JPS63180441A - Pallet replacing device for machine tool and pallet transport board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the working efficiency by forming each cut part onto the right and left pallet transport boards and allowing an operator to intrude into a guide passage laying region and easily approach a workpiece working table of a machine tool when a pallet is received or delivered. CONSTITUTION:Right and left pallet transport boards 22 and 24 are installed so as to be guide-transported between a waiting position and a receiving/delivery position for a pallet which is set oppositely to the front surface of a workpiece working table by a guide passage. Each cut part 26 is formed onto the pallet transport boards 22 and 24 and when a pallet is received or delivered onto the workpiece working table from a pallet transport board 22 or 24 for the setting to the pallet receiving and delivery position, an operator can intrude into the cut parts 26 and 28 by pressing the pallet towards the workpiece working table, and can approach the front surface of the workpiece working table.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a shuttle-type pallet changing device used to change workpiece setting pallets in automatic machine tools such as machining centers. The present invention also relates to a pallet conveyance table for conveying a workpiece installation pallet, and which can be used in such a shuttle-type pallet exchange device.

[Prior art and its problems] Generally, automatic machine tools such as machining centers equipped with a work table are provided with a pallet clamp device for positioning and fixing a workpiece installation pallet on the worktable. In addition to the work table, a pallet exchange device is also provided for exchanging pallets on the pallet clamp device. Some of these pallet changing devices are automatically operated by actuators using hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, or other power sources. Although this type of automated pallet changing equipment does not require manual labor to change workpieces, such automated pallet changing equipment itself is expensive and requires sufficient labor to ensure its reliable operation. Management and maintenance are required, and such economical aspects make it difficult to introduce such an automated pallet exchange device in relatively small-scale factories. In addition, when attempting to install the above-mentioned automated pallet changing device into an existing machining center, etc., electrical work and installation work of hydraulic or pneumatic generators are required, resulting in high costs for installing the automated pallet device. It will be attached. In short, there are many situations in which it is economically difficult to introduce an automated pallet changing device into automatic machine tools such as machining centers, and there is still a demand for the development of a manual pallet changing device that can be provided at a relatively low cost.

Therefore, the present inventor has developed a manual rotary pallet exchange device that can be easily installed and operated on existing automatic machine tools such as machining centers, and has filed a patent application (patent application) for this device. Application No. 60-293473) was filed by the present applicant. Special application 1986-29
As disclosed in No. 3473, this manual rotary pallet changing device is equipped with a turntable installed in front of a workpiece processing table of a machine tool, and a pair of pallets are mounted diametrically on the turntable. A section will be established.

In such manual rotary pallet changing equipment,
Because its installation occupies the front area of the workpiece processing table of the machine tool, when operating the pallet clamping device of the machine tool, the operator must use the manual rotary pallet changer against the pallet clamping device. You must approach the workpiece from the side in an unnatural position, or go around to the side of the machine tool's workpiece processing table. For this reason, such a manual rotary pallet exchange device not only poses a problem in terms of poor work efficiency of the operator, but also poses a problem in terms of the safety of the operator.

In addition, pallet carriers are arranged on the left and right sides of a pair of guide paths laid across the front of the workpiece processing table of an automatic machine tool such as a machining center, and these left and right pallet carriers are alternately placed in front of the workpiece processing table. A shuttle-type pallet exchange device is also known in which the pallet is exchanged by moving the pallet up to As with the above-mentioned manual rotary pallet changing device, there are problems in terms of worker efficiency and worker safety.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a shuttle configured to allow an operator to easily approach a pallet clamping device in a natural posture in order to solve the problems associated with the conventional pallet changing device as described above. The purpose is to achieve a mold pallet changing device.

On the other hand, when a workpiece is sequentially machined using multiple machine tools, a pair of guide paths is laid between the machine tools, and a pallet transport platform is moved along the guide path. For workpiece installation ゛It is well known that work efficiency can be improved by carrying workpieces on pallets. In this case, the guideway may be laid so as to cross the worker's path within the factory premises, and when the guideway is laid in the form of a chain loop, the The inner area may also be used as a work area. In short, when a guide path for a pallet conveyor is installed in a factory, workers often have to cross the guide path.

As a solution to such problems, various measures have been taken, such as providing slopes on both sides of the crossing point of the guideway, making the crossing point of the guideway movable and removing that part when the worker crosses, Alternatively, it is conceivable to form a passageway under the crossing point of the guideway, but there are additional solutions such as providing a slope or making part of the guideway movable. This is undesirable because it costs a lot of money, and if a passage is formed under the guideway, the level of the guideway is relatively low relative to the floor of the factory, making it difficult for workers to pass through it. The problem is that a sufficiently large cutout cannot form a passage.

