JP6500622B2 - Transfer device and transfer method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus and transfer method for an article such as a work.

  A transfer device is used when transferring a work (article) in a processing device, transferring a load (article) in an automatic warehouse, or the like. This transfer device is required to transfer the items efficiently. Conventionally, it has been proposed that a belt or the like is stretched over the mounting surface of the article, and the article on the belt is transferred to another mounting unit by moving the belt (see, for example, Patent Document 1) .

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 10-129806

  When using the transfer device described in Patent Document 1, in order to stably transfer the item, the mounting portion (e.g., a pallet etc.) of the transfer destination is moved while the belt is driven to move the item. It is necessary to move in synchronization with the movement of Therefore, separate drive devices such as the drive of the belt and the movement of the pallet at the transfer destination are required, and further, control such as synchronous drive of these drive devices is required. As described above, using a plurality of drive devices not only causes an increase in the cost of the transfer device, but also leads to an increase in the size of the transfer device. Further, the load on the control device becomes an issue in order to synchronously control the plurality of drive devices.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, the present invention is to provide a transfer apparatus and transfer method capable of stably transferring an article with a simple configuration and achieving downsizing while reducing costs. To aim.

  The present invention is a transfer apparatus having a first placement unit and a second placement unit on which articles can be placed, for transferring an article from the first placement unit to the second placement unit, The first placement unit includes a placement unit main body, and a winding member on which the article is placed by being wound on the placement unit main body, and the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement member A connecting device capable of connecting with the part, and in a state in which the upper surface of the winding member and the second mounting portion are connected by the connecting device, horizontal movement of any one of the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion Or the drive device which moves a winding member is provided.

  In addition, the first placement portion and the second placement portion are shifted from the state of being overlapped with each other in the vertical direction, so that the article is transferred from the first placement portion to the second placement portion. It is also good. Moreover, the mounting part main body of the first mounting part may have a plurality of arm parts arranged in parallel, and the winding member may be wound around each of the arm parts. The cross bar may be attached over the winding member wound around each of the arms, and the connecting device may connect the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion using the cross bar. . In addition, the first placement portion and the second placement portion are relatively movable in the vertical direction, and the coupling device is a winding member when the first placement portion and the second placement portion are close to each other. The upper surface of the second mounting portion may be connected to the upper surface of the second mounting portion. Further, the connecting device is provided on the other one of the upper and lower rod members provided on either the upper surface of the winding member or the second placement portion, or the other of the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion. And a hole through which the rod-like member can be inserted. In addition, when the first placement unit and the second placement unit are relatively moved in the vertical direction, the detection unit may be provided to detect the height of the article placed on the second placement unit. . In addition, the first placement unit may include a stopper device that holds the moving position of the winding member.

  Further, according to the present invention, the article is placed on the second placing part from the first placing part having the placing part main body, and the winding member on which the article is placed by being wound on the placing part main body. A method of transferring to a part, and connecting the top surface of the winding member and the second placement portion, and connecting the top surface of the winding member and the second placement portion, the first placement Performing horizontal movement of either one of the unit and the second placement unit or movement of the winding member.

  According to the transfer device of the present invention, since the winding member and the second placement unit are connected by the coupling device, the horizontal movement or winding member of either one of the first placement unit and the second placement unit The article can be transferred from the winding member to the second placement unit by the movement of. As a result, no separate drive device or synchronous control is required to drive the winding member and the second placement unit, and the article can be stably transferred with a simple configuration.

  Also, in the case where the article is transferred from the first placement unit to the second placement unit by the first placement unit and the second placement unit being shifted from the overlapping state in the vertical direction. The article on the first placement portion (rolling member) can be reliably transferred to the second placement portion. In addition, in the case where the mounting portion main body of the first mounting portion has a plurality of arm portions arranged in parallel and the winding member is wound around each of the arm portions, the mounting portion is mounted on another mounting portion. The articles can be skimmed by the fork-like arms, and the articles can be easily transferred onto the second placement unit by moving the winding members of the arms. In addition, when the cross bar is attached over the winding member wound around each of the arm portions, and the coupling device connects the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion using the cross bar, the cross The bar can reliably connect the winding member and the second placement unit.

