JPH11115839A - Gripper for automobile-seat transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hold an automobile seat efficiently in a shorter period. SOLUTION: A seat gripper 10 carries, on its base 20 adapted to be attached to the tip of the arm of a seat transfer robot by way of a swing device, a height position detector means 30 to detect the mounted height of a seat, a horizontal gripper means 40 to hold the headrest and to center the seat horizontally, and a vertical gripper means with a vertical holding part to hold the seat at a place between the seat-rail mounting face and the seat back top. The seat gripper 10 thus constructed can hold a roughly inverted seat through only onetime positional detection of the seat with the height position detector means 30, and not through frequent sensing motion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gripping device for an automotive sheet transfer device for gripping and transferring a sheet placed on a pallet or the like in an outfitting assembly line of an automobile assembly plant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A pallet is used for a vehicle seat to be assembled to a vehicle body in an outfitting assembly line of an automobile assembly factory during transportation and stocking before assembly. As a method of placing the pallet on the pallet, the pallet is usually placed on the pallet in a so-called inverted V-shape in which the sheets are inverted so as to increase the loading efficiency per pallet.

[0003] This car seat, for example, the front seat is heavy, weighing 12 to 30 kg, and for an operator, the work of taking out the car seat placed on the pallet from the pallet or placing the car seat on the pallet is a heavy work. It is a heavy labor due to the lifting work, which causes a backache and a heavy burden on workers. Therefore, automation of unloading sheets from the pallet or loading sheets into the pallet is required.

[0004] On the other hand, with respect to this sheet carry-out or sheet carry-in, the position and posture of the vehicle seat placed on the pallet are confirmed by various sensors, and the robot hand is positioned at the confirmed position to grasp the sheet. An apparatus for carrying has already been developed.

[0005]

However, in such an apparatus, a considerable time is required from the time when the position of the sheet is checked by the sensor to the time when the robot grips the sheet.
There was a problem that the work efficiency related to sheet conveyance was greatly reduced. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of a gripping device for an automotive sheet transfer device that positions and grips a sheet in a short time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gripping device for an automobile seat transfer device capable of efficiently gripping an automobile seat in a short time.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gripping device for an automobile seat transfer device which is mounted on a tip end of an arm of a transfer robot via a swingable mechanism. A base, a height position detecting means for detecting a height position when the sheet is placed by contacting a sheet rail mounting surface of a sheet placed in a substantially inverted state on a loading means such as a pallet provided on the base; Horizontal gripping means for positioning the seat in the horizontal direction by sandwiching the sides of the headrest provided at the base of the seat, and holding the seat between the seat rail mounting surface and the seat back top provided at the base. Vertical gripping means for gripping in the vertical direction is provided.

[0008] According to the gripping device of the vehicle seat transfer device having the above configuration, after the height position of the sheet is confirmed using the height position detecting means, the headrest of the sheet is positioned by the horizontal gripping means. By gripping the sheet in the vertical direction by the vertical gripping means, the sheet can be easily gripped by only one position detection without frequent sensing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gripping device for an automobile seat transfer device, wherein the height detecting means is mounted on the base so as to be pivotable in a vertical direction. A contact plate elastically supported by the detection mounting portion and abutting against the seat rail mounting surface, and a displacement that is mounted on the height detection mounting portion and detects displacement of the abutment plate when the contact plate abuts on the seat rail mounting surface. A detection unit.

[0010] According to the gripping device of the vehicle seat transfer device having this configuration, the height detecting attachment portion is rotated to carry the contact plate to a position where the sheet is expected to be present, and the contact plate is brought into contact with the sheet. By detecting the abutment by the displacement detecting unit when pushed, the height position of the sheet is surely confirmed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gripping device for an automotive sheet transfer device, wherein the horizontal gripping means has a pair of positioning members connected to each other by a link mechanism so as to be interlocked. According to this, when one of the positioning members moves, the force is transmitted via the link mechanism, and the other positioning member moves accordingly, so that the side surfaces of the headrest can be sandwiched.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gripping device for an automobile seat transfer device, wherein the vertical gripping means projects a horizontal moving member protruding from a base and horizontally movable between a top portion of the seat back and a headrest. An elevating member supported by the base and raised and lowered to be pressed against the sheet mounting surface, and has an elevating and holding portion for holding the sheet by the horizontal insertion portion and the elevating member.

