JP7539730B1 - Workpiece transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

To transport a workpiece while changing the posture of the workpiece sent from a parts feeder.
A workpiece transport device 10A includes an index table 10 and a vacuum device 20. A rotation axis L of the index table 10 is inclined by 45° with respect to a horizontal plane P, and an outer peripheral surface 10a and a placement surface 15 of the index table 10 are inclined by 45° with respect to the rotation axis L.
[Selected figure] Figure 4

Description

This disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device that transports a workpiece while changing the position of the workpiece.

For example, electronic components such as capacitors and resistors (hereinafter also referred to as workpieces) are transported by a parts feeder, and then their posture is changed before being stored on a pallet or the like. Conventionally, mechanisms have been known that transport workpieces on a parts feeder while changing their posture. Known examples of such transport mechanisms include a transport mechanism with a rotating suction nozzle that picks up the workpieces on the parts feeder and changes their posture, and a transport mechanism with an inverting chute that changes the posture of the workpieces.

However, the reality is that no transport device has been developed that can reliably change the position of a workpiece at high speed.

JP 2005-335936 A JP 2012-33821 A Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-13100

This disclosure has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a work transport device that reliably and quickly changes the posture of the work fed from a parts feeder to transport the work.

The present disclosure relates to a work transport device that is disposed at the outlet of a parts feeder that transports multiple workpieces in a linear manner, receives the workpieces on the parts feeder, and rotates their posture. The work transport device includes a disk-shaped index table that is provided with multiple storage pockets for storing workpieces on its outer periphery and has suction holes formed in each storage pocket, and a vacuum device that is connected to the index table and communicates with the suction holes. The index table rotates around a rotation axis that is inclined relative to the horizontal plane, and each storage pocket of the index table has a mounting surface on which the workpieces are placed that is inclined relative to the rotation axis and a pair of wall surfaces that sandwich the workpiece. The mounting surface of the storage pocket at the lowest position faces a direction that differs by a predetermined angle from the mounting surface of the storage pocket at the highest position.

The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device in which the index table rotates around the rotation axis that is inclined at 45 degrees relative to the horizontal plane, and the loading surface of each storage pocket is inclined at 45 degrees relative to the rotation axis, so that the loading surface of the storage pocket at the lowest position faces in a direction that differs by 90 degrees from the loading surface of the storage pocket at the highest position.

The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device in which, when viewed from the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface of the index table, a pair of wall surfaces of each storage pocket are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the rotation direction of the index table, and the other two sides of the storage pocket are open.

The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device in which the surface on which the workpiece is placed at the outlet of the parts feeder is on the same plane as the placement surface of the storage pocket located at the top position of the index table.

The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device in which the vacuum device has a vacuum device main body and a connector attached to the vacuum device main body, the back surface of the index table abuts against the connector of the vacuum device, suction grooves are formed on the back surface of the index table that communicate with the suction holes of each storage pocket, and a circumferentially formed vacuum groove is formed on the connector of the vacuum device that communicates with the suction groove.

The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device in which the connector is provided with a vacuum hole that communicates with the vacuum groove, and the vacuum hole is connected to a vacuum line provided in the vacuum device body.

The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport device in which the vacuum device body is provided with a spring that presses the connector against the back surface of the index table.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to transport a workpiece while reliably and quickly changing the orientation of the workpiece sent from the parts feeder.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a workpiece transport device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a view of the index table as seen from the front side. FIG. 3 is a view of the index table as seen from the back side. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the workpiece transport device. FIG. 5 is a view of the connecting body of the vacuum device as seen from the connecting surface side. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the main body of the vacuum device and the vacuum device. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a workpiece in a position in which the main surfaces are on the top and bottom surfaces. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a workpiece in a position where its side faces the top and bottom surfaces.

The workpiece transport device disclosed herein is described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 7B show an embodiment of a workpiece transport device according to the present disclosure.

As shown in Figures 1 to 7B, the work transport device 10A is disposed at the exit 3 of the parts feeder 2, which transports multiple works W in a linear manner, and is a device that receives the works sent by the parts feeder 2 and changes their posture. Also, as shown in Figure 1, the parts feeder 2 is supported by a stand 5.

