JPH1149353A - Locational transporting device for loaded article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a locational transporting device for loaded articles, with which the held articles to be transferred are moved in the direction of a transfer lift and are transferred, which ensures that the transfer onto a suspension type conveyor takes place smoothly and easily, and whereby it is possible to hold articles such as stacked tires being center aligned and transfer onto the suspension conveyor with the aid of the transfer lift. SOLUTION: A locational transporting device for loaded articles is composed of a receive conveyor 6 which is installed continuously downstream of a putting-in conveyor 5, bears the bottom surfaces of articles to be transferred W1, and is slidable in the direction perpendicular to the conveyor advancing direction, a transfer lift 23 which is installed downstream of the receive conveyor 6 and is to transfer the articles onto a suspension type transport conveyor, pinching arms 19 which pinch the articles W1 on the receive conveyor 6 in the perpendicular direction to the article advancing direction for center alignment with respect to the loading position of the transfer lift 23 situated downstream, hold them and perform center alignment, and a transport driving device which makes center alignment of the articles by the arms 19 and holds them and moves the arms 19 from upon the receive conveyor 6 to the position where the transfer lift exists.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transporting stacked articles such as stacked vehicle tires on a floor-standing conveyor such as a roller conveyor, and transferring the vehicle tires from the conveyor to an overhead conveyor. The present invention relates to a loaded article positioning / transporting apparatus for positioning a loaded article and transferring the article to a suspended conveyor when the article is transferred to such a suspended conveyor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle assembly line, it is necessary to supply tires to an assembling station for assembling the tires to the vehicle. Five tires, including spare tires, are required for one vehicle. If tires are supplied from a direction perpendicular to the tire assembly line, the tire supply provided at right angles to the assembly line The length of the line in the direction perpendicular to the assembly line increases. Therefore, it is preferable in terms of space layout to transport the tires by a suspension conveyor such as an overhead conveyor parallel to the conveyor, as in the case of the conveyor for transporting the body of the vehicle to the assembly station, in consideration of space saving.

On the other hand, as described above, one vehicle requires five tires, including spare tires, and it is efficient to transport these tires in a stacked state because of space limitations. It is. As a vehicle tire stacking device, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-3538 has been disclosed.
This technology relates to a stacking device for a tire assembly, in which tires are loaded one by one on a roller conveyor extending in the transport direction in a state where the tires are stacked in a flat state. A stacking station is provided, at which tires are stacked by a stacking device.

[0004]

In the above prior art, one individual flat tire loaded and conveyed on a conveyor is stacked and stacked by a stacking device. The stacked and stacked tires are transported downstream by a transport conveyor and sent out to a tire assembly station of a vehicle assembly line. However, as described above, the tires stacked and conveyed on the conveyor are transferred and transferred by a suspension-type conveyor such as an overhead conveyor.
There are the following issues.

[0005] First, assuming that a plurality of (for example, five) tires stacked on the floor are transported by using a roller conveyor of a floor-standing type as a transporting device, the tires are stacked by a vibration or the like accompanying the movement, and are stacked. Between the stacked tires, there is a possibility that a positional shift may occur between the upper and lower tires. Therefore, there is a possibility that a positional shift may occur between the laminated tire and a transfer lift that is transferred to a suspension conveyor provided on standby at a downstream portion of the conveyor, and the transfer of the tire to the transfer lift may be performed smoothly. It may not be possible.

[0006] Next, when the stacked and stacked tires are stacked on a transfer lift for transferring the stacked and stacked tires to the suspension type conveyor, the misalignment between the stacked and stacked tires is determined. Need to adjust. At this time, since the tire is supported on the conveyor, there is a problem in centering the tire due to the bearing on the conveyor, friction and the like. In particular, among the stacked tires, there is friction between the lowermost tire that is in direct contact with the conveyor and the conveyor, and the frictional resistance is large when the stacked tires are centered. In particular, since the tire is formed of rubber or the like, the frictional resistance between the tire and the conveyor is large, and there is a possibility that the centering adjustment may not be performed smoothly.

[0007] In addition to the centering of the laminated tire, it is necessary to hold the laminated tire after the centering adjustment and to transport it to the transfer lift position. The centering mechanism, the tire holding mechanism, and the transport mechanism have simple structures and operate. Must be assured. In addition to the above, in consideration of the centering, holding, and transfer of the laminated tire to the transfer lift, it is necessary to smoothly and surely feed the laminated tire to the centering adjustment position on the downstream portion of the conveyor with a simple mechanism. is there.