Therefore, the second object of the present invention is to ensure movement along the guide paths even if each of the pair of movement guide paths for the pallet carrier is discontinuous at an arbitrary location and at a different location. An object of the present invention is to achieve a novel pallet transport platform configured as follows.

Means for Solving Problem C] According to the present invention, in order to achieve the first object, a single guide path laid across the front of a workpiece processing table of a machine tool; A pair of left and right guideways installed parallel to the guideway and on the side facing away from the front of the workpiece processing table, the guideway being located in front of the workpiece processing table for the purpose of allowing a worker to approach the workpiece processing table. a pair of left and right guideways arranged at an appropriate interval at locations facing each other, the single guideway and the left guideway of the pair of left and right guideways,
a left-hand pallet transport platform that is guided between a left-hand standby position and a pallet receiving/delivery position facing the front of the workpiece processing table; and a left-side guide of the single guide path and the pair of left and right guide paths. a left-hand pallet transport platform guided and moved between a left-hand standby position and a pallet receiving/delivery position facing the front of the workpiece processing table by means of a single guideway and a pair of left and right guideways; a right side pallet conveyance table guided by a right side guide path between a right side standby position and a pallet receiving/delivery position facing the front of the workpiece processing table; There is provided a shuttle-type pallet changing device, characterized in that a notch is formed for a worker to access the workpiece processing table at the pallet receiving/delivering position.

In the shuttle-type pallet exchange device according to the present invention, preferably, each of the pallet conveyance tables is provided at two locations relative to the single guideway, and at one location relative to the corresponding one of the pair of left and right guideways. The guide support means are arranged at each guide support point so as to be guided and supported at the point, and these guide support means cooperate with each other to move the corresponding one of the pallet carriers in the horizontal and vertical directions. are engaged with respective corresponding guideways to be restrained against each other.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to achieve the second object, there is provided a pallet conveying platform that moves along a pair of parallel guide paths to convey a workpiece installation pallet, In a pallet transport platform used when each of the parallel guide paths is discontinuous at an arbitrary location and different from each other, the pallet transport platform is always arranged at at least two locations relative to one of the pair of parallel guide paths. and at least four guide support means supported in one guide path relative to the other, and these guide support means are for restraining the pallet carrier against movement in the horizontal and vertical directions. A pallet transport platform is provided, characterized in that it is engaged with each corresponding guideway.

[For production]

In the shuttle type pallet changing device according to the present invention,
A pair of left and right guideways laid parallel to a single guideway laid across the front of the workpiece processing table of the machine tool and on the side facing away from the front of the workpiece processing table is connected to the workpiece processing table. A pair of left and right pallet transport tables are placed at appropriate intervals to allow workers access to the workpiece processing table at the pallet receiving/delivery position. A notch is formed in the approach area, so when the workpiece setting pallet is taken from or transferred to the workpiece processing table of the machine tool, the operator does not have to enter the area where the guideway is laid. This allows the pallet clamp device to be operated while being close to the workpiece processing table.

In addition, in the pallet conveying platform according to the present invention, the pallet conveying platform is always supported at two guide points for one of the pair of parallel guide paths and at one point for the other one at each guide support point. are provided with guide and support means, and these guide and support means are engaged with respective respective guideways to restrain the pallet carrier against horizontal and vertical movement, so that the pair of guide and support means Even if each of the parallel guide paths is discontinuous at an arbitrary point and at a different point from each other, movement of the pallet conveying platform along the pair of parallel guide paths is guaranteed.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of a shuttle-type pallet exchange device and a pallet transport platform according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, referring to FIG. 1, there is a schematic plan view showing the relative arrangement of a shuttle-type pallet changing device 10 according to the present invention and a workpiece processing table 12 of an automatic machine tool such as a machining center. FIG. 2 also shows a side view of the pallet changing device of FIG. 1 as viewed from the left side.

