JPH0420737B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transfer machine in which each processing unit is arranged on the side of a plurality of processing stations on a workpiece conveyance path.

Conventionally, in this type of transfer machine, a workpiece conveyance path is constructed by assembling a workpiece positioning device located on each processing station and a conveyor connecting each processing station to a dedicated machine base installed according to the line length. However, it is common practice to place separate machining units on the side of the machine corresponding to each machining station, making it difficult to rearrange or expand the line when changing workpieces because the line is dedicated. It comes with some inconvenience.

The first invention of the present application, in order to eliminate such inconvenience,
To provide a transfer machine which constitutes a unit device in which a processing unit, a positioning device, and a conveyor are assembled, and allows the line configuration to be freely changed according to the workpiece by changing the arrangement or adding more of these unit devices. In a transfer machine in which each processing unit is arranged on the side of a plurality of processing stations on a workpiece conveyance path, each unit base on which each processing unit is mounted is placed on the side of each processing station. Each independent unit device is constituted by extending and fixed to the extending portion thereof a positioning device for a workpiece located on each of the processing stations and a conveyor extending in one direction in the conveyance direction of the workpiece in series with the device. By arranging the unit devices adjacent to each other, the processing stations are connected via the conveyors to form the transport path, and a control unit is provided for each unit device, and the processing stations are connected via the conveyors. is capable of independently controlling each of the unit devices, and is in a state where the first sequence signal is generated after the work is sent out from the processing station of the own unit device, and the own unit device is in a state of generating the first sequence signal. generates a second sequence signal when the first sequence signal is input from the next-stage unit device, and generates the second sequence signal when the second sequence signal is input from the control unit of the previous-stage unit device. The present invention is characterized in that it is configured to carry out sequence control for feeding the workpiece to the processing station of the unit device. In the second invention, a workpiece attached to a jig pallet is transported from a workpiece set station at one end of the workpiece conveyance path to a workpiece unloading station at the other end, and an empty jig pallet is transferred from the unloading station to the set station. In a pallet conveying type transfer machine in which pallets are returned via a circulation path, the line configuration can be changed using the unit device of the first invention, and the pallet circulation path can also be changed accordingly. The object of the present invention is to provide a transfer machine that is characterized in that independent conveyor units are provided on the back side of each unit device, and these conveyor units are placed adjacent to each other to form a pallet circulation path. shall be.

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the illustrated embodiments. In the drawing, 1 indicates a workpiece conveyance path, and 2 indicates each processing station on the conveyance path 1. Workpieces W are transferred from a workpiece setting station 3 at one end of the conveyance path 1 to a workpiece unloading station 4 at the other end to a jig pallet 5. Each processing station 2 is transported while attached.
Then, each processing unit 6 arranged on the side performs a predetermined process on the workpiece W, the workpiece W is removed from the jig pallet 5 at the removal station 4, and the empty jig pallet 5 is passed through the pallet circulation path 7. It was returned to the setting station 3 and prepared for setting work W at the setting station 3, thereby constructing a pallet conveying type transfer machine as a whole.

According to the present invention, each unit base 8 on which each processing unit 6 is mounted is extended toward each processing station 2, and each processing station 2 is attached to the extended portion as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. A positioning device 9 for the workpiece located above and a conveyor 10 extending to one side in the transport direction of the workpiece W, for example, to the sending side, are fixedly installed, and thus the processing unit 6, the positioning device 9, conveyor 1
0, and if these unit devices 11 are arranged adjacent to each other, the processing stations 2, 2 before and after the conveyor direction of the workpiece W are connected via the respective conveyors 10, and the entire processing station 2 is connected. A continuous workpiece transport path 1 is constructed from a setting station 3 at one end to a removal station 4 at the other end. According to this, the line configuration can be freely changed according to the workpiece W by replacing or adding the unit device 11.

