JPH0123352B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a pallet mooring mechanism that stores excess pallets adjacent to the pallet in front of a pallet conveyor that circulates a plurality of pallets in a free cycle and stops them at a predetermined work station. Regarding equipment.

Conventionally, with this type of pallet conveyor, efforts have been made to shorten the cycle time so that a large amount of products can be assembled in a short time. However, there is a limit to the transfer capacity of the transfer device that transfers empty pallets from the main transfer path where the work station is located to the reverse transfer path where the pallets are sent. There were drawbacks such as the equipment becoming a hindrance. In order to eliminate this drawback, pallet conveyors with improved transfer devices have been developed to increase the transfer speed per pallet of the transfer device. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this pallet conveyor 1 has a main transfer path 4 having an endless chain 3a that circulates in a fixed direction within a horizontally arranged conveyor frame 2.
, a reverse transfer path 5 having an endless chain 3b that circulates in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the endless chain 3a, a first transfer device 6 that connects the main transfer path and the reverse transfer path 5, and a reverse transfer path 5. and a second transfer device 7 that connects the main transfer path 6. Work stations are arranged on the pallet conveyor 1 at predetermined intervals, and a work unit 8 is attached to each work station. Further, this work station has a stopper mechanism (not shown) and is configured to sequentially stop pallets 9, which will be described later, and to sequentially send out the pallets 9. The first transfer device 6 has a second endless chain 10 that can freely circulate in forward and reverse directions, and
A transfer table 11 that can transfer pallets 9 in a line, and a lifting table 1 that moves this transfer table 11 diagonally backward.
2, and is configured to simultaneously transfer two pallets 9 sent out from the main transfer path 4 to the reverse transfer path 5. Furthermore, the second transfer device 7
has the same mechanism as the first transfer device 6, and is configured to simultaneously transfer two pallets 9 sent out from the reverse transfer path 5 to the main transfer path 4.

A plurality of pallets 9 are guided on the conveyor frame 2, and are configured to be linearly movable in the direction in which the endless chain 3a moves. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, four rollers 13 are rotatably attached to the pallet 9, and the pallet 9 is configured to slide on the conveyor frame 2. A rotary shaft 14 is rotatably disposed near the front and rear ends of the pallet 9 in the direction of movement thereof and in a direction intersecting the endless chain 3a. A sprocket 15 is attached so as to be rotatable. The sprocket 15 is arranged to mesh with the endless chains 3a, 3b, and is configured to receive rotational force as the endless chains 3a, 3b circulate.

A clutch tooth 16 is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 14 so as to be able to rotate together with the clutch tooth 16, and is configured to engage with a stopper 17, which will be described later, to stop the rotation of the sprocket 15. The pallet 9 also has a rotating shaft 18 extending in the direction of movement thereof.
is arranged so as to be slidable and rotatable in its axial direction. Moreover, a stopper 17 is fixed to this rotating shaft 18 at a position where it engages with the clutch teeth 16, and the stopper 17 and the clutch teeth 16 are engaged with each other.
When the sprockets 6 and 6 are engaged, the rotation of the sprocket 15 is stopped, and the sprocket 15 is pulled in the direction of movement of the endless chains 3a, 3b, thereby moving the pallet 9.