In order to avoid complicating the illustration, FIG. 1 shows, as components of the pallet changing device 10, a base 14 fixed on a suitable frame support structure (not shown);
A single guide path, that is, a guide rail 1 is laid on this base 14 so as to cross the front of the workpiece processing table 10.
6, a pair of left and right guide paths, that is, guide rails 18 and 20, laid on the base parallel to the guide rail 16 and on the side facing away from the front of the workpiece processing table 12; A left pallet carrier 22 is movably arranged on the guide rails 16 and 20, and a right pallet carrier 2 is movably arranged on the guide rails 16 and 20.
4 is illustrated, and other components are omitted. The right pallet transport platform 24 is movable between a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, that is, a pallet receiving/delivery position facing the front of the workpiece processing table 12, and a right standby position indicated by a two-dot chain line. It has become. On the other hand, the left pallet transport platform 22 is
Although it is shown in the left side standby position in the figure, like the right side pallet transport platform 14, it can also be moved between the left side standby position and the pallet receiving/delivery position. Note that the substantially rectangular shapes indicated by two-dot chain lines on the workpiece processing table 12, the left pallet conveying table 22, and the right pallet conveying table 24 indicate the arrangement of pallets for installing workpieces.

As is clear from FIG. 1, the pair of guide rails 18 and 20 are arranged on the base 14 in such a manner that they are spaced apart from each other at a position facing the front of the workpiece processing table 12. A notch 26 is formed in which a worker can be accommodated. On the other hand, both pallet transport platforms 2
Notches 28 similar to the notches 26 are also formed in the base plate members 2 and 24. These notches 26 and 28
is provided so that the operator can approach the front of the workpiece processing table 12. To be more specific, for example, when a pallet is transferred from the right pallet conveying table 24 shown by a solid line in FIG. It is possible to approach the front side of the workpiece processing table 12 by entering the notches 26 and 28 while pushing it toward the workpiece processing table 12. In addition, when picking up a pallet from the workpiece processing table 12 onto the right pallet conveying platform 24, the operator must pull back the pallet within the notches 26 and escape from the notches 26 and 28.

Each of the pallet carriages 22 and 24 is in guiding engagement with a single guide rail 16 in order to move the pallet carriages 22 and 24 between their respective standby positions and pallet receiving/transfer positions as described above. The two guide engagement means 30 and the pair of guide rails 18
and one guiding engagement means 32 adapted to be in guiding engagement with one of the corresponding ones of 20 and 20. In this example,
All the guide engagement means 30 are constructed in the same way, and each guide engagement means 30 includes a mounting member 34 suspended from the bottom surface of the white board of the pallet transport platform 22, 24, and a pair of mounting members 34 supported by the mounting member 34. It consists of a horizontal guide roller 36° 36 and a vertical guide roller 38 supported by the mounting member 34. As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of horizontal guide rollers 36, 36 are engaged in such a manner as to sandwich both side surfaces of the guide rail 16, so that the pallet conveyors 22, 24 are moved in the horizontal direction. movement in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the guide rail 16.

The vertical guide rollers 37 are also engaged in grooves formed on one side of the guide rail 16, thereby restraining the pallet carriers 22, 24 against vertical movement. On the other hand, all the guide engagement means 32 are constructed in the same way, and each guide engagement means 32 is connected to the pallet transport platform 22 , 2
4, and a vertical guide roller 42 supported by the mounting member 41. This vertical guide roller 42 is connected to a pair of guide rails 1
The pallet carriers 22, 24 are engaged in grooves formed in one side of the respective one of the pallet carriers 8 and 20, thereby restraining the pallet carriers 22, 24 against vertical movement.

It should be noted that the guide engagement means 30 are arranged at both ends with respect to both pallet carriers 22 and 24, respectively, while the guide engagement means 32 is arranged at the left end with respect to the left pallet carrier 22, and This point is located at the right end with respect to the right pallet transport platform 24. This is because, with such an arrangement, both pallet conveyors 22 and 24 are reliably restrained against movement in the horizontal and vertical directions, excluding the left-right direction, and can move stably in the left-right direction. This is because it becomes possible to arrange the pair of guide rails 18 and 20 at a location facing the front of the workpiece processing table 12 with an appropriate distance therebetween.

In addition, when guiding and supporting a pallet transport platform at its four corners as in the past, a single guide rail such as the guide rail 16 is laid as an alternative to the pair of guide rails 18 and 20 described above. The guide rail also extends to a location facing the front of the workpiece processing table 12. In short, in the present invention, by arranging the pair of guide rails 18 and 20 at a distance from each other at a location facing the front surface of the workpiece processing table 12, the guide rail portion between them, which is required in the conventional case, is eliminated. This allows the operator to approach the workpiece processing table 12 as described above.

3 and 4, FIG. 3 shows a portion of the pallet changer in greater detail than in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows the same side view as FIG. 2. However, various components are shown therein in a predetermined arrangement relationship.

