Pickup arm of transfer device

Abstract

To reduce size and weight and improve shape stability for a pickup arm capable of being expanded and contracted in a transfer device.SOLUTION: A pickup arm 11 is provided on a movable body 21 of a transfer device to pick up parts obtained by cutting a sheet material and transfer the parts to a next step, and has an expandable arm part 51 whose length can be changed, and an adsorptive hand part 52 on an undersurface of a tip of the expandable arm part. The expandable arm part 51 consists of a plurality of links 56 that are vertically stacked, and an expanding motor 59 that is connected to the uppermost base end link 56a among the plurality of links and expands and contracts. The base end link 56a is fixed to an upper end of an elevating member 53 capable of moving up or down on the movable body 21. A base of an expanding / contracting pipe 76 formed of a telescopic constituting a portion of an air suction channel 18 extending from a pump to the adsorptive hand part 52 is fixed below the base end link 56a on the elevating member 53. The expanding / compacting pipe 76 holds a lowermost tip link 56b on the expandable arm part 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[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 done accurately and reliably, it will hinder subsequent work, resulting in inconveniences such as the production of defective products and work delays. For this reason, the applicant proposed a transfer device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, which reliably picks up parts of various shapes and transfers them efficiently.

[0003] The transfer device in Patent Document 1 is configured with a pickup arm on a moving body that reciprocates between a transfer source and a transfer destination. The pickup arm has an extendable arm section whose length can be changed, and a suction hand section that is provided at the tip of the extendable arm section and is connected to a negative pressure source that generates a suction force. At the transfer source, the extendable arm section is extended to a predetermined position to suck and hold the required part with the suction hand section, and then the moving body is moved to the transfer destination, the length of the extendable arm section is adjusted as necessary, and the part is released from suction by the suction hand section.

[0004] The telescopic arm section of the pickup arm has a multiple movable arm section stacked one on top of the other, so to speak, a multi-stage sliding structure, and a motor, which is a drive source for telescopic movement, is connected to the lowest movable arm section. In other words, when the motor is driven, all the movable arm sections positioned above the lowest movable arm section slide in unison at the same time via a transmission mechanism provided in the movable arm section, thereby telescopically extending or retracting the telescopic arm section.

[0005] The telescopic arm is fixed in its vertical position relative to the moving body, and the vertical movement required for picking up is handled by the suction hand at the tip. That is, the uppermost movable arm of the telescopic arm is held at a predetermined height that enables picking up and releasing without getting too close to the top surface of the table on which the part is placed, and the suction hand is provided at the lower end of the lift tube that extends in the vertical direction. For this reason, the part on the suction hand side of the air suction path that connects the suction hand and the negative pressure source is made of a flexible tube, one end of which is connected downward to the upper end of the lift tube.

[0006] In this way, the pickup arm needs to be installed at a relatively high position, and the elevator pipe and the tube extend above that position, so the portion of the transfer device where the pickup arm is located has to be large and high.

[0007] In addition, the pickup arm tends to lack stability and compactness in shape because the lift pipe and tube are attached to the tip of the horizontally extending telescopic arm. Therefore, in order to realize stable operation of the pickup arm, the strength of the telescopic arm and the suction hand must be ensured, but if the thickness of the members is increased to ensure rigidity, the weight will also increase. This is disadvantageous in a transfer device that requires smooth operation with high precision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-91709 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to reduce the size and weight of a pickup arm of a transfer device while improving its dimensional stability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To this end, the present invention provides the following pickup arm.

[0011] The pickup arm is provided on a moving body in a transfer device that picks up parts obtained in a cutting process of sheet material and transfers them to the next process, and includes a telescopic arm section whose length can be changed, and a suction hand section that is provided at the tip of the telescopic arm section and is connected to a negative pressure source that generates a suction force. The telescopic arm section has a plurality of links stacked vertically, and an actuator for telescoping that is connected to the base end link of the uppermost link and moves the other links in the longitudinal direction, and the base end link is fixed to the upper end of a lifting member that is provided on the moving body so that it can be raised and lowered. A base of a telescopic tube made of a telescopic tube that forms part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source is fixed below the base end link of the lifting member, and the tip of the telescopic tube holds the tip link of the lowermost link of the telescopic arm section.

