JP4130053B2 - Workpiece placement method on transport cart - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for placing a workpiece by a transfer robot on a conveyance carriage provided with at least two first and second positioning pins for positioning the workpiece, and in particular, a workpiece that engages with a first positioning pin. A workpiece mounting method on a transport carriage capable of supporting a plurality of types of workpieces having different distances between a first positioning hole of the workpiece and a second positioning hole of a workpiece engaged with a second positioning pin. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when a plurality of types of workpieces are placed on this type of carriage, at least one of the first and second positioning pins can be freely adjusted, and when the workpiece is changed, it is mounted on a manpower or a carriage. The position of the positioning pin is adjusted by the drive source so that the distance between the positioning pins becomes equal to the distance between the first and second positioning holes of the workpiece of the next model.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
If the position adjustment of the positioning pin is performed manually as described above, it will take time to prepare for the model change, and if the drive source for position adjustment is mounted on the transport carriage, the equipment cost will increase. There is.
[0004]
In view of the above, the present invention is a method for placing a work on a transport cart with excellent productivity, which can cope with a change in the model of a work without modifying the transport cart and can also reduce equipment costs. It is an issue to provide.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is a method of placing a workpiece by a transfer robot on a conveyance carriage provided with at least two positioning pins for positioning the workpiece. In a configuration in which the distance between the first positioning hole of the workpiece that engages with the positioning pin and the second positioning hole of the workpiece that engages with the second positioning pin can correspond to a plurality of types of workpieces. The first positioning pin is freely movable relative to the second positioning pin, the first positioning hole of the work is engaged with the first positioning pin while the work is held by the transfer robot, and the next Further, the first positioning pin is moved to a position where the distance between the first positioning pin and the second positioning pin becomes equal to the distance between the first positioning hole and the second positioning hole of the workpiece. After displacing through the workpiece in a gas, and by engaging the second positioning hole in the second positioning pin.
[0006]
According to the present invention, the position of the positioning pin is adjusted by the movement of the transfer robot during the work of placing the work on the transport carriage. For this reason, it is not necessary to change the work carriage when changing the workpiece type, and it is not necessary to mount a positioning pin position adjusting drive source on the transport carriage, so that the equipment cost can be reduced.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a transport carriage that transports a workpiece W composed of a front floor, which is a part of an automobile floor, from a parts assembly line to a floor assembly line. The transport carriage 1 has two pipe-like rails 2 ₁ arranged on the upper and lower sides of a loop-like carriage moving path that passes through a workpiece discharge location at the end of the parts assembly line and a workpiece input location at the beginning of the floor assembly line. , 2 ₂ is composed of a bar member 10 elongated in the front-rear direction and an upper carriage body 12 supported on the bar member 10 via a pair of front and rear brackets 11, 11. Rod member 10, its has been suspended movably on rails 2 ₁ via the upper end of the roller 10b of the hook 10a erected around a plurality of locations of the upper surface, also before and after a plurality of locations of the lower surface of the rod member 10 A pair of left and right side rollers 10c, 10c sandwiching the lower roller 2 ₂ is attached to the main body 12 so that the cart body 12 can be prevented from tilting left and right. In addition, a rotating roller (not shown) that sandwiches the rod member 10 is disposed at an appropriate position on the workpiece conveying path, and the conveying cart 1 is caused to travel inertially by being fed by the rotating roller. In addition, the front part and the rear part of the bar member 10 can be bent to the left and right with respect to the intermediate part that supports the carriage main body 12 via the brackets 11 and 11, and the curved portion of the carriage moving path can run smoothly.
[0008]
The cart body 12 is composed of a frame that is framed like a cross beam. Then, the left and right positioning pins 13 and 14 are provided on the front frame 12 a of the carriage body 12, and the left and right workpiece supports 15 and 16 are provided on the rear frame 12 b of the carriage body 12. By engaging the positioning holes Wa and Wb at two positions on the left and right with the positioning pins 13 and 14 and seating the two left and right positions on the lower surface of the rear part of the work W on the work supports 15 and 16, the work W is placed on the transport carriage 1. It can be positioned and supported.
[0009]
By the way, the distance between the positioning holes Wa and Wb at the two left and right positions of the workpiece W varies depending on the workpiece model. Therefore, on the front frame 12a, a slider 13b that is slidable in the lateral direction along the guide bar 13a fixed thereto is provided, and the left first positioning pin 13 is attached to the slider 13b. Can move freely relative to the second positioning pin 14 on the right side. Further, the lateral length of the first work receiver 15 on the left side is made larger than that of the second work receiver 16 on the right side so that it can cope with the change in the lateral width of the work W depending on the model.
[0010]