In FIG. 3, the left pallet carrier 22 is shown in its standby position and the right pallet carrier 24 is shown in its pallet receiving and transferring position. A pair of rod-shaped members 35 are mounted on the white boards of both pallet conveyors 22 and 24, respectively.
35 are fixedly spaced parallel to each other, in which case the spacing is somewhat larger than the width of the pallet. Third
As shown in the figure, a plurality of support rollers 39 are attached to the inner side surfaces of the pair of rod-shaped members 35 at equal intervals, and the pallet is supported on these support rollers.

Note that on the left pallet carrier 22, a substantially rectangular pallet is indicated by a solid line and is labeled with a reference number 38, while on the fabric side pallet carrier 24, the pallet support position is indicated by a two-dot chain line. It is clearly shown. Further, a plurality of guide rollers 40 are attached to the upper side surfaces of the pair of rod-like members 35 for guiding the pallet 38 when the pallet 38 is moved on the support rollers 39 but restraining its movement in the left and right direction. .

With each of the left and right pallet conveyors 22 and 24 placed at the pallet receiving/delivering position, an operator picks up the pallet 38 from the front of the workpiece processing table 12 and supports it on the support rollers 39 while holding it against the front. When moving the pallet 38 backwards, the pallet 38 is moved to the pallet transport platform 22,
24 and the pallet 38 needs to be captured thereon. To this end, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the pallet carriers 22, 24 incorporate pallet capture means 42, while the bottom of the pallet 38 has its pallet capture means 42. An engagement element 44 is provided adapted to engage the. Furthermore, the pallet capturing means 42 also has a function of locking the pallet conveyance tables 22 and 24 in that position when they are placed at the pallet receiving and delivery position. This is achieved by a cooperative action with a locking mechanism 46 disposed at a predetermined position.

In order to avoid complication of illustration, the pallet 38 itself is not shown in FIG. 4, but only its engaging element 44 is shown, and in FIG. Only the arrangement relationship between the locking device n446 and the locking device n446 is shown, and other components are omitted.

As is clear from FIG. 5, the pallet capturing means 42 is arranged at the same location with respect to each of the left and right pallet carriers 22 and 24. In FIG. 5, the right pallet carrier 24 is located in a pallet receiving and transferring position and is in a locking mechanism 46, tii, m:lJl:R. On the other hand, the left pallet carrier 22 is placed at the left standby position.

6 and 7, the arrangement of pallet capture means 42 and locking mechanism 46 is shown in more detail.

The pallet capture means 42 comprises a pivoting hook element 48;
This pivoting hook element 48 is connected to the pallet carriers 22, 24
The pin 5 extends through a slot 50 formed in the white board and is pivotally mounted on a mounting piece 52 mounted on the white board.
4 is pivotally mounted. Specifically, the mounting piece 52 is U-shaped in cross-section, with its two arm portions disposed along opposite sides of the slot 50, with the pivot hook element 48 being secured between its arm portions by a pivot pin 54. It will be supported. The pivoting hook element 48 has a lower arm 56 extending generally downwardly from the location of the pivoting bin 54 , an upper arm 58 extending upwardly from the location of the pivoting bin 54 , and a pivoting hook element 48 that extends from directly below the pivoting bin 54 to the front or workpiece. table 1
2, and a hook portion 60 extending toward the side. Attached to the upper arm 58 is a stop piece 62 against which the engagement element 44 of the pallet 38 abuts. A limit screw 64 is screwed forward into the upper protrusion of the rear portion of the mounting piece 52.
clockwise pivoting movement of the hook element 48 by the sixth
) are limited. On the other hand, an attachment piece 68 having a U-shaped cross section similar to that of the attachment piece 52 is attached to the pallet conveying platform 22.
, 24 in the same manner as the mounting piece 52, and a limit screw 70 is screwed forward into this mounting piece 68 as well. This limit screw 70 is connected to the hook element 48
(in FIG. 6). It should be noted that the threading amount of the limit screws 64 and 70 is adjustable so that the range of pivoting movement of the hook element 48 can be adjusted.

