Transport System

Abstract

To provide a conveyance system capable of reducing a tact time even in the case of conveying a single tray separated from stacked trays.SOLUTION: A conveyance system comprises: a first drive part 34 that moves a pair of holding members 33 so as to hold a second tray 10B of stacked trays 10 supported from below by a movable support part 35; a third drive part 38 that after a claw member 36 is moved to a separation position 36A by a second drive part 37, moves the movable support part 35 and the claw member 36 downward to separate a first tray 10A from the second tray 10B and mounts the first tray 10A on a stage 41; the second drive part 37 that after the first tray 10A is mounted on the stage 41, moves the claw member 36 to a retreat position 36B; and a conveyance part 4 that after the claw member 36 is moved to the retreat position 36B by the second drive part 37, moves the stage 41 from a mounting position 40A to a conveyance position 40B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport system for transporting a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] A transport system that is incorporated in an assembly line for liquid crystal display devices used in portable devices and the like is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The transport system described in Patent Document 1 includes a mounting section on which trays are placed in a stacked state, a tray separation mechanism that separates a first tray that is placed at the top of the stacked trays placed on the mounting section, and a transport robot that transports the separated first tray to a tray stage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-21795 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the transport system described in Patent Document 1, the transport robot transports the first tray that is located at the top of the stacked trays, so the height of the stacked trays changes depending on the number of sheets in the stacked trays. Therefore, the transport time of the transport robot differs depending on the height of the stacked trays. As a result, there was a problem that it was difficult to shorten the takt time of the transport system.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a conveying system that can shorten the takt time even when separating and conveying a single tray from a stack of trays. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the conveying system of the present invention has a tray separation mechanism including a holding unit that holds a stacked tray in which trays capable of accommodating workpieces are stacked in multiple tiers, and a separation unit that separates a first tray arranged in the lowest tier of the stacked trays from a second tray arranged above the first tray, and a conveying unit that includes a stage on which the first tray is placed after the first tray is separated by the tray separation mechanism and conveys the first tray by moving the stage from a placement position to a conveying position, the holding unit including a pair of holding members that hold the stacked tray from an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the conveying direction, and a first drive unit that moves the pair of holding members in the orthogonal direction, the separation unit including a movable support unit that supports the stacked tray from below, a claw member that fits between the first tray and the second tray, and a claw member that moves between the first tray and the second tray. the second drive unit moves the pair of holding members to hold the second tray among the stacked trays supported from below by the movable support unit, and the third drive unit moves the movable support unit and the claw members downward to separate the first tray and the second tray and place the first tray on the stage after the second drive unit moves the claw members to the separation position, the second drive unit moves the claw members to the retracted position after the first tray is placed on the stage, and the transport unit moves the stage from the placement position to the transport position after the second drive unit moves the claw members to the retracted position. .

[0007] In the present invention, the first driving unit moves the pair of holding members to hold the second tray among the stacked trays supported from below by the movable support unit, and the third driving unit separates the first tray and the second tray by moving the movable support unit and the claw unit downward after the second driving unit moves the claw member to the separation position, and places the first tray on the stage, and the second driving unit moves the claw member to the retracted position after the first tray is placed on the stage, and the transport unit moves the stage from the placement position to the transport position after the second driving unit moves the claw member to the retracted position. Therefore, the transport system of the present invention separates the first tray arranged at the bottom of the stacked trays and transports the separated first tray. Therefore, regardless of the number of stacked trays, the tray separation mechanism can separate one tray from the stacked trays in a constant cycle. This makes it possible to shorten the takt time of the transport system. Also, with this configuration, a robot for transporting the separated trays is not required.

[0008] In the present invention, a configuration can be adopted in which the pair of holding members each have an abutment portion that abuts against the end of the tray in the perpendicular direction, and a pair of positioning end portions that position both ends of the tray in the conveying direction.

[0009] In the present invention, an embodiment having a positioning unit that positions the first tray transported to the transport position by the transport unit can be adopted. In this case, in the present invention, it is preferable that the tray is rectangular, the positioning unit includes a pair of positioning members that position two diagonal corners of the first tray, and the pair of positioning members abut against the corners by moving in the diagonal direction. With this configuration, the positioning members abut against the two diagonal corners of the first tray by moving in the diagonal direction of the first tray, making it easy to position the first tray in the transport direction and in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0010] In the present invention, it is preferable that the stacking mechanism includes a stacking mechanism for stacking the first tray positioned by the positioning unit on another first tray, and a tray discharge unit including a placement unit on which the first trays are stacked, the stacking mechanism includes a lower claw portion for supporting a bottom surface of the first tray and an upper claw portion for contacting the first tray from above, and the stacking mechanism presses the upper claw portion against the first tray from above when stacking the first tray on the other first tray. With this configuration, the first trays can be reliably stacked on the other first tray.

