JPH0653338B2 - Carrier - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a carrier device for delivering various works to a machine tool, and more particularly to a conveyor-based carrier device.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, as the structure of the production line has become complicated, it has become necessary to provide a carrier device for delivering the work to each machine tool that can handle the computer management of the work.
In the beginning, an efficient combination of stocker and unmanned trolley could be considered, but they were both large-scale and expensive in price.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

A conveyor device is a simple and inexpensive transfer device, but the conventional conveyor device has a weakness in adaptability to computer management of workpieces. For example, if workpieces of different types are placed side by side on a conveyor regardless of the production schedule and they are out of control, it will take too much time for the setup work to arrange them in order of the production schedule. The production schedule may be confused due to shortages.

The present invention has been proposed in view of such circumstances,
Although it is a simple and inexpensive conveyor device,
An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that can handle computer management of work.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, means taken to solve the above-mentioned problems are a main conveyor arranged along a plurality of NC machine tools, a plurality of storage conveyors for storing various works, and a storage conveyor. A parallel return conveyor, a main conveyor, which is connected to one end of the main conveyor storage conveyor and one end of the return conveyor, and which transfers the work from the storage conveyor to the main conveyor or the return conveyor, and the main conveyor. A transfer device that is connected to the other end of the storage conveyor and the return conveyor and that includes a second transfer conveyor that transfers the work from the main conveyor to the storage conveyor or the return conveyor, A schedule memory that stores work types in order and an outlet to an inlet for each storage conveyor The shift memory for storing the work types in order and the work located on the exit side of the desired work circulates through the first transfer conveyor, the return conveyor, and the second transfer conveyor, and the desired work exits the storage conveyor. And a conveyor control means for issuing a conveyance command to the main conveyor.

[Action]

In the present invention, the desired work position on the storage conveyor is detected from the schedule memory that stores the work types in the order of the schedule and the shift memory that stores the work types for each storage conveyor, and the desired work is sent to the machine tool. By configuring the main transport path for delivering the work and the bypass transport path via the return conveyor, and counting the position of the desired work, the work located on the outlet side of the desired work is transferred to the bypass side, and the desired work Controls the transfer to the main side.

〔Example〕

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a control unit of a carrying device embodying the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a conveyor structure of the carrying device. First, the conveyor configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 2. A main conveyor 11 arranged along three NC machine tools (MC1 to MC3) and four storage conveyors 1 for storing various works.
2, a return conveyor 13 parallel to the storage conveyor, the main conveyor 11, a storage conveyor 12
And a first transfer conveyor 14 connected to one end of the return conveyor 13 and a second transfer conveyor 15 connected to the other end of the main conveyor 11, the storage conveyor 12 and the return conveyor 13. It consists of and.

The control unit of the transfer device that controls this conveyor configuration is the first
As shown in the figure, the main bus of the CPU 1 has a schedule memory 2 as a storage means for storing work types in a schedule order, and a shift for storing work types in order from an exit to an entrance for each of the storage conveyors 12. The memory 3 and a conveyor selection circuit 4 for selecting a storage conveyor on which a desired work is placed, as conveyor control means.
And a conveyor drive circuit 5 for driving the selected storage conveyor, and a coincidence detection circuit 6 for counting the number of workpieces carried out.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation procedure of the above apparatus. Hereinafter, the first step will be performed while following the flow of FIG.
The apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described in more detail.

When the flow is started, it is first confirmed whether or not the pallet can be conveyed, and then the work is executed from N = 1 in order of the schedule number. The schedule memory 2 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a schedule retrieval means 2a for retrieving the work type of the next applicable schedule and setting an already-executed flag to the already-executed schedule. For example, the first
In the figure, the executed flag is set at N = 1 and N = 2, indicating that the schedule has already been executed.
Since it is the second, the corresponding work type W3 is searched and output.

The shift memory 3 is one of the storage conveyors 12 (CV
, CV4), the type of the placed work is stored according to the location number (LNO.) In order from the exit to the entrance, and when the type W3 of the relevant work is input from the schedule retrieval means 2a, the corresponding The work detection means 3a
As shown in the flow of FIG. 3, first, the search is started from the location L = 1 corresponding to the leftmost exit in the figure, and each storage conveyor (CV1, ... CV4) is searched to find the corresponding type. If no work is found, the next location L = L
Go to +1. In the example of FIG. 1, when L = 1 and L = 2, the work type W3 corresponding to any of the conveyors CV1 to CV4 cannot be found, and the third location L = 3 is searched to search the third column. The work type W3 is discovered for the first time on the conveyor CV3. The corresponding work detection means 3a is L
= 3 and the conveyor number CV3 are output to the main bus and are also sent to the memory shift means 3b to shift the work types of the conveyor CV3 in the shift memory 3 one by one.