However, in this case, if the operations of the plurality of unit devices 11 constituting the line are centrally controlled,
Since changing the line configuration requires changing the circuit configuration of the central control device, according to the present invention, a control unit 12 that can independently control each unit device 11 is provided, and each control unit Sequence control is performed between the unit devices 11 by passing sequence signals between the control units 12, and when the line configuration is changed, the control unit 12 attached to each unit device 11 can be controlled without changing the circuit configuration. The problem can be overcome simply by replacing the sequence signal cable.

In addition, if the line length changes due to a change in the line configuration, the length of the pallet circulation path 7 described above must also be changed accordingly. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, according to the feature of the second invention, As shown in FIG. 1, each independent conveyor unit 13 is provided on the back side of each unit device 11, and these conveyor units 13 are arranged adjacent to each other to form the circulation path 7. When the number of conveyor units 13 is increased or decreased, the number of conveyor units 13 arranged can be increased or decreased accordingly.
The length of can be changed. The conveyor units 13 are configured to be sequentially operated in conjunction with the delivery from the preceding conveyor unit 13 by exchanging sequence signals between the conveyor units 13.

The overall configuration of the transfer machine of the present invention is as described above, and the configuration of each part will be described in detail below.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the positioning device 9 is positioned on both sides in the width direction of the pallet loading space on the processing station 2, and
A pair of guide rails 15, 15 with guide rollers 14 for receiving the jig pallet 5 carried in from the conveyor 10 provided in step 1, and fixed to the machine frame 16 on the unit base 8 at the lower side of the carry-in space. A base board 17 is provided, and the base board 1
Vertical positioning reference surfaces 18 are protruded from the four corners of the pallet 7, and a pair of diagonal reference surfaces 18 are provided with positioning pins that can be raised and lowered to fit into positioning holes 5a formed in the bottom plate of the pallet 5. 19, each guide rail 15 is supported by each rod 21 installed in the lower elevating frame 20 of the base plate 17, and each clamp arm 22 is inserted at the top of each rod 21. The guide rails 15 and the clamp arms 22 are moved up and down in conjunction with the lifting frame 20, and a retractable stopper 2 is provided at the front end of the loading space to abut the front end of the jig pallet 5.
3, and a transfer arm 24 that can freely move in and out of the space and can be shifted in the front and back direction is provided on one side of the carry-in space, and a transfer arm 24 is provided on one side of the carry-in space, and a transfer arm 24 that can freely move in and out of the space and can be shifted in the front and back direction is provided.
After confirming that the jig is being carried into the jig pallet 5 between 5 and 15 using the first proximity switch _S1 , the transfer arm 24 is moved from the rear standby position shown at A in FIG. 4 to the standby position shown at B in FIG. The pallet 5 is shifted to the forward feeding position, and the pallet 5 is pushed from behind by the transfer arm 24 to a predetermined carrying position where its front end comes into contact with the stopper 23. After confirming this with the second proximity switch _S2 , As each positioning pin 19 rises, it fits into each positioning hole 5a of the pallet 5 for positioning, and then, as the elevating frame 20 descends, both guide rails 15, 15 and clamp arms 22, 22 descend. The pallet 5 is supported on the reference surface 18 during its descent, and the bottom plate of the pallet 5 is held down from above by the clamp arms 22, 22, which continue to descend, to accurately hold the pallet 5 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The workpiece W is machined by the processing unit 6 by clamping it in the positioned state.

In the drawings, 19a and 20a are cylinders for raising and lowering the positioning pin 19 and the lifting frame 20, 23a is a cylinder for protruding and retracting the stopper 23, 24a and 24b are cylinders for shifting and retracting the transfer arm 24, respectively, and 25 is a cylinder for protruding and retracting the transfer arm 24. A stopper bolt 26 regulates the ascending position of the elevating frame 20, a support pin of the clamp arm 22, and a third proximity switch _S3 detects the presence or absence of the jig pallet 5 on the conveyor 10. Note that the transport arm 24 is used to transport the jig pallet 5.
At the time of unclamping, the pallet 5 is shifted to a delivery position C further forward from the delivery position B and is operated to deliver the pallet 5 to a conveyor 10 extending forward in the transport direction.