[0011] In the present invention, the placement section is preferably located below the positioning section, whereby the installation area of ​​the transport system can be made compact.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the tray discharge section includes a tray sending section that, after a preset number of sheets are stacked on the first tray, ejects the stacked first tray from the placement section. In this case, in the present invention, it is preferable that the tray sending section is located below the tray separation mechanism and overlaps with the tray separation mechanism in the vertical direction. With this configuration, the installation area of ​​the conveying system can be made compact. Effect of the Invention

[0013] In the conveying system of the present invention, even when a single tray is separated from a stack of trays and conveyed, it is possible to separate the tray at a constant cycle, thereby shortening the takt time of the conveying system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a schematic diagram of the tray separation mechanism as viewed from the X-axis direction. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a tray separation mechanism. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a tray separation mechanism. [Figure 12] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the stacking mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a case where a workpiece is a display panel will be mainly described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the conveying system. FIG. 3 is a front view of the conveying system.

[0016] (Overall configuration of transport system 1) The conveying system 1 of this embodiment is incorporated into a manufacturing line for small liquid crystal displays used in portable devices and the like. The conveying system 1 is a system for conveying empty trays 10 for accommodating display panels processed in another process, and conveying the trays 10 accommodating the display panels to the next process. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the conveying system 1 includes a supply mechanism 2 for supplying stacked trays 10 in which empty trays 10 are stacked in a plurality of stages, and a tray separation mechanism 3 for holding the supplied stacked trays 10 and separating a first tray 10A arranged at the bottom stage of the stacked trays 10. The conveying system 1 also includes a stage 41 on which the first tray 10A is placed after the first tray 10A is separated by the tray separation mechanism 3, and a conveying section 4 for conveying the first tray 10A by moving the stage 41 from the placement position 40A to a conveying position 40B.

[0017] The transport system 1 also includes a positioning unit 5 that positions the first tray 10A transported to the transport position 40B by the transport unit 4. In this embodiment, a display panel is accommodated in the first tray 10A positioned by the positioning unit 5 by a robot (not shown).

[0018] Here, in this specification, the direction in which the stage 41 moves is the X-axis direction. The up-down direction is the Z-axis direction. In the X-axis direction, the direction in which the stage 41 transports the tray 10 is the X1 direction, and the opposite direction is the X2 direction. The Y-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. In the Y-axis direction, one side is the Y1 direction, and the opposite side is the Y2 direction. In the Z-axis direction, the upper side is the Z1 direction, and the lower side is the Z2 direction.

[0019] The conveying system 1 includes a stacking mechanism 6 that stacks a first tray 10A positioned by the positioning unit 5 on another first tray 10A. The conveying system 1 includes a tray discharge unit 7 that includes a placement unit 71 on which the first trays 10A are stacked. The tray discharge unit 7 is located in the Z2 direction of the positioning unit 5. After a preset number of trays 10 are stacked on the placement unit 71, the tray discharge unit 7 discharges the stacked trays 10 in the X2 direction.

[0020] Here, the tray 10 of this embodiment will be described. The tray 10 of this embodiment has a substantially rectangular flat shape. The tray 10 is formed in a plate shape. A recess for accommodating a display panel is formed in the upper surface of the tray 10. A frame-shaped flange 10a is formed on the outer periphery of the lower part of the tray 10 (see FIG. 6).

[0021] (Supply mechanism 2) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the supply mechanism 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the supply mechanism 2 includes a transport unit 21 that transports the stacked trays 10, and a lift unit 22 that moves the stacked trays 10 in the Z-axis direction. The transport unit 21 includes a stage 23 on which the stacked trays 10 are placed, and a drive unit 24 that moves the stage 23 back and forth in the X-axis direction. The stage 23 is in the shape of a substantially rectangular plate. The stage 23 includes a first stage 25 arranged on the X1-direction side, and a second stage 26 arranged on the X2-direction side. The first stage 25 and the second stage 26 are connected to the drive unit 24 with a predetermined gap therebetween. The drive unit 24 includes an electric cylinder or the like.

[0022] The lift unit 22 moves the stacked trays 10 placed on the stage 23 in the Z-axis direction. The lift unit 22 includes a pair of support parts 27 that support the stacked trays 10 from below, and a vertical drive unit 28 that moves the support parts 27 back and forth in the Z-axis direction. The support parts 27 are members that are long in the X-axis direction and are longer than the size of the trays 10 in the X-axis direction. The support parts 27 are located on both sides of the stage 23 in the Y-axis direction. The distance between the support parts 27 in the Y-axis direction is shorter than the size of the trays 10 in the Y-axis direction. The vertical drive unit 28 is composed of an air cylinder or the like. The vertical drive unit 28 moves the support parts 27 from a position below the stage 23 to a position above it.