In this embodiment, the workpiece W is, for example, an electronic component such as a capacitor or resistor. As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, such a workpiece W has a rectangular shape with a pair of main surfaces W1 with a large area and four side surfaces W2 with a small area. The workpiece W is transported by the parts feeder 2 in a position where the main surfaces W1 are on the top and bottom surfaces (see Figure 7A), and the workpiece W is changed in position by 90° by the workpiece transport device 10A so that the side surfaces W2 are on the top and bottom surfaces (see Figure 7B).

Such a workpiece transport device 10A includes a disk-shaped index table 10 having an outer peripheral surface 10a, a front surface 10b, and a back surface 10c, with multiple storage pockets 13 for storing workpieces W provided on the outer peripheral surface 10a, and a vacuum device 20 connected to the index table 10 and for drawing a vacuum inside each storage pocket 13. The multiple storage pockets 13 are provided along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the disk-shaped index table 10. Each storage pocket 13 is formed with suction holes 18a, 18b that communicate with the vacuum device 20 and draw a vacuum inside each storage pocket 13.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the index table 10 has a number of storage pockets 13 on its outer circumferential surface 10a, and the workpiece W sent from the parts feeder 2 is stored in the uppermost storage pocket 13 with its main surface W1 facing up or down (see Figure 7A). The index table 10 also rotates around a rotation axis L that is inclined at an angle θ1 (e.g., 45°) with respect to the horizontal plane P.

The outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is tapered from the back surface 10c side to the front surface 10b side.

The outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is inclined at an angle θ2 (45°) with respect to the rotation axis L of the index table 10, so the taper angle of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is angle θ2 (45°).

The outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is provided with a number of protrusions 12 arranged in the circumferential direction, and each storage pocket 13 is formed between these protrusions 12. Each storage pocket 13 has a mounting surface 15 on which the workpiece W is placed, and a pair of wall surfaces 16, 17 that sandwich the workpiece W. Of these, the pair of wall surfaces 16, 17 of each storage pocket 13 can also be referred to as the wall surfaces of the protrusions 12.

When the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is viewed from the normal direction N of the outer peripheral surface 10a, each storage pocket 13 and mounting surface 15 has a rectangular shape (see FIG. 2). A pair of wall surfaces 16, 17 of the storage pocket 13 are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the rotation direction R of the index table 10. The other two surfaces of the storage pocket 13, i.e., the two surfaces perpendicular to the pair of wall surfaces 16, 17 shown in FIG. 2, are open toward the front surface 10b and back surface 10c of the index table 10.

In this way, the rotation axis L of the index table 10 is inclined at an angle θ1 (45°) with respect to the horizontal plane P, and the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is inclined at an angle θ2 (45°) with respect to the rotation axis L. The mounting surface 15 provided on each storage pocket 13 of the index table 10 is also inclined at an angle θ2 (45°) with respect to the rotation axis L. As a result, the outer peripheral surface 10a at the top position of the index table 10 is positioned parallel to the horizontal plane P. In this embodiment, the mounting surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the top position of the index table 10 is also positioned parallel to the horizontal plane P, similar to the outer peripheral surface 10a. The outlet 3 of the parts feeder 2 also has an outlet surface parallel to the horizontal plane P.

The outer peripheral surface 10a at the lowest position of the index table 10 is positioned perpendicular to the horizontal plane P. In this embodiment, the placement surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the lowest position of the index table 10 is also positioned perpendicular to the horizontal plane P, similar to the outer peripheral surface 12a.

In this way, the mounting surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the top of the index table 10 is parallel to the horizontal plane P, and the mounting surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the bottom is perpendicular to the horizontal plane P (a position that differs by 90°). Therefore, when the storage pocket 13 is transported to the bottom position as the index table 10 rotates, the workpiece W stored in the storage pocket 13 at the top of the index table 10 changes its posture by 90°.

Each storage pocket 13 provided on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 has a pair of suction holes 18a, 18b formed in its mounting surface 15, and the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b are formed spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the mounting surface 15. The pair of suction holes 18a, 18b allows the workpiece W stored in each storage pocket 13 to be suctioned and fixed onto the mounting surface 15.

Next, we will explain the mechanism that creates a vacuum in the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b of each storage pocket 13.

The back surface 10c of the index table 10 is provided with a suction groove 19 that communicates with a pair of suction holes 18a, 18b provided in each storage pocket 13. The suction groove 19 provided on the back surface 10c of the index table 10 has an elongated shape that extends between the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b along the radial direction (see Figure 3).

