JPH0557576A - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] After the carrier (hanger) holding the products to be sewn is loaded on the hanger conveyor, the sewing is completed, and the order of conveying the carrier holding the sewn products to the completion station is set. , The order should not be set in the end order of sewing, but should be set arbitrarily after the carrier is put on the line to suit the convenience of product inspection and packing work. [Construction] A carrier 17 is introduced into a conveyor 1 and then carried to each work station STb to carry out division of labor production. Even after the final process is completed, the carrier 17 is circulated in the conveyor. When the completion order designation mode is set, a list of the carriers 17 that are cyclically moved is displayed on the display 130 (S12). When the designation is made for each loading unit (S13), the completion station ST is placed in the designated order.
The carrier 17 is carried to the unit c by the unit of insertion (S15).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carrying device for carrying a carrier carrying an article such as a work cloth to a work station for carrying out work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a sewing factory or the like, various proposals have been made for a carrier device for automatically carrying a carrier holding work-in-process materials such as sewn products to a work station arranged along a carrier rail. Has been done.

For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2-129 filed by the present applicant
In 691, the transport order is stored for each transport body number of each transport body, and the transport body number attached to the transported transport body is read for each work station and corresponds to the transport body number. The next work station of the work station is instructed as the destination of the carrier of the carrier number from the carried order, and the carrier is carried by the carrying control means from the work station having finished the work to the next work station. A carrier device has been proposed.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned transfer apparatus, the work at each work station is completed, and the order of advancing the transfer body holding the finished sewn product or the like to the completion station is the end order of the work. Therefore, it is impossible to advance the carrier holding the finished product of a lot to the completion station first due to the circumstances such as inspection and packing, or due to a sudden situation.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a transfer device capable of transferring a desired transfer body to a completion station in accordance with the convenience of product inspection and packing work. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, transfers a carrier according to a predetermined transfer route to a completion station via a work station for performing work. A transport mechanism capable of transporting, a route storage unit storing data indicating the predetermined transport route for each unique number attached to the transport body, and provided for each work station, and attached to the transport body. And a number reading means for reading the unique carrier number, and controlling the carrying mechanism based on the number read by the number reading means to finish the work according to the carrying path data stored in the path storing means. A transport device for transporting the transport body from one work station to the next work station, the transport device after the transport body is loaded into the transport mechanism. Completion order designating means for designating the completion order of the body, and the transport control means for moving the transportable body transportable to the completion station to the completion station in the order designated by the completion order designating means. A gist is a carrying device characterized by being provided with a completion instructing means for issuing an instruction thereto.

[0007]

In the transport apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the route storage means stores data indicating a predetermined transport route for each unique number attached to the transport body, and the number reading provided for each work station. The means reads the unique carrier number attached to the carrier, and the carrier control means controls the carrier mechanism based on the number read by the number reading means, and the carrier path stored in the path storage means. According to the data, the carrier is transported from the work station that has finished the work to the next work station.

After the transfer body is loaded into the transfer mechanism, when the completion order of the transfer body is specified by the completion order designating means, the completion instructing means transfers the transfer body to the completion station.
The transfer control means is instructed to move to the completion station in the order specified by the completion order specification means.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an overall schematic layout diagram of a carrying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a layout diagram for explaining the layout of the sorting mechanism, the transport rails, etc. of the transport device of this embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial front view of the carrying device of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, a sewing line in a sewing factory or the like has a plurality of work stations ST. The work station ST is classified into a loading station STa for loading a workpiece to be sewn, a sewing station STb for performing various sewing operations, and a completion station STc for unloading a finished product, depending on the type of work.

The hanger conveyor 1 is a conveyor that connects these work stations ST to each other and transfers a hanger for suspending a material to be sewn from the work station to another work station. In the vicinity of each work station ST. The distribution mechanism 2 is arranged, a set of two bridge rails 3 provided between the distribution mechanisms 2, and a station rail 4 branched from each distribution mechanism 2 toward each work station ST.

The hanger is conveyed along the bridge rail 3 and the station rail 4 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2 by a mechanism described later. A station exit stopper mechanism 5 is provided downstream of each station rail 4 to prevent the hanger from exiting the station during work at the station.

