JP7410863B2 - Conveyor - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a conveyor that conveys a workpiece.

The chuck of the loader grasps and takes out the workpieces one by one from the conveyor. On the other hand, on the conveyor, a plurality of works are conveyed in a continuous state. For this reason, it is difficult for the chuck of the loader to pick out a desired work piece from a series of work pieces. Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 1, an escape unit is arranged on the conveyor. The escape unit can cut out (divide) one work from a series of works by moving a pair of stoppers in and out of the conveyance path.

JP2011-079081A

When cutting out one work from a series of plural works, the stopper enters the conveyance path and comes into contact with the work. At this time, the stopper may bite into the workpiece due to the driving force of the conveyor or the weight of the workpiece. In this case, the stopper becomes difficult to exit from the conveyance path. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a conveyor that includes a stopper that is unlikely to bite into a workpiece.

In order to solve the above problems, the conveyor of the present disclosure includes a conveyance path through which a workpiece is conveyed, and a stopper that is movable forward and backward with respect to the conveyance path and has a curved contact portion that can come into contact with the workpiece. It is characterized by comprising the following.

The stopper of the conveyor has a curved abutting portion. Therefore, even if the contact portion contacts the workpiece, the contact portion is unlikely to bite into the workpiece.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the conveyor. 2A to 2C are top views of the conveyor when cutting out a workpiece. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of box III in FIG. 2A. 4A to 4C are top views of the vicinity of the contact portion of the downstream stopper of the conveyor in other embodiments (parts 1 to 3).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the conveyor of the present disclosure will be described. In the subsequent figures, the front-rear direction corresponds to the "path length direction" of the present disclosure. The left-right direction corresponds to the "road width direction" of the present disclosure.

(Conveyor configuration)
First, the configuration of the conveyor will be explained. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the conveyor. A conveyor 1, a machine tool (not shown), and a loader (not shown) are arranged on the production line. The loader transports the workpiece W from the conveyor 1 to the machine tool.

The conveyor 1 is a gravity type roller conveyor. The conveyor 1 includes a conveyor main body 2 and an escape unit 3. The conveyor main body 2 includes a plurality of rollers 20 and a pair of left and right side guides 21L and 21R. The roller 20 has a long axis cylindrical shape. The roller 20 extends in the left-right direction. The roller 20 is rotatable around its own axis. The plurality of rollers 20 are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction. A conveyance path L is set above the plurality of rollers 20 . The conveyance path L extends in the front-rear direction. The conveyance path L descends from the rear side (upstream side) to the front side (downstream side). A workpiece unloading position A is set at the front end (downstream end) of the transport path L. The loader unloads the workpieces W one by one from the workpiece unloading position A. The workpiece W is transported along the transport path L from the rear side to the front side due to its own weight. At this time, the roller 20 that contacts the workpiece W rotates. The workpiece W has a short-axis cylindrical shape. The central axis of the workpiece W extends in the vertical direction (specifically, the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the surface of the transport path L is developed). The outer peripheral surface of the workpiece W has a curved shape with a constant curvature.

The pair of left and right side guides 21L and 21R each have a plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. The right side guide 21R is included in the concept of "side guide" in the present disclosure. The pair of left and right side guides 21L and 21R are erected upward from both edges of the conveyance path L in the left and right direction. A pair of front and rear through holes 210L are formed in the left side guide 21L.

The escape unit 3 includes a drive section (not shown), an upstream stopper 30r, a downstream stopper 30f, a unit main body 31, and a control device (not shown). The upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f are included in the concept of "stopper" in the present disclosure. The unit main body 31 is arranged on the left side (outside when viewed from the conveyance path L) of the left side guide 21L. The drive section is arranged in the unit main body 31. The drive unit includes a cylinder (not shown) and a cam (not shown). The cam can swing as the cylinder moves linearly.

The upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f face the right side guide 21R in the left-right direction. The upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f can protrude from the unit main body 31 to the right side. The upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f are juxtaposed with a predetermined distance apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f are juxtaposed on the left side of the pair of front and rear through holes 210L.

