Workpiece transport device and workpiece transport method

Abstract

To provide a work conveying device and a work conveying method capable of avoiding unintended excessive force from a feeding member of a rotor to be applied to a work on a conveying table in an abnormal placement state.SOLUTION: A work conveying device 11 includes a rotor 13 having a feeding member 24 that rotationally drives and feeds a work W on a conveying table 12, and a first conveyor device 14 that conveys the work W to the conveying table 12. An information acquisition device 21 of the work conveying device 11 acquires information on a placement state of the work W on the first conveyor device 14. A control unit 15 of the work conveying device 11 includes a determination unit 15a that determines whether or not a placement state of the work W is abnormal based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device 21. A position changing mechanism 20 of the work conveying device 11 changes a relative position between the feeding member 24 and the conveying table 12 so that the feeding member 24 and the conveying table 12 are separated from each other if the determination unit 15a determines that the placement state of the work W is abnormal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece transport device and a workpiece transport method. [Background technology]

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a known workpiece transport device includes a transport table, a rotating body that transports the workpieces on the transport table by rotational drive, and a conveyor device that loads the workpieces onto the transport table. The rotating body of the workpiece transport device includes a rotation drive unit having a rotation shaft, and a feed member that is provided on the rotation drive unit and feeds out the workpieces. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-117044 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described workpiece transport device, if the arrangement of the workpieces on the conveyor that transports the workpieces to the transport table becomes abnormal, the workpieces will be transported onto the transport table in an abnormal arrangement. In this case, an unintended excessive force may be applied to the workpieces on the transport table in an abnormal arrangement from the rotating feed member, which may result in, for example, damage to the workpieces. If fragments resulting from the workpiece damage are scattered on the transport table, it may take time to restore the workpiece transport device.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece transport device and a workpiece transport method that can prevent unintended excessive force from being applied from a rotating feed member to a workpiece on a transport table that is in an abnormal position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A work transport device that solves the above problem comprises a transport table having an inlet section for transporting the work and an outlet section for transporting the work, a rotating body having a feed member that feeds the work on the transport table by rotational drive, a conveyor device that transports the work to the inlet section of the transport table, an information acquisition device that acquires information on the arrangement state of the work on the conveyor device, a control unit that has a judgment unit that judges whether the arrangement state of the work is abnormal based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device, and a position change mechanism that, when the judgment unit judges that the arrangement state of the work is abnormal, changes the relative position of the feed member of the rotating body and the transport table so as to separate the transport table from the conveyor table.

[0007] According to this configuration, when the determination unit of the control unit determines that the arrangement of the workpieces on the conveyor device is abnormal, the position change mechanism operates to separate the rotating feed member from the transport table, thereby preventing the rotating feed member from applying unintended excessive force to the workpieces on the transport table that have been carried in an abnormal arrangement from the conveyor device.

[0008] In the above-described workpiece transport device, the transport table may be shiftable between a transport state in which the workpiece can be transported to the discharge section and a discharge state in which the workpiece is discharged from the transport path, and the control unit may change the transport table from the transport state to the discharge state when the determination unit determines that the arrangement state of the workpiece is abnormal. In this case, a workpiece on the transport table that is transported from the transport device in an abnormal arrangement state can be discharged from the transport table in a predetermined direction. This makes it possible to prevent the workpiece from falling in an unexpected direction, for example, and thus makes it easy to recover the workpiece.

[0009] In the above-described workpiece transport device, the position change mechanism may separate the transport table and the rotating body in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, the space below the transport table or above the rotating body can be used to separate the feed member of the rotating body and the transport table.

[0010] In the above-described workpiece transport device, the position changing mechanism may raise the rotating body. According to this configuration, the space above the rotating body can be used to separate the feed member of the rotating body from the transport table.

[0011] In the workpiece conveying device, the workpiece may be an elongated workpiece, and the workpiece may be conveyed in a position in which the longitudinal direction of the workpiece is perpendicular to the conveying direction. For example, such an elongated workpiece can be conveyed using the conveying table and a rotating body.

[0012] In the above-described workpiece transport device, the workpiece may be a glass tube. When the workpiece is a glass tube, the glass tube is easily damaged when an unintended excessive force is applied to the glass tube on the transport table in an abnormal position from the delivery member of the rotating body. The above-described workpiece transport device can prevent damage to the glass tube on the transport table.

