JPH0432404A - Pallet transferring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve a pallet transferring device using a crane robot with which pallets of different sorts can be mounted by combining the crane robot, which has a carriage for selectively mounting pallets of different sizes for both physical distribution and machines, with containing stations for both pallets. CONSTITUTION:Middle-stage and upper-stage fork members 530, 540 are expanded by a fork unit 520 toward a physical distribution pallet station 600, and a hook member 550 of the member 540 pushes out a physical distribution pallet 900 by a stopping plate 552. The pallet 900 then moves on a support table 560 to transfer to a support table 620 at the station 600 till its center position moves for a distance D1, when expansion operation of the unit 520 is completed. The whole body of a carriage 500 is then moved down, and the stopping plate 552 is positioned at a position where it does not interfere with the pallet 900, and the fork member 540 is contracted toward the carriage 500 by the fork unit 520 to complete transfer of the pallet 900. A machine pallet 800 on the carriage 500 is transferred to a machine pallet station 700 similarly.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is capable of handling a distribution pallet on which articles are placed and a machine pallet on which workpieces of a machine tool are set up using the same carriage. This invention relates to a pallet transport device using a crane robot.

[Conventional technology]

A three-dimensional warehouse is one in which racks for storing distribution pallets are constructed three-dimensionally, and a self-propelled crane is used to automatically carry in and out goods placed on the distribution pallets.

The crane is equipped with a carriage having a fork device that can be moved up and down, and the fork device carries the logistics pallet on the carriage onto the rack and carries out the logistics pallet on the rack onto the carriage.

On the other hand, there is a flexible manufacturer that stores multiple multi-tasking machine tools and machine pallets on which many workpieces are placed in a pallet stocker, and automatically supplies the machine pallets to the table of the appropriate machine tool. Charing System (FMS) is becoming popular. The crane used in this system is called a crane robot.

FIG. 5 shows an outline of the crane robot. The crane robot 10 has a lower frame 12, and wheels provided on the lower frame 12 are connected to lower rails 8 laid on the floor 5.
supported above. Two guide posts 14.16 are erected on the lower frame 12, and the upper frame 20 is fixed to the upper part of the guide posts 14.16.

The carriage 3o is guided by two guide posts 14 and 16 and moves up and down by means such as a chain. A fork device 35 is installed on the carriage 30, and the fork device 35 moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane of FIG. 5 to convey the pallet 40 on the fork device. Articles and workpieces 45 are placed on the pallet 40.

Meanwhile, the rank 100 built parallel to the lower rail 8
In this case, a large number of pallet accommodating portions 110 are formed three-dimensionally. An upper rail 120 is provided at the top of the rack lOO in parallel to the lower rail 8 and guides the upper frame 20 of the crane robot 10.

A drive bag [50 is provided on the lower frame 12 to drive the drive wheels 52 on the lower rail. The lifting device 60 is
The carriage 30 is raised and lowered via transmission means such as sprockets and chains.

A control device 70 is provided on the lower frame 12 to move the carriage 30 to a position facing an arbitrary pallet accommodating section 110, and automatically accomplish loading and unloading of the pallet 40.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The machine pallet on which the workpiece of the machine tool is placed must be accurately attached to and detached from the table of the machine tool.
A coupling member is arranged on the underside of the machine pallet. In addition, blocks, pins, etc. for accurately positioning the mechanical pallet are arranged on the table of the carriage that conveys the mechanical pallet. In addition, since the workpieces placed on mechanical pallets are often heavy,
The size of the pallet is also relatively small, for example, the pallet size is 500 mm square or 800 mm square, and the maximum size is 1.
It is about 250 mm square.

On the other hand, in the case of a logistics pallet, the precision of the support device is not required, and since the pallet is not attached to or detached from a table or the like, the lower surface of the pallet may be formed flat. Furthermore, the weight of the articles placed on the pallet is often relatively small. Therefore, the pallet dimensions are also larger than mechanical pallets.

Efforts are being made to improve accommodation efficiency.

Therefore, mechanical pallets and logistics pallets have different shapes and dimensions, and the mechanisms for supporting the pallets are also different, making it impossible for conventional crane robots to load mechanical pallets and logistics pallets together.