In view of the above problems, the present inventors have made the present invention to solve these problems. An object of the present invention is to stack and stack laminated articles such as tires in a stacked state on a floor-type conveyor and transfer the articles to a suspended conveyor such as an overhead conveyor. The centering is performed by adjusting the misalignment of the individual tires, and the stacked tires after the completion of the centering adjustment are held as they are, and the stacked tires are transferred to the suspension lift for transferring the stacked tires to the suspension conveyor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a loaded article positioning / transporting apparatus capable of accurately positioning, transporting, and transferring.

Another object of the present invention is to enable a simple mechanism to smoothly and reliably perform centering adjustment in a state of being supported by a conveyor of stepped tires, a simple centering and holding mechanism, and a centering adjustment. Excellent holding function, centering of stacked tires, smooth and reliable transfer of the stacked tires to the transfer lift with a simple mechanism, transfer of the stacked tires to the centering station downstream of the conveyor The present invention is to provide a loaded article positioning / conveying apparatus capable of performing the above operation reliably and with a simple mechanism.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for transporting stacked articles on a floor-type input conveyor and transferring the articles to a suspension-type conveyor. A receiving conveyor that is provided continuously downstream of the loading conveyor, supports the bottom surface of the loaded article, and is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the loading conveyor, A transfer lift that is disposed downstream of the receiving conveyor and transfers the transferred articles to the suspension-type transport conveyor, and the transferred articles on the receiving conveyor are centered at the mounting position of the downstream transfer lift. A transferred article holding arm for sandwiching, holding, and centering the transferred article from a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction thereof, and holding the transferred article by centering with the holding arm. From the receiving conveyor, the transfer lift position, to constitute a positioning conveying apparatus loaded article with the transport driving device holding arm for moving the holding arms.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, articles to be transferred, such as stacked tires, loaded into the loading conveyor can be transferred by the holding arm because the receiving conveyor is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the loading conveyor. When the centering of the transferred articles is performed while holding the articles, the receiving conveyor slides in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction and follows the centering movement. The article to be transferred, which is held while being centered by the holding arm, is centered so as to be aligned with the downstream transfer lift. The article to be transferred can be accurately positioned from the holding arm to the transfer lift, smoothly transferred, and transferred.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle according to the first aspect, wherein the article to be transferred is a stacked tire for a vehicle, and the shape of the holding arm is a pair of symmetrically arranged arc-shaped frame members. The outer peripheral surface of the tire was pressed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle tire formed of rubber or the like is held by the holding arm made of an arc-shaped frame member so as to hold the outer peripheral surface of the tire. Centering and holding can be performed smoothly and reliably.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the transport driving device includes a movable base guided and moved by a rail;
A first drive unit is provided for adjusting the distance between the holding arms provided on the movable base, and a second drive unit is provided for moving the movable base back and forth along the rail.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the holding arm provided on the movable base is expanded and contracted by the first driving means to center the article to be transferred and to hold the article to be transferred. The movable base is transported from the conveyor to the transfer lift by the second driving means along the rail, and the transferred article is transferred to the transfer lift and transferred.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the charging conveyor is constituted by an inclined roller conveyor, and the receiving conveyor connected downstream of the charging conveyor can be changed from an inclined position connected to the charging conveyor to a horizontal position. did.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the loading conveyor is inclined, the loaded articles can be loaded into the receiving conveyor without requiring a driving source, and the receiving conveyors are stacked in an inclined state. Receiving the transferred article, shifting to a horizontal state, and centering and holding by the holding arms are performed smoothly and reliably.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings should be viewed in the direction of reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an entire apparatus for positioning and transporting a laminated article according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a holding arm portion, and FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-6 in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 8, a plan view of a receiving conveyor, FIG. 8 is a front view of a transfer lift, FIG. 9 is a view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8, FIG.
0 is a view in the direction of arrow 10 in FIG.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a plan view and a front view, respectively, showing the whole of the apparatus for positioning and conveying laminated articles according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a loading conveyor composed of a roller conveyor, which is a floor-standing type. . In the upstream portion 1b of the main body 1a of the charging conveyor 1, a supply station 2 for the article W to be transferred, in this embodiment, a tire for a vehicle is arranged in close proximity, and the tire W supplied on the supply station 2 is provided. Into the upstream portion 1b of the main body 1a of the charging conveyor 1.

