyor 22 in such a state.

Next, the pallet positioning operation of the pallet positioning device of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to FIG.
9 and FIG. 9. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the present pallet positioning device, and FIG.
(A)-(d) is explanatory drawing of the positioning operation of this pallet positioning apparatus.

When the pallet 30 conveyed by the upper conveyor 22 is positioned in front of the assembly module 10, the tip of the pallet 30 comes into contact with the stopper 26 that has been pushed up in advance, and the pallet 30 stops on the upper conveyor 22 ( FIG. 8 (a)). In addition, the pallet 30
The lateral positioning of the pallet is performed when the pallet 30 enters between 102 and 120. Therefore, the pallet 30 is positioned in the horizontal direction.
Then, the escaper 27 arranged on the side opposite to the stopper 26 is pushed up and abuts on the rear end of the pallet 30,
As a result, the pallet 30 is positioned so as not to move in the horizontal direction (FIG. 8B). Then, the second air cylinder 108 is driven to raise the backup member 109 and press the pallet 30 against the upper hook-shaped portions of the pressing plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 to position the pallet 30 in the vertical direction (FIG. 8).
(C)). In this way, the pallet 30 is entirely positioned by the horizontal and vertical positioning. After the positioning operation is completed, the assembly robot 11 starts assembling the electronic device. And pallet 30
When there is no work mounted on the, the second air cylinder 108 is driven and the backup member 109 descends,
After that, the piston rod of the stopper 26 is pulled in,
The pallet 30 is conveyed to an unloader (not shown) (FIG. 8 (d)).

According to the pallet positioning device in the automated line system of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure, the positioning device 100 provided in the assembly module 10 is used.
However, since the backup member 109 is moved up and down to horizontally and vertically position the pallet 30 with respect to the assembly robot 11, the head of the assembly robot 11 and the pallet 30 are rebuilt even when the production line is rebuilt or the line is changed. The positional relationship of can be always constant. Therefore, it is not necessary to re-teach the assembly robot 11. Further, in this embodiment, the operation panel 126 of the pallet positioning device 100 is installed in the assembly module 1.
Since it is attached to the front surface of the base 12 of 0, the pallet positioning apparatus 100 can be easily operated by opening the door 28, and a plurality of assembly modules 10 can be closely arranged.

The pallet positioning device in the automated line system of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, this pallet positioning device
As long as the pallet is provided on the assembly module 10 side and the pallet can be moved up and down to a predetermined position, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained. Therefore, for example, the shapes of the pressing plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 may be changed according to the shape of the pallet to be used. Further, the pressing plate 102 and the pallet guide 120 are attached to the side plates 24a and 24b.
It may be formed integrally with. With this configuration,
The structure of the pallet positioning device is simplified, and the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 can be easily joined. Further, the pallet positioning device 100 may be provided so as to be retractable from the base 12 of the assembly module 10, and after the assembly module 10 and the base module 20 are coupled, the pallet positioning device 100 may be pushed up onto the base 12 by a motor or the like. .

[0026]

As described above, according to the pallet positioning device in the automated line system of the present invention, the positional relationship between the head of the assembling robot and the pallet can always be made constant, so that the production line is reconstructed. Alternatively, it is not necessary to re-teach the assembly robot when changing the line.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automated line system equipped with a pallet positioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the pallet positioning device.

3 (a) and 3 (b) are partial cross-sectional side views showing the configuration and operation of the present pallet positioning device.

4A to 4C are explanatory views showing the flow of the operation of the pallet positioning apparatus when the assembly module and the base module are connected.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the automated line system in which the assembly module and the base module are combined.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a combined state of the assembly module and the base module in FIG. 5, in which FIG.
The same figure (b) is a side view.

7 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state of the present pallet positioning device in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the present pallet positioning device during pallet positioning.

9A to 9D are explanatory views showing the positioning operation of the pallet positioning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Assembly Module 11 Assembly Robot 12 Base 20 Base Module 21 Mounting Table 22 Upper Conveyor 23 Lower Conveyor 24a, 24b Side Plate 25a, 25b Cutout 26 Stopper 27 Escaper 28 Door 100 Pallet Positioning Device 101 Substrate 102 Holding Plate 103 First Air Cylinder 104a, 104b Cam 105 Slide table 106 Cylinder base 107 Roller 108 Second air cylinder 109 Backup member 110a, 110b Guide rail 120 Pallet guide 121a, 121b Straight pin 122a, 122b Side plate 123 Connecting pin 124 Connecting rod 125 Connecting pin

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An automated line system comprising an assembly module for assembling a product and a base module for transporting a pallet carrying a work to be supplied to the assembly module by a conveyor, wherein the assembly module is provided in the assembly module. An automated line including a backup member which is positioned below the conveyor when the base module and the base module are combined, and which moves the pallet conveyed to the front of the assembly module in the vertical direction to perform positioning. Pallet positioning device in the system. 2. A substrate formed in a work area of the assembly module, a wedge-shaped cam for advancing and retreating on the substrate by a first cylinder, and a cam fixed to the cam so as to move the substrate together with the cam. A slide table that slides, and is mounted on this slide table so that it can move up and down,
A cylinder base whose lower surface abuts on the cam, a backup member fixed to the tip of a second cylinder attached to the cylinder base, a holding plate which is attached to one end side of the substrate and has a hook-shaped upper portion, It is located on the other end side of the board and is rotatably attached in conjunction with the slide table, and is in a state of falling when the cam retracts, and in a state of rising when the cam advances. Facing the pressing plate,
The pallet positioning device in an automated line system according to claim 1, further comprising a hook-shaped pallet guide at an upper portion. 3. When the assembly module and the base module are combined, the back-and-forth member is positioned on the pallet conveying direction exit side and comes into contact with the tip of the conveyed pallet to stop the pallet forward of the assembly module. A stopper, which is located on the pallet transport direction entry side of the backup member when the assembly module and the base module are coupled,
The pallet positioning device in an automated line system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an escaper that is movable in and out of contact with a rear end of the pallet. 4. The operation panel of the pallet positioning device is arranged on the front surface of the assembly module, and the operation panel is located near the conveyor when the assembly module and the base module are coupled. Three
Pallet positioning device in the automated line system described.