When no pallet 38 is placed on the pallet carriers 22 , 24 , the hook elements 48 are in an abutting position with the limit screw 70 , ie, in a disengaged position. When the operator supports the pallet 38 from the workpiece processing table 12 on the support rollers 36 of the pallet transport tables 22 and 24 and moves it backward, the engagement element 44 of the pallet 38 abuts against the stop piece 62, This causes the hook element 48 to pivot clockwise (in FIG. 6) so that its upper arm 58 abuts the limit screw 64. At this time, the hook portion 60 of the hook element 48 protrudes from the slot 50 and enters the position shown in FIG.
is captured in the groove between the front surface of the In short, the pallet 38 is captured on the pallet carriers 22, 24 by the pallet capturing means 42.

The locking mechanism 46 includes a flat trapezoidal block body 72 fixed to a predetermined position on the base 14, and a pair of substantially flat trapezoidal cam bodies 4, 7 fixed to both bottom corners of the block body 72.
4, and a pair of movable locking elements 78, 78 spaced apart from each other on the top side of the block body 72. Each of the pair of cam body legs 4, 74 has a pair of inclined cam surfaces 80,
80 are formed and these sloping cam surfaces 80, 80 act to engage the lower arm 56 of the hook element 48 when it assumes the above-described captured position to force the hook element 48 into the disengaged position. A pair of movable locking elements 78 , 78
has a piston-like shape and is slidably accommodated in a bore formed in the block body 73. In FIG. 7, the movable locking elements 78, 78 are shown with their heads protruding from the bores. Resilient means, such as coil springs (not shown), are provided in the bores accommodating the locking elements 78 , 78 , by means of which the heads of the movable locking elements 78 , 78 are elastically fully inserted into the bores. It is designed to be able to be squeezed in. Additionally, each of the pair of locking elements 78, 78 is formed with an inclined cam surface 82 as shown in FIG. 56 and serves to force the head of the corresponding movable locking element 78 into the aforementioned bore.

When the hook element 48 assumes the above-described uncaptured position, in other words when the pallet carriers 22, 24 are placed in the pallet receiving and transferring position, the lower arm 56 of the hook element 48 is connected to a pair of movable locking elements. 78 , 78 , and the pallet carriers 22 and 24 are placed in a locked state against movement in the left and right direction. That is,
The pallet transport tables 78, 78 are fixed at the pallet receiving and delivery position. As can be seen in FIG. 6, when the hook element 48 assumes the above-described captured position, its lower arm 56 is pulled out from between the pair of movable locking elements 78, 78, and the locking condition is released. As a result, the left pallet carrier 22 can move to the left, and the right pallet carrier 24 can move to the right. For example,
When the left pallet carrier 22 is moved to the left after being unlocked, the lower arm 56 of the hook element 48 engages one inclined cam surface or inner inclined cam surface 80 of the left cam body 74 (in FIG. 7). At this time, hook element 4
8 takes the capture release position once, but is immediately returned to the capture position by cam means to be described later. When the left pallet transport platform 22 is placed in the left standby position and then moved again toward the pallet receiving and delivery position, the lower arm 56 of the hook element 48 is connected to the other inclined cam surface or outer side of the left cam body 74. engages the inclined cam surface 80;
The hook element 48 is then pivoted to the uncaptured position so that its lower arm 56 engages the inclined cam surface 80 of the left movable locking element 78 such that the head of the left movable locking element 78 is rotated as described above. It will be appreciated that the same is true for the right pallet carrier 24, with the lower arm 56 being locked between the pair of movable locking elements 78, 78. Dew.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a pair of plate cams 84, 84 are shown as the above-mentioned cam means, and these plate cams 84, 84 are connected to the left and right pallet conveyance tables 2.
2 and 24 at predetermined positions along their respective movement paths. Note that each of the pair of plate cams 84, 84 is held in such a predetermined position by a suitable support structure (not shown). Each of the pair of plate cams 84 , 84 is formed with a cam surface that engages with the pallet 38 itself, and this cam surface is connected to the pallet transport platform 22 , 24 .
a relatively long linear cam surface portion 86 extending along the direction of movement of the main cam surface portion 86; an inclined cam surface portion 88 that slopes forward from the main cam surface portion 86; and a relatively short linear cam surface portion 90 extending from the cam surface. As mentioned above, when the left pallet transport platform 22 is moved leftward from the pallet receiving/transfer position after being unlocked, the hook elements 4
8 lower arm portion 56 and the inner inclined cam surface 8 of the left cam body 74
0, the hook element 48 temporarily assumes the release position, and at this time the pallet 38 is pushed forward by the stop piece 62. However, the pallet 38 is then able to engage with the linear cam surface portion 90 of the left side plate cam 84 with its front side, so that the pallet 38
Even if it is released from 2, it will not be moved forward by a large width on the left pallet transport platform 22. Immediately after this, the pallet 38 engages the inclined cam surface portion 88 and is pushed back, with its engagement element 44 again engaging the stop piece 88.
2, which causes the hook element 48 to re-enter the capture position. The pallet 38 then engages the linear cam surface portion 86, and this engagement is maintained even when the left pallet carrier 22 reaches its standby position.

