JP4342864B2 - Transport pallet structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport pallet structure for transporting a workpiece such as an automobile engine along an assembly line, and a transport system therefor.

  In an automobile engine assembly line, a work, which is the engine body, is placed on a transport pallet and sequentially transported to a plurality of work stations arranged on the assembly line, and each work station performs various operations such as component assembly and processing. Like to do. Work at the work station is often performed from the side of the assembly line with respect to the workpieces on the assembly line, and depending on the type of work, it is difficult to work from the side of the assembly line, which imposes a burden on workers. There is a case. Also, if the workpiece is transported at a certain height along the assembly line, it may be necessary to work with the worker's back bent or stretched, which places a burden on the worker. Sometimes.

  As a work transfer system that reduces the burden on workers, for example, a second work station (auxiliary work station) is provided in parallel to the assembly line on the side of a specific work station on the assembly line, and a specific work station on the assembly line is provided. A transfer system in which a work carried into a work station is transferred to a second work station, the work is performed by a worker at the second work station, and then the work is returned to the work station on the assembly line again. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In addition, a work auxiliary platform is prepared for a worker to work at a specific work station on the assembly line, and when the work is transported to a specific work station along the assembly line, a transport body that transports the work. A worker attaches a work auxiliary base to the work auxiliary, and the worker gets on the work auxiliary base that moves in synchronization with the work, starts the work, and when the work is completed, the worker gets off the work auxiliary base and transports the work auxiliary base There is a transport system that is removed from the body (for example, see Patent Document 2).

In the case of the former transfer system, since the second work station is located on the side of the assembly line, the worker can work around the work before and after the work, thus facilitating the work. In the case of the latter transfer system, the height of the work auxiliary table is set so that the worker can easily work, so that the work on the work auxiliary table is facilitated and the burden on the worker is reduced. .
JP-A-8-252730 (FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-6155 (FIG. 3)

  In the transfer system in which the second work station is provided at the side of the work assembly line, the workability is lowered because the work is reciprocated between the work station and the second work station on the assembly line, and the work is reciprocated. A special mechanism is required. In addition, it is impossible to continuously convey the workpiece to the assembly line without stopping it halfway.

  In the case of a transfer system with a work support table at a specific work station, the work is not easy because the worker needs to attach and detach the work support table to the transport body, and the worker needs to get on and off the work support table. Moreover, there is a need for a storage space for a work auxiliary table that is not used, and there is a problem that the stored work auxiliary table interferes with the work of the worker.

  There is also known a work transfer system in which an elevator mechanism (lifter mechanism) that moves up and down with a worker on a specific work station in an assembly line is provided. When the work is carried into the work station, this transfer system reduces the burden on the worker by manually operating the elevator mechanism and moving the worker up and down to a height at which the worker can work easily. However, in equipment that employs such a transport system, floor work for installing an elevator mechanism is required at the work station, resulting in high equipment costs. In addition, in a work station with an elevator mechanism, it is necessary for an operator to adjust the height by operating the elevator mechanism after workpieces are loaded. This time makes it difficult to shorten the tact time at the work station. ing.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport pallet structure that improves assembly workability of a workpiece such as an automobile engine and reduces the burden on an operator.

The transport pallet structure of the present invention that achieves the above object is a transport pallet structure that supports a workpiece and moves along a predetermined assembly line, and is constructed on a base that travels in a horizontal fixed direction on the transport body, A workpiece support unit that supports the workpiece in any of a plurality of predetermined postures, an actuator that operates the workpiece support unit to change the posture of the workpiece, and a workpiece posture command signal input from the outside And a controller for operating the actuator based on the horizontal rotation support unit for turning the work in a horizontal lateral direction to change the direction, and moving the work up and down. Including a vertical support unit for changing the height, and the horizontal rotation support unit rotates horizontally on the base. A lower pallet having a turntable structure connected to the function and a handle mechanism protruding on the base, and the lower pallet is manually operated when the lower pallet locked on the base is unlocked by manual operation of the handle mechanism. The vertical support unit is a scissor lifter that moves up and down the upper pallet that is opposed in parallel above the lower pallet, and the actuator that drives up and down is installed on the lower pallet. To do.

