Support plate rotation mechanism

Abstract

This invention provides a support plate rotation mechanism with a significantly simplified structure compared to conventional mechanisms. [Solution] A support plate rotation mechanism for rotating a support plate that supports a plate-shaped workpiece in a transport pallet or transport magazine comprises: a support column erected on the transport pallet or transport magazine; a cylindrical shaft member attached to the support column so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis along the longitudinal axis of the shaft member; and a support plate capable of supporting a plate-shaped workpiece on its surface, which is inserted into the shaft member through a slit provided on the circumferential surface of the shaft member along the rotation axis, and is held rotatably by the shaft member so as to rotate integrally with the shaft member while passing through the shaft member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a support plate rotation mechanism. More specifically, it relates to a support plate rotation mechanism for rotating a support plate that supports a plate-shaped workpiece in a transfer pallet or a transfer magazine, and the structure of which is significantly simplified compared to conventional mechanisms.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, transfer pallets or transfer magazines are used to stack and support a plurality of workpieces such as parts in a fixed posture, and to efficiently perform transfer, temporary storage, and supply to the next process between processes. In particular, in the case of plate-shaped workpieces such as automotive panels, it is necessary to stably support them while preventing contact and deformation between the workpieces, and a support structure for this purpose is generally provided. In addition, in order to cope with the automation of work, a mechanism that allows workpieces to be easily loaded and unloaded by robots or transfer devices is adopted. Many such mechanisms are known, and for example, they are disclosed in the following non-patent documents.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

[0004] As an example of such a mechanism, a support plate rotation mechanism 900 is shown in Figure 5. This support plate rotation mechanism 900 comprises a support column 910 provided with a column hole 910H, a support plate 930 having a workpiece support surface 933S and a support plate contact portion 935 and provided with a support plate hole 930H, a shaft member 950 inserted through the column hole 910H and the support plate hole 930H, a collar 970 for positioning the support plate 930, and a stopper member 990 for locking the shaft member 950. The support plate 930 is rotatably attached to the support column 910 by the shaft member 950 and is held rotatably relative to the support column 910, and the operation of multiple support plates 930 is linked by the contact of the support plate contact portion 935. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Conventional support plate rotation mechanisms hold the support plate rotatably relative to the support column by drilling a hole in the support plate through which a shaft member passes, and then attaching this shaft member to the support column. As a result, the shape of the support plate is inevitably complex, requiring time and cost for processing the support plate, as well as a large amount of material for its manufacture. Furthermore, the receiving structure for holding the support plate rotatably on the support column is complex and requires multiple parts, and the number of steps required for assembling these parts, i.e., the number of steps required for manufacturing the support plate rotation mechanism, is also large.