In the embodiment, a vehicle tire in which articles to be transferred are stacked and stacked is used, and an upstream portion 1 of the conveyor body 1a is provided.
b, as shown in the outline of the outer shape in FIG.
A stacking device 3 for stacking and stacking a predetermined number of tires W put in b. As the stacking device, the aforementioned Japanese Utility Model No. 1-3538 or a stacking device similar thereto is used, and the inserted tire W is, for example, left and right front and rear wheels, four conveniences, plus one spare tire, 5 in total
Individually stacked. The stacked tires are denoted by W1.

The conveyor 1 is constructed by rolling a large number of rollers 1c (representing a large number, the same applies hereinafter) between left and right frames 1d, 1d, and transporting the stacked tires W1 in the downstream direction. I do. A stopper 4 is provided at a downstream portion 1e of the conveyor body 1a. In the embodiment, for example, the stopper 4 has an openable / closable bar structure including left and right bars 4a, 4a that can be opened and closed, and blocks the tire W1 conveyed from the upstream and stores it in the downstream portion 1e. The subsequent stacked tires W1 are sequentially arranged and stored.

At the downstream end 1f of the conveyor main body 1a, a communication conveyor 5 constituting a downstream portion of the charging conveyor is disposed. In the communication conveyor 5, the upstream part 5a has the same conveying direction as the conveyor main body 1a, and the downstream part 5b faces a right angle direction, and has an arc shape in plan view as is clear from the plan view of FIG. The communication conveyor 5 has a large radius outer frame 5c and a small radius inner frame 5d, as shown in detail in FIG. Frame 5
A tapered roller 5e having a small diameter on the side of d is provided so as to be rollable.

The above-mentioned communication conveyor 5 has a high position on the upstream portion 5a side, a low position on the downstream portion 5b side, and a downstream portion from the upstream portion 5a side of the conveyor 5 as shown in an enlarged view of the downstream portion in FIG. It is a fixed inclined conveyor which is inclined so as to be inclined downward toward the portion 5b. Therefore, the downstream portion 1e of the conveyor main body 1a connected to the upstream portion 5a of the communication conveyor 5 is configured to be at the same level as the upstream portion 5a of the communication conveyor 5, or to be slightly inclined downward. A receiving conveyor 6 is provided downstream of the communication conveyor 5 so as to communicate therewith.

The details of the receiving conveyor 6 are shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 shows the relationship with the peripheral device, and FIG. 4 shows the side view. The receiving conveyor 6 is provided with wide frame portions 6b, 6b at an intermediate portion of the left and right frame portions 6a, 6a in the transport direction. The length of the wide frame portions 6b, 6b in the front-rear direction is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the tire W, and contact rollers 6c.

A plurality of slide rollers 7 are rotatably mounted in the middle between the wide frame portions 6b, 6b, apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, and the rollers 7 are arranged between the frame portions 6b, 6b. Are fitted and supported slidably in the axial direction. A spring 7b is provided at both ends of the rollers 7 in the axial direction.
, And the rollers 7 are urged to be always located at the axially intermediate portion between the frame portions 6b and 6b, and to return to the neutral position when the rollers 7 are displaced. ... function as a neutral position return spring. As described above, some rollers of the receiving conveyor 6 slide in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor main body 1a.

The downstream end 6e of the receiving conveyor 6 described above.
, The lower ends of the frame portions 6b, 6b on both sides are rotatably supported by a shaft 8c via a bracket 8b on an upper frame 8a of a base 8 fixed and installed on the floor, With the downstream end 6e as a fulcrum, the upstream end 6d of the receiving conveyor 6
The side is configured to swing up and down. In FIG. 4, the horizontal state of the receiving conveyor 6 in which the upstream end 6d and the downstream end 6e indicated by the solid line 6A are at the same level is set to the centering and holding position described later, and the upstream end 6d indicated by the imaginary line 6B Is lifted, the receiving conveyor 6
And the throwing posture.

Since the downstream portion 5b of the communication conveyor 5 is inclined downward as described above, the conveyor 5
The tire W1 placed on the upper side is conveyed to the downstream side due to the inclination. At the time of conveyance, the rollers 5e of the conveyor 5 are tapered roller conveyors as described above, and therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. The tire W is transported in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction indicated by. The tire W1 whose direction has been changed by the communication conveyor 5 receives the receiving conveyor 6 connected downstream in a high upward inclined position on the upstream side indicated by the imaginary line 6B in FIG. 4 of the receiving conveyor 6, and the receiving is in the upward inclined posture. The tire W1 is transferred from the contact conveyor 5 to the receiving conveyor 6 without fail.