  Here, the transport pallet structure is a structure in which a plurality of fixed and movable pallets are combined, and includes a work support unit that detachably supports a work such as an automobile engine with these pallets. The work support unit is either a unit that supports the work so that it can rotate in the vertical direction, a unit that supports the work so that it can rotate horizontally, a unit that supports the work so that it can move up and down, or a plurality of these types. It is configured by combining units. The transport pallet structure that supports the work by the work support unit is transported to a work station installed in the assembly line. The changeable work posture in the transport pallet structure means the posture of the work that is easy for the worker to work at the work station, such as the height and orientation of the work, and the difference in worker height and work content at the work station. The workpiece posture is selected by. The actuator for changing the workpiece posture has a drive source such as an electric motor or an air cylinder, and operates by being supplied with electric power or high-pressure air from the outside. The controller controls the actuator to move the workpiece support unit and change the posture of the workpiece. The controller can be a small IC circuit in which all types of workpiece posture data are stored. The posture such as the height and orientation of the work supported by the transport pallet structure can be changed, and when the work is loaded into the desired work station, the work station worker is most likely to work in advance. By executing the posture change, the burden on the worker at the work station is reduced and workability is improved.

  In the present invention, the work support unit can include a scissors lifter that moves the supported work up and down. In addition, the work support unit can include a rotation support unit that rotatably supports the work, and a scissor lifter that moves the rotation support unit up and down.

  The scissor lifter here, for example, puts the upper pallet (upper plate, etc.) via the X-shaped lift legs on the lower pallet (lower plate, etc.) that circulates at a fixed height on the closed loop assembly line. A linked structure is applicable. In this case, the work is detachably supported on the upper pallet, or the work is supported on the upper pallet via another kind of work support unit. Such a scissor lifter is particularly effective for moving up and down and supporting a large heavy workpiece such as an automobile engine, and stably supports and moves the workpiece up and down. In addition, a vertical rotation support unit that supports the workpiece to be rotatable in the vertical direction can be installed on the upper pallet in the scissor lifter, and further, the lower pallet with respect to the assembly line is interposed between the lower pallet and the assembly line. It is possible to provide a lateral direction rotation support unit that supports the rotation direction horizontally.

The transport system includes the transport pallet structure, a transport body that transports the transport pallet structure along a predetermined assembly line, and a power supply line that is installed along the assembly line and supplies driving power to an actuator of the transport pallet structure. And a work posture command signal set in advance based on the work content of the downstream work station, installed between the upstream and downstream work stations adjacent to each other of the plurality of work stations arranged along the assembly line. The system includes an external command terminal that transmits to the controller of the transport pallet structure that passes between the upstream and downstream work stations, until the transport pallet structure passes through the upstream work station and reaches the downstream work station. The operation of the actuator is terminated.

  The transport body in this transport system is preferably a roller conveyor that supports a heavy object such as an automobile engine and stably transports a transport pallet structure that becomes a heavy object. The power supply line along the assembly line is an electric wire such as a trolley wire of a train and is attached to the carrier. By supplying power to the actuator of the transfer pallet structure with power supply, it is not necessary to supply the actuator or controller power supply to the transfer pallet structure, simplifying the transfer pallet structure, and supporting various types of workpieces. Units can be assembled. The external command terminal installed between the upstream and downstream work stations has data transmission means composed of photoelectric switches such as photocouplers and proximity switches, which are manually operated by workers from the data transmission means. The structure and function of transmitting the workpiece posture data set in this way to the transport pallet structure is applied. When the transport pallet structure crosses the front of the external command terminal, a work posture command signal based on data transmitted from the data transmission means of the external command terminal is transmitted to the controller of the transport pallet structure. By finishing the work posture change operation before the transport pallet structure reaches the downstream work station from the upstream work station, the workers at the downstream work station can reach the work posture at the same time as the work arrives. Work can be started on a workpiece. This eliminates the need to change the posture of the workpiece after the transport pallet structure reaches the work station, eliminates the time loss for changing the posture, and another work that could not be done due to the lack of time. In addition, the tact time at the work station can be shortened.

  In the present invention, a plurality of contacts that are simultaneously electrically and mechanically contacted at a plurality of locations separated in the length direction of the feeder line can be arranged on the transport pallet structure with the same potential.

