JP7747579B2 - Workpiece transport device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is a conveying device for transporting workpieces such as outer panels for automobiles.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes this type of transport device, which is equipped with a suction mechanism that adsorbs workpieces to the device body, such as a robot hand. This work transport device is equipped with an adsorption body that adsorbs the workpiece, and when transporting the workpiece, the adsorption body sucks the workpiece to adsorb it. The transport device is equipped with a positioning rod that guides the transport device to the appropriate position before adsorbing the workpiece, and the positioning rod is inserted into a positioning hole provided in the workpiece to guide the transport device to the appropriate position relative to the workpiece.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-1466

However, when transporting a workpiece using the transport device shown in Patent Document 1, the attachment body of the transport device is fixed, so there is no adjustment margin for adjusting the position of the workpiece relative to the transport device (attachment body), and it may not be possible to set the workpiece in the appropriate position. In particular, if the stand on which the workpiece is set has a mechanism for guiding the workpiece when setting it, if the workpiece comes off this guiding mechanism, it may not be possible to set the workpiece in the appropriate setting position relative to the stand.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a workpiece transport device that makes it easy to set a workpiece in the appropriate setting position.

In consideration of the above-mentioned problems, the workpiece transport device of the present invention is a workpiece transport device that transports a workpiece by suction, and is characterized by comprising: an attraction body that attracts the workpiece by suction; a support shaft that supports the attraction body at its tip end; a guide plate attached to the base end of the support shaft; an internal space that allows the guide plate to move freely along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft, a ring plate that houses the guide plate within the internal space; and a chuck device that has gripping claws that grip the guide plate at a predetermined position on the plane within the internal space and selectively grips the guide plate with the gripping claws and releases the grip of the guide plate.

According to the present invention, when the guide plate is gripped by the gripping jaws of the chuck device, the suction body can attract the workpiece at a predetermined position relative to the transport device, allowing the workpiece to be transported stably.

On the other hand, when the check mechanism releases the grip on the guide plate, the guide plate is free to move within the internal space formed in the ring plate along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft. Therefore, in this case, the guide plate is not constrained to the conveying device via the chuck device, and the suction body attached to the guide plate via the support shaft is also free to move within the range of movement of the guide plate.

Therefore, even if the workpiece is held by the suction body and transported by the transport device while the guide plate is still gripped, and the workpiece deviates slightly from its set position, the workpiece can be moved to the correct position together with the suction body by releasing the grip on the guide plate. This allows the transport device to absorb any deviation from the set position of the workpiece, making it easier to set the workpiece in the correct set position.

In a more preferred embodiment, the guide plate is a polygonal plate, the gripping claws are provided at positions facing each side of the guide plate, and the ring plate has an internal space that is polygonal according to the shape of the guide plate, and a notched groove along the plane through which the gripping claws move between a gripping position where the guide plate is gripped and a release position where the gripping of the guide plate is released.

In this configuration, the gripping claws are positioned opposite each side of the polygonal guide plate, allowing the guide plate to be stably gripped by gripping claws corresponding to the number of sides of the polygon.

The ring plate has an internal space that is polygonal in shape to match the shape of the guide plate, so the guide plate, once released from its grip by the gripping claws, will not rotate excessively around the axis of the support shaft. Therefore, the gripping claws can be positioned opposite each side of the guide plate, allowing the guide plate to be stably gripped by the gripping claws.

Furthermore, the ring plate has a notched groove through which the gripping claws move between a gripping position where they grip the guide plate and a release position where they release their grip on the guide plate. In the release position, the gripping claws are accommodated in the notched groove. This allows the guide plate to move over a wider range within the internal space of the ring plate.

The workpiece transport device of the present invention makes it easy to set the workpiece in the appropriate setting position.

1 is a schematic plan view of a workpiece transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a suction mechanism of the conveying device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portion including a ring plate of the suction mechanism shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portion including a guide plate of the suction mechanism shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the suction mechanism shown in FIG. 1 . 2A is a side view of the guide plate shown in FIG. 1 in a gripped state, and FIG. 2B is a plan view for explaining the position of the guide plate. 2A is a side view of the guide plate shown in FIG. 1 in a released state, and FIG. 2B is a plan view for explaining the position of the guide plate. 2 is a plan view for explaining a setting position of a workpiece using the conveying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

An embodiment of a workpiece transport device according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a workpiece transport device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the suction mechanism of the transport device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the suction mechanism shown in FIG. 2 that includes a ring plate. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the suction mechanism shown in FIG. 2 that includes a guide plate. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of the suction mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

The workpiece transport device 1 according to this embodiment is a transport device that transports, for example, vehicle exterior panels such as hoods. Figure 1 shows a portion of the transport device 1, which includes a pair of suction mechanisms 2, 2 that suction and transport the workpiece, a frame 3 to which the suction mechanisms 2 are attached, and a robot arm (not shown) that moves the frame 3.

In plan view, the frame 3 comprises a pair of L-shaped channels 3a, 3a, a connecting beam 3b connecting the channels 3a, 3a, and a main beam 3c connected to the center of the connecting beam 3b. A suction mechanism 2, described below, is attached to each channel 3a. A connection part 4 is provided on the main beam 3c, and the tip of the robot arm is connected to the frame 3 at the connection part 4.