The present invention provides a pallet transport device using a crane robot that allows mixed loading of different types of pallets.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the pallet transport device of the present invention, the carriage of the crane robot used includes a fork device equipped with a table on which a first pallet having a small planar shape is placed, and a flat surface disposed on both sides of the fork device. Basically, the method includes a means for movably supporting a second pallet having a large shape and size, and a pallet station for accommodating the first pallet and a pallet station for accommodating the second pallet. have as a means.

[Effect]

A first pallet or a second pallet is arbitrarily placed on the carriage of the crane robot, and the pallet is carried in and out of the pallet station depending on the type of pallet.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an outline of a transfer device using a crane robot of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1. The crane robot system includes a carriage 500 that is installed on a crane (not shown), a logistics pallet station 600 that accommodates logistics pallets arranged on a floor surface 400, and a machine tool body, a pallet changer, or a setup for mounting machine pallets. a mechanical pallet station 700, such as a mechanical pallet station 700;

The carriage 5oO includes a fork device 520 disposed at the center of the frame 510 and support stands 560 disposed on both sides of the fork device 520.

The fork device 520 includes a lower fork member 525 fixed on the frame 510, a middle fork member 530 slidably supported on the lower fork member 525, and a middle fork member 530 slidably supported on the middle fork member 530. The upper stage fork member 540 is provided.

The middle fork member 530 is linearly driven by a drive means such as a rack and pinion, and the upper fork member 54
0 is connected to the lower fork member 525 by a chain or the like via a sprocket provided on the middle fork member 530. Therefore, when the middle fork member 530 is driven, the upper fork member 540 moves at twice the speed of the middle fork member 530 in the same direction as the middle fork member 530 due to the pulley principle.

A table 542 is mounted on the upper fork member 540, and a mechanical pallet 800 is placed on the table 542. A machine pallet 80 is placed on the top surface of the table 542.
A block and bin 543 for positioning 0 is provided.

Further, a hook member 550 is fixed to the center of the table 542. The hook member 550 has an elongated flat plate shape, and locking plates 552 protruding from the hook member 550 are fixed to both ends of the hook member 550 in the longitudinal direction.

Therefore, the middle fork member 530, the upper fork member 540, and the hook member 550 of the fork device 520 mounted on the frame 510 slide within a space formed at the center of the frame 510 and having a width of dimension v12.

The entire frame 510 of the carriage 5oO has dimensions W□
, and support stands 5 are provided on both sides of the fork device 520.
60 are arranged. A plurality of rows of roller receivers W562 are rotatably mounted on this support stand 56o. In this embodiment, three rows of roller receiving devices 562 are arranged on each support stand 560.

A guide plate 564 is provided upright on the outside of the support stand 560.

The support stand 560 has a length dimension L1, and therefore, on the support stand 560, there is a logistics pallet that is a second pallet whose maximum width is less than or equal to the dimension W1 and whose length is approximately equal to the width. 900 can be placed.

A logistics pallet station 600 disposed opposite to one side of a carriage 500 of a crane robot has a base 61.
0 and a support stand 620 formed on the base stand 610. A pair of support stands 620 are arranged outside a space having a width of dimension W2 formed in the center of the base 610.
The outside of 20 has a width of dimension W1.

Three rows of roller receiving devices 630 are arranged on the upper surface of the support stand 620, and a guide plate 635 is provided upright on the outside of the support stand 620. A fixed stopper 625 is provided upright at the end of the support base 620 on the opposite side from the carriage 500.

The support stand 620 has a length dimension L2, and this dimension L
2 is configured to be larger than the length L□ of the support base 560 of the carriage 500.

A movable stopper device 650 is disposed inside one of the support stands 620. This movable stopper device w650 includes a body 652 and a stopper 654 supported at the center of the body 652 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The stopper 654 is linearly driven, for example, by an actuator such as a solenoid. The stopper 654 is connected to the body 65
When it protrudes from the roller receiving device 63, its tip
The stopper 654 is raised above the receiving surface of the body 652.
When it is pulled inside, the tip will receive the ball! 6
It is lower than the receiving surface of 3o.

