JPH08239199A - Expansion type vacuum suction device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To take luggage out of article racks in a smooth operation by providing a vacuum suction device for use as the attachment of cargo handling device such as a balancer with an arm that freely expands and contracts. CONSTITUTION: A freely expanding/contracting arm 30, in which a main arm 31, an intermediate arm 32, and an end arm 33 are coupled together in telescopic fashion so as to freely expand and contract and the sliding resistance of the intermediate arm 32 against the end arm 33 is smaller than that of the main arm 31 against the intermediate arm 32, has a vacuum suction hand 20 hung down from its end via a hollow vertical shaft 20a in such a way as to freely turn, and vacuum-suction piping 40 is passed through the arm 30 and kept from exposure to the outside.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum suction device which is an attachment mounted on a balancer, a simple crane device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art To facilitate understanding, an example of picking work will be described first with reference to FIG. In this picking example, a corrugated cardboard box D, which is a heavy object stacked in a plurality of rows and a plurality of stages, is moved onto a pallet P stored in the lowest stage of an article rack, and is transferred to another pallet P'which is transported by a forklift or the like. Here is an example.

If all of the cardboard boxes D on the pallet P stored at the bottom of the article rack are to be transferred in a lump, it is possible to transfer each pallet P by a forklift or the like, but any number of pallets can be transferred based on the order. When you do
It is necessary for the worker to manually transfer the cardboard boxes.

However, this picking work has the following problems. There is no particular problem when the work position is at the bottom of the shelf and a cardboard box as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1B, in a state where there are few remaining cardboard boxes, the work posture becomes low, and the worker is forced to bend his waist to work, and the burden on the waist increases.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, when the cardboard D stored in the back of the shelf is taken out, the worker's posture is extended and it is difficult for the operator to apply force. Will increase.

Having such a problem, 15 to 15
If the work of transferring the 20 kg cardboard box is continued every day, not only the working conditions deteriorate, but also the health of the worker is adversely affected.

In order to solve the problems of the above-mentioned manual picking work, a cargo handling device in which a vacuum suction device is attached as an attachment to a balancer as a supplementary device, a simple crane or the like is generally used.

An outline of the cargo handling device will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Reference numeral 1 denotes a cargo handling device called a balancer, which is provided with a link mechanism 1a capable of moving up and down and moving horizontally.
The link mechanism 1a is rotatable about an axis A of the machine base.

Here, generally, the ascent and descent are operated by an actuator such as electric or pneumatic pressure, and the horizontal movement and turning in the front-rear direction are generally performed manually.

At the tip of the link mechanism 1a, an arm 3 having an upright connecting portion 3a at the base end and a vacuum suction hand 2 at the tip is pivoted about an axis B of the upright connecting portion 3a. The vacuum suction hand 2 has a suction pad 2a at its lower end for adsorbing a load by vacuum pressure, and its upper end is attached to the tip of the arm 3 so as to be rotatable about the axis C via the vertical axis 2b. Has been.

Reference numeral 2c is a grip, and 2d is an operation lever. An operator holds the grip 2c while operating the operation lever 2
The actuator for vertical movement of the balancer 1 is operated by the operation of d, and the vertical movement of the vacuum suction hand 2 is performed by the actuator, and horizontal movement and turning in the front-rear direction are manually performed.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a vacuum pipe, which is composed of a flexible hose and is piped from a vacuum source (not shown) such as a vacuum pump along the outer periphery of the balancer 1, the link mechanism 1a, and the arm 3 for vacuum suction. It is connected to the suction pad 2 a of the hand 2.

According to the attachment comprising the vacuum suction hand 2, the arm 3 and the vacuum pipe 4, the work can be taken out by vacuum suction even under the working conditions shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). Although the labor problem due to human labor is solved, the following new problems arise.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the luggage is taken out from the back (a) of the shelf and moved to an arbitrary position (b), the arm 3 is temporarily pulled in horizontally.
Although it is possible to move by pulling the tip of the to the outside of the shelf and then turning the link mechanism 1a, for horizontal movement,
There is a problem that a light work is difficult because the load of the link mechanism 1a is applied.