On the other hand, a vacuum device 20 is connected to the index table 10, and this vacuum device 20 has a vacuum device main body 21 and a connector 22 attached to this vacuum device main body. The connector 22 of the vacuum device 20 abuts against the back surface 10c of the index table 10, and the back surface 10c of the index table 10 is covered in a sealed state by the connector 22 of the vacuum device 20.

Next, the connection body 22 of the vacuum device 20 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. The connection body 22 of the vacuum device 20 has a connection surface 22a that contacts the rear surface 10c of the index table 10.

The connection surface 22a of the connection body 22 is provided with a vacuum groove 24 that communicates with the suction groove 19 provided on the back surface 10c of the index table 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the connection body 22 of the vacuum device 20 has an overall disk shape, and the vacuum groove 24 is formed circumferentially along the outer edge of the connection surface 22a of the connection body 22.

In this embodiment, the vacuum device 20 is fixed and the index table 10 rotates around the rotation axis L, but while the index table 10 is rotating, the suction groove 19 provided on the back surface 10c of the index table 10 is constantly in communication with the circumferential vacuum groove 24 provided on the connection surface 22a of the connection body 22.

In addition, the connecting body 22 is provided with multiple, for example, eight, vacuum holes 25, and the vacuum grooves 24 provided on the connecting surface 22a of the connecting body 22 are connected to the vacuum holes 25 of the connecting body 22 via the connecting passages 26.

The vacuum device 20 further includes a vacuum device body 21, and the connector 22 is connected to the vacuum device body 21 via a spring 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the connector 22 has a plurality of openings 31, and the openings 31 are provided with springs 32 and stop pins 33 that engage the springs 32. The stop pins 33 extend from the openings 31 of the connector 22 to the vacuum device body 21. The springs 32 engaged by the stop pins 33 press the connector 22 toward the index table 10 relative to the vacuum device body 21. This causes the connection surface 22a of the constant connector 22 to be pressed against the back surface 10c of the index table 10, improving the sealing between the back surface 10c of the index table 10 and the connection surface 22a of the connector 22.

The vacuum device body 21 of the vacuum device 20 is provided with a vacuum line 35 that communicates with the vacuum hole 25 provided in the connector 22. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the vacuum device body 21 is provided with a connector 36 that communicates with the vacuum hole 25 of the connector 22, and the vacuum line 35 extending from the vacuum device 46 is connected to this connector 36.

As shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum device body 21 and the connector 22 of the vacuum device 20 are connected to each other by a connecting bolt 34.

In FIG. 4, a stopper 37 is provided at the outlet 3 of the parts feeder 2 to stop the second work W from the top so that only the first work W among the work W sent from the parts feeder 2 is stored in the storage pocket 13 of the index table 10. Also, near the bottom end of the index table 10, an ejection pin 39 is provided to push the work W in the storage pocket 13 at the lowest position from above and eject it.

That is, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 at the lowest position of the index table 10 is pressed downward by the ejection pin 39 and ejected downward by the ejection pin 39.

In this embodiment, an adsorption portion 39a is provided at the lower end of the ejection pin 39, and the workpiece W pressed downward by the ejection pin 39 is adsorbed by the adsorption portion 39a and stored in a pallet 40 installed below the index table 10.

In addition, in this embodiment, the parts feeder 2, the index table 10 of the work transport device 10A, and the vacuum device 20 are all driven and controlled by the control unit 45 (see Figure 1).

In addition, in each storage pocket 13 of the index table 10 described above, it is preferable that the height of the pair of walls 16, 17 is 5 to 10% higher than the height of the work W stored in the storage pocket 13.

Next, we will explain the operation of this embodiment with such a configuration.

First, multiple workpieces W are transported by the parts feeder 2 while in contact with each other. In this case, each workpiece W is transported by the parts feeder 2 in a position in which its main surface W1 faces up or down (see Figure 7A).

Each workpiece W on the parts feeder 2 is stopped by a stopper 37 provided at the exit 3. Next, the control unit 45 drives and controls the stopper 37, which descends downward and sends the leading workpiece W into the storage pocket 13 at the top position of the index table 10. In this case, the inside of each storage pocket 13 is maintained in a vacuum state as described below, and the leading workpiece W of the works W on the parts feeder 2 is sucked into the storage pocket 13 at the top position and sent there.

When the leading workpiece W passes the position of the stopper 37, a sensor (not shown) detects the position of the leading workpiece W, and the control unit 45 raises the stopper 37 based on a signal from the sensor. In this way, the second workpiece W is stopped by the stopper 37, and only the leading workpiece W is sucked into the storage pocket 13 at the top position.

