JP7643237B2 - Work supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work supply device.

Power cards are known as switching elements used in power conversion units (PCUs) used in electric vehicles and the like. In the manufacturing process of these power cards, a large number of power cards in the middle of production are loaded into a storage device as one lot, and when the power cards are removed from the storage device one by one, each power card is removed so that it corresponds to each required destination.

The storage device that stores these power cards in stacks as work is required to supply the required number of work pieces when required, without delay, on demand.

When supplying one workpiece from a number of stacked workpieces, the system described in Patent Document 1, for example, has a stocker in which a number of workpieces are stored in a stacked state, a holding unit including at least a pair of pads that clamp and hold both ends of one of the workpieces in a V-shape, and a moving unit that moves at least one of the holding unit and the stocker to move the stocker downward relative to the holding unit in a state in which the one workpiece is clamped between the at least a pair of pads, thereby separating the one workpiece from the other works.

JP 2017-160055 A

When loading workpieces into a storage device, for example, 30 stacked power cards (workpieces) are set from the bottom, and the workpieces are removed (unloaded) one by one from the top of the storage device. In this case, after the remaining number of works on the top level of the storage device runs out, there is usually a long waiting time until the next workpiece can be unloaded, when the next 30 stacked workpieces are loaded and set.

Furthermore, there is no known device that can reduce the loss of waiting time that elapses when there are no more workpieces remaining in the storage device until the next large number of stacked workpieces can be brought in.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and its purpose is to provide a work supply device that can supply a large number of workpieces from a small space with high efficiency and without delay.

The work supply device of the present invention is capable of storing a large number of workpieces (2) and supplies the topmost workpiece of the large number of workpieces to the outside in sequence,
A storage facility (14) capable of carrying in and stacking a large number of workpieces from the outside;
a storage box (12) located at the upper level of the storage facility and capable of receiving a large number of workpieces stacked in the storage facility at a predetermined timing;
A first receiving table (10, 22) provided in the storage box and supporting a large number of workpieces;
a second receiving table (31) to which the predetermined number of remaining workpieces is transferred from the first receiving table when the remaining number of workpieces on the first receiving table is reduced to a predetermined number;
a loader (11) for sequentially carrying out the topmost workpiece among the workpieces stacked on the first receiving table or the second receiving table in the storage box;
a pitch feed unit (6) that pitch-feeds the remaining workpieces on the first receiving table upward every time the top workpiece is carried out by the loader;
and a rod (13, 18) for loading the multiple workpieces from the storehouse onto the first receiving table in the storage box during a period in which the loader continues to unload the workpieces one by one from the second receiving table when the remaining number of workpieces on the first receiving table is reduced to a predetermined number when the multiple workpieces stacked in the storage box are unloaded to the outside in sequence,
The rod is configured to transfer a large number of stacked workpieces to the first receiving table, then descend to load the next large number of workpieces to be stacked in the storage facility, and rise during the period in which the topmost remaining workpieces are removed in order from the second receiving table, and transfer the loaded large number of workpieces to the first receiving table in a storage box .

During the period in which the remaining number of workpieces to be pitch-fed by the pitch feed unit is reduced to a predetermined number, the lifting device is operated to carry the next large number of workpieces from the storehouse into the storage box.
Therefore, since the pitch feed unit completes the transport of the next stacked multiple workpieces into the storage box within a period in which the number of remaining workpieces to be pitch fed is less than a predetermined number, the transport (supply) of each workpiece to its respective destination can be continued without any waiting time loss.

When the number of remaining workpieces has decreased to a predetermined number, the support means for placing the remaining workpieces is switched from the first receiving table to the second receiving table within the period before the number of remaining workpieces reaches zero, so that the next stage of multiple workpieces can be transported into the storage box while continuing to supply workpieces before the number of remaining workpieces on the second receiving table reaches zero.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a work supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a take-out unit of the work supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a take-out unit and a power card pitch feed unit of the work supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pitch feed unit of the work supplying device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a power card of the work supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a power card of the work supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stock unit of the workpiece supplying device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams illustrating an operation of the work supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Below, a work supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment in which the work supply device of the present invention is applied to a power card supply device used for switching elements of a power conversion device (power control unit (PCU)) of an electric vehicle.

The power card supply device 1 includes a transport unit 4, a removal unit 5, a pitch feed unit 6, and a stock unit 7.

