JP2009096603A - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transport device capable of shortening an operation time, reducing the number of parts and conducting stable positioning. <P>SOLUTION: The transport device includes a grip means 11 for detachably gripping a first article 110 arranged at a first position T1, a hold means 12 for movably holding the grip means 11 in a direction X which is parallel to a transport direction of the first article 110 and having a vertical movement means 13 for vertically moving the grip means 11, a moving means 103 for moving the hold means 12 from the first position T1 to a second position T2, a positioning means 14, arranged between the first position T1 and the second position T2, for positioning the first article 110 to establish a predetermined positional relation with the hold means 12 while the first article is gripped by the grip means 11 and a stop means for stopping the grip means 11 to move relatively for the hold means 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport apparatus.

  For example, a brake pad is generally thermoformed by setting a pressure plate in a thermoforming mold and combining it with a preformed friction material. When setting the pressure plate in a thermoforming mold, store the pressure plate in a stacked state on the magazine and place it at a predetermined position, and pick up and lift the uppermost pressure plate in the magazine by the transport device, so that it is quite accurate. 2. Description of the Related Art A conveying device is known in which a pressure plate is lowered and set on a thermoforming die after being conveyed onto a positioned thermoforming die.

  FIG. 12 shows a conventional transport apparatus 100. The conveying device 100 includes a gripping portion 101 that sucks and grips the pressure plate 110, a holding portion 102 that holds the gripping portion 101, and a first position T1 (a supply position of the pressure plate 110). 13) to a second position T2 where the thermoforming mold 111 (see FIG. 17) is arranged, and a positioning unit 104 that positions the pressure plate 110 during the conveyance (see FIG. 15). And.

  The holding unit 102 includes a plate member 130, a cylinder 131 that is attached to the plate member 130 and moves the grip unit 101 up and down, and a guide unit 132 that guides the vertical movement of the grip unit 101.

  The moving unit 103 includes upper and lower guide rods 120 extending in parallel from the first position T1 to the second position T2, and a cylinder 121 disposed between the guide rods 120. The guide rod 120 is inserted into a bearing (not shown) provided in the holding unit 102. Further, the piston 121 a of the cylinder 121 is connected to the holding unit 102. As the piston 121a of the cylinder 120 expands and contracts, the holding portion 102 and the grip portion 101 reciprocate between the first position T1 and the second position T2.

  The reason why the pressure plate 110 is positioned during the transfer from the first position T1 to the second position T2 is that the pressure plate 110 is transferred to the second position T2 and then the pressure plate 110 is not adjusted. This is because the pressure plate 110 can be assembled only by being lowered onto the thermoforming mold 111.

  The positioning unit 104 is disposed between the first position T1 and the second position T2. The positioning unit 104 includes a mounting table 105 on which the pressure plate 110 is mounted, and a pressure in order to make the central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 mounted on the mounting table 105 coincide with the central axis C2 of the holding unit 102. And a pressing portion 106 that presses the plate 110 toward the central axis C2 side of the holding portion 102 from the horizontal direction. A concave portion 105 a is provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 105 in order to escape the convex portion 110 a provided on the lower surface of the pressure plate 110.

  Note that the central axis C2 of the holding portion 102 matches the central axis C3 (see FIG. 17) of the thermoforming die 111 when the gripping portion 101 reaches the thermoforming die 111 at the second position T2. Is set in advance.

When the pressure plate 110 is assembled to the thermoforming mold 111 by the conveying device 100, the gripping portion 101 is lowered at the first position T1 as shown in FIG. 13, and the uppermost pressure plate 110 in the magazine 113 is used. Adsorbs and rises.

  In order to facilitate the operation of storing the pressure plate 110 in the magazine 113, there is a relatively large gap between the pressure plate 110 and the inner surface of the magazine 113. Accordingly, the center axis C1 of most of the pressure plates 110 in the magazine 113 is shifted from the center axis C2 of the holding portion 102. For this reason, when the pressure plate 110 is attracted by the grip portion 101 of the transport apparatus 100, the center axis C <b> 1 of most of the pressure plates 110 is shifted from the center axis C <b> 2 of the holding unit 102.

  After the grip portion 101 attracts and lifts the pressure plate 110, the grip portion 101 moves to the positioning portion 104 side as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b). Next, the gripping part 101 stops on the positioning part 104 as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b).

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, after the gripping portion 101 is lowered and the pressure plate 110 is placed on the mounting table 105 of the positioning portion 104, the gripping portion 101 is moved to the pressure plate 110. Ascends and lifts.