By driving the robot arm, the workpiece picked up by the suction mechanism 2 can be transported via the frame 3. The frame 3 is also fitted with a terminal box 5 that electrically connects to the robot arm, air equipment 6 that controls the suction mechanism 2, and other components, but details of these will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the suction mechanism 2 includes an attraction body 21 that attracts the workpiece W by suction, a support shaft 22 that supports the attraction body 21 at its tip end, and a guide plate 24 attached to the base end of the support shaft 22. The suction mechanism 2 further includes a ring plate 30 that houses the guide plate 24, and a chuck device 40 that grips the guide plate 24.

The suction body 21 is made of an elastic material with an open tip that comes into contact with the workpiece at the open end face. A support shaft 22 is attached to the suction body 21, which is a bellows-shaped member, and a suction plug 22a is attached to the support shaft 22, which is connected to a suction pump (not shown) via piping. There is communication from the inside of the suction plug 22a to the opening 21a of the suction body 21. This allows the suction of the suction plug 22a to attract the workpiece W to the suction body 21.

A triangular guide plate 24 is attached to the base end of the support shaft 22 via a slip-out prevention plate 25 (described below), and is positioned within a ring plate 30 fixed to the chuck device 40.

An internal space 31 is formed in the ring plate 30, allowing the guide plate 24 to move freely along a plane P perpendicular to the axial direction (specifically, axis C) of the support shaft 22, and the guide plate 24 is housed within the internal space 31. The internal space 31 is a triangular internal space corresponding to the guide plate 24. Note that Figures 6(b) and 7(b) show cross-sectional views cut along plane P perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft 22.

The chuck device 40 is attached to the frame 3 and has three gripping jaws 42 that grip the guide plate 24 at a predetermined position on a plane (the center of the ring plate 30) within the internal space 31. The three gripping jaws 42 are attached to the main body 41 so that they can slide radially from the axis C of the support shaft 22. Plugs 43 and 44 that supply air to drive the gripping jaws 42 are attached to the main body 41.

The plugs 43 and 44 are connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown) via a solenoid valve (not shown), and operating the solenoid valve allows air to be supplied to and discharged from the chuck device 40. By selecting whether or not to supply air to the plugs 43 and 44, the three gripping jaws 42 can selectively grip the guide plate 24 (see Figure 6(b)) or release the grip of the guide plate 24 (see Figure 7(b)).

Specifically, when air is supplied to the main body 41, the piston 46 disposed in the main body 41 moves from the state shown in Figure 5 toward the gripping claws 42 (downward in Figure 5). This movement of the piston 46 causes the pressing member 45 attached to the tip of the piston 46 to come into contact with the gripping claws 42, pushing the three gripping claws 42 apart in the radial direction from the axis C of the support shaft 22. As a result, the grip of the guide plate 24 by the three gripping claws 42 is released, as shown in Figure 7 (b).

In this state, the elastic member 47, such as a spring connected to the gripping claws 42 and main body 41, is stretched radially from the axis C of the support shaft 22 within the range of elastic deformation. Meanwhile, when the air pressure in the main body 41 is released, the restoring force of the elastic member 47 moves the three gripping claws 42 closer to the axis C of the support shaft 22, and the three gripping claws 42 grip the guide plate 24 in a predetermined position, as shown in Figure 6(b).

The chuck device 40 described above is not limited to the mechanism described above, and as long as it can selectively grip the guide plate 24 with the gripping claws 42, the mechanism is not particularly limited and may be a commonly known chuck device that is driven by air pressure.

The anti-slip plate 25 is attached integrally to the support shaft 22 and is a plate that extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft 22. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the guide plate 24 is attached to the anti-slip plate 25 via bolts 88.

The anti-slip plate 25 is held from the attracting body 21 side by a pressure block 51. The pressure block 51 is fixed to the main body 41 via bolts 82. A through hole 52 is formed in the pressure block 51, through which the support shaft 22 is inserted. Specifically, the through hole 52 is sized to allow the support shaft 22 to move within the range of movement of the guide plate 24.

The retaining block 51 has an internal space 53 in which the anti-slip plate 25 can move freely, matching the range of movement of the guide plate 24. Figure 3 shows the relative positions of the ring plate 30 and retaining block 51. As shown in Figure 3, the periphery of the ring plate 30 engages with the periphery of the retaining block 51, thereby maintaining the internal space 53 of the retaining block 51. The internal space 53 is connected to the internal space 31 of the ring plate 30.

A rolling support 71 equipped with a sphere that rolls in contact with the anti-slip plate 25 is attached to the retaining block 51. Multiple rolling support members 71 are arranged at intervals around the through-hole 52 of the support shaft 22. A rolling support member 72 equipped with a sphere that rolls in contact with the anti-slip plate 25 is also attached to the ring plate 30 described above. Multiple rolling support members 72 are arranged at intervals around the opening that forms the internal space 31 of the ring plate 30.

