Pick-up arm of conveying device

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the size and weight of a pick-up arm accompanying actions such as expansion and contraction in a transport device, and to improve the stability in form. A pick-up arm (11) is provided on a moving body (21) in a transport device that picks up a component obtained by cutting a sheet and transports the component to a next step, the pick-up arm (11) having a telescopic arm section (51) with a changeable length and a suction hand section (52) on the lower surface of the tip thereof. Furthermore, a telescopic arm section (51) is configured from a plurality of vertically stacked links (56) and a telescopic motor (59) which is connected to the uppermost base link (56a) among the links and which stretches and retracts, and the base link (56a) is fixed to the upper end of a lifting member (53) which can be lifted and lowered on the moving body (21). A base portion of a telescopic tube (76) is fixed to the lifting member (53) at a position lower than the base end link (56a), the telescopic tube (76) comprising a telescopic cylinder and constituting a part of an air suction path (18) extending from the pump to the suction hand part (52), and the telescopic tube (76) holds the lowermost front end link (56b) of the telescopic arm part (51).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying parts obtained by cutting a sheet material to a next process. Background Art

[0002] If the work of picking up parts such as sewn products cut by a cutting device and transferring them to the next process is not performed accurately and reliably, it will cause obstacles to subsequent operations, resulting in the occurrence of defective products, operation delays, etc. Therefore, the applicant has proposed a conveying device disclosed in the following patent document 1, which can reliably pick up parts of various shapes and efficiently transfer them.

[0003] The conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is constructed with a pickup arm mounted on a movable body that reciprocates between a conveying source and a conveying destination. The pickup arm comprises a telescopic arm portion that can be adjusted in length, and a suction hand attached to the distal end of the telescopic arm and connected to a negative pressure source that generates a suction force. At the conveying source, the telescopic arm portion is extended to a predetermined position, and the suction hand is used to suction and hold the desired part. The movable body is then moved to the conveying destination, and after adjusting the length of the telescopic arm as needed, the part is released from the suction hand.

[0004] The telescopic arm of the pickup arm has a so-called multi-stage sliding structure, with multiple movable arms stacked one above the other. A motor, which serves as the driving source for its extension and retraction, is connected to the lowest movable arm. Specifically, when the motor is driven, all movable arms located above the lowest movable arm slide in unison via a transmission mechanism within the movable arm, causing the telescopic arm to extend and retract.

[0005] The telescopic arm is fixed to the moving body in a fixed vertical position, with the vertical movement required for picking up parts being handled by the suction hand at the front end. Specifically, the uppermost movable arm of the telescopic arm is maintained at a predetermined height, allowing for picking up and releasing parts without coming too close to the upper surface of the worktable where the parts are placed. The suction hand is located at the lower end of a vertically extending lift tube. Therefore, the suction hand-side portion of the air suction path connecting the suction hand to the negative pressure source is composed of a flexible tube, one end of which is connected to the upper end of the lift tube with its end facing downward.

[0006] Like this, pick-up arm needs to be arranged at relatively high position, and lifting pipe and pipe extend upwards than this position.Therefore, the part of the conveyor where there is pick-up arm has to be large and high.

[0007] Furthermore, because the vertically extending lifting tube and pipe are located at the front end of the horizontally extending telescopic arm, the pick-up arm lacks structural stability and compactness. Therefore, to achieve stable operation of the pick-up arm, the strength of the telescopic arm and the suction hand must be ensured. However, increasing the thickness of the components to ensure rigidity also increases weight. This is disadvantageous in conveyor systems that require high precision and smooth operation.

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-91709 Summary of the Invention

[0011] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0012] A main object of the present invention is to reduce the size and weight of a pickup arm of a conveyor device and to improve its morphological stability.

[0013] Means for solving problems

[0014] To this end, the present invention provides the following pickup arm.