  In addition, the first placement portion and the second placement portion are relatively movable in the vertical direction, and the coupling device is a winding member when the first placement portion and the second placement portion are close to each other. When connecting the upper surface of the second mounting portion to the second mounting portion, connection or release by the connecting device can be easily performed. Further, the connecting device is provided on the other one of the upper and lower rod members provided on either the upper surface of the winding member or the second placing portion, or the other of the upper surface of the winding member and the second placing portion. In the case having the hole portion through which the rod-like member can be inserted, connection or release can be reliably performed by the rod-like portion and the hole portion. When the first placement unit and the second placement unit are relatively moved in the vertical direction, the first placement unit and the second placement unit are provided with a detection unit that detects the height of an article placed on the second placement unit. (2) It is possible to prevent the placement portion from contacting the article. In addition, in the case where the first placement portion includes the stopper device for holding the moving position of the winding member, the connection by the coupling device can be reliably performed by positioning the winding member by the stopper device.

  Further, according to the transfer method of the present invention, in a state where the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion are connected, horizontal movement or winding of any one of the first placement portion and the second placement portion Since the hanging member is moved, the article can be stably transferred by horizontal movement of either one of the first placement portion and the second placement portion or movement of the winding member.

It is a perspective view showing an example of the transfer equipment concerning an embodiment. An example of a connection apparatus is shown, (A) is a perspective view which shows the state which cancelled | released, (B) is a perspective view which shows the state which connected. The example of a detection part is shown, (A) is a figure which shows the state before a detection, (B) is a figure which shows the state at the time of a detection. It is a perspective view which shows an example of operation | movement of a 1st mounting part. (A) And (B) is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of a transfer equipment. (A) and (B) are figures which show an example of operation | movement of a transfer equipment following FIG. (A) and (B) are figures which show an example of operation | movement of a transfer equipment following FIG. An example of a stopper apparatus is shown, (A) is a figure which shows a release state, (B) is a figure which shows a restraint state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Further, in the drawings, in order to explain the embodiment, the scale is appropriately changed and expressed such that a part is described in a large or emphasized manner. In each of the following drawings, directions in the drawings will be described using an XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is taken as an XY plane. An arbitrary direction parallel to the XY plane is referred to as an X direction, and a direction orthogonal to the X direction is referred to as a Y direction. Also, the direction perpendicular to the XY plane is referred to as the Z direction. In each of the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, the direction of the arrow in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow is the − direction.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a transfer device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device 100 includes a first placement unit 10, a second placement unit 20, a coupling device 30, and a drive device 40. The operation of the transfer device 100 is generally controlled by a control unit (not shown). The transfer device 100 transfers a plate-like work W, which is an example of an article, from the first placement unit 10 to the second placement unit 20. The workpiece W may be, for example, one in which a part of the workpiece W is cut into a product having a desired shape by a thermal cutting machine (not shown) such as a laser processing machine. The transfer device 100 is disposed, for example, adjacent to the −X side or the + X side with respect to such a thermal cutting machine.

  The first placement unit 10 is capable of placing the work W thereon. As shown in FIG. 1, the first placement unit 10 includes a main body (placement unit main body) 11, a winding member 12, a cross bar 13, a tension bar 14, and a lifting device 15. The first placement unit 10 is movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the lifting device 15. As the elevating device 15, for example, a mechanism for driving a chain or belt wound in the vertical direction by an electric motor, a mechanism for driving a pinion gear for a rack disposed in the vertical direction by an electric motor, etc. are applied. Ru. The raising and lowering operation and the raising and lowering position of the first placement unit 10 by the raising and lowering device 15 are controlled by a control unit (not shown) that controls the transfer device 100 in a centralized manner.

  The main body 11 has a frame 16 and a plurality of arms 17. The frame 16 is a member extending in the X direction, and holds the plurality of arms 17. Further, the frame 16 is movable in the vertical direction by a guide portion in the vertical direction (not shown). The elevating device 15 described above raises and lowers the first placement unit 10 by raising and lowering the frame 16. The plurality of arms 17 are arranged in the X direction along the frame 16 and are arranged to extend from the frame 16 in the + Y direction.

