Frame unit and linear transport system

Abstract

To provide a frame unit which enables base plates of frame modules to be connected with each other and form a smooth, continuous attachment surface easily when the frame modules are connected to form a production line.SOLUTION: Each frame module 2 includes: a frame body; a base plate 22 serving as an attachment surface of a machine device; floating members 23 which are provided between the base plate and a top plate 21a of the frame body and may change a height and an inclination of the base plate relative to the top plate freely; a connection guide member 24 provided at a side edge of the base plate; and a receiving member 25 provided at a side edge, which is opposite to the connection guide member, of the base plate. The connection guide member of one of the frame modules located adjacent to each other and the receiving member of the other frame module are fitted to form one attachment surface in which the base plates of these frame modules are connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stand unit and a linear transport system that can configure any production line by combining a plurality of stands, on which various industrial robots and machine tools are arranged. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the trend toward high-mix, low-volume production of products and shorter product cycles, the production lines for these products need to be frequently reconfigured to suit the products being produced. Therefore, if the configuration of such a production line can be easily and quickly reconfigured and the production line can be automated, the quality of the products can be stabilized and flexible production plans can be formulated and executed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a production system that can easily rearrange the configuration of a production line. This production system is composed of a plurality of production cells that perform workpiece processing or assembly work, and these production cells are arranged in series to form a production line. Each production cell is configured by housing a stand having a robot arm in a booth that is a frame body, and each stand is provided with a base plate as a workspace. In each production cell, processing or assembly work is performed on the base plate of the stand, and the robot arm is responsible for handling the workpiece in each booth and transporting the workpiece between adjacent production cells. In such a production system, the configuration of the production line can be easily rearranged by arbitrarily replacing the production cells or arbitrarily rearranging their order. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication 2012-11501 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the production system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the transport of workpieces between adjacent production cells is performed by a robot arm, which requires the provision of a highly accurate robot arm at each robot station. If a linear transport system capable of continuous movement between serially arranged production cells could be constructed, it would be possible to transport workpieces in a continuous manner from the upstream to the downstream of the production system, eliminating the need to provide robot arms in all production cells.

[0006] Here, in order to construct a linear transport system capable of transporting workpieces between adjacent production cells, the base plate of the stand in each production cell must be connected to that of the stand of the adjacent production cell, and the connected base plates must be smoothly continuous as a single surface.

[0007] However, if multiple production cells are arbitrarily replaced or their order is arbitrarily rearranged as described above, it becomes necessary to individually adjust the height and inclination angle of each base plate when connecting adjacent base plates, which requires a great deal of effort to rearrange the production line configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its object is to provide a mounting unit which, when multiple mounting modules are connected to form a production line, allows the base plates of each mounting module to be easily connected together to form a single mounting surface, and which also allows multiple mounting modules to be easily replaced or rearranged.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a linear conveying system that can be easily reconstructed on a platform unit even when a platform unit is constructed by replacing or rearranging multiple platform modules.

[0010] That is, the present invention is a rack unit capable of connecting a plurality of rack modules for use, each rack module comprising: a rack body, a base plate disposed above the top plate of the rack body to serve as a mounting surface for a mechanical device, a floating member disposed between the base plate and the top plate of the rack body and capable of freely changing the height and inclination of the base plate relative to the top plate, a connection guide member disposed at a side end of the base plate, and a receiving member disposed at the side end of the base plate opposite to the connection guide member and having a connection slot into which the connection guide member fits. By fitting the connection guide member of one rack module arranged adjacent to each other with the receiving member of the other rack module, a single mounting surface is formed in which the base plates of these rack modules are connected to each other.

[0011] In addition, the linear conveying system of the present invention arranges linear conveying modules in which linear guide track rails are positioned and fixed on each base plate of a plurality of support modules included in the support unit, and connects the plurality of support modules to form the support unit, thereby forming a guide track in which the track rails of each linear conveying module are connected in series in the longitudinal direction, and a linear guide slider attached to at least one of the track rails is capable of freely moving on the support unit along the guide track. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, in each mounting module, a floating member is provided between the top plate of the mounting body and the base plate, and the height and inclination of the base plate relative to the mounting body can be freely changed. Therefore, when connecting the base plates of two adjacent mounting modules, by fitting a connection guide member provided at a side end of one base plate with a receiving member provided at a side end of the other base plate, the floating member allows the height and inclination of one base plate to easily match those of the other base plate, and the two base plates can be connected to each other to form a single mounting surface.