As described above, in the receiving conveyor 6, the upstream end 6d moves up and down, and the up and down movement is caused by the upper frame 8a of the base 8.
Of the cylinder unit 9 provided at the upstream end of the cylinder unit 9. By the way, on the left and right sides of the receiving conveyor 6, guide bars 10, 10 each having a substantially "C" shape in plan view, whose width is enlarged, are provided on the upstream side. Specifically, rolling rollers are provided inside the guide bars 10 and 10, and the tire W
It is preferable to ensure the smooth insertion and guiding action of 1 and also in the present embodiment, it is configured in this way.

Therefore, the tires W1 transferred from the communication conveyor 5 to the receiving conveyor 6 and introduced are guided by the left and right guide bars 10, 10 arranged in the conveying direction, and are substantially arranged in the width direction of the receiving conveyor 6. The intermediate position will be automatically centered, guided by that position automatically.

The holding arm device 11 is provided so as to sandwich the receiving conveyor 6 on the left and right. Nipping arm device 11
As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 6, the base 8 is provided so as to extend in the transport direction, and the left and right lower frame portions 8 of the base 8 are provided.
Guide rails 12 and 12 are provided on d and 8d. A slide base 13 is movably supported by the guide rails 12 and 12 in the transport direction.
The sliders 13a, 13a provided at the lower left and right ends are fitted to each other, and the movable base 13 is movably supported with respect to the guide rails 12, 12. FIG. 4 shows a side view, and FIG. 5 shows a front view.

The movable base 13 is, as shown in FIG. 5, a base frame 13b (shown in FIG. 5) which is provided below and crosses the rollers 7 of the receiving conveyor 6, and is provided on the left and right sides of the conveyor 6. The columns 13c, 13a, etc., which stand outside, are assembled in an enclosing frame shape. The plan view shows a horizontally long rectangular frame as shown in FIG. 6, and the stage portions 13d, 1 extending outward to the left and right.
3d. As shown in FIG. 4, the movable base 13 is connected to the tip of a rod 14a of a cylinder unit 14 that constitutes a second driving means provided at the upstream end of the lower frame 8d of the base 8, and the cylinder unit 14 With this drive, the robot moves forward and backward in FIG.

On the left and right stage sections 13d, 13d, the support frames 1 of the holding arms 19, 19 are slidably movable in a direction orthogonal to the direction of conveyance of the receiving conveyor 6.
5 and 15 are provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the support frames 15, 15 include a lower frame portion 15a having a horizontally-long rectangular shape in plan view, and an upright frame portion 1 having a vertically-long rectangular shape in side view as shown in FIG.
5b. A slider 15 is mounted on the lower frame 15a.
b, 15b, and guide rails 13g, 13g provided on the stage portions 13d, 13d.
15d was fitted and slidable in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

In the stage sections 13d, 13d,
As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of cylinder units 16, 16 extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction is installed. Specifically, the cylinder units 16, 16 are provided with a stage 13d.
13f installed between the frame parts 13e, 13e before and after
Fix on top. The cylinder unit 16 forms a second drive source. The above-described cylinder units 16 and 16 are arranged so that the respective rods 16a extend outward, and the distal ends of the respective rods 16a are connected to the outer ends 15c of the lower frame portions 15a of the support frames 15 and 15 described above. Raised bracket 16
b.

Cross members 13h, 13h are provided in the middle of the above-mentioned base frame portion 13b, and a substrate 13i is provided therebetween, and a central portion of the swing arm 18 is mounted on the substrate 13i.
a, and the swing arm 18 is configured to swing about the shaft 18a as a fulcrum. The support frames 15, 15 described above
The opposite ends of the lower frame portions 15a, 15a
e, 15e extend inward in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The opposite ends of the stays 15d, 15d are connected to one end of a connecting rod 17c via a universal joint 17a, and the other end of the connecting rod 17c is connected to the end of a swing link 18 via a universal joint 17b. The connecting rod 17 is connected
A parallel link is formed between each of the cylinder units 16 and 16 and the swing link 18.