[0006] The technology disclosed herein aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a support plate rotation mechanism with a significantly simplified structure compared to conventional mechanisms. This technology is particularly suitable for support plate rotation mechanisms having multiple support plates, but it can also be applied to support plate rotation mechanisms having a single support plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the support plate rotation mechanism according to this disclosure is: A support plate rotation mechanism for rotating a support plate that supports a plate-shaped workpiece in a transport pallet or transport magazine, Support columns erected on the transport pallet or transport magazine, A cylindrical shaft member, which is attached to the support column so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis along the longitudinal axis of the shaft member, A support plate capable of supporting a plate-shaped workpiece on one of its plate surfaces, the support plate being inserted into the shaft member via a slit provided on the circumferential surface of the shaft member along the rotation axis, and held by the shaft member so as to rotate integrally with the shaft member while penetrating the shaft member, It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, a support plate is inserted through a shaft member with a slit, and this shaft member is attached to a support column, thereby holding the support plate rotatably relative to the support column. This significantly simplifies the structure compared to conventional mechanisms in which a hole is made in the support plate and the shaft member passes through it. In particular, the shape of the support plate can be simplified compared to conventional ones, which reduces the effort and cost required to process the support plate, as well as the amount of material needed to manufacture the support plate. Furthermore, the receiving structure for holding the support plate rotatably on the support column can also be simplified compared to conventional ones, reducing the number of parts required for the receiving structure, as well as the number of steps required for assembling the parts, i.e., the number of steps required to manufacture the support plate rotation mechanism. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, conserve resources, and lighten the support plate rotation mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a transport pallet to which a support plate rotation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is attached. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support plate rotation mechanism shown in Figure 1, viewed from the right rear. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the support plate rotation mechanism shown in Figure 1, viewed from the front left, illustrating the components that make up the support plate rotation mechanism and the procedure for assembling them. [Figure 4] Figures 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C) are left side cross-sectional views of the support plate rotation mechanism shown in Figure 1, illustrating the operation of the support plate rotation mechanism. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a partially exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional support plate rotation mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the support plate rotation mechanism according to this disclosure will be specifically described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In the following description, the side of the support plate rotation mechanism facing the workpiece it supports will be referred to as the front (the opposite side as the rear). That is, in Figure 2, the far right side of the page will be the front F (the near left side of the page will be the rear), the near right side of the page will be the right R (the far left side of the page will be the left), and the upper side will be the upper U (the lower side will be the lower). Direction lines are added to Figures 2 to 4 for reference. Note that the relative dimensions and arrangement of the components in each drawing are not necessarily accurate, and the scale of some components has been changed for the sake of explanation. In addition, for multiple equivalent components, only some components may be labeled with reference numerals, while others may be omitted.

[0011] <Transport Pallet> Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a transport pallet 1 to which a support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is attached. The structure of the transport pallet 1, excluding the support plate rotation mechanism 100 which will be described later, is a general one, with a double bottom surface formed by multiple crossbar members arranged vertically and horizontally, into which the tip of a forklift or the like can be inserted, and support columns for preventing cargo collapse are erected at the four corners of the upper surface of this bottom surface. Such a structure is a well-known configuration, and other structures of the transport pallet 1 to which the support plate rotation mechanism 100 is attached can be those of known type without particular restrictions, so they will not be described in detail in this specification.

[0012] <Support plate rotation mechanism> The support plate rotation mechanism 100 is for stacking and supporting multiple plate-shaped workpieces W, such as the front panel of an automobile, so that they do not come into contact with each other. The support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment is configured to stack and support four workpieces W so that they do not come into contact with each other. Figure 1 shows a state in which the first workpiece W1, supported on the bottom layer, and the second workpiece W2, supported on the second layer from the bottom, are supported. The support plate rotation mechanism 100 includes a support column 10 that is attached to the upper surface of the bottom surface of the transport pallet 1 and erected thereon. The attachment of the support column 10 to the transport pallet 1 can be done by known structures and methods without any particular restrictions, and therefore will not be described herein. In the transport pallet 1 shown in Figure 1, two support plate rotation mechanisms 100 are erected side by side along two opposing sides of the bottom surface of the transport pallet 1. The support plate rotation mechanisms 100 erected along the two opposing sides are arranged so that their front faces inward (and their rear faces outward) towards the sides on which they are erected, and they face each other directly with a predetermined distance between them. The number and arrangement of the support plate rotation mechanisms 100 in the transport pallet 1 can be adjusted as appropriate according to the shape of the workpiece W, etc. For example, the number of support plate rotation mechanisms 100 can be odd or even, and they do not need to be arranged facing each other.

[0013] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, viewed from the right rear, and Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the support plate rotation mechanism 100, viewed from the left front.