  Each arm portion 17 has a longitudinal direction parallel to the Y direction, and the lengths in the Y direction are substantially the same. The width in the Y direction of each arm 17 is set to a width that can be inserted between the support plates 62 of the processing pallet 60 described later. The upper surface (the surface on the + Z side) 17a of each arm 17 is formed in a planar shape, and is formed parallel to the XY plane. The upper surface 17a of each arm 17 is arranged in a state where the heights in the Z direction are equal.

  As the winding member 12, a belt-like (strip-like) member is used. The winding member 12 is wound around each of the arms 17 in the same manner. The winding member 12 is wound around the arm 16 from the vicinity of the frame 16 to the tip on the + Y side, and is wound around the arm 17 around the X axis. A pulley or the like (not shown) is disposed at the tip and end of the arm portion 17, and the winding member 12 is wound around the pulley or the like.

  The winding member 12 is wound over the upper surface 17 a of the arm 17, both ends of the arm 17 in the Y direction, and the lower surface (a surface on the −Z side) 17 b of the arm 17. The upper surface 12 a of each winding member 12 is disposed along the upper surface 17 a of each arm 17. Each upper surface 12a is planar and parallel to the XY plane. Moreover, each upper surface 12a is arrange | positioned in the state to which height (position of the Z direction) was equal. The workpiece W is placed over the upper surfaces 12 a of the plurality of winding members 12.

  The cross bar 13 is formed to extend in the X direction, and is arranged to extend between the plurality of arms 17. Therefore, the cross bar 13 and each arm 17 are disposed orthogonal to each other. In the cross bar 13, one end of each winding member 12 is fixed on the upper surface 17 a of each arm 17. The cross bar 13 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction independently of the arms 17. The end 13 a on the −X side of the cross bar 13 is disposed in a state of projecting to the −X side with respect to the arm 17. The plurality of winding members 12 are integrally provided via the cross bar 13 and each winding member 12 also moves by the cross bar 13 moving in the Y direction.

  The tension bar 14 is formed to extend in the X direction, and is disposed so as to straddle between the plurality of arms 17. The tension bar 14 is disposed parallel to the cross bar 13 and is disposed orthogonal to each arm 17. The tension bar 14 is placed on the -Y side of the cross bar 13 on the upper surface 17 a of each arm 17. The other end of each winding member 12 is fixed to the tension bar 14. The tension bar 14 is provided to be movable in the Y direction independently of the cross bar 13 and the arms 17.

  The tension bar 14 is fixed to the cross bar 13 at a predetermined distance in the Y direction from the cross bar 13 by a fixing member (not shown) such as a bolt. Therefore, as the cross bar 13 moves in the Y direction, the tension bar 14 moves along with the winding members 12 in the Y direction. The tension bar 14 can adjust the tension of the winding member 12 wound around the arm 17 by operating the fixing member to adjust the distance to the cross bar 13.

  Further, the adjustment of the tension of the winding member 12 is not limited to the use of the cross bar 13 or the tension bar 14. For example, a tension may be applied to the winding member 12 by elastically supporting a pulley or the like on which the winding member 12 is wound in the Y direction.

  The plurality of winding members 12 are integrally moved in the Y direction by moving the cross bar 13 in the Y direction with the distance between the cross bar 13 and the tension bar 14 maintained. Thereby, the upper surfaces 12a of the respective winding members 12 move integrally in the Y direction. When the upper surface 12a of the winding member 12 integrally moves in the Y direction, for example, the workpiece W placed on the upper surface 12a moves in the Y direction. In the present embodiment, a pulley or the like (not shown) is disposed at the end of the arm 17 in the Y direction, so that the winding member 12 can be smoothly moved in the Y direction.

  The second placement unit 20 can place the work W thereon. The second placement unit 20 includes a movable carriage 21 and a pallet 22. The movable carriage 21 has a base 21 a and wheels 21 b. The base 21 a is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the pallet 22 is placed on the upper surface. The wheels 21 b are formed at four positions near the corner on the lower surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the base 21 a. The wheels 21 b are movable along guides 24 formed on the floor surface. The guide 24 is formed to extend in the Y direction on the floor surface. Thus, the movable carriage 21 can move in the Y direction along the guide 24.