[0015] A pickup arm is mounted on a movable body within a conveyor system that picks up parts obtained by cutting sheet material and transports them to the next process. The pickup arm comprises a telescopic arm portion that can change its length and a suction hand disposed at the distal end of the telescopic arm portion and connected to a negative pressure source that generates suction. The telescopic arm portion comprises a plurality of overlapping links, and an actuator that is connected to the base end link of the uppermost link to cause the other links to extend and retract in the longitudinal direction. The base end link is fixed to the upper end of a lifting member that is arranged on the movable body in a manner that allows it to be raised and lowered. Furthermore, a base portion of a telescopic tube is fixed to the lifting member below the base end link. The telescopic tube comprises a telescopic cylinder and forms part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source. The distal end of the telescopic tube retains the distal end link of the lowermost link of the telescopic arm portion.

[0016] In this structure, the telescopic arm is linked from top to bottom, from the uppermost base link to the lowermost tip link. Unlike structures where the links are linked from bottom to top, this eliminates the need for support from below while telescoping, reducing the load required. Furthermore, the telescopic tube, fixed to the lifting unit like the telescopic arm, holds the tip link, reducing the support burden on the telescopic arm while providing stable support. The lifting unit moves the telescopic arm and the telescopic tube together, eliminating the need for a lifting function on the suction hand.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, the telescopic arm is structured so that the upper link and the lower link are linked. This telescopic arm is located on the lifting component, eliminating the need to place the telescopic arm at a high position. Furthermore, there is no need to install a lifting mechanism on the suction hand at the front end of the telescopic arm. This allows for miniaturization of the portion of the conveyor system where the pickup arm resides, and also reduces its height.

[0019] Furthermore, the telescopic arm is constructed by suspending other links from a base link fixed to the lifting unit, reducing the load required, thereby achieving a smaller and lighter pickup arm. The fact that the lifting unit has a telescopic arm and can move up and down without requiring a hand-holding lifting function also contributes to smaller and lighter units.

[0020] Furthermore, since the front end link of the telescopic arm is fixed to the front end of the telescopic tube of the lifting unit along with the telescopic arm, it not only achieves a compact and lightweight design but also improves its stability. Furthermore, the telescopic tube is provided as an air suction path, and by utilizing this, no additional components are required, allowing the pickup arm to be compact and concentrated.

[0021] As a result, more accurate and smooth movement of the pickup arm can be achieved.

[0022] Furthermore, the existing telescopic arm is a structure in which the movable arm above the lowermost movable arm is slid based on the lowermost movable arm, so it is difficult to change the level and thus the stroke. That is, since the suction hand at the front end needs to be raised and lowered, if the movable arm is increased or decreased relative to the suction hand designed once, the height of the movable arm at the uppermost section changes. Therefore, if the lifting stroke of the suction hand also needs to be changed, it is necessary to make drastic changes such as changing the lifting tube. In this regard, according to the present invention, since the structure is such that picking is performed by raising and lowering the telescopic arm, the influence of the change in the height of the telescopic arm itself (i.e., the change in the number of connecting rods used) on the picking action can be eliminated. Therefore, in the case of changing the stroke by increasing or decreasing the number of connecting rods as needed, the burden can be reduced and it can be performed easily. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a partial sectional side view of the main parts.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic top view of the conveyor.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a front view of the aligned movable bodies as viewed from the front end side of the pickups.

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic side view showing the movement of the telescopic arm and the suction hand.

[0027] Figure 5 It is a partially sectional side view showing a support portion holding the telescopic tube and its support structure.

[0028] Figure 6 It is a top view showing the action of adsorbing the hand. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described using the drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a side view showing the main part of the invention, the pickup arm 11 is mounted on Figure 2 The conveyor 12 picks up a plurality of parts 13 arranged on the same plane obtained by cutting the sheet and conveys them to the next process.

[0031] exist Figure 2 In the figure, parts 13 are depicted as being transported in a straight line from left to right. The front stage 14 on the left side of the figure is where the parts 13 after cutting are placed. This can be a section where parts 13 cut by a cutting device (not shown) are moved without disrupting their arrangement using a conveyor, or it can be a cutting table where cutting is performed. The section with the front stage 14 is referred to as the front-end process section 15. The cutting device cuts the sheet material according to the input graphic data.