On the other hand, when the arm 3 having a light load is pivoted about the axis B to move the tip of the arm 3 to the outside of the shelf, the arm 3 has a constant length and pivots about the axis B. Since the radius is constant, if it is swung as it is, it will interfere with the columns of the shelves and the wall surface 7a.

Therefore, as an actual work, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3, the link mechanism 1a is temporarily turned in the direction opposite to the intended direction (counterclockwise direction in the drawing), and interference with the wall surface is made. The arm 3 has to be swung in a desired direction (clockwise in the drawing) while avoiding the above, and not only the work operation becomes large, but also the link mechanism 1a having a large inertial load is once shaken in the opposite direction, and then the desired movement is continued. There is a problem that it is difficult to carry out light work because it has to be turned in any direction.

When the arm 3 is swung, the suction hand 2 also swivels about the axis C at the same time, so that the vacuum pipe 4 is twisted. To absorb this, it is necessary to give the pipe a sufficient length. There is. Therefore, suction hand 2
The mounting height h of the rack must be increased, and the clearance s between the shelf plate 7b and the upper surface of the load must be increased, which not only significantly reduces the shelf storage efficiency but also causes the vacuum pipe 4 to move to the arm 3
Since it is exposed along the outer circumference, there is a problem that it is easy to be hurt by contact with luggage or a shelf board.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve all of the above problems, and
The arms 3 themselves can be extended and retracted without the heavy work of pulling the link mechanism 1a with a large inertial load in the horizontal direction and turning in the opposite direction, so that the load can be taken out of the article rack by a light work. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment that can reduce the mounting height of the suction hand and can improve the storage efficiency of the article rack and prevent damage to the vacuum piping.

[0019]

The present invention provides means for solving the above-mentioned problems, which is a base arm 31 having an upright connecting portion 30a, at least one intermediate arm 32, and a distal arm 33. And are sequentially telescopically and telescopically connected, and the base end arm 31 and the intermediate arm 3 are connected.
From the sliding resistance with 2, the intermediate arm 32 and the tip arm 33
At the tip of the telescopic arm 30 that reduces sliding resistance with
The vacuum suction hand 20 is rotatably suspended via the hollow vertical axis 20a, and the base end arm 31 and the intermediate arm 3 are provided.
2, the tip arm 33 is entirely hollow, and a vacuum pipe 40 formed of a flexible hose is inserted into the inside thereof.
The distal end of the hollow vertical axis 20 through the rotary elbow 40a.
a is connected to the upper end and the base end is also connected to the upright connecting portion 30a.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A vacuum suction device is characterized in that it is connected to a vacuum source via a rotary elbow 40b attached to the upper part of the invention.

[0020]

The vacuum suction device of the present invention is attached to the tip of the link mechanism 1a of the balancer 1 as an attach meth like the conventional example shown in FIGS. However, since the telescopic arm 30 can be expanded and contracted while the bag is adsorbed by the vacuum adsorption hand 20, it is possible to expand and contract without horizontally moving the link mechanism 1a of the balancer 1 having a large inertial load in the front-rear direction. Since the arm 30 itself can be expanded and contracted to store and take out luggage, light cargo handling work can be performed.

When the telescopic arm 30 is shortened, the tip arm 33 having a small sliding resistance is first drawn into the intermediate arm 32, and then the intermediate arm 32 is drawn into the base arm 31. Also, when the telescopic arm 30 is extended, the tip arm 33 having a small sliding resistance is first pulled out from the intermediate arm 32, and then the intermediate arm 32 is pulled out from the base end arm 31. Therefore, the work that requires the most force is lightly loaded and the work can be started lightly.

Since the telescopic arm 30 can be swung with the arm shortened, the swivel radius of the arm 30 can be reduced, and contact with obstacles such as columns and walls of shelves can be easily avoided. Moreover, since the vacuum pipe 40 is inserted into the telescopic arm 30 and is not exposed to the outside, the damage can be prevented.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4 is a side view of the main part, FIG. 5 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 6 is a rear view. In the figure, 31 is a proximal arm, 32 is an intermediate arm, and 33 is a distal arm, each of which is a hollow cylindrical body having a substantially square cross section and is telescopically and telescopically connected to each other. Has been formed.
In the illustrated embodiment, the number of the intermediate arms 32 is one for ease of explanation, but it is also possible to extend and retract the intermediate arms 32 in multiple stages.

