JP7521802B2 - Suction holding unit and transport system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a suction holding unit and a transport system, and in particular to a suction holding unit and a transport system that uses vacuum pressure to suction and transport a workpiece.

Conventionally, a transport system has been known that uses a transport means to transport a plate-shaped or thin-walled workpiece (including metal plates, films, lightweight products, etc.) that is difficult to fix using a jig alone, and is equipped with a suction holding unit that uses vacuum pressure to suck and transport the workpiece (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Here, the vacuum pressure is applied by constructing a vacuum suction path through piping inside a fixed support or the like on the work stage, and connecting it to a vacuum supply device such as a rotary pump, so that the transported object, with the work held by the work suction plate, can be moved along the rail in the desired position (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2016-024297 A JP 2016-001271 A

However, in the above-mentioned conveying system, it is necessary to adsorb and hold the workpiece on each conveyed object, but as shown in Patent Document 2, fixed piping is used for the moving object, so there is a low air flow rate constraint for creating a vacuum state and maintaining the vacuum pressure, which causes the workpiece to be unstable during conveying, and it is difficult to maintain the vacuum pressure for a long period of time (e.g., hours).

The object of the present invention is to provide an adsorption and holding unit and transport system that can maintain vacuum pressure for a long period of time while stably adsorbing and holding the workpiece by improving air flow restrictions through the provision of a function for creating a vacuum state for each transported object and a valve function for maintaining/releasing that vacuum pressure.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an suction holding unit that is integrally formed with a transported object that can move along a pair of parallel rails , and comprises a pair of protrusions arranged in each set at the upper portion of each of the pair of rails and extending along the extension direction of the pair of rails so that their upper surfaces serve as a loading surface for the workpiece, suction holes that open to the loading surface and hold the workpiece by vacuum pressure, and valves that are connected to the suction holes and hold/release the vacuum pressure , the valves being located outside the pair of rails with respect to the pair of protrusions of each set, and comprising a vacuum break button that releases the vacuum pressure to the suction holes when a workpiece is placed on the loading surface when the transported object reaches a predetermined position from the upstream side in the transport direction.

The suction holding units are provided integrally with the objects to be transported by the transport means, and each suction holding unit is provided with a work placement section.

The placement section of the suction holding unit has suction holes that open onto the placement surface and hold the workpiece using vacuum pressure.

In addition, the suction holding unit is provided with a valve that is connected to the suction hole to hold/release the vacuum pressure.

As a result, by providing each transported object with a function to create a vacuum state for the suction holes to hold the workpiece, and a valve function to maintain/release the vacuum pressure in the suction holes, it is possible to improve air flow restrictions and maintain the vacuum pressure for long periods of time, from minutes to hours, while stably suctioning and holding the workpiece.

According to the present invention, by providing a function for creating a vacuum state for each transported object and a valve function for maintaining/releasing the vacuum pressure, the air flow rate constraints are improved, and the vacuum state can be maintained for a long period of time while stably adsorbing and holding the workpiece.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a transport system. 3A shows a main part of the transport system, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the main part before the workpiece is adsorbed, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the main part after the workpiece is adsorbed. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the transport system after the workpiece is adsorbed.

Next, the suction holding unit and transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the transport system 1 includes a pair of rails 2 arranged parallel to the depth direction of the paper, a slider 3 as a transported object that can move along the rails 2, an adsorption and holding unit 10 that is integral with the slider 3, a work loading table 4 on which thin, flat workpieces W1 and W2 are loaded before or after transport, and a work transfer robot 20 that transfers the workpieces W1 and W2 between the adsorption and holding unit 10 and the work loading table 4.

The workpiece transfer robot 20 may have a basic configuration that is well known, such as a swing arm 22 mounted on a stand 21, further equipped with a swingable lifting device 23, and a robot arm 24 that holds/transfers the workpieces W1 and W2 and can be raised and lowered on the lifting device 23.

Note that, of the workpieces W1 and W2 loaded on the workpiece loading platform 4 shown in FIG. 1, workpiece W1 will be described as having already been transported by the suction holding unit 10, and workpiece W2 will be described as having not yet been transported by the suction holding unit 10.

The slider 3 comprises a slide base part 31 that is held by a pair of rails 2 and transported by a transport means equipped with a driving means such as a motor (not shown), a base part 32 that is fixed to the upper surface of the slide base part 31, and legs 33 that rise from the vicinity of the four corners of the base part 32.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the suction holding unit 10 includes a base portion 11 fixed in a resting state on the upper end surface of the leg portion 33, a protrusion portion 12 consisting of multiple (in this example, two pairs of) axial projections protruding from the upper surface 11a of the base portion 11, a suction hole 13 opening onto the upper end surface 12a of the protrusion portion 12, a through-hole-shaped nozzle portion 14 opening onto the upper surface 11a of the base portion 11, and a valve 40 communicating with the suction hole 13.

