JPH0242386Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a welding device in a conveyor line for cylindrical heavy workpieces.

Conventionally, in automatic welding equipment that consists of a welding robot including a torch and a workpiece fixture, loading and unloading workpieces to and from the workpiece fixture has been carried out using a cargo handling machine such as a crane if the workpiece is heavy or long. The work in this case is positioning,
It takes a considerable amount of time to install and remove, which reduces the processing capacity of the automatic welding equipment, and there is also the risk of the workpiece falling or getting burned by touching the workpiece, which is hot during welding. But it was becoming a problem.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention includes a conveyor line for intermittently transporting each cylindrical workpiece, a table lifter installed in the middle of the conveyor line, a group of support rollers for rotating the workpiece installed on the table lifter, and a workpiece reference part detection. means, and a workpiece positioning means, the table lifter being sandwiched between the workpiece positioning means and the workpiece positioning means, and the workpiece positioning means being spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor line.
It consists of a pair of workpiece fixtures and a welding robot installed near the workpiece fixtures, and when the table lifter is raised, the workpiece is separated upward from the conveyor line by a group of support rollers, and while the workpiece is rotated by the support roller group. The detection means detects the workpiece reference part, the workpiece is positioned by the workpiece positioning means, the workpiece is clamped and fixed by the workpiece pressing fixture provided on the workpiece fixture, and the workpiece is automatically welded by retracting the table lifter. We provide welding equipment for conveyor lines, which is characterized by its high performance and is intended to improve work efficiency by automating workpiece welding setup work, as well as to eliminate safety issues at once. .

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the left and right in Figures 1 and 2 will be referred to as "left" and "right", respectively, and the left and right in Figure 3 will be referred to as "rear", "upstream", "front", and "downstream", respectively. .

Reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyor line, and left and right tracks 3a and 3b are installed horizontally parallel to each other in the front and rear direction at appropriate height positions from the ground floor 2 and are spaced apart from each other.
A pair of circulation conveyance chains 4 moving along 3b
a, 4b are provided, and a plurality of workpiece mounting members 5 are attached to each of the chains 4a, 4b at equal intervals,
The workpiece mounting member 5 has an arc-shaped recess 5a to receive the cylindrical workpiece W, and the chain 4
Left and right orbits 3a, 3 due to intermittent circulation of a, 4b
It is designed to move from the back to the front on b.

6 crosses the conveyor line in the left-right direction at a midway position of the conveyor line 1 to reach the ground floor 2.
The base plate 7 is placed on the left and right tracks 3a and 3b.
A rectangular horizontal table 9 is fixed to the upper end of the elevating ram 8 by a table lifter installed on the base plate 6 between them.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a rotary shaft mounted in the left-right direction between brackets 11a and 11b fixed to the left and right sides of the rear upper surface of the table 9, and support rollers 12a and 12a are mounted on the left and right sides.
12b is fixed. 12c and 12d are brackets 11 that are fixedly installed on the left and right sides of the front upper surface of the table 9.
c, 11d, and is spaced forward from the support rollers 12a, 12b by a distance slightly smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical workpiece W to be processed. Reference numeral 13 denotes a motor with a reducer and a brake fixed to the rear right side of the table 9, and a bevel gear 14 fixed to the upward output shaft end meshes with a bevel gear 15 fixed to the right extended end of the rotating shaft 10. , the support rollers 12a, 12b are rotated in one direction via the rotating shaft 10 by the drive of the motor 13.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a limit switch as a workpiece reference portion detection means fixedly installed on the upper surface of the table 9, and has a switch rod 16a extending upward. When it makes contact, it issues a signal to stop the motor 13.

17 is a workpiece positioning means provided on the table 9, and an air cylinder 17 is installed on the lower surface of the table 9.
A is fixedly installed, a tapered engaging member 17b is fixed to the tip of a rod extending upward, and the engaging member 17b is fitted into, for example, the boss W1 by the extension action of the rod, thereby positioning the workpiece W. There is.

Reference numerals 18 and 19 denote a pair of workpiece fixtures installed on the base plate 6 on both the left and right sides, sandwiching the conveyor line 1 and the table lifter 7; Erected stand 1
A drive box 18b with a built-in actuation cylinder (not shown) is provided on the drive box 18a, and a tapered truncated conical workpiece pressing fixing member 18d is attached to the tip of the actuation cylinder rod 18c led out from the drive box 18b to the right. It is mounted so that it can rotate freely.