  The pallet 22 has a base 22a and wheels 22b. The base 22a is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The work W is placed on the base 22a. The wheels 22 b are formed at four positions near the corner on the lower surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the base 22 a. At the end on the + Y side of the upper surface of the base 22a, a regulation bar 22c that stands up in the Z direction is provided. The regulation bars 22c are formed at two places spaced apart, and function to suppress the displacement of the work W loaded on the base 22a. The wheels 22b move along the guides 25 formed on the upper surface (the surface on the + Z side) of the base 21a.

  The guide 25 extends in the Y direction on the upper surface of the base 21a. Therefore, the pallet 22 is movable in the Y direction along the guide 25 on the movable carriage 21. The pallet 22 is held at a predetermined position on the movable carriage 21 by a holding mechanism (not shown) provided on the movable carriage 21. The pallet 22 is movable relative to the movable carriage 21 by releasing the holding by the holding mechanism.

  The coupling device 30 couples the winding member 12 and the second placement unit 20. The connecting device 30 has a rod-like member 31 and a hole 32. The rod-like member 31 is formed on the base 21 a of the movable carriage 21. The rod-like member 31 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and is disposed so as to protrude upward (in the + Z direction) from the upper surface of the base 21a. The bottom 31 b of the rod-like member 31 is fixed to the base 21 a by a fixing member (not shown) such as a bolt. The rod-like member 31 is disposed at the end portion on the −X side and on the −Y side on the upper surface of the movable carriage 21 so as to avoid interference with the pallet 22. In addition, although the 2nd mounting part 20 mentioned above has shown the structure in which the pallet 22 can be moved with respect to the mobile trolley 21, it is not limited to this. For example, the movable carriage 21 and the pallet 22 may be integrated. In this case, a portion corresponding to the pallet 22 on which the workpiece W can be loaded may be formed on the movable carriage 21.

  The upper end portion 31 a of the rod-like member 31 is formed in a tapered shape such that the diameter of the cross section decreases upward. Further, the rod-like member 31 is formed to have a length such that the upper end portion 31 a is located on the + Z side of the base 22 a of the pallet 22. More specifically, the rod-like member 31 is formed to have a length such that the upper end 31a is located on the + Z side of the workpiece W stacked and mounted on the base 22a.

  Moreover, the plate-shaped member 13b is provided in the lower part at the edge part 13a by the side of -X of the above-mentioned cross bar 13. As shown in FIG. The plate-like member 13 b is disposed so as to protrude from the end 13 a to the −Y side, and is fixed by a fixing member such as a bolt. The above-mentioned hole 32 is formed in the part which protruded to the -Y side of plate-like member 13b. The hole 32 is formed in a size (diameter) through which the rod-like member 31 can be inserted. The hole 32 is formed, for example, in a circular shape, and penetrates the plate member 13 b in the Z direction. The holes 32 are disposed at substantially the same height as the upper surface 12 a of the winding member 12 in the Z direction, but the heights of the holes 32 are not limited.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the coupling device 30. As shown in FIG. When connecting the winding member 12 and the 2nd mounting part 20 using the connection apparatus 30, first, as shown to FIG. 2 (A), the hole 32 is aligned above the rod-shaped member 31. As shown in FIG. The alignment between the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 is performed, for example, by one or both of the movement of the cross bar 13 in the Y direction and the movement of the movable carriage 21 in the Y direction.

  Subsequently, the lifting device 15 (see FIG. 1) is driven to lower the first placement unit 10. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), the rod-like member 31 is in the state of being inserted into the hole 32. When the rod-like member 31 is inserted into the hole 32, the rod-like member 31 and the plate-like member 13b are engaged in the horizontal direction (at least the Y direction). Thus, the winding member 12 and the second placement unit 20 move integrally in the Y direction via the cross bar 13. Accordingly, in this state, for example, when the second placement unit 20 is moved in the Y direction, the rod-like member 31 moves the winding member 12 in the Y direction via the cross bar 13. Thus, the upper surface 12 a of the winding member 12 moves in the Y direction integrally with the second placement unit 20.

  As described above, since the connecting device 30 is configured by the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32, for example, even when the height of the hole 32 or the insertion length of the rod-like member 31 changes, the rod-like member 31 is a hole The connection in the horizontal direction can be performed by being inserted into 32. That is, even when the distance (interval) between the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 changes, it is possible to easily connect the two.