[0013] Furthermore, by placing a linear conveying module on the base plate of each mounting module, when multiple mounting modules are connected to form a mounting unit, the linear conveying modules can be connected in series on a single mounting surface to which multiple base plates are connected, making it possible to easily construct a linear conveying system while easily replacing or rearranging the mounting modules. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a gantry unit of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the pedestal unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing the floating member. [Figure 4] 13 is an enlarged front view showing a connection guide member and a receiving member in a coupled state. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the process of connecting two rack modules. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a linear transport module that constitutes the linear transport system of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the linear transport module shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a linear transport system constructed using the linear transport module shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 1 is a side view showing a linear transport system configured by arranging three linear transport modules in series. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing how the platform modules are connected to construct a linear transport system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, the mounting unit of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a gantry unit to which the present invention is applied. This gantry unit 1 can be used by connecting a plurality of gantry modules 2 in a row, and FIG. 1 shows a state in which two gantry modules 2 are connected. Each gantry module 2 is provided with a base plate, and by installing various processing machines, robot arms, etc. on the base plate, it is possible to share either the processing or assembly process for the workpiece. In addition, the gantry unit 1 can be provided with a linear transport system that passes through the plurality of gantry modules 2, and by using this linear transport system, the workpiece to be processed or assembled can be freely transported along the connection direction of the plurality of gantry modules 2.

[0017] That is, the gantry unit 1 constitutes a production line capable of carrying out various processing and assembly of the workpiece while transporting the workpiece along the connecting direction of the multiple gantry modules 2. Also, by rearranging the arrangement of the multiple gantry modules 2, the order of various processing and assembly of the workpiece can be arbitrarily changed, and the configuration of the production line can be easily rearranged. The linear transport system that transports the workpiece while passing between the multiple gantry modules 2 will be described later.

[0018] 2 is a front view of the gantry unit 1. As shown in the figure, each gantry module 2 constituting the gantry unit 1 includes a gantry body 21 equipped with casters 20 and movable, a base plate 22 arranged above a top plate 21a of the gantry body 21, a plurality of floating members 23 capable of freely changing the height and inclination of the base plate 22 relative to the top plate 21a, a connection guide member 24 provided at one side end of the base plate 22, and a receiving member 25 provided on the base plate 22 on the opposite side to the connection guide member 24. The connection guide member 24 and the receiving member 25 form a pair, and two adjacent gantry modules 2 are connected to each other by inserting the connection guide member 24 into a connection slot provided in the receiving member 25.

[0019] The gantry body 21 has a top plate 21a supported by a plurality of posts 21c on a bottom plate 21b on which the casters 20 are provided, and is generally formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The space between the bottom plate 21b and the top plate 21a can be used as a storage space for various processing machines, robot arm controllers, power supplies, and the like that are arranged on the base plate 22. In addition, a foot-operated movement prevention stopper 26 is provided below the bottom plate 21b, and by stepping on the pedal, the fixed legs come into strong contact with the floor surface, so that the gantry body 21 can be fixed on the floor surface.

[0020] A plurality of floating members 3 are provided on the top plate 21a of the gantry main body 21, and the base plate 22 is supported on the top plate 21a via these floating members 3. As shown in Fig. 3, each floating member 3 includes a guide rod 30, a lower spherical bearing 31 that connects the guide rod 30 to the top plate 21a in a tiltable manner, an upper spherical bearing 32 that connects the guide rod to the base plate 22 in a tiltable manner, and a compression spring 33 that is provided between the lower spherical bearing 31 and the upper spherical bearing 32 and elastically supports the base plate 22 to the top plate 21a.

[0021] The guide rod 30 is fixed to the lower spherical bearing 31, but slidably mounted to the upper spherical bearing 32. The compression spring 33 is compressed in response to a load acting on the base plate 22, and when the base plate 22 descends relative to the gantry body 21, the tip of the guide rod 30 protrudes from the base plate. The guide rod 30 and the compression spring 33 are covered by a cylindrical case 34 provided between the top plate 21a and the base plate 22, and the cylindrical case 34 expands and contracts in response to the rise and fall of the base plate 22 relative to the top plate 21a. Therefore, when a load acts on the base plate 22, the attitude of the base plate 22, i.e., the height and inclination, can be freely changed relative to the top plate 21a of the gantry body 21 in response to the load.

[0022] In addition, a plurality of locking members 27 are provided adjacent to the floating member 23 between the top plate 21a and the base plate 22 so that the state of the base plate 22 can be temporarily fixed after the posture of the base plate 22 has changed. Each locking member 27 maintains the base plate 22 at a desired height against the biasing force of the compression spring 33 of the floating member 23, and when the screw plate is tightened, the height of the base plate 22 relative to the top plate 21a decreases according to the amount of rotation. Therefore, if the locking members 27 are adjusted in a state in which the base plate 22 is pressed down toward the top plate 21a, the height of the base plate 22 can be temporarily fixed to the height before the load on the base plate 22 is removed, even after the load on the base plate 22 is removed.