Next, the overall sequence control of the unit device 11 will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

Control unit 1 of each unit device 11
2, the R1 signal is sent to the preceding unit device when the jig pallet 5 is sent out from the processing station 2 of the own unit device 11 as described later, and the _R1 signal is sent to the unit device of the own unit device 11 as described later. When the jig pallet 5 is sent out from the processing station 2 of No. 11, that is, when the _R1 signal is being output,
When the R ₁ signal is being input, the R ₂ signal is generated to be sent to the next unit device. Of the two adjacent unit devices, the first one is sent to the first unit device, and the next one is sent to the next unit device. The operation from the time when machining of the workpiece W is completed will be explained using this as the second unit device.

After completing machining, each unit device first confirms that there is no jig pallet 5 on its own conveyor 10 (this state is indicated as "no ID" in the figure), and then unloads the jig pallet 5 on the machining station 2. It operates to perform clamping, and after unclamping, the pallet 5 is sent out from the processing station 2 by retracting the stopper 23, shifting the conveyor arm 24 to the sending out position C, and operating the conveyor 10. When it is confirmed that the pallet 5 is on the conveyor 10 (this state is indicated as ID present in the figure), the stopper 23 is projected. When the protrusion of the stopper 23 of the second unit device is confirmed, the _R1 signal is output from the second unit device to the first unit device, and the transfer arm 24 of the second unit device is shifted to the standby position A. In this case, if the first unit device confirms the protrusion of its own stopper 23 and is in a state to output the _R1 signal to the unit device in the previous stage of the first unit device, it will receive the R1 signal from the second unit device and output the _R1 signal to the unit device in the previous stage of the first unit device. The _R2 signal is output from the first unit device to the second unit device. Then, when this _R2 signal is input to the second unit device, the transfer arm 24 of the second unit device is retracted, while the conveyor 10 of the first unit device is operated to transport the second unit from the first unit device. A jig pallet 5 is carried into the apparatus. When this carry-in is confirmed by the first proximity switch _S1 , the transfer arm 24 of the second unit device is protruded, the output of the _R1 signal to the first unit device is stopped, and the conveyor of the first unit device is 10
stops, and on the other hand, the transfer arm 24 of the second unit device is shifted to the feed position B, and when the second proximity switch _S2 confirms that the jig pallet 5 is being fed to the predetermined carry-in position, the above-mentioned Clamping of the pallet 5 and machining of the workpiece are performed as follows. At this time, the transfer arm 24 is shifted to the standby position A while remaining in the protruding state, and then the transfer arm 24
4, even if the workpiece machining in the first unit device is completed first and the workpiece is sent out, the workpiece is not processed until the workpiece processing in the second unit device is completed and shifted to the delivery position C as described above. The jig pallet 5 is maintained in this state during this period, and functions as a stopper to prevent the next jig pallet 5 from entering the processing station 2 of the second unit apparatus.

Although not shown, the first unit device also outputs the _R1 signal to the unit device in the previous stage after confirming the protrusion of the stopper 23, and the feed of the jig pallet from the unit device in the previous stage is controlled by the second device described above.
Follow the same procedure as for unit equipment.

As described above, the sequence control required for pallet transfer between each unit device 11 is performed by transferring the R ₁ and R ₂ signals between each control unit 12.