Next, a mechanical pallet station 700 disposed on the opposite side of the logistics pallet station 600 with respect to the carriage 500 has a base 710 and a mechanical pallet support device 720 provided on the base 710. The machine pallet support device 720 is applied not only to a rack for storing machine pallets, but also to a table of a machine tool, a pallet support device of a pallet exchange device, a pallet support device at a setup station, and the like.

A block or bin 722 for positioning the machine pallet is disposed on the machine pallet support device 720.

The distance 1iD□ between the center position of the carriage 500 of the crane robot and the center position of the mechanical pallet support device 720 of the mechanical pallet station 700 is the distance 1iD□ between the center position of the carriage 500 and the center position of the physical pallet station 60
Each device is arranged so that the distance from the center position of 0 is equal to the distance D1.

The system of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and the operation of the system will now be explained with reference to FIG. 4.

(A), (B), and (C) in Fig. 4 each show the operation, and the left half of the center line shows the second
The figure shows the case where a logistics pallet 900, which is a pallet of Indicates when to include.

First, the process of transferring the physical distribution pallet 900 will be explained.

The distribution pallet 900 has a planar shape that has a width and a length that fit within the guide plates 564 erected on both sides of the support stand 560 of the carriage 500, and a hook member 550 that is attached to the fork device 520 of the carriage. It has a length that fits inside the locking plates 552 erected at both ends of the carriage 500, and is supported on the roller receiving device 562 of the support stand 560 of the carriage 500. Therefore, table 542
is not involved in the transfer of the physical distribution pallet 900.

First, the carriage 5oO is positioned such that the height of the upper surface of the roller receiving device 562 of the support base 560 approximately matches the height of the upper surface of the roller receiving device 630 of the distribution pallet station 600. In this state, the height of the upper surface of the roller receiving device 562 of the support base 560 and the height of the upper surface of the hook member 550 are approximately the same, or the height of the upper surface of the hook member 550 is configured to be slightly lower. do.

From this state, the fork device 152 of the carriage 500
0 to extend the middle fork member 530 and the upper fork member 540 toward the logistics pallet station 600 side. The hook member 550 attached to the upper fork member 540 has locking plates 552 erected at its front and rear ends.
to push out the logistics pallet 900. Logistics pallet 900
is the roller receiving device 5 of the support stand 560 of the carriage 500.
62 and transfers onto the roller receiving device 630 of the support stand 620 of the distribution pallet station 600, and when the center position of the distribution pallet 900 moves by a distance D□, the extension operation of the fork device 520 is completed.

In this state, the tip position of the distribution pallet 900 is at the fixed stopper 622 of the distribution pallet station 600.
Next, the movable stopper device 650 is driven to cause the stopper 654 to protrude above the roller receiving device 630, thereby regulating the rear end position of the logistics pallet 900.

The entire carriage 500 is lowered and the hook member 550
The locking plate 552 is positioned at a position where it does not interfere with the physical distribution pallet 900. The upper stage fork member is contracted toward the carriage 500 by operating the fork device H520, and the transfer of the physical distribution pallet 900 is completed.

Next, a process of transferring the mechanical pallet 800 on the carriage 500 to the mechanical pallet station 700 will be described.

The machine pallet 800 has a table 54 fixed to the upper fork member of the fork device 520 of the carriage 500.
It is placed on 2. Therefore, the carriage 500
The support stand 560 is not involved in transferring the machine pallet 800.

The mechanical pallet support device 720 of the mechanical pallet station 700 has a planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the mechanical pallet 800, and has a block or bin 722 for positioning one mechanical pallet 80o.

First, the carriage 500 is raised and the machine pallet 80 is
0 is the block of the mechanical pallet support device 720, pin 72
Position it at a height that does not interfere with 2.

In this state, the fork device 52o of the carriage 500 is operated to move the table 542 integrated with the middle fork member 530 and the upper fork member to the mechanical pallet station 7.
Extend it to the 00 side.

The fork device 520 is adjusted to stop at the position where the table 542 is moved directly above the mechanical pallet support device 720. Therefore, by lowering the entire carriage 500, the table 542 of the fork device 520
The upper mechanical pallet 800 is a mechanical pallet support device 720
Translated above.