  In this case, the contact is composed of a pair of at least the same potential, such as a current collecting brush or a current collecting roller. Any of the plurality of contacts is in a state of elastic mechanical contact with the power supply line, and even if any one contact comes off the power supply line, at least one other contact with the power supply line Therefore, troubles such as occurrence of sparks and interruption of power supply are eliminated. In addition, when there is a seam in the power supply line arranged along the assembly line, even if one contact reaches this seam and the contact with the power supply line becomes poor, the other contactor becomes a power supply line before and after the seam. Since they are in contact, power feeding is not interrupted, and no spark is generated at the joint.

  According to the transfer pallet structure of the present invention, it is possible to freely select a plurality of postures such as the height and orientation of the work to be transferred to the work station of the assembly line, and the burden on the worker at each work station. Can be reduced. In addition, because the work pallet structure is changed on the transport pallet structure side to make it easier for workers to work at the assembly line work stations, construction of a transport system that reduces the burden on the workers will be carried out at each work station. This can be carried out in an advantageous manner for capital investment.

  Further, according to the transfer system of the present invention, when the transfer pallet structure is moved from the upstream work station to the downstream work station of the assembly line, the work posture is set to the best posture according to the worker of the downstream work station. Therefore, the worker can start working immediately at this point, and it becomes easy to improve workability at the work station and shorten the tact time.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1A and 1B are a plan view and a front view showing an outline of a transport pallet structure 10 and its transport system according to the present invention. The conveyance pallet structure 10 conveys the workpiece 1 along a predetermined assembly line 2 while supporting the workpiece 1 of the automobile engine. The assembly line 2 is a substantially rectangular closed loop line installed on the flat floor 3 at the same height, and has a roller conveyor carrier 4 as shown by a chain line in FIG. The assembly line 2 is provided with a plurality of work stations S1, S2,... At appropriate intervals, and workers (not shown) are waiting at each work station S1,. The transport pallet structure 10 supports the workpiece 1 so that the posture can be changed, continuously travels without temporarily stopping the assembly line 2, and is sequentially transported to each work station S1,. Various operations such as assembly are performed by workers.

  A power supply line 51 is installed along the assembly line 2, and the transfer pallet structure 10 is transferred while being supplied with power from the power supply line 51. An external command terminal 52 for manual setting of the workpiece posture by the worker is installed between desired work stations, and the transfer pallet structure 10 receives the workpiece posture command signal from the external command terminal 52 and changes the workpiece posture as necessary. And then transported to a downstream work station.

  2 and 3 show a specific example of the transport pallet structure 10, which includes a rectangular box-shaped base 11 that travels on a roller conveyor transport body 4 in a horizontal and fixed direction, and a work constructed on the base 11. A support unit 12 is provided. The transport body 4 is formed by arranging a large number of axially horizontal roller conveyors 5 in parallel. As the roller conveyors 5 rotate in a fixed direction, the base 11 travels on the roller conveyors 5, and the transport pallet structure 10. Are continuously conveyed along the horizontal assembly line 2. Each roller conveyor 5 is installed on a horizontal base 6 via a roller driving mechanism 7.

  The workpiece support unit 12 supports the workpiece 1 so that it can be changed into a plurality of different postures. For example, the work support unit 12 includes a horizontal rotation support unit 12a that turns the work 1 in a horizontal lateral direction to change the direction, a vertical support unit 12b that moves the work 1 up and down to change the height, It has a vertical rotation support unit 12c that rotates 1 in the vertical direction around a horizontal axis.

  The lateral rotation support unit 12 a includes a rectangular lower pallet 13 having a turntable structure that is connected to the base 11 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal lateral direction, and a handle mechanism 14 that protrudes from the base 11. The lower pallet 13 is locked on the base 11 by a lock mechanism (not shown). When the lock mechanism is unlocked by manual operation of the handle mechanism 14, the lower pallet 13 can be rotated manually with respect to the base 11. Become. On the base 11, the lower pallet 13 rotates forward and backward within a range of less than 360 °, for example, 270 °. Between the base 11 and the lower pallet 13, wiring such as a power line and a signal line is installed, and the lower pallet 13 rotates forward and backward within a range of 270 ° so that the wiring is not twisted by the rotation of the lower pallet 13. The vertical support unit 12b and the vertical rotation support unit 12c are constructed on the lower pallet 13, and when the lower pallet 13 rotates in the horizontal direction, the entire support units 12b and 12c rotate in the horizontal direction so that the orientation of the work 1 Changes are made.

