Pickup arm of transfer device

Abstract

The present invention reduces the size and weight of a pickup arm associated with movements such as expansion and contraction in a transfer device, and enhances morphological stability.　This pickup arm 11 is provided on a moving body 21 in a transfer device for picking up a part obtained by cutting processing a sheet material and transferring the part to the next step, and comprises a telescopic arm part 51 capable of changing the length thereof, and a suction hand part 52 on the tip lower surface of the telescopic arm part. The telescopic arm part 51 is constituted of a plurality of links 56 that overlap vertically, and a motor 59 for expansion and contraction that is connected to a base end link 56a of the uppermost stage among the links to perform expansion and contraction. The base end link 56a is fixed to the upper end part of a lifting / lowering member 53 that can be lifted and lowered on the moving body 21. A base part of a telescopic tube 76 composed of a telescopic part constituting a portion of an air suction passage 18 extending from the pump to the suction hand part 52 is fixed below the base end link 56a in the lifting / lowering member 53, and a tip link 56b of the lowermost stage in the telescopic arm part 51 is held by the telescopic tube 76.

Description

Pick-up arm of the transfer device

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

[0002] If the work of picking up parts such as sewing materials cut by a cutting device and transferring them to the next process is not done accurately and reliably, it will hinder subsequent work, resulting in inconveniences such as the production of defective products and work delays. For this reason, the applicant proposed a transfer device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, which reliably picks up parts of various shapes and transfers them efficiently.

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

[0004] The telescopic arm section of the pickup arm has a multi-stage sliding structure with multiple movable arm sections stacked one on top of the other, and a motor, which is the drive source for telescoping, is connected to the lowest movable arm section. In other words, when the motor is driven, all of the movable arm sections above the lowest movable arm section slide in unison via a transmission mechanism provided in the movable arm section, thereby telescoping the telescopic arm section.

[0005] The telescopic arm is fixed in its vertical position relative to the moving body, and the vertical movement required for pickup is handled by the suction hand at its tip. In other words, the uppermost movable arm of the telescopic arm is maintained at a predetermined height that allows for pickup and release without getting too close to the top surface of the table on which the part is placed, and the suction hand is attached to the lower end of the vertically extending elevator tube. For this reason, the air suction path connecting the suction hand to the negative pressure source, on the suction hand side, is made up of a flexible tube, one end of which is connected downward to the upper end of the elevator tube.

[0006] As described above, the pickup arm needs to be installed at a relatively high position, and the elevator pipe and the tube extend above that position, which means that the part of the transfer device where the pickup arm is located has to be large and high.

[0007] Furthermore, because the lifting pipe and tube are attached to the tip of the horizontally extending telescopic arm, the pickup arm tends to lack structural stability and compactness. Therefore, in order to ensure stable operation of the pickup arm, the telescopic arm and suction hand must be strong, but increasing the thickness of the components to ensure rigidity also increases the weight. This is disadvantageous for a transfer device that requires smooth, precise operation.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-91709

[0009] The main object of this invention is to reduce the size and weight of the pickup arm of the transfer device and to increase the dimensional stability of the pickup arm.

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

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

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

[0013] According to this invention, the telescopic arm unit is configured to link the upper link to the lower link, and since the telescopic arm unit is provided on the lifting member, there is no need to install the telescopic arm unit at a high position. Furthermore, there is no need to provide a lifting mechanism for the suction hand unit at the tip of the telescopic arm unit. This allows the part of the transfer device where the pickup arm is located to be made smaller and lower in height.

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

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

[0016] As a result, the pickup arm can be operated more accurately and smoothly.

[0017] Furthermore, conventional telescopic arms are configured so that the lowermost movable arm is used as a reference and the upper movable arms slide, making it difficult to change the stroke by changing the number of stages. In other words, because the suction hand at the tip needs to be raised and lowered, increasing or decreasing the number of movable arms from a previously designed design changes the height of the uppermost movable arm. This requires changing the lift stroke of the suction hand, which requires significant modifications, such as changing the elevator pipe. In contrast, the present invention is configured to perform pickup by raising and lowering the telescopic arm, eliminating the impact that changing the height of the telescopic arm itself, i.e., changing the number of links used, has on the pickup operation. Therefore, changing the stroke by increasing or decreasing the number of links as needed can be easily achieved with minimal effort.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a main part; FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a transfer device; FIG. 3 is a front view of a pickup of a juxtaposed movable body as seen from the tip side; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the operation of an extendable arm unit and a suction hand unit; FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a support unit that holds an extendable tube and its support structure; and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the operation of the suction hand unit.

