Pallet conveying apparatus, component mounter, pallet conveying method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11358802-B2
Application number	US-201917311937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2019
Priority date	Feb 1, 2019
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

The turntable turnable about the table turning axis and the turning hooks mounted on the turntable turnably about the hook turning axes separated from the table turning axis are provided. By transmitting the turning of the turntable to the turning hooks, the pallet is conveyed by the engaging rollers provided on the turning hooks. Particularly, the turning hooks displace the engaging rollers in the pull-out direction by turning about the hook turning axes with respect to the turntable in the direction opposite to the turning direction of the turntable while turning about the table turning axis together with the turntable. Thus, the engaging rollers move along paths relatively close to straight lines. In this way, the pallet can be conveyed while the engaging rollers engaged with the pallet are moved along the paths close to the straight lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pallet conveying apparatus, comprising:
a base;
a main rotary body mounted on the base turnably about a main turning axis;
a driver configured to turn the main rotary body about the main turning axis with respect to the base;
an auxiliary rotary body mounted on the main rotary body turnably about an auxiliary turning axis parallel to the main turning axis and separated from the main turning axis, the auxiliary rotary body including an engaging member engageable with a pallet having components placed thereon at a position separated from the auxiliary turning axis; and
a turning transmitter configured to turn the auxiliary rotary body with respect to the main rotary body in a direction opposite to a turning direction of the main rotary body by transmitting the turning of the main turning body with respect to the base to the auxiliary rotary body,
wherein:
if the main rotary body turns about the main turning axis, the auxiliary rotary body displaces the engaging member in a conveying direction orthogonal to the main turning axis to convey the pallet engaged with the engaging member in the conveying direction by turning about the auxiliary turning axis with respect to the main rotary body in the direction opposite to the turning direction of the main rotary body while turning about the main turning axis with respect to the base together with the main rotary body.

2. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the turning transmitter is configured to turn the auxiliary rotary body about the auxiliary turning axis with respect to the main rotary body at an angle twice the turning angle of the main rotary body about the main turning axis with respect to the base.

3. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 which pulls out the pallet from a pallet storage storing the pallet, wherein:
the engaging member of the auxiliary rotary body moves to a position to be engaged with the pallet stored in the pallet storage by turning about the main turning axis with respect to the base together with the main rotary body from a state separated from the pallet stored in the pallet storage, and
the turning transmitter restricts the turning of the auxiliary rotary body with respect to the main rotary body by cutting off the transmission of the turning of the main rotary body with respect to the base to the auxiliary rotary body until the engaging member is engaged with the pallet stored in the pallet storage, and starts the transmission of the turning of the main rotary body with respect to the base to the auxiliary rotary body to turn the auxiliary rotary body with respect to the main rotary body if the engaging member is engaged with the pallet stored in the pallet storage.

4. The pallet conveying apparatus according claim 1 , wherein the engaging member is a roller turnable about a roller axis parallel to the main turning axis.

5. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, wherein the auxiliary rotary body includes an arm configured to turn about the auxiliary turning axis and the engaging member is provided on an end part of the arm opposite to the auxiliary turning axis.

6. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
two auxiliary rotary bodies are mounted on the main rotary body; and
the pallet conveying apparatus further comprises an engagement switcher configured to switch a state where the engaging member of one auxiliary rotary body of the two auxiliary rotary bodies is selectively engaged with the pallet and a state where the engaging member of other auxiliary rotary body is selectively engaged with the pallet.

7. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the engagement switcher retracts the other auxiliary rotary body from a conveyance path of the pallet in a state where the engaging member of the one auxiliary rotary body is engaged with the pallet and retracts the one auxiliary rotary body from the conveyance path in a state where the engaging member of the other auxiliary rotary body is engaged with the pallet.

8. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the engagement switcher includes a swing member with one end part having the one auxiliary rotary body mounted thereon and other end part having the other auxiliary rotary body mounted thereon and a support member configured to swingably supports the swing member between the one end part and the other end part, and switch the auxiliary rotary body to be engaged with the pallet between the one auxiliary rotary body and the other auxiliary rotary body by swinging the swing member.

9. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 6 which pulls out the pallet in a pull-out direction parallel to the conveying direction from a pallet storage storing the pallet toward a component supply position by way of a relay position, wherein:
the pallet includes a front engagement part and a rear engagement part provided upstream of the front engagement part in the pull-out direction,
the pallet conveying apparatus successively performs:
an operation of engaging the engaging member of the one auxiliary rotary body with the front engagement part of the pallet stored in the pallet storage in a state where the engaging member of the one auxiliary rotary body is located upstream of the engaging member of the other auxiliary rotary body in the pull-out direction;
an operation of pulling the pallet engaged with the engaging member of the one auxiliary rotary body in the pull-out direction to convey the pallet to the relay position and locating the engaging member of the other auxiliary rotary body upstream of the rear engagement part of the pallet located at the relay position in the pull-out direction by turning the main rotary body about the main turning axis in a first direction until the engaging member of the one auxiliary rotary body moves at least to a side downstream of the engaging member of the other auxiliary rotary body in the pull-out direction;
an operation of engaging the engaging member of the other auxiliary rotary body with the rear engagement part of the pallet conveyed to the relay position; and
an operation of pushing the pallet engaged with the engaging member of the other auxiliary rotary body in the pull-out direction to convey the pallet to the component supply position by turning the main rotary body about the main turning axis in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

10. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein a passage path of the one auxiliary rotary body and a passage path of the other auxiliary rotary body do not overlap through each operation in a plan view from a direction parallel to the main turning axis.

11. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary turning axis of the one auxiliary rotary body and the auxiliary turning axis of the other auxiliary rotary body are point-symmetrically arranged with respect to the main rotary axis in a plan view from a direction parallel to the main turning axis.

12. A component mounter, comprising:
a pallet storage configured to store a pallet having components placed thereon;
the pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
a mounting head configured to mount the component placed on the pallet conveyed from the pallet storage to a component supply position by the pallet conveying apparatus on a board.

13. The pallet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 which pulls out the pallet from a pallet storage storing the pallet, wherein:
the engaging member of the auxiliary rotary body moves to a position to be engaged with the pallet stored in the

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kishida Akira

Classifications

• B65G2201/0267

  Pallets · CPC title

• B23Q7/02

  by means of drums or rotating tables or discs · CPC title

• B65G47/80

  Turntables carrying articles or materials to be transferred, e.g. combined with ploughs or scrapers · CPC title

• H05K13/02 Primary

  Feeding of components · CPC title

• B65G29/00 Primary

  Rotary conveyors, e.g. rotating discs, arms, star-wheels or cones (mechanical projectors B65G31/00; screw or rotary spiral conveyors B65G33/00) · CPC title