JPS63208432A - Method for transferring parts supply pallet and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fully automate a production line and eliminate an operator's fatigue by providing a pallet stationary means for holding pallets reciprocally carried horizontally on a horizontal transfer means. CONSTITUTION:When pallets 5 are lifted by the predetermined quantity via an elevation means 10 and the uppermost pallet 5 has reached the position of a horizontal transfer means 30, the pallet 5 is transferred to the predetermined position forward. Upon completion of the aforesaid process, the pallet 5 is returned to the elevation passage position of the elevation means 10 and subsequently pushed further upward to be retained with a pallet stationary means 50 located at an upper level. On the other hand, when the next pallets 5 have reached the position of the horizontal transfer means 30, an empty pallet departs from the pallets 5 and is again transferred to the predetermined horizontal position, when the further next pallets 5 have reached the position of the horizontal transfer means 30. Upon completion of the aforesaid process, the pallets 5 again move upward and are held with the pallet stationary means 50, after taking in the previous empty pallet 5. The foregoing processes are repeated thereafter.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention can be used in a product assembly work line,
In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically supplying parts to predetermined positions and collecting empty pallets by simply stacking and transporting a predetermined number of pallets each containing a predetermined amount of parts for assembling a product.

[Conventional technology]

In such automated assembly lines, the pallets that have been commonly used in the past to store a predetermined amount of parts are used, and whenever a part on the pallet runs out, a worker collects the empty pallet and stores the parts. At present, other pallets containing the products are brought in one by one and replaced, and the parts that make up the products are supplied.

[The problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in such an automated line, a worker must constantly monitor whether there are any parts left on the pallet and replace it with a pallet containing parts whenever a part runs out. The problem is worker fatigue. In addition, if a completely unmanned and automated line for such parts assembly work is required, it has not yet been realized because it is impossible to completely supply parts and virtually eliminate the need for workers. There are some problems such as:

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention solves these problems, and at the same time, the present invention is designed to operate in conjunction with other machines, such as transfer equipment or industrial robots, that supply parts stored above onto the pallet 1 in the parts assembly line. The first purpose of this invention was to enable accurate and efficient parts feeding operations, and the second purpose was to make it relatively small and easy to use in automated lines. .

In order to achieve this first objective, a plurality of stacked pallets 5 are held, and the pallets 5 are raised by a predetermined amount via the elevating means 10, and the uppermost pallet is
When the pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transfer means 30, the uppermost pallet 5 is transferred to a predetermined position in front by the horizontal transfer means 30, and when the predetermined work at this position is completed, this pallet 5 is transferred to the elevating means 10. Then, the lifting means 10 pushes the pallet 5 further upward, and the pallet holding means 50 disposed at the upper part holds the pallet 5, while the next pallet 5 moves to the position of the horizontal transport means 30. When the empty pallet 5 is moved away from this pallet 5, and when the next pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transfer means 30, it is transferred again to a predetermined horizontal position and the predetermined work is completed. rises again and places the previous empty pallet 5 on it and holds it with the pallet holding means 50. After repeating this operation for the number of pallets 5, all the empty pallets 5 are lowered at the same time by the lifting means 10. This is a method of transferring parts supply pallets that can be easily taken out by using the parts supply pallet, thereby achieving efficient work.

In addition, in order to achieve the second objective, lifting means 10 for supporting the pallets 1 to 5 so as to be movable up and down are arranged at mutually symmetrical positions with the pallet 5 in between, and the lifting means 10 is perpendicular to the hoisting road surface of the lifting means 10. This elevating means 10 is placed on a horizontal plane extending in a direction.
A horizontal transfer means 30 is provided which separates a predetermined number of pallets 5 supported by the upper stage from the upper stage and transfers them in the horizontal direction, and further above the horizontal transfer means 30, there is provided a pallet which holds the pallets 5 that have been horizontally reciprocated thereby. This is a parts supply pallet transfer device equipped with a stopping means 50, and a device with reliable operation can be obtained.

