JPH0375463B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for loading continuously supplied workpieces into a magazine using a conveyor, and a buffer device therefor.

Workpieces that do not want their surfaces to be scratched, such as the glass that makes up liquid crystal cells, are 40 cm wide, 30 cm long, and 0.7 mm thick, and many liquid crystal cell patterns are baked on them and then they come out of the firing furnace. In the process of packing the above-mentioned glass plates into a magazine, a belt carrying a large number of the above-mentioned glass plates passes through a firing furnace, and the glass is fired and packed into the magazine, but the above-mentioned belt is not stopped when replacing the magazine. do not have. This is because if it is stopped, the firing conditions will change, resulting in a lot of different glass than if it were not stopped, and the quality will be inconsistent and it will not be usable.

Belt-type firing furnaces have traditionally been used to manufacture glass plates for liquid crystal cells, but as mentioned above, the belt cannot be stopped, so it is necessary to manually load the glass that comes out one after another into the magazine. It was carried out at

If you pack the magazine manually as described above,
The drawbacks were that labor costs were high, and since it was difficult to operate 24 hours a day, large equipment was required, resulting in high equipment costs, and the combination of these two made the liquid crystal cell expensive.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks,
The belt is stopped by using a method in which the workpieces on the sub-conveyor are lifted and stored by the storage conveyor in a buffer manner, changing the effective length of the workpiece conveyance path, and using a magazine that can accommodate multiple workpieces. The main idea is to continuously supply workpieces without any manual effort and to load the workpieces into a magazine using a conveyor without manual intervention.This method is a method for continuously supplying workpieces into a magazine using a conveyor, and a buffer device for this purpose.

The structure and operation of one embodiment of the buffer device (including the magazine and its transfer device) used in the present invention will be described below.

For the sake of brevity, we will first give an overview. That is,
Magazine packing work in a normal state will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 4 (in this specification, magazine packing work refers to the work of packing workpieces into a magazine).

FIGS. 1 to 3 are side views of a belt portion schematically shown in order to show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a front view taken in the direction of the - arrow in FIG. 1 and shows the main parts of the magazine.

In FIG. 1, a workpiece 1 that has reached the terminal end position 1a of a firing furnace conveyor 2 that passes through a firing furnace (not shown) and is continuously rotating is moved to a sub-conveyor 3 that is also continuously rotating at the same speed. Move it up. Work 1
reaches the first predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as position) 1b on the sub-conveyor 3, the first sensor 4
is activated, and a series of operations of the storage conveyor 5 is started in response to the signal.

The storage conveyor 5 first rises and reaches the sub-conveyor 3.
The workpiece 1 at position 1b is received from (FIG. 2 shows this state). Then, while the storage conveyor 5 itself moves forward, the belt is rotated forward to move the workpiece 1 to the storage position 1, which is slightly above the shelf 6a of the magazine 6.
Move to c.

In this state, the magazine 6 stores the work 1 on the shelf 6a while moving up one shelf level to store the next work (FIG. 3 shows this state). Then, the storage conveyor 5 itself descends and retreats to return to the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, by repeating the above-described operations, the workpieces are sequentially stored in the magazine.

Here, the magazine 6 has a large number of shelves such as 6a on both inner surfaces, and has a rectangular frame when viewed from the front.

Next, the magazine filling operation in the magazine exchange state will be explained using FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are side views of the belt portion schematically shown for explaining the magazine filling operation in the magazine exchange state in the embodiment described in FIGS. 1 to 4.

When the magazine 6 rises to store the workpiece 1 at position 1c on the lowest shelf 6b of the magazine 6, a magazine exchange command switch (not shown) is activated to issue a magazine exchange command signal and the magazine exchange is started. It starts immediately and the entire system enters the magazine exchange state.

In this specification, the magazine exchange state includes not only the work of exchanging the magazine but also the work of storing the workpieces received by the storage conveyor in the magazine during the magazine exchange.