[0023] (Tray separation mechanism 3) Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tray separation mechanism 3. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the tray separation mechanism 3 as viewed from the X-axis direction. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6, the tray separation mechanism 3 includes a holding unit 31 that holds the stacking trays 10, and a separating unit 32 that separates a first tray 10A arranged at the bottom of the stacking trays 10 from a second tray 10B arranged above the first tray 10A. The holding unit 31 includes a pair of holding members 33 that hold the stacking trays 10, and a pair of first driving units 34 that move the holding members 33 in the Y-axis direction.

[0024] The holding members 33 are located on both sides in the Y-axis direction of the stacking tray 10. The holding members 33 include a plate-shaped main body portion 331 extending in the X-axis direction, a contact portion 332 that abuts against an end portion of the tray 10 in the Y-axis direction, a pair of positioning ends 333 that position both end portions of the tray 10 in the X-axis direction, a first claw portion 334, and a second claw portion 335. The main body portion 331 is a metal plate member.

[0025] The first claw portion 334 is made of a metal plate. Two first claw portions 334 are provided spaced apart in the X-axis direction. The first claw portion 334 includes a support claw portion 336 protruding from an end portion of the contact portion 332 on the Z2 direction side, and a base portion 337 located between the main body portion 331 and the contact portion 332. The second claw portion 335 is made of a metal plate. The second claw portion 335 includes a support claw portion 338 protruding from an end portion of the positioning end portion 333 on the Z2 direction side, and a base portion 339 connecting the main body portion 331 and the positioning end portion 333.

[0026] The contact portion 332 is made of resin, hard rubber, or the like, and is a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the Z-axis direction. The length of the contact portion 332 in the Z-axis direction is approximately the same as the length in the Z-axis direction when four to six trays 10 are stacked. In this embodiment, four contact portions 332 are provided. The contact portions 332 are fixed to the main body portion 331 two by two via base portions 337 by screws or the like. The positioning end portion 333 is made of resin, hard rubber, or the like, and is a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the Z-axis direction. The positioning end portion 333 is fixed to both ends of the main body portion 331 in the X-axis direction via base portions 339. The interval between the positioning end portions 333 in the X-axis direction is slightly larger than the dimension of the tray 10 in the X-axis direction. stomach.

[0027] The first driving unit 34 is composed of an air cylinder or the like. The first driving unit 34 moves the holding member 33 in the Y-axis direction, so that the holding member 33 moves from a distance at which the abutting portion 332 abuts against the flange portion 10a of the tray 10 to a distance at which the holding member 33 does not abut against the flange portion 10a of the tray 10 at both ends of the Y-axis direction of the tray 10. The abutting portion 332 abuts against the flange portion 10a of the tray 10, so that the holding unit 31 holds the tray 10. The first claw portion 334 and the second claw portion 335 overlap with the flange portion 10a of the tray 10 in the Z-axis direction when the holding unit 31 holds the tray 10.

[0028] The separating unit 32 is located on the Z2 direction side of the holding unit 31. The separating unit 32 includes a pair of movable support units 35 that support the tray 10 from below, a claw member 36 that fits between the first tray 10A and the second tray 10B, a second driving unit 37 that moves the claw member 36 between a separation position 36A where the claw member 36 fits between the first tray 10A and the second tray 10B and a retracted position 36B where the claw member 36 is removed from between the first tray 10A and the second tray 10B, and a third driving unit 38 that moves the movable support units 35 and the claw member 36 in the Z axis direction.

[0029] The movable support unit 35 is a plate-like member that is long in the X-axis direction. The movable support unit 35 is located inside the holding member 33 in the Y-axis direction. The movable support unit 35 is attached to the third driving unit 38 via a base member 39. The claw member 36 is made of a metal plate. The claw member 36 is located inside the holding member 33 at the center of the holding member 33. When the claw member 36 is moved in the Z1 direction by the third driving unit 38, the claw member 36 moves between the two first claw portions 334. The claw member 36 includes a support claw portion 361 that protrudes inward in the Y-axis direction, and a base portion 362 that is bent in the Z2 direction from the end of the support claw portion 361 in the Y-axis direction. The support claw portion 361 is located on the Z1 direction side of the end of the movable support unit 35 in the Z1 direction. The claw member 36 is attached to the cylinder of the second driving unit 37 via the base portion 362.

[0030] The second driving unit 37 and the third driving unit 38 are formed of an air cylinder or the like. The second driving unit 37 is attached to the third driving unit 38 via a base member 39. Therefore, the third driving unit 38 moves the base member 39 in the Z-axis direction, thereby moving the movable support unit 35 and the claw member 36 in the Z-axis direction.

[0031] (Transportation section 4) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the transport unit 4 is formed of an electric cylinder or the like, and moves the stage 41 back and forth in the X-axis direction. The stage 41 has three support members 411 extending in the X-axis direction. The transport unit 4 moves the stage 41 from a placement position 40A to a transport position 40B. Here, the placement position 40A is a position overlapping with the tray separation mechanism 3 in the Z-axis direction. The transport position 40B is a position overlapping with the positioning unit 5 in the Z-axis direction.