[For production]

A predetermined number of stacked pallets 5 are supported by the lifting means 10 and raised, and the uppermost pallet 5 is moved up to the horizontal transfer means 3.
When the zero position is reached, it is latched to this horizontal transfer means 30 and separated from the next pallet 5. Thereafter, the horizontal transfer means 30 operates, and the pallet 5 is transferred to a predetermined position in front. When all the parts in the pallets 1 to 5 transferred in this manner are taken out, the pallet 5 becomes empty. Thereafter, the horizontal transfer means 30 is operated to return this pallet 5 to its original position in the hoistway. And again, the elevating means 10
The empty pallet 5 is then placed on the next pallet 5, which further rises, and is held by the pallet holding means 50 above. Along with this, this elevating means 10
is slightly lowered and separated from the next pallet 5.

Further, since the next pallet 5 is locked by the horizontal transfer means 30, it is separated from the pallets 5 below it, and this pallet 5 is again transferred to a predetermined position in front, and the above operation is repeated.

In this way, this operation is repeated for the number of pallets 5, and when the parts are taken out from the last pallet 5 and this pallet 5 is returned to the hoistway, the lifting means 10 is raised. The operation begins and receives a plurality of empty pallets 5 which are already held stacked on top. At this time, the pallet stopping means 50 and the horizontal transporting means 30
Since both are released, these empty pallets 5 are lowered simultaneously by the lowering of the elevating means 10, and these pallets 5 can be taken out.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. 1st
In the figures and FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 indicates a support column, and the support columns 1 are arranged upright at four corners to form a machine frame 2. Inside this machine frame 2, two parallel first guide rods 11 are provided on opposing sides, respectively, and the lower ends of these guide rods 11 are fixed to the lower frame 3 that connects the column 1. . On the other hand, the upper end of this guide rod 11 is fixed to an upper frame 4 fixed above the middle of this support 1, and a screw shaft 12 parallel to the kite rods 11 and 11 rotates between them. freely supported. One of the screw shafts 12 arranged on both sides extends upward,
It is configured to be rotated by a motor 70 fixed to the upper part of the machine frame 2. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a transmission belt 71 for transmitting the rotation of one screw shaft 12 to the other screw shaft 12 is interposed in the upper part of the screw shaft 12. 12 and 12 are configured to rotate at the same speed and in the same direction.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of these screw shafts 12 is attached with an elevating block 13 that constitutes an elevating means 10 that can be moved up and down as one unit by rotation of these screw shafts. The blocks 13 are guided by the first guide rods 11, respectively. At the same horizontal position on the opposing surfaces of the mutually opposing lifting blocks 13, the tips of the hanging blocks 13 protrude inwardly and engage with the locking edge 6 of the pallet 5.
4 are fixed to both ends of a first claw shaft 15 which is rotatably supported by the lifting block 13, and the hook 14 is always elastically biased so that its tip protrudes inward. In addition, the pillar 1
As shown in FIG. 8, a first claw cylinder 16 is fixed thereto for rotating the hook 14 for a predetermined period so as not to lock the pallet 5. Moreover, the lifting block 13 of the lifting means 10 is configured to lift the pallets 5 placed in four stages one by one from the upper pallet 5 to a predetermined horizontal transfer position for each work cycle. A plurality of sensor means are attached to the column 1 along the hoistway as shown in FIG. This sensor means uses a dog 17 fixed to the lifting block 13 to determine the lifting position of the pallet 5, and the first sensor 21 detects the bottom dead center of the lifting block 13. The second, third, fourth and fifth sensors 22, 23, 24, 25 respectively detect the lifting stop position of the lifting block 13, and the sixth and seventh sensors 26, 27 detect the lifting stop position of the lifting block 13. The respective descending stop positions are detected.