[0012] In this configuration, the telescopic arm section moves from top to bottom from the base end link in the top row to the tip link in the bottom row, and unlike links that move from bottom to top, there is no need to extend or retract while being supported from below, reducing the load to be supported. Moreover, the telescopic tube, which is fixed to the lifting member like the telescopic arm section, holds the tip link, reducing the support load on the telescopic arm section and providing stable support for the telescopic arm section. The lifting member moves both the telescopic arm section and the telescopic tube up and down, eliminating the need to provide a lifting function for the suction hand section. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to this invention, the telescopic arm unit is configured to link the upper link with the lower link, and since the telescopic arm unit is provided on the lifting member, it is not necessary to install the telescopic arm unit at a high position. Furthermore, there is no need to provide a lifting means for the suction hand unit at the tip of the telescopic arm unit. This allows the part of the transfer device where the pickup arm is located to be made smaller and lower in height.

[0014] In addition, the telescopic arm is configured to support the other links by suspending them from the base link fixed to the lifting member, which reduces the load to be supported, making the pickup arm smaller and lighter. The telescopic arm is provided on the lifting member and can be moved up and down, eliminating the need for a lifting function for the suction hand, which also contributes to making the pickup arm smaller and lighter.

[0015] The tip link of the telescopic arm is held by the tip of the telescopic tube which is fixed to the lifting member together with the telescopic arm, which not only makes the pickup arm small and lightweight, but also increases its stability. Furthermore, the telescopic tube is provided for the air suction passage, and since it is used, there is no need to provide a separate member, and the pickup arm can be made compact.

[0016] As a result, more accurate and smoother operation of the pickup arm can be achieved.

[0017] Furthermore, in the conventional telescopic arm section, the lowest movable arm section is used as a reference and the upper movable arm section is slid, so it was difficult to change the number of sections to change the stroke. In other words, since it is necessary to raise and lower the suction hand section at the tip, the height of the uppermost movable arm section changes when the movable arm section is increased or decreased from what was once designed. As a result, if it becomes necessary to change the lifting stroke of the suction hand section, a major modification such as changing the lifting pipe must be made. In this regard, according to the present invention, since the pickup is performed by raising and lowering the telescopic arm section, the effect of changing the height of the telescopic arm section itself, i.e., changing the number of links used, on the pickup operation can be eliminated. Therefore, the stroke can be easily changed by increasing or decreasing the number of links as necessary with little burden. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a front view of the pickups of the movable bodies arranged in parallel, as viewed from the tip side. [Figure 4] 5 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the extendable arm unit and the suction hand unit. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a support portion for holding the expansion tube and its support structure. [Figure 6] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a side view showing the main part of the invention, and its pickup arm 11 is mounted on a transfer device 12 as shown in the plan view of Fig. 2. The transfer device 12 picks up a number of parts 13 that are lined up on the same plane obtained by cutting a sheet material, and transfers them to the next process.

[0021] In Figure 2, parts 13 are depicted as being transported in a straight line from left to right. Front-stage mounting table 14 on the left side of the drawing is the section where parts 13 are placed after cutting processing, and this may be a section where parts 13 cut by a cutting device (not shown) are moved on a conveyor without being displaced and left to wait, or it may be a cutting table where cutting takes place. The section that has front-stage mounting table 14 is called front-end process section 15. In the cutting device, the sheet material is cut based on inputted graphic data.