In this way, according to the present invention, the processing unit and the positioning device are mounted on a common unit base.
The entire transfer machine, including the workpiece conveyance path, can be constructed simply by preparing independent unit devices assembled with a conveyor and arranging these unit devices adjacent to each other. The line configuration can be changed freely depending on the workpiece by adding or adding more units.In particular, each unit base on which each processing unit is mounted extends toward the processing station, and the extended portion is positioned above the processing station. A workpiece positioning device comprising a workpiece positioning device and a conveyor extending in one direction in the conveyance direction of the workpiece is connected to the workpiece positioning device, and by arranging the unit devices adjacent to each other, the workpiece processing stations are connected via each conveyor. By forming a conveyance path, it is possible to assemble work unit devices of different sizes, and by providing a control unit that can independently control each unit device, and passing sequence signals between the control units. Since sequence control is performed between each unit device, changes to the control system when changing the line configuration can be made by simply replacing the sequence signal cable of each control unit, making line changes quick and easy. Further, according to the second invention, independent conveyor units serving as constituent units of the pallet circulation path are provided on the back side of each unit device, and these conveyor units are placed adjacent to each other to form the pallet circulation path. By increasing or decreasing the number of conveyor units arranged in accordance with the increase or decrease in the number of unit devices arranged, the length of the circulation path can be freely changed according to the line length, which has an advantageous effect. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one example of the transfer machine of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of a unit device used therein, Fig. 3 is a front view thereof, Fig. 4 is a plan view of its processing station portion, and Fig. Figure 5 is the − of Figure 4.
The line cut sectional view, FIG. 6, is a flowchart of sequence control. 1...Workpiece conveyance path, 2...Processing station, 3...Set station, 4...Removal station, 5...Jig pallet, 6...Processing station, 7...Pallet circulation path, 8...Unit base , 9... Positioning device, 10... Conveyor, 11... Unit device, 12... Control unit, 13... Conveyor unit, W...
…work.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a transfer machine in which each processing unit is arranged on the side of a plurality of processing stations on a workpiece conveyance path, each unit base on which each processing unit is mounted is extended to the side of each processing station. Each independent unit device is constructed by fixing a positioning device for a workpiece located on each processing station and a conveyor connected thereto and extending in one direction in the conveyance direction of the workpiece to the extending portion thereof; By arranging the unit devices adjacent to each other, the processing stations are connected via the conveyors to form the transport path, and a control unit is provided for each unit device, and each control unit Each of the unit devices can be controlled independently, and the unit device is in a state in which it generates a first sequence signal after the work is sent out from the processing station of its own unit device, and the unit device itself generates the first sequence signal. When the first sequence signal is input from the next-stage unit device side, a second sequence signal is generated, and when the second sequence signal is input from the control unit of the previous-stage unit device, its own signal is generated. A transfer machine characterized by being configured to perform sequence control for feeding a workpiece to a processing station of a unit device. 2 Each processing unit is arranged on the side of a plurality of processing stations on the workpiece conveyance path, and the workpieces attached to the jig pallet are conveyed from the workpiece set station at one end of the conveyance path to the workpiece unloading station at the other end. a transfer machine, in which each unit base on which each of the processing units is mounted is extended to the side of each of the processing stations;
A workpiece positioning device located on each processing station and a conveyor extending in one direction in the conveyance direction of the workpiece are fixedly connected to the extending portion to form independent unit devices, By arranging the unit devices adjacent to each other, the processing stations are connected via the conveyors to form the transport path, and a control unit is provided for each unit device, and each control unit connects the processing stations via the conveyors. The unit device can be controlled independently, and the first sequence signal is generated after the work is sent out from the processing station of the own unit device, and the next stage is in a state where the own unit device generates the first sequence signal. When the first sequence signal is input from the unit device side of the device, a second sequence signal is generated, and when the second sequence signal is input from the control unit of the previous unit device, the unit device generates the second sequence signal. The apparatus is configured to carry out sequence control for feeding workpieces to a processing station, and is further provided with a pallet circulation path for returning empty jig pallets from the unloading station to the setting station. A transfer machine characterized in that each independent conveyor is provided in the conveyor unit, and the conveyor units are arranged adjacent to each other to form the circulation path.