[0014] <Strut> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support plate rotation mechanism 100 includes a support column 10. The support column 10 is attached to the transport pallet 1 and erected as described above. The support column 10 according to this embodiment is a steel member and comprises a pair of side walls 13, 13 facing each other at a predetermined distance apart, and a connecting wall 15 connecting the rear edges of the pair of side walls 13, 13. In other words, the support column 10 is a steel material with a U-shaped cross-section that opens forward. Each of the side walls 13, 13 has four circular support column holes 13H arranged vertically and facing each other at equal intervals for inserting the shaft member 50, which will be described later. The diameter of the support column holes 13H is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 50, which will be described later, and is sized to allow the shaft member 50 to rotate smoothly without rattling when inserted. The connecting wall 15 also has four rectangular openings 15A arranged vertically for inserting the support plate 30. The opening 15A is wide enough in the left-right direction to allow the base 35 of the support plate 30 (described later) to pass through, and high enough in the up-down direction to allow a predetermined amount of rotation of the support plate 30, as described later. In this embodiment, the height of the lowest of the four openings 15A, the opening 15AD, is set to be smaller in the up-down direction than the other three, and the width of all four openings 15A in the left-right direction is the same. Each of the four openings 15A is positioned so that its upper edge is at approximately the same height as the center of the corresponding support hole 13H.

[0015] <Shaft member> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support plate rotation mechanism 100 also includes a shaft member 50. The shaft member 50 is a cylindrical member that is rotatably attached to the support column 10 with its longitudinal central axis as the rotation axis X. The shaft member 50 in this embodiment is a hollow steel pipe. The length of the shaft member 50 along the rotation axis X is set to be slightly greater than the distance between the pair of side walls 13, 13 of the support column 10 plus the thickness of the two side walls 13. In addition, two slits 50L are provided on the circumferential surface of each shaft member 50 at positions directly opposite the rotation axis X in the longitudinal center, allowing the flat plate-shaped insertion portion 33 of the support plate 30, which will be described later, to pass through. Although the support plate rotation mechanism 100 in this embodiment includes four shaft members 50, they are all formed to the same dimensions and shape.

[0016] <Support plate> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support plate rotation mechanism 100 also includes a support plate 30. The support plate 30 according to this embodiment can be formed, for example, from a rectangular flat steel plate by cutting a rectangular notch of a predetermined length along the two long sides at one of the corners of the short side, and bending the other short side at two points. The edge corresponding to one of the short sides is designated as the insertion edge 33T, and the edge corresponding to the other short side is designated as the base edge 35T. The shoulder edge formed by the notch constitutes the insertion restricting portion 34. Furthermore, of the support plate 30, the narrow portion closer to the insertion edge 33T than the insertion restricting portion 34 is designated as the insertion portion 33, and the wider portion closer to the base edge 35T than the insertion restricting portion 34 is designated as the base portion 35. One plate surface of the insertion portion 33 becomes the support surface 33S that supports the workpiece W. The base portion 35 includes two bent portions 35B1 and 35B2, the bent portion closer to the insertion portion 33 being designated as the first bent portion 35B1, and the bent portion closer to the base edge 35T being designated as the second bent portion 35B2. In the support plate 30 according to this embodiment, a screw hole 33H for fitting a screw 70 is provided in the insertion portion 33 at a distance from the straight line connecting the two insertion restricting portions 34 that is approximately equivalent to the outer diameter of the shaft member 50. The length of the slit 50L of the shaft member 50 is greater than the width of the insertion portion 33, and the insertion portion 33 can be inserted into the slit 50L so as to penetrate the shaft member 50. At the same time, the length of the slit 50L is set to be smaller than the width of the base 35, and when the insertion portion 33 is pushed into the slit 50L, the insertion restricting portion 34 abuts against the edge of the slit 50L, thereby defining the insertion length of the support plate 30 into the slit 50L and restricting the movement of the support plate 30 toward the insertion end edge 33T. In this state, when the screw 70 is fitted into the screw hole 33H, the dislodgement of the insertion portion 33 toward the base end edge 35T is also restricted. As a result, the support plate 30 is fixed by passing through the shaft member 50 with the insertion portion 33 protruding by a predetermined length. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, etc., when the support plate 30 is held against the support column 10, it is formed so that a part of the base 35 protrudes backward from the four openings 15A provided in the connecting wall 15.The support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment includes four support plates 30. All the support plates 30 have the same dimensional shape, and are formed such that the center of gravity when fixed to the shaft member 50 is located on the base 35 side of the rotation axis X of the shaft member 50.