Further, in the middle of the machine frame 2, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pair of left and right guide arms 31 extend vertically to the elevator road surface of the elevator block 13, that is, in the front horizontal direction. Two second guide rods 32 are arranged in parallel to each of the pair of guide arms 31 horizontally from inside the machine frame 2. The second guide bar 32 is located inside the first guide bar 11 and the screw shaft 12 and intersects with the pallet 5.
A pair of left and right horizontal transfer blocks 34 in which two transfer claws 33 are arranged at an interval shorter than the length of the horizontal transfer blocks 34 are attached so as to be able to move integrally in parallel along this second guide bar 32. This transfer claw 33 is fixed to both ends of a second claw shaft 35 that is rotatably supported by a horizontal transfer block 34 constituting the horizontal transfer means 30, and is elastically biased so that its tip always protrudes inward. has been done.

As shown in FIG. 9, the horizontal transfer block 34 is brought to this position by the second claw cylinders 36 attached to the supporting columns 1 on both sides of the pallet 5, and the pallet 5 is moved into the hoistway. Transfer claw 3 only when descending
3 is made to stand up. One end of a transfer chain 38 that meshes with a first sprocket 37 attached to the front part of the guide arm 31 is fixed to the front surface of the horizontal transfer block 34, and this sprocket 37 is always elastically biased forward. ing. This transfer scene 38
The other end engages and circulates from the first sprocket 37 to a second sprocket 39 fixed to a rotating shaft 40 rotatably supported within the machine frame 2, and is fixed to the rear shaft of the horizontal transfer block 34. has been done. A driven sprocket 41 is fixed to the rotating shaft 40, and a transmission chain 43 is wound around the driven sprocket 41 to mesh with a driving sprocket 42 rotatably supported by the support 1. As shown in FIG. 1, this driving sprocket 42 has a pinion (not shown) fixed to it that meshes with a rack 45 that is moved up and down by a transfer cylinder 44 fixed to the lower column 1.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, above the horizontal transfer means 30 there is a stop that constitutes a pallet holding means 50 for stacking and holding a plurality of empty pallets 5 that have been reciprocated by the horizontal transfer means 30. Blocks 51 are fixed to the first guide rods 11 of the elevating means 10, respectively. These stop blocks 51 are arranged on the same horizontal plane facing each other. This stop block 51 has a third claw shaft 5.
A stationary wind 53 is rotatably supported at both ends via 2, and is elastically biased so that its tip always protrudes inward. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, on the upper part of this stop block 51, there is a third claw cylinder 54 which rotates the third claw shaft 52 so as to release the inward protrusion of the third claw shaft 52 only when the pallet 5 is lowered. is fixed.

Furthermore, the positions of the tips of the hanging river 14, the transfer claw 33, and the stationary air 53 that are elastically biased and protrude inward from each other are all approximately the same, and in this state, the pallet 5 is supported by the locking edge 6. Therefore, they do not come into contact with each other during elevation and horizontal transfer. Roughly speaking, 60 is the lifting means 1 when the last pallet 5 is horizontally transferred by the horizontal transfer means 30.
A fourth claw cylinder is used to release the hook 14 so that the hook 14 of 0 does not come into contact with the frame of the pallet 5.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, with the lifting block 13 of the lifting means 10 lowered in advance, pallets 5 each containing a predetermined amount of parts (not shown) are stacked one on top of the other, and the pallets 5 are stacked at the Kakegawa 14. When a signal to start work is input after holding , the lifting/lowering block 13 starts to rise as a unit. This lifting block 13 is at the initial predetermined position, that is, as shown in FIG. 11(a).
When the position of the second sensor 22 is reached, it stops rising, as shown in FIG. At this time, the locking edge 6 of the uppermost pallet 5 is located slightly above the transfer claw 33, so
Immediately it descends from this state, and as shown in FIG. 11(b), the elevation block 13 is detected by the sixth sensor 26 and stops descending. At this time, the pallet 5 is supported by the transfer claw 33 and a gap is formed between it and the next pallet 5.

Then, since the pallet 5 is completely separated, the transfer cylinder 44 shown in FIG. 1 is operated, and the horizontal transfer blocks 34 on both sides are simultaneously moved to a predetermined position forward along the second guide rod 32. As a result, the pallet 5 moves forward, and when the pallet 5 stops at a predetermined position, all the parts stored in the pallet 5 are removed by a separate transfer device (not shown) or by an operator. Once removed and emptied, this pallet 5 is retracted into said hoistway by the commuting of the transfer cylinder 44.