[0032] (Positioning part 5) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the positioning unit 5 and the stacking mechanism 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the positioning unit 5 is located on the X1 direction side of the tray separation mechanism 3. Two positioning units 5 are arranged to sandwich a diagonal corner 10b of the first tray 10A when the first tray 10A is transported to the transport position 40B by the transport unit 4. The positioning unit 5 includes a positioning member 51 that abuts against the corner 10b of the first tray 10A and a drive unit 52 that moves the positioning member 51. The positioning member 51 includes a first portion 511 that abuts against an end of the first tray on the X direction side and a second portion 512 that abuts against an end of the first tray 10A on the Y direction side. The first portion 511 and the second portion 512 are orthogonal to each other.

[0033] The driving unit 52 is composed of an air cylinder or the like. The driving unit 52 drives the first tray 10A in a diagonal direction. The positioning member 51 is moved in the X-axis direction. The positioning member 51 is moved by the driving unit 52 from a distance at which it abuts against the first tray 10A to a distance at which it does not abut against the first tray 10A. When the positioning member 51 abuts against the first tray 10A, the first tray 10A is positioned in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0034] (Stacking mechanism 6) 7, the stacking mechanism 6 includes a holding unit 61 that holds the first tray 10A, and a drive unit 62 that moves the holding unit 61 in the Z-axis direction. The holding unit 61 includes a claw portion 63 that engages with the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A, a claw drive unit 64 that moves the claw portion 63 in the Y-axis direction, a mounting plate 66 to which the claw portion 63 is attached, and a base member 65 to which the claw drive unit 64 is fixed and which is attached to the drive unit 62.

[0035] The claw portions 63 are members extending in the X-axis direction, and two are provided in the X-axis direction. The claw portions 63 are arranged to sandwich both sides of the first tray 10A in the Y-axis direction when the first tray 10A is transported to the transport position 40B. The claw portions 63 include a lower claw portion 631 that supports the bottom surface of the flange portion 10a, and an upper claw portion 632 that abuts against the upper surface of the flange portion 10a. The claw portions 63 are attached to the claw drive portion 64 via an attachment plate 66.

[0036] The claw drive unit 64 is formed of an air cylinder, etc. The claw drive unit 64 moves the claw portion 63 in the Y-axis direction, so that the claw portion 63 moves from a distance where the lower claw portion 631 supports the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A to a distance where the lower claw portion 631 does not support the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A at both ends in the Y-axis direction of the first tray 10A.

[0037] The base member 65 includes support members 651 that respectively hold the claw driving units 64, and a base member 652 that is connected to an end of the support member 651. The support member 651 is a member that extends in the X-axis direction, and an end on the X1 direction side is connected to the base member 652. The base member 652 is located on the X1 direction side of the first tray 10A when the first tray 10A is transported to the transport position 40B. The base member 652 is attached to the drive unit 62.

[0038] The driving unit 62 is formed of an electric cylinder or the like. After the holding unit 61 holds the first tray 10A, the driving unit 62 moves the holding unit 61 in the Z2 direction. By moving the holding unit 61 in the Z2 direction, the stacking mechanism 6 stacks the first tray 10A on the placement unit 71.

[0039] (Tray discharge section 7) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the tray discharge section 7. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the tray discharge section 7. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the tray discharge section 7 includes a placement section 71, a tray sending section 72 that ejects the tray 10 placed on the placement section 71, and a dolly 81 for taking out the tray 10 ejected from the tray sending section 72. The placement section 71 moves in the Z-axis direction by a vertical drive section 73. The placement section 71 includes two support members 711 extending in the X-axis direction. The support members 711 are disposed at an interval in the Y-axis direction that is shorter than the dimension of the tray 10 in the Y-axis direction. The support members 711 are located outside a stage 76 described later in the Y-axis direction. The vertical drive section 73 moves the support members 711 in the Z-axis direction via a connecting member. The vertical drive section 73 is formed of an air cylinder or the like.

[0040] The tray output section 72 vertically overlaps with the supply mechanism 2 and the tray separation mechanism 3. The tray output section 72 includes a stage 76 that transports the stacked trays 10, a drive section 77 that moves the stage 76, and a lift section 78 that lifts the stacked trays 10.

[0041] The stage 76 extends in the X-axis direction. The stage 76 is large enough to accommodate three stacking trays 10 in the X-axis direction. The stage 76 includes a first section on which the stacking trays 10 are placed. The stacking tray 10 includes a first portion 76A, a second portion 76B, and a third portion 76C. The first portion 76A, the second portion 76B, and the third portion 76C are arranged in this order in the X2 direction. The first portion 76A, the second portion 76B, and the third portion 76C are separated by a protrusion 761 that positions the tray 10 in the X-axis direction when the stacking tray 10 is placed on the stacking tray 10.