[0032] The rear stage 16 on the right side of the drawing is a portion that stacks and places the picked-up parts 13 in a prescribed order. This is a portion that aligns the required parts 13 in the first stage of the joining process in which the picked-up parts 13 are joined together. The portion having the rear stage 16 is referred to as the collection process section 17, which is the next process. In the collection process section 17, in addition to stacking the parts 13 in an orderly manner on the rear stage 16, the parts 13 can also be stored in appropriate boxes. In addition, the parts 13 can be arranged in a prescribed positional relationship with each other. The layout can also be arranged so that the parts 13 are joined in the next process.

[0033] Specifically, the conveyor 12 shown in the figure is suitable for manufacturing various sewn products such as automobile seat covers, air bags, clothes, shoes, bags, etc. The required parts 13 are picked up in order without human error from the parts 13 obtained by cutting and conveyed to the next process.

[0034] The conveyor device 12 includes a movable body 21 that moves between the front stage and the back stage, that is, between the front process unit 15 and the collecting process unit 17 . The pickup arm 11 is mounted on the movable body 21 .

[0035] Multiple movable bodies 21 are provided on both sides of a linear conveyor line connecting the front process section 15 and the assembly process section 17, specifically two on each side. Specifically, rail sections 22 are provided on both sides perpendicular to the conveyor line, and movable bodies 21 are arranged on each rail section 22. The length of the rail section 22 is formed to be longer than the length connecting the front stage loading platform 14 and the rear stage loading platform 16. A standby section 23 is provided on the rail section 22, closer to the front stage loading platform 14. The standby section 23 is a portion where the movable bodies 21 wait before operation. Two circular moving belts 24 and 25 are stretched across the rail section 22, each connected to a forward and reverse rotating moving motor 26. The two belts 24 and 25 are provided corresponding to the movable bodies 21, and are arranged at regular intervals on the inner side near the front stage loading platform 14 and the rear stage loading platform 16, and on the outer side away from them. The moving motor 26 is composed of a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like.

[0036] The moving body 21 is formed by the lower surface plate 27 (see Figure 3 ), an upper surface plate 28, pillars 29, and a rectangular holding frame 31. The lower surface plate 27 is supported on the rail portion 22 in a movable manner, the upper surface plate 28 is held separately above the lower surface plate 27, the pillars 29 connect the lower surface plate 27 and the upper surface plate 28, and the holding frame 31 is vertically arranged below the lower surface plate 27. Moreover, the upper surface of the lower surface plate 27 is fixed to the upper part of the belts 24 and 25 provided in the rail portion 22. In each rail portion 22, the two moving bodies 21 are configured to reciprocate independently along the transmission line. The holding frame 31 is equipped with a pump 32 as a negative pressure source.

[0037] Figure 3 The moving body 21 located in the standby portion 23 is viewed from the rail portion 22 toward the outside (upper side of the drawing). Figure 2 The front view of the state of two moving bodies 21 shown in the upper middle side (the state viewed from the front end side of the pickup arm). As shown in this figure, one moving body 21 is connected to one belt 24, 25. Figure 3 In the example shown in FIG, the inner belt 24 is coupled to the left movable body 21, and the outer belt 25 is coupled to the right movable body 21. The outer belt 25 slides on the lower surface plate 27 relative to the left movable body 21, and similarly, the inner belt 24 slides on the lower surface plate 27 relative to the right movable body 21.

[0038] Each pick-up arm 11, one of which is mounted on each movable body 21, includes a telescopic arm portion 51 capable of varying its length, and a suction hand 52 disposed at the distal end of the telescopic arm portion 51 and connected to the aforementioned pump 32 for generating suction force. The pick-up arm 11 can be raised and lowered on the movable body 21. The pick-up arm 11 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the telescopic arm portion 51, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor line, with its distal end facing inwardly where the front-stage loading platform 14 and the like are located.

[0039] That is, the pickup arm 11 is fixed to the lifting member 53 which is arranged on the moving body 21 in a manner that allows it to be lifted. Figure 1 、 Figure 3 As shown, a support portion 54 is erected on the upper surface plate 28 of the movable body 21, and a lifting component 53 is supported on the inner side of the support portion 54 in a manner that allows it to move up and down. The support portion 54 has a pair of left and right columns 54a and a connecting portion 54b connecting the upper ends of the columns 54a. The lifting component 53 is formed to be shorter than the length of the columns 54a so as to be accommodated between the columns 54a. The shape of the lifting component 53 is rectangular when viewed from the front, and is in the shape of a box that passes through in the front-to-back direction (the direction in which the telescopic arm portion 51 is extended and retracted). One side thereof is supported by a lifting mechanism 55 provided by a column 54a. The lifting mechanism 55 is composed of a linear servo motor. In the accompanying drawings, 57 is a guide rail and 58 is a slider. Moreover, the base end of the pickup arm 11 is fixed to the upper end of such a lifting component 53 (see Figure 1 ).