The vertical support unit 12b is a scissor lifter. Hereinafter, the support unit 12b is referred to as a scissor lifter 12b. Specific examples of the scissors lifter 12b are shown in FIGS. The scissors lifter 12b moves up and down the upper pallet 15 which is opposed in parallel above the horizontal lower pallet 13. The upper and lower pallets 13 and 15 are rectangular pallets of the same size, and an X-shaped first lift leg 21 and second lift leg 22 are installed between the pallets 13 and 15, and each lift is placed on the lower pallet 13. An actuator 40 and a controller 50 for vertically driving the legs 21 and 22 are installed. When the left-right direction in FIG. 4 is the X direction and the up-down direction is the Y direction, a pair of first lift legs 21 are installed at both ends in the horizontal Y direction between the pallets 13, 15. A pair of second lift legs 22 is installed.

  Each of the pair of first lift legs 21 has a pair of first swing legs 21a and second swing legs 21b that intersect in an X shape as shown in FIG. Each of the swing legs 21 a and 21 b is inclined in the X direction, and each central portion is rotatably connected to the pivot 23. The inclined lower end portion of the first swing leg 21a is pivotally attached to the support shaft 25 of the bearing 24 fixed on the lower pallet 13, and the inclined upper end portion is fixed to the guide member 26 fixed to the lower surface of the upper pallet 15 in the X direction. Is slidably connected to the body. An upper end portion of the first swing leg 21 a is pivotally attached to a slider 27 movably connected to the guide member 26 in the X direction via a support shaft 28. Further, the inclined upper end portion of the second swing leg 21 b is pivotally attached to the support shaft 30 of the bearing 29 fixed to the lower surface of the upper pallet 15, and the inclined lower end portion is fixed to the guide member 31 fixed on the lower pallet 13. It is slidably connected in the X direction. An upper end portion of the second swing leg 21b is pivotally attached to a slider 32 connected to the guide member 31 so as to be movable in the X direction via a support shaft 33.

  An actuator 40 for vertically moving the upper pallet 15 is installed at the center of the upper surface of the lower pallet 13, and a controller 50 for controlling the operation of the actuator 40 is disposed. The actuator 40 includes an electric motor (servo motor) 41 installed on the lower pallet 13 with the axial direction oriented in the Y direction, a ball screw 42 that rotates forward and backward by the electric motor 41, and the rotational force of the electric motor 41 applied to the ball screw 42. A transmission belt mechanism 43 and a reduction gear 44 are provided. The ball screw 42 is installed on the lower pallet 13 with the axial direction directed in the X direction, and a nut member 45 is screwed to the tip. The nut member 45 is a horizontally long plate extending from the tip end portion of the ball screw 42 to both sides in the orthogonal direction, and both end portions thereof are coupled to the lower end portions of the pair of second swing legs 21b via the support shaft 33. When the ball screw 42 is rotated forward by the electric motor 41, the nut member 45 advances horizontally from the chain line position in FIG. 4 toward the solid line position, and the pair of first lift legs 21 moves from the chain line position in FIG. 5 to the solid line position. And the upper pallet 15 is lowered toward the lower pallet 13. When the ball screw 42 is reversely rotated by the electric motor 41, the pair of first lift legs 21 is rotated upward and the upper pallet 15 is raised.

  Each of the pair of second lift legs 22 has a pair of first swing legs 22a and second swing legs 22b that intersect in an X shape as shown in FIG. 22b cross | intersects that the center part is connected with the pivot 34 so that rotation is possible. A lower end portion of the first swing leg 22a is rotatably connected to a bearing 35 fixed on the lower pallet 13, and an upper end portion can slide in the Y direction on a guide member 36 fixed to the lower surface of the upper pallet 15. Connected to The upper end portion of the second swing leg 22b is rotatably connected to a bearing 37 fixed to the lower surface of the upper pallet 15, and the lower end portion can slide in the Y direction on the guide member 38 fixed on the lower pallet 13. Connected to The pair of second lift legs 22 does not have an actuator for moving up and down themselves, and moves up and down following the up and down movement of the upper pallet 15 by the first lift legs 21 moved up and down by the electric motor 41. The pair of second lift legs 22 prevents the upper pallet 15 from rolling, particularly in the Y direction, and makes the upper pallet 15 move more stably. The upper pallet 15 can be moved to a stationary position at an arbitrary height. Stabilize.

