JPH0356861B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a workpiece conveyance device that is incorporated into a processing line and is used to sequentially convey workpieces to the next processing station.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional workpiece conveyance devices are frequently used as devices for conveying workpieces in order to continuously perform processing, assembly, etc. at each station. There are two methods for directly placing and transporting the work: a straight method in which the work is transported in a substantially straight line, and a rotary index method in which the work is placed on a moving body such as a table and the work is transported by rotation of the moving body. etc. are known. Another method was to place the workpieces on pallets and transport them using a conveyor or the like.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional workpiece conveyance apparatus, for example, in the straight type, loading and unloading of the workpieces are located at separate positions, and the amount of movement of the operator is large, creating a burden on the operator. In the rotary index system, as many jigs as the number of workpieces to be placed are required for positioning and fixing the workpieces. In addition, the weight of the workpiece was added, and the mass of moving objects such as tables increased, requiring a large amount of force to drive the rotation. In addition, the inertia force becomes large, and a large force is required when stopping rotation at each processing station, so there is a problem that a motor with a large output must be used.
Furthermore, since the jigs rotate, there is a problem in that the electrical wiring and hydraulic piping to these jigs become complicated. Furthermore, the pallet system requires pallets and a return conveyor for returning the pallets.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to bring the loading and unloading positions of the workpiece closer to each other, reduce the number of component parts, and furthermore, it is possible to rotate the workpiece even with a small output motor. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a workpiece conveyance device that can perform the following functions.

[Means for solving problems]

The workpiece conveyance device of the present invention includes a base body, a swing drive device provided at the center of the base body, an arm that has one end fixed to the swing drive device and intermittently swings in a substantially horizontal direction by the drive of the swing drive device; A pin protrudes downward from the other end and engages and disengages from an upward reference hole provided in the workpiece, and a pin is provided in the base in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the arm and connects multiple processing stations and connects the bottom surface of the workpiece. A fixed rail that supports the fixed rail, a movable rail that is provided in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the arm at both ends of the fixed rail and can move up and down, and a position where the Tsuku pin engages with the reference hole and a position where it disengages. A lift device that raises and lowers the movable rail, a substantially horizontal support surface that is installed at a position corresponding to the processing station and formed at a higher position than the fixed rail, and a slope on both sides of the support surface from the height of the support surface to the height of the fixed rail. The present invention is characterized in that it is comprised of a sheet member having an inclined surface formed as a slanted surface, and a clamp device that presses and holds a workpiece against the sheet member at a position corresponding to a processing station.

The swing drive device according to the present invention swings an arm, and is generally driven to repeatedly swing and stop depending on the number of processing stations. Drive mechanisms that perform such intermittent drive include cams, racks and pinions, Geneva mechanisms,
Various mechanisms such as an electric motor, an electromagnetic clutch, and a torque motor can be used.

By the way, when performing such driving, it is better to have a faster rotating speed in terms of efficiency, and to reduce the load due to inertia, it is better to reduce the acceleration when driving and when stopping. Therefore, it is preferable to use a Geneva mechanism that has a mechanism in which the speed gradually increases during driving, decreases as it approaches stop, and gradually reaches zero when stopped.

One end of the arm is fixed to the swing drive device, and the arm is swing-driven by the swing drive device. Therefore, the length of the arm becomes the turning radius. The other end of the arm is provided with a knock pin that projects downward. The dowel pin is engaged with and disengaged from the reference hole of the workpiece to position the workpiece and restrict the movement of the workpiece, and transmits the drive of the arm to the workpiece to move it on the fixed rail and the movable rail. The number of arms is not particularly limited, and may be one or more.

The fixed rail supports the workpiece at the position where the other end of the arm rotates and guides the workpiece to each processing station.

Furthermore, movable rails that are moved up and down by a lift device are provided at both ends of the fixed rail, making it easy to carry workpieces into and out of the fixed rail.

A sheet member is provided at a position corresponding to each processing station. This sheet member has a flat support surface and an inclined surface, and the workpiece can be processed by holding the workpiece between the clamp device and the support surface. The inclined surface also allows the workpiece to be easily guided from the fixed rail to the support surface. With this configuration, it is possible to perform precise positioning at each processing station.

[Effect]

In the workpiece transfer device of the present invention, a workpiece is first placed on the movable rail, and the movable rail is raised by the lift device to be flush with the fixed rail, and the knock pin of the arm engages with the reference hole of the workpiece. By intermittent rotation of the arm, the workpiece slides on the fixed rail and is transported to a position corresponding to each processing station.

At each processing station, the workpiece is guided along the inclined surface by the rotation of the arm and transferred to the support surface located higher than the fixed rail.The arm stops at that position and the clamp device presses the workpiece against the support surface to hold the workpiece. In this state, the workpiece is processed. At this time, the dowel pin remains engaged with the reference hole.

