JP2840776B2 - Carrier self-propelled conveyor - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carrier self-propelled conveyor used in, for example, an automobile assembly line.

2. Description of the Related Art Known as a carrier self-propelled conveyor used in an automobile assembly line is one in which a plurality of front and rear self-propelled carriers travel at equal vehicle intervals along a predetermined track such as a rail. ing.

In an automobile assembly line, so-called mixed production in which different types of vehicles are mixed in one assembly line may be performed, and in this case, the work time required for one process may differ depending on the type of vehicle. However, in the conventional carrier self-propelled conveyor, the inter-vehicle distances of all the carriers are equal and cannot be changed, so that it is not possible to adjust the variation in the working time caused by the difference of the vehicle type. For this reason, conventionally, all inter-vehicle distances are set to be long according to the type of vehicle that requires the longest working time, and thus there has been a problem that the overall working efficiency is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide a carrier self-propelled conveyor that solves the above-mentioned problems.

Means for Solving the Problems A carrier self-propelled conveyor according to the present invention is a conveyor provided with a plurality of self-propelled carriers before and after traveling along a predetermined track, wherein a rear portion of a preceding carrier and a front portion of a subsequent carrier are provided. On the other hand, an inter-vehicle distance control detected member capable of adjusting the position in the front-rear direction is provided, and on the other hand, an inter-vehicle distance control for controlling the inter-vehicle distance between the front and rear carriers by detecting the detected member with a sensor. Means are provided, and by adjusting the position of the detected member in the front-rear direction, the inter-vehicle distance controlled by the other inter-vehicle distance control device is changed.

The inter-vehicle distance controlled by the other inter-vehicle distance control device is changed by adjusting the position in the front-rear direction of the inter-vehicle distance control detected member provided on one of the front and rear carriers. For this reason, the inter-vehicle distance can be changed for each carrier.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show a part of a floor-type carrier self-propelled conveyor provided on an automobile assembly line.

The conveyor has a plurality of self-propelled carriers (2) before and after traveling along a predetermined track (1) constituted by rails or the like.
The vehicle (A) of the automobile is mounted on these carriers (2) and moved. The carrier (2) has a substantially rectangular trapezoidal shape, and runs for example in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2 using a battery mounted thereon as a power source. Since the track (1) and the means for moving the carrier (2) along the track (1) can have a known and appropriate configuration, detailed description will be omitted.

Details of the carrier (2) are shown in FIGS.

At the rear of the carrier (2), a rear protruding portion (convex portion) (3) having a smaller left-right width and a lower height than other portions is provided. At the front of the carrier (2) is provided a recess (4) which is open on the front and possibly the bottom. The left-right width of the concave portion (4) is larger than the left-right width of the convex portion (3), and the height of the concave portion (4) is higher than the height of the convex portion (3). Then, the convex portion (3) of the preceding carrier (2) enters the concave portion (4) of the succeeding carrier (2), and these are overlapped.

At the center in the left-right direction of the convex portion (3) of the carrier (2), a vertical plate-shaped detected member (5) for inter-vehicle distance control is supported so as to be movable back and forth. The rear part of the detected member (5) is higher than the other parts and protrudes above the upper surface of the convex part (3). However, the rear part of the detected member (5) is lower than the height of the concave portion (4) and can enter the concave portion (4) of the subsequent carrier (2) together with the convex portion (3). A detected member adjusting electric cylinder (6) is fixed rearward at the center in the left-right direction within the carrier (2) at the front of the projection (3), and the detected member ( The front end of 5) is connected. Although not shown, the carrier (2) is provided with a drive circuit for the cylinder (6), a switch, and the like. ) Is adjusted in a plurality of steps in the front-rear direction.

In the recess (4) of the carrier (2), three sets of front and rear photoelectric switches (sensors), that is, a first photoelectric switch (7) on the front side, a second photoelectric switch (8) on the center, and a third photoelectric switch on the rear side. A switch (9) is provided. The photoelectric switches (7), (8), and (9) are fixed to one side wall (4a) of the recess (4) and emit light beams to the opposite side. A light receiving unit (7b) (8b) (9b) fixed to the other side wall plate (4b) and detecting a light beam from the light emitting unit (7a) (8a) (9a). (7a) (8
a) It turns off when the connection between (9a) and the light receiving sections (7b), (8b) and (9b) is cut off, and turns on when it is not cut off. Further, the photoelectric switches (7), (8), and (9) are arranged at a height above the upper surface of the projection (3) and below the upper end of the rear of the detected member (5). The front and rear widths of the portion protruding from the upper surface of the convex portion (3) of 5) are larger than the front and rear pitches of the photoelectric switches (7), (8) and (9). Therefore, when the rear end of the detected member (5) enters behind the first photoelectric switch (7) in the recess (4), one of the photoelectric switches (7), (8), and (9) is shut off. Turn off.
Although not shown, the carrier (2) is provided with a speed control device for controlling the speed of the carrier (2) based on the outputs of the photoelectric switches (7), (8) and (9) as described later. These constitute an inter-vehicle distance control means.

In the above conveyor, the succeeding carrier (2) monitors the output of the photoelectric switches (7), (8), (9) during traveling, and determines the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding carrier (2) as follows. Control to a desired setting range.