In FIG. 5, position 1a on the kiln conveyor 2
The workpiece 1 is continuously conveyed even when the magazine is replaced and is sent under the first sensor 4 at position 1b on the sub-conveyor 3, but the sensor 4 is turned off by the magazine replacement command signal and becomes insensitive. The storage conveyor 5 does not operate due to aging. The workpiece 1 further advances from the position 1b to the position 1d, where the second sensor 7 is activated, and the storage conveyor 5 is commanded to start a series of operations in the magazine exchange state.

The storage conveyor 5 first rises and receives both the first workpiece at position 1d and the next workpiece at position 1b from the sub-conveyor 3 (see FIG. 6).

By this point, the magazine exchange has been completed, and a new empty magazine is waiting at the start position (magazine exchange will be described later, but the working speed is set to satisfy the above conditions).

Next, the storage conveyor 5 moves forward and transfers the workpiece 1, which was at position 1d when the storage conveyor 5 received the workpiece, to position 1c, which is slightly above the top shelf of the new empty magazine, and then transfers the workpiece 1 to the position 1c, which is slightly above the top shelf of the empty new magazine. places the workpiece 1 on the magazine shelf while rising one shelf level (see Fig. 7), then rotates the belt of the storage conveyor 5 forward, and when the storage conveyor 5 receives the workpiece, it moves to position 1b (position 1e). The workpiece 1 (which is moving forward) is transferred to position 1c, which is slightly above the next shelf of the magazine 6, and the magazine rises to receive the workpiece 1 on the shelf. Then, the storage conveyor 5 descends and retreats, returning to the state shown in FIG. return.

Here, the structure, arrangement, and operation of the magazine transfer device for exchanging and moving the magazines 6, and the buffer device having the sub-conveyor 3 and the storage conveyor 5 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the magazine transfer device and the buffer device, FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the main parts to explain the traverse feed device, 10 is the magazine transfer device, 12 is the lateral feed device, and 20 is the buffer device. Components that are the same as in FIGS. 1 to 7 are given the same reference numerals.

The magazine packing work of the workpiece 1 is carried out using the buffering device 20 for the magazine 6 on the mounting table 11e of the elevator 11 attached to the magazine transfer device 10.
This is done by the storage conveyor 5.

In the magazine packing operation, the elevator 11 is initially lowered to the lowest level, and the storage conveyor 5 sequentially loads the works from the top shelf of the magazine 6. That is, by raising the magazine 6 by one shelf on the side wall by the elevator 11, the works 1 sequentially carried in by the storage conveyor 5 are sequentially packed into the magazine 6 from the upper shelf in the state shown in FIG.

The elevator 11 is vertically slidably guided by two guide rods 11a, and is moved up and down by the rotation of a threaded rod 11b which is appropriately rotated by a power source (not shown).

The magazine exchange state is entered by the magazine exchange signal, and since the elevator 11 is at the highest position at this time, it descends to the lowest position (equal to the initial position). Next, the lock 11c that positions and fixes the magazine 6 is removed and the mounting table 11
Retreat into hole 11d of e.

Next, the magazine 6 filled with the workpieces is pushed by the feed rod 12a of the lateral feed device 12 that moves from bottom to top in FIG. 9, and slides from the mounting table 11e to the holding position of the magazine transfer device 10. When the magazine is slid to the standby position, the feed rods 12a are provided above the mounting table 11e of the elevator 11 and do not interfere with each other. Also, two upper and lower guide rods 12c are supported by the frame 12b of the lateral feed device 12.
The feed rod 12a is attached to a slide 12d guided by. The slide 12d is the motor 12e
It is moved by the chain 12f that moves, and is stopped by the limit switch 12g at both ends of the stroke.