[0017] <Assembly of the support plate rotation mechanism> Subsequently, mainly referring to FIG. 3, the procedure for assembling the above-described respective members to assemble the support plate rotation mechanism 100 will be described.

[0018] First, as shown by the arrow line in (a) of FIG. 3, insert the shaft member 50 into the support column holes 13H, 13H facing each other, and suspend it between the pair of side walls 13, 13, and attach the shaft member 50 to the support column 10 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis X. Next, as shown by the arrow line in (b) of the same figure, insert the insertion portion 33 into the slit 50L and penetrate the support plate 30 through the shaft member 50. Finally, with the insertion restricting portion 34 abutted against the edge of the slit 50L, fit the screw 70 into the screw hole 33H to fix the support plate 30 to the shaft member 50. Thereby, the support plate 30 is held by the shaft member 50 on the support column 10 so as to be rotatable while preventing the support plate 30 from coming off the shaft member 50 and also preventing the shaft member 50 from coming off the support column 10.

[0019] <Operation of the support plate rotation mechanism> Next, with reference to Figures 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C), the operation of the support plate rotation mechanism 100 when supporting the workpieces W will be explained. As mentioned above, the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment is capable of stacking and supporting four workpieces W without them coming into contact with each other. Four shaft members 50 are attached to the support column 10, one in each of the four support column holes 13H provided in the left and right side walls 13, 13, and one support plate 30 is fixed to each of the four shaft members 50. In the following explanation, as shown in Figure 4(A), the lowermost of the four shaft members 50 will be referred to as the lower shaft member 50-1, and the second from the bottom, directly above the lower shaft member 50-1, will be referred to as the upper shaft member 50-2. Furthermore, of the four support plates 30, the one fixed to the lower shaft member 50-1 is designated as the lower support plate 30-1, and the one fixed to the upper shaft member 50-2 is designated as the upper support plate 30-2. The insertion portion of the lower support plate 30-1 is designated as 33-1, the support surface as 33S-1, the insertion edge as 33T-1, the base as 35-1, the first bend as 35B1-1, the second bend as 35B2-1, and the base edge as 35T-1. The insertion portion of the upper support plate 30-2 is designated as 33-2, the support surface as 33S-2, the insertion edge as 33T-2, the base as 35-2, the first bend as 35B1-2, the second bend as 35B2-2, and the base edge as 35T-2.

[0020] First, we will explain the operation when two workpieces W1 and W2 are loaded sequentially, with the first workpiece W1 being supported by the lower support plate 30-1, and then the second workpiece W2 being supported by the upper support plate 30-2. Figure 4(A) shows the initial state in which none of the workpieces W are supported by the support plate rotation mechanism 100. As mentioned above, all support plates 30 are formed such that when fixed to the shaft member 50, their center of gravity is located on the base 35 side of the rotation axis X of the shaft member 50. In the initial state where no load is applied, the support plates 30 attempt to rotate so that their base edge 35T moves downward (for example, clockwise in Figure 4(A)). Due to the action of their own weight, the support plates 30 are held in an initial position with a part of the base 35 that protrudes rearward from the opening 15A in contact with the lower edge of the opening 15A. Here, as also mentioned above, the lower opening 15AD, which is the lowest of the four openings 15A provided in the connecting wall 15 of the support column 10, that is, the lower opening 15AD from which a part of the base 35-1 of the lower support plate 30-1 protrudes, is formed such that its vertical dimension (height) is smaller than that of the other three openings 15A. As a result, in the initial state, the contact position of the base 35-1 of the lower support plate 30-1 with the lower edge of the lower opening 15AD is closer to the insertion portion 33-1 than the contact position of the base 35-2 of the upper support plate 30-2 with the lower edge of the opening 15A. Here, all support plates 30 are bent at approximately a right angle at a point corresponding to the contact position of the base 35-1 of the lower support plate 30-1 with the lower edge of the lower opening 15AD, forming a first bent portion 35B1. Furthermore, a second bent portion 35B2 is formed at a point closer to the base edge 35T than the first bent portion 35B1, forming an obtuse angle on the opposite side from the first bent portion 35B1. As a result, in the initial state, the lower support plate 30-1 abuts against the lower edge of the lower opening 15AD at a position closer to the insertion portion 33-1 than the first bent portion 35B1-1, and the insertion end edge 33T-1 is held in a position where it protrudes forward of the front edge of the side wall 13 of the support column 10 (this position of the support plate 30 is hereinafter referred to as the standby position). In the upper support plate 30-2, the first bent portion 35B1-2 passes through the opening 15A and is positioned forward of the connecting wall 15, and the vicinity of the second bent portion 35B2-2 abuts against the lower edge of the opening 15A, and the insertion end edge 33T-2 is held in a position where it is positioned behind the front edge of the side wall 13 (this position of the support plate 30 is hereinafter referred to as the retracted position). The remaining two support plates 30, which are positioned above the upper support plate 30-2, are similarly held in the retracted position.

