JPS6023237Y2 - Horizontal circulation asynchronous conveyance system - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a horizontal circulation type asynchronous conveyance system.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally known methods for transporting articles in a circulating manner include a vertical method shown in FIG. 1 and a horizontal method shown in FIG. 2.

In the case of the vertical type, work can only be done on the upper conveyance path 1, and the lower conveyance path 2 is for returning pallets, jigs 3, etc.

On the other hand, the horizontal type has the feature that the work can be carried out along the entire length of the conveyance path 4, so the installation area is small and the overall length of the line can be shortened.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show an example of a conventional horizontal conveyance system.

Figure 3 shows a horizontal circulation type asynchronous conveyance system using a roller flight conveyor 5 and drive rollers 6.
The figure shows a horizontal circulation type asynchronous conveyance system using a crescent chain 7.

In the figure, 8 is a manual stopper and 9 is an automatic stopper.

The jigs and the jig loading pallet 10 are stopped at the positions of these stoppers 8 and 8, and predetermined operations are performed on the articles placed thereon and fixed as necessary.

However, in such a conventional horizontal circulation type asynchronous conveyance system, there is a poor clutch mechanism between the jig loading pallet 10 and the roller flight conveyor 5 or the crescent chain 7, etc., and the jig is loaded while being placed there. Since the pallet 10 is transported, there is a large shock when starting and stopping, and for this reason, when transporting small parts, etc., which are often used in the assembly process, on jigs, the positions of the small parts may be misaligned, or Or it may fall from the jig.

Another drawback was that the shock caused by the start and stop caused a large number of people affected by the shock, which worsened the working environment.

Furthermore, if the jig-mounted pallet 10 is buffer-stocked before the manual or automatic stoppers 8 and 9, the crescent chain 7 and the lower surface of the pallet will constantly slide, causing the crescent chain 7 and the jig-mounted pallet 1 to slide continuously.
There was a drawback that the sliding surface of the 0 wore quickly.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional horizontal circulation type asynchronous conveyance system, the present invention has been developed to improve and eliminate these drawbacks.

The configuration of the present invention will be explained below according to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the entire system of the present invention.

In the figure, 11 is a horizontal circulation type conveyor track, 12
is a drive unit, 13 is a tail unit, 14 is an automatic stopper, and 15 is a manual stopper.

A jig-mounted pallet (hereinafter referred to as a pallet) 16 that engages with the conveyor track 11 and is transported thereby is located on the side surface of the conveyor track 11 as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, and is on the outer peripheral surface side in the drawings. A jig 18 is further attached to the pallet stand 17 of the pallet 16 to project in the horizontal direction.

A pair of dependent plates 19.19 are provided on the pallet stand 17 so as to protrude toward the conveyor track 11 side, and a shaft 20.20 and an oil 21 are supported at two locations, one at the front and the other at the rear.

The front shaft 20.20 is separate, the rear shaft 21
is a single shaft passing through the two dependent plates 19.19.

A front shaft 20 a and a box-shaped slider 22 are fixed to these shafts 20 , 20 and 21 , and the front shaft 20 a and slider 22 engage with a rail groove 23 of the conveyor track 11 .

Reference numeral 24 denotes a shaft fixed to the dependent plates 19, 19 at an approximately intermediate position between the shafts 20, 20 and 21, and a bearing 25 at the center.
A sprocket 26 is rotatably attached via the sprocket.

27 is a clutch arm that is swingably supported on the rear shaft 21 via a bearing 28, and 29 is a cam roller 30 attached to the tip of the clutch arm 27.
This is a spring that presses and urges the tip of the holder in the right direction in FIGS. 7 and 9.

The biasing force of the spring 30 presses the clutch recess 27a provided in the intermediate portion of the clutch arm 27 against the sprocket boss 26a of the sprocket 26, thereby fixing the sprocket 26 (stopping the rotational movement).

The sprocket 26 is always engaged with the conveyor chain 31 that is continuously carried within the conveyor track 11, and when the clutch arm 27 stops the rotation of the sprocket 26 due to the biasing force of the spring 30, The driving force is transmitted to the jig mounting pallet 16 to transport it.

Furthermore, when the clutch arm 27 releases the sprocket 26 by the means described later, the sprocket 26 does not transmit the driving force of the conveyor chain 31 to the jig mounting pallet 16, but only rotates at that position.

In short, this sprocket 26 and clutch arm 27
constitutes a clutch mechanism.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a locking member fixed to the dependent plate 18 on the side that does not interfere with the conveyor chain 31 at the rear end of the pallet 16, and has a rear kushiro 33 and a protrusion 34.

