JPS6093040A - Tray distributing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate time loss in the products handling work associate with a tray surely by feeding trays accommodated in the device body neatly stacked to a products processing part one after another by a transport machine, and by exhuasting each tray after finishing its work. CONSTITUTION:Stacked trays 20 are fed in a tray feed part 2 from a feed-in part, and one 21 of these stacked trays 20, is borne by a feed guide 5a. The remaining trays 21 are borne by a detent 7, while said tray 21 on the feed guide 5a is transferred by a transferring machine 5 to a products teak-in and -out part 3, where a work robot 40 assumes the loading/unloading operation of the products on/from the tray 21 placed on said products take-in and -out part. During this work with tray 21, the remaining trays 21 are in stand-by on the feed guide 5a so as to be fed to the products take-in and -out part 3 successively one after another. The trays 21 after finishing respective works are loaded on a lifter 9 one after another by the release of a receipt guide 8, and exhausted to outside the carry-out part 19 by a carry-in and -out machine 11, and meantime the stacked trays 20 are accommodated in the abovementioned tray feed part 2. Thus the products handling work can be made without interruption.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tray delivery device that automatically supplies trays to a product working section in a transportation system that uses trays to transport a large number of products.

In order to automate the manufacturing and processing of small products in various factories, etc., products are transported between various manufacturing and processing lines by being stored in trays, which are flat containers. , it is now possible to transport large quantities of products. However, in order to supply trays to a product work department that loads and unloads multiple products onto trays, conventionally the trays have been delivered using a large automatic conveyor system, or work robots have been used to move the trays between the automatic conveyor and the product work department. Conventional lids have complex mechanisms that make it difficult to install them easily, and they also do not allow for quick tray feeding and appropriate tray discharge control after work. There was a drawback that there was a problem. Furthermore, it is difficult to properly supply and discharge l/rays in the product work section, so after loading and unloading products on each tray, there is a large time loss between loading and unloading products onto the next tray. This was creating a major obstacle in the automation of product transportation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and in product transportation using trays, a plurality of trays are stored in a stacked manner in the main body of the device, and each tray of the stacked trays is sequentially supplied to and discharged from a product working section. In this way, trays can be properly fed and discharged to and from the product working section with a very cylindrical wall structure, and the trays can be fed from one side to the product working section and discharged from the other. By having trays waiting in a position where they can be fed without leaving any traces, time loss in product handling work for trays can be reliably eliminated.
Furthermore, by making the product working section where trays are placed and taking out and taking out products correspond to the tray supply section and incorporated into one device, it is possible to easily position the trays in the product working section. This will further promote the automation of product loading and unloading operations.

An embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tray delivery device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the main part of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2. be.

In each of the above figures, the tray delivery device of the present invention is installed in any product work area, and includes a tray supply section 2 that stores stacked trays 20, and a product take-out section 3 corresponding to the tray supply section 2. are provided in the device main body 1, and the product take-out section 3
, a transfer machine 5 for sequentially transferring the trays 21 is provided, and a feeding side elevator 6 for loading stacked trays 20 and making each tray 21 face the transfer machine 5 is provided in the one-tray supply section 2. Further, the product take-out/take-out section 3 is provided with a receiving side elevator 9 that sequentially raises and lowers each tray 21 transferred from the tray supply section 2 to load it thereon.

The apparatus main body 1 is formed into a box shape and is provided with a tray supply section 2 and a corresponding product take-out section 3, respectively.

In the embodiment, the tray supply section 2 is provided at the front of the apparatus main body 1, and a loading section 18 for the stacked trays 20 is provided at the front of the upper part of the apparatus main body 1.

Here, the stacked tray 20 is formed by stacking trays 21, which will be described later, in a plurality of stages. In the embodiment, the tray supply unit 2 includes:
A rectangular cylindrical space that accommodates the stacked tray 20 is connected to the device main body 1.
The upper surface part is provided in communication with the inside, and the upper surface part has a frame around the four peripheries, and the left and right frames can be freely opened and closed in front of the upper surface part to form the carrying-in section 18. The stacked trays 20 are stored in the tray supply section 2. That is, the carrying-in section 18 is connected to the gate frame 1 on both sides.
3.13 is configured to be openable and closable by a base hinge, and is opened when storing the laminated tray 20 and closed after being stored.