[0042] The driving unit 77 is composed of an electric cylinder or the like. The driving unit 77 reciprocates the stage 76 in the X-axis direction. The lift unit 78 includes a placement unit 79 on which the tray 10 is placed, and a vertical driving unit 80 that moves the placement unit 79 in the Z-axis direction. The placement unit 79 includes two support members 791 extending in the X-axis direction. The support members 791 are disposed at an interval in the Y-axis direction that is shorter than the dimension of the tray 10 in the Y-axis direction. The support members 791 are located outside the stage 76 in the Y-axis direction.

[0043] The vertical drive unit 80 moves the support member 791 in the Z-axis direction via a connecting member. The vertical drive unit 80 is formed of an air cylinder or the like. In this embodiment, the lift unit 78 includes a first lift unit 78A, a second lift unit 78B, and a third lift unit 78C. The first lift unit 78A, the second lift unit 78B, and the third lift unit 78C are arranged in this order in the X2 direction. The lift units 78 each lift up the stacking trays 10 moved by the stage 76.

[0044] The dolly 81 is used to remove the tray 10, which has been discharged by the tray sending-out unit 72, from the tray discharge unit 7. The dolly 81 is located at the end of the tray sending-out unit 72 in the X2 direction, and overlaps with the third lift unit 78C in the Y-axis direction. The dolly 81 includes a placement unit 82 on which the tray 10 is placed. The placement unit 82 includes two support members 821. The support members 821 are located outside the third lift unit 78C in the Y-axis direction. The support members 821 are located in the Z2 direction from the stage 76. The support members 821 are provided with six pillars 822 for positioning the tray 10. The dolly 81 includes a connecting unit that connects with the tray sending-out unit 72. Except when the dolly 81 is used to remove the tray 10, the dolly 81 is fixed by connecting the connecting unit to the tray sending-out unit 72.

[0045] (Operation of supply mechanism 2) Next, the operation of the supply mechanism 2 will be described. Before the drive unit 24 moves the stage 23 in the X1 direction, the lift unit 22 overlaps with the first stage 25 in the Y-axis direction. When the drive unit 24 moves the stage 23 in the X1 direction, the first stage 25 moves to a position overlapping with the tray separation mechanism 3, and the second stage 26 moves to a position overlapping with the lift unit 22. At this time, the stacked tray 10 placed on the first stage 25 is supplied to the tray separation mechanism 3, and the stacked tray 10 placed on the second stage 26 is lifted by the vertical drive unit 28 moving the support unit 27 in the Z1 direction from the second stage 26. Next, after the drive unit 24 moves the stage 23 in the X2 direction, the vertical drive unit 28 moves the support unit 27 in the Z2 direction from the first stage 25, so that the stacked tray 10 is placed on the first stage 25. The next stacked tray 10 is placed on the second stage 26 by an operator or the like.

[0046] (Operation of tray separation mechanism 3) Next, a description will be given of the operation of the tray separation mechanism 3. Figures 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the tray separation mechanism 3. Note that Figures 10 and 11 show the tray separation mechanism 3 on the Y1 direction side.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 10(a), the supply mechanism 2 supplies the stacked tray 10 placed on the first stage 25 to the tray separation mechanism 3. At this time, the stage 41 of the transport unit 4 is located at the transport position 40B. The movable support unit 35 is located in the Z2 direction from the first stage 25. The claw member 36 is located at the retracted position 36B. The holding unit 31 is located at a position where it does not come into contact with the stacked tray 10.

[0048] 10(b), when the third driving unit 38 moves the movable support unit 35 in the Z1 direction, the stacking tray 10 is placed on the movable support unit 35. At this time, the support claw portion 336 of the first claw portion 334 and the support claw portion 361 of the claw member 36 are positioned between the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A and the flange portion 10a of the second tray 10B in the Y axis direction. After the stacking tray 10 is placed on the movable support unit 35, the first stage 25 moves in the X2 direction.

[0049] 10(c), when the first driving unit 34 moves the holding unit 31 toward the tray 10, the contact portion 332 contacts the flange portion 10a of the second tray 10B. Since the contact portion 332 contacts the flange portion 10a of the second tray 10B, the holding unit 31 holds the stacked tray 10. At this time, the support claw portion 336 of the first claw portion 334 supports the bottom surface of the second tray 10B.

[0050] The second drive unit 37 moves the support claw portion 361 of the claw member 36 to a separation position 36A where the support claw portion 361 is between the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A and the flange portion 10a of the second tray 10B. In addition, the stage 41 moves from the transport position 40B to the placement position 40A.