During this time, the control unit 45 drives the vacuum device 46 connected to the vacuum device main body 21 of the vacuum device 20, and the vacuum hole 25 of the connection body 22 is evacuated. When the vacuum hole 25 is evacuated, the vacuum groove 24 that is connected to the vacuum hole 25 and formed circumferentially on the connection surface 22a of the connection body 22 is also maintained in a vacuum state.

As described above, the rear surface 10c of the index table 10 and the connection surface 22a of the connector 22 are in contact with each other and connected.

Therefore, when the vacuum groove 24 of the circumferentially formed connector 22 is maintained in a vacuum state, the suction groove 19 of the index table 10 that communicates with the vacuum groove 24 is also in a vacuum state.

As a result, the workpiece W stored in the storage pocket 13 is held in close contact with the placement surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 by a pair of suction holes 18a, 18b that communicate with the suction groove 19.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the vacuum groove 24 formed in the connector 22 is formed circumferentially, so that the suction groove 19 of the index table 10 is always connected to the vacuum groove 24 while the index table 10 is rotating. Therefore, while the index table 10 is rotating, the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b of each storage pocket 13 always exerts its suction function, and the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 15 can be reliably sucked and held.

When the workpiece W is sucked into the storage pocket 13 at the top position as described above, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 is held in close contact with the mounting surface 15 by a pair of suction holes 18a, 18b.

The index table 10 is then driven by the control unit 45 to rotate intermittently along the rotation direction R (see FIG. 1) for each arrangement pitch of the storage pockets 13. In this way, the workpieces W are sequentially attracted and stored in the storage pocket 13 that is in the uppermost position.

During this time, as the index table 10 rotates, the work W in the storage pocket 13 changes position sequentially.

Specifically, the workpiece W sent out from the horizontally facing outlet surface of the outlet 3 of the parts feeder 2 is sucked into the storage pocket 13 at the top position and held in close contact with the horizontally facing mounting surface 15. At this time, the workpiece W is oriented so that its main surface W1 faces the top and bottom surfaces (see FIG. 7A).

Then, as the index table 10 rotates, the storage pocket 13 descends, and when the storage pocket 13 comes onto the rotation axis L, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 takes an intermediate position between a position in which the main surface W1 is on the top and bottom surfaces (see FIG. 7A) and a position in which the side surface W2 is on the top and bottom surfaces (see FIG. 7B).

Then, the index table 10 further rotates in the rotation direction R, and when the storage pocket 13 reaches its lowest position, the placement surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 becomes perpendicular to the horizontal direction. At this time, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 assumes a position in which the side surface W2 faces the top and bottom surfaces (see Figure 7B).

During this time, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 is always held in close contact with the mounting surface 15 by the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b.

When the storage pocket 13 reaches its lowest position, the ejection pin 39 located near the bottom end of the index table 10 is lowered downward by the control unit 45, and the work W in the storage pocket 13 at the lowest position is pressed downward by the ejection pin 39.

At this time, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 at the lowest position is pressed by the ejection pin 39, and the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 is ejected downward through an opening surface perpendicular to the pair of wall surfaces 16, 17. During this time, the workpiece W is suction-held by the suction portion 39a provided at the tip of the ejection pin 39. Next, the ejection pin 39 descends further, and the workpiece W adsorbed to the suction portion 39a of the ejection pin 39 is stored sequentially in the pallet 40 arranged below the index table 10.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the workpiece W transported by the parts feeder 2 can be smoothly sucked and stored from the exit surface of the exit 3, which faces horizontally, onto the loading surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the top position, which also faces horizontally. Thereafter, as the index table 10 rotates, the storage pocket 13 can be brought to the bottom position. During this time, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 at the top position is oriented so that its main surface W1 faces the top and bottom surfaces (see FIG. 7A). After that, when the storage pocket 13 reaches the bottom position, the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 is oriented so that its side surface W2 faces the top and bottom surfaces (see FIG. 7B).

In this way, by simply rotating the index table 10 by 180 degrees, the position of the work W in the storage pocket 13 can be easily and reliably changed by 90 degrees.

In addition, to change the position of the workpiece W, for example, a known rotating nozzle is used, and the workpiece is attracted to this rotating nozzle, and the rotating nozzle does not have to be rotated each time, so the work time required to change the position of the workpiece is shortened. In addition, to change the position of the workpiece, for example, there is no need to provide a known reversing chute through which the workpiece passes, so the workpiece does not get clogged in the reversing chute.