  Next, the pressing unit 106 of the positioning unit 104 presses the pressure plate 110 from a plurality of directions from the horizontal direction toward the central axis C2 side of the holding unit 102, thereby positioning the pressure plate 110. Next, the grip portion 101 is lowered to suck the pressure plate 110, and the pressing portion 106 is separated from the pressure plate 110, and the grip portion 101 is raised.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the holding unit 102 moves to the second position T2. Next, after the gripping portion 101 is lowered and the pressure plate 110 is assembled to the thermoforming mold 111, the gripping portion 101 is lifted by releasing the suction of the pressure plate 110, and returns to the first position T1. The transport apparatus 100 repeatedly performs the same operation as described above. The thermoforming mold 111 to which the pressure plate 110 is assembled is sent to a thermoforming apparatus, for example.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-77400 JP-A-2005-47705 JP 2007-67281 A

  However, the conventional transport apparatus 100 positions the pressure plate 110 while lifting the pressure plate 110 from the magazine 113 at the first position T1 and transporting the pressure plate 110 to the second position T2 where the thermoforming mold 111 is disposed. Therefore, the gripping part 101 moves up and down, and the pressure plate 110 is released from suction and re-sucked by the gripping part 101, which increases the operation time.

  Moreover, the convex part 110a of the pressure plate 110 is provided in a different position according to the kind of the pressure plate 110, and the size is also various. For this reason, it is difficult to specify the size and position of the recess 105a of the mounting table 105 as one type, and it is necessary to prepare several types of sizes and positions of the recess 105a.

If the size and position of the concave portion 105a are made one type, the concave portion 105a has to be made very large, and depending on the type of the pressure plate 110, there is a problem that stability during positioning is deteriorated. . A similar problem occurs not only when the pressure plate is assembled to the thermoforming mold, but also when an article stored in a magazine or the like is transported and assembled to another article.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport device that can shorten the operation time, reduce the number of parts, and can stably position an article.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
That is, the present invention
A transport device that transports a first article placed in a first position to a second position and assembles the first article to a second article placed in the second position;
Gripping means for detachably gripping the first article;
Holding means having first vertical moving means for moving the gripping means up and down while holding the gripping means movably in a direction parallel to the direction in which the first article is conveyed;
A moving means for moving the holding means from the first position to the second position; and a holding means arranged between the first position and the second position, wherein the first article is gripped by the gripping means. Positioning means for positioning the first article so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the holding means,
Stop means for stopping the gripping means from moving relative to the holding means;
Is provided.

  The first article may be a brake pressure plate, and the second article may be a thermoforming mold. According to the present invention, a state in which the first article is gripped by the gripping means, that is, a state in which the first article is levitated in the space, while the first article is being transported from the first position to the second position. Thus, since the first article is positioned, it is not necessary to perform suction release and re-suction by the gripping means in order to position the first article. Therefore, the operation time of the transfer device can be shortened.

  In addition, when positioning the first article, it is not necessary to place the first article on a placing table or the like, so that the placing table becomes unnecessary and the size and position of the first article on the lower surface of the first article. Even when there are different convex portions, the first article can be positioned stably without being affected by the convex portions.

Here, return means for returning the gripping means to a reference position with respect to the holding means,
Can be provided.

  The return means includes a conical head provided at an upper end of the gripping means, a conical hole provided in the holding means for movably inserting the head of the gripping means, and the gripping And a second vertically moving means for vertically moving the means relative to the holding means.

  According to the present invention, since the first article is positioned while the first article is held by the holding means, it is not necessary to release and re-hold the first article by the holding means. Therefore, the operation time can be shortened. In addition, when positioning the first article, it is not necessary to place the first article on the mounting table, so that the mounting table can be omitted and the number of parts can be reduced, and the size of the first article can be reduced on the lower surface of the first article. Even when there are several types of convex portions having different values, the positioning operation can be performed stably without being affected by the convex portions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A transport apparatus according to the best mode (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the case where the pressure plate of the brake is set in the thermoforming mold will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows a transport apparatus 1 according to the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component similar to the above, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. The transport device 1 transports a pressure plate (first article) 110 disposed at a first position T1 to a second position T2, and is assembled to a thermoforming die 111 disposed at the second position T2. It is.