The upstream stopper 30r includes a stopper main body 300 and an abutment roller 301. The stopper main body 300 has a rod shape extending in the left-right direction. A cam of a drive unit is in contact with the left end (outer end when viewed from the conveyance path L) of the stopper main body 300. As the cam swings, the stopper main body 300, that is, the upstream stopper 30r, can move linearly in the left-right direction. That is, the upstream stopper 30r can move forward and backward from the left side with respect to the conveyance path L. Specifically, the upstream stopper 30r can reciprocate between an entry position and an exit position, which will be described later. The contact roller 301 is arranged at the right end of the stopper body 300 (inner end when viewed from the conveyance path L). The contact roller 301 has a cylindrical shape with a short axis. The contact roller 301 is rotatable around its own axis. The rotation axis of the contact roller 301 extends in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the direction in which the surface of the conveyance path L is developed). A contact portion 302 is set on the outer peripheral surface of the contact roller 301 . The contact portion 302 has a curved surface with a constant curvature. The curvature of the contact portion 302 is larger than the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece W (the curvature is tighter). At the entry position, the contact portion 302 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece W. The configuration of the downstream stopper 30f is similar to the configuration of the upstream stopper 30r. The control device controls the movement of the drive section. The control device switches the positions of the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f to the entry position and the exit position at predetermined timing.

(movement of conveyor)
Next, the movement of the conveyor when cutting out a workpiece will be explained. FIGS. 2A to 2C show top views of the conveyor when cutting out a workpiece. The state in FIG. 2A is referred to as a first stage, the state in FIG. 2B as a second stage, and the state in FIG. 2C as a third stage. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the side guides 21L and 21R are shown in a cross-sectional view.

In the first stage shown in FIG. 2A, first, the control device drives the drive unit to cause the downstream stopper 30f to enter the conveyance path L. That is, the downstream stopper 30f is switched from the exit position P1 to the entrance position P2 . Note that the upstream stopper 30r is set at the exit position P1. Next, in the conveyance path L, the plurality of works W are caused to flow down by their own weight. Among the plurality of works W, the first work Wa (front end, most downstream) collides with the downstream stopper 30f. Due to the collision, all the workpieces W stop.

In the second stage shown in FIG. 2B, the control device drives the drive unit to cause the upstream stopper 30r to enter the conveyance path L. That is, the upstream stopper 30r is switched from the exit position P1 to the entry position P2. The upstream stopper 30r is inserted between the first workpiece Wa and the second workpiece Wb from the beginning.

In the third stage shown in FIG. 2C, the control device drives the drive unit to move the downstream stopper 30f out of the conveyance path L. That is, the downstream stopper 30f is switched from the entry position P2 to the exit position P1. The leading workpiece Wa is released from the downstream stopper 30f, flows down the conveyance path L by its own weight, and arrives at the workpiece unloading position A. On the other hand, the remaining (subsequent) plurality of works W are restrained by the upstream stopper 30r. Therefore, it remains stopped.

Subsequently, when the downstream stopper 30f is switched from the exit position P1 to the approach position P2 and the upstream stopper 30r is switched from the approach position P2 to the exit position P1, the plurality of workpieces W flows down the conveyance path L by one workpiece W. do. The first workpiece (old second workpiece) Wb contacts the downstream stopper 30f. That is, the state shown in FIG. 2A is reached. In this way, by repeating the states shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the plurality of workpieces W are cut out one by one and transported to the workpiece unloading position A. The loader can individually unload the workpieces W from the workpiece unloading position A.

(effect)
Next, the effects of the conveyor will be explained. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of box III in FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 3, the width (width in the left-right direction) B of the transport path L is set larger than the outer diameter (diameter) C of the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. That is, in order to ensure the fluidity of the workpiece W, a gap (play) D in the left and right direction is set in the conveyance path L. Further, at the entry position P2, the contact portion 302 of the downstream stopper 30f is arranged to the left of the center of the transport path L in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the weight of the remaining (subsequent) plural works W is applied to the leading work Wa from the rear side. Therefore, as shown by the arrow Y1, when the leading workpiece Wa collides with the downstream stopper 30f, the workpiece Wa moves to the front right side with respect to the position immediately before the collision (indicated by the dashed line). The workpiece Wa is stopped while being held between the contact portion 302 of the downstream stopper 30f and the right side guide 21R. As shown by arrow Y2, as the workpiece Wa moves, the contact portion 302 rotates while contacting the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece Wa.

Here, if the abutment part 302 has a tapered surface shape that sharpens from the left side to the right side, the top (corner part) of the abutment part 302 is likely to come into corner contact with the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wa. That is, the contact portion 302 tends to bite (easily come into close contact with, or tend to bite) the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wa. Therefore, in the third stage shown in FIG. 2C, when the downstream stopper 30f is moved out of the conveyance path L, the contact portion 302 is difficult to separate from the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece Wa.

