Automatic work exchanging apparatus

• US 4,566,837 A
• Filed: 10/12/1984
• Issued: 01/28/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Kawagoe, Takashi, Shiomi, Tadataka, Nabika, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Underwood, Donald W.
• Application Number:
  US06/660,542
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 414/523, 414/495, 414/401, 414/353, 414/351, 414/347, 414/222, 414/584, 414/528, 198/339, 198/472, 198/458, 198/614, 269/13, 269/14, 269/58, 269/61, 269/71, 187/8.59, 187/95, 180/168, 104/162, 104/48
• US Class Current: 414/222.05
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 41/02 Features relating to transfer of work between machines arrangements for handling work for machine tools coordinated in production lines B23Q7/14
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/1426 with work holders not rigidly fixed to the transport devices B23Q7/005, B23Q7/035 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/1431 Work holder changers B23Q7/1442 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0485 Check-in, check-out devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An automatic work exchanging apparatus for transferring works between a transport truck running in front of plural machine tools and the plural machine tools. The automatic work exchanging apparatus is made to run along the row of the machine tools, and a working face of the apparatus is made vertically movable so that the working face is adjustable according to the height of the table of each machine tool.

Claims

1. An automatic work exchanging apparatus for transferring palletized workpieces between a transport truck, automatically conveying a palletized workpiece from a remote location to a position in front of a selectable one of a plurality of machine tools, and said machine tool, comprising:

a transfer truck laterally displacable along a set of rails in front of the machine tool, said transfer truck being positioned between and adjacent to said machine tool and said transport truck in response to an external command;

a generally rectangular platform vertically movable along supports positioned at the four corners and at the center of each of the longer sides of said platform, said rectangle being so oriented as to have the longer sides parallel with the direction of displacement of the transfer truck;

a pair of pistons, vertically disposed between said transfer truck and said platform, cooperatively operable to cause said vertical motion of said platform so as to maintain said platform in a substantially horizontal orientation; and

at least one pallet displacing device, positioned on and affixed to said platform;

wherein each said pallet displacing device further comprises;

a slidable member;

guide rails disposed on the platform for guiding said slidable member;

guide rollers supporting the slidable member enabling said slidable member to be moved in a direction perpendicular to the extent of the rails on which the transfer truck travels;

two pinions, one supported at each end of the slidable member, each of said pinions being capable of engaging a rack on a pallet carrying said workpiece;

switch means for detecting the position of the slidable member; and

a driving device for operating the slidable member, said driving device having a second rack provided on a lower face of the slidable member and a third pinion driven by a motor mounted on the platform, said third pinion being engaged with the second rack, said one of the two pinions supported on said slidable member closer the transport truck being driven by a motor on the slidable member through sprockets and a first chain, and the other of the two pinions, supported on said slidable member closer to the machine tool, being driven by a second chain provided between a further sprocket coaxial with the former pinion and another sprocket so that said pinions are rotated in a same direction with an identical speed.