[0023] 4 is an enlarged front view showing a state in which the connection guide member 24 and the receiving member 25 are combined. The connection guide member 24 is a rod-shaped member provided long along one side of the base plate 22, and a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is formed into a rectangular shape. The connection guide member 24 is held at a position separated laterally from the base plate 22 by a plurality of support members 24a arranged at a predetermined interval. On the other hand, the receiving member 25 is provided on the lower surface of the base plate 22 at a position opposite to the connection guide member 24 across the base plate 22. Therefore, when two rack modules 2A and 2B are adjacent to each other, the connection guide member 24 of one rack module 2A and the receiving member 25 of the other rack module 2B are adjacent to each other. The receiving member 25 has a connecting slot 25a into which the connecting guide member 24 can be inserted along its longitudinal direction, and when the connecting guide member 24 is accommodated in the connecting slot 25a, it fits tightly against the receiving member 25 so that the two are integrated without any rattling.

[0024] In order to facilitate the insertion of the connection guide member 24 into the connection slot 25a, the receiving member 25 is provided with a plurality of guide rollers that come into contact with the connection guide member 24 from four directions, i.e., above, below, left and right. A plurality of these guide rollers are arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the receiving member 25, and while facilitating the insertion and removal of the connection guide member 24 into and from the connection slot 25a, they eliminate any gaps between the connection slot 25a and the connection guide member 25, thereby realizing a tight fit of the connection guide member 24 into the receiving member 25.

[0025] 5 is a perspective view showing the state of the connection work of two adjacent rack modules 2A, 2B. In the connection work, one rack module 2B is fixed to the floor surface using the movement prevention stopper 26, and the other rack module 2A is moved in the X direction relative to the floor surface by the casters 20 to perform the temporary connection work of these rack modules 2A, 2B. In this temporary connection work, one rack module 2A is moved in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction while the connection guide member 24 of the rack module 2A is inserted into the receiving member 25 of the other rack module 2B, whereby the respective base plates 22 of the two rack modules 2A, 2B are connected to each other.

[0026] At this time, in each of the two mount modules 2A, 2B connected to each other, the base plate 22 is supported on the mount main body 21 via the floating member 23, so that the height and posture of the base plate 22 can be changed with a certain degree of freedom. Also, the connection guide member 24 of one mount module 2A fits into the receiving member 25 of the other mount module 2B, and the connection guide member 24 having a rectangular cross section is restrained by the guide rollers from four directions, top, bottom, left and right, inside the connection slot 25a.

[0027] Therefore, when two mounting modules 2A, 2B are connected to each other via the connecting guide member 24 and the receiving member 25, the floating mechanism 23 provided in each mounting module 2A, 2B causes the height and inclination of the base plate 22 of one mounting module 2A to match those of the base plate 22 of the other mounting module 2B, and the base plates 22 of these mounting modules 2A, 2B form a single smoothly continuous mounting surface.

[0028] After completing the temporary connection of the two rack modules 2A, 2B in this manner, the locking members 27 are adjusted to temporarily fix the base plate 22 to the rack main body 21, and then, as shown in Fig. 1, the fixing plate 4 is placed between the two connected base plates 22 and screwed to the base plate 22. As a result, the base plates 22 of the rack modules 2A, 2B are integrated together to form a single mounting surface with matching heights and inclinations.

[0029] If the floating mechanism 23, the connection guide member 24, and the receiving member 25 were not present, when two rack modules 2A and 2B were to be connected to each other, an adjustment work would be required to make the height and inclination of the base plate 22 of one rack module 2A match the base plate 22 of the other rack module 2B. Usually, such an adjustment work is performed by individually adjusting the heights of the four corners of the base plate 22, which is a very time-consuming work. In contrast, with the rack unit 1 of this embodiment, the heights and inclinations of the base plates 22 of the rack modules 2A and 2B can be easily matched by simply connecting the two rack modules 2A and 2B arranged adjacent to each other using the connecting member 24 and the receiving member 25.

[0030] 6 and 7 are a perspective view and a front view showing an example of a linear transport module 10 for constructing the linear transport system LS of the present invention. The linear transport system is configured by arranging a plurality of linear transport modules 10 shown in FIG. 6 in series on the mounting surface of a mechanical device.