In this embodiment, the base 11 and the protruding parts 12 form a mounting part, and the protruding parts 12 are arranged in pairs on each upper part of the pair of rails 2, for a total of two sets. Accordingly, the nozzle part 14 and the valve 40 are arranged in opposite directions along the extension direction of the rails 2, so that two workpieces W1 or W2, or workpieces W1 and W2, can be transported at the same time.

1 and 2, the valve 40 comprises a metal body 41, a valve shaft 42 that penetrates the inside of the body 41 and is supported so as to be movable along the axial direction with the upper and lower ends protruding from the body 41 as shown, a bracket 43 that is fixed to the body 41 to fix the body 41 to the base 11, a connection joint 44 that is connected to a negative pressure side port portion (not shown) formed inside the body 41, a muffler 45 that is connected to a positive pressure side port portion (not shown) formed inside the body 41, and a vacuum break button 46 provided at the upper end of the valve shaft 42.

Although detailed illustration is omitted, the negative pressure side port portion and the positive pressure side port portion are connected inside the main body 41, for example, by using a through hole (not shown) in the valve shaft 42, and a communication path that is folded back in the cross-sectional structure as a whole is formed via this through hole.

The valve shaft 42 is provided with a valve body (not shown) that opens and closes the communication portion with the positive pressure side port portion of the through hole inside the main body 41, and is normally closed by the force of a spring (not shown). When the vacuum break button 46 is pressed against the force of the spring, the valve shaft 42 is also displaced downward to open the valve.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the robot arm 24 includes an operation unit 25 that operates the vacuum break button 46 of the suction holding unit 10 to break the vacuum when the suction holding unit 10 is transported to a predetermined position by the transport means, a hand unit 26 that removes the workpiece W1 placed on the protrusion 12 and places the workpiece W2 on the protrusion 12, and a vacuum unit 27 that is connected to the nozzle unit 14 after the workpiece W2 is placed and generates vacuum pressure for the suction hole 13.

The suction hole 13, nozzle portion 14, and negative pressure side port portion (connection joint 44) are connected by piping (not shown) via an air pressure tank 47 that is provided below the base portion 11 and smooths out air pulsations and prevents a rapid drop in air pressure.

In this basic configuration, the suction holding unit 10 and transport system 1 according to this embodiment improves air flow constraints by arranging the suction holding unit 10 of each slider 3 with a function to create a vacuum state to hold the workpieces W1 and W2 and a valve function to maintain/release the vacuum pressure, thereby maintaining a vacuum state for a long period of time while stably suctioning and holding the workpieces W1 and W2.

That is, the suction holding unit 10, which is provided integrally with the slider 3 transported by the transport means, includes a protrusion 12 on which the workpieces W1 and W2 are placed, a suction hole 13 that opens to the mounting surface 12a of the protrusion 12 and holds the workpieces W1 and W2 by vacuum pressure, and a valve 40 that is provided in communication with the suction hole 13 and holds/releases the vacuum pressure.

A vacuum break valve is used for the valve 40. The valve 40 is equipped with a vacuum break button 46 that releases the vacuum pressure to the suction hole 13 when the slider 3 reaches a predetermined position from the upstream side in the conveying direction and the workpiece W1 is placed on the protrusion 12.

The protrusion 12 is provided with a nozzle portion 14 that generates vacuum pressure to the suction hole 13 as soon as the workpiece W2 is placed on the protrusion 12 if the workpiece W2 is not placed on the protrusion 12 when the slider 3 reaches a predetermined position from the upstream side in the conveying direction.

Next, the specific functions of the transport system 1 and the suction holding unit 10 will be described.

(The workpiece W1 is placed and transported)
The workpiece W1 is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction on the right side of the paper shown in Figure 1 to the suction holding unit 10, and when it reaches a predetermined position, the transport of the suction holding unit 10 is temporarily stopped by the transport means, and the robot arm 24 is moved from the standby position to a position above the workpiece W1.

Then, when the robot arm 24 is lowered by the driving of the lifting device 23, the operation unit 25 presses the vacuum break button 46, and at the same time the valve 40 opens, and the suction hole 13 is vacuum broken.

By breaking the vacuum, the hand portion 26 of the robot arm 24 removes the workpiece W1 placed on the placement surface 12a as a placement portion, and places the workpiece W1 in a predetermined position on the workpiece loading table 4.

When the hand unit 26 removes the workpiece W1 from the mounting surface 12a, the suction holding unit 10 is transported downstream in the transport direction by the transport means, and the transport, temporary stop, workpiece removal, and transport processes are then performed in sequence.