On the other hand, a first release lever 19 is fixed to the center of the rotating shaft 18, and an operating shaft 20 connected to the first releasing lever 19 on the pallet 9 intersects with the rotating shaft 18. It is arranged so that it can be moved in the direction of The operating shaft 20 is driven by a cylinder (not shown) attached to the conveyor frame 2 when the stopper mechanism attached to the conveyor frame 2 stops the pallet 9.
Rotate the first release lever 19 and the rotation shaft 18,
The stopper 17 and the clutch tooth 16 are configured to be disengaged. Therefore, endless chain 3
The traction force transmitted from a and 3b to the sprocket 15 is not applied to the pallet 9, but is transferred to the sprocket 1.
It is configured so that it can be switched to a rotating force of 5. Further, at the front end of the pallet 9, a second release lever 23 is located at the end of the rotation shaft 18, and a first release lever 23 is located at the end of the rotation shaft 18.
A third release lever 24 is disposed at the rear end of the pallet 9 so as to be rotatable together with the sleeve portion 21, and a third release lever 24 is disposed so as to be rotatable integrally with the second sleeve portion 22. The second release lever 23 and the third release lever 24 are configured to extend in a direction intersecting the rotation shaft 18 and in opposite directions. Moreover, the first sleeve portion 2 is integrated with each of the second release lever 23 and the third release lever 24.
1. A split groove 25 is bored in the second sleeve portion 22, and pins 26 implanted near both ends of the rotating shaft 18 are alternately inserted into the split groove 2 by sliding of the rotating shaft 18.
It is configured to mesh with 5. The pallet 9 also has the second plate at its front end and rear end, respectively.
A dog 27 is disposed at a position opposite to the release lever 23 and the third release lever 24, and when the pallet 9 stops in the forward direction, the dog 9 engages the second release lever (not shown) of the following pallet (not shown). (not shown) or a third release lever (not shown),
A pivot shaft (not shown) is configured to rotate to disengage a stopper (not shown) from a clutch tooth (not shown).

In the pallet conveyor 1 described above, the pallets 9 moving on the conveyor frame 2 are placed on two transfer devices 6 and 7, and since the pallets 9 move linearly, the cycle time per 91 pallets is It has been shortened. However, in this pallet conveyor, the advancing surface of the pallet 9 is connected to the main transfer path 4.
Since the rotation is reversed in the reverse transfer path 5, the rotation shaft 18 that acts when switching the traction force transmitted from the endless chains 3a and 3b to the sprocket 15 to the rotational force of the sprocket 15 has release levers 23 and 23 at both ends thereof, respectively. 24, and is slidable in the axial direction so as to rotate together with only one of the release levers. Therefore, when the pallet 9 comes into contact with the front pallet 9a and is moored at that position, the rotation shaft 18 moves due to vibrations applied to the pallet 9, and the dog 2 of the front pallet 9 moves.
7, the second release lever 23 may be released from the rotating state. At this time, since the rotating shaft 18 is not subject to any restrictions, the rotating shaft 18 returns to the position where the sprocket 15 stops rotating, and the sprocket 15 and pallet 9 are moved by the traction force of the endless chains 3a and 3b. Being towed. Therefore,
This pallet 9 moves forward even though it has come into contact with the pallet 9a in front of it and is stopped, leading to damage to the sprocket 15 or the endless chains 3a and 3b, which may cause the pallet conveyor to completely stop operating. There are drawbacks.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.
Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 28 denotes a pallet mooring device, which has a rotating shaft 18 rotatably or slidably held on the pallet 9. This rotation axis 18
A second release lever 23 and a third release lever 24 are rotatably held at both ends of the , respectively, and when the rotation shaft 18 slides, the second release lever 23 is moved to the rotation shaft 1.
It is configured to rotate together with 8. or,
A stopper 17 is fixed to this rotation shaft 18,
Clutch tooth 1 rotates together with sprocket 15
6 so that the traction force applied from the endless chain 3a to the sprocket 15 is transmitted to the pallet 9.

Furthermore, two limiters 2 are attached to the rotation shaft 14.
9a and 29b are fixed and cooperate with the protrusion 30 of the pallet 9 to restrict the sliding movement of the rotating shaft 18 within a predetermined range. Further, a stopper ring 31 is fixed to one limiter 29a, and a detent lever 32 corresponds to this stopper ring 31.
is placed on palette 9. This detent lever 32 is always elastically biased so as to engage with the stopper ring 31, so that the pallet 9 is
Alternatively, when placed on the second transfer device 6, 7, the detent lever 32 is forcibly rotated and separated from the stopper ring 31. Further, the tip of the detent lever 32 is arranged so that when the rotation shaft 18 slides and the other limiter 29b comes into contact with the protrusion 30 of the pallet 9, the tip comes into contact with the stop ring 31. The thickness is smaller than the value obtained by subtracting the thickness d of the stopper ring 31 from the distance l.