Inside the tray supply section 2, a feed-side elevator 6 is provided so as to be movable up and down, and the laminated trays 20 carried into the interior from the carry-in section 18 are loaded on the elevator 6. In the stacked trays 20 on the elevator 6, the second tray 21 from the bottom is supported by the locking tool 7 in the tray supply section 2, and the elevator 6 is lowered there, so that the stacked trays 20 are stacked on the first and second trays from the bottom. The overlapping engagement of each tray 21.21 is released, the second and higher trays 21.21 are supported by the locking device 7, and the first tray 21 is supported by the elevator 6.
The tray 21 is positioned above and supported by the feed guide 5a, and the tray 21 is unloaded by further lowering the elevator 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the locking tool 7 has a rotatably provided claw member inside the tray supply section 2, and the collar portion 22 of the tray 21 is supported by the claw member.

Instead of this claw member, the tray 2 can be supported by a rod of a small cylinder that can be freely extended and retracted, and various mechanisms can be used for the locking tool 7.

An opening 4 for feeding out the tray 21 is provided on the back side of the tray supply section 2 facing the tray 21 supported by the feeding guide 5a. As shown in FIG. 3, the feeding guide 5a has two plate pieces that move the tray 2 from both sides via the collar 22 below the locking tool 7 in the tray supply section 2 having a rectangular cylindrical cross section. I support it.

The tray 21 supported by the feed guide 5a is laterally transferred by the transfer device 5 to the product take-out section 3 through the opening 4. The transfer machine 5 is provided with a feed guide 5a from the tray supply section 2 to the product take-out section 3, and has clamping claws 5C on the feed guide 5a.
The slider 5b is slidably provided.

In this transfer machine 5, the tray 21 in the tray supply section is clamped by the clamping claws 5C, the slider 5b slides on the feed guide 5a, and the tray 21 is placed on the receiving guide 8. The tray 21 is then transferred from the tray 21 to the product take-out section 3. The clamping claws 5c can also clamp the tray 21 on the elevator 6 and release the stacked engagement with the next tray 21 by slightly lifting it. The slider 5b can be self-propelled by a motor, or can be pulled and driven by a chain, wire, or the like. Alternatively, a cylinder may be provided and a suction cup may be provided at the tip of the rod to suction and pull each tray 21.

Further, the guide 8 of the receiver is provided with plate pieces that face each other in the product take-out/take-out section 3 and rotate horizontally to move in and out.
The two plate pieces protrude from both sides to support the tray 2 via its flange 22, and the plate pieces rotate to both sides and are retracted to release the elevating passage for the laminated tray 20. The tray 21 on the receiver guide 8 is placed on the receiver elevator 9 below. In addition, as the receiving guide 8,
It is also possible to provide the rod of the small cylinder so that it can freely extend and retract inward from both sides.

The product take-out section 3 is provided on the rear upper surface of the apparatus main body 1 in correspondence with the tray supply section 2, and the unloading section 19 for the laminated trays 20 is provided on the lower rear surface of the apparatus main body 1. When the tray 21 is transferred and set, the work robot 40 carries out the work of loading a product into the tray 21 or removing a product from the tray 21, as shown in FIG. The tray 21 in the product take-out section 3 is positioned in the advancing direction by the transfer device 5, and is also properly positioned in the lateral direction by being suppressed by the positioning tool 10 provided on the side. Product handling work by the work robot 40 can be performed accurately at a predetermined position. In the product work section, an operator can directly handle products on the tray 21 without using the work robot 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, the tray 21 has a flat container shape with an open top surface, and has a flange 22 around the four circumferences of the top surface, four portions 23 and 23 formed in the squares of the flange 22, and a bottom surface. A stepped portion 24 is provided at the top and bottom to enable overlapping engagement between the upper and lower layers during stacking, thereby maintaining a stable stacked state. Inside each tray 21, a product fitting portion 25a formed of styrofoam or the like adapted to the outer shape of the transported product 50 is provided.
A formwork 25 having a shape is housed therein, and this formwork 25 enables the positioning of about 500 products to be transported, thereby further promoting automation of work by the work robot 40. The mold 25 can also be integrally molded with the tray 21. The tray 21 can be freely selected in terms of its external shape, depth, etc., and can be made of any material such as a general pallet, metal, or plastic container.

