JPH0344742Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a pallet positioning device for a conveyor line that circulates a plurality of pallets in a free cycle and stops them at a predetermined work station.

Prior Art Conventionally, in order to mass produce products, workers were placed along a conveyor line, and workpieces were placed on pallets on the conveyor line and continuously fed.
Generally, a conveyor line is constructed so that a pallet is stopped and a worker assembles a predetermined part onto a workpiece on the pallet.

Problems that the invention aims to solve Recently, with the increase in labor costs, assembly work has become unmanned.
As labor-saving became necessary, multiple pallets were circulated in a free cycle on a pallet conveyor, stopped at a predetermined work station, and a work unit placed at a predetermined position on a workpiece on the pallet was used. There is a need for a pallet conveyor that can perform predetermined tasks. There are various types of pallet conveyors of this type, but unlike conventional conveyor lines, each work station is equipped with a pallet positioning device, and each pallet also requires a complex stopping mechanism, making it very difficult to convey. Since the cost is high and it would be expensive to install a new one, there is a demand for the development of a pallet positioning device that can be conveniently attached to a conventional conveyor line and stop the pallets at a predetermined position.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention was devised in view of the above requests, and includes a stopper device at a predetermined position on the conveyor line, and a caster stand adjacent to the stopper device on the upstream side that can be raised and lowered by the operation of a main cylinder. is located. The sliding surface of the caster stand is located below the sliding surface of the conveyor line, and the caster stand is configured to be able to move upwardly from this position. Further, a workpiece contact plate is arranged above the caster table, and this workpiece contact plate is elastically biased and held so as to be movable in parallel in any direction. A workpiece pressing mechanism having a pressing roller is disposed around the workpiece contact plate and is configured to move the workpiece to a predetermined position.

Function When the pallet circulating on the conveyor line is stopped at an approximate position by the stopper device, the caster stand is raised. Along with this, the pallet rises and the workpieces placed thereon come into contact with the workpiece contact plate. From this state, the rollers of the workpiece pressing mechanism around the workpiece contact plate move toward the workpiece. Therefore, the workpiece is pressed by the roller and the workpiece contact plate is also pressed at the same time. At this time, the workpiece contact plate is movable in any direction, and the pallet is also slidable in any direction on the caster stand, so the workpiece contact plate moves together with the pallet to a predetermined position. Therefore, the workpiece is reliably positioned at a predetermined position.

Examples Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyor line, which has an endless roller chain 3 (hereinafter referred to as chain) that moves along a conveyor frame 2 (hereinafter referred to as frame). A pallet positioning device 4 is arranged at a predetermined work station on the conveyor line 1. As shown in FIG. This pallet positioning device 4 has a stopper device 6 which is raised and lowered by a first auxiliary cylinder 5, and this stopper device 6 has an L-shaped stopper 8 having a small roller 7 at its upper end. This stopper 8 is rotatably arranged, and a shock absorber 9 is arranged to abut one end thereof. Further, the pallet positioning device 4 has a main cylinder 15 located upstream of the stopper device 6 and fixed to the frame 2, and a fixing plate 16 is fixed to the main rod 15a. The fixed plate 16
A guide shaft 17 is fixed parallel to the lower side of the main cylinder 15 so as to sandwich the main cylinder 15 therebetween, and this guide shaft 17 is guided so as to be freely inserted into a first guide 18 fixed to the frame 2. On the other hand, the tip of the main rod 15a protrudes from the fixing plate 16, and a caster stand 20 is fixed to the tip via a spherical bearing 19. Three rows of ball casters 21 are arranged on this caster stand 20, and the upper ends of the ball casters 21 are located below the upper ends of the chains 3, and are configured to be able to move upwardly from this position. In addition, the caster stand 20 and the fixed plate 16
Four springs 22 are arranged between them, and the caster stand 20 is configured to be tiltable in any direction with respect to the fixed plate 16.

Notches 2 are provided in the center of both ends of the caster stand 20.
3 is cut out, and the second auxiliary cylinder 24 is installed in the caster base 20 facing this notch 23.
It is fixed with the auxiliary rod 24a facing upward.
A support plate 25 is fixed to this second auxiliary rod 24a, and two auxiliary shafts 26 are fixed to the lower side of this support plate 25. The auxiliary shaft 26 is inserted through an auxiliary guide 27 fixed below the caster stand 20, and is configured to move the support plate 25 parallel to the caster stand 20. Further, this auxiliary guide 27 passes through a second notch 28 cut in the fixing plate 16, and the fixing plate 16
The auxiliary guide 27 protrudes further downward, and even when the caster stand 20 rotates around the spherical bearing 19, this auxiliary guide 27
is configured so that it does not come into contact with the fixed plate 16.

