JPH09192940A - Workpiece conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly reliable workpiece conveying device which can dispense with pipe lines. SOLUTION: A workpiece conveying device comprises a slide unit 3 adapted to move along a guide 2 between a first position and a second position, an pneumatic cylinder 1 for driving the slide unit 3, a workpiece conveying table 4 and a rotary mechanism 5 for converting the motion of the slide unit 3 into rotary motion so as to rotate the table 4. The rotary mechanism 5 has a rack gear and a pinion gear meshed with the rack gear and having a pinion gear connected to the table 4. When the slide unit 3 is moved under such a condition that the movement of the rack gear is regulated by an adjusting bolt 11, the rack gear rotates the pinion gear and the table 4 so that the workpiece takes different postures at the first and second positions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work transfer device for transferring a work to a predetermined position, and more particularly to a technique effective when applied to a work transfer device capable of changing the direction of a work during transfer. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an automatic assembly line for semiconductor devices, machine parts, etc., a table for transferring works on guide members such as rails has been used as a device for transferring works such as parts and workpieces to predetermined positions. A so-called slide table that moves is known. This slide table is generally operated by a fluid pressure cylinder, a motor or the like, and by placing a work on the table, the work is transferred to a predetermined position for the next process.

Further, depending on the line, it may be necessary to change the direction of the work when moving to the next process. In this case, it is possible to change the direction of the work before or after the transfer and then move to the next process, but in order to shorten the process time, a rotary device such as a rotary actuator is added to the table to transfer the work. Often, the work is turned around.

[0004]

On the other hand, in the case where the direction of the work is changed by adding the rotating device to the table as described above, it is necessary to separately connect the piping and wiring for driving the rotating device. is there. However, it is very complicated to provide such a pipe or the like in the movable part, and the device configuration becomes complicated, which causes a failure. In particular, when the work conveying distance is long, the pipes and the like have to be lengthened accordingly, and these problems are more remarkable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable and low cost work transfer device which does not require piping or the like.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of a representative one will be briefly described.
It is as follows.

That is, in the work transfer apparatus of the present invention, first, a moving body which moves between the first position and the second position along the guide member, and a driving means for driving the moving body. , And a table for transporting the work set on the moving body. Further, it has a follower member connected to the table and installed on the moving body, attached to the moving body so as to move back and forth, and moving with the moving body. When the movable body is moved under the condition that the movement of the driven member is restricted by the installed stopper, a work turning means for converting the movement of the movable body into a rotational movement to rotate the table. Have. And by this work turning means,
The posture of the work at the first position and the posture of the work at the second position are different from each other.

In this case, in the work turning means,
A rack gear is used as the driven member, a pinion gear that meshes with the rack gear is disposed coaxially with the table, and the movable body moves under a state in which the movement of the rack gear is restricted. It is possible to rotate the pinion gear to rotate the table.

On the other hand, it is possible to further include a turning return means for rotating the table in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the work turning means.

In this case, the rotation returning means urges the second rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and the second rack gear in a direction that rotates the table in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the work turning means. And a return spring that operates.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a work transfer device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof,
3 is a partially enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the work transfer apparatus according to the present invention includes a slide unit 3 (guide member) installed along a guide 2 (guide member) installed on a cylinder block 1a of a pneumatic cylinder 1 (driving means). The moving body is configured to move in the left-right direction in the figure (hereinafter, simply referred to as the left-right direction). Then, by the table 4 installed on the slide unit 3 and the rotating mechanism 5 (work turning means) that supports and rotates the table 4, the work 6 on the table 4 is transferred in the left-right direction while changing its direction.

Here, in the work transfer device of the present embodiment, the slide unit 3 is driven by the pneumatic cylinder 1. The pneumatic cylinder 1 is formed of a so-called magnet type rodless cylinder, and a piston (not shown) to which a magnet is attached is housed inside the pneumatic cylinder 1. A magnet (not shown) is also attached to the slide unit 3, and the attraction force of the two causes the slide unit 3 to move in the left-right direction on the guide 2 as the piston moves. In this case, the slide unit 3 is slidably arranged on the guide 2 by means of a bearing member such as an oil-containing resin, and the slide unit 3 has the guide 2
You can move smoothly over it. The position of the piston of the pneumatic cylinder 1 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and cooperation with other processes such as the operation timing of the next process is achieved.