[0031] The linear transport module 10 includes a module base 11 fixed to the mounting surface with bolts, a track rail 12 fixed to the module base 11, a slider 13 attached to the track rail 12, and a carriage 14 fixed to the slider 13. The track rail 12 and the slider 13 form a linear guide, and the slider 13 is attached to the track rail 12 via a number of rolling elements and has an infinite circulation path for the number of rolling elements. Therefore, the slider 13 can freely reciprocate in the longitudinal direction of the track rail 12, and the carriage 14 fixed to the slider 13 can freely move on the module base 11 along the longitudinal direction of the track rail 12. The track rail 12 is positioned relative to the module base 11, and when the module base 11 is positioned and fixed to the mounting surface of a machine device, the track rail 12 is positioned relative to the mounting surface, and the carriage 14 can be moved on the mounting surface with high precision. As a combination of the track rail 12 and the slider 13, any known linear guide can be selected according to the required movement accuracy of the carriage 14 and the load bearing capacity.

[0032] In the linear transport system of this embodiment, a thrust force along the longitudinal direction of the track rail 12 is applied to the carriage 14 by the linear motor 7. Coil members 7a serving as stators of the linear motor 7 are arranged along the track rail 12 in the module base 11, while magnet members 7b serving as movers of the linear motor 7 are provided in the carriage 14. The magnet members 7b have a structure in which N poles and S poles are alternately arranged along the moving direction of the carriage 14.

[0033] Furthermore, a linear scale 8a is provided on the carriage 14, while an encoder 8b is provided on the module base 11 at a position facing the linear scale 8a, so that an output signal according to the amount of movement of the carriage 14 relative to the module base 11 can be obtained from the encoder 8b. Therefore, by controlling the drive signal applied to the linear motor 7 based on the output signal of the encoder 8b, it is possible to arbitrarily control the amount of movement of the carriage 14 on the module base 11. The combination of the linear scale 8a and the encoder 8b can be of any type, such as a magnetic type or an optical type.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 8, such linear transport modules 10 are used by arranging a plurality of linear transport modules 10 in series along the longitudinal direction of the track rail 12, with the end faces of adjacent linear transport modules 10 butting against each other.

[0035] Fig. 9 is a side view showing a linear transport system LS configured by arranging three linear transport modules 10A, 10B, 10C in series along the longitudinal direction of the track rail 12. In the linear transport system LS shown in the figure, the carriage 14 and the slider 13 are provided only in one linear module 10A among the three linear modules 10A, 10B, 10C, and the slider 13 can reciprocate over the entire length of the linear transport system LS while moving over the track rails 12 provided in each linear module 10A, 10B, 10C. Note that, although Fig. 9 shows an example in which three linear modules 10A, 10B, 10C are arranged in series, the number of linear modules to be arranged can be determined arbitrarily according to the scale of the required linear transport system.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, in each linear transport module 10, the total length of the track rail 12 is set slightly shorter than the total length of the module base 11, and a part of the rail mounting surface 15 is exposed at both ends of the module base 11. Therefore, when two linear transport modules 10 are arranged in series and fixed to the mounting surface of a machine device, the end of the track rail 12 of one linear transport module 10 and the end of the track rail 12 of the other linear transport module 10 are separated by a gap. In the linear transport system LS shown in FIG. 9, a connecting rail 9 is arranged at the boundary between the linear transport module 10A and the linear transport module 10B and the boundary between the linear transport module 10B and the linear transport module 10C, and the connecting rail 9 is fixed to the rail mounting surface 15 of each linear transport module 10 so as to straddle the two linear transport modules 10 adjacent to each other. As a result, the track rail 12 of the three linear transport modules 10A, 10B, and 10C arranged in series is configured as a single guide track.

[0037] In this way, when the three linear transport modules 10A, 10B, and 10C are arranged in series and positioned and fixed, the track rails 12 fixed to each module base 11 are connected in series via the connecting rail 9 to form a single long guide track. The carriage 14 attached to any linear transport module 10 can move continuously on the three linear modules 10A, 10B, and 10C along the guide track. Therefore, when the coil member 7a provided on each linear transport module 10 is energized, the carriage 14 fixed to the slider 13 is propelled by the linear motor 7 and moves back and forth freely within the path formed by the three linear transport modules 10A, 10B, and 10C. Therefore, by increasing or decreasing the number of linear transport modules 10 arranged in series, the path length can be changed as desired to construct a linear transport system LS. Furthermore, a linear transport system LS formed by multiple linear transport modules 10 may also include multiple carriages 14, in which case each carriage 14 may be given individual motion independent of the other carriages 14.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing how the above-mentioned multiple gantry modules 2 are connected to form the gantry unit 1, and the linear transport system LS is constructed on the gantry unit 1. The linear transport modules 10A and 10B are fixed to the base plates 22 of the gantry modules 2A and 2B so as to be positioned in the same straight line. When the two gantry modules 2A and 2B are connected, a certain gap is generated between the linear transport module 10A fixed to the base plate 22 of one gantry module 2A and the linear transport module 10B fixed to the base plate 22 of the other gantry module 2B, and this gap is, for example, the width of one of the linear transport modules. Therefore, after the two gantry modules 2A and 2B are connected, the linear transport module 10C is inserted between the linear transport module 10A and the linear transport module 10B so as to straddle the boundary between these gantry modules, and the linear transport module 10C is fixed to each base plate 22, so that the three linear transport modules 10A, 10B, and 10C are aligned in series.

