JP2707454B2 - Power supply mechanism in assembly line - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a power supply mechanism in an assembly line.

<Prior Art and its Defects> For example, in a copier assembly line, a plurality of trolleys are moved from an assembly start area to a product unloading area through a plurality of assembly areas and adjustment areas along an endless movement path. . In the assembly start area, a plurality of frame bodies (frame bodies on which various components are not mounted) are placed on a cart. Various components are mounted on the frame while the carriage is transported through the assembly area, and adjustment of the various components assembled is performed while the carriage is transported through the adjustment area. (For example, a copying machine on a trolley (mostly assembled and nearly completed) is supplied with current to actually perform copying, and based on the obtained copy, various functions are confirmed (for example, resolution). Confirmation), etc.). When the product is moved to the product carrying-out area in this way, substantially all the components are assembled to the frame body on the trolley, and various adjustments thereof are completed, thereby completing the copying machine as a product. In the product unloading area, a copying machine as a product is unloaded from the assembly line and packed in a packaging box as required.

In this type of assembly line, a power supply mechanism is generally provided because it is necessary to supply current to the copying machine in the adjustment area. Conventionally, the power supply mechanism has various forms (for example, an electric outlet is provided in each adjustment area, and an electric cord of a copying machine is connected to the outlet, or a power supply arranged along an assembly line). A current collector cord is movably connected to a rail, and a power cord of a copying machine is connected to the current collector cord). However, these are not sufficiently satisfactory. Realization of an excellent power supply mechanism has been desired.

<Object of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned facts, and a main object of the present invention is to solve the conventional drawbacks and to reliably supply a current to a truck moved along an assembly line as desired. And to provide a new and excellent power supply mechanism.

<Summary of the Invention> According to the present invention, there are provided power supply means arranged along an assembly line and current collection means provided on a truck moved along the assembly line. Including a cover member extending along the line, and a power supply rail attached to the cover member,
The cover member includes an upper cover that covers above the power supply rail, and a support member that defines a support surface having a predetermined height.The power supply rail is provided with an insulating member and an insulating member spaced apart in the vertical direction. A plurality of terminal rails mounted, the current collecting means comprising: a first arm connected to the carriage;
A second arm movably mounted on the first arm between an operation position extending toward the power supply rail and a storage position extending along one side of the carriage; A plurality of sets of current collecting arms that are vertically mounted at the tip and are movably mounted in a direction to approach and separate from the power supply rail, and a current collecting terminal mounted to each set of the current collecting arms. Biasing means for biasing the current collecting arm in a direction in which each of the current collecting terminals approaches the power supply rail, wherein each of the current collecting terminals includes a terminal support portion made of an insulating material, and the terminal support portion. And a terminal portion attached to the tip of the second arm and electrically connected to the corresponding terminal rail, and attached to the corresponding set of current collecting arms via the terminal support portion, and the tip of the second arm. The part further includes a roller supported on the support surface of the support member. The gap between the upper cover and the upper end of the insulating member of the power supply rail is defined to be smaller than the vertical width of the terminal supporting portion of the uppermost current collecting terminal. And a power supply mechanism characterized by the following.

<Specific Example> Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1 which shows a part of an assembly line of a copying machine, the illustrated assembly line is a guide means 2 which extends endlessly (extends linearly in the left-right direction at the portion shown in FIG. 1).
It has. The guide means 2 includes an inner guide member 4 and an outer guide member 6 arranged at a predetermined interval, and defines a guide groove 8 between the inner guide member 4 and the outer guide member 6. A drive chain 12 for driving the carriage 10 is provided in the guide groove 8.
Are arranged. The drive chain 12 extends endlessly and is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 14 by a drive source such as an electric motor (not shown). The guide means 2 is installed at a height of, for example, about 15 to 30 cm from the floor of the factory.