[0021] In the initial state shown in Figure 4(A) above, when the first workpiece W1 is lowered from above, the workpiece W1 passes in front of the insertion edge 33T of the three upper support plates 30, including the upper support plate 30-2 which is in the retracted position, and reaches above the insertion portion 33-1 of the lower support plate 30-1 which is in the standby position. The first workpiece W1, having reached above the lower support plate 30-1, contacts the support surface 33S-1 of the insertion portion 33-1, pushing down the insertion edge 33T-1 and rotating the lower support plate 30-1 until a part of the base 35-1 contacts the upper edge of the lower opening 15AD and the insertion portion 33-1 is in a nearly horizontal position. The workpiece W1 is then supported nearly horizontally by the support surface 33S-1 (this position of the support plate 30 is called the support position). At this time, the base 35-1 of the lower support plate 30-1, which has been bent upward by the second bending portion 35B2-1, contacts the base edge 35T-2 of the upper support plate 30-2, which was in the retracted position, and rotates the upper support plate 30-2 so as to push it upward, causing the base edge 35T-1 of the lower support plate 30-1 to enter below the base 35-2 of the upper support plate 30-2. Then, the base portion 35-2 is supported from below by the base edge 35T-1 of the lower support plate 30-1, so that the upper support plate 30-2 is held in a waiting position where the insertion edge 33T-2 protrudes forward of the front edge of the side wall 13. Figure 4(B) shows the state in which the first workpiece W1 is supported by the support plate rotation mechanism 100 in this manner.

[0022] In the state shown in Figure 4(B) above, when the second workpiece W2 is lowered from above, the workpiece W2 passes in front of the insertion edges 33T of the two upper support plates 30 in the retracted position without interfering with them, and reaches above the insertion portion 33-2 of the upper support plate 30-2 in the standby position. Then, just as the first workpiece W1 was supported on the support surface 33S-1 of the lower support plate 30-1, the second workpiece W2 is supported on the support surface 33S-2 of the upper support plate 30-2, which was in the standby position. As the upper support plate 30-2 is held in the support position, the support plate 30 directly above the upper support plate 30-2 (the second support plate 30 from the top) is rotated from the retracted position to the standby position and held there. Figure 4(C) shows the state in which the two workpieces W1 and W2 are supported by the support plate rotation mechanism 100 in this manner.

[0023] As described above, the interlocking mechanism between the lower support plate 30 and the support plate 30 directly above it is repeated, allowing any number of workpieces W (up to 4 in the support plate rotation mechanism 100 of this embodiment) to be sequentially and smoothly supported by the support plate rotation mechanism 100.

