Auxiliary force device

Abstract

To provide an auxiliary force device capable of adjusting an auxiliary force in accordance with lifting movement.SOLUTION: An auxiliary force device 10 comprises, for example: a lifting mechanism unit 11 that lifts an article M to be conveyed; a cylinder 12 that drives the lifting mechanism unit 11; a stroke sensor 13 that detects a position of a piston 12A of the cylinder 12; and a control unit 14 that controls the magnitude of a lifting force of the cylinder 12 in accordance with an output from the stroke sensor 13. The control unit 14 is configured such that the lifting force of the cylinder 12 is larger as the article M to be conveyed is lifted higher in accordance with, for example, the position of the piston 12A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an assisting device that generates a force to lift an object to be conveyed and assists in lifting and lowering movement when an operator conveys the object to be conveyed.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an assisting device that generates a force to lift an object to be conveyed and assists in lifting and lowering movement when an operator conveys the object to be conveyed has been known. As the assisting device, for example, a holding portion for holding an object to be conveyed is disposed in a lifting device driven by an air cylinder, and when an operator lifts the object to be conveyed, the lifting device is driven by switching the air pressure in the air cylinder to the air pressure set by a regulator.

[0003] However, since the height lifted by the lifting device is the height corresponding to the air pressure set by the regulator, it is impossible to cope with fine vertical movement when conveying the object to be conveyed, and there is a problem that a large force of about 70 N is required for the operator to move up and down from the height lifted by the lifting device. For example, in the production process of a vehicle, when a seat, which is an object to be conveyed, is carried into the vehicle body using an assisting device, it cannot be carried in only by horizontal movement, and the height of lifting the seat is slightly lowered or raised during the process, so it is desired that it can be easily moved with a light force. Further, when there are a plurality of types of objects to be conveyed, there is also a problem that the operator has to switch the setting of the assisting force according to the weight of the object to be conveyed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Note that Patent Document 1 describes a control method for a cargo transporter that finely controls the air pressure to an air cylinder from the operation of raising a landed cargo handling object until immediately before ground cutting. For this control, the characteristic that the arm bends by rapidly increasing the air pressure until just before ground cutting is utilized, and the movement of the arm is detected by an acceleration detector disposed in the middle of the arm. Patent Document 2 describes a cargo transporter that can finely improve the working efficiency according to the ability of the operator, the properties of the cargo, etc. by detecting the gripping force when gripping a cargo suspended by a lifting / lowering unit and adjusting the ratio between the magnitude of the gripping force and the magnitude of the lifting force by which the lifting / lowering unit lifts the cargo. However, Patent Document 1 detects the movement of the arm with an acceleration sensor and switches the air pressure, and Patent Document 2 detects the gripping force of the operator with a pressure sensor and adjusts the assist amplification factor, and the configurations are completely different from the present invention.

[0006] The present invention has been made based on such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an assisting force device capable of adjusting an assisting force according to lifting / lowering movement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The assisting force device of the present invention generates a force for lifting a conveyed object to assist lifting / lowering movement when an operator conveys the conveyed object, and includes a lifting / lowering mechanism unit for lifting / lowering the conveyed object, a cylinder for driving the lifting / lowering mechanism unit, a stroke sensor for detecting the position of the piston of the cylinder, and a control unit for controlling the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder according to the output of the stroke sensor.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the position of the piston in the cylinder is detected by a stroke sensor, and the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder is controlled according to the output thereof, so that the magnitude of the auxiliary force can be changed according to the vertical movement of the object to be conveyed. Therefore, even when an operator moves the object to be conveyed up and down, it can be easily moved with a light force.

[0009] In particular, if the cylinder is constituted by an air cylinder and the control unit has an electro-pneumatic regulator, the switching speed can be increased, and the object to be conveyed can be moved up and down more easily.

[0010] Further, if the control unit adjusts the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder according to the weight of the object to be conveyed, it becomes unnecessary for the operator to switch the magnitude of the auxiliary force according to the weight of the object to be conveyed, and the working efficiency can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an auxiliary force device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(A) shows an example of a state in which the object to be conveyed M is lifted, FIG. 1(B) shows an example of a state in which the object to be conveyed M is lowered from the state shown in FIG. 1(A), and FIG. 1(C) shows an example of a state in which the object to be conveyed M is lifted from the state shown in FIG. 1(A). This auxiliary force device 10 generates a force for lifting the object to be conveyed M to assist the lifting and lowering movement when the operator conveys the object to be conveyed M.