When the cylinder units 16 and 16 are driven, each rod 16a moves forward and backward, and the support frame 15 moves forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.
The 5 and 15 reciprocations slide symmetrically inwardly toward each other and symmetrically outwardly relative to each other. The sliding movement of the support frames 15, 15 is performed by the above-mentioned rods 17, 17 and the swinging arm 18 so as to be symmetrically close to each other and separated from each other by an equal amount.

The upright frame 1 of the left and right support frames 15, 15 described above.
On opposite surfaces of 5b and 15b, holding arms 19 and 16 are provided between the upper part and the middle part. The holding arms 19, 19
It has a symmetrical shape, and upper and lower support plates 19a, 19a, and a plurality of vertically long guide rollers 19b, 19 vertically provided therebetween.
b. The upper and lower support plates 19a, 19a have the same shape in the upper and lower directions, have an arc shape in which the middle part bulges outward in plan view, and have a length in the transport direction. Such support plates 19a, 1
The guide rollers 19b, 19b at both ends of 9a are vertically installed and arranged to be rollable.

The above-described holding arms 19, 19
The center portions of the tires 9b and 19b are swingably supported via a shaft 19c, and when the tire W1 is pinched therebetween, the head is swung to follow the tire outer periphery. Downstream of the movable base 13, tire detection switches 20, 20 are provided to be separated from each other left and right, and the tires W1 are detected when the switches 20, 20 contact the tire W1. The output of the detection signals from the detection switches 20, 20 is configured to perform the downward movement on the upstream side of the receiving conveyor 6 described above.

A delivery conveyor 21 is provided downstream of the receiving conveyor 6 described above. The delivery conveyor 21
As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3, a plurality of short rollers 22 are provided at opposite sides of the left and right frames 21a, 21a at intervals, and a downstream side is provided between the ends of the opposing rollers 22. An open space S is provided, and slits S1 are provided between the rollers 22 in a comb shape. Dispensing conveyor 2 above
The transfer lift 23 is arranged further downstream of the transfer lift 1.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the transfer lift 23 supports a transfer arm 24 so as to be able to move up and down on a support 23a raised on the floor, and the transfer arm 24 is arranged above, below, right and left of a base 24a. The guide rollers 24b move up and down along the columns 23a. A motor 25 is provided below the column 23a to drive the driving sprocket 25a, and a driven sprocket 26 is provided at the top of the column 23a, respectively.
During this time, the chain 27 is wound. One end 27a of the portion arranged in front of the column of the chain 27 is connected to the upper part of the transfer arm 24, and the other end 27b is connected to the lower part of the transfer arm 24.

Guide rails 23b, 23b are provided on both sides of the above-mentioned column 23a, and the guide rollers 24a are engaged with the guide rails 23b to ensure the vertical movement of the transfer arm 24.
Further, stoppers 28 and 29 for restricting the lower limit and the upper limit of the transfer arm 24 are provided at the lower portion and the top portion of the column 23a. The loading portion 24b of the tire W1 is provided at the tip of the transfer arm 24 described above. The loading portion 24b is provided at a distal end of an arm portion 24d extending from a base portion 24c that engages with the column 23a, and has a necessary and sufficient area for supporting the tire W1 as shown in FIG. .

The tire loading section 24b has an outer shape that fits into the S of the delivery conveyor 21 and has a plurality of support rollers 24e on both sides.
Are configured to fit between the slits S1 between the rollers 22 of the delivery conveyor 21 described above. This relationship is shown in FIG. 9 and the payout conveyor 21 is shown by imaginary lines,
A space S, a slit S1,... And a tire loading portion 24b;
And the relationship with the support roller 24e.

As described above, the transfer lift 23 is provided downstream of the delivery conveyor 21, and the tire loading portion 24b of the transfer lift 23 includes the support roller 24e, and the space S in the delivery conveyor 21 and the slit S1. … Configured to face inside. Next, since the stacked articles are used as the articles to be transferred by the above-described article-positioning and transporting apparatus according to the present invention, and in the embodiment, the stacked articles are used, the positioning and transporting operation thereof will be described.