As described above, when the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is viewed from the normal direction N of the outer peripheral surface 10a, each storage pocket 13 and mounting surface 15 has a rectangular shape (see FIG. 2). In this case, each storage pocket 13 and mounting surface 15 is formed so as to be elongated in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 10a, and a pair of suction holes 18a, 18b are provided at the end of the mounting surface 15 in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 10a.

Therefore, the elongated workpiece W transported by the parts feeder 2 with its length oriented in the transport direction can be stored in the storage pocket 13 with its length aligned with the length of the placement surface 15. Therefore, the workpiece W transported by the parts feeder 2 in a straight line with its length oriented in the transport direction of the parts feeder 2 can be smoothly stored in the storage pocket 13. In addition, the elongated workpiece W stored in the storage pocket 13 can be reliably adsorbed by a pair of suction holes 18a, 18b provided at the end of the placement surface 15 in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 10a. In this way, the elongated workpiece W stored in the storage pocket 13 is reliably adsorbed by the suction holes 18a, 18b at both ends in the longitudinal direction and stably held.

In addition, the connection surface 22a of the connection body 22 of the vacuum device 20 is provided with a circumferential vacuum groove 24 that communicates with the suction groove 19 provided on the back surface 10c of the index table 10 described above, so that the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b can be constantly maintained in a vacuum state via the suction groove 19 even while the index table 10 is rotating.

Furthermore, the connection surface 22a of the connection body 22 of the vacuum device 20 is constantly pressed against the back surface 10c of the index table 10 by a spring 32. This improves the sealing performance between the back surface 10c of the index table 10 and the connection surface 22a of the connection body 22, and maintains a high level of suction function of the pair of suction holes 18a, 18b provided on the mounting surface 15 of the storage pocket 13.

The rotation axis L of the index table 10 is inclined by 45° (angle θ1) with respect to the horizontal plane P, and the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10 is tapered and inclined by 45° (angle θ2) with respect to the rotation axis L of the index table 10. The mounting surface 15 provided on each storage pocket 13 of the index table 10 is also inclined by 45° (angle θ2) with respect to the rotation axis L of the index table 10.

Therefore, the orientation of the mounting surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the top of the index table 10 can be set to be parallel to the horizontal plane P, and the orientation of the mounting surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the bottom of the index table 10 can be set perpendicular to the horizontal plane P. As a result, the workpiece W takes a position in the storage pocket 13 at the top with the main surface W1 on the top and bottom surfaces, and in the storage pocket 13 at the bottom with the side surface W2 on the top and bottom surfaces. In this way, the orientation of the workpiece W can be easily changed while the index table 10 is rotating.

In this case, multiple storage pockets 13 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table 10, and by storing the workpiece W in these storage pockets 13 and rotating the index table 10, the workpiece W in the uppermost storage pocket 13 can be brought to the lowermost storage pocket 13, changing the position of the workpiece W by 90°.

In addition, by increasing the number of storage pockets 13 provided on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the index table, for example to about 50, the posture of the workpiece W can be changed at higher speeds. In addition, in this embodiment, the height of the pair of walls 16, 17 of the storage pocket 13 is 5 to 10% higher than the height of the workpiece W stored in the storage pocket 13. This makes it possible to prevent the workpiece W from jumping outward from the storage pocket 13 while the index table 10 is rotating, and the posture of the workpiece W can be changed more efficiently and reliably by rotating the index table 10.

Furthermore, the workpieces W on the parts feeder 2 are sent through the outlet 3 into the storage pocket 13 at the top position, starting from the leading workpiece W. In this case, the leading workpiece W on the parts feeder 2 is sucked toward the storage pocket 13 by the vacuum state formed in the storage pocket 13 and sent. Therefore, due to the vacuum state formed in the storage pocket 13, only the leading workpiece W among the workpieces W on the parts feeder 2 can be separated from the other workpieces W and sent into the storage pocket 13 sequentially, and there is no need to provide a special workpiece separation mechanism to separate the leading workpiece W on the parts feeder 2 from the other workpieces W. In this way, there is no need to provide a special workpiece separation mechanism to separate the leading workpiece W on the parts feeder 2 from the other workpieces W, and the structure of the entire workpiece transport device can be simplified.