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

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

[0021] In Figure 2, parts 13 are depicted as being transported in a straight line from left to right. A front-stage mounting table 14 on the left side of the drawing is where parts 13 are placed after cutting. This may be a section where parts 13 cut by a cutting device (not shown) are moved on a conveyor without being disassembled and left waiting, or it may be a cutting table where cutting actually takes place. The section containing front-stage mounting table 14 is referred to as a front-end process section 15. In the cutting device, the sheet material is cut based on the input graphic data.

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

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

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

[0025] A plurality of the moving bodies 21, specifically two on each side, are arranged on both sides of a linear transfer line connecting the upstream process section 15 and the collecting process section 17. Rail sections 22 are provided on both sides of the linear transfer line in a direction perpendicular to the transfer line, and the moving bodies 21 are arranged side by side on each rail section 22. The length of the rail sections 22 is longer than the length connecting the upstream stage table 14 and the downstream stage table 16, and a waiting section 23 is provided on the rail sections 22 on the upstream side of the upstream stage table 14. The waiting section 23 is a section where the moving bodies 21 wait before being put into operation. Two circular movement belts 24, 25 are stretched on the rail sections 22, and each is connected to a movement motor 26 that rotates forward and backward. The two belts 24, 25 are provided corresponding to the moving bodies 21 and are arranged side by side at a fixed interval, on the inside close to the upstream stage table 14 and the downstream stage table 16 and on the outside away from them. The movement motor 26 is composed of a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0034] The tip link 56b has a hollow box-like shape with a tip end 56e that is taller than the other links 56, and a base end 56f behind the tip end 56e that is rectangular and cylindrical with an opening on the lower surface. The tip end 56e of the tip link 56b is tall to accommodate a rotation mechanism 65 that rotates the attached suction hand unit 52. The rotation mechanism 65 rotates the suction hand unit 52 horizontally 360 degrees and includes a motor 66, a belt 67 that rotates the motor, and a cylindrical body 68 around which the belt 67 is stretched and rotates horizontally. The motor 66 and the cylindrical body 68 are supported by support plates 69 and 71 that are horizontally fixed within the tip end 56e, respectively, with a space between the support plates 69 and 71. The interior of the cylindrical body 68 is an air passage, and its lower end is connected to the upper surface of one end of the suction hand unit 52. The suction hand unit 52 is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped box.

[0035] A cylindrical suction port 72 is provided at the other end of the underside of the suction hand unit 52, and an opening / closing shutter 73 for opening and closing the suction port 72 is provided at the upper opening of the suction port 72 inside the suction hand unit 52. The opening / closing shutter 73 is driven by an opening / closing shutter actuator 74, which may be, for example, a solenoid. One suction port 72 is provided, and is sized to be suitable for suctioning the part 13. A necessary member such as a rubber suction pad 75 is provided at the tip of the suction port 72. Two or more suction ports 72 may be provided instead of one. The shape, size, arrangement, and other aspects of the suction port 72 are determined depending on the part 13.

[0036] The horizontal length of the suction hand unit 52 is preferably made longer because it can expand the range of suction possible in cooperation with the extension and contraction of the telescopic arm unit 51. In the illustrated example, it is formed to have approximately the same length as the tip end 56e of the tip link 56b (see FIGS. 1 and 4).

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

[0038] The base of a telescopic telescopic tube 76 is fixed to the lower part of the lifting member 53, below the base link 56a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a hollow, cubic support part 77 is provided above the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53, and the base of the telescopic tube 76 is fixed to the side of this support part 77. As shown in FIG. 5, the support part 77 has a cylindrical part 77a at the center of its underside, which penetrates the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53 and extends downward by an appropriate distance to form part of the air suction passage 18. The support part 77 is supported at a predetermined height shorter than the length of the cylindrical part 77a. The height of the support part 77, i.e., the height at which the telescopic tube 76 is fixed, is the same as the height of the tip link 56b. The space between the cylindrical part 77a and the lower end plate 53b is also airtight. In FIG. 5, 77b denotes a cover member, and 77c and 77d denote sealing materials.

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

[0040] The support part 77 that holds the telescopic tube 76 is supported by a support structure 78 whose height can be adjusted. This support structure 78 is composed of a cylindrical part 77a on the underside of the support part 77 and support legs 79 arranged around the cylindrical part 77a. The support legs 79 maintain a predetermined distance from the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53, and as shown in FIG. 5, can be composed of bolts 79a that extend from the support part 77 and screw into the lower end plate 53b, and spacers 79b that fit over the bolts 79a. Because the cylindrical parts 77a of the support part 77 are held by the lower end plate 53b, the support legs 79 do not need to have excessive load-bearing capacity, and can be made relatively thin, and the number of support legs can also be reduced.