The transport unit 4 transports the power card taken in from the carry-in entrance into the storage 14 located below the take-out unit 5. Hereinafter, in the specification, the "power card" will be referred to as the "work".
Thirty workpieces are carried into the magazine 14 from the transport unit 4 as one lot.

As shown in FIG. 2, the take-out unit 5 of the work supply device 1 includes a storage 14 on the lower stage and a storage box 12 on the upper stage.
A large number of workpieces 2 are carried into the storage facility 14 from outside in batches of 30. All of the workpieces 2 stored in the storage facility 14 are lifted in the direction of arrow 26 by the lifting device 13. The lifting device 13 includes a linear servo motor (not shown), a chuck cylinder that positions the large number of workpieces, and a rod 18 that lifts the large number of workpieces up to the storage box 12. The storage box 12 is located at the end of the lift, and the lift end is detected by the lifting detection sensor 15.

When the rod 18, driven by a linear servo motor (not shown), rises, it lifts 30 workpieces from the storage shed 14 into the storage box 12.

Inside the storage box 12, the 30 stacked workpieces are supported from the underside of the lowest workpiece 2 by a pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22, which corresponds to the first receiving table 10.

The pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22 on which the stacked workpieces 2 are placed is connected to the upper end of the rod 18, which rises due to the driving force of a linear servo, and raises the workpieces in the storage box 12 one by one with each pitch.

The storage box 12 is equipped with a lifter 13, which is equivalent to a lifting device that lifts up the multiple stacked workpieces, a lifting detection sensor 15 that detects whether the topmost workpiece of the stack is present, a pitch feed servo 16 that lifts the workpiece, pitch feed clamp claws 17 that regulate each of the stacked workpieces, and a suction head 11 that sucks and adheres to the top surface of the topmost workpiece.

The storage box 12 stores 30 workpieces. When the workpieces stored in the storage box 12 become empty as described below, the rod 18 is raised in the direction of the arrow 26 by the drive of the lifting device 13, and the 30 workpieces placed on the first receiving table 10 are stored inside the storage box 12.
The lifting detection sensor 15 detects the rising end of the workpiece being lifted from the storage facility 14 to the storage box 12 .

The pitch feed unit 6, which has a pitch feed mechanism, pitch-feeds each of the 30 workpieces moved from the removal unit 5 to the upper storage box 12 one by one.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pitch feed unit 6 of the work supply device 1 includes a storage box 12, a pitch feed servo motor 16, a pitch feed detection sensor 21, a pitch feed work receiver 22, and a pitch feed arm 23.

The pitch feed servo motor 16 lifts the workpiece by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the workpiece that is reduced when the topmost workpiece among the works loaded on the pitch feed workpiece receiver 22 is carried out by the suction head 11, which will be described later.
The pitch feed detection sensor 21 sends the detected pitch feed signal to a control device (not shown). The pitch feed servo motor 16 is driven based on the calculation result of the control device, and the pitch feed workpiece receiver 22 corresponding to the operation of the corresponding pitch feed arm 23 lifts the workpiece.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the work support 36 goes under the work, and the chuck cylinder 35 prevents the work from falling. The work support 36 lifts the work at one pitch by a servo motor (not shown).

Figure 4 shows a state in which 30 workpieces are stored stacked in the magazine 14, 30 workpieces are stored stacked in the storage box 12, and 4 workpieces are stored in the stock unit 7.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the remaining number of workpieces supported by the pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22 of the arm 23 connected to the upper end of the rod 18 is five.
The pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22 supports the stacked workpieces during the period in which the number of workpieces inside the storage box 12 decreases from 30 to 5.

The stock unit 7 is a unit that stores the remaining five workpieces that are sent one by one to the upper position by the pitch feed mechanism, and can store a maximum of five workpieces.

The workpieces are sucked up one by one by the suction head 11, which corresponds to a loader described later, and transported to the outside. The suction head 11 uses a vacuum.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the stock unit 7 equipped with the stock mechanism includes a suction head 11 , a pitch feed workpiece receiver 22 , a pitch feed arm 23 , a stock receiver 31 , and a stock arm 32 .
The pitch feed arm 23 enters the underside of the bottom of the workpiece and supports the entire workpiece.

It is equipped with a stock arm 32 and a stock receiver 31 so that several workpieces 2 from the last workpiece of the pitch feed can be left at the top of the storage box 12.