Now, after the feed rod 12a has returned to its initial position, the empty magazine 6 is pushed at its lower part by the feed rod 10b, moves from the right to the left in FIG. 8, and is placed on the platform 11e of the elevator 11. , then lock 11
The position is fixed at c.

The feed rods 10b are fixed to the chain 10a at predetermined intervals, and are moved by two chains 10a controlled by a motor and a limit switch (not shown) to move the magazine 6 by a predetermined pitch by each feed rod 10b. transport.

At the same time, the magazine 6, which has been moved to the upper holding position in FIG. 8, is sent to the right by a feed rod 10c similar to the feed rod 10b, thereby completing the magazine exchange state.

Next, details of the buffer device 20 for loading the workpieces 1 into the magazine 6 and its operation will be described using FIGS. 10 to 13.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the buffer device in the embodiment explained in FIGS. 1 to 9, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. , Fig. 13 shows the X- in Fig. 12.
It is a front view as seen from the X arrow.

In FIGS. 10 to 13, the same parts as in FIGS. 1 to 9 are given the same reference numerals.

The substrate 21 has ribbed supports 22a, 22b,
22c, 22d are fixed to form a frame, and L-shaped rail plates 24a, 24 are provided at the upper ends of the supports 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d.
b is disposed over the entire length of the buffer device 20 in the longitudinal direction, and its upper portion projects outward from the buffer device 20 so as to be orthogonal to the length direction.

Guide plates 27a and 27b are attached to the center portions of the upper surfaces of the L-shaped rail plates 24a and 24b, respectively, over the entire length of the rail plates 24a and 24b in the longitudinal direction, and guide the sides of the work 1 when the work 1 is transported. ing. The drive motor 28 of the sub-conveyor 3 is attached to the support column 22c, and the pulley 2
9a, 29b and the belt 29e rotate an intermediate shaft 30 bearing on the supports 22b, 22c, and two pulleys fixed to this intermediate shaft 30,
By 29c and 29d, both L-shaped rail plates 2
Two sets of pulleys 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e provided on the inner surfaces of the sub-conveyors 3, 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 32e drive the conveyor belts 3a, 3b of the sub-conveyor 3. .

There is a storage conveyor 5 parallel to the sub-conveyor 3 inside and slightly below the sub-conveyor 3, and is provided on a storage slide 33 that moves back and forth in the conveyance direction of the workpieces. The storage slide 33 is provided on a lifting platform 34 that raises and lowers the storage slide 33.

The lifting platform 34 is connected to guide bars 35a and 35b, which are connected to a guide bush 25a fixed to a mounting plate 23 provided near the center of a rectangular shape connecting the aforementioned pillars 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d. , 25b, 25c, 25d
guided by. The lifting platform 34 is equipped with springs 91,9.
2, the bolt 37 adjusts the height when lowering, and the hydraulic cylinder 26 raises the valve.

The bolt 37 is disposed on a connecting plate 36 connecting the guide bars 35a and 35b, the hydraulic cylinder 26 is disposed on the mounting plate 23, and a tip 38 is attached to the tip of the piston to abut against the lower surface of the lifting table 34.

Storage slide 3 that moves forward and backward relative to the lifting platform 34
3 horizontal guide rails 39, 40
a, 40b are fixed to the lifting platform 34, and the guide rails 40a, 40b regulate the vertical direction of the storage slide 33. On the lower surface side of the storage board 41, which is one of the components of the storage slide 33, spacers 43 are provided at two locations in series in the longitudinal direction of the buffer device 20.
is screwed on.

The spacer 43 pivotally supports horizontal rollers 42a and 42b provided with a guide rail 39 in between, and serves as a horizontal guide for the storage slide 33. The storage board 41 has a lower plate 44a on the lower surface of both ends,
44b is further fixed, and a side plate 45a or 45b is coupled to each of the lower plates 44a, 44b, and the side plates 45a, 45b protrude from the coupling portion in the direction of the magazine 6 so as to be able to support the storage conveyor 5. It is formed.