(Workpiece W2 is placed and transported)
An empty suction holding unit 10 is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction on the right side of the paper shown in Figure 1, and when it reaches a predetermined position, the transport of the suction holding unit 10 is temporarily stopped by the transport means, and the robot arm 24 holding the work W2 loaded at a predetermined position on the work loading table 4 with the hand portion 26 is moved from the standby position to a position above the loading surface 12a as a loading portion.

Then, the robot arm 24 is lowered by driving the lifting device 23, and the hand portion 26 of the robot arm 24 places the workpiece W2 on the placement surface 12a. At the same time, the tip of the vacuum portion 27 enters the hole of the nozzle portion 14, and the suction hole 13 is put into a vacuum state as the valve 40 is closed.

This vacuum state causes the workpiece W2 to detach from the hand portion 26 of the robot arm 24, and the lifting device 23 is again driven to raise the robot arm 24 and move it from a position above the placement surface 12a as a placement portion to a standby position.

When the hand unit 26 places the workpiece W2 on the placement surface 12a, the suction holding unit 10 is transported downstream in the transport direction by the transport means, and the transport, temporary stop, workpiece placement, and transport process are then performed in sequence.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the base 11 and the protruding parts 12 form a mounting section, and the protruding parts 12 are arranged in pairs on the mounting section. The nozzle parts 14 and the valves 40 are arranged in opposite directions along the extension direction of the rail 2 to simultaneously transport two workpieces W1 and W2, or two workpieces W1 and W2. However, the number and layout of the protruding parts 12, nozzle parts 14, and valves 40 can be changed as desired depending on the type and size of the workpieces W1 and W2.

The above describes the embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, it goes without saying that the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described here. It is clear that a person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of making various changes, modifications, combinations, etc. within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention described in the claims. Therefore, the technologies subsequent to these changes, modifications, combinations, etc. naturally fall within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

Specifically, the system configuration in which the robot arm 24 of the work transfer robot 20 is equipped with the operation unit 25 and the vacuum unit 27 has been exemplified, but the operation unit 25 and the vacuum unit 27 may be arranged on the line as an independent mechanism separate from the work transfer robot 20 or the robot arm 24.

Similarly, instead of using a single robot arm 24 to pick up and place the workpieces W1 and W2, an independent robot arm for picking up the workpiece and an arm for placing the workpiece may be provided to enable picking up and placing of the workpieces W1 and W2.

As described above, the suction holding unit and transport system according to the present invention improves air flow constraints by providing a function for creating a vacuum state for each transported object and a valve function for maintaining/releasing that vacuum pressure, and has the effect of being able to maintain a vacuum state for a long period of time while stably suctioning and holding the workpiece, and is useful in general for suction holding units and transport systems that suction and transport workpieces using vacuum pressure.

1 Transport system 3 Slider (transported object)
10: suction holding unit 11: base portion (mounting portion)
11a Upper surface 12 Protruding portion (placing portion)
12a: placement surface 13: suction hole 14: nozzle section 20: workpiece transfer robot 24: robot arm 25: operation section 26: hand section 27: vacuum section 40: valve 41: main body 42: valve shaft 43: bracket 44: connection joint 45: muffler 46: vacuum break button 47: air pressure tank W1: workpiece W2: workpiece

Claims (4)

A suction and holding unit that is integrally provided with a transport object that can move along a pair of parallel rails ,
A pair of protrusions are arranged in pairs at the upper portions of the pair of rails and extend in the direction in which the pair of rails extend so that the upper surfaces of the protrusions serve as work placement surfaces;
a suction hole that is open to the mounting surface and holds the workpiece by vacuum pressure;
a valve provided in communication with the suction hole for maintaining/releasing the vacuum pressure;
Equipped with
The valve is
a vacuum break button that is located outside the pair of rails with respect to the pair of protrusions of each set, and releases the vacuum pressure applied to the suction holes when a workpiece is placed on the placement surface when the transported object reaches a predetermined position from the upstream side in the transport direction;
The suction holding unit is characterized by the above. The protrusion is
a nozzle portion that generates the vacuum pressure for the suction hole at the same time as a workpiece is placed on the placement surface when the workpiece is not placed on the placement surface when the transported object reaches a predetermined position from the upstream side in the transport direction,
2. The suction holding unit according to claim 1. Using the suction and holding unit according to claim 1 ,
an operation unit that operates the vacuum break button of the suction holding unit to break the vacuum of the suction holding unit in which the workpiece has been transported to a predetermined position;
a hand unit that removes the workpiece placed on the placement surface after the vacuum is broken;
Equipped with
A transport system comprising: Using the suction and holding unit according to claim 2 ,
a hand unit that places the work on the placement surface of the suction holding unit after the work is transported to a predetermined position;
a vacuum unit that is connected to the nozzle unit after the workpiece is placed and generates the vacuum pressure for the suction holes;
Equipped with
A transport system comprising:

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