The expansion and contraction means between the base end arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32 and the expansion and contraction means between the intermediate arm 32 and the distal end arm 33 are arbitrary, and the expansion and contraction means by rolling of the rail and the roller and the office work. Known expansion / contraction means such as sliding means called slide rails or slide units, which are often used in equipment, can be adopted, but the former (base end arm 31
And the intermediate arm 32) are larger than the latter (between the intermediate arm 32 and the tip arm 33).

The upright connecting portion 30 is provided on the base arm 31.
a is erected, the upper end of which is rotatably connected to the tip of the link mechanism 1a of the balancer 1 via the vertical axis 30b, and the telescopic arm 30 is rotatable about the axis B.
Further, the vacuum suction hand 20 is rotatably suspended at the tip of the tip arm 33 via a hollow vertical axis 20a, and can be swung about the axis C.

The base arm 31, the intermediate arm 32, and the tip arm 33 are all hollow cylinders as described above, and a vacuum pipe 40 formed of a flexible hose is inserted into the inside thereof. Is connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a via a rotary elbow 40a, and the base end is also connected to a rotary elbow 40b attached to the upper part of the upright connection portion 30a via a vacuum pipe 4 to form a vacuum source. (Not shown).

FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the mounting portion of the vacuum suction hand 20. The hollow vertical axis 20a is rotatably supported by a bearing 20b which is detachably fixed to the lower surface of the distal end portion of the distal arm 33 by a fixing means such as a bolt, and rotates integrally with the vacuum suction hand 20 having a grip 20c. You can do it.

A plurality of vacuum suction pads 20d are hung on the vacuum suction hand 20, and the vacuum suction pads 20d are suspended.
Is connected to the lower end of the hollow vertical axis 20a via the connection hose 20e and the pneumatic joint 20f, and the vacuum pipe 40 is passed through the rotary elbow 40a connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a.
Is in communication with.

Reference numeral 5 in the drawing denotes a joystick for vertically operating the balancer 1 attached to a proper position of the grip 20c, which can be operated by an operator who holds the grip 20c with one hand. Reference numeral 5a is a cover of the joystick 5. Further, 6 is a subgrip attached to the lower side surface of the upright connection portion 30a.

The operator grasps the subgrip 6 with one hand to stabilize the posture, and grasps the grip 20c with the other hand to extend and retract the swing arm 30 and rotate it and the vacuum suction hand 2.
The turning operation of 0 is performed, the fingertip of the joystick 5 is operated, and the balancer 1, that is, the vacuum suction hand 20 is operated up and down.

FIG. 8 shows the operating condition of the telescopic arm 30,
(A) is the maximum extension, (b) is the intermediate movement during retraction,
(C) shows the state of the intermediate operation at the time of the maximum contraction, and (d) shows the state of the intermediate operation at the time of extrusion.

That is, when the telescopic arm 30 is shortened from the most extended state of (a), the tip arm 33 having a small sliding resistance is first drawn into the intermediate arm 32 to be in the state of (b), and then, The intermediate arm 32 is the base arm 31.
It is drawn in to the state of (c) in the most contracted length. When the telescopic arm 30 is extended, first, the tip arm 33 having a small sliding resistance is pulled out from the intermediate arm 32 to be in the state of (d), and then the intermediate arm 32 is pulled out from the base end arm 31 ( It is in the most stretched state of a).

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight of the moving part in the initial state (a) → (b) at the time of retraction requiring the most force and the initial state (c) → (d) at the time of extrusion, The load at the start of work is light and the work can be started lightly.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show the operating conditions when the vacuum suction device of the present invention is attached to the tip of the link mechanism 1a of the balancer 1 as an attachment to perform work.
9 is a side view and FIG. 10 is a plan view.