Guide rollers 46a, 46b, 47a, 47b are pivotally supported on each of the side plates 45a, 45b with guide rails 40a or 40b sandwiched between two positions in series in the longitudinal direction of the buffer device 20, and the storage slide 33 is It regulates the vertical direction. Both side plates 45a, 4 are provided on the upper sides of both side plates 45a, 45b.
Connecting rod 48 that maintains and fixes the distance between 5b and 5b
a, 48b, 48c and storage conveyor belt 5
Pulleys 49a and 49 that support and drive a and 5b
b, 49c, 50a, 50b, and 50c are attached. A support plate 51c is provided below the storage conveyor belts 5a and 5b, and the length in the longitudinal direction is approximately equal to that of the storage belt in order to prevent the belt from stretching and bending due to the weight of the workpiece 1. The support plate 51c is fixed to both side plates 45a and 45b with metal fittings 51a and 51b.

Elevator 11 of guide rails 40a, 40b
A slide motor 54 is fixed to the lower surface near the mounting table 11e via a bottom plate 52 and a bracket 53. The slide movement motor 54 is rotated by a pulley 55, a belt 56, a pulley 57, and a shaft 58.
(See Figure 13) and is transmitted to the pulley 59.
The flat belt 60 moves. The flat belt 60 is wound around pulleys 59 and 67, and both ends thereof are connected to the storage board 41.
The storage slide 33, which is fixed to the upper surface of both longitudinal ends of the buffer device 20 by pusher plates 61a and 61b, and whose storage board 41 is one of its components, moves. Its positioning and stopping are performed using metal fittings 62a and 62b fixed to the storage board 41, which will be described later.
4. Optical sensors 63 each fixed to the rear plate 65
This depends on the signals output by a and 63b. Guide rail 40
A front plate 64 and a rear plate 65 are fixed to both ends of a and 40b, a front block 66 bearing a shaft 58 and an optical sensor 63a are screwed to the front plate 64, and a flat belt 60 is fixed to the rear plate 65. The rear block 68 which pivotally supports the receiving pulley 67 and the optical sensor 63b are screwed together. The storage conveyor driving motor 69 fixed to a bracket 74 fixed to the rear end of the storage board 41 rotates through a pulley 70, belt 71, pulley 72, shaft 73, and pulleys 49a, 50a to the storage conveyor belt 5a, 5b. Here, by rotating the storage conveyor belts 5a, 5b at a sufficiently faster speed than the sub-conveyors 3a, 3b, it is possible to shorten the working time for packing the works into the magazine.

The operations of the motors and other prime movers shown in FIGS. 8 to 13 are controlled by a power supply unit (not shown), and the outputs of various switches, sensors, etc. are also input to the power supply unit, and the entire system is sequence-controlled.

The operation of the buffer device 20 shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, which packs the workpiece 1 into a magazine, will be described below in accordance with the explanation given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

A case of magazine filling work in a normal state will be explained.

The workpiece 1 is moved onto the sub-conveyor 3 (rotation of the conveyor 3 is generated by the motor 28 via a pulley) at the same speed as the firing furnace conveyor 2 (see Fig. 1);
When position 1b is reached, the first sensor 4 is activated.

Then, a series of operations of the storage conveyor 5 is started in response to a signal from the first sensor 4. Since the tip 38 at the tip of the piston of the hydraulic cylinder 26 pushes up the lower surface of the lifting table 34, the storage slide 33 rises, so the storage conveyor 5 rises and lifts the work from the sub-conveyor belts 3a, 3b. Then, the storage slide 33 is moved forward by the operation of the slide movement motor 54. At the same time, the storage conveyor 5 is rotated by the operation of the storage conveyor drive motor 69, and the workpiece 1 is moved to a position 1c slightly above the shelf 6a of the magazine 6 (see FIG. 8) on the elevator 11. In this state, the elevator 11 operates to raise the magazine 6 by one shelf of the magazine 6 and store the work 1 on the shelf.