A workpiece W is placed on the transfer carriage 1 by the transfer robot 3 shown in FIG. 2 at the workpiece discharge position at the end of the parts assembly line, and the workpiece W is transferred from the conveyor cart 1 at the workpiece input position at the start of the floor assembly line. Be taken up. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first positioning pin 13 is placed at a predetermined reference position, for example, a laterally outward stroke end, in the part of the carriage moving path that returns the carriage 1 from the work entry place to the work delivery place. Guide means 4 for returning to the position is provided. The guide means 4 includes a frame body 40 that abuts on a roller 13c connected to the slider 13b and inclines outward in the lateral direction toward the front in the moving direction of the transport carriage 1. When passing through the placement portion, the slider 13b is pushed laterally outward by the frame 40, and the first positioning pin 13 is returned to the laterally outward stroke end position.
[0011]
The transfer robot 3 includes a robot body 30 that can turn around a vertical axis, a first robot arm 31 that can swing with respect to the robot body 30, and a second robot arm 32 that can swing with respect to the first robot arm 31. And a six-axis robot having a wrist 33 having a three-axis structure at the tip of the second robot arm 32, and a workpiece W is gripped by a robot hand 34 attached to the wrist 33. In order to cope with a change in the model of the workpiece W, a general-purpose robot hand 34 that can automatically adjust the position of a workpiece gripper provided in the robot hand is used as the robot hand 34 or the robot hand 34 is adapted to the model. Exchangeable.
[0012]
When the workpiece W is placed on the transport carriage 1 at the workpiece dispensing place, the first positioning hole Wa on the left side of the workpiece W as shown in FIG. Is engaged with the first positioning pin 13. Here, since the first positioning pin 13 is returned to the reference position when the transport carriage 1 is returned to the work payout position, the first positioning pin 13 can be detected without detecting the position of the first positioning pin 13 with a camera or the like. The positioning hole Wa can be reliably engaged with the first positioning pin 13.
[0013]
Next, the first positioning pin is located at a position where the distance between the first positioning pin 13 and the second positioning pin 14 is equal to the distance between the first positioning hole Wa of the workpiece W and the right second positioning hole Wb. 13 is displaced by the movement of the transfer robot 3 through the workpiece W, and the second positioning hole Wb is engaged with the second positioning pin 14 as shown in FIG. Thus, even if the distance between the first and second positioning holes Wa and Wb varies depending on the model of the workpiece W, both the positioning holes Wa and Wb are engaged with the first and second positioning pins 13 and 14. Thus, the workpiece W can be accurately placed on the transport carriage 1.
[0014]
The method for placing the workpiece W having the two left and right positioning holes Wa and Wb has been described above. The left and right positioning holes are formed on the workpiece in a pair of front and rear, and the distance between the left and right positioning holes is a model. Similarly, the present invention can be applied to a case where it varies depending on the case. In other words, one pair of front and rear positioning pins provided on the left and right sides of the conveyance carriage can be freely moved relative to one pair of front and rear positioning pins on the other side, and one pair of front and rear positioning holes on one side of the work W is provided on one side. After engaging the pair of front and rear positioning pins, the positioning pins are displaced through the workpiece by the movement of the transfer robot, and the front and rear pair of positioning holes are positioned on the other front and rear pair. What is necessary is just to engage with a pin.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to cope with a change in the workpiece type without modifying the transport carriage, and it is not necessary to mount a positioning pin position adjusting drive source on the transport carriage. Therefore, the equipment cost can be reduced and the productivity can be greatly improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a transport carriage used in the method of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a front view showing an initial state of work placing work on the transport carriage.
(B) Front view showing the completed state of the work placing work on the transport carriage [FIG. 3] A plan view of the guide means for returning the first positioning pin to the reference position [FIG. 4] seen from the direction of arrow IV in FIG. Front view of guide means 【Explanation of symbols】
W Work Wa First positioning hole Wb Second positioning hole 1 Carriage 13 First positioning pin 14 Second positioning pin 3 Transfer robot

Claims (1)

A method of placing a workpiece by a transfer robot on a transport carriage provided with first and second positioning pins for positioning the workpiece,
The distance between the first positioning hole of the work engaging with the first positioning pin and the second positioning hole of the work engaging with the second positioning pin can be adapted to a plurality of types of work. In what
The first positioning pin is freely movable relative to the second positioning pin,
With the workpiece held by the transfer robot, the first positioning hole of the workpiece is engaged with the first positioning pin, and then the distance between the first positioning pin and the second positioning pin is the first of the workpiece. After the first positioning pin is displaced through the workpiece by the movement of the transfer robot to the position equal to the distance between the positioning hole and the second positioning hole, the second positioning hole is moved to the second positioning position. Engage the pin,
A method of placing a work on a transport cart characterized by the above.

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