As shown in FIG. 4, each distribution mechanism 2 is provided with a column 7 standing on a floor surface 6. A support shaft 8 shown in FIG. 3 is erected on the upper end of the column 7 via a mounting base 9, and a support plate 10 is fixed to the upper end of the support shaft 8.
On the upper surface of the support plate 10, as shown in FIG. 3, a station rail support frame 11 for supporting the station rail 4 is provided.
However, it is supported and fixed in the middle part thereof. A pair of parallel bridge rail support frames 12 that support the bridge rails 3 are fixedly supported across the support plates 10 of the adjacent distribution mechanisms 2. The pair of parallel bridge rails 3 are suspended and supported by a suspension bracket 13 on a bridge rail support frame 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the end portions 3a and 3b of the bridge rail 3 and the end portions 4a and 3b of the station rail 4 are
4b are arranged around the distribution mechanism 2 at the same height and at a predetermined angle (45 degrees in this embodiment). On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the support shaft 8 of the distribution mechanism 2
The rotator 14 is rotatably supported by the. Then, a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) sorting arms 15 are radially projected and fixed at predetermined angles (45 degrees in this embodiment) so as to be able to face the end portions 3a, 4a, 3b, 4b. There is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, on the support plate 10, a servo motor 16 for rotating the arm, which is rotatable in the forward and reverse directions, is mounted. Then, by rotating the servomotor 16 in the forward or reverse direction, the rotating body 14 is rotated, and the sorting arm 15 holding the carrier 17 is arranged at a position facing the predetermined bridge rail 3 or station rail 4. Is configured to be able to.

Furthermore, the endless bridge rail chain 1
8 is stretched along the bridge rail 3 by a plurality of chain guides 19 provided on each hanging metal fitting 13 to form an endless station rail chain (not shown).
However, it is stretched along the station rail 4 by a plurality of chain guides (not shown) provided in each suspension fitting 13.

When the chain driving motor 20 mounted on the support plate 10 of the distribution mechanism 2 is rotated, the bridge rail chain 18 is moved to the bridge rail 3
3 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 3, and the station rail chain is rotated in the same direction along the station rail 4 along with the rotation of the rotary shaft 21 which is rotationally driven by the motor 20. ..

As a result, the carrier 17 on the bridge rail 3 or the station rail 4 is guided along the bridge rail 3 or the station rail 4 with the engaging wheels 22 engaged with the bridge rail chain 18 or the station rail chain. And is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 17 is formed in a hanger shape so that an article such as a product to be sewn can be suspended. In the carrier 17, the rollers rolling on the rails are rotatably supported, and the pair of engaging wheels 22 having a plurality of engaging protrusions on the outer circumference are always provided with a friction brake. It is rotatably supported, and in a state where the engagement wheel 22 is engaged with the bridge rail chain 18 or the station rail chain, it is conveyed and moved along the bridge rail 3 or the station rail 4 in the arrow direction of FIG. Has been

A station exit stopper mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 2 is provided at the downstream end 4a of the station rail 4. The downstream end 3a of the bridge rail 3
Also, a similar stopper mechanism 23 is provided. The stopper mechanisms 5 and 23 are provided with a number reading device 24, a cylinder (not shown), and a stopper driven by the cylinder.

When the carrier 17 is carried to the position corresponding to the number reading device 24 along the bridge rail 3 or the station rail 4, the movement of the carrier 17 is temporarily stopped by the contact with the stopper. Then, the engagement wheel 2
2 starts rotating, and the number reading device 24 causes the engaging wheel 22 to rotate.
A code mark (conveyor number) for identifying a conveyer (not shown) attached to the side surface of the is read.

Further, the loading station STa is provided with a loading switch 25 which is turned on when the material to be sewn is loaded, and the sewing station STb is provided with a work end switch 26 which is turned on when the work at the station is finished, The completion station STc is provided with a completion switch 27 that is turned on when the processing of the finished product is completed.

Next, the electrical configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. Each of the above devices is driven and controlled by the electronic control circuit 30 to carry the carrier 17. The electronic control circuit 30 is configured by connecting a CPU 31, a ROM 32, and a RAM 33, which are cores of a logical operation circuit, and an input / output circuit 34, etc., which performs input / output with an external device, to each other via a common bus 35. Is.