On the other hand, shock absorbers 7 and 8 are attached to the left and right ends of the cylinder block 1a while being held by shock absorber holders 9 and 10. As a result, the slide unit 3 is restricted from moving in the left-right direction, the stop position thereof is determined, and the slide unit 3 stops on the cylinder block 1a without impact. The outer peripheral surfaces of the shock absorbers 9 and 10 have a male screw shape so that the stop position of the slide unit 3 can be easily adjusted.

At the right end of the cylinder block 1a,
The adjustment bolt 11 (stopper) is attached to the adjustment bolt holder 12 while being held therein. As will be described later, the adjustment bolt 11 is for adjusting the rotation angle of the table 4, and the outer peripheral surface thereof has a male screw shape, so that the rotation angle of the table 4 can be easily adjusted by protruding and retracting. It has become.

By the way, in the work transfer device of the present embodiment, the slide unit 3 is provided with the table 4 on which the work 6 is placed and the rotating mechanism 5 for rotating the table 4. And the structure is shown in FIGS. As a result, in the work transfer device, the table 6 can be rotated to change the direction of the work 6 while the slide unit 3 is moving.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotating mechanism 5 includes a rotating shaft 13 for supporting the table 4, a pinion gear 14 coaxially formed with the rotating shaft 13, and a rack gear 15 (driven member) meshing with the rotating shaft 13 as a case 17. It is configured to be stored inside.

Here, as is apparent from FIG. 3, the table 4 is screwed to the rotary shaft 13 so as to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 13. The rotating shaft 13 is rotatably supported by the case 17 via bearings 18 and 19. Further, a pinion gear 14 is formed on a part of the rotary shaft 13 coaxially therewith, so that the case 17
Housed within. The rack gear 15 meshes with the pinion gear 14. In this case, the rack gear 15 is formed by a so-called round rack gear in which a gear surface is formed on the side surface of a round bar, is supported by the case 17 via the bearing 20 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and protrudes from the case 17. Has been extended. With such a configuration, when the rack gear 15 moves to the left in FIG. 4, the pinion gear 14 meshing with the rack gear 15 also rotates clockwise, and the table 4 also rotates at the same time.

A male screw portion 15a is formed on the left end of the rack gear 15, and an adjusting nut 21 and a lock nut 22 for adjusting the meshing position of the rack gear 15 mesh with each other. In this case, the position where the rack gear 15 and the pinion gear 14 mesh with each other can be changed by moving the position of the adjustment nut 21, which causes the slide unit 3 to move to the leftmost position (first position) as shown in FIG. Position (hereinafter referred to as the origin position), the rotational position of the table 4 is adjusted. A urethane bumper 23 is provided between the lock nut 22 and the bearing 20.
Is attached to prevent the impact caused by the direct collision between the bearing 20 and the lock nut 22 when the rack gear 15 returns to the initial setting position.

On the other hand, the rotating mechanism 5 includes a rack gear 1
The rack gear 16 (second rack gear) and the return spring 2 are used to return the table 4 rotated by the movement of 5 to the original state.
4, an automatic return mechanism 30 (turning return means) is added. As shown in FIG. 4, the automatic return mechanism 30 includes a rack gear 16 that meshes with the pinion gear 14, sleeves 25 and 26 provided on the left end side of the rack gear 16 and the bearing 20 side, and both sleeves 25 and 26. It is composed of a return spring 24 disposed in between. The return spring 24 is attached between the sleeves 25 and 26 after being compressed to a predetermined height so that a predetermined torque can be applied to the pinion gear 14 in consideration of variations in spring size and fatigue. To be Like the rack gear 15, the rack gear 16 is also formed by a so-called round rack gear, and is movably movable in the left-right direction via the bearing 20.
It is supported by 7, and extends from the case 17 so as to project.

When the rack gear 15 moves to the left and the pinion gear 14 rotates clockwise, the rack gear 16
Moves to the right and the return spring 24 is compressed. After that, when the rack gear 15 becomes free, the return spring 24
The rack gear 16 is moved to the left by the urging force of the table 4, and the table 4 returns to the initial state.