[0022] The rear stage mounting table 16 on the right side of the drawing is an area where the picked parts 13 are stacked or mounted in a specified order. This is an area where the necessary parts 13 are gathered in the stage preceding the joining process in which the picked parts 13 are joined together. The area that has the rear stage mounting table 16 is called the assembly process section 17 for the next process. In the assembly process section 17, the parts 13 are stacked in an orderly manner on the rear stage mounting table 16, or may be stored in a suitable box. The parts 13 may also be arranged so that they have a specified positional relationship with each other. The layout may also be such that the parts 13 will be joined in the next process.

[0023] The illustrated transfer device 12 is suitable for use in manufacturing various sewn products, specifically, automobile seat covers and airbags, clothing, footwear, bags, etc. Necessary parts 13 are picked up from the cut parts 13 in an orderly manner without human error and sent to the next process.

[0024] The transfer device 12 has a moving body 21 that moves between the front and rear stages, that is, between the front-end process section 15 and the collecting process section 17, and the pickup arm 11 is mounted on this moving body 21.

[0025] The moving body 21 is arranged in a plurality, specifically two units each, on both sides of a linear transfer line connecting the front-stage process section 15 and the collecting process section 17. That is, rail sections 22 are provided on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the transfer line, and the moving body 21 is arranged in parallel on each rail section 22. The length of the rail section 22 is formed to be longer than the length connecting the front-stage placement table 14 and the rear-stage placement table 16, and a waiting section 23 is provided on the rail section 22 on the front-stage side of the front-stage placement table 14. The waiting section 23 is a portion where the moving body 21 waits before operation. Two circular moving belts 24, 25 are stretched on the rail section 22, and a moving motor 26 that rotates forward and backward is connected to each of them. The two belts 24, 25 are provided corresponding to the moving body 21, and are arranged in parallel with a certain interval on the inside close to the front-stage placement table 14 and the rear-stage placement table 16 and on the outside away from them. The movement motor 26 is composed of a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like.

[0026] The movable body 21 is composed of a lower plate 27 (see FIG. 3) movably supported on the rail section 22, an upper plate 28 held at a distance above the lower plate 27, a support 29 connecting these, and a rectangular parallelepiped holding frame 31 suspended below the lower plate 27. The upper surface of the lower plate 27 is fixed to the upper parts of the belts 24, 25 provided on the rail section 22, and two movable bodies 21 are arranged on each rail section 22 to reciprocate independently along the transfer line. A pump 32 is mounted on the holding frame 31 as a negative pressure source.

[0027] 3 is a front view of some of the moving bodies 21 in the waiting section 23, i.e., two moving bodies 21 shown on the upper side in FIG. 2, viewed from between the rail parts 22 toward the outside (upward in the drawing) (viewed from the tip side of the pickup arm). As shown in this figure, one moving body 21 is connected to one belt 24, 25. In the example of FIG. 3, the belt 24 located on the inside is connected to the moving body 21 on the left, and the belt 25 located on the outside is connected to the moving body 21 on the right. The outer belt 25 for the left moving body 21 slides on the lower plate 27, and similarly, the inner belt 24 for the right moving body 21 slides on the lower plate 27.

[0028] The pickup arms 11 provided on each movable body 21 are equipped with an extendable arm section 51 whose length can be changed, and a suction hand section 52 to which the aforementioned pump 32 that generates suction force is connected, which is provided at the tip of the extendable arm section 51, and can be raised and lowered on the movable body 21. The orientation of the pickup arm 11 is the longitudinal direction of the extendable arm section 51, i.e., the extension direction is a direction perpendicular to the transfer line, and its tip is directed inward where the preceding stage mounting table 14 etc. are located.