The trolley 10 is moved along the assembly line on the lower side of the guide means 2 in FIG. 1, that is, on the transport path of the trolley, as shown in FIG. The cart 10 shown is a cart body 16 and a cart body 16
Mounting table rotatably mounted about an axis extending in a vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1)
An operation unit 20 is provided on the right side of the bogie main body 16 in FIG. The bogie main body 16 has a rectangular shape, and casters 24 having rotatable rollers 22 are mounted at four corners thereof. The four casters 24 are swivel casters that can be turned in any direction. A pair of arms 26 and 28 are arranged at an inner end (upper side end in FIG. 1 close to the guide means 2) of the bogie main body 16 at an interval in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). ing. arm
The pins 26 and 28 extend upward in FIG. 1 toward the guide means 2, and the pin 30 implanted at the tip of one arm 26 is releasably received in the guide groove 8 and releasable in the drive chain 12. The pin 32 implanted at the tip of the other arm 28 is releasably received in the guide groove 8. As described above, the bogie main body 16 has the pins 30 and 32.
Is moved in the direction shown by the arrow 34 along the guide means 2 by the drive chain 12 which moves in the direction shown by the arrow 14 by being guided by the guide groove 8. The mounting table 18 has a rectangular shape, and is mounted at a substantially central portion of the bogie main body 16. A frame body (not shown) of the copying machine is mounted on the upper surface of the mounting table 18. In addition, the operation unit 20 is provided with a switch 36 for both frequency switching, a voltage switching switch 38, and an electric outlet 40. The switch 36 supplies and stops the supply of electric current to the electric outlet 40 and the electric outlet 39 provided on the mounting table 18 (in a specific example,
Two outlets 39 are provided, one of which is supplied with 200V system current and the other of which is supplied with 100V system current). When the current supply is stopped and the first operation position is set, a current of 60 Hz is supplied, and when the second operation position is set, 50 Hz is supplied.
Supply current. The voltage changeover switch 38 is for switching the voltage supplied to the electric outlet 39,
In a specific example, any one of six types of 100V, 110, 120V, 200V, 220V, and 240V can be selected (note that 100V, 110V
And a current of 120 V is supplied to the one outlet 39,
The currents of 200 V, 220 V and 240 V are supplied to the other outlet 39).

The assembly line is further provided with the following power supply mechanism. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 together with FIG. 1,
The illustrated power supply mechanism includes a power supply means 42 disposed along the assembly line and a power collection means 44 provided on the carriage 10 moved along the assembly line (when a plurality of carriages 10 are used, each carriage 10 Provided). Power supply means 42
In the left-right direction in FIG.
A power supply rail 46 is provided which extends in the vertical direction in the figure and in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. Feeding rail 46
Has an elongated support rail 48, and a longitudinally extending recess 50 is formed on the right side of the support rail 48 in FIG. In the concave portion 50 of the support rail 48, an insulating member 52 that can be formed from, for example, a synthetic resin is provided.
In FIG. 3, four grooves 54a, 54b, 54c and 54d are formed on the right side of the insulating member 52 at intervals in the vertical direction, and at the bottom of each of these grooves 54a, 54b, 54c and 54d. Terminal rails 56a, 56b, 56c and 56d are provided. These terminal rails 56a, 56b, 56c and 56d are exposed on the right side in FIG. 3 of the power supply rail 46, and extend linearly in the longitudinal direction thereof. The power supply rail 46 can be installed slightly above the guide means 2 (for example, at a height of about 20 to 50 cm from the floor).

The power supply rail 46 is covered by a cover member 58. The illustrated cover member 58 has a U-shaped cross section, and includes a cover main body 60, an upper cover 62, and a lower cover 64. The cover main body 60 is disposed on the left side of the power supply rail 46 in FIG. 3, and the support rail 48 is mounted on the inner surface of the cover main body 60 with bolts and nuts. The upper cover 62 is disposed somewhat above the power supply rail 46, and extends substantially horizontally to the right in FIG. 3 from the upper end of the cover body 60. The lower cover 64 is disposed below the power supply rail 46, and extends substantially horizontally to the right in FIG. 3 from the lower end of the cover body 60. The lower cover 64 also functions as a support member, as described later. The cover member 58 has a third shape.
As shown in the figure, the terminal rails 56a, 56b, 56c and 56d cover the upper, left and lower sides of the power supply rail 46, and are exposed to the outside through the open right surface of the cover member 58. In the specific example, the terminal rails 56a and 56b provided in the grooves 54a and 54b have a frequency of 60 Hz, and a current of 200 V is supplied from the terminal rails 56a and 56b.
The terminal rails 56c and 56d disposed on 54c and 54d are for a frequency of 50 Hz, and a current of a voltage of 200 V is supplied from the terminal rails 56c and 56d.