According to the gripping device for an automobile sheet transfer device having such a configuration, the lower portion of the sheet is supported using the horizontal insertion portion, and the upper portion of the sheet is held down by the elevating member so that the sheet can be held in the vertical direction. It is possible.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the gripping device for an automobile sheet transfer apparatus, the horizontal insertion portion of the fourth aspect includes a limit switch at a tip of the horizontal moving member. When the moving member is not inserted between the top of the seat back and the headrest, the limit switch operates by contacting any part of the seat, thereby avoiding a problem that the seat cannot be gripped.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gripping device for a vehicle sheet transfer device, wherein the gripping device of the sheet transfer device comprises:
A backrest is provided on the base and abuts against the seatback to perform relative positioning between the seat and the base. According to this, simply press the backrest against the seat back,
The inclination of the seat and the base can be easily adjusted.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a gripping device for an automobile seat transfer device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a main part of an assembly line for automobile outfitting in which a seat gripping device according to the present invention is installed.
A sheet placement lifter 2 is disposed on the right side of the paper surface of the assembly line L for transporting the vehicle body B, and a sheet conveyor 4 is disposed on the left side, and a sheet transfer device serving as a sheet transfer device is provided near the left side of the sheet conveyor 4. A robot 1 is provided.
A sheet feed lifter 6 is provided in the vicinity of the sheet conveyor 4, and a sheet feed mechanism 8 is provided above the sheet feed lifter 6, and the sheet S is transferred from the sheet feed lifter 6 to the sheet placement lifter 2 by the vehicle body B. Is transported above.

A sheet gripping device 10 is provided at the end of the arm 1a of the sheet transferring robot 1, and the sheet loaded and loaded by the sheet loading pallet P near the sheet transferring robot 1 by the sheet gripping device 10. S are gripped one by one and transferred to the sheet conveyor 4 or the sheet feed lifter 6.

Then, the sheet S conveyed by the sheet conveyor 4 or the sheet feed lifter 6 is carried into and attached to a vehicle body B moving on an assembly line L by an operator.

The sheet carrying pallet P has a moving wheel P1 at a lower portion as shown in a side sectional view in FIG. 5, and a sheet is mounted on a mounting locking rod P2 provided at equal intervals in a vertical direction. S is formed so as to be placed approximately inverted. According to this placement method, the loading pallet P in the example can be loaded at a higher density than the loading pallet for loading the sheets S upright. There are two rows, and a total of ten sheets S can be stacked on one loading pallet P.

The seat S gripped by the seat gripping device 10 includes a seat back SB serving as a back surface, a seat rail mounting surface SR serving as a bottom surface of the seat cushion SC, and a headrest SH supporting the back of a seated person.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet gripping device 10, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the sheet gripping device 10. The sheet gripping device 10 is provided at the tip of the arm 1a of the sheet transfer robot 1 via a swinging device 12. Attached. As shown in FIG. 3, the swing device 12 includes a swing base 12a attached to the tip of the arm 1a of the sheet transfer robot 1, a linear rail 12b fixed to the swing base 12a, and a linear rail 12b. The slide rail 12f is provided by urging a sliding linear bush 12c, a slide frame 12f supported by the linear bush 12c, and a piston rod 12e provided on the slide base 12a and connected to the slide frame 12f to the left in the drawing. And a cylinder 12d which contracts when a rightward force in the figure is applied to the slide frame 12f above the urging force.

The sheet gripping device 10 includes a base 20, a height position detecting means 30, a horizontal gripping means 40, a vertical gripping means 50, a backrest 60, and a backrest detection switch 66.

The base 20 is formed in an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 3, supports each load of each of the parts and the sheet S, and is necessary to receive a reaction force from the sheet transfer robot 1. It has rigidity and strength.

The height position detecting means 30 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a rotary actuator 32 provided on an upper portion of a base 20 and having a rotatable drivable shaft, a height detecting mount rotatably mounted on a shaft of the rotary actuator 32 and rotatable in a vertical direction. The portion 34, a contact plate 36 formed of a plate material of a predetermined length contacting the seat rail mounting surface SR, which is a bottom surface of the seat cushion SC, and the displacement of the contact plate 36 fixed to the height detection mounting portion 34 are detected. And a proximity sensor 38 as a displacement detecting unit.

The linear shaft 34a erected on the height detection mounting part 34 and the linear shaft 36a erected on the contact plate 36 are connected to the contact plate 36 and the height detection mounting part 3.
4 are slidably fitted to each other, and a compression spring 3 is further mounted between the height detection mounting portion 34 and the linear shaft 36a.
The contact plate 36 is elastically supported so as to be able to contact and separate from the height detection mounting portion 34.