When the empty pallet 5 is retreated to a predetermined position in this manner, a signal is further input to the lowering means 10, and the lifting block 13 starts to rise. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11(c), the third sensor 23 is activated and the rental block 10 stops.

At this time of rising, the empty pallets 5 rise together, and the empty pallets 5 are held by the staying air 53 of the upper pallet holding means 5 (). on the other hand,
Since the next pallets 1 to 5 of the empty pallet 50 descend a little from this position, they are separated from each other, and as shown in FIG. Similarly, it is separated from the pallet 5 below this, and a signal is output from the sixth sensor 26.

Then, this pallet 5 is transferred forward again and the operation is repeated, and the pallet transfer operation is performed for the number of pallets 5. During this work, Figures 11 (E) to 11 (
As shown in h), the fourth sensor 24 and the fifth sensor 25 detect the rise of the third and fourth sensors, respectively, and the sixth sensor
The 6th and 7th sensors 27 respectively detect the descending position relative to the above-mentioned ascending operation. In this way, the last palette 5
When the pallet 5 is transferred, the hook 14 is rotated by the fourth claw cylinder 60, so that it is transferred back and forth without coming into contact with the pallet 5. When the pallets are empty and return to the hoistway, the lifting block 13 holds the pallets 5 with the hooks 14 and lifts all the empty pallets 5, as shown in FIG. It is placed and raised until it is detected by the fifth sensor 25. Thereafter, the transfer claws 33 and the retained air 53 are acted upon by the second claw cylinder 36 and the third claw cylinder 54, so that these claws 33 and 53 are released from the locking edge 6 of the empty pallet 5. Meanwhile, at the same time, the lowering operation is started, and the pallet 5
is held by the lifting block 13 and lowered to the position of the first sensor 21, as shown in FIG. After this,
The first pawl cylinder 16 is actuated, and the hook 14 is rotated.

Therefore, it is possible to take out the empty pallet 5.
When the parts are discharged, the above operation is repeated by carrying the stacked pallet 5 containing a predetermined amount of parts into the machine frame 2.

In this embodiment, the number of pallets 5 is four, but
The present invention is not limited to this, and two, three, or five pallets may be stacked. If pallets 1 to 5 are stacked in multiple stages, the position of the sensor means and the position of the pallet holding means 50 It is possible to deal with this problem simply by adjusting the following.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the embodiments described above, the present invention holds a plurality of stacked pallets 5, raises the pallets 5 by a predetermined amount via the lifting means 10, and lifts the uppermost pallet 5 to the horizontal transport means. 30, the uppermost pallet 5 is transferred to a predetermined position in front by the horizontal transfer means 30, and when the predetermined work at this position is completed, this pallet 5 is transferred to the hoistway of the lifting means 10. position, and then the lifting means 10 is pushed up roughly to hold the pallet 5 by the pallet holding means 50 disposed at the upper part, while the next pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transport means 30. When the empty pallet 5 leaves this pallet 5, and when the next pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transfer means 30, it is transferred again to the horizontal predetermined position and the predetermined work is completed, this pallet 5 is moved again. It ascends, places the previous empty pallet 5 on it, and holds it with the pallet holding means 50, and after repeating this operation for the number of pallets 5, all the empty pallets 5 are lowered and taken out at the same time by the lifting means 10. This is the part supply pallet transfer work that made this possible.

For this reason, in automated lines, for which demand has been increasing recently, there is no need for workers to constantly monitor whether or not there are parts left on the pallet, making full automation possible and eliminating worker fatigue. In addition, if a completely unmanned and automated line is required for such parts assembly work, the supply work of these parts can be completely done, making it possible to virtually eliminate the need for workers, and completely eliminating the need for workers. It becomes possible to realize unmanned operation and achieve lean work.