[0040] The telescopic arm 51 is designed to extend and retract horizontally via multiple overlapping links 56, minimizing space requirements and achieving a long travel distance when retracted. The links 56 are shaped like a rectangular box, with the top link serving as the base link 56a and the bottom link serving as the front link 56b. Furthermore, a telescopic motor 59, acting as an actuator that moves all the other links 56 longitudinally, is connected to the base link 56a. The front link 56b has a suction hand 52.

[0041] like Figure 1 、 Figure 3 As shown, the telescopic arm portion 51 shown in the figure has three connecting rods 56 in addition to the base end connecting rod 56a and the front end connecting rod 56b, for a total of five connecting rods 56. The other connecting rods 56, except for the front end connecting rod 56b, are formed into a hollow box shape that is longer in the longitudinal direction. In order to form a transmission mechanism for transmitting the input from the telescopic motor 59, the other connecting rods 56 have a pair of pulleys 60 and a belt 61 that is hung around the pair of pulleys 60 and extends in the longitudinal direction. The telescopic motor 59 is connected to the pulley 60 located on the base end side of the base end connecting rod 56a via the belt 59a. The telescopic motor 59 is composed of a servo motor, a stepping motor, etc., and is fixed to the upper surface of the lifting component 53, that is, the upper end plate 53a.

[0042] Regarding the thickness (height) and width of the other links 56 except the front end link 56b, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 、 Figure 3 As shown in FIG, not all are formed in the same manner, but the link 56 located on the lower side is formed to be thinner and narrower than the link on the upper side. Figure 3 In the case of a 56g cable, it is a flexible cable cover that confines and protects the wiring.

[0043] A joint that connects the links 56 to each other is installed on the belt 61 built into the link 56. There are two types of joints, one of which is a plate-shaped first joint 62 that slides on the lower surface of the link 56. The first joint 62 is fixed to the upper surface of the link 56 located below. The other joint is a second joint 63 fixed to the belt 61 of the link 56 located below, and moves with the relative movement of the link 56 via the first joint 62. The second joint 63 is provided on the front end side of the lower surface of the other links 56 except the front end link 56b and the link 56 above it. The aforementioned first joint 62 is provided at Figure 1 In the retracted state shown, the portion is located on the base end side with respect to the lower link 56 .

[0044] The front connecting rod 56b is shaped like a hollow box, with its front end 56e being taller than the other connecting rods 56. The rearward base end 56f is shaped like a square tube with an opening on the lower side. The front end 56e of the front connecting rod 56b is formed higher because it includes a rotating mechanism 65 that rotates the attached suction hand 52. The rotating mechanism 65 rotates the suction hand 52 horizontally 360 degrees and includes a motor 66, a belt 67 rotated by the motor 66, and a cylindrical body 68 that is supported by the belt 67 and rotates horizontally. The motor 66 and cylindrical body 68 are supported by support plates 69 and 71, respectively, that are fixed horizontally within the front end 56e. There is a space between these support plates 69 and 71. The interior of the cylindrical body 68 is an air duct, and its lower end is connected to the upper surface of one end of the suction hand 52. The suction hand 52 is shaped like a rectangular box.

[0045] A cylindrical suction port 72 is provided at the other end of the lower surface of the suction hand 52, and an opening and closing gate 73 for opening and closing the suction port 72 is provided at the upper end opening of the suction port 72 in the suction hand 52. The opening and closing gate 73 is driven, for example, by an opening and closing gate actuator 74 composed of a solenoid. The suction port 72 is formed to a size suitable for the suction part 13, and one is provided. Necessary components such as a rubber suction pad 75 are provided at the front end of the suction port 72. The suction port 72 may be not one but two or more. The shape, size, configuration, etc. of the suction port 72 are determined according to the part 13.