[0013] A work transport method that solves the above problem is a work transport method that transports a work using the above work transport device, and includes an information acquisition process that acquires information about the placement state of the work on the conveyor device, a judgment process that determines whether the placement state of the work is abnormal based on the information acquired in the information acquisition process, and a position change process that, if the placement state of the work is determined to be abnormal in the judgment process, changes the relative position of the feed member of the rotating body and the conveying table so as to separate them. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present invention has the effect of preventing the application of unintended excessive force from the rotating delivery member to a workpiece on a conveyance table that is in an abnormal position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a workpiece transport device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the workpiece transport device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for transporting a workpiece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a workpiece transport device and a workpiece transport method will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, for the sake of convenience, the drawings may show parts of the configuration exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of each part may differ from the actual ratios.

[0017] <Outline of workpiece transport device> 1 and 2, the workpiece transport device 11 includes a transport table 12, a rotating body 13, a first conveyor device 14, and a control unit 15. The transport table 12 of the workpiece transport device 11 has an inlet section 16 for carrying in the workpiece W and an outlet section 17 for carrying out the workpiece W. The transport table 12 further has an intermediate transport section 18 disposed between the inlet section 16 and the outlet section 17.

[0018] The rotating body 13 of the workpiece transport device 11 transports the workpiece W on the transport table 12 by rotational drive. The first conveyor device 14 of the workpiece transport device 11 carries the workpiece W into the carry-in section 16 of the transport table 12. The workpiece transport device 11 of this embodiment further includes a second conveyor device 19 that carries the workpiece W out from the carry-out section 17 of the transport table 12. As shown in FIG. 2 , the workpiece transport device 11 further includes a position change mechanism 20 and an information acquisition device 21.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece W in this embodiment is a long workpiece W having a first end Wa and a second end Wb, which are both ends in the longitudinal direction. The workpiece transport device 11 transports the workpiece W in an orientation in which the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W is perpendicular to the transport direction in a plan view. More specifically, the workpiece W in this embodiment is a tube glass. The workpiece transport device 11 transports the tube glass in an orientation in which the tube axis direction of the tube glass is perpendicular to the transport direction. The X direction shown in the drawing is the transport direction, the Y axis shown in the drawing is the direction along the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W, i.e., the direction along the tube axis of the tube glass, and the Z axis is the direction along the up-down direction.

[0020] <Transport table> As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of conveyance tables 12 of the workpiece conveyance device 11 are provided corresponding to the first end Wa and the second end Wb of the workpiece W. The conveyance table 12 of the workpiece conveyance device 11 has a placement surface on which the workpiece W is placed. As shown in FIG. 2, the placement surface of the conveyance table 12 has, in order from the upstream side, a first placement surface 12a, a second placement surface 12b, and a third placement surface 12c. The first placement surface 12a is a downwardly inclined surface that slopes downward toward the downstream side. The second placement surface 12b is a horizontal surface. The third placement surface 12c is an upwardly inclined surface that slopes upward toward the downstream side. The loading section 16 of the conveyance table 12 has the first placement surface 12a. The intermediate conveyance section 18 of the conveyance table 12 has the second placement surface 12b. The unloading section 17 of the conveyance table 12 has the third placement surface 12c.

[0021] The transport platform 12 of this embodiment can be switched between a transport state shown in FIG. 2 in which the workpiece W is transported and a discharge state shown in FIG. 3 in which the workpiece W is discharged from the transport path. In the discharge state, the transport platform 12 can discharge the workpiece W from the transport line of the workpiece transport device 11. More specifically, the intermediate transport section 18 of the transport platform 12 has an upstream intermediate transport section 18a and a downstream intermediate transport section 18b. The upstream intermediate transport section 18a and the downstream intermediate transport section 18b are configured to be separable by a linear motion mechanism device (not shown). By separating the upstream intermediate transport section 18a and the downstream intermediate transport section 18b, a discharge section 22 from which the workpiece W is discharged is formed on the transport platform 12. Note that the discharge section 22 of the transport platform 12 can also be formed, for example, by a rotation mechanism that rotates the upstream intermediate transport section 18a or the downstream intermediate transport section 18b in the vertical direction.