Further, elevating means 10 for supporting the pallet 5 so as to be movable up and down are arranged at mutually symmetrical positions with the pallet 5 in between,
A horizontal transfer means 30 for separating a predetermined number of pallets 5 supported by the elevating means 10 from the upper stage and transferring them horizontally is provided on a horizontal plane extending in a direction perpendicular to the hoistway surface of the elevating means 10. Further above 30,
Since this is a component supply pallet transfer device equipped with a pallet holding means 50 for holding the pallet 5 that has been horizontally reciprocated, the same effects as described above can be obtained and accurate operation timing can be obtained. Furthermore, since a plurality of stacked pallets can be placed on a trolley and transported as is into the machine frame, there is no need for the operator to move the pallets each time, making it easy to use. In addition, since this device is relatively small and lightweight, it has unique advantages such as being easily moved and installed in accordance with the location of the work station on the conveyor line.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional front view of the main part showing the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the main part of the invention, FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the main part of FIG. 1,
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main part of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the main part showing the driving part of the lifting means, FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a sensor used in the present invention. A front view showing the arrangement of the means, FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing the operating state of the hook, FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing the operating state of the transfer claw, and FIG. 10 is the action of the retaining claw. An enlarged sectional view of the main part showing the condition, Fig. 11 (A)
-(NU) are explanatory diagrams showing the transfer operation of four pallets. 1 is a column, 2 is a machine frame, 3 is a lower frame, 4 is an upper frame, 5 is a pallet, 6 is a locking edge, 10 is a lifting means, 11' is a first guide rod, 12
13 is a lifting block, 14 is a hook, 15 is a first claw shaft, 16 is a first claw cylinder, 17 is a dog, 21 is a first sensor v1, 22 is a second sensor, 23 is a third sensor, 24 is the fourth sensor, 2
5 is the fifth sensor, 26 is the sixth sensor, 27 is the seventh sensor
30 is a horizontal transfer means, 31 is a guide arm, 32 is a second guide bar, 33 is a transfer claw, 34 is a horizontal transfer 10
35 is the second claw shaft, 36 is the second claw cylinder, 37
38 is a first sprocket, 38 is a transfer chain, 39 is a second sprocket, 40 is a rotating shaft, 41 is a driven sprocket, 42 is a driving sprocket, 43 is a transmission chain, 44 is a transfer cylinder, 45 is a rack, 5
0 is a pallet retaining means, 51 is a retaining block, 52 is a third claw shaft, 53 is a retaining claw, 54 is a third claw cylinder, 60 is a fourth claw cylinder, 70 is a motor, 71 is a belt, the patent applicant
Nitto Sei T Co., Ltd. C-1. Hehehe Go Example I' (Example

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A plurality of stacked pallets 5 are held and the pallets 5 are raised by a predetermined amount via the lifting means 10, and when the uppermost pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transport means 30. , this pallet 5 is transferred to a predetermined position in front by the horizontal transfer means 30, and when the work at this position is completed, the pallet 5 is returned to the hoistway position of the lifting means 10, and then the pallet 5 is moved further upward by the lifting means 10. the pallet 5 is held by the pallet holding means 50 disposed at the upper part, and when the next pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transfer means 30, the empty pallet 5 is separated from this pallet 5; When the next pallet 5 reaches the position of the horizontal transfer means 30, it is again transferred to a predetermined horizontal position and the predetermined work is completed, then this pallet 5 rises again and places the previous empty pallet 5 thereon. This method of transferring a parts supply pallet includes holding the pallets by a pallet holding means 50, repeating this operation for the number of pallets 5, and then lowering all the empty pallets 5 at once by a lifting means 10 so that they can be taken out. 2) Lifting means 10 for supporting the pallet 5 so as to be movable up and down are arranged in symmetrical positions with the pallet 5 in between, and the lifting means 10 is supported on a horizontal plane extending in a direction perpendicular to the hoistway surface of the lifting means 10. A horizontal transfer means 30 is provided which separates a predetermined number of pallets 5 from the upper stage and transfers them horizontally, and further above the horizontal transfer means 30,
A parts supply pallet transfer device characterized in that a pallet holding means 50 for holding the pallet 5 horizontally reciprocated by the horizontal transfer means 30 is attached.