Of these data, the conveyor number CV3 is input to the conveyor selection circuit 4 on the conveyor control means side, and the location number L3 is input to the coincidence detection circuit 6 on the conveyor control means side. The conveyor selection circuit 4 has the conveyor number C
Select the storage conveyor CV3 in the third row according to V3,
The conveyor drive circuit 5 drives the selected storage conveyor CV3 to the outlet side via the input / output port 5a.

As shown in FIG. 2, pallet detecting means 12a is provided at the exit of each storage conveyor 12, and counts the carry-out number K every time one pallet is carried out. As shown in the flow chart of FIG. 3, the coincidence detection circuit 6 counts up the number K of times it is carried out, compares it with the location number L, and outputs L ≠ through the input / output port 6a.
During L, the first transfer conveyor 14 is reversed, the pallet is conveyed to the return conveyor 13, and when K = L is reached, that is, the work is the corresponding type W3, a match signal is issued and the first The transfer conveyor 14 is normally rotated and the pallet is conveyed to the main conveyor 11. The palette is
Further, after being confirmed by the pallet identification means or the like, they are unloaded on the required machine tool according to the schedule.

On the other hand, the coincidence signal is also input to the conveyor drive circuit 5, a signal of K ≠ L becomes an ON signal of the conveyor drive circuit 5, and when K = L is reached, the circuit 5 is switched to the off side and the storage conveyor is operated. The drive of 12 is stopped.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control unit of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing the conveyor structure thereof. In both of these figures, a control unit configuration including a CPU 1, a schedule memory 2, a shift memory 3, a conveyor selection circuit 4, a conveyor drive circuit 5 and a coincidence detection circuit 6, a main conveyor 11, a storage conveyor 12, and a return conveyor 13 are shown. The conveyor structure including the transfer conveyors 14 and 15 is almost the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but in FIG. , Pallet numbers are registered, and in this embodiment, a pallet memory 7 is additionally provided as a storage means, and the correspondence between each pallet number (PL1 to PLm) and work type is registered. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the required work is retrieved from the schedule memory 2 as W3 in the third machining, the corresponding work detection means 3a first refers to the pallet memory 7 to find the work W3.
The first pallet number PL4 on which is placed is found, the number PL4 is searched in the shift memory 3, and the location number L4 and the conveyor number CV2 are found.

On the other hand, in the conveyor configuration shown in FIG. 5, pallet identification means 12b (S1 to S4) are provided at the outlets of the storage conveyors 12 (CV1 to CV4) to identify the number of the pallet to be carried out. . The identified pallet number is input from the pallet identifying means 12b to the coincidence detection circuit 6 as shown in FIG. 4. In the coincidence detection circuit 6, not only the location number L4 coincides but also the pallet number PL4.
Is obtained and a coincidence signal is issued, the operation becomes more reliable.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the work located on the outlet side of the desired work is circulated from the first transfer conveyor 14 through the return conveyor 13 and the second transfer conveyor 15 to the storage conveyor 12 again. When returning, the desired work appears at the exit of the storage conveyor 12, the main conveyor 11
To issue a transfer command to, and smoothly transfer the work according to the schedule.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transporting device that is a simple and inexpensive conveyor-based transporting device and that is compatible with computer management of workpieces.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a control unit of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a conveyor configuration of the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an operation procedure of the embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of the conveyor structure of the control section of another embodiment. 1; CPU, 2; Schedule memory, 3; Shift memory, 4; Conveyor selection circuit (conveyor control means), 5; Conveyor drive circuit (conveyor control means), 6; Match detection circuit (conveyor control means), 11; Main conveyor , 12; storage conveyor, 13; return conveyor, 14; first transfer conveyor, 15; second transfer conveyor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A main conveyor arranged along a plurality of NC machine tools, a plurality of storage conveyors for storing various works, a return conveyor parallel to the storage conveyor, a main conveyor, and a storage conveyor. And a first transfer conveyor which is connected to one end of the return conveyor and transfers the work from the storage conveyor to the main conveyor or the return conveyor, and the other end of the main conveyor, the storage conveyor and the return conveyor. Connect to the
A transport device including a second transfer conveyor for transferring a work from a main conveyor to a storage conveyor or a return conveyor, and a schedule memory for storing work types in a schedule order, and a storage conveyor
A shift memory that stores the work type in order from the exit to the entrance for each book, and the work located on the exit side of the desired work includes a first transfer conveyor, a return conveyor, and a second conveyor.
And a conveyor control means that issues a transfer instruction to the main conveyor when the desired work appears at the outlet of the storage conveyor.