Further, the workpiece fixture 19 on the right side has the following configuration. That is, 20 is a trolley, which has four wheels 21 pivotally supported at the front, rear, left and right lower parts, and two rails 2 laid in parallel in the left and right direction on a base plate 6, spaced apart from each other.
The wheel 21 is rotatably engaged with the wheel 21. 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes a drive box placed on the trolley 20 via a pedestal 24, in which a rotary plate 26 is fixed to the tip of a rotary shaft 25 led out to the left from a built-in drive source (not shown). A tapered truncated conical workpiece pressing fixing member 27 is fixed to the surface of the rotating plate 26 concentrically with the rotating plate, and the rotating shaft 24 and the rod 18c share a common central axis M extending in the left and right horizontal directions.
It is arranged so that it has. 28 is the base plate 6
The tip of the rod 28a extending leftward is fixed to the left side surface of the truck 20 by an air cylinder placed on the upper right side of the rod, and the expansion and contraction of the rod allows the truck 20, pedestal 24, drive box 23, etc. to be moved left and right integrally. It is designed to move in the same direction.

Reference numeral 29 denotes an articulated welding robot installed on the left rear protrusion of the base plate 6 behind the left workpiece fixture 18, and a welding torch 29c is attached to the tip of the final control shaft 29a via a suitable torch fixture 29b. I'm wearing it.

Next, the operation of the entire welding apparatus including the conveyor line configured as above will be explained.

As the initial state of the welding equipment, the table lifter 7
The table 9, support rollers 12a to 12d, etc. are lowered together, and the workpiece positioning means 17 shortens the rod 17b. Left side workpiece fixture 18
The workpiece pressing and fixing member 18d is retracted to the left, and the workpiece fixture 19 on the right side allows the trolley 20 and the like to wait on the right side by shortening the rod 28a of the air cylinder 28. Further, the welding robot 29 has a welding torch 29c on standby above the conveyor line 1.

The workpiece W that is about to be welded is
It consists of a cylindrical tube with both ends open, and bosses W1 and W2 are temporarily attached by inserting them into two through holes (not numbered) protruding from the circumferential surface of a cylindrical tube that are shifted in the left and right directions. W denotes workpiece mounting members 5, 5 that face each other on the left and right sides during the intermittently stopped state of the conveyor line 1 at the carry-in section at the upstream end of the conveyor line 1.
It is placed between the recesses 5a, 5a. In this case, although the workpieces W are positioned at substantially constant positions in the longitudinal direction (that is, in the left-right direction), the orientations of the bosses W1 and W2 in the vertical plane differ for each workpiece.

Due to the intermittent drive of the conveyor line 1, one of the works W reaches right above the table lifter 7 and stops. Next, the table 9 and support rollers 12a to 12d are lifted by the upward movement of the table lifter 7.
etc. rise integrally, and the supporting rollers 12a, 12
c, 12b, and 12d engage with the lower left and right lower front and rear peripheral surfaces of the workpiece W to lift the workpiece W;
The workpiece W separates upward from the workpiece placement members 5 and floats up, and the central axis of the workpiece W substantially coincides with the central axis M.

Subsequently, the bevel gear 1 is driven by the motor 13.
4, 15 and the rotating shaft 10, the support roller 1
2a and 12b rotate counterclockwise as shown by arrows in FIG. 3, thereby rotating the workpiece W clockwise. When the switch rod 16a engages with the boss W1 during the rotation of the workpiece W, the limit switch 16 is activated, the motor 13 is stopped, and the rotation of the workpiece W is stopped. At this time, the boss W1 faces directly downward and just faces the engaging member 17b.

Next, the rod extension action of the air cylinder 17a causes the engaging member 17b to rise and engage with the boss W1, thereby positioning the workpiece W. Thereafter, the rod 18c of the left workpiece fixture 18 extends to the right, and the workpiece pressing and fixing member 18d fits into the left end opening of the workpiece W. Then, the rod 28a of the air cylinder 28 is extended and the carriage 20 is driven. box 23,
The rotary plate 26 and the like move to the left as a unit, and the workpiece pressing and fixing member 27 fits into the opening at the right end of the workpiece W. With this, the two workpiece pressing and fixing members 27 of the workpiece W are fitted into and engaged with the right end opening of the workpieceW. The workpiece W is now positioned and fixed by the two workpiece pressing and fixing members 18d and 26 clamping and pressing from the left and right sides (FIGS. 1 to 3).
Therefore, the table lifter 7 plays the role of positioning the workpiece W and returns down to the original position. At the same time, the air cylinder 17a also shortens and returns the rod, and the engagement member 17b comes out of the boss W1 downward.