  In addition, since the upper end portion 31a of the rod-like member 31 is formed in a tapered shape, the upper end portion 31a is the hole 32 even when the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 are slightly deviated in the X direction or Y direction. Inserted into However, it is optional whether or not the upper end 31a of the rod-like member 31 is tapered. Also, the rod-like member 31 may be prismatic instead of being cylindrical. Moreover, although the rod-shaped member 31 is arrange | positioned at the moving trolley 21 and the hole 32 is arrange | positioned at the cross bar 13 (winding member 12) mentioned above, it is not limited to this. For example, the cross bar 13 may be provided with a rod-shaped member 31 extending downward, and a part of the movable carriage 21 may be provided with a hole 32.

  Moreover, although the connection apparatus 30 is provided in the -X side of the cross bar 13, it may be provided in the + X side. Also, the coupling device 30 may be provided on both the −X side and the + X side of the cross bar 13. In addition, the connecting device 30 is not limited to one rod-like member 31 and one hole 32. For example, the rod-like members 31 stand upright in the Y direction on the upper surface of the movable carriage 21; Similarly, a plurality of holes 32 formed in line in the Y direction in the plate-like member 13b may be provided.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example when the transfer device 100 is viewed from the + Y side. As shown in FIG. 3A, the frame 16 of the first placement unit 10 is provided with a detection unit 18. The detection unit 18 detects the height of the workpiece W placed on the pallet 22 (second placement unit 20). The detection unit 18 is an optical non-contact sensor. The detection unit 18 includes a light emitting unit 18 a and a light receiving unit 18 b.

  The light emitting unit 18 a is attached to the + X side wall of the frame 16. For example, a laser light source is used as the light emitting unit 18a. The light emitting unit 18 a emits detection light (laser light or the like) 18 c in the −X direction. The light receiving unit 18 b is attached to a wall on the −X side of the frame 16. The light receiving unit 18 b is disposed on the optical path of the detection light 18 c emitted from the light emitting unit 18 a. The light receiving unit 18 b receives the detection light 18 c and converts it into an electric signal. The light receiving unit 18 b transmits the converted electrical signal to a control unit (not shown) or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the first placement unit 10 is separated upward with respect to the second placement unit 20, the detection light 18c is blocked between the light emitting unit 18a and the light receiving unit 18b. There is nothing. For this reason, an electric signal when the detection light 18 c is received by the light receiving unit 18 b is transmitted to the control unit (not illustrated). The control unit determines that the work W is not present between the light emitting unit 18 a and the light receiving unit 18 b by receiving the electric signal.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the elevator 15 is driven to move the first placement unit 10 downward and approach the second placement unit 20, the placement is performed on the base 22a of the pallet 22. The upper portion of the workpiece W is in a state of being inserted between the light emitting unit 18a and the light receiving unit 18b. At this time, the detection light 18c emitted from the light emitting unit 18a is blocked by the work W and does not reach the light receiving unit 18b. Therefore, the light receiving unit 18b does not generate an electrical signal when the detection light 18c is received.

  The control unit determines that the work W is present between the light emitting unit 18 a and the light receiving unit 18 b by detecting that the signal corresponding to the detection light 18 c is not generated by the light receiving unit 18 b. The control unit stops the driving of the lifting device 15 by determining the presence of the work W, and sets the lowered position of the first placement unit 10. Thus, the height of the first placement unit 10 with respect to the pallet 22 (second placement unit 20) can be easily and accurately set by the detection unit 18. Even when there is no work W on the base 22a, the pallet 22 is disposed between the light emitting unit 18a and the light receiving unit 18b, so that the control unit does not generate a signal corresponding to the detection light 18c. It is detectable.

  Note that whether or not to provide the above-described detection unit 18 is optional. In addition, the detection unit 18 is not limited to the use of the above-described optical non-contact sensor. For example, it may be a non-contact sensor that detects a capacitance, or a contact-type sensor having a probe that can contact the top surface of the work W loaded on the pallet 22 may be used.

  Next, the transfer method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 illustrate the operation of the transfer device 100 configured as described above. 4 to 7 schematically show parts related to the main part of the operation. Further, in the following description, the work W is taken from the first placement portion 10 having the main body portion 11 and the winding member 12 on which the work W is placed on the upper surface 12a. A method of transferring the second mounting unit 20 to the second mounting unit 20 includes: connecting the upper surface 12 a of the winding member 12 to the second mounting unit 20; and coupling the upper surface 12 a of the winding member 12 Performing the horizontal movement of either one of the first placement unit 10 and the second placement unit 20 or the movement of the winding member 12 in a state in which .