FIGS. 11 to 14 and FIGS. 15 to 17
FIGS. 11 to 14 show the operation of the holding arm, and show the operation as a plan view. FIG. 11 is a diagram immediately before the transferred articles are transferred from the roller conveyor to the receiving conveyor, and the articles to be transferred are held by the holding arms. FIG. 12 is a figure in which the transferred articles are held by the holding arms. FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which articles to be transferred are transferred to a transfer lift, FIG. 14 is a view showing a state in which a holding arm is opened, and FIGS.
17 to 17 are explanatory views of the operation of the transfer lift, in which the transfer lift is shown as a front view, FIG. 15 is a view showing a state where articles to be transferred are transferred to the transfer lift, and FIG. FIG. 17 is a view showing a state in which the transfer of the article to be transferred to the suspension conveyor is completed.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, tires W are put into the upstream portion 1b of the feeding conveyor body 1a, and five tires W including spare tires are stacked by the stacking device 3 whose outline is shown in FIG. And stacked. The tires W1 stacked on the charging conveyor 1 are conveyed downstream by the conveyor main body 1a as indicated by arrows. The tire W1 is conveyed to the downstream side of the conveyor main body 1a, reaches the stopper 4, and is blocked by the bars 4a, 4a.

The stopper 4 is released by detecting the dispensing of the preceding tire W1 or the like, the bars 4a, 4a are opened, and one set of tires W1 is dispensed. The tire W1 is displaced by an arrow by a communication conveyor 5 composed of inclined rollers. As shown by, it is thrown into the receiving conveyor 6 while changing its posture in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. This state is shown in FIG.
On the receiving conveyor 6, the holding arm 1 is expanded left and right.
The state in which the tire W1 faces between the positions 9 and 19 is detected by contact of the detection switches 20 and 20 provided on the downstream side with the outer periphery of the tire. The loading of the tire W1 onto the receiving conveyor 6 is guided by the guide bars 10 and 10 as described above, and is loaded into the intermediate portion of the receiving conveyor 6 in the width direction.

Thereafter, the upstream side of the receiving conveyor 6 is lowered by driving the cylinder unit 9, and the receiving conveyor 6 is lowered from 6B shown by the imaginary line in FIG. . Next, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 11, the left and right cylinder units 16 and 16 are driven, thereby holding the holding arms 19 and 1 as described above.
The supporting frames 15, 15 for supporting the supporting member 9 are slid by an equal amount in a direction close to each other, and the above-mentioned front and rear guide rollers 19b, 19b of the left and right holding arms 19, 19 hold the outer periphery of a predetermined one of the tire W1. I do. This state is shown in FIG.

Incidentally, the tire W1 is conveyed on the rollers of the receiving conveyor 6, and may not always be located at the intermediate portion of the rollers at the position of the holding arm.
In this case, the tire W1 is formed of a material having a large coefficient of friction such as rubber, and the lower surface of the lowest tire is in contact with the rollers of the conveyor. Above, it may not move easily to the center in the width direction. If the entire tire W1 is forcibly moved in the left-right direction, only the lowermost tire that directly contacts the rollers remains at the position where it was conveyed on the conveyor, and only the upper tire is centered and lowermost. A misalignment may occur with the tire.

As described above, the rollers of the receiving conveyor 6 are constituted by the slide rollers 7, so that the slide rollers 7 follow the holding operation from the left and right of the holding arms 19, 19 so that the slide rollers 7 are in the roller support shaft direction. The tire W1, particularly the lowest tire, moves integrally with the upper tire without being separated in the conveyor width direction by the holding operation of the holding arms 19, 19, and the whole tire is moved. Is centered at the center position in the width direction of the conveyor. Thus, the holding and centering of the tire W1 are performed. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the right and left outer peripheries of the tire W1 are held by the holding arms 19, 19, and the centering is completed.
Indicated by

Thereafter, the movable base 13 is slid to the downstream side by the driving of the cylinder unit 14 as shown by the arrow in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the tire loading portion 24b of the transfer arm 24 of the transfer lift 23 is provided in the space S of the payout conveyor 21.
In advance. In FIG. 13, the delivery conveyor 21 is used.
Above, a state where the tire W1 held by the holding arms 19, 19 is set on the tire loading portion 24b of the transfer arm 24 is shown. Next, the aforementioned cylinder unit 16,
16 is driven to operate in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow, the holding arms 19 and 19 are separated, and the tire W
Release the constraint on 1.

FIG. 14 shows this restraint release state, and FIG.
5, the transfer arm 24 of the transfer lift 23 is located below the tire W1 transferred on the receiving conveyor 21.
The loading section 24a is in a standby state, and then raises the transfer arm 24 of the transfer lift 23 by driving the motor 25 as shown by an arrow in FIG.