[0046] The horizontal length of such an adsorption hand 52 is preferably formed longer. This is because the adsorption range can be expanded by cooperating with the telescopic arm 51. In the example shown in the figure, it is formed to be the same length as the front end portion 56e of the front end link 56b (see Figure 1 、 Figure 4 ).

[0047] The front end connecting rod 56b and the suction hand 52 are made airtight. Specifically, a sealing material is used as needed to cover their outer surfaces and seal them, and the gap at their connection is also sealed. This allows the interior of the front end connecting rod 56b and the suction hand 52 to become part of the air suction path connected to the negative pressure source. Figure 1 The double-dashed chain line drawn in bold in FIG. 1 represents the air suction path 18 .

[0048] The base of the telescopic tube 76 composed of a telescopic cylinder is fixed to the lower part of the lifting member 53 below the base end link 56a. Figure 1 As shown, a support portion 77 formed into a hollow cubic shape is provided above the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53, and the base of the telescopic tube 76 is fixed to the side of the support portion 77. Figure 5 As shown, the support portion 77 has a cylindrical portion 77a at the center of the lower surface. The cylindrical portion 77a passes through the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53 and extends downward to an appropriate length to form a part of the air suction path 18. The support portion 77 is supported at a predetermined height shorter than the length of the cylindrical portion 77a. The height of the support portion 77, that is, the height of the fixed telescopic tube 76, is the same as the height of the front end connecting rod 56b. In addition, the cylindrical portion 77a and the lower end plate 53b are also provided with airtightness. Figure 5 In the figure, 77b is a cover member, and 77c and 77d are sealing materials.

[0049] The telescopic tube 76 forms part of the air suction path 18 connected to the negative pressure source. It is designed to be airtight and expands and contracts as the telescopic arm 51 expands and contracts. The telescopic tube 76 is rigid. Its distal end is connected to the wall surface at the base end of the distal end 56e of the distal link 56b. The interior of the telescopic tube 76 is in airtight communication with the interior of the distal end 56e of the distal link 56b. In other words, the telescopic tube 76 holds the distal link 56b in place and forms part of the air suction path 18 from the support portion 77 to the suction hand 52.

[0050] The support portion 77 holding the telescopic tube 76 is supported by a support structure 78 that can change its height. The support structure 78 is composed of a cylindrical portion 77a on the lower surface of the support portion 77 and support legs 79 arranged around the cylindrical portion 77a. The support legs 79 maintain a predetermined distance between the support portion 77 and the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53. Figure 5 As shown, the support legs 79 can be constructed using bolts 79a extending from the support portion 77 and screwed into the lower end plate 53b, and spacers 79b inserted into the bolts 79a. Since the cylindrical portion 77a of the support portion 77 is retained by the lower end plate 53b, the support legs 79 do not need to have an excessively high load resistance, can be constructed with a relatively small diameter, and can also be reduced in number.

[0051] In addition to the support legs 79, a receiving portion 81 is provided for receiving the base end portion (root portion) of the held telescopic tube 76. The receiving portion 81 is provided on the upper surface of the front end side of the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53 in the front-to-back direction. The receiving portion 81 is composed of a receiving fitting 82 fixed to the lower end plate 53b and a block-shaped receiving member 83 detachably mounted on the receiving fitting 82. Similar to the case where the height of the support portion 77 can be changed by replacing the bolts 79a and spacers 79b that constitute the support legs 79 with components of different lengths, the height of the supporting telescopic tube 76 can be adjusted by replacing the receiving member 83 with a component of different height. To enable such flexible adjustment, the telescopic tube 76 can be formed of a component with a long stroke.

[0052] A portion of the air suction path 18 connected to the pump 32 is formed between the lifting component 53 having the support portion 77 and the upper surface of the mobile body 21. Since the lifting component 53 moves up and down relative to the mobile body 21, the portion between them in the air suction path 18 needs to be formed to be able to expand and contract. Therefore, a bellows 85 that extends in the up and down direction and is able to expand and contract is provided between the lifting component 53 and the upper surface of the mobile body 21. By giving airtightness to the bellows 85 and its connecting portion, the interior of the bellows 85 becomes a part of the air suction path 18. Figure 5 As shown, the bellows 85 is made of a flexible and elastic material such as rubber and has flanges 85a at both ends. The flanges 85a are fixed to the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53 and the upper surface plate 28 of the moving body 21 by clamping, thereby achieving airtightness.