[0024] Next, we will explain the operation when the second workpiece W2 on the upper support plate 30-2 is unloaded, and then the first workpiece W1 on the lower support plate 30-1 is unloaded. In this case, the state of the support plate rotation mechanism 100 is the reverse of what was described earlier, that is, it transitions from the state in Figure 4(C) to Figure 4(B), and then to Figure 4(A). From the state shown in Figure 4(C), when the second workpiece W2 placed on the support surface 33S-2 of the upper support plate 30-2 is lifted upward and unloaded, the upper support plate 30-2, which was in the support position, rotates under its own weight so that its base edge 35T-2 lowers, and is held in a position where its base 35-2 abuts against the base edge 35T-1 of the lower support plate 30-1, as shown in Figure 4(B), i.e., the standby position. Furthermore, when the first workpiece W1 placed on the support surface 33S-1 of the lower support plate 30-1 is lifted upward and unloaded, the lower support plate 30-1, which was in the support position, rotates under its own weight so that its base edge 35T-1 lowers, and is held in a position where its base 35-1 abuts against the lower edge of the lower opening 15AD, i.e., the standby position. As a result, the support of the upper support plate 30-2 by the lower support plate 30-1 is released, and the upper support plate 30-2 rotates from the standby position to the retracted position due to its own weight, returning to the initial state shown in Figure 4(A).

[0025] As described above, the interlocking mechanism between the upper support plate 30 and the support plate 30 directly below it is repeated, allowing any number of workpieces W supported by the support plate rotation mechanism 100 (up to 4 in this embodiment) to be smoothly unloaded.

[0026] <Configuration and Effects of This Embodiment> As described above, the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment is A support plate rotation mechanism 100 for rotating a support plate 30 that supports a plate-shaped workpiece W in a transport pallet 1 or transport magazine, A support column 10 erected on the transport pallet 1 or transport magazine, A cylindrical shaft member 50, which is attached to the support column 10 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis X along the longitudinal axis of the shaft member 50, A support plate 30 capable of supporting a plate-shaped workpiece W on one of its plate surfaces, the support surface 33S, wherein the support plate 30 is inserted into the shaft member 50 via a slit 50L provided on the circumferential surface of the shaft member 50 along the rotation axis X, and is held by the shaft member 50 so as to rotate integrally with the shaft member 50 while penetrating the shaft member 50, It is equipped with.

[0027] The above configuration significantly simplifies the structure compared to conventional mechanisms in which a shaft member passes through a hole in the support plate. In particular, the shape of the support plate can be simplified compared to conventional designs, reducing the effort and cost required for processing the support plate, as well as the amount of material needed to manufacture it. Furthermore, the receiving structure for rotatably holding the support plate on the support column can also be simplified compared to conventional designs, reducing the number of parts required for the receiving structure, as well as the number of assembly steps required for the parts, i.e., the number of manufacturing steps required for the support plate rotation mechanism. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, conserve resources, and lighten the support plate rotation mechanism.

[0028] Furthermore, in the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, the shaft member 50 is a hollow tubular member.

[0029] With the above configuration, compared to a structure in which the shaft member is a solid rod-shaped member, it is possible to reduce the weight of the shaft member while increasing its diameter to stably hold the support plate. In addition, the shaft member can be easily processed to create slits, and resources can be saved.

[0030] Furthermore, in the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, The support column 10 includes a pair of side walls 13, 13 erected on the transport pallet 1 or transport magazine so as to face each other at a predetermined distance apart. The shaft member 50 is rotatably suspended between the pair of side walls 13, 13, The support plate 30 is rotatably held between the pair of side walls 13, 13 by the shaft member 50.

[0031] According to the above configuration, the receiving structure can be significantly simplified, and the shaft member can be attached to the support column while preventing it from coming loose. This reduces the number of parts in the support plate rotation mechanism, simplifies parts management, and reduces the number of steps required for assembling the parts, i.e., the number of steps required for manufacturing the support plate rotation mechanism.

[0032] Furthermore, in the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, the support plate 30 has an insertion restricting portion 34 that abuts against the edge of the slit 50L when inserted into the slit 50L of the shaft member 50, thereby defining the insertion length of the support plate 30 into the slit 50L.

[0033] According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the support plate from coming out in the insertion direction while allowing it to protrude from the shaft member by a predetermined length with a simple structure.