[0022] <Rotating body> As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of rotating bodies 13 of the workpiece transport device 11 are provided corresponding to the first end Wa side and the second end Wb side of the workpiece W. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rotating bodies 13 of the workpiece transport device 11 transport the workpiece W on the mounting surface of the transport table 12 by rotational drive. The rotating bodies 13 include a rotational drive unit 23 and a feed member 24 that is provided to the rotational drive unit 23 and feeds out the workpiece W. The rotational drive unit 23 includes a rotational shaft 23a and a drive unit 23b that drives the rotational shaft 23a. The drive unit 23b includes, for example, a motor.

[0023] The rotation speed of the rotating body 13 provided corresponding to the first end Wa side of the workpiece W is the same as the rotation speed of the rotating body 13 provided corresponding to the second end Wb side of the workpiece W. Furthermore, the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 provided corresponding to the first end Wa side of the workpiece W and the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 provided corresponding to the second end Wb side of the workpiece W are arranged in overlapping positions when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis 23a of the rotating body 13. The rotating body 13 is equipped with multiple feed members 24. The rotating body 13 is capable of feeding multiple workpieces W by the multiple feed members 24.

[0024] <First conveyor device and second conveyor device> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first conveyor device 14 of the workpiece transport device 11 is disposed adjacent to the carry-in section 16 on the upstream side of the transport table 12. The first conveyor device 14 carries the workpiece W onto the first placement surface 12a of the carry-in section 16 of the workpiece transport device 11. A pair of first conveyor devices 14 is provided corresponding to each of the first end Wa and second end Wb of the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. 2, the first conveyor device 14 includes an endless first belt portion 14a and a plurality of first support portions 14b provided on the first belt portion 14a. The pair of first conveyor devices 14 transport the workpiece W so that the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W is perpendicular to the transport direction in a plan view.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second conveyor device 19 of the workpiece transport device 11 is disposed adjacent to the discharge section 17 on the downstream side of the transport table 12. The second conveyor device 19 transports the workpiece W transported from the third loading surface 12c of the discharge section 17. Similar to the first conveyor device 14, a pair of second conveyor devices 19 is provided corresponding to the first end Wa and the second end Wb of the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. 2, the second conveyor device 19 includes an endless second belt portion 19a and a plurality of second support portions 19b provided on the second belt portion 19a. The pair of second conveyor devices 19 transport the workpiece W so that the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W is perpendicular to the transport direction in a plan view.

[0026] <Position change mechanism> 2 and 3 changes the relative position of the feed-out member 24 of the rotating body 13 and the conveying table 12 so as to separate the feed-out member 24 and the conveying table 12. The position change mechanism 20 of this embodiment is configured to separate the conveying table 12 and the rotating body 13 in the vertical direction. More specifically, the position change mechanism 20 is connected to the rotating body 13 and configured to separate the feed-out member 24 and the conveying table 12 by raising the rotating body 13. The position change mechanism 20 includes a drive unit such as a motor or a fluid pressure cylinder.

[0027] Such operation of the position change mechanism 20 allows the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 and the workpiece W on the first loading surface 12a in the loading section 16 of the conveyance table 12 to be in a non-contact state. In addition, the conveyance of the workpiece W on the conveyance table 12 is stopped by the operation of the position change mechanism 20.

[0028] <Information acquisition device> The information acquisition device 21 of the workpiece transport device 11 acquires information about the arrangement state of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14. As the information acquisition device 21, for example, an image acquisition device that acquires an image including the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 can be used. As the image acquisition device, a camera equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS can be suitably used.

[0029] The information acquisition device 21 may be a device other than an image acquisition device. Examples of the information acquisition device 21 include a position detection device that detects the height position of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14, and a vibration detection device that detects vibrations of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14. The information acquisition device 21 may be one type, or may be configured by combining multiple types.

[0030] <Control unit> The control unit 15 includes a determination unit 15a that determines whether the placement state of the workpiece W is abnormal based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device 21. The control unit 15 further includes, for example, a placement information processing unit 15b and a storage unit 15c. The placement information processing unit 15b can be configured to perform image processing such as binarization processing and brightness correction processing of an image including the workpiece W as needed. The storage unit 15c can store, for example, an image when the placement state of the workpiece W is normal, threshold values ​​for brightness values, etc. in advance. The control unit 15 can be configured with a processor, memory, software, image display device, etc., which are not shown.