  That is, the transport device 1 includes a gripping unit 11 that detachably grips the pressure plate 110, and a gripping unit that holds the gripping unit 11 movably in a direction X parallel to the transporting direction of the pressure plate 110. A holding means 12 having a cylinder 13 which is a first vertical movement means for moving up and down 11, a moving means 103 for moving the holding means 12 from a first position T1 to a second position T2, and a first position. The pressure plate 110 is disposed at a third position T3 between T1 and the second position T2, and the pressure plate 110 is held at a predetermined position with respect to the holding means 12 in a state where the pressure plate 110 is held by the holding means 11. The positioning means 14 for positioning so as to be in a relationship and the stop for stopping the gripping means 11 from moving relative to the holding means 12. Means 15 (see FIG. 2), and return means 16 for returning the gripping means 11 in the reference position with respect to the holding means 12 includes.

  Next, each of the above components will be described. The pressure plate 110 is formed in a flat plate shape. On the lower surface of the pressure plate 110, a convex portion 110a (see FIG. 2) is provided. A plurality of the pressure plates 110 are stacked and accommodated in the magazine 113 arranged at the first position T1. There is a relatively large gap d between the pressure plate 110 and the magazine 113, and the pressure plate 110 is housed in the magazine 113 in a state of being displaced in the horizontal direction.

  The gripping means 11 sucks and grips the upper surface of the uppermost pressure plate 110 accommodated in the magazine 113. As shown in FIG. 2, the gripping means 11 sucks the support plate 30, the cylindrical portion 31 provided below the support plate 30, and the pressure plate 110 provided at the tip of the cylindrical portion 31. And a conical head portion 34 provided on the upper side of the support plate 30 via a shaft 33. In addition, in this embodiment, although the adsorption | suction part 32 is comprised with the electromagnet, the adsorption | suction means by a vacuum can also be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the holding means 12 includes a first flat plate portion 41 and a second flat plate portion 42 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and a hanging portion 43 provided below the second flat plate portion 42. Have. A cylinder 13 is provided at the center of the first flat plate portion 41. The piston 13a of the cylinder 13 extends through the first flat plate portion 41 to the gripping means 11 side. The tip of the piston 13 a is fixed to the second flat plate portion 42.

  At both ends of the second flat plate portion 42, cylinders 45, 45 are provided as second vertically moving means for vertically moving the gripping means 11 relative to the holding means 12. The piston 45a of the cylinder 45 extends downward through the second flat plate portion 42 and the support plate 30 so as to be movable up and down. Further, a locking piece 46 having a diameter larger than that of the hole 30a of the support plate 30 is provided at the tip of the piston 45a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hanging part 43 of the holding means 12 is provided with a conical hole 50 similar to the head 34 of the gripping means 11 and larger than the head 34. The opening of the hole 50 is closed by a lid 51. The lid 51 is provided with an opening 52 for inserting the lower shaft 33 of the head 34. The head 34 inserted into the hole 50 is supported by the lid 51 so as to be slidable over the entire circumference. The head 34 is movable up and down until it abuts on the upper surface of the hole 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning means 14 has a plurality of pressing pieces 60 having an L-shaped cross section that is movable in the horizontal direction. These pressing pieces 60 are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other, and are supported so as to be movable in directions toward or away from each other. As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning means 14 is disposed at a third position T3 between the first position T1 and the second position T2.

  In the present embodiment, the positioning unit 14 positions the pressure plate 110 so that the central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 coincides with the central axis C2 of the holding unit 12. Here, the central axis C2 of the holding means 12 is set in advance so as to coincide with the central axis C3 of the thermoforming mold 111 when the holding means 12 is disposed at the second position T2.

  For this reason, when the pressure plate 110 reaches the thermoforming die 111 by positioning the central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 so as to coincide with the central axis C2 of the holding means 12 during the conveyance of the pressure plate 110. The central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 can be made to coincide with the central axis C3 of the thermoforming mold 111.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stopping means 15 includes a cylinder 65 provided in the first flat plate portion 41 of the holding means 12 and a piston 65a extending through the first flat plate portion 41 of the cylinder 65 to the gripping means 11 side. And an inverted T-shaped pressing portion 66 attached to the.