The pitch feed workpiece receiver 22, which holds the 30 stacked workpieces mentioned above, rises together with the pitch feed arm 23 at one pitch intervals, and when the number of remaining workpieces becomes five, as shown in FIG. 7, the stock receiver 31, which corresponds to the second receiving platform and is fixed to the lower end of the stock arm 32, enters the underside of the lowest workpiece of the remaining five stacked workpieces and supports the five stacked workpieces.

The stock arm 32 rises one pitch at a time, and with each pitch the suction head 11 picks up and picks up the topmost workpiece, and then transports and supplies the topmost workpiece to the desired location.
During the period when there are remaining works to be placed on the stock receiver 31, the rod 18, which corresponds to the first receiving platform 10 of the lifting device 13, descends to support 30 new works stacked in the storage cell, and then rises to transport the new 30 works into the storage box 12.

This allows the work 2 to be lifted from the storage facility to the storage box without waiting for the final work 2 to be removed, and since the work 2 can be lifted even while the work 2 is being supplied from the storage box, waiting time can be eliminated.

The suction head 11 sucks up the topmost workpiece contained in the storage box 12 one by one, and separates it from the workpieces below it. Specifically, the suction force utilizing the vacuum of the suction bed 11 is used to suck up the top surface of the topmost workpiece to the head suction section 40, and the lifted workpiece is carried out and supplied to the destination via the transport section. After the suction head reaches the destination (not shown), during the period when it returns to the stock unit 7, the workpiece in the stock unit 7 rises by the thickness of one workpiece and is pitch-fed.

When the number of uppermost workpieces in the storage box 12 reaches five, a stock receiver 31 of a stock unit 7 supports the remaining number of workpieces instead of the first receiving table 10, and the suction head 11 sucks the uppermost workpieces one by one, and the lifted workpieces are transported to a destination via a transport section.
At the destination, the workpiece is subjected to post-processing, for example, and if the workpiece is a power card, the upper and lower surfaces are surface-treated with insulating material.

The take-out unit will now be described.
As shown in Figure 7, when the remaining number of stacked workpieces in the storage box 12 becomes five, a pin-shaped stock receiver 31 fixed to two stock arms 32 penetrates into the underside of the lowest workpiece of the stack from both sides in the directions of arrows 27 and 28, and supports the five workpieces 2.

Instead, the support members for the stacked workpieces are switched from the first receiving table 10 and the pitch-feed workpiece receiving table 22 to the stock receiving table 31. The rod 18 connecting the first receiving table 10 descends from the storage box 12 and moves to the magazine 14 below the storage box 12.

The workpieces 2 lifted by the stock receiver 31 rise while being pitch-fed, and the topmost workpiece rises to a certain height. At this time, the suction head 11 adheres to the top surface of the topmost workpiece, sucks in the topmost workpiece that has been separated from the lower works, and supplies the topmost workpiece to the outside.

The pitch feed servo 16 raises the work 2 by the amount that has been removed, and when the last work is removed, the stock receiver 31 opens in the opposite direction of the arrows 27 and 28 to make space so that the work 2 can be lifted. The lifted work 2 enters this space, completing the supply of the work to the storage box 12.

Next, the work supply operation will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in process A, in the initial state, for example, 30 workpieces stacked in the storage box 12 are supported by the pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22. The topmost workpiece of the stacked workpieces in this state is at the position indicated by X. Starting from the topmost workpiece at this position, the workpieces are sucked up by the suction head 11 and carried out (supplied) in order.

As shown in process B, each time the topmost workpiece is removed from the pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22, the pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22 sends the remaining works one pitch higher.

As shown in process C, when the remaining number of stacked workpieces is five, the first receiving table 10 is lifted, and the stock receiving table 31, which corresponds to the second receiving table, moves in the direction of the arrows 27 and 28, replacing the pitch-feed work receiving table 22. The stock receiving table 31 and the pitch-feed work receiving table 22 coexist at the position shown by Y.

Then, as shown in process D, the stock receiver 31 rises one pitch at a time. During the period when the remaining number of workpieces decreases from 5 to 1, the pitch-feed workpiece receiver 22 descends to a predetermined position.

Next, as shown in steps D and E, during the period in which the remaining number of workpieces supported by the stock receiver 31 decreases from 5 to 1, the rod 18 loaded with 30 new workpieces rises from the storage shed 14 and carries the new 30 workpieces into the storage box 12. At this time, after the remaining number of workpieces supported by the stock receiver 31 runs out, the stock receiver 31 opens in the directions of the arrows 29 and 30.