, it should be noted that when the pallet 38 is in engagement with the linear cam surface portion 86 , the pallet 38 remains in abutment with the stop piece 62 . In other words, the engagement element 44 of the pallet 38 is moved to the hook portion 60 by the pivoting movement of the hook element 48.
In order for the pallet 38 to be captured in the groove between the pawl and the front surface of the upper arm 58, a certain amount of play is required between the groove and the engagement element 44, for example about 5 mm. Although so-called backlash will occur during movement by the left pallet carrier, the engagement between the pallet 38 and the linear cam surface portion 86 causes the pallet 38 to reach its rear limit position due to its back and forth play. This means that play of the pallet 38 with respect to the left pallet carrier 38 is substantially eliminated. of course,
The same thing can be said about the relationship between the right pallet carrier 24 and the pallet 38.

FIGS. 8 and 9 also show catching means 92 and 94 for catching the left and right pallet conveyors 22 and 24, respectively, in their corresponding standby positions, and these catching means 9.
elastic biasing means 96 and 98 for eliminating lateral play that may occur when the left and right pallet carriers 22 and 24 are captured by 2 and 94, respectively;
is shown. Note that, in order to avoid complication of illustration, the various constituent elements described above are omitted in FIGS. 8 and 9.

As shown in FIG. 9, each of pallet carrier capture means 92 and 94 includes a hook element 100, to which has a configuration substantially similar to hook element 48 described above.

Each hook element 100 is attached to the base 14 at the standby position of each of the left and right pallet carriers 22 and 24.
It is pivotally attached to a mounting member 102 fixed above. Specifically, each mounting member 102 is composed of a pair of plate-shaped strut elements 104 , 104 (see FIG. 4), and the hook element 100 is composed of a pair of plate-shaped strut elements 104 , 104 .
104 and pivotally connected therebetween by a pivot pin 106. In addition, in FIG. 9, the hook element 100
In order to clearly illustrate such a pair of plate-like support elements 1
04 and 104 are shown with one of them removed. A connecting rod 108 extends between the pair of hook elements 100, 100, and both ends of the connecting rod 108 are pivotally connected to the lower arms of the respective hook elements 104, so that the pallet carrier capture means 92 and 94 are controlled as described below. It can be linked with 1R like that.

The left and right pallet carriers 22 and 24 are provided with engagement elements 110 and 112, respectively, and these engagement elements 110
and 112 are engaged with hook elements 100 of pallet carrier capture means 92 and 94, respectively, such that they can be captured by the hook portions thereof. Engagement element 110
and 112 are installed on the front side on the white board of each of the pallet carriers 22 and 24 as shown by broken lines in FIG. 112 will not interfere with the locking mechanism 46 described above. In addition, the fourth
As is clear from the figure, it goes without saying that the pallet carrier capture means 92 and 94 are also arranged on the front side of the base 14 in accordance with the arrangement of the engagement elements 110 and 122.

Each of the engaging elements 110 and 112 is slidably housed in a central bore of a cylindrical holder 114 disposed in the through hole of the corresponding base plate of the pallet transport platforms 22 and 24, and Resilient means, such as coil springs (not shown), are provided within the bore so that the engagement elements 110 and 112 are always biased in an upward position. In FIG. 9, the engagement element 112 of the right pallet carrier 24, shown in phantom lines, is shown in just such an upwardly biased position in the pallet receiving and transferring position. As best shown in FIG. 10, a cam roller 116 is attached to the top of the engagement elements 110, 112.
6 is an inclined cam surface 118 formed on the bottom surface of the pallet 38;
It is designed to engage with That is, pallet 38
is moved from the workpiece processing position onto the support rollers 39 of the pallet transport platforms 22, 24 at the pallet receiving/transfer position, the cam roller 116 is brought into engagement with the inclined cam surface 118 of the pallet 38, thereby causing the engagement element t
io, 112 will be moved downward to assume the lower position. In FIG. 9, the engagement elements 110 of the left pallet carrier 22 and the engagement elements 112 of the right pallet carrier 112 (shown in solid lines) are both shown in a lower position. In short, the engagement element ito,
112 is in the upwardly biased position described above, it is not captured by the hook element 100, but the engagement element 1
When 10° 112 is in the lower position mentioned above, it will be captured by the hook element 100.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the left pallet transport platform 22
It is assumed that the engaging element 110 of is captured by the hook element 100 of the pallet carrier capture means 92, and that the right pallet carrier 24 is placed in the pallet receiving and delivery position shown by the double-dashed line, and When the pallet 38 is completely placed on the right pallet carrier 24,
Assuming that the engagement element 110 is placed in the lower position described above, when the right pallet carrier 24 is moved towards its right standby position in one manner as described above, the engagement element 112 will displace the pallet. It will be engaged with the hook element 100 of the carrier capture means 94.