[0039] After the linear transport modules 10A, 10B, and 10C are aligned in series, the connecting rail 9 is fixed so as to straddle the adjacent linear transport modules 10, and the track rail 12 included in each linear transport module 10 forms a single guide track including the connecting rail 9. This allows the slider 13 attached to the track rail 12 to move continuously on the three linear transport modules 10A, 10B, and 10C. When the coil member 7a provided on each linear transport module is energized, the carriage 14 fixed to the slider 13 is propelled by the linear motor 7 and can reciprocate on the two base modules 2A and 2B. For example, if a work table is fixed to the carriage 14, a linear transport system LS capable of transporting work on the multiple base modules 2 can be constructed.

[0040] In order to construct a linear transport system LS spanning multiple base modules 2 in this manner, it is important that the base plates 22 of these base modules 2 form a single mounting surface with matching heights and inclinations. If the heights of two adjacent base plates 22 are different and a step occurs between them, the track rails 12 of multiple linear transport modules 10 arranged in series cannot be smoothly connected, making it impossible to construct a linear transport system LS that travels between multiple base modules 2.

[0041] As already explained, in the mounting unit 1 of this embodiment, the heights and inclinations of two adjacent base plates 22 can be easily matched by simply connecting two mounting modules 2A, 2B arranged adjacent to each other using the connecting member 24 and the receiving member 25, and a linear conveying system LS can be easily constructed that can freely convey objects such as workpieces between one mounting module 2 and another mounting module 2.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present invention described using the figures, an example has been described in which two mounting modules are connected together, but the number of mounting modules connected in series can be any number, and it is also possible to connect three or more mounting modules together to form a mounting unit and linear conveying system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1... stand unit, 2... stand module, 10... linear transport module, 12... track rail, 13... slider, 14... carriage, 21... stand body, 21a... top plate, 22... base plate, 23... floating member, 24... connecting guide member, 25... receiving member, 25a... connecting slot, LS... linear transport system

Claims

1. A rack unit capable of connecting a plurality of rack modules, Each mounting module is A stand body, a base plate disposed above the top plate of the pedestal body and serving as a mounting surface for a mechanical device; a floating member provided between the base plate and a top plate of the pedestal body, the floating member being capable of freely changing a height and an inclination of the base plate relative to the top plate; A connection guide member provided at a side end of the base plate; a receiving member provided on a side end of the base plate opposite the connecting guide member, the receiving member having a connecting slot into which the connecting guide member is fitted; Equipped with A mounting unit characterized in that the base plates of adjacent mounting modules are connected to each other to form a single mounting surface by engaging the connection guide member of one mounting module with the receiving member of the other mounting module.

2. 2. The rack unit according to claim 1, wherein an insertion direction of the connection guide member into the connection slot of the receiving member is perpendicular to a connection direction of the rack modules.

3. 2. The pedestal unit according to claim 1, wherein the receiving member is provided with guide rollers for clamping and restraining the connection guide member inserted into the connection slot from four directions perpendicular to the insertion direction.

4. The gantry unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the floating member has an elastic member that exerts a pressing force in a direction pushing the base plate upward from the top plate of the gantry body, while a locking member is provided between the base plate and the top plate of the gantry body to temporarily fix the base plate against the pressing force of the floating member.

5. A linear transport module having a track rail of a linear guide positioned and fixed is disposed on each base plate of a plurality of base modules included in the base unit according to claim 1, By connecting the plurality of base modules to form the base unit, a guide track is formed by connecting the track rails of each linear transport module in the longitudinal direction, A linear transport system, characterized in that a slider of a linear guide attached to at least one of the track rails is freely movable on the frame unit along the guide track.

6. A carriage serving as a work table is fixed to the slider, Each linear transport module has a plurality of coil units arranged along the longitudinal direction of the track rail, while the carriage is provided with a magnet member; 6. The linear transport system according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of coil units and a magnet member face each other to constitute a linear motor for applying a thrust to the carriage.

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