In this case, the return spring 24 always applies a pressing force in a fixed direction between the rack gear 16 and the pinion gear 14 and between the pinion gear 14 and the rack gear 15. Therefore, backlash between them is prevented, and the table 4 can be operated at an accurate rotation angle.

Next, a work transfer operation by the work transfer device of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 5 shows the slide unit 3 from the state of FIG.
Moves to the right, and the right end of the rack gear 15 is adjusted bolt 1
1 is a plan view showing the state of the device at a position where it abuts against the left end of 1 (hereinafter referred to as abutment position). FIG. 6 shows a position where the slide unit 3 further moves to the right side and comes into contact with the shock absorber 8 and stops. It is a top view which shows the state of the said apparatus in a 2nd position (henceforth a conveyance position is called).

In the work transfer device of the present embodiment, the state of FIG. 1 is changed to the state of FIG. 6 through the state of FIG. 5, and then the state of FIG. 1 is restored in the reverse order. Then, the table 4 is rotated between the contact position (FIG. 5) and the transport position (FIG. 6) to change the direction of the work 6.

First, when the slide unit 3 is at the origin position, the work 6 is placed on the table 4, and the state shown in FIG. 1 is obtained. Then, when the pneumatic cylinder 1 is operated in this state, the slide unit 3 places the work 6 on the table 4 and moves to the right on the guide 2. At this time, the table 4 moves without rotating in the initial state.

When the slide unit 3 moves to the right side in this way, the right end of the rack gear 15 eventually comes into contact with the left end of the adjusting bolt 11. FIG. 5 shows the state of this contact position. By this time, the table 4 does not rotate and the initial state is maintained.

When the slide unit 3 is further moved to the right from this state, the adjustment gear 11 pushes the rack gear 15 to the left. Accordingly, as can be seen from FIG. 4, the pinion gear 1 meshed with the rack gear 15
4 rotates clockwise, and at the same time, the table 4 also rotates clockwise (arrow A in FIG. 5). At the same time, the rack gear 16 also moves to the right and the return spring 24 is compressed. Since the force exerted by the pneumatic cylinder 1 is much larger than the force exerted by the return spring 24, the slide unit 3 continues to move to the right without being obstructed by the force exerted by the return spring 24.

In this way, the slide unit 3 reaches the carrying position while the table 4 rotates, and stops while contacting the shock absorber 8. FIG. 6 shows the state at this time. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the table 4 rotates 90 degrees from the state of FIG. 5 to the state of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, in the X portion (origin position to contact position) of the movement stroke of the slide unit 3, the table 4 moves straight without rotating. On the other hand, in the Y portion (contact position to transport position), the table 4 moves straight while rotating. The rotation angle can be appropriately changed by adjusting the adjustment bolt 11 to change the contact position, and for example, 0 to 0.
It is also possible to set an arbitrary angle between 360 degrees.

On the other hand, when the work 6 is transferred at the carrying position, the slide unit 3 moves leftward to return to the original position. At this time, since the biasing force of the return spring 24 is applied to the rack gear 16, the rack gear 16 is returned to the left side as the slide unit 3 moves to the left side,
At the same time, the rack gear 15 is sent to the right. As a result, the pinion gear 14 rotates counterclockwise and the table 4 also rotates in the same direction (arrow B in FIG. 5). Then, when returning to the contact position, the lock nut 22 of the rack gear 15 contacts the urethane bumper 23, and the movement of the rack gear 15 is restricted (see FIG. 4). As a result, the movements of the rack gear 16 and the pinion gear 14 are also restricted, and the table 4 stops rotating and returns to the initially set state.

Then, while maintaining this state, the slide unit 3 further moves to the left side and returns to the origin position shown in FIG. From the contact position to the origin position, the lock nut 22 of the rack gear 15 is kept in contact with the urethane bumper 23 by the preload of the return spring 24, so that the table 4 is always in the initially set state. Maintained.