The height position detecting means 3 constructed as described above
0 is the height detection mounting part 3 as shown by the arrow Y1 in FIG.
4. The contact plate 36 and the like can be rotated in the vertical direction from the standby position Pt indicated by the two-dot chain line. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the contact plate 36 comes into contact with an object to be contacted such as the seat rail mounting surface SR, and the contact plate 36 further opposes the urging force of the compression spring 37 to the arrow Y2. When pushed in the direction, the proximity sensor 38 detects the displacement of the contact plate 36 and outputs a signal related to the contact.

As shown in the bottom view of the sheet gripping device 10 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 6A, the horizontal gripping means 40 is formed of a plate of a predetermined length which comes into contact with the headrest SH. The pair of positioning members 42 and 43 are fixed to the base 20 while being fixed to the base 20 and the positioning member 42 is locked to apply a thrust in the direction of arrow Y3 in FIG. Positioning member 42,
The horizontal movement rail 46 and the positioning members 42, 4 for guiding the frame 43 in the direction of the arrow Y4 parallel to the arrow Y3 in FIG.
3 is provided with a link mechanism 48 for linking the three with each other.

The link mechanism 48 includes a link member 48a pivotally mounted on the base 20 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane, and a link bar 48b connecting one end of the link member 48a and the positioning member 42 so as to be swingable with each other. And link member 48a
And a link bar 48c that connects the other end of the first member and the positioning member 43 to each other so as to swing.

The horizontal gripping means 4 constructed as described above
In FIG. 6A, the horizontal cylinder 44 is driven and contracted, whereby the positioning member 42 starts moving along the horizontal movement rail 46 and the link mechanism 48 is turned as shown by the arrow Y5 in FIG. It moves to transmit the force to move the positioning member 43 as well. Thereby, the positioning member 4
The positioning member 43 and the positioning member 43 can approach each other from the standby position in FIG. 6A along the horizontal movement rail 46 as shown in FIG. 6B.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the vertical gripping means 50 comprises a plate member provided with a limit switch 51 at the tip and a linear shaft 5 extending in the horizontal direction.
2a, the horizontal moving member 52 formed in combination with the base 2a
0, the horizontal moving member 52 is locked, and the horizontal moving member 52 is fixed to the projecting cylinder 53 and the base 20 which give the horizontal moving member 52 a thrust in the direction of arrow Y6 in FIG.
2 has a horizontal insertion portion 55 provided with a linear bush 54 that guides 2 in the direction of arrow Y6.

Further, the vertical gripping means 50 is provided with a pair of elevating and lowering claws 56a having a predetermined length to be in contact with the seat rail mounting surface SR.
A lifting member 56 having a rod-shaped linear shaft 56b extending in the vertical direction is fixed to the base 20, and the lifting member 56 is locked, so that the thrust in the direction of the arrow Y7 (vertical direction) in FIG. A lifting cylinder 57 and a linear bush 58 fixed to the base 20 and guiding the lifting member 56 in the direction of arrow Y7 are provided.

The horizontal moving member 52 and the elevating member 56 constitute an elevating holding portion 59.

The vertical gripping means 5 constructed as described above
At 0, the horizontal moving member 52 can protrude in the horizontal direction from the two-dot chain line standby position Ps, as shown by the arrow Y6 in FIG. 4, and as shown by the arrow Y7, the lifting member 56 has two points. It is possible to descend in the vertical direction from the chained standby position Pk.

Therefore, the horizontal moving member 52 and the elevating member 56
The seat S can be sandwiched by sandwiching the seat rail mounting surface SR and the top of the seat back SB, for example, by using the elevating sandwiching portion 59 composed of

The back support 60 is formed by bending a plate material into a U-shaped cross section, and is provided in contact with the back surface of the elevating cylinder 57. The back support portion 60 may be formed of an elastic material having an appropriate bending when pressed against the seat back SB.

The backrest detection switch 66 has a contact portion 6
6a is attached to the base 20 so as to protrude by a predetermined amount in the sheet S direction from the backrest 60. Then, when the backrest 60 is pressed against the seat back SB, the contact part 66a is pushed in as shown by an arrow Y8 in FIG. 4 and descends vertically from the two-dot chain line standby position P1 to detect the backrest. The switch in the switch 66 is switched.

Next, the manner of use of the sheet gripping device 10 thus configured will be described.