Next, the piston of the hydraulic cylinder 26 is pulled downward by the downward springs 91 and 92, and as the lifting platform 34 descends, the storage conveyor 5 descends, and at the same time, the slide movement motor 54 reverses and the storage slide 33
moves back and returns to the state shown in Figure 1.

This completes one cycle, and the above-mentioned cycle is repeated.

Regarding the magazine loading operation when replacing the magazine, the power source and the power transmission state are the same as in the above-mentioned normal magazine loading operation, so a description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the present invention allows workpieces on a belt conveyor that are continuously fed to be loaded into a magazine without using human hands, and also allows the magazine to be replaced while continuously feeding workpieces. Although it has a relatively simple structure, it is possible to pack workpieces of a certain quality into magazines with high efficiency, and since the workpieces are handled without slipping, they are resistant to scratches like the glass of a liquid crystal cell. It has many benefits such as being able to handle sensitive workpieces.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 13 all show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 schematically show the belt portion. , FIG. 4 is a front view taken from the - arrow direction in FIG. 1, showing the main parts of the magazine, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the magazine transfer device and buffer device, and FIG. A plan view of essential parts, FIG. 12 is a plan view of the buffer device, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 12, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. is a front view taken along the line X-X. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Workpiece, 3... Sub conveyor, 4... First sensor, 5... Storage conveyor, 6... Magazine, 7... Second sensor, 10... Transfer device, 11
...Elevator, 12...Transverse feed device, 20...
Buffer device, 33... Storage slide, 34...
Lifting platform.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In magazine packing work in a normal state, each time a workpiece reaches a first predetermined position on a subconveyor that rotates continuously, a The workpiece is lifted up by the storage conveyor that has been stopped at the bottom, and transported to the upper part of the storage position of the magazine placed in front of the storage conveyor in the transport direction by the forward movement and rotation of the storage conveyor, and the magazine is lifted and the workpiece is placed in the magazine. The storage conveyor repeats the cycle of returning to its original position, and when the magazine is being replaced,
Stopping the operation of the storage conveyor until the work reaches a second predetermined position on the sub-conveyor that is further advanced in the conveying direction than the first predetermined position,
During that time, the magazine is replaced with a new magazine and brought to the starting position, and then, during that time, the plurality of workpieces that have been conveyed onto the sub-conveyor are lifted up by the storage conveyor, and the first workpiece is moved to the storage position of the new magazine. move forward until it is positioned above the new magazine, lift and store the magazine, then rotate the storage conveyor to transfer the next work to the top of the next storage position of the new magazine, lift and store the new magazine. A method for packing continuously supplied works into a magazine using a conveyor, characterized in that after all of the plurality of works are stored in the same manner, the normal magazine packing operation is resumed. 2. A sub-conveyor on which a large number of works can be placed and which rotates continuously, and a sub-conveyor that is provided overlapping the conveyance path of the sub-conveyor and whose conveying surface rises from below to above the conveying surface of the sub-conveyor to carry out the workpieces. A storage conveyor on which a plurality of works can be placed and which can move forward in the conveying direction to a predetermined storage position and rotates at a higher speed; and a sub-conveyor provided at a first predetermined position when the works arrive. a first sensor that outputs a signal; a second sensor that is provided at a second predetermined position separated from the first sensor by a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction of the sub-conveyor and that outputs a signal when a work arrives; 1. A buffer device for loading continuously supplied works into a magazine using a conveyor, characterized in that the buffer device has a signal source that operates the storage conveyor based on a signal from one of the first sensor and the second sensor. 3. Continuous supply according to claim 2, wherein the storage conveyor is provided on a lifting platform and further comprises a pair of conveyor belts provided on a storage slide movable along the conveyance direction. A buffer device for loading workpieces onto a magazine using a conveyor.