When the baggage is taken out from the back (a) of the shelf 7 and transported to the position (b), first, the baggage at the back of the shelf is sucked by the vacuum suction hand 20, and then the telescopic arm 30 is retracted to extend its length. If the arm 30 is swung while pulling the load straight from the back of the shelf to the operator's hand, the turning radius around the turning axis B can be reduced, so that the support of the shelf 7 can be reduced. It is possible to avoid interference with the wall surface 7a.

Therefore, the link mechanism 1a having a large inertial load is retracted in the horizontal direction and the arm 30 itself can be extended and retracted without the work operation of turning in the opposite direction as shown in FIG. It is possible to take out the package from the article rack by various operations, and thereafter, by rotating the link mechanism 1a of the balancer 1 around the rotation axis A, the package can be transported to the destination point (b).

[0037]

According to the present invention, the base arm 31 having the upright connecting portion 30a and at least one intermediate arm 32 are provided.
And the distal arm 33 are telescopically and telescopically connected in sequence, and the sliding resistance between the intermediate arm 32 and the distal arm 33 is smaller than the sliding resistance between the proximal arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32. The vacuum suction hand 20 is rotatably suspended on the distal end of the telescopic arm 30 via the hollow vertical axis 20a, and the base end arm 31, the intermediate arm 32,
The tip arm 33 is entirely hollow, and a vacuum pipe 40 formed of a flexible hose is inserted therein, and the tip of the vacuum pipe 40 is connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a via a rotary elbow 40a. By connecting the base end to the vacuum source via the rotary elbow 40b attached to the upper portion of the upright connection portion 30a, the following effects are achieved.

Since the telescopic arm 30 can be expanded and contracted while the bag is adsorbed by the vacuum adsorption hand 20, the telescopic arm 30 itself does not have to horizontally move the link mechanism 1a of the balancer 1 having a large inertial load in the front-rear direction. The luggage can be stored and taken out by expanding and contracting, which enables light cargo handling work.

Since the sliding resistance between the intermediate arm 32 and the distal arm 33 is smaller than the sliding resistance between the base end arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32, the expansion and contraction of the telescopic arm 30 is as follows.
First, since the tip arm 33 having a small sliding resistance expands and contracts, and then the intermediate arm 32 expands and contracts, the load at the start of the work that requires the most force is light and the work can be started lightly.

Since the telescopic arm 30 can be swung with the arm shortened, the swivel radius of the arm 30 can be reduced, and contact with obstacles such as the columns 7a of the shelf 7 can be easily avoided. .

Since the vacuum pipe 40 is inserted into the telescopic arm 30 and is not exposed to the outside, the vacuum pipe 40 does not come into contact with the shelf plate 7b or the transported luggage, and the damage can be prevented, and the tip of the vacuum pipe 40 can be prevented. Is connected to the hollow vertical axis 20a via the rotary elbow 40a, and the base end is connected to the vacuum source via the rotary elbow 40b. Therefore, when the vacuum suction hand 20 or the arm 30 is rotated, the vacuum pipe 40 is not twisted. The mounting height h of the vacuum suction hand 20 can be reduced without causing the occurrence, and the luggage can be stored and taken out even if the clearance s between the shelf and the luggage is small.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a picking work.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a working state of a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a working state of a conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a mounting state of a vacuum suction hand.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a telescopic state of the telescopic arm.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a working state of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Balancer 1a Link mechanism 2 Vacuum suction hand (conventional example) 3 Arm (conventional example) 4 Vacuum piping 5 Joystick 6 Subgrip 7 Shelf 7a Shelf column (wall) 7b Shelf board 20 Vacuum suction hand 20a Hollow vertical axis 20b Bearing 20c Grip 20d Vacuum suction pad 20e Connection hose 20f Pneumatic joint 30 Telescopic arm 30a Upright connection part 31 Base end arm 32 Intermediate arm 33 Tip arm 40 Vacuum piping 40a Rotating elbow 40b Rotating elbow A Link mechanism 1a Revolving axis B Telescopic arm Swivel axis 30 swirl axis of vacuum suction hand 20