In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the rotation axis L of the index table 10 is inclined at 45° relative to the horizontal plane P, and the outer peripheral surface 10a and the mounting surface 15 of the index table 10 are inclined at 45° relative to the rotation axis L. However, for example, the rotation axis L of the index table may be inclined at 50° relative to the horizontal plane P, and the outer peripheral surface 10a and the mounting surface 15 of the index table 10 may be inclined at 50° relative to the rotation axis L.

In this case, the placement surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the top position is parallel to the horizontal plane P, and the placement surface 15 of the storage pocket 13 at the bottom position is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical plane, but it is possible to change the position of the workpiece W in the storage pocket 13 while the index table 10 is rotating.

Furthermore, while an example has been shown in which a pallet 40 for storing the workpieces W is placed below the index table 10, an additional parts feeder may be placed instead of the pallet 40.

2 Parts feeder 3 Exit 10 Index table 10A Work transport device 10a Outer circumferential surface 10b Front surface 10c Back surface 12 Protrusion 13 Storage pocket 15 Placement surface 16 Wall surface 17 Wall surfaces 18a, 18b Suction hole 19 Suction groove 20 Vacuum device 21 Vacuum device main body 22 Connection body 22a Connection surface 24 Vacuum groove 25 Vacuum hole 26 Communication passage 31 Opening 32 Spring 33 Stop pin 35 Vacuum line 36 Connector 40 Pallet 45 Control unit 46 Vacuum device W Work L Rotation axis P Horizontal plane θ1 Angle θ2 Angle

Claims (7)

A work conveying device is disposed at an outlet of a part feeder that conveys a plurality of workpieces in a linear manner, receives the workpieces on the part feeder, and rotates the attitude of the workpieces,
a disk-shaped index table having a plurality of storage pockets for storing workpieces on its outer circumferential surface, each storage pocket having a suction hole;
a vacuum device connected to the index table and communicating with the suction holes;
The index table rotates about a rotation axis inclined relative to a horizontal plane, and each storage pocket of the index table has a mounting surface on which the workpiece is placed and which is inclined relative to the rotation axis, and a pair of wall surfaces provided to sandwich the workpiece therebetween;
The placement surface of the storage pocket at the lowermost position faces a direction different by a predetermined angle from the placement surface of the storage pocket at the uppermost position,
When the outer peripheral surface of the index table is viewed from a normal direction, each storage pocket is rectangular, and a pair of wall surfaces of each storage pocket are provided on the upstream side and downstream side in the rotation direction of the index table, and the other two surfaces of each storage pocket are open,
A pair of suction holes is provided at an end of the mounting surface of each storage pocket in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the outer circumferential surface, the pair of suction holes being spaced apart from each other;
When the storage pocket reaches the uppermost position, the pair of suction holes of the storage pocket are aligned in a straight line along the conveying direction of the part feeder which is perpendicular to the rotational direction of the outer peripheral surface, and the leading workpiece conveyed from the part feeder is sucked into the storage pocket formed between the pair of wall surfaces through one opening by a vacuum created by the pair of suction holes . The index table rotates around the rotation axis inclined at 45° with respect to a horizontal plane,
2. A workpiece transport device as described in claim 1, wherein the mounting surface of each storage pocket is inclined at 45 degrees relative to the rotation axis, such that the mounting surface of the storage pocket at the lowest position faces in a direction that is 90 degrees different from the mounting surface of the storage pocket at the highest position. 2. The workpiece transport device according to claim 1, wherein the height of the pair of walls of each storage pocket is 5 to 10% higher than the height of the workpiece. The workpiece transport device according to claim 1, wherein the surface on which the workpiece is placed at the outlet of the parts feeder is on the same plane as the placement surface of the storage pocket at the top position of the index table. 2. The workpiece transport device according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum device has a vacuum device main body and a connecting body attached to the vacuum device main body, the back surface of the index table abuts against the connecting body of the vacuum device, the back surface of the index table is formed with suction grooves communicating with the pair of suction holes of each storage pocket, the suction grooves are formed linearly so as to extend between the pair of suction holes along the radial direction of the index table, and the connecting body of the vacuum device is formed with a circumferentially formed vacuum groove communicating with the suction grooves. The workpiece transport device according to claim 5, wherein the connector has a vacuum hole communicating with the vacuum groove, and the vacuum hole is connected to a vacuum line provided in the vacuum device body. The workpiece transport device according to claim 5, wherein the vacuum device body is provided with a spring that presses the connector against the back surface of the index table.

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