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the work W processed by a thermal cutting machine such as a laser machine is placed on the processing pallet 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the processing pallet 60 travels in the + X direction with respect to the laser processing machine to carry in the work W, and in the -X direction with the work W processed by the laser processing machine placed thereon. It travels and carries out the work W.

  The processing pallet 60 on which the processed workpiece W is placed is held at the position shown in FIG. The first placement unit 10 is disposed at a position slightly lower than the height of the work W placed on the processing pallet 60. Subsequently, the first placement unit 10 is moved in the + Y direction by a moving device (not shown), and the arm portions 17 are inserted into the intervals 61 of the support plate 62 of the processing pallet 60. The support plate 62 is a plate-like body whose upper end is a sawtooth shape, and is arranged in a state of standing up in the Y direction and being arranged at a constant interval in the X direction.

  After the arm 17 is inserted below the workpiece W, the workpiece W on the support plate 62 is scraped off by the arm 17 of the first mounting portion 10 by lowering the processing pallet 60, and the winding member 12 It is placed on the upper surface 12a. Note that, instead of lowering the processing pallet 60, the first placement portion 10 may be raised, or both the lowering of the processing pallet 60 and the lifting of the first mounting portion 10 may be performed. . Moreover, although the work W is transferred to the 1st mounting part 10 from the process pallet 60 carried out from the laser processing machine in the above, it is not limited to this. For example, while the processing pallet 60 is disposed in the processing area of the laser processing machine, the arms 17 of the first placement unit 10 may be inserted into the gap 61 to scoop the workpiece W.

  After placing the work W on the first placement unit 10, the first placement unit 10 is moved in the -Y direction by a moving device (not shown) and returns to the position shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the work W is placed on the first placement unit 10. As shown in FIG. 5A, the second placement unit 20 is disposed below the first placement unit 10. In this state, the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 of the coupling device 30 are not aligned.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the drive device 40 is driven to move the second placement unit 20 to the + Y side, and the alignment between the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 is performed. The operation shown in FIG. 5B is an operation for aligning the rod-like member 31 of the connecting device 30 and the hole 32. Therefore, when the alignment between the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 is completed at the stage shown in FIG. 5A, the movement of the second placement portion 20 as shown in FIG. 5B is unnecessary. is there. However, as shown in FIG. 5A, the space on the floor can be efficiently used by arranging the first placement unit 10 and the second placement unit 20 in an overlapping manner.

  Next, as shown to FIG. 6 (A), the raising / lowering apparatus 15 is driven and the 1st mounting part 10 is dropped. By lowering the first placement portion 10, the first placement portion 10 approaches the second placement portion 20, and the rod-like member 31 of the coupling device 30 is inserted into the hole 32. Thereby, the winding member 12 and the second placement unit 20 are connected by the connecting device 30. When lowering the first placement unit 10, the height of the work W loaded on the pallet 22 is detected by the detection unit 18 (see FIG. 3) provided on the frame 16, and the lower portion of the first placement unit 10 ( The descent of the first placement unit 10 is stopped at a position where the lower surface 12b) of the winding member 12 is above the workpiece W of the uppermost layer (see FIG. 3). Thereby, the first placement unit 10 can be prevented from colliding with the workpiece W.