[0014] This auxiliary device 10 can be disposed and used, for example, with respect to a horizontal moving device 20 that is movable in the horizontal direction. The horizontal moving device 20 has, for example, a traveling rail 21 disposed in the horizontal direction, a base 22 that moves horizontally along the traveling rail 21, and a disposing portion 23 for disposing the auxiliary device 10 with respect to the base 22. By disposing and using the auxiliary device 10 with the horizontal moving device 20 in this way, an operator can horizontally move the object M to be conveyed by the horizontal moving device 20 and can also move the object M to be conveyed up and down with the assistance of the auxiliary device 10. In addition, in the present embodiment, a case where the auxiliary device 10 is disposed and used with the horizontal moving device 20 will be described.

[0015] The auxiliary device 10 includes, for example, a lifting mechanism unit 11 for lifting and lowering the object M to be conveyed, a cylinder 12 for driving the lifting mechanism unit 11, a stroke sensor 13 for detecting the position of a piston 12A of the cylinder 12, and a control unit 14 for controlling the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder 12 according to the output of the stroke sensor 13.

[0016] The lifting mechanism unit 11 has, for example, an arm 11B provided with a holding portion 11A for holding the object M to be conveyed at the tip. The base end portion of the arm 11B is rotatably disposed, for example, with respect to the disposing portion 23 of the horizontal moving device 20, and the tip end portion moves up and down by rotating with the base end portion as a reference.

[0017] The cylinder 12 is disposed, for example, above the arm 11B with respect to the disposing portion 23 of the horizontal moving device 20. The piston rod 12B of the cylinder 12 is connected to the arm 11B, for example, and is configured such that the holding portion 11A moves up and down according to the position of the piston 12A of the cylinder 12. For example, the holding portion 11A descends when the piston 12A moves in the direction in which the piston rod 12B protrudes, and the holding portion 11A ascends when the piston 12A moves in the direction in which the piston rod 12B is retracted. The cylinder 12 is preferably constituted by, for example, an air cylinder.

[0018] The stroke sensor 13 is disposed, for example, with respect to the cylinder 12. The stroke sensor 13 may have any configuration as long as it can detect the position of the piston 12A. For example, the stroke sensor 13 is configured as a sensor that outputs the position of the piston 12A by detecting the magnetic field of a magnet that the piston 12A in the cylinder 12 has.

[0019] The control unit 14 is configured, for example, to increase the lifting force by the cylinder 12 as the object to be conveyed M is lifted higher according to the position of the piston 12A. The control unit 14 preferably has, for example, an electro-pneumatic regulator 14A. The electro-pneumatic regulator 14A controls the air pressure according to the input electrical signal. Specifically, it adjusts the air pressure inside the cylinder 12 according to the electrical signal output from the stroke sensor 13. Using the electro-pneumatic regulator 14A is preferable because the switching speed of the air pressure can be increased and precise pressure regulation can be achieved.

[0020] The control unit 14 preferably also has, for example, an adjustment unit 14B that adjusts the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder 12 according to the weight of the object to be conveyed M. The adjustment unit 14B preferably sets, for example, the air pressure output corresponding to the position of the piston 12A according to the weight of the object to be conveyed M so that the auxiliary force can be changed. Specifically, for example, it is preferable to divide the position of the piston 12A into a plurality of ranges and set the air pressure in each range according to the weight of the object to be conveyed M. For example, in the position range where the holding unit 11A rises more, it is preferable to set to output a larger air pressure. Also, the adjustment unit 14B preferably registers, for example, by associating an identification symbol with the weight for each type of the object to be conveyed M, identifies the weight from the identification symbol, and is configured to output the air pressure set according to the weight.

[0021] The control unit 14 preferably further has, for example, a start switch unit 14C for starting the control by the control unit 14. The start switch unit 14C is preferably set to start the control, for example, when the object to be conveyed M is attached to the holding unit 11A and first lifted to a predetermined position. This is because a large force is required to first lift the object to be conveyed M.

[0022] This assisting device 10 is used when conveying the object to be conveyed M as follows. FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the position of the piston 12A, the pneumatic pressure output, and time. FIG. 2 shows an example of the change in the position of the piston 12A from when the object to be conveyed M is held by the assisting device 10 and the lifting is started until the object to be conveyed M is lowered to the target position. In FIG. 2, the upper limit position of the piston 12A is the piston position where the object to be conveyed M can be lifted the most, and the lower limit position is the piston position where the object to be conveyed M can be lowered the most.