35 and 36 are automatic stoppers 1 on the conveyor track 11
These openings are provided at the 4 position and the manual stopper 15 position.

37 is a fixing bracket 38 fixed to the back surface of the conveyor track 11 at a position approximately midway between the openings 35 and 36.
an arm pivotably attached to the openings 35 and 3;
6 and a cam 40 having a Kushiro 39 and a latching means 41
is fixed.

The distance between the cam 40 and the latching means 41 is such that the Kushiro 39 of the cam 40 is engaged with the cam roller 39 of the preceding pallet 16, and the latching means 41 is engaged with the cam roller 39 of the following pallet 16. It is set to correspond to the protrusion of the stopper member 32.

42 is a cylinder for swinging the arm 35, 43
44 indicates a pair of positioning bushes provided on the pallet stand 17 (see Fig. 6), and 44 indicates that the pallet 16 is connected to each stopper 1.
This is a bushing rod that fits into the bushing 43 and positions the pallet stand 17 when it is stopped at positions 4 and 15.

Next, the operation mode of the conveyance system of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

In a normal state, the pallet 16 in which the article 45 (see FIG. 10) is placed on the jig 18 has the recess 27a of the clutch arm 27 pressed against the boss 26a of the sprocket 26 under the force of the spring 30. , since the rotation of the sprocket 26 is stopped, the driving force of the chain conveyor 31 is received via this sprocket 26,
This allows them to be transported in sequence.

When a predetermined workpiece location is reached, the cylinder 42 is operated manually or automatically to the left in FIG. 9, and the arm 37 is swung counterclockwise about the pivot 38a.

Therefore, the cam 40 penetrates into the conveyor track 11 and brings its Kushiro 39 into engagement with the cam roller 29 on the front surface of the pallet.

By engaging with the Kushiro 39, the cam roller 29 is sequentially pushed to the left side in the figure against the biasing force of the spring 30, releasing the clutch recess 27a of the clutch arm 27 from the boss 26a of the sprocket 26.

As a result, the sprocket 26 becomes free, starts rotating due to the driving force of the conveyor chain 31, and does not transmit the driving force of the conveyor chain 31 to the pallet 16.

In short, the pallet 16 is gradually released from the conveyor chain 31, becomes a floating state, and is stopped.

After this, the bushing rod 44 is moved to protrude and its tip is fitted into the bushing 43 of the pallet stand 17 to position the pallet 16, and a predetermined work is performed on the article 45 placed on the jig 18. good.

If the work efficiency in a certain work area is lower than in other areas, and the subsequent pallet 16 is transported before the predetermined work on the preceding pallet 16 is completed, The cam roller 29 of the following pallet 16 rides on the rear Kushiro 33 of the end locking member 32, swings the clutch arm 27 to the left in FIG. 16 is allowed to float free from the conveyor chain 31.

FIG. 9 shows this state. This allows the work at each work station to be made independent of each other.

When the work on the preceding pallet 16 in the work station progresses and is completed, the bushing rod 44 is first moved backward, and then the cylinder 42 is moved to the right in FIG. 9 by manual or automatic operation.

As a result, the cam roller 29 on the front surface of the preceding pallet is released from the Kushiro 39 of the cam 40.

The clutch arm 27 receives the force of the spring 30,
The sprocket 26 is fixed by pressing the recess 27a against the recess 26a of the sprocket 26.

Therefore, the preceding pallet 16 returns to its normal state,
It is guided along the conveyor track 11 and transported to the next process.

Note that when the sprocket 26 is re-fixed in this way or released as described above, the biasing force of the spring 30 does not instantly fix or release the rotating sprocket 26, but gradually rotates the sprocket 26. The size is set to stop or transmit.

Since the pallet 16 repeats repeated operations of stopping and conveying, this is done to reduce the impact on the pallet 16 during switching in such a case, and to prevent the article 45 on the jig 18 from being dislocated, or This is to prevent it from falling.

When the cam roller 29 of the leading pallet 16 is released, the trailing pallet 16 is moved by the latching means 41 of the arm 37.
Since the protrusion 34 is locked, the conveyance is forcibly stopped.

Then, when the preceding pallet 16 is conveyed to the next process,
Manually or automatically, the cylinder 42 is operated in the example direction shown in FIG. 9, and the following pallets 16 are sequentially stopped at a predetermined work area and work is carried out in the same manner as in the case of the preceding pallet 16. With such a conveyance system, the worker can put his/her knees under the jig 18, as shown in FIG. 10, and work can be done in a sitting position.