[0031] The determination unit 15a of the control unit 15 determines whether the arrangement state of the workpieces W is abnormal, for example, based on an image including the workpieces W. The determination unit 15a determines that the arrangement state of the workpieces W is abnormal, for example, when the workpieces W are transported without being properly arranged on the first support portion 14b, such as when multiple workpieces W are arranged on the first support portion 14b of the first conveyor device 14. The determination by the determination unit 15a can be made, for example, by comparing a threshold value based on an image of a normal arrangement state stored in advance in the memory unit 15c with a value based on an image of the actual arrangement state obtained by the arrangement information processing unit 15b. The determination unit 15a can also be configured to determine whether the arrangement state of the workpieces W is abnormal using a learning model constructed by learning using deep learning. Examples of the learning model include artificial intelligence (AI) models such as neural network models.

[0032] When a position detection device that detects the height position of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 is used as the information acquisition device 21, the judgment unit 15a of the control unit 15 judges whether the arrangement state of the workpiece W is abnormal or not based on the height position information of the workpiece W. In more detail, when the arrangement state of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 is normal, the height position of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 fluctuates within a predetermined range. Therefore, when the height position of the workpiece W exceeds the predetermined range, it can be determined that the arrangement state of the workpiece W is abnormal.

[0033] Furthermore, when a vibration detection device that detects vibrations of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 is used as the information acquisition device 21, the judgment unit 15a of the control unit 15 judges whether or not the arrangement state of the workpiece W is abnormal based on the vibration information of the workpiece W. In more detail, when the arrangement state of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 is normal, the strength of the vibration of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 fluctuates within a predetermined range. Therefore, when the strength of the vibration of the workpiece W exceeds the predetermined range, it can be determined that the arrangement state of the workpiece W is abnormal.

[0034] When the determining unit 15a determines that the placement state of the workpiece W is abnormal, the control unit 15 operates the position change mechanism 20 described above, as shown in Fig. 3. When the determining unit 15a determines that the placement state of the workpiece W is abnormal, the control unit 15 of this embodiment further changes the conveying table 12 from the conveying state to the discharging state. This allows the workpiece W on the conveying table 12 to be discharged in a predetermined direction.

[0035] <Operation of workpiece transport device and workpiece transport method> Next, the operation of the workpiece transport device 11 and the method of transporting the workpiece W will be described together with the main functions.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the workpiece W is carried onto the first placement surface 12a of the carry-in section 16 of the conveyance table 12 by the first conveyor device 14. At this time, since the first placement surface 12a in this embodiment is the downwardly inclined surface described above, the workpiece W moves downward due to its own weight. The workpiece W that has reached the intermediate conveyance section 18 of the conveyance table 12 is sent out toward the discharge section 17 of the conveyance table 12 by the sending member 24 of the rotating body 13. The workpiece W that has moved onto the third placement surface 12c of the discharge section 17 of the conveyance table 12 is then carried out of the conveyance table 12 by the second conveyor device 19.

[0037] The conveying table 12 and the rotating body 13 of the work conveying device 11 can be used as a sorting device that sorts the workpieces W. More specifically, the conveying table 12 can be switched between a conveying state in which the workpieces W are conveyed as shown in FIG. 2 and a discharge state in which the workpieces W are discharged from the conveying path as shown in FIG. 3. The sorting process for sorting the workpieces W separates non-defective workpieces from defective workpieces, for example, based on the inspection results of the workpieces W inspected upstream of the conveying table 12. In the sorting process, for example, defective workpieces are discharged from the discharge section 22 of the conveying table 12.

[0038] Next, a method for transporting the workpiece W will be described with reference to FIG. 4, in the method for transporting the workpiece W, first, an information acquisition step is performed (step S1) to acquire information about the arrangement state of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14. In the information acquisition step of step S1, an image including the workpiece W, for example, is acquired using the information acquisition device 21 of the workpiece transport device 11.

[0039] After the information acquisition process of step S1, the process proceeds to the judgment process of step S2. In the judgment process of step S2, it is determined whether or not the placement state of the workpiece W is abnormal based on the information acquired in the information acquisition process of step S1. If it is determined in the judgment process of step S2 that the placement state of the workpiece W is abnormal (step S2: YES), the process proceeds to the position change process of step S3.

[0040] On the other hand, if it is not determined in the determination process of step S2 that the placement state of the workpiece W is abnormal (step S2: NO), the information acquisition process of step S1 is repeated.