[0029] That is, the pickup arm 11 is fixed to a lifting member 53 provided on the moving body 21 so as to be movable up and down. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a support part 54 is erected on the top plate 28 of the moving body 21, and the lifting member 53 is supported inside the support part 54 so as to be movable up and down. The support part 54 has a pair of left and right pillar parts 54a and a connecting part 54b connecting the upper ends thereof, and the lifting member 53 is formed to a size that fits between the pillar parts 54a and a height shorter than the length of the pillar parts 54a. The shape of the lifting member 53 is rectangular when viewed from the front, and is a box-like shape that penetrates in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the telescopic arm part 51 telescopically extends and retracts), and one side of the lifting member 53 is supported by a lifting mechanism 55 provided on one of the pillar parts 54a. The lifting mechanism 55 is composed of a linear servo motor. In the drawing, 57 is a guide rail, and 58 is a slider. The base end of the pickup arm 11 is fixed to the upper end of the lifting member 53 (see FIG. 1).

[0030] The telescopic arm unit 51 is configured to be telescopic in the horizontal direction by multiple links 56 stacked vertically so that it can take up a long stroke while occupying a small space when contracted. The links 56 are formed in a rectangular box shape, with the top link being the base link 56a and the bottom link being the tip link 56b. An extension motor 59 is connected to the base link 56a as an actuator for extending and retracting all the other links 56 in the longitudinal direction, and the tip link 56b is equipped with the suction hand unit 52.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the telescopic arm unit 51 in the illustrated example has three links 56 in addition to the base end link 56a and the tip link 56b, making up a total of five links 56. The other links 56, except for the tip link 56b, are formed in the shape of a hollow box that is long in the longitudinal direction, and are provided with a pair of pulleys 60 and a belt 61 that is wound around them and extends in the longitudinal direction to form a transmission mechanism that transmits input from the telescopic motor 59. The telescopic motor 59 is connected to the pulley 60 located on the base end side of the base end link 56a via a belt 59a. The telescopic motor 59 is composed of a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like, and is fixed on the upper end plate 53a, which is the upper surface of the lifting member 53.

[0032] The thickness (height) and width of the links 56 other than the tip link 56b are not all made the same as in Figures 1 and 3, but the lower links 56 are made thinner and narrower than the upper ones. In Figure 3, 56g is a flexible cable cover that regulates and protects the wiring.

[0033] A joint that connects the links 56 together is attached to the belt 61 built into the link 56. There are two types of joints. One 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 lower link 56. The other joint is a second joint 63 that is fixed to the belt 61 of the lower link 56 that moves with the relative movement of the link 56 via the first joint 62. The second joint 63 is provided on the tip side of the lower surface of the other links 56 except for the tip link 56b and the link 56 one level above it. The first joint 62 described above is provided at a location that is located on the base end side of the lower link 56 in the contracted state as shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] The tip link 56b is a hollow box with a tip 56e that is higher than the other links 56, and the base end side 56f behind the tip 56e is formed in a square tube shape with an opening on the lower side. The tip 56e of the tip link 56b is formed to be high in height in order to provide a rotation mechanism 65 that rotates the suction hand part 52 to be attached. The rotation mechanism 65 rotates the suction hand part 52 horizontally 360 degrees, and has a motor 66, a belt 67 that rotates by the motor 66, and a cylinder 68 around which the belt 67 is stretched and rotates horizontally. The motor 66 and the cylinder 68 are supported by support plates 69, 71 that are fixed horizontally inside the tip 56e, and there is a space between the support plates 69, 71. The inside of the cylinder 68 is an air passage, and the lower end is connected to the upper surface of one end of the suction hand part 52. The suction hand part 52 is a rectangular box shape.

[0035] A cylindrical suction port 72 is provided at the other end of the lower surface of the suction hand section 52, and an opening / closing shutter 73 for opening and closing the suction port 72 is provided at the upper opening of the suction port 72 inside the suction hand section 52. The opening / closing shutter 73 is driven by an opening / closing shutter actuator 74 made of, for example, a solenoid. The suction port 72 is formed to a size suitable for suctioning the part 13, and one suction port 72 is provided. A necessary member such as a rubber suction pad 75 is provided at the tip of the suction port 72. The number of suction ports 72 may be two or more. The shape, size, arrangement, and other aspects of the suction port 72 are determined according to the part 13.