In addition, in FIG. 9, the engagement element 112 of the right pallet conveyance table 24 shown by a solid line is connected to the pallet conveyance table capture means 94.
It is in a state where it can be engaged with the general. Engagement element 11
2 abuts the hook element 100 of the pallet carrier capture means 94 with the upper arm, the hook element 100 is pivoted clockwise (in FIG. 9), thereby causing the engagement element 112 to engage with the hook element. 100, and the right pallet transport platform 24 is in a captured state at its standby position. Meanwhile, the connecting rod 108 is now moved to the left, causing the hook element 100 of the pallet carrier capture means 92 to pivot clockwise, so that the engagement element 110 of the left pallet carrier 22 is moved towards its hook. By being separated from the element 100, the left pallet carrier 22 is released from its captured state. At this point, the left pallet carrier 22 can be moved from its standby position toward the pallet receiving and delivering position.

When the left pallet carrier 22 is placed at the pallet receiving/delivery position, the pallet 38 is transferred to the workpiece processing table 12, and the workpieces placed there are subjected to predetermined processing.

When the processing of the workpiece is completed, the pallet 38 is again placed on the left pallet carrier 22, and the left pallet I/transfer carrier 22 is moved toward its standby position. When the left pallet carrier 22 reaches its standby position, it is brought into the captured state by the pallet carrier capture means 92, at which time the connecting rod 108 is moved to the right to now bring the right pallet carrier 24 into the captured state. will be lifted.

Resilient biasing means 96 and 98 are arranged on base 14 in the relationship shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the resilient biasing means 96 is secured to the base 14 by a post-like mounting member 120. As shown in FIG. Although the elastic biasing means 98 is not shown in FIG. 9 to avoid complicating the illustration, the elastic biasing means 98 is also elastically biased at a location corresponding to the position shown in FIG. The base 1 in a similar manner to the means 96
Fixed to 4. Elastic biasing means 96 and 98
have spring-loaded movable parts 122 and 124, respectively. Abutting pieces 126 and 128 are attached to the bottom surfaces of the base plates of the left and right pallet conveyors 22 and 24, respectively, and these abutting pieces 126 and 128 can abut against the movable parts 122 and 124, respectively. .

As in the case of the pallet capture means 48 described above, also in the case of the pallet carrier capture means 92 and 93 the engagement element 11
0 and 112 are captured by the corresponding hook elements 100 with play in the left and right direction, so that the pallet transport platform 22
, 24 are in a captured state in their standby position, the pallet carriers 22, 24 are in a so-called state. This will cause backlash. The elastic biasing means 96 and 98 therefore cooperate with the abutment pieces 126 and 128 to eliminate such lateral play. Specifically, when the engagement element 110 of the left pallet carrier 22 is captured by the hook element 100 of the pallet carrier capture means 92 as shown in FIG. Movable part 122 of
The left pallet conveying table 22 is pushed out to the right through the abutting piece 126, so that the left pallet conveying table 22 is moved in the direction toward the pallet receiving and delivery position due to the left-right play. It is regulated to the limit position, and the play in the left and right direction is eliminated. Of course, the same thing can be said about the right pallet transport platform 24 as well.

Further, the elastic biasing means 96 and 98 are connected to the pallet transport platform 2.
2 and 24 from the pallet receiving/delivery position and reach the corresponding standby position, the pallet transport platform 22
, 24 and also functions as a stop and damper that absorbs the collision energy.

As described above, the present invention also provides a pallet transport platform configured to move along a pair of parallel guide paths to transport a workpiece setting pallet, the platform being adapted to move along a pair of parallel guide paths, wherein each of the pair of parallel guide paths It is also directed to a pallet conveying platform used when the pallet is discontinuous at arbitrary locations and at different locations.