Then, the workpiece that has been processed is guided along the inclined surface by the rotation of the arm, transferred to the fixed rail, and transported to the next processing station. When all the machining is completed, the workpiece is moved from the fixed rail to the movable rail by the rotation of the arm, and the movable rail is lowered by the drive of the lift device, and the engagement between the knock pin of the arm and the reference hole of the workpiece is released. This allows the workpiece to be ejected from the transport device.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the work transfer device of the present invention, the work is mainly supported by the fixed rail, and the arm mainly moves and positions the work. Therefore, most of the load on the swing drive unit is the weight of the arm, which is much less than in the conventional rotary index system, so a motor with low output can be used. In addition, since no jig is provided at the tip of the arm, the number of components of the workpiece conveyance device is reduced, which is advantageous in terms of cost, and it is also possible to process the lower surface of the workpiece, which was previously impossible. In addition, the amount of movement of the worker is reduced compared to the straight method.

Further, by raising and lowering the movable rail, it becomes easy to carry in and take out the workpiece, and since machining can be carried out at the same time as in each machining station, productivity is improved.

Furthermore, since the dowel pin is always engaged with the reference hole during machining at the machining station, there is no need to position the arm and workpiece after machining is completed. Furthermore, the inclined surface allows the workpiece to ride on the support surface of the sheet member while sliding, so there is no need to use gripping claws for gripping the workpiece to lift the workpiece, and the structure of the arm tip becomes simpler.

〔Example〕

This will be explained in detail in Examples below. The drawings relate to a workpiece conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a schematic plan view and a schematic front view, respectively, of the workpiece conveyance device of this embodiment. The support rod 2 fixed perpendicularly to the base 1 is a bearing 3
The rotary shaft 4 is threaded through the rotary shaft 4 through the rotary shaft 4. This rotating shaft 4 has a Geneva mechanism on its upper part, the main part of which is shown in FIG. That is, a motor 6 is fixed to the gearbox 5, and the drive side gear 7 fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 6 is rotated via an intermediate gear 8 via a substantially cylindrical intermediate gear rotatably provided in the gearbox 5. transmitted to member 9. The intermediate member 9 has a pin 10 at one location on the circumference, and this pin 10 is inserted into the four grooves 1 of the Maltese cross portion 11 provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 4.
Fits into 2. Therefore, as the motor 6 is driven, the Maltese cross section 11, that is, the rotating shaft 4, repeatedly stops rotating. A limit switch (not shown) is provided near the intermediate member 9 so that the motor 6 is stopped for a certain period of time every time the intermediate member 9 rotates once.

The rotation axis 4 has four arms 2 extending horizontally.
0 are fixed so that they form a 90 degree angle. Two dowel pins 21 are provided at the tip of the arm 20, projecting downward and engaging with reference holes 101 on the upper surface of the workpiece 100. Further, the arm 20 is configured such that when the pin 10 is separated from the groove 12 and the Maltese cross section 11 is stopped, the tip end is located at the position of each processing station.

The base body 1 has two concentric circles around the support rod 2.
A book fixing rail 22 is fixed via a fixing stand 23. Knock pin 2 on this fixed rail 22.
Workpiece 1 whose horizontal movement is regulated by 1
00 moves to prevent the workpiece 100 from falling.

In this embodiment, there are four stations 30, 4.
Of 0, 50, and 60, the second station 40 and the third station 50 are processing stations,
The workpiece 100 is processed by the tools 46 and 56, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the second station 40 and the third station 50 are provided with sheet members 42 and 52 having an inclined surface 41 that rises in the conveyance direction of the fixed rail 22 and an inclined surface 51 that descends. There is. The portions of the sheet members 42 and 52 sandwiched between the ascending and descending inclined surfaces have horizontal support surfaces, and the height of the support surfaces is slightly higher than the upper surface of the fixed rail 22. Near that position is a positioning pin 4 that engages with two reference holes provided on the lower surface of the workpiece 100.
3 and 52 are each provided on the base 1 so as to be movable up and down. Also, positioning pins 43, 5
Above 3, there is a clamping cylinder device 70 (clamp device) which is driven vertically by hydraulic pressure and clamps and holds the workpiece 100 fixedly together with the sheet members 42 and 52 simultaneously at the second station 40 and the third station 50. It is provided. A support portion 72 is fixed to the tip of the piston rod 71 of the clamp cylinder device 70, and clamp portions 45, 55 are fixed to both ends of the support portion 72, respectively, facing the sheet members 42, 52.