[0036] The horizontal length of such suction hand section 52 is preferably formed to be longer. This is because the range in which suction can be performed can be widened by cooperation with the extension and contraction of telescopic arm section 51. In the illustrated example, it is formed to have approximately the same length as tip section 56e of tip link 56b (see Figs. 1 and 4).

[0037] The tip link 56b and the suction hand part 52 are made airtight. In other words, their outer surfaces are covered and closed by using a sealant as necessary, and the gap at the connecting part is blocked. This allows the inside of the tip link 56b and the suction hand part 52 to become part of the air suction path connected to the negative pressure source. The two-dot chain line drawn with a thick line in Figure 1 is the air suction path 18.

[0038] The base of the telescopic tube 76 is fixed to the lower part of the lifting member 53, which is lower than the base end link 56a. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a support part 77 formed in a hollow cubic square tube 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 part 77. As shown in FIG. 5, the support part 77 has a cylindrical part 77a at the center of the lower surface thereof, which penetrates the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53 and extends downward by an appropriate length to become a part of the air suction passage 18, and is supported at a predetermined height shorter than the length of the cylindrical part 77a. The height of the support part 77, that is, the height at which the telescopic tube 76 is fixed, is the same as the tip link 56b. The space between the cylindrical part 77a and the lower end plate 53b is also airtight. In FIG. 5, 77b is a cover member, and 77c and 77d are sealing materials.

[0039] The telescopic tube 76 constitutes part of the air suction path 18 connected to the negative pressure source, and is rigid and configured to expand and contract in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the telescopic arm section 51 while being airtight. Its tip is connected to the wall surface on the base end side of the tip section 56e of the tip link 56b, so that the inside of the telescopic tube 76 and the inside of the tip section 56e of the tip link 56b communicate in an airtight state. In other words, the tip link 56b is held by the telescopic tube 76, and part of the air suction path 18 is formed from the support section 77 to the suction hand section 52.

[0040] The support part 77 that holds the telescopic tube 76 is supported by a support structure 78 whose height can be changed. This support structure 78 is composed of a cylindrical part 77a on the lower surface of the support part 77 and support legs 79 arranged around the cylindrical part 77a. The support legs 79 maintain a predetermined distance from the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53, and can be composed of a bolt 79a that extends from the support part 77 and screws into the lower end plate 53b, and a spacer 79b that fits into the bolt 79a, as shown in FIG. 5. Since the cylindrical part 77a of the support part 77 is held by the lower end plate 53b, the support legs 79 do not need to have an excessively large load-bearing capacity, and can be made relatively thin, and the number of support legs can also be reduced.

[0041] In addition to the support legs 79, a receiving portion 81 is provided to receive the base end portion (root portion) of the held telescopic tube 76. The receiving portion 81 is provided on the upper surface of the tip end side in the front-rear direction of the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53, and is composed of a receiving metal fitting 82 fixed to the lower end plate 53b and a block-shaped receiving member 83 detachably attached thereon. Just as the height of the support part 77 can be changed by changing the bolts 79a and spacers 79b constituting the support legs 79 to ones with different lengths, the receiving portion 81 can adjust the height at which the telescopic tube 76 is supported by changing the receiving member 83 to one with a different height. In order to make such adjustments flexible, it is preferable to configure the telescopic tube 76 with a long stroke.

[0042] A part of the air suction passage 18 connected to the pump 32 is formed between the lifting member 53 having the support portion 77 and the upper surface of the movable body 21. Since the lifting member 53 moves up and down with respect to the movable body 21, the part of the air suction passage 18 between them needs to be formed expandable and contractible. For this reason, a bellows tube 85 that extends in the vertical direction and is expandable and contractible is provided between the lifting member 53 and the upper surface of the movable body 21. By providing airtightness to the bellows tube 85 and its connection portion, the inside of the bellows tube 85 becomes a part of the air suction passage 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the bellows tube 85 is made of a flexible and elastic material such as rubber, and has flanges 85a on both ends. By clamping this flange 85a and fixing it to the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53 and the upper plate 28 of the movable body 21, airtightness is obtained.