Two X-axis shafts 29 extending in parallel are fixed at predetermined positions above the caster stand 20, and a slider 30 is mounted on the X-axis shafts 29.
are biased from both sides by second springs 31a. Further, two Y-axis shafts 33 that are fixed to the workpiece plate 32 and extend in parallel are inserted into the slider 30, and the slider 30 is also supported by second springs 31b from both sides along the Y-axis shafts 33. energized. Further, the workpiece contact plate 32 has a soft material on its contact surface with the workpiece 34, and is configured to prevent damage to the workpiece 34.

Further, a pressing mechanism consisting of four pairs of pressing rollers 35 is arranged around the workpiece contact plate 32 so as to surround it and sandwich the workpiece 34, and the pressing rollers 35 move forward toward the workpiece 34. The workpiece 34 is configured to be positioned at a predetermined position when the workpiece 34 is in the forward position.

In the above pallet positioning device, the pallet 10, which moves along the frame 2 as the chain 3 moves, comes into contact with the stopper device 6, as shown in FIG. 4a, and is stopped at an approximate position. after that,
The second auxiliary cylinder 24 is activated to position the support plate 25 above the upper end of the caster stand 20 and to hold the pallet 10 floating above the caster stand 20, as shown in FIG. 4b. In this state,
When the main cylinder 15 operates, the fixed plate 16,
The caster stand 20 and pallet 10 are raised. When the pallet 10 reaches a predetermined height and the workpiece 34 comes into contact with the workpiece contact plate 32, the second auxiliary cylinder 24 moves back, and the pallet 10 is placed on the caster stand 20 and stopped at that position.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4c, the pressure roller 35
move forward so as to sandwich the work 34 and come into contact with the periphery of the work 34. At this time, if the workpiece 34 is not at the predetermined position, only one of the pressing rollers 35 comes into contact with the workpiece 34 and presses the workpiece 34 toward the predetermined position. The workpiece 34 is the workpiece plate 32
However, the pallet 10 is movable on the ball caster 21, and the work plate 3
Since the slider 2 can be moved in any direction together with the slider 30, it can be moved to a predetermined position without any problem. When the workpiece 34 is positioned at a predetermined position, the work unit 36 moves forward toward the workpiece and performs a predetermined work on the workpiece 34.

Effects of the invention As explained above, the present invention places a caster stand within the conveyor line, lifts the pallet to a predetermined height by raising it, and then moves the workpiece to a predetermined position using a pressing mechanism around the workpiece. Since it is configured to position the workpiece by using the machine, it can be installed alongside a pallet conveyor that is not equipped with a pallet positioning device in advance, and has the advantage of being able to provide an automatic assembly line that can accurately position pallets at an extremely low cost. . In addition, because the present invention is configured to position the workpiece above the conveyor line, work can be performed from any lateral direction, making it possible to perform predetermined work from all directions of the workpiece at the same time, reducing cycle time. It has the advantage of being able to shorten the time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the main part of the pallet positioning device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the main part along the line A-A in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of Fig. 2. Figures 4a, b, and c are sectional views of essential parts showing the operating state of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Conveyor line, 2... Conveyor frame, 3... Endless roller chain, 4... Pallet positioning device, 5... First auxiliary cylinder, 6...
Stopper device, 7... Small roller, 8... Stopper, 9... Shock absorber, 10... Pallet, 15... Main cylinder, 15a... Main rod, 16... Fixed plate, 17... Guide shaft, 18... ...First guide, 19...Spherical bearing, 2
0... Caster stand, 21... Ball caster, 2
2... Spring, 23... Notch, 24... Second auxiliary cylinder, 24a... Second auxiliary rod, 25... Support plate, 26... Auxiliary shaft, 27... Auxiliary guide, 28... Second notch , 29...X-axis shaft,
30...Slider, 31a, 31b...Second spring, 32...Workpiece contact plate, 33...Y-axis shaft, 34...Workpiece, 35...Press roller, 36
...Working unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A pallet positioning device for positioning a pallet on which a work is placed and circulating on a conveyor line at a predetermined position includes a stopper device at a predetermined position on the conveyor line and a stopper device adjacent to the stopper device on the upstream side thereof. A caster stand that can be raised and lowered by the operation of a main cylinder is arranged, and the sliding surface of this caster stand is positioned below the sliding surface of the conveyor line, and the caster stand is configured to be able to move up and down from this position. A workpiece contact plate is arranged above the table, and the workpiece contact plate is elastically biased and held so as to be movable in parallel in any direction, and a workpiece pressing mechanism is arranged around the workpiece contact plate. A pallet positioning device characterized in that it is configured to move a workpiece to a predetermined position by a workpiece pressing mechanism.