In this regard, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact portion 302 has a curved shape (a curved surface that projects from the inside to the outside of the contact roller 301). Therefore, the contact portion 302 is less likely to bite into the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wa. Therefore, when the downstream stopper 30f is moved out of the conveyance path L, the contact portion 302 is easily separated from the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wa. Similarly, regarding the upstream stopper 30r, the contact portion 302 is easily separated from the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece Wb.

Further, as shown by arrow Y2 in FIG. 3, the contact portion 302 of the downstream stopper 30f is rotatable while contacting the workpiece Wa. Therefore, the contact portion 302 is less likely to bite into the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wa. Similarly, regarding the upstream stopper 30r, the contact portion 302 is less likely to bite into the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wb.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the downstream stopper 30f and the right side guide 21R are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, due to the protruding movement of the downstream stopper 30f from the left side to the right side, the workpiece Wa is likely to be inevitably caught between the downstream side stopper 30f and the right side guide 21R. Therefore, the contact portion 302 tends to bite into the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece Wa. In this respect, the contact portion 302 has a curved shape. Therefore, even though the contact portion 302 tends to bite into the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wa, the biting can be suppressed. Similarly, regarding the upstream stopper 30r, the contact portion 302 is less likely to bite into the outer circumferential surface of the workpiece Wb.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the radial cross-sectional shape of the contact roller 301 is a perfect circle. That is, the curvature of the contact portion 302 is constant. Therefore, compared to the case where the curvature of the contact portion 302 is not constant (the contact portion 302 in this case is also included in the concept of “contact portion” in the present disclosure, of course), the contact roller 301 rotates. It's easy to do.

Further, the curvature of the contact portion 302 is larger than the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece W. Therefore, in the second stage shown in FIG. 2B, it is easy to insert the upstream stopper 30r between the first workpiece Wa and the second workpiece Wb from the beginning.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f are arranged side by side with a predetermined interval (outer diameter C of the workpiece W) in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the work W can be cut out one by one.

(others)
The embodiments of the conveyor of the present disclosure have been described above. However, the embodiments are not particularly limited to the above embodiments. It is also possible to implement various modifications and improvements that can be made by those skilled in the art.

4A to 4C show top views of the vicinity of the contact portion of the downstream stopper of the conveyor in other embodiments (parts 1 to 3). Note that FIGS. 4A to 4C correspond to FIG. 3. Furthermore, the embodiments of FIGS. 4A to 4C can also be applied to the upstream stopper 30r. As shown in FIG. 4A, the contact portion 302 may be integrated with the downstream stopper 30f. In other words, the contact portion 302 does not need to rotate. This simplifies the configuration of the downstream stopper 30f. As shown in FIG. 4B, the curvature of the contact portion 302 may not be constant. In other words, the contact portion 302 may be configured from a plurality of curved surfaces having different curvatures. As shown in FIG. 4C, the contact portion 302 may be arranged only on the rear side of the downstream stopper 30f (the side to which the load is applied from the workpiece Wa). In particular, in the case of "a type of stopper that is not inserted between the pair of workpieces Wa and Wb", such as the downstream stopper 30f, the embodiment of FIG. 4C is easily adopted. The state of contact between the contact portion 302 and the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece Wa is not particularly limited. The contact state includes surface contact (for example, when the contact portion 302 and the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece Wa are symmetrical), line contact (for example, the curvature of the contact portion 302 and the outer peripheral surface (curved surface, plane) of the workpiece Wa). may be different), or point contact (for example, when the contact portion 302 is partially spherical).

The curvature of the abutment part 302 on the rear side (for workpiece Wb) of the upstream stopper 30r shown in FIG. 3 and the curvature of the abutment part 302 on the front side (for workpiece Wa) are different even if they match. Good too. The same applies to the downstream stopper 30f. Further, the configuration of the upstream stopper 30r and the configuration of the downstream stopper 30f may be the same or different.

The type of conveyor 1 (conveyor main body 2) shown in FIG. 1 is not particularly limited. For example, a roller conveyor, belt conveyor, chain conveyor, slat conveyor, apron conveyor, mesh conveyor, etc. may be used. The method of driving the workpiece W is not particularly limited. The workpiece W may move by its own weight. Further, the workpiece W may be moved by driving the conveyance path L with an actuator (such as a motor). Moreover, the conveyance path L may be horizontal or may be inclined. The slope of the conveyance path L may be downward or upward from the upstream side toward the downstream side.