[0043] The support 54 that holds the lifting member 53 so that it can move up and down is formed at the rear end of the movable body 21 in the front-to-rear direction, and the holding frame 31 on which the pump 32 is mounted is provided at the middle of the movable body 21 in the front-to-rear direction. For this reason, an air passage 86 that changes the air suction passage 18 in the front-to-rear direction is formed on the top plate 28 of the movable body 21 as shown in Fig. 1. The air passage 86 has a thin, flat shape with a flat upper surface and is rigid. The top plate 28 and the pump 32 are connected by a hose 87.

[0044] In the transfer device 12 configured as described above, a control device (not shown) calculates which portion of the part 13 to pick up and which pickup arm 11 of the moving body 21 to use, based on the graphic data of the cutting device and the identification information of the part 13. Then, the transfer operation of the moving body 21 is started. The transfer operation is roughly as follows.

[0045] First, the lifting mechanism 55 is driven to raise the lifting members 3 of all the movable bodies 21 to a predetermined position. Next, one or more of the movable bodies 21 having a selected pickup arm 11 among the movable bodies 21 in the waiting section 23 are driven by the movement motor 26 to move to a position corresponding to a specific part 13 on the front-stage mounting table 14. After the movable body 21 stops, the extension motor 59 and the motor 66 of the rotation mechanism 65 are driven to move the suction hand section 52 to above the part 13 to be picked up or above the suction site, and stop it.

[0046] In the initial state before the start of the transfer operation, it is preferable that the suction hand portion 52 of the pickup arm 11 overlaps under the tip link 56b with the suction port 72 facing backward in the front-rear direction as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 5. This is because it is possible to minimize the length of the pickup arm 11 before it is extended.

[0047] Next, the lifting mechanism 55 is driven to lower the lifting member 53 to a predetermined position, and the part 13 is sucked by the suction force of the pump 32, which has been activated beforehand, to the suction hand portion 52 of the pickup arm 11. When the part 13 is sucked, the opening / closing shutter 73 built into the suction hand portion 52 is opened.

[0048] The part 13 that has been picked up is pulled up, and as the lifting mechanism 55 raises the lifting member 53, the pickup arm 11 also rises.

[0049] Thereafter, the telescopic arm portion 51 of the pickup arm 11 is extended or retracted as necessary, and the moving motor 26 is driven to move the moving body 21 toward a predetermined position on the rear stage mounting table 16. After the moving body 21 stops, the lifting mechanism 55 is driven to lower the lifting member 53 and the pickup arm 11, and the opening / closing shutter 73 built into the suction hand portion 52 is closed to release the part 13.

[0050] The parts 13 are transferred by repeating these general operations, and since the pickup arm 11 can be constructed small and lightweight and has high dimensional stability, the desired operations can be performed accurately and smoothly.

[0051] That is, the telescopic arm section 51 of the pickup arm 11 is configured to move from top to bottom from the top base link 56a to the bottom tip link 56b, so the load to be supported can be reduced compared to when the links are telescopically supported from below. This allows the links to be made relatively small, thin, and lightweight. Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the links can be made longer than the height to increase the stroke.

[0052] And since such a pickup arm 11 is provided on a lifting member 53 and performs the necessary up and down movements each time it picks up and releases, there is no need to always keep the extendable arm section 51 of the pickup arm 11 raised in a high position. Moreover, there is no need to provide a lifting means for the suction hand section 52 at the tip of the extendable arm section 51, so the portion of the transfer device 12 where the pickup arm 11 is located can be made smaller and lighter, its height lowered, and its configuration stabilized.

[0053] In addition, an extendable tube 76 is fixed to the lifting member 53 and holds the end link 56b of the extendable arm portion 51 at its end, so that the posture of the extendable arm portion 51 and the suction hand portion 52 which are moving can be stabilized.