In use, the height position detecting means 30,
The horizontal gripping means 40 and the vertical gripping means 50 are caused to stand by at standby positions such as Pt and Pk in advance. For the sheets S loaded on the sheet carry-in pallet P, data relating to the shape such as the height of the seat back SB and the size of the headrest SH is stored in the sheet transfer robot 1.
And a control system for the sheet gripping device 10. In addition, the lock cylinder 12 of the swing device 12
c is contracted, and the sheet gripping device 10
Swingable.

When the sheet carrying pallet P on which the sheet S is placed is carried in to a predetermined position, the sheet transferring robot 1 moves the arm 1a to move the sheet holding device 10, and the sheet S is generally present. Stop before the expected position.

After rotating the height position detecting means 30 of the sheet gripping device 10 as shown in FIG. 8, the sheet transfer robot 1 moves the sheet gripping device 10 to the position where the sheet S is considered to be located. Approach is made from above, and the height position detecting means 30 is brought into contact with the seat rail mounting surface SR.

By this operation, as shown in FIG. 7B, the contact plate 36 is formed by the reaction force from the seat rail mounting surface SR.
Moves in the direction of arrow Y2 against the elastic force of the compression spring 37, and the proximity sensor 38 detects the displacement of the abutment plate 36 to generate a detection signal regarding the sheet S. The height position of the uppermost sheet S is recognized.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9, after the height position detecting means 30 of the sheet gripping device 10 is returned to the standby position Pt, the height position of the sheet S and the shape of the sheet S recognized by the above-described operation. From the data of, the control system determines that the horizontal insertion unit 5
5 moves the sheet gripping device 10 to a vertical position where it can be inserted between the seat back SB and the headrest SH when the horizontal moving member 52 projects.
Is pressed against the seat back SB. At this time, the abutment portion 66a of the backrest detection switch 66 protruding from the backrest portion 60 is pushed by the seat back SB, and the switch in the backrest detection switch 66 is switched. Is pressed by the control system.

In response to the pressing operation, the swinging device 12 swings the sheet gripping device 10. As a result, sheet S
, The sheet S and the base 20 are inclined, and the relative positioning is performed so that the sheet gripping device 10 can easily grip the sheet S. According to this embodiment, compared to a method in which the joints of the robot are frequently angle-adjusted using a sensor or the like to cause the sheet gripping device 10 to follow the sheet S, the backrest portion 60 of the sheet gripping device 10 is simply used. Only by pressing against the seat back SB, the relative positioning operation can be performed efficiently.

Next, the horizontal holding means 40 drives the horizontal cylinder 44 as shown in FIG.
2 and 43 are moved so that the headrest SH of the seat S is sandwiched. By this operation, the headrest SH is centered in the horizontal direction with respect to the sheet gripping device 10, and the horizontal positioning of the sheet S having the headrest SH and the sheet gripping device 10 is performed. Headrest SH
By sandwiching and positioning, for example, the positioning can be performed simply and in a short time as compared with a case where the robot hand is moved to the position of the headrest SH detected by a sensor or the like, the position is controlled, and then the headrest SH is gripped and centered. It is possible.

Since the horizontal moving member 52 of the horizontal insertion portion 55 is located at the optimum position with respect to the sheet S by performing the centering by the horizontal gripping means 40, as shown in FIG. And the horizontal moving member 52 is projected from the standby position Ps to be inserted between the seat back SB and the headrest SH.

In the event that the horizontal moving member 52 is the seat back S
If it is not inserted between B and the headrest SH,
When the limit switch 51 provided at the tip of the horizontal moving member 52 comes into contact with any part of the sheet S and is further pressed, a signal is sent to the control system, and the horizontal moving member 52
Is not inserted correctly. Therefore, the control system ensures that the horizontal moving member 52 is protruded after the relative positioning between the sheet S and the sheet gripping device 10 is again performed by the horizontal gripping means 40 and the like, so that the horizontal moving member 52 is securely moved between the seat back SB and the headrest. It is possible to insert between SH.

Following the protrusion of the horizontal moving member 52, as shown in FIG.
Then, the lifting member 56 of the vertical gripping means 50 is lowered, and the lifting claw 56a is brought into contact with the seat rail mounting surface SR. By this operation, the horizontal moving member 52 and the elevating member 56
The seat rail mounting surface S is
R and the top of the seat back SB are sandwiched, and as a result, the sheet S is completely gripped by the sheet gripping device 10. Then, the control system extends the lock cylinder 12c of the oscillating device 12 to regulate the operation of the oscillating device 12 by the shaft portion 12b.

At this time, the weight of the sheet S held upside down is transferred via the protruding air cylinder 53 and the linear bush 54 provided on the base 20 of the horizontal holding means 40 shown in the perspective view of FIG. It is transmitted to the base 20 and further supported by the sheet transfer robot 1 via the arm 1a.