Welding preparations are now complete, and the welding robot 29 is operated so that the welding torch 29c approaches the workpiece W.
In cooperation with the work rotation position control by the rotary plate 26, circumferential welding of the joint portion of the bosses W1 and W2 is performed. When this automatic welding operation is finished, the table lifter 7 rises again, and the welded workpiece W is supported from below by the support rollers 12a to 12d. By the shortening return operation of the rod 18c and the shortening return action of the rod 28a of the air cylinder 28, the two workpiece pressing and fixing members 18d and 26 are pressed against the workpiece W.
The workpiece W moves away from the workpiece W to the left and right, respectively.
Release the positioning fix.

Finally, the table lifter 7 returns to the lower position, and during this descent, the workpiece W is transferred to the workpiece mounting members 5, 5, and the welded workpiece W is transported downstream by the 1-bit drive of the conveyor line 1, and a new The unwelded workpiece W is placed directly above the table lifter 7, and the above-described operation is repeated.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the workpiece conveyed by the conveyor line is separated upward from the conveyor line by the table lifter, and the table lifter includes a group of support rollers for rotating the workpiece and a workpiece reference portion detection means. With the workpiece positioned at a predetermined position by the cooperation of the workpiece positioning means, the table lifter is held between the workpieces and delivered to a pair of workpiece fixtures, and the workpieces are clamped and fixed to the workpiece fixtures, and the table lifter itself is moved downward during automatic welding. Since all operations such as transporting the workpiece, loading/positioning the workpiece to the workpiece fixture, and unloading the workpiece can be performed automatically, not only can the welding setup time be greatly shortened, but also the worker The work can be carried out safely because there is no need to directly touch the workpiece where welding heat remains.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a front view taken from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a plan view taken from the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. It is an arrow sectional view. In the figure, 1 is a conveyor line, 7 is a table lifter, 12a to d are support rollers, 16 is a workpiece reference portion detection means, 17 is a workpiece positioning means, 18,
19 is a workpiece fixture, 29 is a welding robot, and W is a workpiece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A conveyor line for intermittently transporting each cylindrical workpiece, a table lifter installed in the middle of the conveyor line, a group of support rollers for rotating the workpiece installed on the table lifter, and a workpiece a reference portion detection means, a workpiece positioning means, a pair of workpiece fixtures installed spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the conveyor line with the table lifter in between, and a welding fixture installed near the workpiece fixtures. When the table lifter is raised, the workpiece is separated upward from the conveyor line by the support of the support roller group, and the workpiece reference part is detected by the detection means while the support roller group is rotating the workpiece, and the workpiece is positioned. A conveyor characterized in that the workpiece is held and fixed by the workpiece pressing and fixing member provided on the workpiece fixture in a state where the workpiece is positioned by the means, and the workpiece is brought into a state where the workpiece can be automatically welded by lowering and retracting the table lifter. Welding equipment on the line. (2) The work rotation support roller group consists of a set of four support rollers, two of which are coaxially fixed and connected to a motor, and the remaining two support rollers are free to rotate. A welding device for a conveyor line according to claim 1 of the utility model registration claim. (3) The workpiece reference portion detection means includes a limit switch equipped with a switch rod, and is activated when the switch rod engages with the workpiece protrusion serving as the workpiece reference portion while the workpiece is being rotated by the workpiece rotation support roller group. The welding device for a conveyor line according to claim 1, which generates a signal to stop the rotation of the workpiece. (4) The workpiece positioning means comprises a tapered engagement member fixed to the tip of a rod of an air cylinder, and when the rod is extended, the engagement member fits into a recess of the workpiece and positions the workpiece. A welding device for a conveyor line according to claim 1 of the utility model registration claim. (5) The workpiece pressing fixing member can be moved forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction, either alone or together with the entire workpiece fixture, and one of the fixing members can be rotated around a common central axis, and the other fixing member can be driven to rotate around a common central axis. A welding device for a conveyor line as set forth in claim 1 of the utility model registration, wherein the welding device rotates freely.