With this configuration, the rolling bearings 71 and 72 of the ring plate 30 are positioned so as to sandwich the anti-slip plate 25. As a result, when the gripping of the guide plate 24 by the gripping claws 42 is released, the anti-slip plate 25 can be easily moved together with the guide plate 24 along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft 22 within the internal spaces 31 and 53 formed in the presser block 51 and ring plate 30.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, in a plan view seen from the direction of the axis C, each gripping claw 42 is provided at a position facing each side of the guide plate 24 (specifically, the planar side surface 24a of the guide plate). Specifically, the gripping claws 42 are provided at a position facing each of the three sides of the triangular guide plate 24. Therefore, in this embodiment, the chuck device 40 has three gripping claws 42.

In this way, the gripping claws 42 are positioned opposite each side of the triangular guide plate 24, allowing the guide plate 24 to be stably gripped by the number of gripping claws 42 corresponding to the number of sides of the triangle.

A triangular internal space 31 is formed in the ring plate 30, corresponding to the shape of the guide plate 24. This internal space 31 is sized so that when the guide plate 24 rotates by a predetermined angle, it abuts against the ring plate 30, limiting the rotation of the guide plate 24.

By matching the shape of the internal space 31 to the shape of the guide plate 24, the guide plate 24, which has been released from its grip by the gripping claws 42, will not rotate excessively around the axis of the support shaft 22. Therefore, the gripping claws 42 can be positioned opposite each side of the guide plate 24, allowing the guide plate 24 to be stably gripped by the gripping claws 42.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, notch grooves 33 are formed in the ring plate 30 to allow the gripping claws 42 to move freely along a plane P perpendicular to the axis C of the support shaft 22 between a gripping position (see FIG. 6(b)) in which the guide plate 24 is gripped and a release position (see FIG. 7(b)) in which the gripping of the guide plate 24 is released. The notch grooves 33 are connected to the internal space 31 and extend outward from the internal space 31. The notch grooves 33 are formed in a shape and size that allows each gripping claw 42 to fit within the notch groove 33 when in the release position in which the gripping of the guide plate 24 is released.

As a result, the ring plate 30 has a notch groove 33 through which the gripping claws 42 move, so that in the release position the gripping claws 42 can be accommodated in the notch groove 33. This allows the guide plate 24 to move over a wider range within the internal space 31 of the ring plate 30.

The workpiece W is transported using the transport device 1 described above. In this embodiment, the robot arm is driven to bring the suction body 21 into contact with the position facing the workpiece W, and the workpiece W is sucked in. At this time, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the guide plate 24 is gripped by the three gripping claws 42. This completely fixes the workpiece W to the transport device 1, allowing the workpiece W to be stably transported to the stand 90, as shown in Figure 8.

As shown in Figure 8, the platform 90 is provided with multiple guide members (positioning members) 91 for setting the workpiece W in an appropriate position. The transport device 1 releases the grip of the three gripping jaws 42 after transporting the workpiece W to the vicinity of the set position on the platform 90.

At this time, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b), the guide plate 24 is not constrained and is free to move within the internal space 31 of the ring plate 30. Specifically, the suction body 21 can be moved along the plane P together with the guide plate 24, and can also be rotated along the plane P.

Therefore, even if the workpiece W adsorbed by the suction body 21 is transported by the transport device 1 while gripping the guide plate 24 and then shifts slightly from its set position on the platform 90, the workpiece W can be aligned with the suction body 21 and the multiple guide members 91 by releasing the grip on the guide plate 24 with the gripping claws 42. This allows the transport device 1 to absorb any deviation from the set position of the workpiece W, and set the workpiece W in the appropriate set position in line with the guide members 91.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as set forth in the claims.

In this embodiment, the guide plate is a triangular plate, but it may also be circular (specifically, disk-shaped). Alternatively, the guide plate may be rectangular or have a polygonal shape with more sides. In this case, the internal space of the ring plate should be a polygonal internal space that matches the shape of the guide plate.

1: Conveyor device, 2: Suction mechanism, 3: Frame, 21: Suction body, 22: Support shaft, 24: Guide plate, 25: Anti-slip plate, 30: Ring plate, 31: Internal space, 33: Notch groove, 40: Chuck device, 42: Gripping jaws

Claims (1)

A workpiece conveying device that adsorbs and conveys a workpiece,
The conveying device is
an adsorption body that adsorbs the work by suction;
a support shaft that supports the adsorption body at a tip end thereof;
a guide plate attached to a base end of the support shaft;
a ring plate having an internal space formed along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft, in which the guide plate is movable, and accommodating the guide plate within the internal space;
a chuck device having gripping claws in the internal space that grip the guide plate at a predetermined position on the plane, the chuck device selectively gripping the guide plate with the gripping claws and releasing the grip of the guide plate,
the guide plate is a polygonal plate,
The gripping claws are provided at positions facing each side of the guide plate,
The ring plate has:
The internal space has a polygonal shape corresponding to the shape of the guide plate;
A workpiece transport device characterized in that a notch groove is formed through which the gripping claws move along the plane between a gripping position where they grip the guide plate and a release position where they release the gripping of the guide plate .