[0034] Furthermore, in the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, The shaft member 50 includes at least a lower shaft member 50-1 positioned below it, and an upper shaft member 50-2 positioned above the lower shaft member 50-1. The support plate 30 includes at least a lower support plate 30-1 held by the lower shaft member 50-1, and an upper support plate 30-2 held by the upper shaft member 50-2. The upper support plate 30-2 is rotatably held between a support position for supporting the workpiece W, a retracted position that allows the workpiece W to pass, and a standby position located between the support position and the retracted position. The lower support plate 30-1 is held so as to be rotatable at least between the support position and the standby position. When the workpiece W is not supported by either the upper support plate 30-2 or the lower support plate 30-1, the upper support plate 30-2 is in the retracted position and the lower support plate 30-1 is in the standby position. When the workpiece W inserted from above passes near the upper support plate 30-2 in the retracted position and is supported by the lower support plate 30-1 in the standby position, the lower support plate 30-1 rotates from the standby position to the support position and comes into contact with the upper support plate 30-2, causing the upper support plate 30-2 to rotate from the retracted position to the standby position. When the workpiece W is unloaded from the lower support plate 30-1 in the support position, the lower support plate 30-1 rotates from the support position to the standby position, releasing contact between the upper support plate 30-2 and the lower support plate 30-1, thereby causing the upper support plate 30-2 to rotate from the standby position to the retracted position.

[0035] According to the above configuration, multiple workpieces can be sequentially fed in and stacked and supported at regular intervals. Such a support plate rotation mechanism is suitable for automating the loading and unloading of workpieces using robots or transport devices. Since such a support plate rotation mechanism includes multiple shaft members and support plates, the effect of structural simplification is further enhanced.

[0036] Furthermore, in the support plate rotation mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, The support column 10 further includes a connecting wall 15 that connects the pair of side walls 13, 13, The connecting wall 15 is provided with multiple openings 15A for inserting each of the multiple support plates 30, Each of the multiple support plates 30 is When no load is applied to the workpiece W, the support plate 30 is held in the retracted position or the standby position by contacting the lower edge of the opening 15A through which it is inserted. When a load is applied to the workpiece W, the support plate 30 comes into contact with the upper edge of the opening 15A through which it is inserted, thereby holding it in the support position. The support plate 30 is configured to restrict the movement of the support plate 30 and the shaft member 50 in the left-right direction by abutting against the side edge of the opening 15A through which the support plate 30 is inserted, or by abutting against the pair of side walls 13, 13.

[0037] According to the above configuration, the position of the support plate can be defined with a simple structure.

[0038] <Other Embodiments> The technologies disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above, but also include, for example, the following:

[0039] (1) The shape of the support plate is not particularly limited. In the above embodiment, the support plate 30 is described as having an insertion portion 33 whose plate surface width is narrower than the slit 50L of the shaft member 50, and a base portion 35 which is wider, with the shoulder portion between the insertion portion 33 and the base portion 35 constituting an insertion restricting portion 34. However, it is not limited to this shape, and for example, the insertion restricting portion may be a bent portion in which the base portion of the support plate is bent relative to the insertion portion at a predetermined position. Also, in the above embodiment, the support plate is prevented from coming out in the direction of the base by fitting a screw, but for example, the support plate may be welded to the shaft member. Also, in the above embodiment, the dimensions and shape of all support plates 30 are the same, but this is not limited. For example, only the support plate held in the lowest position may have different dimensions and shape from the other support plates.

[0040] (2) The shape of the support column is not particularly limited. It is not limited to being suspended between a pair of walls as in the above embodiment, but a shaft member may be attached to a single vertical wall in a cantilevered manner. For example, the outer diameter of one end of the shaft member may be slightly smaller than the support hole, and the outer diameter of the other end may be larger than the support hole, the one end may be inserted into the support hole to rotatably attach the shaft member to the support column, and a slit may be provided in the one end to allow a support plate to pass through.

[0041] (3) In the above embodiment, the support column 10, shaft member 50, and support plate 30 are all made of steel, but are not particularly limited. Any material that has the required strength and rigidity for each member and can generate surface friction force suitable for rotation and rotation may be used, for example, made of resin.