[0051] 10(d), after the claw members 36 move to the separation position 36A, the third driving unit 38 moves the claw members 36 and the movable support unit 35 in the Z2 direction. When the third driving unit 38 moves the claw members 36 and the movable support unit 35 in the Z2 direction, the first tray and the second tray are separated, and the first tray 10A is placed on the stage 41.

[0052] Next, as shown in Fig. 10(e), after the first tray 10A is placed on the stage 41, the second driving unit 37 moves the claw members 36 to the retracted position 36B. As shown in Fig. 11(f), after moving the claw members 36 to the retracted position 36B, the third driving unit further moves the claw members 36 and the movable support part 35 in the Z2 direction. As a result, the movable support part 35 moves away from the bottom surface of the first tray 10A.

[0053] Next, as shown in Fig. 11(g), the stage 41 moves from the placement position 40A to the transfer position 40B. As shown in Fig. 11(h), after the stage 41 moves from the placement position 40A to the transfer position 40B, the third drive unit 38 moves the claw members 36 and the movable support unit 35 in the Z1 direction until the movable support unit 35 abuts against the bottom surface of the first tray 10A.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 11(i), after the movable support portion 35 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the first tray 10A, the second driving portion 37 moves the holding portion 31 to a position where it does not come into contact with the tray 10. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11(j), when the third driving portion 38 moves the movable support portion 35 in the Z2 direction, the stacking tray 10 is placed on the movable support portion 35. At this time, the support claw portion 336 of the first claw portion 334 and the support claw portion 361 of the claw member 36 are positioned between the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A and the flange portion 10a of the second tray 10B in the Y-axis direction. The tray separation mechanism 3 repeats the operations from FIG. 10(c) to FIG. 11(j) until there are no more stacking trays 10. When a tray detector (not shown) detects that the tray 10 is gone, the supply mechanism 2 supplies the next stacked tray 10 to the tray separation mechanism 3 as shown in FIG. 10(a).

[0055] (Operations of the conveying unit 4, the positioning unit 5, and the stacking mechanism 6) Next, a description will be given of the operations of the transport unit 4, the positioning unit 5, and the stacking mechanism 6. FIG.

[0056] First, the first tray 10A is placed on the stage 41 by the tray separation mechanism 3, and then the transport unit 4 moves the stage 41 to the transport position 40B. After the positioning unit 5 moves to the positioning positioning member 51, the positioning unit 5 moves the positioning member 51 toward the first tray 10A by the drive unit 52. When the positioning member 51 moves, the positioning member 51 abuts against a diagonal corner 10b of the first tray 10A, so that the first tray 10A is positioned in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0057] After the first tray 10A is positioned, a robot (not shown) places a display panel that has been processed in a separate process in the first tray 10A. After the display panel is placed in the first tray 10A, as shown in Fig. 12(a), the claw drive unit 64 moves the claw portion 63 toward the first tray 10A, so that the claw portion 63 moves to a position where it overlaps with the flange portion 10a of the tray 10 in the up-down direction at both ends of the first tray 10A in the Y-axis direction. After the claw portion 63 moves, the positioning unit 5 moves the positioning member 51 to release the positioning of the first tray 10A.

[0058] 12(b), after the positioning of the first tray 10A is released, the drive unit 62 moves the claws 63 in the Z1 direction to move the first tray 10A in the Z1 direction. After the first tray 10A has moved in the Z1 direction, the stage 41 moves to the placement position 40A.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 12(c), after the stage 41 moves to the placement position 40A, the drive unit 62 moves the claw portion 63 in the Z2 direction. As a result, the tray 10 is stacked on the tray 10 in the stacked state. When the trays 10 are stacked, as shown in FIG. 12(d), the drive unit 62 moves the claw portion 63 in the Z2 direction so that the upper claw portion 632 presses the flange portion 10a of the tray 10 from above. As a result, the tray 10 is reliably stacked on the topmost tray of the stacked trays 10. After the trays 10 are stacked, as shown in FIG. 12(e), the drive unit 62 moves the claw portion 63 to a distance where the lower claw portion 631 does not support the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A. Thereafter, the stacking mechanism 6 repeats the operations of FIG. 12(a) to (e) until a tray detection sensor (not shown) detects that a preset number of trays 10 are stacked on the placement unit 71.

[0060] (Operation of tray discharge unit 7) Next, a description will be given of the operation of the tray discharge section 7. Here, it is assumed that the stacking trays 10 are placed on the placement portion 79A of the first lift section 78A and the placement portion 79B of the second lift section 78B.

[0061] After a preset number of trays 10 are stacked on the placement unit 71, the placement unit 71 is moved in the Z2 direction by the drive unit 75. When the placement unit 71 moves in the Z2 direction, the stacked trays 10 are placed on the first portion 76A of the stage 76. Similarly, the placement unit 79A is moved in the Z2 direction by the vertical drive unit 80A of the first lift unit 78A. When the placement unit 79A moves in the Z2 direction, the stacked trays 10 are placed on the second portion 76B of the stage 76. Similarly, the placement unit 79B is moved in the Z2 direction by the vertical drive unit 80B of the second lift unit 78B. When the placement unit 79B moves in the Z2 direction, the stacked trays 10 are placed on the third portion 76C of the stage 76.