  However, the lowering stop position of the first placement unit 10 is not limited to using the detection result of the detection unit 18. For example, the descent stop position of the first placement unit 10 may be set in advance. Further, at the stage shown in FIG. 6A, a sensor may be disposed to confirm whether the rod-like member 31 of the connection device 30 is inserted into the hole 32. The sensor may be either a contact type sensor or a non-contact type sensor, or an image may be obtained and confirmed by a camera or the like. When the work W loaded on the pallet 22 exceeds the specified amount, the rod-like member 31 may not be inserted into the hole 32 even if the first placement unit 10 is lowered. In this case, after replacing the pallet 22 with a new pallet 22, the first placement unit 10 is lowered again.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the drive device 40 is driven to move the second placement unit 20 in the + Y direction with respect to the first placement unit 10. The crossbar 13 is moved in the + Y direction via the connecting device 30 by the second placement unit 20, and the upper surface 12a side of the winding member 12 is moved in the + Y direction. The workpiece W placed on the upper surface 12a moves in the + Y direction. The workpiece W protrudes from the arm 17 in the + Y direction, but the second placement unit 20 (pallet 22) that moves in synchronization with the movement of the workpiece W is disposed below the workpiece W. Thus, the workpiece W is sequentially placed on the pallet 22 from the end on the + Y side.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, by further moving the pallet 22 (second placement unit 20) in the + Y direction, the edge on the −Y side of the work W is separated from the winding member 12, The entire work W is placed on the base 22 a of the pallet 22. As described above, when the first placement unit 10 and the second placement unit 20 are shifted from the overlapping state in the Z direction, the work W is moved from the first placement unit 10 to the second placement unit 20. (Base 22a) is transferred.

  After the work W is transferred onto the pallet 22, as shown in FIG. 7B, the first placement unit 10 is slightly raised by the lifting device 15. The reason for slightly raising the first placement unit 10 is that the work W placed on the pallet 22 collides with the first placement unit 10 when the second placement unit 20 subsequently moves in the -Y direction. It is to avoid. When there is a sufficient space between the work W and the first placement unit 10, the raising of the first placement unit 10 is unnecessary.

  Subsequently, the second placement unit 20 drives the drive device 40 to move it in the -Y direction. In this state, since the rod-like member 31 of the connecting device 30 is still inserted into the hole 32, the upper surface 12a of the winding member 12 is also -Y via the cross bar 13 with the movement of the second placement unit 20. Move in the direction. The operation of returning the winding member 12 to the original position is not limited to the above. For example, from the state shown in FIG. 7A, the first placement portion 10 is raised until the hole 32 separates from the rod-like member 31, and the winding member 12 is returned to the original position by another driving device (not shown). You may do so.

  Subsequently, at the stage when the second placement unit 20 and the winding member 12 return to the original position shown in FIG. 5B, the lifting device 15 is driven to raise the first placement unit 10, whereby the hole is formed. The portion 32 is separated from the rod-like member 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the first placement unit 10 receives the work W on the processing pallet 60 carried out of the laser processing machine again, and repeatedly performs the above-described operation to obtain the plurality of works W It is transferred from the first placement unit 10 to the pallet 22 of the second placement unit 20. In addition, when the second placement unit 20 moves to the + Y side, the pallet 22 on which the works W are stacked is connected by a guide (not shown) for carrying out the pallet and is carried out by moving along the guide. . Moreover, it is not limited to using only the pallet 22 for carrying out the work W. For example, after raising the first mounting portion 10, the movable carriage 21 on which the pallet 22 is mounted is moved in the + Y direction to work W may be carried out.

  8A and 8B show an example of the stopper device 70. FIG. The transfer device 100 may be provided with a stopper device 70 that holds the moving position of the winding member 12 in addition to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8A, the stopper device 70 has a drive portion 71 and a pad portion 72. The operation of the stopper device 70 may be controlled by a controller (not shown). The drive unit 71 is fixed to a fixing member 74 extending from the frame 16 (see FIG. 1). The drive unit 71 uses, for example, an air cylinder mechanism or the like, and moves the piston rod 73 in the Z direction. The pad portion 72 is fixed to the lower end of the piston rod 73. The pad portion 72 is a contact surface 72a whose lower surface is in contact with the plate-like member 13b. In addition, the area | region which has a dimension which the pad part 72 can contact | abut may be provided in the plate-shaped member 13b. The portion to which the pad portion 72 contacts can be set to any portion of the plate-like member 13 b excluding the hole 32.

  When the drive unit 71 is driven to lower the piston rod 73, as shown in FIG. 8B, the pad portion 72 abuts against the plate-like member 13b, and the movement of the cross bar 13 in the Y direction is restricted. Therefore, for example, the stopper device 70 is driven in the state shown in FIG. 5 (A) or (B), and the plate-like member 13b is held so as not to move carelessly. Thus, the rod member 31 and the hole 32 are held in the positioned state, and the rod member 31 can be accurately inserted into the hole 32 when the first placement unit 10 is lowered. It can be done surely. After the rod-like member 31 is inserted into the hole 32, the stopper device 70 is released.