First, if all three photoelectric switches (7), (8) and (9) are on, the detected member (5) of the preceding carrier (2)
The rear end of the carrier (2) is located before the first photoelectric switch (7) and the inter-vehicle distance is too large than the set range.
Is increased from a preset speed (set speed) so as to reduce the inter-vehicle distance.

When the first photoelectric switch (7) is turned off and the second photoelectric switch (8) is turned on, the rear end of the detected member (5) of the preceding carrier (2) is connected to the first photoelectric switch (7). Second
Since the inter-vehicle distance is within the set range between the photoelectric switches (8), the carrier (2) is caused to run at the set speed so that the inter-vehicle distance does not change.

If the second photoelectric switch (8) is turned off and the third photoelectric switch (9) is turned on, the rear end of the detected member (5) of the preceding carrier (2) is connected to the second photoelectric switch (8). Third
Since the inter-vehicle distance is smaller than the set range between the photoelectric switches (9), the carrier (2) is decelerated from the set speed to increase the inter-vehicle distance.

When the third photoelectric switch (9) is turned off, the rear end of the detected member (5) of the preceding carrier (2) is located behind the third photoelectric switch (9), and the inter-vehicle distance is very small. Therefore, the carrier (2) is stopped.

By controlling the speed of the subsequent carrier (2) in this manner, the inter-vehicle distance between the front and rear carriers (2) is maintained within a desired setting range in which only the first photoelectric switch (7) is turned off.

In the above-described conveyor, the inter-vehicle distance with the succeeding carrier (2) can be changed by adjusting the position of the detection member (5) in the front-rear direction for each carrier (2) as follows. .

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the detected member (5) is moved backward, the body of the carrier (2) moves forward with respect to the detected member (5), and the subsequent carrier (2) is moved. ) And the distance between the vehicles increases. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 6, when the detected member (5) is moved forward, the vehicle body of the carrier (2) moves backward with respect to the detected member (5), and the subsequent carrier ( The distance between the vehicle and 2) becomes smaller.

Such adjustment of the inter-vehicle distance for each carrier (2)
For example, when the vehicle body (A) is first mounted on the assembly line, the operation is performed according to the type. That is, for the carrier (2) on which the vehicle body (A) with a long working time is mounted, the detected member (5) is moved backward so that the inter-vehicle distance with the following carrier (2) becomes long, and the vehicle body with a short working time is shortened. As for the carrier (2) on which (A) is mounted, the detected member (5) is moved forward so as to shorten the inter-vehicle distance with the following carrier (2). By adjusting the inter-vehicle distance in accordance with the work time in this way, the worker can proceed with the work at a constant pitch, and the work efficiency can be improved by uniformly increasing the inter-vehicle distance as in the conventional case. There is no decrease.

In the case of a floor type conveyor, an operator may work on the carrier (2), but in the case of the above-mentioned conveyor,
Since the convex part (3) and the concave part (4) of the front and rear carriers (2) partially overlap each other and no gap is generated between them,
I can work safely without any anxiety under my feet. However, it is not always necessary for the front and rear carriers to partially overlap. For example, the detected member may be provided at a portion projecting rearward from the rear end of the carrier, and a sensor for controlling the following distance may be provided at a portion projecting forward from the front end of the carrier.

The present invention is also applicable to a ceiling type (overhead type) conveyor in which a self-propelled carrier is suspended on a track supported from the ceiling.

In the case of a ceiling type conveyor, a plurality of front and rear trolleys are usually connected by a connecting member, and a hanger for mounting the vehicle body is hung on the trolleys at the front and rear central portions. In this case, a member to be detected is provided on the rearmost trolley, and a sensor for controlling the following distance is provided on the frontmost trolley. Then, an electric cylinder or the like is used as a connecting member for connecting the last trolley and the preceding trolley, whereby the position of the detected member in the front-rear direction can be adjusted.

The configuration of the detected member for inter-vehicle distance control, the means for adjusting the position in the front-rear direction, the configuration of the sensor for inter-vehicle distance control, and the like are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed.

According to the carrier self-propelled conveyor of the present invention, the inter-vehicle distance can be changed for each carrier as described above. Therefore, when this is applied to an automobile assembly line, it is possible to adjust the variation of the operation time depending on the type of the vehicle and perform an efficient operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a self-propelled carrier of a carrier self-propelled conveyor showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. Figure 3 is IV
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a state different from FIG. (1) Track, (2) Carrier, (5) Detected member for inter-vehicle distance control, (7) (8) (9) Photoelectric switch.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A conveyor provided with a plurality of front and rear self-propelled carriers traveling along a predetermined track, wherein one of a rear portion of a preceding carrier and a front portion of a subsequent carrier can be adjusted in a front-rear direction. An inter-vehicle distance control detected member is provided, and on the other side, inter-vehicle distance control means for controlling the inter-vehicle distance between front and rear carriers by detecting the above-mentioned detected member with a sensor is provided. The carrier self-propelled conveyor, wherein the distance between vehicles controlled by the other inter-vehicle distance control device is changed by adjusting the position of the vehicle.