[0062] After each stacking tray 10 is placed on the stage 76, the stage 76 moves in the X2 direction. When the stage 76 moves in the X2 direction, the first portion 76A is located in the Z1 direction of the placement portion 79A, the second portion 76B is located in the Z1 direction of the placement portion 79B, and the third portion 76C is located in the Z1 direction of the placement portion 82 of the dolly 81.

[0063] After the stage 76 has moved in the X2 direction, the placement unit 71 is moved in the Z1 direction from the stage 76 by the drive unit 75. The placement unit 79A is moved in the Z1 direction from the stage 76 by the vertical drive unit 80A. As a result, the stacking tray 10 is moved from the first portion 76A to the placement unit 79A. 9A. Placement section 79B is moved in the Z1 direction from stage 76 by vertical drive section 80B. As a result, stacking tray 10 moves from second section 76B to placement section 79B. Placement section 79C is moved in the Z1 direction from stage 76 by vertical drive section 80C. As a result, stacking tray 10 moves from third section 76C to placement section 79C. Then, stage 76 moves in the X1 direction.

[0064] After the stage 76 moves in the X1 direction, the stacking mechanism 6 stacks the trays 10 on the placement portion 71. Furthermore, the placement portion 79C is moved in the Z2 direction from the placement portion 82 by the vertical drive portion 80C. As a result, the stacked trays 10 move from the placement portion 79C to the placement portion 82.

[0065] When the stacking tray 10 is placed on the placement unit 82, the worker moves the dolly 81 from the tray discharge unit 7. As a result, the stacking tray 10 is discharged from the conveyance system 1.

[0066] (Effects of this form) In this embodiment of the conveying system 1, the first driving unit 34 moves the pair of holding members 33 to hold the second tray 10B of the stacked trays 10 supported from below by the movable support unit 35, and the third driving unit 38 moves the movable support unit 35 and the claw member 36 downward after the second driving unit 37 moves the claw member 36 to the separation position 36A, thereby separating the first tray 10A and the second tray 10B and placing the first tray 10A on the stage 41, the second driving unit 37 moves the claw member 36 to the retracted position 36B after the first tray 10A is placed on the stage 41, and the conveying unit 4 moves the stage 41 from the placement position 40A to the conveying position 40B after the second driving unit 37 moves the claw member 36 to the retracted position 36B. Therefore, the transport system 1 of this embodiment separates the first tray 10A arranged at the bottom of the stacked trays 10, and transports the separated first tray 10A. Therefore, regardless of the number of stacked trays 10, the tray separation mechanism 3 can separate one tray from the stacked trays 10 in a constant cycle. This makes it possible to shorten the takt time of the transport system 1. Also, with this configuration, a robot for transporting the separated trays is not required.

[0067] The conveying system 1 of this embodiment has a positioning unit 5 that positions the first tray 10A conveyed to the conveying position 40B by the conveying unit 4. The positioning unit 5 has a pair of positioning members 51 that respectively position two diagonal corners 10b of the first tray 10A. The pair of positioning members 51 move in the diagonal direction to come into contact with the corners 10b. With this configuration, the positioning members 51 move in the diagonal direction of the first tray 10A to come into contact with the two diagonal corners 10b of the first tray 10A, making it easy to position the first tray 10A in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0068] In the conveying system 1 of this embodiment, after the workpieces are accommodated in the first tray 10A positioned by the positioning unit 5, the stacking mechanism 6 stacks the first tray 10A on another tray 10, and the tray discharge unit 7 includes a placement unit 71 on which the first tray 10A is stacked. The stacking mechanism 6 includes a lower claw portion 631 that supports the bottom surface of the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A, and an upper claw portion 632 that abuts against the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A from above. When stacking the first tray on another tray 10, the stacking mechanism 6 presses the upper claw portion 632 against the flange portion 10a of the first tray 10A from above. With this configuration, when stacking the first tray 10A on another tray 10, the first tray 10A can be reliably stacked.

[0069] In the transport system 1 of this embodiment, the placement unit 71 is located below the positioning unit 5. With this configuration, the installation area of ​​the transport system 1 can be made compact.

[0070] In the conveying system 1 of this embodiment, the tray discharge section 7 is a tray in which the first tray 10A is set in advance. The conveyor system 1 includes a tray output unit 72 that ejects the stacked first tray 10A from the placement unit 71 after the selected number of sheets have been stacked. In this case, in the conveyor system 1 of this embodiment, the tray output unit 72 is located below the tray separation mechanism 3 and overlaps with the tray separation mechanism 3 in the vertical direction. With this configuration, the installation area of ​​the conveyor system 1 can be made compact.