[0053] In addition, a support portion 54 for holding the lifting member 53 so as to be movable up and down is formed at the rear end portion of the moving body 21 in the front-to-back direction, and a holding frame 31 equipped with a pump 32 is provided in the middle of the moving body 21 in the front-to-back direction. Figure 1 As shown, a ventilation path 86 is formed on the upper surface plate 28 of the movable body 21 to change the air suction path 18 in the front-to-back direction. The ventilation path 86 has a thin, flat shape with a flat upper surface and is rigid. The upper surface plate 28 and the pump 32 are connected by a hose 87.

[0054] In the conveyor 12 configured as described above, a control unit (not shown) uses computational calculations to determine which part of the part 13 to pick up and which pickup arm 11 of the mobile body 21 to use, based on the pattern data from the cutting device and the identification information of the part 13. The conveyor operation of the mobile body 21 then begins. The conveyor operation is generally as follows.

[0055] First, the lifting mechanism 55 is driven to raise the lifting components 3 of all the movable bodies 21 to a predetermined position. Next, one or more movable bodies 21 with the selected pickup arms 11 among the movable bodies 21 located in the standby section 23 are driven by the movement motor 26 to move to a position corresponding to a specific part 13 on the front stage 14. After the movable body 21 stops, the telescopic motor 59 and the motor 66 of the rotation mechanism 65 are driven to move the suction hand 52 to above the part 13 to be picked up or its suction location, and then stop.

[0056] In addition, in the initial state before the transfer operation begins, the suction hand 52 of the pickup arm 11 can be as follows: Figure 5 As shown by the imaginary line, the suction port 72 is directed rearward in the front-rear direction and overlaps with the lower portion of the front end link 56b. This is because the length of the pickup arm 11 before extension can be shortened as much as possible.

[0057] Next, the lifting member 53 is lowered to a predetermined position by driving the lifting mechanism 55, and the suction force of the previously activated pump 32 causes the suction hand 52 of the pickup arm 11 to suction the component 13. During suction, the shutter 73 built into the suction hand 52 is opened.

[0058] The sucked component 13 is pulled up, and the lifting member 53 is raised by the lifting mechanism 55, so that the pickup arm 11 is also raised.

[0059] Afterwards, the telescopic arm portion 51 of the pickup arm 11 is extended and retracted as needed, and the moving motor 26 is driven to move the movable body 21 toward a predetermined position on the rear stage 16. After the movable body 21 stops, the lifting mechanism 55 is driven to lower the lifting member 53 and the pickup arm 11, closing the shutter 73 built into the suction hand 52 and releasing the part 13.

[0060] By repeating such a general operation to transfer the component 13, the pickup arm 11 can be constructed to be small and lightweight, and has high morphological stability, so that the desired operation can be performed accurately and smoothly.

[0061] Specifically, the telescopic arm portion 51 of the pickup arm 11 is structured so that it is linked from top to bottom, from the base link 56a at the top to the front link 56b at the bottom. This reduces the load required compared to a structure where the link is supported from below while being extended. Consequently, the link can be made relatively small, thin, and lightweight. Furthermore, the link can be made longer in the longitudinal direction than in the vertical direction, thereby increasing the stroke.

[0062] Furthermore, since the pick-up arm 11 is mounted on the lifting member 53 and performs the necessary up and down motions each time it picks up and releases an object, it is no longer necessary to constantly hang the telescopic arm portion 51 of the pick-up arm 11 at a high position. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a mechanism for raising and lowering the suction hand 52 at the front end of the telescopic arm portion 51, the portion of the conveyor 12 where the pick-up arm 11 is located can be made smaller, lighter, and lowered in height, resulting in a more stable configuration.

[0063] Furthermore, a telescopic tube 76 is fixed to the lifting member 53 , and the distal end of the telescopic tube 76 holds the distal end link 56 b of the telescopic arm 51 , thereby stabilizing the postures of the telescopic arm 51 and the suction hand 52 during the movement.