  In addition, a cylindrical guide stopper 61 and a bellows 62 are installed between the lower pallet 13 and the upper pallet 15 as necessary. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide stopper 61 has a cylindrical spring guide 63 installed on the lower pallet 13 and a guide pin 64 projecting from the lower surface of the upper pallet 15, and the upper pallet 15 faces the lower pallet 13. When lowered, the guide pin 64 is fitted into the spring guide 63 to guide the lowering of the upper pallet 15, and when further lowered, the guide pin 64 compresses the spring guide 63 downward. When the upper pallet 15 is lowered to the lower limit position, a lower limit detection switch (not shown) is operated to stop the lowering, and the spring guide 63 is compressed to the maximum stroke. When the upper pallet 15 at the lower limit position is raised by the electric motor 41, the maximum elasticity held by the spring guide 63 acts to push up the upper pallet 15 to reduce the load applied to the electric motor 41, and from the lower limit position. The raising operation of the upper pallet 15 is made smooth. The bellows 62 surrounds the entire circumference of the lifter working space between the upper and lower pallets 13 and 15, prevents dust from entering the lifter working space, and stabilizes the lifter function.

  The vertical rotation support unit 12c is installed on the upper pallet 15 that moves up and down by the scissors lifter 12b. The rotation support unit 12 c includes a pair of opposed struts 71 installed on a guide rail 72 on the upper pallet 15, and driving means 73 that moves the pair of struts 71 closer to and away from each other. A rotating mechanism 74 that supports 1 and rotates in the vertical direction is installed. The rotation mechanism 74 has a support pin 75 that fits into a hole formed in the workpiece 1 and supports the workpiece 1 when the pair of struts 71 approach each other. When the pair of struts 71 are separated from each other by a predetermined stroke, the work 1 is loaded from the outside between the struts, and thereafter, the pair of struts 71 are brought closer to fit the support pins 75 to the work 1. The work 1 shown by the chain line in FIGS. 2 and 3 is the main body of the automobile engine, and the height and direction of the work surface such as the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface of the engine main body are the work stations of the assembly line 2 shown in FIG. It is changed as necessary at S1,.

  The transport pallet assembly 10 continuously moves in a fixed direction on the closed-loop assembly line 2 and circulates through the work stations S1,. One of the work stations is a work start station, and one of the work stations is a work end station. When an empty transfer pallet structure is loaded into the work station where the work starts, the work is attached, and the transfer pallet structure that supports the work moves through each subsequent work station in turn and the work is performed by the worker. When moving to the end work station, the workpiece is removed and emptied, and the empty transfer pallet structure is transferred again to the work start work station.

  In the embodiment of such a transport system, a power supply feeder 51 for operating the work support unit 12 of the transport pallet structure 10 is installed on the floor 3 along the assembly line 2. The power supply line 51 operates the vertical support unit 12b of the work support unit 12, and is applied to the electric motor 41 and the power line of the controller 50 as shown in FIG. A plurality of, for example, a pair of contacts 53 and 54 that are in electrical and mechanical contact with the power supply line 51 are installed on the side of the transport pallet structure 10 with respect to the power supply line 51. The pair of contacts 53 and 54 are fixed at fixed positions on the base 11 where the relative positional relationship is hardly displaced with respect to the transport body 4. The feeder line 51 is for direct current and is installed in parallel with the assembly line 2. The pair of contacts 53 and 54 is, for example, a current collecting brush, and the pair is disposed so as to be close to the length direction of the feeder line 51. The pair of contacts 53 and 54 are in elastic contact with the power supply line 51 so that they are not separated from the power supply line 51 at the same time. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, since the pair of contacts 53 and 54 pass through the cut line g in the middle of the power supply line 51 in order, when one of the pair of contacts 53 and 54 passes the cut line g, the supply line 51 is fed. Even if it is in a non-contact state with the electric wire 51, since the other is in contact with the vicinity of the break of the power supply line 51, power supply is continued. Therefore, the operation of the vertical support unit 12b that operates by being supplied with power from the power supply line 51 is always stably performed.