[0023] When conveying the object to be conveyed M, for example, as a pre - preparation, the pneumatic pressure output corresponding to the position of the piston 12A is set in the adjustment unit 14B according to the weight of the object to be conveyed M. Specifically, for example, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the position of the piston 12A is divided into a plurality of ranges (for example, three ranges), and the pneumatic pressure in each range is set according to the weight of the object to be conveyed M. Further, in the adjustment unit 14B, it is preferable to register, for example, an identification symbol and a weight in association with each type of the object to be conveyed M, identify the weight from the identification symbol, and output the pneumatic pressure according to the weight.

[0024] After making preparations, for example, an operator inputs the identification symbol of the object to be conveyed M into the adjustment unit 14B and sets the air pressure according to the weight of the object to be conveyed M. Next, for example, the operator attaches the object to be conveyed M to the holding unit 11A and carries the object to be conveyed M while holding the holding unit 11A. Specifically, for example, after attaching the object to be conveyed M to the holding unit 11A and lifting the holding unit 11A to a predetermined height, while horizontally moving it, the lifting height is lowered or raised as necessary, and after conveying it to the target position, it is lowered to a predetermined height, and the object to be conveyed M is removed from the holding unit 11A.

[0025] At this time, when the object to be conveyed M is attached to the holding unit 11A and the holding unit 11A (i.e., the object to be conveyed M) is first lifted to a predetermined position, for example, when the holding unit 11A (i.e., the object to be conveyed M) is lifted to the position range of the piston 12A where it rises the most, the control by the control unit 14 is started. After the control is started by the control unit 14, when the operator lowers or raises the holding unit 11A and the position of the piston 12A changes, the air pressure set in the adjustment unit 14B is output by the electro-pneumatic regulator 14A according to the position of the piston 12A detected by the stroke sensor 13. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the piston 12A is positioned in the range where the holding unit 11A rises the most, the largest air pressure (1) is output, when the piston 12A is positioned in the next rising range of the holding unit 11A, the next largest air pressure (2) is output, and when the piston 12A is positioned in the range where the holding unit 11A does not rise the most, the smallest air pressure (3) is output.

[0026] Thereby, the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder 12 changes according to the height of the holding unit 11A. Therefore, even if the operator moves the object to be conveyed M up and down, the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder 12 changes according to the height, so it can be easily lifted and lowered with a light force.

[0027] According to this embodiment, the position of the piston 12A of the cylinder 12 is detected by the stroke sensor 13, and the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder 12 is controlled according to the output thereof. Therefore, the magnitude of the auxiliary force can be changed according to the vertical movement of the object M to be conveyed. Thus, even if an operator moves the object M to be conveyed up and down, it can be easily moved with a light force.

[0028] In particular, if the cylinder 12 is constituted by an air cylinder and the control unit 14 has an electro-pneumatic regulator, the switching speed can be increased, and the object to be conveyed can be moved up and down more easily.

[0029] Further, if the control unit 14 adjusts the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder 12 according to the weight of the object M to be conveyed, the operation of the operator to switch the magnitude of the auxiliary force according to the weight of the object M to be conveyed becomes unnecessary, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0030] The present invention has been described above by way of embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiments, each component has been specifically described, but the specific structure and shape of each component may be different, and further, not all of the above-described components need to be provided, and other components may be provided.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0031] 10... Auxiliary force device, 11... Lifting mechanism unit, 11A... Holding unit, 11B... Arm, 12... Cylinder, 12A... Piston, 12B... Piston rod, 13... Stroke sensor, 14... Control unit, 14A... Electro-pneumatic regulator, 14B... Adjustment unit, 14C... Start switch unit, 20... Horizontal movement device, 21... Travel rail, 22... Base, 23... Arrangement unit, M... Object to be conveyed

Claims

1. An assisting force device that generates a force to lift a conveyed object and assists in lifting and lowering movement when an operator conveys the conveyed object, comprising: a lifting mechanism unit for lifting and lowering the conveyed object; a cylinder for driving the lifting mechanism unit; a stroke sensor for detecting the position of the piston of the cylinder; a control unit for controlling the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder according to the output of the stroke sensor An assisting force device characterized by comprising the above.

2. The cylinder is an air cylinder, The control unit has an electro-pneumatic regulator and adjusts the air pressure of the cylinder according to an electrical signal output from the stroke sensor The assisting force device according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The assisting force device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the control unit has an adjustment unit for adjusting the magnitude of the lifting force by the cylinder according to the weight of the conveyed object.

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