[0041] In the position change process of step S3, the relative position of the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 and the conveyance table 12 is changed so as to separate the feed member 24 from the conveyance table 12. This makes it possible to prevent the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 from unintentionally applying excessive force to the workpiece W on the conveyance table 12 that has been carried in from the first conveyor device 14 in an abnormal position.

[0042] In the position change process of step S3 in this embodiment, the conveyance table 12 is changed from the conveying state to the discharging state. This makes it possible to discharge the workpiece W on the conveyance table 12 that was brought in from the first conveyor device 14 in an abnormal position in a predetermined direction from the conveyance table 12. This makes it possible to prevent the workpiece W from falling in an unexpected direction, for example, and therefore makes it possible to easily collect the workpiece W.

[0043] Next, after the workpieces W on the first conveyor device 14 are placed in a normal position, the delivery member 24 of the rotating body 13 is returned to its normal position for transporting the workpieces W. Furthermore, by changing the transport table 12 from the discharge state to the transport state, the transport of the workpieces W on the transport table 12 can be resumed.

[0044] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) The work transport device 11 includes a transport table 12, a rotating body 13, a first conveyor device 14, and a control unit 15. The work transport device 11 further includes a position change mechanism 20 and an information acquisition device 21. The position change mechanism 20 changes the relative position of the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 and the transport table 12 so as to separate the feed member 24 from the transport table 12. The information acquisition device 21 acquires information on the arrangement state of the work W on the first conveyor device 14. The control unit 15 of the work transport device 11 includes a determination unit 15a that determines whether the arrangement state of the work W is abnormal based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device 21. The position change mechanism 20 of the work transport device 11 changes the relative position when the determination unit 15a determines that the arrangement state of the work W is abnormal.

[0045] According to this configuration, when the determination unit 15a of the control unit 15 determines that the arrangement state of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14 is abnormal, the position change mechanism 20 operates to separate the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 from the conveyance table 12. This makes it possible to prevent the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 from unintentionally applying excessive force to the workpiece W on the conveyance table 12 that has been carried in an abnormal arrangement state from the first conveyor device 14. This makes it possible to avoid, for example, damage to the workpiece W on the conveyance table 12 or damage to the feed member 24. This makes it possible to reduce the effort required to restore the workpiece conveyance device 11 after an abnormality occurs in the conveyance of the workpiece W on the first conveyor device 14.

[0046] (2) The conveying table 12 of the workpiece conveying device 11 can be shifted between a conveying state in which the workpiece W can be conveyed to the discharge section 17 and a discharging state in which the workpiece W is discharged from the conveying path. The control section 15 of the workpiece conveying device 11 changes the conveying table 12 from the conveying state to the discharging state when the determining section 15a determines that the arrangement state of the workpiece W is abnormal.

[0047] In this case, the workpiece W on the conveyance table 12 that is carried in an abnormal position from the first conveyance device can be discharged in a predetermined direction from the conveyance table 12. This makes it possible to prevent the workpiece W from falling in an unexpected direction, for example, and therefore makes it possible to easily recover the workpiece W.

[0048] (3) The position change mechanism 20 of the workpiece conveying device 11 separates the conveying table 12 and the rotating body 13 in the vertical direction. In this case, the space below the conveying table 12 or above the rotating body 13 can be used to separate the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 and the conveying table 12.

[0049] (4) The position change mechanism 20 of the workpiece transport device 11 raises the rotating body 13. In this case, the space above the rotating body 13 can be used to separate the feed member 24 of the rotating body 13 from the transport table 12.

[0050] (5) The workpiece W transported by the workpiece transport device 11 is a long workpiece W, and the workpiece W is transported in an orientation in which the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W is perpendicular to the transport direction. For example, such a long workpiece W can be transported using the transport table 12 and the rotating body 13. Furthermore, if the workpiece W is a tube glass, the tube glass is prone to breakage due to unintended force applied from the delivery member 24 of the rotating body 13. The workpiece transport device 11 can prevent breakage of the tube glass on the transport table 12 even if the tube glass is transported from the first transport device in an abnormal position. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effort required to restore the workpiece transport device 11 after an abnormality occurs in the tube glass transport on the first conveyor device 14.