  In the embodiment of the transfer system, the next external command terminal 52 is installed between desired work stations of the assembly line 2. The external command terminal 52 is a terminal device provided with data transmission means for transmitting data of a workpiece posture command signal manually set in advance by an operator to the controller 50 provided in the vertical support unit 12b of the transport pallet structure 10. , Placed in place between the desired adjacent work stations. In FIG. 1, one external command terminal 52 is installed between each of a plurality of consecutive work stations S1, S2,..., But it may be installed only between necessary stations. With respect to the external command terminal 52 installed between two work stations adjacent to each other on the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the work transfer direction, the worker at the downstream work station is most suitable before starting work. Manually input the data.

  A receiving unit 55 that receives a data signal of a work command transmitted from the external command terminal 52 and outputs it to the controller 50 on the side of the conveyance pallet structure 10 with respect to the external command terminal 52 is based on, for example, as shown in FIG. 11 side surface part. When the transport pallet structure 10 is transported along the assembly line 2 and moves in a place where one external command terminal 52 is installed, the receiving unit 55 on the side surface of the base 11 passes in front of the external command terminal 52. In a short time during the passing, a workpiece posture command signal is transmitted from the external command terminal 52 to the receiving unit 55.

  The external command terminal 52 and the receiving unit 55 are parts for transmitting and receiving a work posture command signal in contact or non-contact, and a circuit example is shown in FIG. The external command terminal 52 and the receiving unit 55 in FIG. 7 have five transmission units Q1 to Q4 and reception units P1 to P4 corresponding to each other. These transmission means Q1 to Q4 and reception means P1 to P4 are, for example, photocouplers and proximity switches that transmit and receive binary data of “0” and “1”. When the external command terminal 52 changes the height position of the workpiece posture step by step, for example, one transmission means Q1 and reception means P1 are used as data transmission / reception timing switches, and the remaining three transmission means Q2, Q3, If Q4 and the receiving means P1, P2, and P3 are switches that command the work height stepwise, the work is divided into 8 steps from the combination of the data “0” and “1” of the three sending means Q2, Q3, and Q4. The height can be changed. An operation procedure for changing the workpiece height will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B).

  Before assembling the automobile engine on the assembly line 2, the workers at the work stations S1, S2,... Operate the work height command on the corresponding external command terminal 52. Further, in the middle of the engine assembling work, an arbitrary worker can perform a command operation to change the work height to the external command terminal as necessary.

  For example, the worker at the work station S2 shown in FIG. 1 sends a work at one stage among the work heights set at eight stages to the external command terminal 52 between the work station S1 on the upstream side. Select the height and perform the input operation determined by that height. This input operation is performed, for example, by manually selecting on / off of three button switches (not shown) provided on the external command terminal 52. After the work height is set by the worker at each work station S1,..., The transport pallet structure 10 flows to the assembly line 2, and each engine assembly work is performed at each work station S1,.

  When the transport pallet structure 10 that has finished the engine assembly work at the work station S1 is transported to the work station S2 on the downstream side, the receiving unit of the base 11 is located immediately before the external command terminal 52 between the work stations S1 and S2. 55 passes, and during this time, the workpiece posture data is transmitted from the transmission means Q1 to Q4 of the external command terminal 52 to the reception means P1 to P4 of the reception unit 55, and this data is output from the reception unit 55 to the controller 50. . The controller 50 reads the input data, determines which one of the eight stages the workpiece height is based on this data, and operates the electric motor 41 so that the determined one-step workpiece height is obtained. . When the work height at the upstream work station S1 and the work height set at the downstream work station S2 are the same, the electric motor 41 does not operate.

