JPS6145815A - Device for carrying conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a countermeasure to be simplity taken to a changed situation in a conveyor system for an assembly line by supporting groups of No.1 and No.2 pullies by respective supporting devices in arranging in a form of zigzag so as to set up a carrying way which can be expanded or contracted as required. CONSTITUTION:With the change of the specification for an assembly line, when the distance between lifters L1 and L2 is required to be changed, an expandable guide frame 6 which represents the first supporting device is expaned or contracted, subsequently, a carrying way which consists of groups 5 of No.1 and No.2 pullies is expanded or contracted while the space between pullies is kept equal by means of a spring device 8 which represents the second supporting device. This configuration enables the distance between lifters to be freely with ease as required.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a conveyor device incorporated into an automatic assembly line.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in an automatic assembly line, for example, when parts such as printed circuit boards (hereinafter simply referred to as workpieces) are supplied and assembled in devices before and after each other, there is a time difference between the two and the mutual operations are asynchronous. A conveyor device as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is employed as intermediate adjustment means for the reservoir to compensate for the opening of the lid and allow workpieces to flow suitably between the front and rear devices.

According to this, in the case of the device shown in FIG. 1, there are two glue lids connected to each of the front and rear devices or lines (not shown), L+,
L2 is connected by a conveyance mechanism 2 such as a belt conveyor, and a moving case 3 as a conveyance medium has lifters at both ends, and after receiving a predetermined amount of work from the preceding device at one side of L2, the conveyance mechanism 2 It moves toward the other side and sends out a predetermined amount of work to the subsequent device. The moving case 3 is designed to adjust the distance between the lifters at both ends by reciprocating through the transport mechanism 2 to compensate for the time difference between the front and rear devices.

On the other hand, the device shown in FIG. 2 has a structure in which the lifter part Ll (L2) and the moving case 3 in the conventional example are integrated, and the workpiece 1 carried in from the previous stage device can be moved by a predetermined amount. This is a method in which the workpieces 1 are stored, and if the required amount of the workpieces 1 is satisfied in the downstream device, the case portion 3a is temporarily held in reserve.

According to the conventional device shown in Fig. 1, since the length of the transport mechanism is constant, it cannot cope with changes in the distance between the front and rear devices due to changes in line specifications, and the same applies to the case of Fig. 2. There is a problem in that it is difficult to respond to changes in line specifications as an intermediate adjustment device.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional apparatus, and aims to provide a conveyor apparatus that can easily accommodate changes in the distance between the front and rear apparatuses or between lines.

In order to achieve this objective, the conveyor device of the present invention has the following features:
Among a plurality of pulleys consisting of a first pulley group and a second pulley group, each rotating shaft of the first pulley group is slidably supported in a predetermined direction by a first support means, and each pulley of the second pulley group is An endless conveyor belt is supported between adjacent pulley pairs of the pulley group by a second support means at a constant distance from each pulley of the pulley pair, and between adjacent pulleys of the first and second pulley groups. It has a structure that allows it to be wound.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A conveyor apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. Note that the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the conventional example refer to the same or similar members. Wheels 4 such as casters are attached to the bottom of at least one of the lifters L2, which are connected between front and rear devices or lines (not shown), for easy movement.

A conveyance path composed of a plurality of pulleys 5 and other members is provided between both lifters L2 and L2. Each of the pulleys 5 is arranged in a staggered manner in the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow Each pulley of the second pulley group is located in between.

As is clear from FIG. 2(a), the first pulley group in the upper row is supported by a guide frame 6 having long grooves 6a extending along both longitudinal ends thereof. The guide frame 6 has a shape capable of supporting both shaft ends of each rotating shaft 5a of the first pulley group, and is made up of two or more elongated members so that the entire length can be expanded and contracted by moving relatively in the conveyance direction. are combined.

In this way, the guide frame 6 is expandable and retractable over its entire length, and each rotating shaft 5a of the first pulley group is provided in the long groove 6a.
The shaft ends of the pulleys 5 are loosely fitted so that each of the pulleys 5 is slidably supported in the conveyance direction. Note that related members including the guide frame 6 that supports the first pulley group will be referred to as first support means hereinafter.

On the other hand, an endless conveyor belt 7 is wound around the adjacent pulleys 5 of the first and second pulley groups, and the rotation of any one pulley 5 of the first pulley group causes the conveyor belt 7 to rotate. to the remaining pulleys of the first pulley group and the second
The signal is transmitted to all pulleys in the pulley group.