  When the movement of the gripping means 11 is stopped by the stop means 15, the piston 65 a of the cylinder 65 is extended downward as shown by a two-dotted line in FIG. 2, and the support plate of the gripping means 11 is pressed by the pressing portion 66. 30 is pressed downward. Thereby, the head 34 of the gripping means 11 is pressed against the lid 51, and the movement of the gripping means 11 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the return means 16 includes a head 34 of the gripping means 11, a hole 50 of the holding means 12, a cylinder 45 attached to the second flat plate portion 42 of the holding means 12, and a second flat plate portion. 42 and the support plate 30 are provided at the tip of the piston 45a of the cylinder 45 that extends downward and has a locking piece 46 that has a larger diameter than the hole 30a of the support plate 30.

  When the return means 16 returns the gripping means 11 to the reference position with respect to the holding means 12, the pressing of the support plate 30 by the stop means 15 (see FIG. 2) is released, and the gripping means 11 can be moved up and down. To. Then, the piston 45a of the cylinder 45 is reduced and the support plate 30 of the gripping means 11 is pulled up. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the head 34 of the gripping means 11 rises along the slope after contacting the slope of the hole 50 of the holding means 12.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the movement of the head 34 stops when the apex 34 a of the head 34 coincides with the apex 50 a of the hole 50, and the gripping means 11 returns to the reference position with respect to the holding means 12. In the present embodiment, the center axis C4 of the gripping means 11 is returned so as to coincide with the center axis C2 of the holding means 12.

Next, the operation of the transport device 1 will be described. When the pressure plate 110 is assembled to the thermoforming die 111 by the transport device 1, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the gripping means 11 is lifted up to the upper limit position and arranged at the first position T1. Then, the gripping means 11 is lowered, and among the plurality of pressure plates 110 stacked in the magazine 113 arranged at the first position T1, the uppermost pressure plate 110 is adsorbed and gripped by the gripping means 11. Then, the gripping means 11 is pulled up to the upper limit position by the cylinder 13 of the holding means 12. At this time, the central axis C <b> 1 of the pressure plate 110 may be displaced from the central axis C <b> 2 of the holding means 12. In the following description, a case where the central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 is shifted from the central axis C2 of the holding means 12 will be described.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the holding means 12 is moved to the third position T3 in a state where the central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 is displaced with respect to the central axis C1 of the holding means 12. Move to stop. Next, the gripping means 11 is lowered by the cylinder 13, and the pressure plate 110 is disposed between the plurality of pressing pieces 60 in the positioning means 14.

  Next, the plurality of pressing pieces 60 move horizontally by a predetermined distance L toward the center, and press the pressure plate 110 toward the center side. Here, since the gripping means 11 is held movably in the horizontal direction with respect to the holding means 12, the center axis C <b> 1 of the pressure plate 110 is shifted from the center axis C <b> 2 of the holding means 12. The pressure plate 110 and the gripping means 11 move in the horizontal direction so that the center axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 coincides with the center C4 of the positioning means 14, that is, the center axis C2 of the holding means 12. Positioned.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the pressing portion 66 attached to the locking cylinder 65 in the stopping means 15 is lowered, and the support plate 30 of the gripping means 11 is pressed downward. . As a result, the head 34 of the gripping means 11 is pressed against the lid 51 of the lifting portion 43 of the holding means 12, and the movement of the gripping means 11 and the pressure plate 110 is stopped. As a result, even when the gripping means 11 moves, the central axis C1 of the pressure plate 110 and the central axis C2 of the holding means 12 are held in alignment.

  Next, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the gripping means 11 rises and pulls the pressure plate 110 above the positioning means 14. Next, the holding means 12 moves to the second position T2, and the pressure plate 110 is disposed on the thermoforming die 111. At this time, the central axis C <b> 1 of the pressure plate 110 coincides with the central axis C <b> 3 of the thermoforming mold 111. Next, the gripping means 11 is lowered, and the pressure plate 110 is assembled to the thermoforming mold 111.

  Next, the gripping of the pressure plate 110 by the gripping means 11 is released. Next, the gripping means 11 is raised. Next, as shown in FIG. 11, after the gripping means 11 is returned to the reference position with respect to the holding means 12 by the return means 16, in this embodiment, the center axis C4 of the gripping means 11 is the center axis C2 of the holding means 12. The holding means 12 moves to the first position T1 after returning to the position that coincides with or while performing the return operation.

  As described above, according to the transport apparatus 1 of the present invention, the pressure plate 110 is gripped by the gripping means in the middle of transporting the pressure plate 110 from the first position T1 to the second position T2 where the thermoforming mold 111 is disposed. 11, the pressure plate 110 is positioned while the pressure plate 110 is floated in the air. Therefore, in order to position the pressure plate 110, the gripping means 11 releases and re-grips the pressure plate 110. There is no need to do. Therefore, the operation time of the transfer device 1 can be shortened.