Next, the product unloading section 3 (bLn) was subjected to the product handling operation) 1/-21 was installed on the lower elevator 9 by releasing the receiving guide 8 supporting its collar 22, and then The trays 21 waiting on the feed guide 5a are transferred into the product take-out part 3 without leaving a trace L, and in the same way, the work robot 40 receives the product handling work and the trays 21 are sequentially stacked on the elevator 9 in a stacked manner. all trays 2
1 is loaded onto the elevator 9 again as a stacked tray 20 after the above-mentioned work, the stacked tray 20 is transferred to the loading/unloading machine 11.
It is sent out from the carry-out section 19 to the outside via the sliding guide 12. The laminated tray 20 sent out to the outside is
It is transferred to the next work section by a trolley, conveyor, etc.

In the embodiment described above, the upper front surface of the tray supply section 2 is used as the tray loading section 18, but the upper surface of the tray supply section 2 may be used as the loading section and the stacked trays 20 are loaded in the vertical direction. Moreover, the carry-in part 18 can also be made into a carry-out part, and the carry-out part 19 can also be made into a carry-in part.

Transfer machine 5 mentioned above. Sending side elevator 6. The receiver is a side lift9.
Locking tool 7. The reception is guide 8. The loading/unloading machine 11 and the like operate continuously in conjunction with each other according to commands from the control unit 30.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. Laminated tray 20
are stored in the tray supply unit 2 from the loading unit 18, one tray 21 of the stacked trays 20 is supported on the feed guide 5a, and the remaining trays 21 are supported by the locking tool 7, and the trays on the feed guide 5a are supported. 21 to the product unloading/unloading section 3, and the work robot 40 loads/unloads the products onto/from the tray 21 on the product unloading/unloading section 3. While this tray 210 is being worked, the next tray 21 is kept on standby on the feed guide 5a so that it can be fed to the product take-out section 3 without any trace. The tray 21 after work is attached to its flange 2.
By releasing the receiving guide 8 that supports the trays 21, the trays 21 are loaded in order on the elevator 9, and a predetermined number of trays 21 are loaded on the elevator 9 in order.
When the trays are loaded on the elevator 9, the laminated layer 1/-20 is discharged from the tray supply unit 2 to the outside by the loading/unloading machine 11. Here, while the last tray 21 is being subjected to the product handling operation, the next stacked tray 20 is stored in the tray supply section 2 and is on standby so that the product handling operation can be performed without leaving a trace.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned stacked tray 20 can be arranged not only by simply stacking the trays 21 as in the embodiment, but also by storing it in a stacking frame 17 as shown in FIG. You can also do this. In this case, the laminated frame 17
An elevator 6 enters the interior of the tray and controls the elevation and descent of the stacked trays 20 inside.

In addition, the above-mentioned device main body 1 can be integrated into one work robot 4.
By providing two adjacent to 0, time loss can be further reduced.

As described above, the present invention has a structure in which a plurality of trays are stored in a stacked manner in the main body of the apparatus, and each tray is sequentially supplied to and discharged from a product working section by a transfer machine, so that it has a simple structure and is automatically It is possible to control the supply of trays to the product work section and the discharge of trays after each work, and it is possible to easily install an automated system. Moreover, since the trays are supplied to the product work section from one side and discharged from the other, the tray can be kept in standby at a position where it can immediately supply the next tray to the product work section, ensuring unbroken tray supply. This makes it possible to reliably eliminate time loss in product handling work on trays and further promote automation of product transport using trays.Furthermore, it is possible to provide a tray feeding section that supplies trays and a product handling section in one device. Therefore, the tray can be accurately positioned by being transferred by a transfer device, and one product handling operation can be carried out appropriately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tray delivery device of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tray delivery device of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 2, Figure 5 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the It is another example figure of. 1... Apparatus body 2... Tray supply section 3... Product take-out section 4... Opening section 5... Transfer machine 6.9...
・Elevator 7... Locking tool 8... Guide 10... Positioning jL 11... Loading/unloading machine 20...
・Laminated tray 21...tray 30...control unit 4
0... Work robot applicant Motoda Electronics Co., Ltd. -93 et al.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A tray delivery device that is installed in any product work area and is characterized by having the following requirements. (a) The main body of the apparatus is provided with a tray supply section for storing a stacked tray formed by stacking a plurality of trays, and a product take-out section for positioning the trays transferred from the tray supply section. (b) A transfer machine for transferring trays from the tray supply section to the product unloading section is provided corresponding to the product unloading section. (c) The tray supply section is provided with a feed-side elevator for loading and lowering stacked trays and sequentially linking each tray to the transfer machine. B) The product take-out/take-out section is provided with a receiving side elevator that sequentially lifts and lowers each tray transferred from the tray supply section to load the trays.