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location // B66C 23/04 B66C 23/04 C (72) Inventor Nobutsuji Kamata Koie, Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture 5-1-1 Honmachi, Inax Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Kazuhiko Yoshimoto 5-1-1, Koiehonmachi, Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture In72, Inc. (72) Inventor, Meiko Ito 1-5-11 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Issue ITOCHU Sanki MEX Co., Ltd. Nagoya Branch

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A proximal arm 3 having an upright connecting portion 30a.
1, at least one intermediate arm 32, and a tip arm 33 are telescopically and telescopically coupled to each other, and due to the sliding resistance between the base arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32, the intermediate arm 32 and the tip end. A vacuum suction device, characterized in that a vacuum suction hand 20 is rotatably suspended via a hollow vertical axis 20a at the end of a telescopic arm 30 having a small sliding resistance with the arm 33. 2. A base arm 3 having an upright connecting portion 30a.
1, at least one intermediate arm 32, and a tip arm 33 are telescopically and telescopically coupled to each other, and due to the sliding resistance between the base arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32, the intermediate arm 32 and the tip end. The vacuum suction hand 20 is rotatably suspended on the distal end of the telescopic arm 30 having a small sliding resistance with the arm 33 via the hollow vertical axis 20a, and the proximal end arm 31, the intermediate arm 32, and the distal end arm. All 33 are hollow, a vacuum pipe 40 made of a flexible hose is inserted into the hollow pipe 33, and the tip of the vacuum pipe 40 is connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a via a rotary elbow 40a. Is connected to a vacuum source via a rotary elbow 40b attached to the upper portion of the upright connecting portion 30a. 3. A base arm 31 having an upright connecting portion 30a having a subgrip 6 on a side surface thereof, at least one intermediate arm 32, and a tip arm 33 are sequentially telescopically and telescopically connected to each other. Further, the telescopic arm 30 in which the sliding resistance between the intermediate arm 32 and the distal arm 33 is smaller than the sliding resistance between the base end arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32.
A vacuum suction hand 20 equipped with a grip 20c is rotatably suspended at the tip of the hollow vertical axis 20a, and
The base arm 31, the intermediate arm 32, and the tip arm 33.
All are hollow, the vacuum pipe 40 consisting of a flexible hose is inserted therein, and the tip of the vacuum pipe 40 is connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a via a rotary elbow 40a,
Similarly, the base end is connected to a vacuum source via a rotary elbow 40b attached to the upper portion of the upright connection portion 30a, and the vacuum suction hand 20 has a plurality of vacuum suction pads 20d. The suction pad 20d is connected to the hollow vertical axis 20a via the connection hose 20e and the pneumatic joint 20f.
The vacuum suction device is connected to the vacuum pipe 40 through a rotary elbow 40a connected to the lower end of the hollow vertical axis 20a. 4. A base end arm 31 having an upright connection portion 30a having a subgrip 6 on a side surface thereof, at least one intermediate arm 32, and a tip arm 33 are telescopically and telescopically connected in sequence. Further, the telescopic arm 30 in which the sliding resistance between the intermediate arm 32 and the distal arm 33 is smaller than the sliding resistance between the base end arm 31 and the intermediate arm 32.
A hollow vertical axis 20a is rotatably supported by a bearing 20b which is detachably fixed to the lower surface of the tip of the hollow shaft 20 by a fixing means such as a bolt, and the hollow vertical axis 20a is integrally formed with a vacuum suction hand 20 having a grip 20c. The base arm 31, the intermediate arm 32, and the tip arm 33 are all hollow, and a vacuum pipe 40 made of a flexible hose is inserted into the interior thereof, and the tip of the vacuum pipe 40 is a rotary elbow. 40a is connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a, and the base end is also connected to a vacuum source via a rotary elbow 40b attached to the upper part of the upright connecting portion 30a. Has a plurality of vacuum suction pads 20d, and the vacuum suction pad 20d is connected to the hollow vertical axis 20 via a connecting hose 20e and a pneumatic joint 20f.
A vacuum adsorption device, which is connected to the lower end of a and is connected to the vacuum pipe 40 through a rotary elbow 40a connected to the upper end of the hollow vertical axis 20a.