From the start to the completion of the gripping operation, the only sensing necessary for positioning is the detection of the height position of the sheet S by the height position detection means 30. The sheet S can be gripped in a shorter time than a device that grips the sheet S.

After the gripping of the sheet S is completed, the sheet S held by the sheet transfer robot 1 is transported, erected, and placed on the sheet conveyor 4 or the sheet feed lifter 6. The sheet gripping device 10 includes a lifting member 56, a horizontal insertion portion 55,
The grip is released in the order of the horizontal gripping means 40 to complete the transfer. The sheet transfer robot 1 that has completed the transfer moves the sheet holding device 10 in the direction of the sheet loading pallet P so as to hold the next sheet S and stands by.

The arm 1 of the sheet transfer robot 1
The sheet gripping device 10 attached to the leading end may be used as a means for transferring the sheet S from a predetermined storage position to the sheet carrying pallet P, and the lifting claw 56a provided on the lifting member 56 The present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the above-described embodiments. For example, an elastic material such as urethane for preventing the sheet S from being damaged may be provided on a contact surface with the seat rail mounting surface SR. Various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0053]

As described above, according to the vehicle seat gripping device according to the present invention, after the height position of the seat is confirmed by using the height position detecting means, the seat headrest is moved by the horizontal gripping means. And the vertical gripping means is used to grip the sheet in the vertical direction, so that it is possible to efficiently grip a vehicle seat in a short period of time without frequently performing sensing and positioning by a robot. And contribute to the automotive industry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a main part of an automobile outfitting assembly line in which a seat gripping device according to the present embodiment is installed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet holding device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the sheet holding device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the sheet gripping device according to the present embodiment from a standby position.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a sheet carrying pallet for receiving sheets by the sheet gripping device according to the present embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are bottom views of the sheet gripping device.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are side views of the height position detecting means.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the sheet gripping device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory view of the sheet gripping device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the sheet gripping device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the sheet gripping device according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet transfer robot 1a Arm 10 Sheet holding device 12 Swinging device 20 Base 30 Height position detecting means 36 Contact plate 38 Proximity sensor 40 Horizontal holding means 42, 43 Positioning member 48 Link mechanism 50 Vertical holding means 51 Limit switch 52 Horizontal moving member 55 Horizontal insertion part 56 Elevating member 59 Elevating holding part 60 Backrest S Seat SR Seat rail mounting surface SH Headrest SB Seat back

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A gripping device for an automotive seat transfer device for gripping an automotive sheet placed and carried in a loading device in a substantially inverted state by a gripping device provided at an end of an arm of a transfer robot. A base mounted on the end of the arm of the robot through a swinging mechanism, and a mounting height of a sheet provided on the base and abutting against a seat rail mounting surface of a sheet placed in an inverted state on the loading means. Height position detecting means for detecting a position; horizontal gripping means provided on the base for positioning the seat in the horizontal direction by sandwiching between the side surfaces of the headrest; seat rail mounting surface provided on the base and a seat back A vertical gripping means for gripping the sheet in a vertical direction by sandwiching the sheet with a top portion, and a gripping device for a sheet transfer device for an automobile, comprising: 2. The height detection means comprises: a height detection mounting portion pivotally mounted on the base portion so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction; and a height detection mounting portion elastically supported by the seat rail mounting surface. A contact plate that abuts, and a displacement detection unit that is fixed to the height detection attachment unit and detects displacement of the contact plate when the contact plate abuts on a seat rail attachment surface. The gripping device for an automobile seat transfer device according to claim 1. 3. The vehicle seat transfer according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal gripping means has a pair of positioning members connected to each other by a link mechanism so as to be interlockable. Equipment gripping device. 4. The vertical gripping means includes: a horizontal insertion portion for inserting a horizontally movable member protruding from the base portion between a seatback top and a headrest; and a seat attachment supported by the base portion to ascend and descend. The vehicle seat transfer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an elevating member that is pressed against a surface, and an elevating holding portion that holds the sheet by the horizontal insertion portion and the elevating member. Equipment gripping device. 5. The gripping device according to claim 4, wherein the horizontal insertion portion includes a limit switch at a tip of a horizontal moving member. 6. The gripping device of the sheet transfer device, further comprising: a backrest provided on the base and abutting against a seatback to perform relative positioning between the sheet and the base. A gripping device for a vehicle sheet transfer device according to any one of the above.