[0042] (4) In the above embodiment, when no load is applied by the workpiece W, the support plate 30 is described as rotating in a direction that lowers the base edge 35T due to its own weight, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The base edge of the support plate may be configured to be lowered by adding a weight at an appropriate position, or by using a spring or motor, or by using air pressure, hydraulics or electromagnetics.

[0043] (5) The transport pallet may be equipped with a handle, and may be moved by a motor equipped with a battery, etc., or move on rails while being powered, or move by optical automatic driving, etc. Furthermore, the plate-shaped workpiece is not limited to automobile front panels, and this technology can be applied to a support plate rotation mechanism that supports objects of various shapes, thicknesses and weights.

[0044] Preferred embodiments of the support plate rotation mechanism according to this disclosure have been described above, but these are illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1… Transport pallet 100...Support plate rotation mechanism 10…post 13…Side wall 13H…Post hole 15…Connecting wall 15A…Aperture 15AD...Lower opening 30...Support plate 30-1…Lower support plate 30-2…Upper support plate 33... Insertion part 33S…support surface 33H…Screw hole 33T… Insertion edge 34... Insertion restriction section 35...Base 35B1...1st bending part 35B2…Second bending part 35T…Proximal edge 50...Shaft member 50-1…Lower shaft member 50-2…Upper shaft member 50L... Slit 70...bis W...work X...axis of rotation

Claims

1. A support plate rotation mechanism (100) for rotating a support plate (30) that supports a plate-shaped workpiece (W) in a transport pallet (1) or transport magazine, A support column (10) erected on the transport pallet (1) or transport magazine, A cylindrical shaft member (50) is attached to the support column (10) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (X) along the longitudinal axis of the shaft member (50), A support plate (30) capable of supporting a plate-shaped workpiece (W) on one of its plate surfaces, the support plate (33S), is inserted into the shaft member (50) via a slit (50L) provided on the circumferential surface of the shaft member (50) along the rotation axis (X), and is held by the shaft member (50) so as to rotate integrally with the shaft member (50) while penetrating the shaft member (50). A support plate rotation mechanism (100) is provided.

2. The support plate rotation mechanism (100) according to claim 1, wherein the shaft member (50) is a hollow tubular member.

3. The support column (10) includes a pair of side walls (13, 13) erected on the transport pallet (1) or transport magazine so as to face each other at a predetermined distance apart. The shaft member (50) is rotatably suspended between the pair of side walls (13, 13), The support plate (30) is rotatably held between the pair of side walls (13, 13) by the shaft member (50). The support plate rotation mechanism (100) according to claim 2.

4. The shaft member (50) includes at least a lower shaft member (50-1) positioned below it and an upper shaft member (50-2) positioned above the lower shaft member (50-1), The support plate (30) includes at least a lower support plate (30-1) held by the lower shaft member (50-1) and an upper support plate (30-2) held by the upper shaft member (50-2), The upper support plate (30-2) is rotatably held between a support position for supporting the workpiece (W), a retracted position that allows the workpiece (W) to pass, and a standby position located between the support position and the retracted position. The lower support plate (30-1) is held so as to be rotatable at least between the support position and the standby position. When the workpiece (W) is not supported by either the upper support plate (30-2) or the lower support plate (30-1), the upper support plate (30-2) is in the retracted position and the lower support plate (30-1) is in the standby position. When the workpiece (W) inserted from above passes near the upper support plate (30-2) in the retracted position and is supported by the lower support plate (30-1) in the standby position, the lower support plate (30-1) rotates from the standby position to the support position and comes into contact with the upper support plate (30-2), causing the upper support plate (30-2) to rotate from the retracted position to the standby position. When the workpiece (W) is unloaded from the lower support plate (30-1) in the support position, the lower support plate (30-1) rotates from the support position to the standby position, releasing contact between the upper support plate (30-2) and the lower support plate (30-1), thereby causing the upper support plate (30-2) to rotate from the standby position to the retracted position. A support plate rotation mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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