As described above, according to the work transfer apparatus of the present invention, the direction of the work can be easily and reliably changed in the vicinity of the end of the transfer operation by the mechanical operation without providing any special piping or wiring. By doing so, the posture of the work can be made different between the first position and the second position. Further, the rotation angle can be changed very easily by changing the setting of the adjusting bolt 11. Further, the rotation position of the table 4 at the origin position can be changed very easily by changing the setting of the adjusting nut 21.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

For example, in the above embodiment, the combination of the pneumatic cylinder 1 consisting of the magnet type rodless cylinder and the slide unit 3 was used as the means for conveying the work 6, but the conveying means is not limited to this. Instead, for example, the pneumatic cylinder 1 may be a rodless cylinder of another type such as a slit type, or the slide unit 3 may be driven by a ball screw or a belt drive. Further, it is of course possible to configure the device using an ordinary cylinder that is not rodless. Further, the rack gears 15 and 16 are not limited to round rack gears, and rack gears having a square cross section may be used. Further, instead of the rack gear and the pinion gear, a linear motion may be converted into a rotary motion by a worm and a wheel.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the table 4 is automatically returned by the rack gear 16 and the return spring 24, but the combination of the rack gear 15 and the adjusting bolt 11 may be used instead of the return spring 24. The table 4 may be returned to its original state by installing the table 4 on the table. In the above-described embodiment, since the circular table 4 is used, it is not necessary to return the table 4 to the initial setting state when returning the slide unit 3 to the original position. However, if the table 4 is provided with a positioning means for the work 6 or the table 4 has a special shape, and the original position is always required to be in the initial setting state, it is necessary to attach the above-mentioned return mechanism. There is.

In the above description, the invention made by the present inventor is mainly applied to a work transfer device using a pneumatic cylinder as a driving unit of a slide unit, which is the field of use thereof, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a device using a fluid pressure operating device such as a hydraulic operating device as a driving means, or an electric work transfer device.

[0038]

Advantageous effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described.
It is as follows.

(1) By rotating a table on which a work is placed by a mechanical rotation mechanism during conveyance, it is possible to eliminate the need for piping for air or the like, control-related equipment such as a control valve, and electrical wiring, which have been conventionally required. Become. Therefore, it is possible to provide a work transfer device that makes the work posture in the first position and the work posture in the second position different from each other at low cost, and also reduce the construction cost.

(2) Since it has a mechanical structure, its control is easy, and there are few failures, and the reliability of the device is improved.

(3) Since no piping or the like is required, it is easy to deal with the case of moving a work over a long distance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a work transfer device of the present invention.

2 is a front view of the work transfer device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

5 is a plan view showing a state in which the slide unit has moved to the right from the state of FIG. 1 and the right end of the rack gear has come into contact with the left end of the adjustment bolt. FIG.

6 is a plan view showing a state in which the slide unit has moved further to the right from the state of FIG. 5 and stopped at the right end.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pneumatic cylinder (driving means) 1a Cylinder block 2 Guide (guide member) 3 Slide unit (moving body) 4 Table 5 Rotating mechanism (work turning means) 6 Work 7 Shock absorber 8 Shock absorber 9 Shock absorber holder 10 Shock absorber holder 11 Adjustment bolt (stopper) 12 Adjustment bolt holder 13 Rotating shaft 14 Pinion gear 15 Rack gear (following member) 15a Male screw part 16 Rack gear (second rack gear) 17 Case 18 Bearing 19 Bearing 20 Bearing 21 Adjustment nut 22 Lock nut 23 Urethane bumper 24 Return spring 25 Sleeve 26 Sleeve 30 Automatic return mechanism (turning return means)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A moving body that moves along a guide member between a first position and a second position, a driving means for driving the moving body, and a work transfer provided on the moving body. And a follower member that is connected to the table and installed on the moving body, is attached to the moving body so as to move back and forth, and moves with the moving body. When the movable body moves under the condition that the movement of the driven member is restricted by the stopper installed during the stroke, the movement of the movable body is converted into the rotational movement to rotate the table. And a means for changing the posture of the work at the first position and the posture of the work at the second position by the work turning means. 2. The work transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a turn return means for rotating the table in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the work turning means. 3. The work transfer apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the work turning means includes a rack gear as the driven member, and a pinion gear that meshes with the rack gear coaxially with the table. The work transfer device, wherein the rack body rotates the table by rotating the pinion gear by the movement of the moving body while the movement of the rack gear is restricted. 4. The work transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the rotation return means rotates the second rack gear meshing with the pinion gear and the table in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the work turning means. And a return spring for urging the second rack gear in a direction to move the work.