At the first station 30, the work 100 is loaded into the transport device, and at the fourth station 60, the work 100 is taken out from the transport device. By providing the position where the workpiece 100 is placed and the position where the workpiece 100 is taken out adjacent to each other in this way, the amount of movement of the worker can be reduced. As shown in FIG. 5, the first station 30 and the second station 60 are provided with a lift cylinder device 80 fixed to the base 1, which is driven vertically by hydraulic pressure. This lift cylinder device 80
A support part 82 is fixed to the tip of the piston rod 81, and the support part 82 is configured to reliably transmit the vertical movement of the piston rod 81 by means of a pilot bar 83. Movable platforms 31 and 61 having movable rails 23 fixed to their upper surfaces are fixed to both ends of the support section 82 . At the most elevated position of the support portion 82, the movable rail 23 becomes flush with the fixed rail 22, allowing the workpiece 100 to move.

The operation of the workpiece conveyance device of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained below.

Piston rod 81 at first station 30
is lowered, the workpiece 100 is placed on the movable rail 23 of the movable table 31, and the piston rod 81 is raised to insert the dowel pin 2 into the reference hole on the upper surface of the workpiece 100.
1 is engaged. Then, the movable rail 23 and the fixed rail 22 become on the same plane. Next, the arm 20 rotates due to the rotation of the motor 6, and the workpiece 100 is moved to the second position.
The patient is transported to the station. At the second station, the workpiece 1 is
00 leaves the fixed rail 22 and transfers to the seat member 42. When the workpiece 100 is stopped at that position by the Geneva mechanism and the motor 6 is stopped, the positioning pin 43 is raised and engaged with the reference hole of the workpiece 100, thereby accurately positioning the workpiece 100. Next, the clamp cylinder device 70 is activated, and the clamp portion 45 is lowered to clamp and hold the workpiece 100 together with the sheet member 42. At this time, the dowel pin 21 is also placed in the reference hole 1 of the workpiece 100.
01 is maintained. Machining is then performed using the tool 46. When the machining at the second station is completed, the positioning pin 43 descends, the clamp part 45 ascends, and the clamping cylinder device 7
The hold by 0 is released. The arm 20 then pivots, and the workpiece 100 is transferred from the seat member 42 to the fixed rail 22 through the inclined surface. Subsequently, the workpiece is conveyed by the rotation of the motor 6, transferred to the sheet member 52 at the third station 50, and stopped. At this third station 50, processing is performed in the same manner as at the second station 40.

After finishing the processing at the third station 50, the workpiece 100 is transported to the fourth station 60, moved to the movable rail 23, and stopped at that position. At the fourth station 60, the lift cylinder device 80 is operated, and the piston rod 81 is lowered, so that the work 100 is also lowered, and the work 100 is taken out from the unloading device.

In this embodiment, the loads applied to the rotating shaft are only the weight of the arms and the frictional force between the workpieces engaged with the knock pins of the respective arms and the rails. Therefore, much less energy is required to rotate the rotary shaft than in the past. Furthermore, since the inertial force is small, even a motor with a small output can rotate the workpiece. Further, since no jig is provided at the tip of the arm 20, there is no need to provide wiring or piping, and the configuration of the device is simplified.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings relate to a workpiece conveyance device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view thereof, FIG. 2 is a front view with a partially cut-out sectional view, and FIG. 3 is A of FIG. 2.
- A plan view of the Geneva mechanism shown in cross section, Figure 4 is a front view of the clamp device used in the second station and the third station, and Figure 5 is a front view of the lift cylinder device used in the first station and the fourth station. It is a front view. 4... Rotating shaft, 10... Pin, 11... Maltese cross section, 20... Arm, 21... Knock pin, 22... Fixed rail, 23... Movable rail, 31, 61... Movable base, 42, 52... Sheet member, 43... Positioning pin.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A base body, a swing drive device provided at the center of the base body, and an arm that has one end fixed to the swing drive device and intermittently swings in a substantially horizontal direction by the drive of the swing drive device. , a dowel pin that protrudes downward from the other end of the arm and engages and disengages from an upward reference hole provided in the workpiece; and a dowel pin that is provided in the base body in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the arm and connects a plurality of processing stations. At the same time, a fixed rail that supports the lower surface of the workpiece, a movable rail that is provided in an arc shape centered on the rotation center of the arm at both ends of the fixed rail and is movable up and down, and the knock pin engages with the reference hole. a lift device that raises and lowers the movable rail between a position where the rail is moved and a position where it is removed, and a lift device that is provided at a position corresponding to the processing station;
a sheet member having a substantially horizontal support surface formed at a position higher than the fixed rail; and sloped surfaces formed on both sides of the support surface to be inclined from the height of the support surface to the height of the fixed rail; A workpiece conveyance device comprising: a clamp device that presses and holds the workpiece against the sheet member at a position corresponding to a processing station.