The current collecting means 44 provided on the cart 10 has a main arm 66. The main arm 66 includes a first arm 68 connected to an upper portion (specifically, a portion between the pair of arms 26 and 28) of the bogie main body 16 in FIG. It comprises a second arm 76 (see FIG. 2) that is pivotally connected in the front-rear direction indicated by arrows 72 and 74 via a vertically extending pivot axis. In a specific example, a support plate piece 78 protruding toward the base of the second arm 76 is fixed to the lower surface of the distal end portion of the first arm 68, and three through holes 79 are formed in the support plate piece 78. Have been. One of the through holes 79 is for connection, the other one is for locking the operation position, and the other one is for locking the storage position. On both sides of the distal end of the first arm 68,
A connecting piece 80 projecting to both sides is fixed, and a hole is formed at the left end of the connecting piece 80 in FIG. Furthermore,
Connecting pieces protruding on both sides on both sides of the base of the second arm 76
The connecting piece 81 is fixed, and a hole is also formed at the right end of the connecting piece 81 in FIG. The pin 70 is mounted through a hole of one connecting piece 80 of the first arm 68, a hole of one connecting piece 81 of the second arm 76, and a connecting through hole 79 of the support plate piece 78. With this configuration, the second arm 76
Is pivoted forward as indicated by arrow 74 to the operating position indicated by the solid line in FIG.
The hole 80, the hole of the other connecting piece 81 of the second arm 76, and the operating position of the supporting plate piece 78 are aligned vertically, and the locking pin 82 is removably mounted through these holes. By doing so, the second arm 76 is releasably locked in the above operation position. In such an operative position, the second arm 76 extends substantially horizontally toward the power supply rail 46. On the other hand, when the second arm 76 is moved to the storage position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 behind the arrow 72, the hole of the other connecting piece 81 of the second arm 76 and the storage The position locking through-holes 79 are aligned vertically, and the second arm 76 is thus accommodated by removably mounting the locking pin 82 (using a locking pin that locks in the operating position) through these holes. Locked to release position. In this storage position, the second arm 76 extends rearward along one side of the bogie body 16.

At the distal end of the main arm 66, that is, at the distal end of the second arm 76, a plurality of sets (four sets in the specific example, four sets are shown in FIG. 2 and only one set is shown in FIG. 2) are arranged. Has been established. The plural sets of current collecting arms 84 and 86 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction corresponding to the terminal rails 56a, 56b, 56c and 56d on the power supply rail 46, and the current collecting arms 84 and 86 of each set are provided.
One end of 86 is attached to an arm mounting member 88 fixed to the upper surface of the distal end of the second arm 76 so as to be pivotable in a direction approaching and separating from the power supply rail 46 via a pin. A current collecting terminal 90 is rotatably attached to the other ends of the current collecting arms 84 and 86 via pins. The current collecting terminal 90 has a terminal supporting portion 91 formed of an insulating material and a terminal portion 92 attached to the terminal supporting portion 91. The terminal supporting portion 91 is connected to current collecting arms 84 and 86. In the specific example, as shown in FIG. 2, the current collecting arms 84 and 86 and the terminal support portion 91 constitute a parallel link mechanism, and therefore, the terminal portion 92 is arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the power supply rail 46. Moved toward and away from 46. In the specific example, a coil spring 94 (FIG. 2) constituting biasing means is interposed between a pin connecting the other end of the current collecting arm 84 and a pin connecting one end of the current collecting arm 86. I have. The coil spring 94 is a collecting arm 84
And 86 are displaced clockwise in FIG. 2, so that terminal portion 92 has a corresponding terminal rail 56a (56b, 56c or 56c).
It is elastically pressed substantially vertically to d).

A roller 96 is further provided at the distal end of the second arm 76 (FIG. 3). In a specific example, a hanging piece 98 is provided at the tip of the second arm 76, and a roller 96 is rotatably mounted on the hanging piece 98 via a short axis 100. This roller 96
The upper surface of the lower cover 64, which also functions as a support member when the second arm 76 is in the operating position, as shown in FIG.
That is, it contacts the support surface and moves while being supported by the support surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower cover 64 has, on the right side thereof in FIG.
Is provided. The inclined portion 64a functions to guide the roller 96 to the upper surface (that is, the support surface) of the horizontal portion of the lower cover 64.

Next, the operation and effect of the power supply mechanism having the above-described configuration will be described. Referring mainly to FIG. 3, the truck 10 removed from the assembly line is connected to the line to collect the current collecting means 44 and the power supplying means 42.
Can be electrically connected by performing the following operation.

First, the carriage 10 is moved in a direction approaching the power supply rail 46, that is, upward in FIG. In order to facilitate such positioning, it is preferable to provide a positioning piece (not shown) in the bogie main body 16 which comes into contact with a part of the guide means 2 when it is moved to the predetermined positional relationship.

Next, the carriage 2 is drivingly connected to the drive chain 12. That is, one of the pins 30 is positioned in the guide groove 8 of the guide means 2 to be drivingly connected to the drive chain 12, and the other pin 32 is positioned in the guide groove 8 (FIG. 1).