[0041] In addition to the support legs 79, there are provided receiving portions 81 that receive the base end portion (root portion) of the held telescopic tube 76. The receiving portion 81 is provided on the upper surface of the front-to-rear tip side of the lower end plate 53b of the lifting member 53, and is composed of a receiving bracket 82 fixed to the lower end plate 53b and a block-shaped receiving member 83 that is detachably attached to the receiving bracket 82. Just as the height of the support portion 77 can be changed by changing the bolts 79a and spacers 79b that make up the support legs 79 to ones of different lengths, the receiving portion 81 can adjust the support height of the telescopic tube 76 by changing the receiving member 83 to one of different heights. To enable such flexible adjustment, it is preferable to configure the telescopic tube 76 with a long stroke.

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

[0043] The support column 54 that holds the lifting member 53 so that it can move up and down is formed at the rear end of the movable body 21 in the front-to-rear direction, and the holding frame 31 that mounts the pump 32 is provided in the middle of the movable body 21 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, an air vent path 86 that changes the air suction path 18 in the front-to-rear direction is formed on the top plate 28 of the movable body 21, as shown in Figure 1. The air vent path 86 has a thin, flat shape with a flat upper surface and is rigid. A hose 87 connects the top plate 28 and the pump 32.

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

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

[0046] In the initial state before the start of the transfer operation, the suction hand portion 52 of the pickup arm 11 is preferably positioned so that the suction port 72 faces rearward in the front-to-rear direction and overlaps the bottom of the tip link 56b, as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 5. This is because the length of the pickup arm 11 before extension can be made as short as possible.

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

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

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

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

[0051] In other words, the telescopic arm section 51 of the pickup arm 11 is configured to move from top to bottom, from the top base link 56a to the bottom tip link 56b, so the load to be supported can be reduced compared to when the links are extended and retracted while being supported from below. This allows the links to be made relatively small, thin, and lightweight. Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the links can be made longer relative to their height, allowing for a longer stroke.

[0052] Since the pickup arm 11 is mounted on the lifting member 53 and moves up and down as needed for picking up and releasing, there is no need to keep the extendable arm portion 51 of the pickup arm 11 held up at a high position at all times. Moreover, there is no need to provide a lifting mechanism for the suction hand portion 52 at the tip of the extendable arm portion 51, so the portion of the transfer device 12 where the pickup arm 11 is located can be made smaller and lighter, its height lowered, and its configuration stabilized.

[0053] Furthermore, an extendable tube 76 is fixed to the lifting member 53, and the tip of the extendable tube 76 holds the tip link 56b of the extendable arm section 51, so that the posture of the extendable arm section 51 and the suction hand section 52, which are accompanied by movement, can be stabilized.

[0054] Such a reduction in size and weight and a stabilization of the shape allow for smoother and more accurate movement of the moving body 21 and the extendable arm portion 51.

[0055] The telescopic tube 76 that provides shape stability is the same as that for the air suction path 18, so there is no need to provide it as a separate component, which also contributes to making the pickup arm 11 smaller and lighter, and allows the pickup arm 11 to have a more compact shape.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0062] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11...Pickup arm 12...Transfer device 13...Part 18...Air suction path 21...Moving body 32...Pump 51...Extendable arm section 52...Suction hand section 53...Lifting member 56...Link 56a...Base end link 56b...Tip end link 59...Extendable motor 65...Rotation mechanism 76...Extendable tube 78...Support structure section 85...Belloid tube

Claims

1. A pickup arm for a transfer device which is provided on a moving body of a transfer device which picks up parts obtained in a cutting process of sheet material and transfers them to the next process, the pickup arm comprising an extendable arm section whose length can be changed, and a suction hand section which is provided at the tip of the extendable arm section and is connected to a negative pressure source which generates a suction force, the extendable arm section having a plurality of links stacked one on top of the other, and an actuator for extension and contraction which is connected to the topmost base link of the links and moves the other links in the longitudinal direction, the base link is fixed to the upper end of a lifting member which is provided on the moving body and can be raised and lowered, a base of a telescopic tube which forms part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source is fixed below the base link of the lifting member, and the tip of the telescopic tube holds the bottommost tip link of the links of the extendable arm section.

2. A pickup arm for a transfer device as described in claim 1, wherein the tip link and the suction hand section beyond the telescopic tube are made airtight, and the inside of the tip link and the suction hand section are made part of the air suction path connected to the negative pressure source.

3. A pick-up arm for a transfer device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a bellows tube extending in the vertical direction and capable of expanding and contracting is provided between the lifting member and the upper surface of the movable body, the bellows tube and its connection portion are made airtight, and the inside of the bellows tube is made part of an air suction path connected to the negative pressure source.

4. A pickup arm for a transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotation mechanism for rotating the suction hand portion horizontally 360 degrees is provided within the tip link.

5. A pickup arm for a transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support portion for holding the telescopic tube is provided with a support structure portion whose height can be changed.

6. A transfer device equipped with a pickup arm according to claim 1 or 2.

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