In the above pallet mooring device, even if vibration is applied to the pallet 9 itself when the pallet 9 comes into contact with the pallet 9a in front and is moored at that position, the rotation axis 1
Since the limiter 29b of No. 8 is located between the protrusion 30 of the pallet 9 and the detent lever 32, the rotating shaft 18 does not move at all. Therefore, the rotation shaft 18 and the second release lever 23 do not separate, and the dog 27a of the front pallet 9a
The second release lever 23 in the moving state prevents the rotation shaft 18 from rotating. Therefore, the clutch tooth 1 that the stopper 17 rotates together with the sprocket 15
6, the sprocket 15 rotates under the traction force of the endless chain 3a, and the pallet 9 is not pulled by the endless chain 3a at all.

As explained above, the present invention is configured so that the movement of the rotation shaft that switches the traction force of the endless chain to the rotational force of the sprocket 15 is restricted by the detent lever, so that when the pallet is moored, Since the rotating shaft is securely fixed to the pallet and does not rotate, and therefore the sprocket does not stop rotating, the traction force of the endless chain is not transmitted to the pallet, and no undue force is applied to the sprocket and endless chain. This has the advantage that no damage is caused to the sprocket or the endless chain. Further, the present invention has the advantage that the sliding movement of the rotating shaft can be restricted in either direction by a single detent lever, and an extremely inexpensive device can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an overall explanatory plan view of a conventional pallet conveyor, Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the main parts of Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the main part of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the conventional pallet with the top cover removed;
5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part taken along the line A-A in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the main part of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the main part of the present invention, and FIG. is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7; 1... Pallet conveyor, 2... Conveyor frame, 3a, 3b... Endless chain, 4... Main transfer path,
5... Reverse transfer path, 6... First transfer device, 7... Second transfer device, 8... Work unit, 9, 9a... Pallet,
10... Endless chain, 11... Transfer table, 12... Elevating table, 13... Roller, 14... Rotating shaft, 15... Sprocket, 16... Clutch tooth, 17... Stopper, 1
8... Rotating shaft, 19... First release lever, 20... Operating shaft, 21... First sleeve part, 22... Second sleeve part, 23... Second release lever, 24... Third release lever, 25... Division groove , 26... Pin, 27, 27a... Dog, 28... Pallet mooring device, 29a, 29b...
Limiter, 30... Projection, 31... Stopper ring, 32... Detent lever.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Endless chains 3a and 3b that circulate in the conveyor frame 2 are arranged, and the endless chains 3
It has a main transfer path 4 for moving the pallet 9 in a predetermined direction as the pallets 9 move, and a reverse transfer path 5 for moving the pallet 9 in the opposite direction. A rotating shaft 14 extending in intersecting directions is rotatably arranged, and the endless chains 3a, 3 are attached to this rotating shaft 14.
A sprocket 15 and a clutch tooth 16 that mesh with the pallet 9 are attached, and a rotating shaft 18 extending in the direction of movement of the pallet 9 is arranged so as to be slidable and rotatable in the axial direction. A stopper 17 is located at a position where it engages with the clutch tooth 16.
, while second release levers 2 are located at the front and rear ends of the pallet 9, respectively, at the ends of the rotation shaft 18.
3. A third release lever 24 is arranged, and the second release lever 23 and the third release lever 24 are configured to engage with the rotation shaft 18 alternately, and in a direction intersecting the rotation shaft 18. Further, a dog 27 is arranged at a position opposite to the second release lever 23 and the third release lever 24 at the front end and the rear end of the pallet 9, respectively, so that the dog 27 of the pallet 9 on the forward side is positioned in opposite directions. In a pallet conveyor configured such that the rotation shaft 18 rotates when it comes into contact with the second release lever 23 or the third release lever 24, and the stopper 17 is disengaged from the clutch teeth 16, a stopper ring is attached to the rotation shaft 18. 31, and a detent lever 32, which is urged to engage with the stopper ring 31, is rotatably attached to the pallet 9. 2. The pallet mooring device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the tip of the detent lever 32 is smaller than [sliding distance of the stopper ring 31 - thickness d of the stopper ring 31].