JPH07309419A - Article transferring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transfer an article by a single actuator when the direction of a tail end of the other carrying passage from a tail end of one carrying passage is set in the direction having an angle to the moving direction of an air cylinder. CONSTITUTION:A flexible transferring rod 10 is installed on a piston rod 2 to reciprocate at a specific stroke, and the transferring rod 10 is slidably inserted and formed in a curved guide passage 8 arranged between one carrying passage 3 and the other carrying passage 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article transfer device used in manufacturing processes of various machines and instruments.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When transporting machine parts or other articles in the process of manufacturing various machines and equipment, the articles are transported from the end of one transport path to the beginning of another transport path within a range of at most 1 meter. In some cases, equipment to do so is required.
For example, it is a case of transferring from the lower conveying path to the upper conveying path parallel thereto.

In such a case, an air cylinder is used as the simplest transfer device, and the articles are usually transferred from the end of the lower transfer path to the start of the upper transfer path by the reciprocating motion of the piston rod. Done.

[0004]

The above-mentioned transfer device has no problem when transferring in a direction parallel to the reciprocating motion of the piston rod of the air cylinder, but the transfer direction is an angle with respect to the moving direction of the piston rod. However, if one air cylinder is not enough, it is necessary to combine two or three air cylinders to form a transfer path bent at a right angle. Therefore, there is a problem that the transfer device becomes complicated.

In view of this, the present invention provides an article transfer device having a simple structure in which an article can be transferred by a single actuator when the article is transferred in a direction having an angle with the movement direction of an actuator such as an air cylinder. The task is to do.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention supports a flexible transfer rod by a movable part of an actuator which reciprocates with a predetermined stroke, and from the end of one article conveying path to the other. Of the actuator, a cylindrical guide passage having a curved length within the stroke of the actuator is provided, and the free end side of the transfer rod is slidably inserted into the guide passage. .

[0007]

When the actuator is driven with the tip of the transfer rod facing the surface on the side opposite to the transfer direction of the article at the end of one of the conveying paths, the transfer rod supported by the movable part moves the article at the tip. Move in the tubular guide passage while pushing. The transfer rod slides in the guide passage while elastically deforming according to the bending of the guide passage, and transfers the article to the start end of the other conveying passage. After the transfer is completed, the actuator is driven in the reverse direction, and the transfer rod returns to the initial state.

[0008]

Embodiment 1 The first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 uses an air cylinder 1 as an actuator, and an article located from a lower conveyance path 3 to an upper conveyance path 4 within the stroke range of its piston rod 2. The case where 5 is transferred is shown. The lower end 6 of the lower transfer path 3 is located closer to the air cylinder 1, while the upper end 7 of the upper transfer path 4 is located away from the air cylinder 1. The lower end of the tubular guide passage 8 is connected to the terminal end 6 of the lower transport passage 3, and the lower transport passage 3 and the guide passage 8 are connected.
Communicates with. The guide passage 8 is bent in the middle so that its upper end is horizontal, and its upper end is connected and communicated with the starting end 7 of the upper transport path 4.

Piston rod 2 of the air cylinder 1
The bracket 9 is attached to the tip of the
One end of a flexible transfer rod 10 made of an elastic tube made of urethane foam or the like is fixed to. The free end of the transfer rod 10 is slidably inserted from the lower end of the guide passage 8 (see FIG. 3).
At the upper limit of the most contracted stroke, the tip of the transfer rod 10 reaches the starting end 7 of the upper transport path 4 as shown in FIG.

Further, at the lower limit of the stroke in which the air cylinder 1 is most extended (see FIG. 2), the tip of the transfer rod 10 has the same height as the groove bottom of the terminal end 6 of the lower conveying path 3.

The transfer device of the first embodiment is as described above, and it is appropriate that the article 5 is placed on the tip surface of the transfer rod 10 via the lower transfer path 3 in the initial transfer state shown in FIG. Air cylinder 1
Is driven.

As the air cylinder 1 is driven and the piston rod 2 contracts, the transfer rod 10 moves in the guide passage 8
When the air cylinder 1 elastically deforms along the curved line and reaches the upper limit of the stroke, the article 5 is pushed out to the starting end 7 of the upper transport path 4 and the transfer is completed.

After the transfer is completed, the air cylinder 1 returns to the original state, and at the same time, the transfer rod 10 also comes out of the guide passage 8 and returns to the initial state.

The third embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a case where the motor 11 is used as an actuator. The motor 11 is provided with a gear box 12, and two parallel driving rollers 13 and 1 connected to the gear box 12.
3 is configured to rotate in the normal and reverse directions, and the lower end side of the flexible transfer rod 10 similar to that of the first embodiment is held by the two drive rollers 13, 13.

Photoelectric sensors 14 and 15 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the guide passage 8. When the photoelectric sensor 14 at the upper end detects the tip of the transfer rod 10, the motor 11 reverses to lower the transfer rod 10 and the lower end. Photoelectric sensor 15
When the tip of the moving rod 10 is detected, the motor 11 is temporarily stopped and the article 5 is received at the tip of the transfer rod 10.

The other structure and operation are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. The major difference from the first embodiment is that the stroke of the transfer rod 10 can be made large.

Although the above embodiments have been described with respect to the case where the article is transferred in the vertical plane, the same can be applied to the case where the article is transferred in the horizontal plane or the plane having an angle.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, the curved guide passage is slid by using the flexible transfer rod. Therefore, even when the air cylinder is moved at an angle with respect to the normal transfer direction. Various articles can be transferred by a simple device using a table actuator.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted sectional view of the same initial state as above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Air Cylinder 2 Piston Rod 3 Lower Conveyance Path 4 Upper Conveyance Path 5 Article 6 End 7 Start End 8 Guide Passage 9 Bracket 10 Transfer Rod 11 Motor 12 Gear Box 13 Drive Roller 14, 15 Photoelectric Sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flexible transfer rod is supported by a movable portion of an actuator that reciprocates with a predetermined stroke, and a length within the stroke of the actuator extends from the end of one article transport path to the start of the other article transport path. An article transfer device provided with a curved tubular guide passage, and a free end side of the transfer rod being slidably inserted into the guide passage.