[0071] (Other embodiments) In another embodiment, the conveying system 1 may be a system for conveying trays 10 containing display panels, and also for conveying empty trays 10 from which the display panels have been removed. In this case, the stacking mechanism 6 stacks the first trays 10A on another first tray 10A after the display panels have been removed from the first trays 10A by the robot. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1...transport system, 2...supply mechanism, 3...tray separation mechanism, 4...transport section, 5...positioning section, 6...stacking mechanism, 7...tray discharge section, 10...tray, 10A...first tray, 10B...second tray, 10a...flange section, 21...transport section, 22...lift section, 23...stage, 24...driving section, 25...first stage, 26...second stage, 27...support section, 28...vertical driving section, 31...holding section, 32...separation section, 33... Holding member, 34...first drive section, 35...movable support section, 36...claw member, 36A...separation position, 36B...retraction position, 37...second drive section, 38...third drive section, 39...base member, 40A...mounting position, 40B...transport position, 41...stage, 51...positioning member, 52...drive section, 61...holding section, 62...drive section, 63...claw section, 64...claw drive section, 65...base member, 66...mounting plate, 71...mounting section, 72 ...tray output section, 73...vertical drive section, 75...drive section, 76...stage, 76A...first section, 76B...second section, 76C...third section, 77...drive section, 78...lift section, 78A...first lift section, 78B...second lift section, 79, 79A, 79B, 79C...mounting section, 80, 80A, 80B, 80C...vertical drive section, 81...cart, 82...mounting section, 331...main body section, 332...contact section, 333...positioning End portion, 334...first claw portion, 335...second claw portion, 336...support claw portion, 337...base portion, 338...support claw portion, 339...base portion, 361...support claw portion, 362...base portion, 411...support member, 511...first portion, 512...second portion, 631...lower claw portion, 632...upper claw portion, 651...support member, 652...base member, 711...support member, 761...projection portion, 791...support member, 821...support member, 822...support pillar

Claims

1. a tray separation mechanism including a holding unit for holding a stacked tray in which trays capable of accommodating a workpiece are stacked in a plurality of stages, and a separation unit for separating a first tray arranged at the bottom stage of the stacked trays from a second tray arranged above the first tray; a transport unit including a stage on which the first tray is placed after the first tray is separated by the tray separation mechanism, and configured to transport the first tray by moving the stage from a placement position to a transport position; having the holding unit includes a pair of holding members that hold the stacking trays from an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a first drive unit that moves the pair of holding members in the orthogonal direction, the separation unit includes a movable support unit that supports the stacked trays from below, a claw member that enters between the first tray and the second tray, a second drive unit that moves the claw member between a separation position where the claw member enters between the first tray and the second tray and a retracted position where the claw member is released from between the first tray and the second tray, and a third drive unit that moves the movable support unit and the claw member in a vertical direction; the first driving unit moves the pair of holding members so as to hold the second tray among the stacked trays supported from below by the movable support unit, the third driving unit moves the movable support unit and the claw member downward after the second driving unit moves the claw member to the separation position, thereby separating the first tray and the second tray and placing the first tray on the stage; the second driving unit moves the claw member to the retracted position after the first tray is placed on the stage, The transport system is characterized in that the transport unit moves the stage from the placement position to the transport position after the second drive unit moves the claw members to the retracted position.

2. 2. The transport system according to claim 1, A conveying system characterized in that the pair of holding members each have an abutment portion that abuts against the end of the tray in the perpendicular direction, and a pair of positioning end portions that position both ends of the tray in the conveying direction.

3. 3. The transport system according to claim 1, a positioning unit that positions the first tray that has been transported to the transport position by the transport unit, the positioning unit being configured to position the first tray;

4. 4. The transport system according to claim 3, The tray is rectangular; the positioning unit includes a pair of positioning members that respectively position two diagonal corners of the first tray, A conveying system, characterized in that the pair of positioning members abut the corner portions by moving in the diagonal direction.

5. 5. The transport system according to claim 3, a stacking mechanism for stacking the first tray positioned by the positioning unit on another first tray; a tray discharge section including a placement section on which the first trays are stacked; the stacking mechanism includes a lower claw portion that supports a bottom surface of the first tray and an upper claw portion that abuts against the first tray from above, The stacking mechanism is characterized in that, when stacking the first tray on the other first tray, the upper claw portion presses the first tray from above.

6. 6. The transport system according to claim 5, A conveying system, wherein the placement section is located below the positioning section.

7. 7. The transport system according to claim 6, A conveying system characterized in that the tray discharge section includes a tray sending section that discharges the stacked first tray from the placement section after a predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the first tray.

8. The transport system according to claim 7, A conveying system, characterized in that the tray output section is located below the tray separation mechanism and overlaps with the tray separation mechanism in the vertical direction.

Images