Thereafter, the second arm 76 is pivoted forward as indicated by an arrow 74 to position it in the operation position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2, and the current collecting means 44 is electrically connected to the power feeding means 42. Second arm
When the position 76 is positioned at the above-mentioned operation position, the hole of the other connection piece 80 of the first arm 68, the hole of the other connection piece 81 of the second arm 76, and the through-hole 79 for locking the operation position of the support plate piece 78 are formed. The second arm 76 is locked in the working position by aligning as required and mounting the locking pin 82 through these holes. When the second arm 76 is moved to the operating position, as shown in FIG.
92 is electrically connected to the terminal rail 56a of the power supply rail 46, the terminal portion 92 of the second current collecting terminal 90 from the top is electrically connected to the terminal rail 56b of the power supply rail 46, and the third terminal ( (Or lowermost) terminal portion 92 of current collecting terminal 90
Are electrically connected to the terminal rail 56c (or 56d) of the power supply rail 46. In this connection state, each of the coil springs 94 connects the corresponding current collecting terminal 90 to the terminal rail 56.
Since the terminal portions 92 of the current collecting terminals 90 are biased resiliently against the corresponding terminal rails 56a to 56d so as to be biased in a direction approaching a to 56d, they are securely connected electrically. In this connection state, the roller 96 mounted on the second arm 76 is supported on the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the lower cover 64, that is, on the support surface, thereby supporting the second arm 76. Is reliably prevented from being bent downward.

In a specific example, in order to prevent the erroneous connection between the current collector 44 and the power supply 42, the following configuration is provided. That is, as understood from FIG. 3, the gap between the upper cover 62 and the upper end of the insulating member 52 is set small, and the uppermost current collecting terminal 90 does not enter the gap between the upper cover 62 and the insulating member 52. It is configured as follows. Specifically, the gap between the upper cover 62 and the upper end of the insulating member 52 of the power supply rail 46 is defined to be smaller than the vertical width of the terminal supporting portion 91 of the uppermost current collecting terminal 90. In a specific example, even if the uppermost current collecting terminal 90 attempts to enter the gap, the terminal portion 92 of the current collecting terminal 90 abuts on the upper cover 62, thereby reliably preventing the erroneous connection.
In addition, the relative downward movement of the current collecting means 44 with respect to the power supply means 42 is reliably prevented by the roller 96 contacting the upper surface of the lower cover 64, whereby the lowest current collecting terminal 90 is provided.
Without being connected to the lowest terminal rail 56d of the power supply rail 46, the connection between the power supply means 42 and the current collecting means 44 is reliably prevented. At the time of connecting the power supply means 42 and the power collection means 44, the following points are noted. That is, the second arm
When 76 is moved forward toward the action position indicated by arrow 74, the distal end of the second arm 76 is displaced somewhat downward due to the weight of the arm mounting member 88 and the current collecting terminal 90. The roller 96 provided on the second arm 76 is the lower cover 64
Of the lower cover 64, and is positioned on the support surface of the lower cover 64.
The current collecting means 44 is electrically connected to the current collecting means. Therefore, before the current collecting means 44 is connected to the power feeding means 42, the current collecting means 44 and the power feeding means 42 have a predetermined positional relationship due to the rollers 96 being positioned on the support surface of the lower cover 64. , So that the current collector 44 and the power supply 42 can be reliably connected as required. Thus, when electrically connected, the current from the power supply means 42 is sent to the truck 2 via the current collecting means 44, and the desired current is supplied from the outlet 39 by operating the switch 36 and the voltage switch 38. Can be taken out.

When the drive chain 12 moving in the direction indicated by the arrow 14 after the connection acts on the pin 30 provided on the truck 2, the truck is connected with the power supply means 42 and the current collecting means 44 in an electrically connected state.
10 is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 34. When moving, the roller 96 is supported by the support surface of the lower cover 64 and moves while rotating, so that the second arm 76 does not bend downward even while the carriage 10 is moving. Incidentally, even if vibration occurs in the carriage 10 during the movement, the roller 96
Is reliably prevented from bending the second arm 76 downward.

In an assembly line using such a power supply mechanism, the first
As can be understood from the drawing, the worker performs work outside the transport path of the carriage 10, that is, on the side opposite to the side where the guide means 2 is provided in FIG. Therefore, the power supply mechanism exists on the side opposite to the worker's work area, and the power supply mechanism does not hinder the work.