The distance in the longitudinal direction between the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f shown in FIG. 3 is not particularly limited. For example, if it is desired to cut out two workpieces W, the interval may be set to be equal to two workpieces W. Further, the distance between the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f in the front-rear direction may be fixed to a predetermined distance. Alternatively, the interval may be changeable.

The number of stoppers (upstream stopper 30r, downstream stopper 30f) shown in FIG. 3 is not particularly limited. It may be single. Alternatively, there may be three or more. The direction of movement of the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f with respect to the conveyance path L is not particularly limited. It may be in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the direction may be perpendicular to the front-rear direction or the left-right direction. The drive mechanisms for the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f (configuration of the drive section of the escape unit 3) are not particularly limited. For example, the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f may be driven by a single common cylinder (commonly used by the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f) and a single common cam. Alternatively, the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f may be driven by a single common cylinder and a plurality of dedicated cams (one dedicated to the upstream stopper 30r and one dedicated to the downstream stopper 30f). Further, the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f may be driven by a plurality of dedicated cylinders and a plurality of dedicated cams. Further, the upstream stopper 30r and the downstream stopper 30f may be driven by a plurality of dedicated cylinders. Alternatively, the cam may be oscillated by a motor without using a cylinder.

The width in the left-right direction of the gap D (the gap between the workpiece W and the side guides 21L, 21R) shown in FIG. 3 is not limited. The width of the gap D in the left-right direction may be 0 or more. The shape of the workpiece W is not particularly limited. When viewed from above, the shape may be a perfect circle, an ellipse, or a polygon (triangle, quadrangle, etc.). When the workpieces W are polygonal, it is preferable that there is a gap that opens on the left side between a pair of workpieces W that are continuous in the front-rear direction. This makes it easy to insert the upstream stopper 30r between the pair of works W through the gap. Further, when the conveyor 1 includes a plurality of stoppers, the stopper of the present disclosure may be applied to all the stoppers. Further, the stopper of the present disclosure may be applied to only some of the stoppers. For example, the stopper of the present disclosure may be applied only to the most downstream stopper (downstream stopper 30f) to which a large load is likely to be applied from the plurality of works W. The escape unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 may be used independently of the conveyor 1. That is, the escape unit 3 may be used by being additionally attached to an existing conveyor.

1: conveyor, 2: conveyor body, 3: escape unit, 20: roller, 21L: side guide, 21R: side guide (side guide), 30f: downstream stopper (stopper), 30r: upstream stopper (stopper), 31: Unit body, 210L: Through hole, 300: Stopper body, 301: Contact roller, 302: Contact part, A: Workpiece unloading position, B: Path width, C: Outer diameter, D: Gap, L: Conveyance path, P1: Exit position, P2: Entry position, W: Work, Wa: Work, Wb: Work

Claims (4)

A conveyance path through which the workpiece is conveyed,
a stopper that is movable forward and backward with respect to the conveyance path and has a curved contact portion that can come into contact with the workpiece;
Equipped with
In the conveyance path, the direction in which the work is conveyed is the path length direction, and the direction intersecting the path length direction is the path width direction,
further comprising a pair of side guides that partition the conveyance path and face each other in the path width direction;
Of the pair of side guides, one of the side guides and the stopper are arranged to face each other in the road width direction,
Of the pair of side guides, the other side guide guides the advance and retreat of the stopper and has a through hole that opens to the conveyance path ;
The stopper has an abutment roller rotatable around its own axis,
The contact portion is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the contact roller, and is rotatable in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece,
A plurality of the stoppers are arranged in parallel in the path length direction,
The other side guide has the same number of through holes as the plurality of stoppers,
Each of the plurality of stoppers is guided in the road width direction by the through hole,
The inner end in the road width direction of the abutment part is arranged at the same position as the inner surface in the road width direction of the other side guide, and a position where the abutment part releases the workpiece is set as an exit position;
The inner end of the contact portion in the path width direction is disposed closer to the other side guide than the center of the transport path in the path width direction, and the contact portion The position where is restrained is the entry position,
Each of the plurality of stoppers is capable of reciprocating between the exit position and the entry position. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the curvature of the contact portion is constant. The conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, comprising an escape unit having the stopper. The conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a gap is ensured between the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance path and the pair of side guides.

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