After lowering the carriage 500 to a position where the locking plate 552 of the hook member 550 integrally fixed to the table 542 does not interfere with the mechanical pallet support device 720, the fork device 520 is retracted to complete the transfer of the mechanical pallet 800. do.

The process of transferring the physical distribution pallet 900 accommodated in the physical distribution pallet station 600 to the carriage 500 side and the process of transferring the mechanical pallet 800 accommodated in the one-machine pallet station 700 to the carriage 500 side are the same as those described above. This is achieved by working backwards.

According to the apparatus of this embodiment, as described above, a physical distribution pallet and a mechanical pallet having different planar shapes and dimensions can be arbitrarily handled by the same carriage.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the pallet transport device of the present invention includes a crane robot equipped with a carriage that can selectively place both physical distribution pallets and mechanical pallets of different sizes.

By combining a station that accommodates logistics pallets and a station that accommodates mechanical pallets, it is possible to handle logistics pallets and mechanical pallets in the same device, which allows for effective use of space and the automation of logistics. , it is possible to achieve the integration of flexible manufacturing systems (EMS).

Logistics pallets are plate-shaped with flat top and bottom surfaces.
Since the weight of the items to be placed is often relatively small,
The shape of the pallet is simple and the size can be made large. Furthermore, the accuracy of the storage position relative to the pallet station is not required.

Mechanical pallets have high rigidity, and a coupling member is provided on the bottom surface for accurately attaching and detaching the pallet to a table. Furthermore, the weight of the workpieces set up on the pallet is often large. Therefore, the mechanical pallet is
It is relatively small in size and requires both the carriage and station to be placed in precise positions.

In the present invention, a table for placing a mechanical pallet is provided on a fork device installed on a carriage, and a support base having a roller receiving device is provided on the carriage to place a logistics pallet. There is. and,
Mechanical pallets are carried into and out of mechanical pallet stations while being placed on fork devices, and logistics pallets are carried into and out of logistics pallet stations by being pushed and moved by fork devices. Therefore, by fully utilizing the functions of the fork device, effects such as the ability to transfer mechanical pallets and logistics pallets using the same fork device can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view. 3 is a view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the crane robot. 10... Crane robot 500... Carriage 520... Fork device 550... Hook member 560...
Support stand 562...Roller receiving device 600...Logistics pallet station 620...
... Support stand 630 ... Roller receiving device 700 ... Mechanical pallet station 720 ...
... Mechanical pallet support device 800 ... Mechanical pallet 900 ... Logistics pallet patent applicant Yamazaki Mazatuku Co., Ltd. agent
Patent attorney Yoshiaki Numagata (2 others) Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A crane robot that is equipped with a carriage equipped with a fork device that carries in and out pallets, and means for raising and lowering the carriage, and that moves on rails to convey pallets;
In a pallet conveying device equipped with a plurality of pallet stations arranged opposite to a carriage, the carriage has a fork device equipped with a table on which a first pallet having a small planar shape is placed, and a fork device with a table for placing a first pallet having a small planar shape. means for movably supporting second pallets having a large planar shape disposed on both sides, and a pallet station for accommodating the first pallet and a pallet station for accommodating the second pallet. A pallet conveying device characterized by: 2. The means for movably supporting the second pallet disposed on the carriage comprises a support stand fixed on the carriage and a roller receiving device installed on the support stand. Pallet transport device. 3. The fork device includes a lower fork member fixed on the carriage, a middle fork member slidably supported with respect to the lower fork member, and an upper fork member slidably supported with respect to the middle fork member. member, a drive device for the middle fork member, and means for driving the upper fork member at twice the moving speed of the middle fork member, the upper fork member comprising a table on which the first pallet is placed; 3. The pallet conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a hook member that engages with and pushes the second pallet. 4. The pallet conveying device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the pallet station that accommodates the second pallet is equipped with a roller receiving device that movably supports the second pallet. 5. Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the first pallet is a machine pallet placed on a table of a machine tool, and the second pallet is a logistics pallet on which articles to be stored are placed. 4. The pallet conveying device according to 3 or 4.