When the transfer arm 24 of the transfer lift 23 is lifted, the loading portion 24b rises while the tire W1 is transferred onto the loading portion 24b. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a part of a suspension type conveyor 30 such as an overhead conveyor is
This position is located above the transfer lift 23, and this position is defined as a transfer position C of the tire W1 to the suspension type conveyor. The upper limit position of the transfer arm 24 as shown in FIG. Is transported to this position C.

When the hanger 31 is conveyed to the position C, it faces the transfer arm 24, and the bottom of the tire W1 is placed on the lower left and right sides of the lower end of the hanger 31 as shown by imaginary lines in FIG. After facing the bars 31a, 31a, the transfer lift 23 is moved downward as shown by the arrow in FIG. As a result, the loading portion 24a of the transfer arm 24 descends downward from the gap between the mounting bars 31a at the lower end of the hanger 31, and the tire W1 is transferred to the hanger 31.

FIG. 17 shows the state after the completion of the transfer. Thereafter, the hanger 31 is transported to the tire assembling position to perform the tire assembling operation. On the other hand, the transfer arm 24 of the transfer lift 23
Descends to the lower limit and waits for the next transfer operation at the position of the delivery conveyor 21 described above. The holding arms 19, 19 return to the position shown in FIG. 11 by the operation of the cylinder unit 14 in the expanded state in which the holding of the tire W1 is released, and wait for the next tire W1 to be inserted. And repeat the above.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings, the embodiment has been described with reference to the tire as the article to be transferred, but the article to be transferred may be used for positioning, transporting, and transferring articles other than tires. it can. The article to be transferred is optional.

[0055]

According to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited by the above configuration. Claim 1 conveys the articles to be stacked stacked on a floor-type input conveyor and, when transferring the articles to a suspension-type conveyor, continuously provides a receiving conveyor downstream of the input conveyor, and provides the conveyor with: The bottom surface of the article to be transferred is supported, slidable in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the input conveyor, and the article to be transferred on the receiving conveyor is centered at the mounting position of the downstream transfer lift. Therefore, since the apparatus includes a transferred article holding arm for sandwiching, holding, and centering the transferred article from a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction thereof, the transferred article transferred to the receiving conveyor The centering of the transferred articles held while being centered by the holding arms can be performed so as to align the articles with a downstream transfer lift.

In particular, in the first aspect, the receiving conveyor is configured to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.
Even if the frictional resistance is large between the receiving conveyor and the article to be transferred, the article to be transferred can easily follow the holding operation of the holding arm by the slide of the conveyor when the article is nipped by the holding arm. In a transferred article such as a stacked tire, a plurality of stacked tires can be smoothly and easily aligned without causing a misalignment between the stacked tires. To perform centering.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a transfer lift for transferring an article to be transferred to a suspension type conveyor is provided downstream of the floor-type receiving conveyor, and the article to be transferred is held by the holding arm. As described above, the holding drive unit for moving the holding arm from the receiving conveyor to the transfer lift position is provided.
The article to be transferred, which has been centered and held, is moved and moved in the direction of the transfer lift, and the transfer to the suspension conveyor can be performed smoothly and easily. The article to be transferred can be held while being centered, and can be transferred to a suspension conveyor via a transfer lift in this state.