  The configuration of the stopper device 70 is not limited to the one described above. For example, a configuration for clamping a part of the plate-like member 13b may be applied. Further, whether or not the stopper device 70 is provided is optional.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, since the winding member 12 and the second placement unit 20 are coupled by the coupling device 30, the winding member 12 is simultaneously moved by moving the second placement unit 20. The workpiece W placed on the winding member 12 can be easily transferred to the second placement unit 20. As a result, no separate drive device or synchronous control is required to drive the winding member 12 and the second placement unit 20, and the workpiece W can be stably transferred with a simple configuration.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment was described, this invention is not limited to the description mentioned above, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, after the winding member 12 and the second placement unit 20 are coupled by the coupling device 30, the second placement unit 20 is moved by the drive device 40, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the driving device 40 may move the first placement unit 10 in the horizontal direction (for example, the -Y direction) with respect to the second placement unit 20 held at a predetermined position. In addition, the winding member 12 may be moved. When the winding member 12 is moved by the driving device 40, the second placement unit 20 moves in the Y direction as the winding member 12 moves.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration example has been described by taking the configuration example in which the winding member 12 is wound around each of the plurality of arm portions 17, but is not limited thereto. For example, a part of the plurality of arm portions 17 The winding member 12 may be wound around. In the above embodiment, the first mounting unit 10 is described as a configuration example including the plurality of arms 17. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The winding member 12 is wound around one plate-like arm 17. May be wound around.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the connection device 30 has been described by way of an example in which the rod-like member 31 and the hole 32 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which connection or disconnection is performed using an electromagnet or the like may be applied. In the embodiment described above, the plate-like work W is described as an example of the article to be transferred, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, a box-like product such as a cardboard or a beer bottle case An article having a height may be transferred.

W ... Work (article)
10 ... 1st mounting part 11 ... main part (mounting part main body)
12: winding member 12a: upper surface 13: cross bar 15: lifting device 17: arm 18: detection unit 20: second placement unit 23: driving device 30: coupling device 31: rod member 32: hole portion 40: driving Device 60: Processing pallet 70: Stopper device 100: Transfer device

Claims (9)

A transfer apparatus having a first placement unit and a second placement unit on which articles can be placed, and transferring the article from the first placement unit to the second placement unit.
The first placement unit includes a placement unit main body, and a winding member on which the article is placed on the top surface of the placement unit main body.
It has a connecting device capable of connecting the upper surface of the winding member and the second mounting portion,
In a state in which the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion are connected by the coupling device, horizontal movement of either one of the first placement portion and the second placement portion or the winding member A transfer device comprising a drive device for moving.   The first placement portion and the second placement portion are shifted from the state in which they overlap each other in the vertical direction, thereby transferring the article from the first placement portion to the second placement portion The transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The placing portion main body of the first placing portion has a plurality of arm portions arranged in parallel,
The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the winding member is wound around each of the arms. It has a cross bar attached over the winding member wound around each of the arms;
The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the connection device connects the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion using the cross bar. The first placement unit and the second placement unit are relatively movable in the vertical direction,
The said connection apparatus connects the upper surface of the said winding member, and a said 2nd mounting part, when the said 1st mounting part and a said 2nd mounting part adjoin each other. The transfer apparatus according to any one of the above.   The connecting device is a rod-like member in the vertical direction provided on any one of the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion, and the other of the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement portion The transfer device according to claim 5, further comprising: a hole portion provided in the hole portion through which the rod-shaped member can be inserted.   A detection unit configured to detect a height of the article placed on the second placement unit when the first placement unit and the second placement unit are relatively moved in the vertical direction; The transfer device according to claim 5 or 6.   The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first placement unit includes a stopper device that holds the moving position of the winding member. The article is transferred from the first placement unit having the placement unit main body to the second placement unit from the first placement unit having the wrapping member on which the article is placed on the top surface of the placement unit body. How to
Connecting the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement unit;
Performing horizontal movement of either one of the first placement unit and the second placement unit or movement of the winding member in a state in which the upper surface of the winding member and the second placement unit are connected And transfer methods.

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