[0054] Such size and weight reduction and shape stabilization allow the moving body 21 and the extendable arm portion 51 to move more precisely and smoothly.

[0055] The telescopic tube 76, which provides shape stability, is the same as that for the air suction path 18, and does not need to be provided as a separate component. This also contributes to making the pickup arm 11 smaller and lighter, and allows the pickup arm 11 to have a more compact shape.

[0056] Similarly, the tip 56e of the tip link 56b and the inside of the suction hand portion 52 are formed as part of the air suction passage 18, which also makes it possible to make the pickup arm 11 more compact.

[0057] The suction hand section 52, which is formed to be long, is configured to rotate 360 ​​degrees horizontally as shown in Fig. 6, so that in the initial state it can be stored under the tip link 56b, which also makes it compact. Moreover, by controlling the extension and contraction of the extendable arm section 51 (see arrow y) and the movement of the movable body 21 (see arrow x), it becomes possible to pick up parts 13 over a wider range.

[0058] The transport operation is performed after the lifting member 53 is raised, but since a bellows tube 85 is provided under the lifting member 53, even if the lifting mechanism 55 stops and the lifting member 53 descends, the bellows tube 85 acts as a cushion, ensuring safety.

[0059] Furthermore, the pickup arm 11 (telescopic arm section 51) is configured to pick up the part 13 by raising and lowering it, and a support structure 78 is provided to change the height of the support section 77 that supports the telescopic tube 76. Therefore, changing the height of the telescopic arm section 51 itself, i.e., changing the number of links 56 used, does not have a direct effect on the pickup operation. As a result, by using the support structure 78 to change the height of the support section 77, it is possible to increase or decrease the number of links 56 and change the stroke without significant burden.

[0060] The above configuration is one embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to only the above configuration, but other configurations can also be adopted.

[0061] For example, instead of providing a support structure 78 on a support portion 77 that holds the telescopic tube 76, the vertical length of the lifting member 53 may be configured to be changeable to accommodate an increase or decrease in the length of the link 56. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 11...Pickup arm 12...Transfer device 13...Parts 18…Air suction passage 21...Mobile 32…Pump 51…Extendable arm section 52…Suction hand part 53...Lifting member 56…Link 56a…Base link 56b…Tip link 59...Telescopic motor 65...Rotation mechanism 76...Extensible pipe 78...Support structure part 85…Bellows tube

Claims

1. A pickup arm is provided on a moving body of a transfer device that picks up parts obtained by cutting a sheet material and transfers them to a next process, the pickup arm including an extendable arm section whose length can be changed and a suction hand section that is provided at a tip of the extendable arm section and is connected to a negative pressure source that generates a suction force, the telescopic arm unit has a plurality of links stacked vertically, and an actuator for telescopic movement connected to a base end link of the uppermost stage among the links and for moving the other links in the longitudinal direction, The base end link is fixed to an upper end of a lifting member that is provided on the movable body so as to be liftable and lowerable, A base portion of a telescopic expansion pipe constituting a part of an air suction passage connected to the negative pressure source is fixed below the base end link of the lifting member, The distal end of the telescopic tube holds the lowest end link of the links in the telescopic arm. Pick-up arm of the transport device.

2. The tip link and the suction hand portion beyond the telescopic tube are provided with airtightness, The tip link and the inside of the suction hand part are formed as a part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source. A pick-up arm of a transfer device according to claim 1.

3. a bellows tube extending in a vertical direction and expandable and contractible is provided between the lifting member and the upper surface of the moving body, The bellows tube and its connection portion are provided with airtightness, The inside of the bellows tube is a part of the air suction passage connected to the negative pressure source. A pick-up arm of a transfer device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A rotation mechanism for rotating the suction hand unit horizontally 360 degrees is provided in the tip link. A pick-up arm of a transfer device according to claim 1 or 2.

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

6. A pickup arm according to claim 1 or 2 is provided. Transfer device.

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