As shown in process F, as soon as the last workpiece supported by the stock receiver 31 is removed from the storage box 12 by the suction head 11, the 30 new stacked workpieces are transferred into the storage box 12 without delay. Even if the rod 18 rises, it does not interfere with the stock receiver 31.

Then, the process returns to the initial state of process A and repeats the above-mentioned operations. The suction head 11 picks up the topmost workpiece in sequence without any delay in the removal (supply) of the workpieces from the storage box 12 and without any waiting time, and supplies this workpiece to the destination.

According to the above embodiment, by providing a stock arm 32 and a stock receiver 31 so that several workpieces can be left on top of the storage box 12, it becomes possible to lift the workpieces without waiting for the last workpiece to be removed, and since the workpieces can be lifted even while they are being supplied without providing an additional lane to the single lane consisting of the storage box and the storage facility, even if the number of remaining works on the first receiving table becomes zero, the suction head can remove (supply) the workpieces without waiting.

Conventionally, if the time the workpiece was delivered to the work storage box 12 passed the process operation time for removing the workpiece (the process operation time for ensuring equal timing in the production process), a wait occurred before the workpiece could be removed. To eliminate this wait time, an extra lane was used, and the two lanes were used alternately, eliminating the wait time.

In contrast, in this embodiment, work can be supplied efficiently in a small space without increasing the number of supply lanes and without increasing costs.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the number of workpieces moved from the storage facility 14 to the storage box 12 was 30, and an example was described in which the number of remaining workpieces when switching from the first receiving table 10 to the stock receiver 31 equivalent to the second receiving table was 5, but in the present invention, these numbers are not limited to these.
In place of the suction head in the above embodiment, in the present invention, a chuck portion that grips and removes a workpiece may be used.

In the above embodiment, a power card is described as the workpiece of the present invention, but the workpiece of the present invention may of course be something other than a power card.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Power card supply device (work supply device),
2 Work,
5. take-out unit,
6 pitch feed unit,
7 Stock Units,
10 First cradle,
11 suction head (loader),
12 storage box,
13 lifting lifter,
14 magazine (hangar),
15 lifting detection sensor,
16 Pitch feed servo,
17 Pitch feed clamp jaws,
21 pitch feed detection sensor,
22 Pitch feed workpiece receiver (first receiver),
23 pitch feed arm,
31 Stock receiver (second receiver),
32 stock arm,
34 Stock,
35 Chuck cylinder (chuck mechanism).

Claims (4)

A work supply device capable of storing a large number of workpieces (2) and supplying the topmost workpiece of the large number of workpieces to the outside in sequence,
A storage facility (14) capable of carrying in and stacking a large number of workpieces from the outside;
a storage box (12) located at the upper level of the storage facility and capable of receiving a large number of workpieces stacked in the storage facility at a predetermined timing;
A first receiving table (10, 22) provided in the storage box and supporting a large number of workpieces;
a second receiving table (31) to which the predetermined number of remaining workpieces is transferred from the first receiving table when the remaining number of workpieces on the first receiving table is reduced to a predetermined number;
a loader (11) for sequentially carrying out the topmost workpiece among the workpieces stacked on the first receiving table or the second receiving table in the storage box;
a pitch feed unit (6) that pitch-feeds the remaining workpieces on the first receiving table upward every time the top workpiece is carried out by the loader;
and a rod (13, 18) for loading the multiple workpieces from the storehouse onto the first receiving table in the storage box during a period in which the loader continues to unload the workpieces one by one from the second receiving table when the remaining number of workpieces on the first receiving table is reduced to a predetermined number when the multiple workpieces stacked in the storage box are unloaded to the outside in sequence,
A work supply device in which the rod transfers a large number of stacked workpieces to a first receiving table, then descends to load the next large number of workpieces to be stacked in the storage facility, and rises during a period in which the topmost remaining workpieces are removed in order from the second receiving table, and transfers the loaded large number of workpieces to the first receiving table in a storage box . 2. The work supply device according to claim 1, wherein the loader comprises a suction head that sucks up and picks up the work, and a transport section that transports the work and the suction head to a destination. 3. The work supply device according to claim 1, wherein the second support table is a chuck mechanism (35) that supports the remaining number of workpieces in the storage box from below. 3. A work supplying device according to claim 2, wherein the suction head is replaced by a chuck portion for gripping and removing the work.

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