The electronic control circuit 30 includes a number reading device 24.
Alternatively, signals are input from various switch groups 40 such as a closing switch 25 that is operated at the time of closing to generate a closing signal. On the other hand, from the electronic control circuit 30, based on these signals and the data in the ROM and RAM, the servo motor 16
A drive signal or the like for driving the motor 20 for driving the chain and the chain is output.

Further, one electronic control circuit 30 is provided for each distribution mechanism 2, and the plurality of electronic control circuits 30 are connected to the host computer 100 so that the host computer 100 can control the entire system. It is made to be done. The host computer 100 includes a keyboard 110 and a mouse 12 for data input.
0, a display 130 for outputting data, and a printer 140 are connected to each.

The RA of the host computer 100
In M101, a route table as a route storage unit shown in FIG. 6 and an input plan data table shown in FIG. 7 are stored. First, the route table shown in FIG. 6 will be described. At each work station ST, various operations are performed on the carrier 17, but the carrier 17 is displayed on the route table in accordance with the order of the work processes performed on the workpiece.
The numbers of the work stations ST to which are transported are sequentially input and stored as a transport route.

Since the work process of the sewn product held on the carrier 17 is different due to the difference in color and design of the sewn product, different route numbers are given to distinguish the transport routes. The number of the work station ST is written in correspondence with each path number. FIG. 6 shows a state in which four types of route numbers are input and stored.

Further, in the throwing plan data table shown in FIG. 7, the throwing plan of what kind and how much of the sewn product to be put in is inputted and stored in advance. Figure 7
As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of transporters 17 having the same work content are grouped together, and a loading unit number is given to each of them.

For example, in the case shown in FIG. 7, as a unit corresponding to the input unit numbers "1" to "4", the predetermined design "A0101", the size "9", and the color code "50" are used. A plan is set in which five conveyors 17 each holding a workpiece to be sewn with the color are loaded. In addition, the design code is the same as that of the input unit numbers "1" to "4" in correspondence with the input unit numbers "5" and "6", but the sewing process is performed with a different color code "60". A plan is set in which five conveyors 17 each holding an item are loaded.

The column of the order of completion in the loading plan data table is set after loading the carrier. 8 to 9 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of this embodiment.
Shows the process from the input to the end of the work at each work station, and FIG. 9 shows the process of designating the order of completion and instructing conveyance to the completion station. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

Input switch 2 of input station STa
5 is turned on by the operator, in step S1, the carrier number of the carrier 17 holding the sewn workpiece is set to the station exit stopper mechanism 5 of the station.
It is read by the number reading device 24 provided in the. In step S2, the CPU 31 of the electronic control circuit 30 provided in the station stores the read carrier number of the carrier 17 in the RAM 33.

In step S3, a cylinder (not shown) of the stopper mechanism 5 is actuated to start loading the carrier 17 into the carrier path. In steps S4 to S5, the introduced transport body 17 is transported to the sorting mechanism 2 by the bridge rail chain 18 and is sorted to the work station STb on the preset transport route.

When the work stations STb of the transfer destinations are not adjacent to each other, the sorting and the transfer are repeated until the work stations STb are transferred to the target work station STb. Carrier 1
When 7 is transported to the target work station STb, the process proceeds to step S6, and the work is started at the target work station STb.

When the work at the work station STb is completed, the operator turns on the work end switch 26. In step S7, it is determined whether or not the work end switch 26 is turned on, and if it is turned on, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the CPU 3 of the electronic control unit 30 provided in the work station STb
1 determines whether or not all work has been completed. If all the work is not completed, the process returns to step S4 and the carrier 17 is carried to the next work station STb.

If the work is completed, step S
9, the carrier 17 is put on standby in the transport path until a transport instruction to the completion station STc is issued. this is,
The end portion 3a of the bridge rail 3 is divided by each distribution mechanism 2.
The carrier 17 conveyed from the above is carried out to the end portion 3b of the pair of bridge rails 3 and the carrier 17 is circulated between the distribution mechanisms 2.