To release the electrical connection between the power supply means 42 and the current collecting means 44, the locking pin 82 is removed and the second arm 76 is pivoted in the direction shown by the arrow 72, and the housing shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. You just need to position it. When positioned in the storage position, the hole of one connecting piece 81 of the second arm 76 and the supporting plate piece 78
The storage position locking through-holes 79 are aligned as required, and the second arm 76 can be locked in the storage position by inserting the locking pin 82 through these holes.

As described above, one specific example of the power supply mechanism configured according to the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific example, and various modifications and corrections can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. is there.

For example, in the specific example shown, the second arm 76 is mounted so as to be pivotable in the front-rear direction about the axis extending in the vertical direction.
The first arm 68 is slidably mounted in the first arm 68 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the first arm 68, and between the storage position stored in the first arm 68 and the operation position pulled out from the first arm 68. It can also be configured to be movable. Instead of this configuration, the second arm 76 is connected to the first arm 68 so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction about an axis extending in the front-rear direction, and is tilted toward the bogie side with an operating position extending substantially horizontally. It can also be configured to be movable between the stored positions. In these cases, as in the above-described specific example, the second arm 76
It is desirable to provide an appropriate lock means for releasably locking the lock position to the operation position and the storage position.

<Effects of the Invention> In the present invention, a roller supported on the support surface of the support member is rotatably mounted at the tip of the second arm. Then, when positioning the second arm in the operating position to electrically connect the current collecting means to the power feeding means,
The tip of the second arm is supported on the support surface of the support member via the roller. Therefore, the downward movement of the current collecting means relative to the power supply means is reliably prevented, and each terminal portion of the current collecting terminals is electrically correctly connected to the corresponding terminal rail. That is, according to the above-described configuration, the downward movement of the power collection unit with respect to the power supply unit does not occur, so that erroneous connection due to the movement is reliably avoided. The biasing means biases each of the current collecting terminals toward the power supply rail in a state where each terminal portion of each of the current collecting terminals is electrically connected to the corresponding terminal rail correctly. Each of the parts is elastically pressed against the corresponding terminal rail,
It is securely connected electrically.

In the present invention, the gap between the upper cover and the upper end of the insulating member of the power supply rail is defined to be smaller than the vertical width of the terminal supporting portion of the uppermost current collecting terminal. In the event of electrical connection to the power supply means, even if the power collection means moves upward relative to the power supply means and the uppermost current collection terminal attempts to enter the gap, the entry is reliably prevented. Is done. Therefore, erroneous connection between each terminal portion of the current collecting terminal and the corresponding terminal rail is reliably prevented, and correct connection is performed. As a result, the electric current can be reliably supplied as desired to the truck moved along the assembly line.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a part of an example of an assembly line to which a specific example of a power supply mechanism according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main part of the power supply mechanism of FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a main part of the power supply mechanism of FIG. 1 in a partial cross section. 2 ... Guiding means 10 ... Dolly 16 ... Dolly main body 42 ... Power supply means 44 ... Current collecting means 46 ... Power supply rail 58 ... Cover member 62 ... Top cover 64 ... Bottom cover 66 ... Main arm 68 First arm 76 Second arm 84 and 86 Current collecting arm 90 Current collecting terminal 94 Coil spring 96 Roller

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Joji Tanaka 1-2-28 Tamatsuko, Higashi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. No. Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-61-273102 (JP, A) JP-A-55-124793 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A power supply means provided along an assembly line, and a power collection means provided on a truck moved along the assembly line, wherein the power supply means extends along the assembly line. A member, and a power supply rail attached to the cover member, wherein the cover member covers an upper portion of the power supply rail,
The power supply rail includes a support member that defines a support surface having a predetermined height, the power supply rail includes an insulating member, and a plurality of terminal rails mounted on the insulating member at intervals in the vertical direction. A first arm connected to the truck, and a first arm movably mounted between an operating position extending toward the power supply rail with respect to the first arm and a storage position extending along one side of the truck. A second arm, a plurality of sets of current collecting arms which are vertically mounted at the distal end of the second arm and are movably mounted in a direction approaching and away from the power supply rail; A current collecting terminal attached to each set of current collecting arms; and a biasing means for biasing the current collecting arm in a direction in which each of the current collecting terminals approaches the power supply rail, wherein each of the current collecting terminals includes: A terminal support made of an insulating material; A terminal portion electrically connected to the corresponding terminal rail, and is mounted on the corresponding set of current collecting arms via the terminal support portion; A roller supported on the support surface of the support member is rotatably mounted, and a gap between the upper cover and an upper end of the insulating member of the power supply rail is formed between the upper end of the terminal support portion of the uppermost current collecting terminal. A power feeding mechanism, wherein the width is defined to be smaller than the width in the vertical direction.