[0064] By achieving such reduction in size and weight, stabilization of the shape, and the like, the movable body 21 and the telescopic arm 51 can be moved more accurately and smoothly.

[0065] The telescopic tube 76 that provides shape stability is used in conjunction with the telescopic tube for the air suction path 18 and does not need to be provided on a separate component. This also contributes to size reduction and weight reduction, and enables the pickup arm 11 to be compact.

[0066] Similarly, by making the front end portion 56 e of the front link 56 b and the interior of the suction hand 52 a part of the air suction path 18 , the pickup arm 11 can be further made compact.

[0067] like Figure 6 As shown, the long suction hand 52 is configured to rotate 360 degrees in the horizontal direction. Therefore, in the initial state, it can be stored under the front link 56b, which also achieves compactness. In addition, by controlling the extension and retraction of the telescopic arm 51 (see arrow y) and the movement of the movable body 21 (see arrow x), it is possible to suction the parts 13 over a wider range.

[0068] The conveying action is configured to be performed after the lifting component 53 rises, but since a bellows 85 is arranged below the lifting component 53, even if the lifting mechanism 55 stops and the lifting component 53 falls, the bellows 85 acts as a buffer, so it is safe.

[0069] Furthermore, in addition to the structure that picks up parts 13 by raising and lowering the pickup arm 11 (telescopic arm 51), a support structure 78 is provided to adjust the height of the support portion 77 that supports the telescopic tube 76. Therefore, even if the height of the telescopic arm 51 itself is changed, that is, the number of connecting rods 56 used is changed, the picking operation is not directly affected. As a result, by using the support structure 78 to change the height of the support portion 77, the number of connecting rods 56 can be increased or decreased to change the stroke without a significant burden.

[0070] The above-described configuration is one embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and other configurations can be employed.

[0071] For example, instead of providing the support structure 78 on the support portion 77 that holds the telescopic tube 76 , the vertical length of the lifting member 53 may be changed to correspond to the increase or decrease of the link 56 .

[0072] Description of labels

[0073] 11: Pickup arm; 12: Conveying device; 13: Parts; 18: Air suction path; 21: Moving body; 32: Pump; 51: Telescopic arm; 52: Adsorption hand; 53: Lifting component; 56: Connecting rod; 56a: Base end connecting rod; 56b: Front end connecting rod; 59: Telescopic motor; 65: Rotating mechanism; 76: Telescopic tube; 78: Support structure; 85: Bellows.

Claims

1. A pick-up arm of a conveyor device, which is provided on a movable body in the conveyor device, wherein the conveyor device picks up parts obtained by cutting a sheet and conveys them to the next process, the pick-up arm comprising a telescopic arm portion capable of changing its length and a suction hand portion provided at the front end of the telescopic arm portion and connected to a negative pressure source generating an attraction force, wherein: The telescopic arm has a plurality of links stacked up and down and an actuator for telescoping that is connected to the base end link of the uppermost link to move the other links in the longitudinal direction. The base end link is fixed to the upper end of a lifting member, and the lifting member is arranged on the moving body in a manner that can be raised and lowered. A base portion of a telescopic tube is fixed to the lifting member at a position below the base end link. The telescopic tube is composed of a telescopic cylinder and constitutes a part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source. A front end link of the lowest stage among the links of the telescopic arm is held at a front end portion of the telescopic tube.

2. The pick-up arm of the conveyor according to claim 1, wherein: The front end link and the suction hand from the telescopic tube to the front are given airtightness. The front end link and the interior of the adsorption hand form a part of the air suction path connected to the negative pressure source.

3. The pick-up arm of the conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A bellows extending in the vertical direction and capable of expansion and contraction is provided between the lifting member and the upper surface of the moving body. The bellows and its connecting parts are made airtight, The interior of the bellows forms a part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source.

4. The pick-up arm of the conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A rotating mechanism for rotating the adsorption hand 360 degrees horizontally is provided in the front end connecting rod.

5. The pick-up arm of the conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A support structure capable of changing height is provided on a support portion that holds the telescopic tube.

6. A conveying device, wherein: The conveying device has the pickup arm according to claim 1 or 2.

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