Therefore, worker fatigue is reduced.

Furthermore, depending on the content of the work, it is possible to work not only from the top or side, but also from the bottom of the jig 18, allowing for a wide range of work styles.

As explained above, the present invention consists of a horizontal circulation type conveyor track in which a continuously driven endless conveyor chain is horizontally circulated; A sprocket that is always engaged with the conveyor chain is rotatably attached to the part, and the tip of the clutch arm that normally restrains the free rotation of the sprocket projects forward in the running direction, and the rear surface has a rear kushiro and a protrusion. A pallet with parts installed, a jig that is fixed to the pallet and has a mounting part for the article to be processed horizontally extended and projected outward from the conveyor track, and a jig that is attached manually or automatically to the conveyor track at each work site. The cam is provided so as to be retractable from the front end of the pallet, and has a cam with a hook that engages the tip of the clutch arm on the front side of the pallet at the front end in the traveling direction of the pallet, and has a latching means for latching onto a protrusion at the rear end of the pallet at the rear end. It consists of a stop arm in which a cam and a latching means are made to alternately appear and retract, and the cam of the stop arm releases the restraint of the sprocket via the clutch arm to buffer the pallets that have arrived at each work site. The rear Kushiro of the locking member of the preceding pallet releases the restraint of the sprocket of the succeeding pallet via the clutch arm of the succeeding pallet, and the preceding pallet is stopped in a cushioning manner to prevent the collision of the succeeding pallet. When a pallet is sent out from the work area, the latching means at the rear end of the stop arm is used to temporarily stop the intrusion of the pallet immediately after the pallet into the work area. It can be used as a line, reducing the installation area and the overall length of the line.Furthermore, since the jig extends horizontally to the outside of the conveyor track, workers can place their knees under the jig. Work can be done in a sitting position, reducing worker fatigue, and
This makes it possible to work from the bottom of the jig, reduces the impact when the pallet starts and stops, and prevents objects from shifting or falling off the pallet.Furthermore, the sprocket rotates freely when the pallet is stopped. This allows for quiet operation with little wear and tear, allowing work to be done in each work station independently of each other, and when sending out the pre-processed pallet from the work station. This can reliably prevent the subsequent pallet from moving along with the preceding pallet and passing through the work area by temporarily stopping it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic front view showing a vertical circulation type conveyance system;
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing a horizontal circulation type conveyance system;
3 and 4 are schematic plan views showing a conventional horizontal circulation type conveyance system, and FIGS. 5 to 10 show a conveyance system according to the present invention. Figure 6 is a front view showing the relationship between the conveyor track and the jig-mounted pallet, Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 6, Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 6, and Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 6. The figure is a cross-sectional plan view of the main parts of a certain work site, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the system showing the relationship between the system and workers. 11... Conveyor orbit, 27... Clutch arm, 26... Sprocket, 16...
...Pallet with jig, 18...Jig, 1
4... Automatic stopper (work department), 15...
...Manual stopper (manufacturing department), 40...
-Cam, 41...Latching means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A horizontal circulation conveyor track designed to circulate a continuously driven endless conveyor chain horizontally;
A sprocket is rotatably attached to a part of the sprocket, which is attached so that it can run along the conveyor track, and which constantly engages with the conveyor chain, and the tip of the clutch arm that normally restrains the free rotation of the sprocket is attached to the front in the running direction. A pallet with a locking member that protrudes from the rear surface and has a rear tail Kushiro and a protrusion, and a jig that is fixed to the pallet and has a mounting part for the article to be processed extending horizontally and protruding outward from the conveyor track. The cam is installed so that it can be manually or automatically retracted from the conveyor track in each work area, and has a cam with a kushiro at the front end in the pallet travel direction that engages the tip of the clutch arm on the front of the pallet, and a cam at the rear end that engages the front end of the clutch arm of the pallet. It consists of a stop arm that has a latching means for latching onto a protrusion at the rear end, and the cam and the latching means are made to appear and retract alternately, and the pallet that has reached each work part is stopped by the cam of the stopping arm. The sprocket is released from the clutch arm to stop it as a buffer, and the collision of the following pallet is buffered by the rear Kushiro of the locking member of the preceding pallet releasing the sprocket from the clutch arm of the following pallet. When the preceding pallet that has been processed is sent out from the work area, the pallet immediately following the pallet is temporarily stopped from entering the work area by the latching means at the rear end of the stop arm. This is a horizontal circulation asynchronous conveyance system.