[0051] <Example of change> The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0052] The cross-sectional shape of the long workpiece W is not limited to a circular shape, but may be, for example, an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape, or the like. The overall shape of the workpiece W is not limited to an elongated shape, but may be, for example, spherical, polygonal, or the like.

[0053] The material of the workpiece W is not limited to glass, but may be, for example, metal, resin, ceramics, etc. The position change mechanism 20 of the workpiece transportation device 11 changes the position of the rotating body 13, but it may also be configured to change the position of the transport table 12. The position change mechanism 20 may also be configured to change the positions of both the rotating body 13 and the transport table 12.

[0054] The position change mechanism 20 of the workpiece conveying device 11 is configured to separate the conveying table 12 and the rotating body 13 in the vertical direction, but may also be configured to separate the conveying table 12 and the rotating body 13 in the horizontal direction, for example, along the rotation axis 23a of the rotating body 13.

[0055] The transport table 12 of the workpiece transport device 11 is configured to be able to be shifted between the transport state and the discharge state, but may be configured not to be able to be shifted from the transport state to the discharge state. The first loading surface 12a of the loading section 16 of the transport table 12 of the workpiece transport device 11 may be a horizontal surface. Also, the third loading surface 12c of the loading section 16 of the transport table 12 of the workpiece transport device 11 may be a horizontal surface. The second loading surface 12b of the intermediate transport section 18 for the workpiece W may be an inclined surface.

[0056] The rotating bodies 13 of the workpiece transportation device 11 are arranged in pairs along a direction perpendicular to the transportation direction, but the number of rotating bodies 13 may be one or three or more. The transport tables 12 of the workpiece transportation device 11 are arranged in pairs along a direction perpendicular to the transportation direction, but the number of transport tables 12 may be one or three or more.

[0057] The first conveyor devices 14 of the workpiece transportation device 11 are arranged in pairs along a direction perpendicular to the transportation direction, but the number of first conveyor devices 14 may be one or three or more. The second conveyor devices 19 of the workpiece transportation device 11 are arranged in pairs along a direction perpendicular to the transportation direction, but the number of second conveyor devices 19 may be one or three or more.

[0058] The shape and number of the delivery members 24 on the rotating body 13 of the workpiece transport device 11 can be changed as appropriate depending on, for example, the shape and dimensions of the workpiece W. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 11...Work transport device 12...Transport platform 13...Rotating body 14...First conveyor device 15...Control unit 15a...judgment section 16...Loading area 17...Export section 20... Position change mechanism 21…Information acquisition device 24...Feed-out member W…Work

Claims

1. a conveyance table having an inlet portion for carrying in a workpiece and an outlet portion for carrying out the workpiece; a rotating body including a feeding member that feeds the workpiece on the conveying table by rotational driving; a conveyor device that carries the workpiece into the carrying-in portion of the conveyance table; an information acquisition device that acquires information about the arrangement state of the workpieces on the conveyor device; a control unit including a determination unit that determines whether the placement state of the workpiece is abnormal based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device; a position change mechanism that changes the relative position of the feed member of the rotating body and the conveying table so as to separate the feed member and the conveying table when the determination unit determines that the arrangement state of the workpiece is abnormal, The position change mechanism separates the conveying table and the rotating body in the vertical direction.

2. the conveyance table is displaceable between a conveyance state in which the workpiece can be conveyed to the discharge section and a discharge state in which the workpiece is discharged from the conveyance path, 2. The workpiece transport device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the transport table from the transport state to the discharge state when the determination unit determines that the arrangement state of the workpiece is abnormal.

3. The workpiece transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position changing mechanism raises the rotating body.

4. 4. The workpiece transport device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is an elongated workpiece, and the workpiece is transported in an orientation in which a longitudinal direction of the workpiece is perpendicular to a transport direction.

5. The workpiece transport device according to claim 4 , wherein the workpiece is a glass tube.

6. A workpiece transport method for transporting a workpiece using the workpiece transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: an information acquisition step of acquiring information on the arrangement state of the workpieces on the conveyor device; a determination step of determining whether or not the arrangement state of the workpiece is abnormal based on the information acquired in the information acquisition step; A method for transporting a workpiece, comprising: a position change process for changing the relative position of the feed member of the rotating body and the transport table so as to separate the feed member and the transport table if the determination process determines that the placement state of the workpiece is abnormal.

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