In order to enable rotational force transmission, a required tension (tension force) is applied to each conveyor belt 7, but in the embodiment, as shown in the figure, the rotation shaft 5a of each pulley 5 of the second pulley group is Each conveyor belt 7 is made to have a spring member 8 on it and pull each pulley 5 in the direction of the arrow Y with the elastic force of the spring.
The distance between each pulley 5 of the pulley pair of the first pulley group and each pulley 5 of the second pulley group is regulated to be always equal. Note that the lower end locking portions 8a of each spring member 8 are guided by the guide rail 9 so that they can follow the movement of the second pulley group.
.

It can freely reciprocate in the direction of. Each of the above-mentioned series of regulating members including the spring member 8 is hereinafter referred to as a second support means.

Here, the relationship between the both-end lifter portions L1 and L2, the first and second pulley groups, and the first support means shown in FIG. 1 will be schematically explained. Guide frame 6 constituting the first support means
is equipped with a drive means (not shown), and when the drive means is operated, the guide frame 6 is made to extend and contract in the transport direction. The lifter part L2 responds and approaches and moves away from the other fixed lifter part L1 to change the length of the conveying path. Regarding the first and second pulley groups, by connecting another driving means to either end of the first pulley group, all the pulleys 5 including the second pulley group are rotated via the conveyor belt 7. is transmitted, and in addition, as the guide frame 6 expands and contracts, the first
The second pulley group is also configured to extend and contract in the transport direction.

Next, on the conveyance path consisting of the first and second pulley groups, etc., as shown in FIG. 3 is capable of reciprocating.

The moving case 3 has lifters at both ends, and is designed to pick up a predetermined amount of work 1 from the front device at L2 and send it out to the rear device.

Next, FIGS. 3(a) to 3(C) show the second
They are a front view, a side view, and a top view of a modified example of the support means.

According to this, in place of the spring member 8 as a means for regulating the distance between the adjacent pulleys of the first and second pulley groups to an equal distance, a connecting link 10 is used, and the adjacent pulleys at both ends of the spring member 8 are used. By rotatably supporting each rotating shaft 5a, the entire structure is made into a so-called bellows structure that is freely expandable and retractable (see FIG. 4).

The operations and effects of the embodiment and the modified example will be described below. If it is necessary to change the distance between the front and rear devices or between the lines in response to changes in the specifications of the automatic assembly line, the distance between the lifters at both ends, L2, will also be changed accordingly. When the guide frame 6 of the first support means expands and contracts due to the operation of the drive means, the conveyance path consisting of the first and second pulley groups also expands and contracts in response. Each pulley 5 of the first pulley group in the embodiment and the modified example is guided by the long groove 6a of the guide frame 6, and is compressed or expanded by the movement of the guide frame 6, and the first and second pulley groups are moved by the spring member 8. Alternatively, the pulleys are expanded and contracted via each conveyor belt 7 while maintaining the distance between the pulleys at an equal distance by the connecting link 10. At this time, in response to the expansion and contraction movement of the guide frame 6, the lifter part L2 also moves in the conveying direction, and the lifter part L2 also moves in the conveying direction.
, L2 are both connected to the front and rear devices or lines, and the distance between them is adjusted. Part of the lifter, L
The time spent transporting the moving case 3 varies depending on the distance between the moving cases 3 and 2, and adjustments are made to compensate for the time difference in workpiece supply, assembly, etc. between the front and rear devices or lines.

As can be understood from the above, the conveyor device of the present invention has a conveyor path made of pulleys, conveyor belts, etc. that is expandable and retractable, so it can accommodate changes in the distance between the front and rear devices or between lines. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are both a schematic front view of a conventional example, FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of a conveyor device that is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4(a) to (C) are the same as those in FIG. Front view, side view, and plan view of an example of the main structure of the conveyor device, Fig. 5 0-(C)
6 is a front view, a side view, and a plan view of another example of the main structure, and FIG. 6 is an overall plan view of the conveyance passage. Explanation of symbols of main parts 1... Work 3... Moving case 5...
Pulley 6...Guide frame 7...Transport belt 8...Spring member lO...Connection link

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) a plurality of pulleys consisting of first and second pulley groups;
a first support means for movably supporting each rotating shaft of the first pulley group parallel to each other and in a predetermined direction; a drive means for moving one of the first pulley group in the predetermined direction; a second support means for always supporting each pulley of the pulley group at an equal distance from each pulley of the pulley pair between adjacent pulley pairs of the first pulley group;
A conveyor device comprising an endless conveyor belt wound around adjacent pulleys of a group of pulleys. (2) The first supporting means is comprised of a pair of telescopic guide frames each extending in the longitudinal direction with a long groove that slides and guides each rotating shaft of the first pulley group. The conveyor device according to item 1. (3) The second support means is comprised of a movable spring member that supports each rotating shaft of the second pulley group by pulling it in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction. The conveyor device according to item 1. (4) The second supporting means is comprised of a connecting link member that rotatably connects adjacent pulleys of the first and second pulley groups at both ends. The conveyor device described in Section 1.