  FIG. 1B shows a state where the upper pallet 15 is lowered and the workpiece height is lowered when the transport pallet structure 10 moves from the upstream work station S1 to the downstream work station S2. That is, when the work height at which the worker is most likely to work is set by the external command terminal 52 in accordance with the height of the worker at the downstream work station S2 and according to the height of the work place and the work content. The upper pallet 15 is lowered by the time the transport pallet structure 10 passes through the external command terminal 52 and reaches the downstream work station S2, and the work height becomes the height at which work is most easily performed. The worker waiting at the downstream side work station S2 immediately takes the posture of the workpiece 1 of the transport pallet structure 10 transported from the upstream side so that it can work most easily. You can start working. In the downstream work station S2, the worker does not need to adjust the workpiece height, and the waiting time for height adjustment can be omitted. It becomes easy to increase the work content and shorten the tact time. In addition, since the floor 3 on which the work is performed is flat and the work posture at the time of working is the posture that is most easily set by the worker, the burden on the worker is reduced and the safety of the work is improved.

  The change of the work posture at the downstream work station S2 is performed in parallel with the change by the work rotation as necessary in addition to the change of the work height. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, while the transport pallet structure 10 is transported from the upstream work station S1 to the downstream work station S2, the work 1 is rotated up and down by the vertical rotation support unit 12c. Yes. Such workpiece rotation is performed manually or automatically with external power. In addition, while the transport pallet structure 10 moves from the work station S2 to the next downstream work station S3, in FIG. 1B, the upper pallet 15 is raised to raise the workpiece height to several stages, A state is shown in which the lower pallet 13 is rotated 90 ° horizontally at the work station S3 to change the direction of the workpiece 1 by 90 °. The lateral rotation of the lower pallet 13 is manually performed by the lateral rotation support unit 12a shown in FIG.

The driving of the vertical rotation support unit 12c as described above can be performed in the same manner as the vertical support unit 12b. For example, a manual input unit for workpiece posture data by rotating the workpiece in the vertical direction and a transmission unit and a reception unit for input workpiece posture data are added to the external command terminal 52, and the support unit 12c is supplied with electric power from the feeder line 51. If the number of actuators to be operated is increased, the work posture change by the support unit 12c is automatically performed based on data set in advance by an operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (A) which shows the outline | summary of embodiment of this invention is a top view, (B) is a front view. It is a front view of the conveyance pallet structure in the conveyance system of FIG. It is a front view from the front of the conveyance pallet structure of FIG. It is a top view which shows the outline | summary of the scissors lifter part in the conveyance pallet structure of FIG. It is a front view of the scissor lifter of FIG. It is a side view of the scissor lifter of FIG. It is a block diagram of the electric control system in the conveyance system of FIG. FIG. 8 is a layout diagram of the power supply line and the contact in FIG. 7.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Work 2 Assembly line 3 Floor 4 Conveyance body 5 Roller conveyor 10 Conveyance pallet structure 11 Base 12 Work support unit
12a lateral rotation support unit 12b scissor lifter
12c Vertical support unit 13 Lower pallet 14 Handle mechanism 15 Upper pallet 21 Lift leg 22 Lift leg 40 Actuator 41 Electric motor 42 Ball screw 50 Controller 51 Feed line 52 External command terminal 53 Contact 55 Receiving part S Work station

Claims (1)

In the transport pallet structure that supports the workpiece and moves along the predetermined assembly line,
A workpiece support unit for changeably supported on one of a plurality of types of posture predetermined the work is built on a base traveling on carrier in a horizontal directed, by operating the work support unit An actuator for changing the posture of the workpiece, and a controller for operating the actuator based on a workpiece posture command signal input from the outside,
The workpiece support unit is
A lower pallet having a turntable structure connected to the base so as to be rotatable in a horizontal lateral direction; a handle mechanism protruding from the base; and the lower pallet locked on the base is manually operated by the handle mechanism. the lower pallet to unlock that Do rotatable manually operated, and lateral rotation support unit for changing the orientation by pivoting the workpiece in a horizontal transverse direction,
A scissor lifter that moves up and down the upper pallet that is opposed in parallel above the lower pallet. The actuator that drives the upper pallet up and down is installed. Up and down support that moves the work up and down to change the height. Unit,
A vertical rotation support unit installed on the upper pallet and rotating the workpiece in the vertical direction around a horizontal axis;
A transport pallet structure characterized by combining the above .