Such a pallet conveying platform is similar to the pallet conveying platform 2 described above.
This is obtained by providing guide support means 30 at the four corners of 2 and 24. According to such a configuration, even if the pair of parallel guide paths are discontinuous at arbitrary points and different points from each other, movement of the pallet transport platform along the pair of parallel guide paths is guaranteed. will be done.

〔effect〕

As is clear from the above description, in the shuttle-type pallet changing device according to the present invention, the operator guides the workpiece setting pallet when taking it from the workpiece processing table of the machine tool or transferring it there. Since the workpiece processing table can be accessed by penetrating into the road laying area, the operator can easily operate the pallet clamping device of the machine tool in a natural position. Therefore, the work efficiency of the worker and the safety of the worker are improved.

Furthermore, by using the pallet transport platform according to the present invention, it is possible to make each of the pair of parallel guide paths discontinuous at arbitrary points and different points from each other. Since it is possible to form a cross passage for workers, etc., a wide range of flexibility can be obtained regarding the conditions for laying parallel guideways within the factory premises.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the shuttle-type pallet exchange device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view of the shuttle-type pallet exchange device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a shuttle-type pallet exchange device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view of the exchanging device; FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of FIG.
5 is a front view of FIG. 3, showing the arrangement relationship between the pallet capturing means and the locking mechanism, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the pallet capturing means and locking mechanism shown in FIG. 5 in detail. 7 is a front view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a plan view corresponding to the plan view of the shuttle-type pallet changing device shown in FIG. a cam, an engagement element adapted to engage the pallet carrier capture means, a resilient biasing means for eliminating play in the pallet carrier, and an abutment adapted to engage the resilient biasing means; FIG. 9 is a front view of FIG. 8, showing the arrangement of the pallet carrier capture means and the engagement element that engages with the pallet carrier capture means. A diagram showing the relationship, and FIG. 10 is a partial cross-section showing the state of engagement between the top of the engaging element that comes to engage with the pallet conveyance platform capture means shown in FIG. 9 and the inclined cam surface on the bottom of the pallet. It is an enlarged side view. 10... Shuttle type pallet exchange device, 12... Workpiece processing table of machine tool, 14... Base, 16
, 18 , 20... guide rail, 22 , 24...
- Pallet transport platform, 26, 28... cut portion, 30, 32... guide support means, 42... pallet capture means, 46...
・Lock mechanism, 48... Hook element, 78... Lock element, 84... Plate cam, 92, 94... Pallet conveyance platform capturing means, 98,
98...elastic biasing means, iio, itz...engaging element, 126, 12
8... Collision piece.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A single guide path laid across the front of the workpiece processing table of a machine tool, and a single guideway laid parallel to this guideway and on the side facing away from the front of the workpiece processing table. a pair of left and right guideways arranged at an appropriate interval at a location facing the front of the workpiece processing table for a worker to approach the workpiece processing table; and guided movement between the left side standby position and the pallet receiving/delivery position facing the front of the workpiece processing table by the single guideway and the left side guideway of the pair of left and right guideways. By the left pallet transport platform, the single guide path and the right guide path of the pair of left and right guide paths,
A right pallet conveyance table is provided which is guided and moved between a right side standby position and a pallet receiving/delivery position facing the front of the workpiece processing table, and both of the pallet conveyance tables are provided with a pallet receiving/delivery position which is located opposite to the pallet receiving/delivery position. A shuttle-type pallet changing device characterized in that a notch is formed for a worker to access a workpiece processing table. 2. In the shuttle-type pallet exchange device according to claim 1, each of the pallet conveyance tables is located at two locations relative to the single guide path, and at two locations among the pair of left and right guide paths. It includes guide support means disposed at each guide support point so that the corresponding object is guided and supported at one point, and these guide support means cooperate with each other to guide and support the corresponding object on the pallet transport platform. A shuttle-type pallet changing device, characterized in that it is engaged with each respective guideway to restrain movement in the horizontal and vertical directions. 3. A pallet transport platform configured to move along a pair of parallel guide paths in order to transport a workpiece installation pallet, wherein each of the pair of parallel guide paths can be moved at an arbitrary location and at a different location from each other. In the case where the pallet conveyance table is continuous, the pallet conveyance table is always supported at two points on one of the pair of parallel guide paths and at one place on the other one of the pair of parallel guide paths. characterized in that it comprises at least four guide support means, each guide support means being engaged with a respective respective guideway for restraining the pallet carrier against horizontal and vertical movement; Pallet transport platform.