Therefore, it is possible to accurately, smoothly, reliably, and easily perform positioning, transportation, and transfer of articles to be transferred such as stacked tires. , The receiving conveyor can be slid in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction by a simple structure such that the conveying roller is slidable in the axial direction, etc., and a pair of holding arms are provided, and the articles to be transferred are held between them. This can be realized with a simple mechanism and device configuration as a whole, including means for expanding and contracting the holding arm, means for moving the holding arm, and a transfer lift capable of moving up and down at the most downstream. In addition to the above,
As a matter of course, without requiring manual work, articles to be transferred, such as stacked tires, are automatically held while being centered, moved to the transfer position, and further transferred to the transfer lift. The transfer to the suspension conveyor can be performed, and the transfer, positioning, and transfer can be performed efficiently.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the article to be transferred is a stacked vehicle tire, and the shape of the holding arm is a pair of symmetrically arranged arc-shaped frame members. , The vehicle tire formed of rubber or the like can be held in a state adapted to the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle tire by a holding arm formed of an arc-shaped frame member. Therefore, the centering and holding of the entire stacked tires can be performed smoothly and reliably by allowing the receiving conveyor to move in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction by the slide conveyor, while holding the tire in conformity with the shape of the tire.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to a movable base for moving the holding arm transfer drive device guided by a rail, and a first drive means for adjusting the distance between the holding arms provided on the movable base. And the second driving means for moving the movable base back and forth along the rail, so that the holding arm provided on the movable base is expanded and contracted by the first driving means, and Centering can be performed smoothly and reliably, and the transferred article can be held. The movable base can be transported from the conveyor to the transfer lift along the rail by the second drive means, so that the transfer and transfer of the transferred articles to the transfer lift can be performed smoothly and reliably. Can be.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the charging conveyor is constituted by an inclined roller conveyor, a receiving conveyor connected downstream of the charging conveyor is provided, and a horizontal position can be changed from an inclined position connected to the charging conveyor. By making the conveyor an inclined type, it is possible to receive the loaded articles to be loaded onto the conveyor without requiring a driving source. Further, the receiving conveyor receives the transferred articles stacked in an inclined state and shifts to a horizontal state, so that the centering and holding by the subsequent holding arms are performed smoothly and securely, and the holding conveyor including the holding arms is held. The centering device can be configured as a simple device as described above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an entire positioning and conveying device for a laminated article according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a holding arm portion.

4 is a view in the direction of arrow 4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view in the direction of arrow 5-5 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view along the line 7-7 in FIG. 4 and is a plan view of the receiving conveyor;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a transfer lift.

FIG. 9 is a view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8;

10 is a view in the direction of arrow 10 in FIG. 8;

11 to 14 are explanatory views of the operation of the holding arm, showing the operation as a plan view, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a transfer from a roller conveyor, a transfer of an article to be transferred to the conveyor, and a transfer by the holding arm. Figure just before holding a loaded article

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which a transferred article is held by a holding arm and is conveyed in a transfer lift direction.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which a transferred article is transferred to a transfer lift.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a state in which a holding arm is opened.

15 to 17 are explanatory views of the operation of the transfer lift, showing the transfer lift as a front view, and FIG. 15 is a view showing a state in which articles to be transferred are transferred to the transfer lift.

FIG. 16 is a view showing a state where a transfer lift is raised.

FIG. 17 is a view showing a state where the transfer of the article to be transferred to the suspension conveyor is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input conveyor, 5 ... Communication conveyor provided with the inclined roller which comprises the downstream part of an input conveyor, 6 ... Receiving conveyor, 7 ... Slide roller which comprises a receiving conveyor, 12 ... Rail, 13 ... Movable base, 14
… Narrowing arm expansion / contraction drive source
Reference numeral 19: holding arm, 19a: arc-shaped member, 23: transfer lift, 30: suspension type conveyor W: article to be transferred,
W1 ... Laminated article to be transferred.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for positioning and transporting loaded articles for transporting articles to be stacked stacked on a floor-type input conveyor and transferring the articles to a suspension-type transport conveyor, wherein the apparatus is located downstream of the input conveyor. A receiving conveyor that is provided continuously, supports the bottom surface of the article to be transferred, and is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the input conveyor; and a suspension-type conveyor that is disposed downstream of the receiving conveyor. A transfer lift for transferring the article to be transferred to the receiving conveyor, and the article to be transferred on the receiving conveyor is centered at a mounting position of the transfer lift on the downstream side. An article holding arm for sandwiching, holding, and centering from a direction perpendicular to the receiving article; and a holding conveyor for centering and holding the article to be transferred with the holding arm. From above, the transfer to the lift position, the positioning conveyor device of the loading article, wherein the transport drive unit holding arm for moving the narrow lifting arm, in that it consists of. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the article to be transferred is a stacked tire for a vehicle, and the shape of the holding arm is a pair of symmetrically arranged arc-shaped frame members. The positioning and conveying device for loaded articles according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured so as to press. 3. The transport drive device includes: a movable base that is guided by a rail to move; a first drive unit that adjusts a gap between the holding arms provided on the movable base; 2. The loaded article positioning / conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second driving means for moving the base back and forth along the rail. 4. The charging conveyor is constituted by an inclined roller conveyor, and a receiving conveyor connected downstream of the charging conveyor can be changed from an inclined position connected to the charging conveyor to a horizontal position. Claim 1
A positioning and conveying device for a loaded article as described in the above.