Further, since the pressure plate 110 is positioned while floating in the air, the pressure plate 110 is not affected by the convex portion 110a even when there is a convex portion 110a having a different size and position on the lower surface of the pressure plate 110. Can be positioned stably. Further, when the pressure plate 110 is positioned, it is not necessary to place the pressure plate 110 on a mounting table or the like, so that the mounting table or the like can be omitted, and the number of parts can be reduced. Further, when the gripping means 11 is returned from the second position T2 to the first position T1, the gripping means 11 is automatically set to the initial position, that is, the center axis C4 of the gripping means 11 is the center axis C2 of the holding means 12. Since it can return to the position that coincides with, the operation becomes easy.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the present invention positioned in the middle of conveying the pressure plate 110, this invention can be applied when positioning various articles in the middle of the conveyance in addition to this.

It is a figure which shows the conveying apparatus of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the conveying apparatus of embodiment which concerns on this invention, and is A arrow line view of FIG. It is a front view which shows the conveying apparatus of embodiment which concerns on this invention, and is B arrow view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the cone-shaped head and hole in the return means of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the movement of the head in the return means of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the holding means returned to the reference | standard position with respect to the holding | maintenance means by the return | restoration means of embodiment which concerns on this invention. FIG. 7A is a view showing a state in which the gripping means according to the present invention grips the pressure plate, and FIG. 7B is a view taken in the direction of arrow C in FIG. FIG. 8 (a) is a diagram for explaining the operation of the positioning means according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 (b) is a view as viewed in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 8 (a). FIG. 9 (a) is a diagram showing a stopped state of the gripping means according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 (b) is a view taken along arrow E in FIG. 9 (a). FIG. 10A is a view showing a state in which the pressure plate according to the present invention is set in a thermoforming mold, and FIG. 10B is a view taken in the direction of arrow F in FIG. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the reset means which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveying apparatus which concerns on a prior art example. It is a figure explaining the method to hold | grip the pressure plate of the conveying apparatus which concerns on a prior art example, and is a G arrow line view of FIG. FIG. 14A shows the transport state of the transport apparatus according to the conventional example, and FIG. 14B is a view taken in the direction of arrow H in FIG. Fig.15 (a) is a figure which shows the positioning means based on a prior art example, FIG.15 (b) is a J arrow line view of Fig.15 (a). FIG. 16A is a view showing a pressure plate positioning method by a positioning means according to a conventional example, and FIG. 16B is a view taken in the direction of arrow K in FIG. It is a figure which shows the method of setting the pressure plate by the conveying apparatus which concerns on a prior art example to a thermoforming type | mold.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 11 Gripping means 12 Holding means 13 Cylinder (1st vertical movement means)
13a Piston 14 Positioning means 15 Stopping means 16 Restoring means 30 Support plate 30a Hole 31 Cylinder 32 Adsorption part 33 Shaft 34 Head 34a Top of head 41 First flat plate part 42 Second flat plate part 43 Suspension part 45 Cylinder Up and down movement means)
45a Piston 46 Locking piece 50 Hole 50a Apex 51 Lid 52 Opening 60 Pressing piece 65 Cylinder 65a Piston 66 Pressing part 100 Conveying device 101 Holding part 102 Holding part 102 Holding part 103 Moving part (moving means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 104 Positioning part 105 Mounting base 105a Concave part 106 Press part 110 Pressure plate 110a Convex part 111 Thermoforming mold 113 Magazine 120 Guide rod 121 Cylinder 121a Piston 130 Plate member 131 Cylinder 132 Guide part

Claims (3)

A transport device that transports a first article placed in a first position to a second position and assembles the first article to a second article placed in the second position;
Gripping means for detachably gripping the first article;
Holding means having first vertically moving means for vertically moving the gripping means while holding the gripping means movably in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the first article;
A moving means for moving the holding means from the first position to the second position; and a holding means arranged between the first position and the second position, wherein the first article is gripped by the gripping means. Positioning means for positioning the first article so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the holding means,
Stop means for stopping the gripping means from moving relative to the holding means;
A transport apparatus comprising: Returning means for returning the gripping means to a reference position with respect to the holding means;
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The return means includes a conical head provided at an upper end of the gripping means, a conical hole provided in the holding means for movably inserting the head of the gripping means, and the gripping means. The transport apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second vertical movement unit that moves the holding unit up and down.

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