Designation of the order of completion, that is, designation of the order of transport of the transport body 17 to the completion station STc is performed by the following procedure. The host computer 100 periodically exchanges signals with the electronic control circuit 30 via the input / output circuit 34 to grasp the transport state of the transport body 17. When the operator specifies the order of completion of the carrier after loading the carrier, the operator operates the keyboard 110 of the host computer 100 to set the mode in which the order of completion is specified. When the mode for designating the order of completion is entered, the host computer 100 checks in step S11 whether there is a carrier 17 waiting in the carrier path while circulating.

If there is no carrier 17 waiting, the process is ended, but if there is a carrier 17 waiting, the process proceeds to step S12. Step S1
2, the host computer 100 uses the display 1
A list of the waiting carriers 17 is displayed in 30.

In step S13, the operator
The completion order of the respective carriers 17 is designated while looking at the list of the carriers 17 on standby displayed on the display 130. This designation is made for each input unit. The designated completion order data is stored in the input plan data table shown in FIG. 7.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not the designation of the completion order is completed, and when the designation of the completion order is completed, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the host computer 100 instructs the electronic control circuit 30 to transfer the specified carriers to the completion station STc in the specified order.
Send a transportation instruction so that it will be directed to.

The carrier 17 moves to the completion station STc in the designated order. For example, in the order of completion, the one with the input unit number "1" is first, the one with the input unit number "5" is second, the one with the input unit number "2" is third, and the input unit number "3". "4", the input unit number "4" is specified fifth, and the input unit number "6" is specified sixth, the input numbers "1", "5", "2" are specified. , “3”, “4”, and “6” in this order, are conveyed to the completion station STc.

The processing of steps S4 to S9 functions as the conveyance control means, the processing of step S13 functions as the completion order designating means, and the processing of step S15 functions as the completion instructing means. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the order in which the carrier is moved to the completion station can be designated after the carrier is put into the carrier path, so that it is possible to perform the production suitable for the inspection of the product and the packing work.

Further, since the time lag from the designation of the completion order to the movement of each carrier to the completion station is small, a sudden situation occurs, and the carrier holding an article such as a sewn product of a certain lot is held. Can be easily moved to the completion station first. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, only the transport bodies whose completion order is designated move to the completion station, but when there is no transport body whose completion order is designated, the transport bodies are moved to the completion station in the order of completion of work. It is also possible to operate the transfer device in advance, specify the completion order only when necessary, and move the transfer bodies with the specified completion order to the completion station with priority over the transfer bodies that have not been specified.

In this case, the operator may operate the host computer only when necessary, and labor can be saved.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention,
After the carrier is loaded, you can specify the order of completion and move the carrier that holds items such as sewn products to the completion station in the specified order, so it is convenient for product inspection and packing work. It is possible to perform production and improve work efficiency in the entire production line.

Further, since the time lag between the designation of the order of completion and the movement of each carrier to the completion station is small, a sudden situation occurs, and a carrier that holds an article such as a sewn product of a certain lot is held. Can be easily moved to the completion station first.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a carrying device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall schematic layout diagram of a carrying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram illustrating the layout of a distribution mechanism, a transport rail, and the like of the transport device according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial front view of the carrying device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a route table.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an input plan data table.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing from the input of the present embodiment to the end of work at each work station.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing of designating a completion order and instructing conveyance to a completion station according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Hanger conveyor 3 ... Bridge rail 4 ...
Station rail 17 ... Carrier 24 ... Number reading device 30 ... Electronic control circuit 31 ... CPU 100 ... Host computer 101 ... RAM

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshihisa Kanaka 15-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Aichi Prefecture Nagoya City Brother Industries, Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transport mechanism capable of transporting a transport body to a completion station via a work station for performing work along a predetermined transport path, and the predetermined number for each unique number attached to the transport body. A route storage unit that stores data indicating a transport route, a number reading unit that is provided for each of the work stations and that reads a unique carrier number attached to the transport unit, and a number that is read by the number reading unit. On the basis of,
In a transfer device including a transfer control unit that controls the transfer mechanism to transfer the transfer member from the work station that has finished the work to the next work station according to the transfer route data stored in the route storage unit, After the transfer body is loaded into the transfer mechanism, a completion order designating unit for designating a completion order of the transfer body, and a transferable body that can be transported to the completion station in the order specified by the completion order designating means. And a completion instructing unit for instructing the transfer control unit to move to the completion station.