Automatic article feeding system

• US 4,932,828 A
• Filed: 02/03/1989
• Issued: 06/12/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Azuma, Yusaku, Katae, Yoshinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Frank E.
• Application Number:
  US07/306,260
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 414/273, 414/274, 414/275, 414/276, 414/277, 414/278, 414/279, 414/280, 414/281, 414/282, 414/283, 414/284, 414/285, 414/286, 414/331, 414/416, 414/417, 414/799, 414/661 , 414/797.8, 414/797.5, 364/478
• US Class Current: 414/286
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/001 Article feeders for assembling machines screws or nuts being carried by a disposable strip or disc B25B23/045
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/10 by means of magazines
• 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: B65G 1/0435 with pulling or pushing means on either stacking crane or stacking area

Abstract

An automatic article feeding system which includes a conveyor for conveying pallets each of which contains an article or articles such as parts to be assembled and has a mark indicating the kind of article or articles contained therein, having a feeder for feeding each of the conveyed pallets into one of the shelves of the stocker according to empty shelf information supplied by an information processing unit; a memory for storing the address of the shelf in which the pallet has been stocked and further storing information of the kinds of articles on the pallet; a searcher for searching the memory according to the instruction received from the automatic assembling machine to detect the existence or non-existence of the article required by the automatic assembling machine and, if in existence, detect the address of the shelf in which the required article is stocked; a system for withdrawing the pallet from the stocker according to such detection; a feeder for feeding the pallet to a position for supplying the article contained therein to the automatic assembling machine; a device for returning the pallet, after supplying the article to the automatic assembling machine, to the original shelf of the stocker; a storer for storing the number of the articles retained in the stocker and the existence or non-existence of articles after supplying the article into the memory through the information processing unit; a displayer for displaying the number and the existence or non-existence of articles; and a discharger for discharging an empty pallet, from which all of the articles have been completely supplied to the automatic assembling machine, from the stocker and feeding a new pallet containing articles to the stocker.

Claims

1. An article storing apparatus for supplying articles to an automatic assembling machine, comprising:

pallets for containing the articles therein;

stockers for housing said pallets in a stacked directly atop each other relationship, said stockers including a plurality of stages and a plurality of columns, wherein each one of said stages has an inlet for receiving a pallet, and an outlet through which said pallet exits toward the automatic assembly machine;

means for separating a predetermined number of pallets from said stack of pallets, said separating means including a base for receiving the stacked pallets, means for securing a plurality of stacked pallets and leaving said predetermined number of pallets on said base, means for moving said pallets held by said securing means in a vertical direction, and means for horizontally transferring said predetermined number of pallets remaining on said base;

shifting means for moving said predetermined number of pallets in a horizontal direction to a position corresponding to a predetermined column of the stocking portions of said stockers;

first transferring means for transferring said pallets from said inlet of said stocker stage to within said stockers;

second transferring means for pulling said pallets in said stockers to the exits of said stages for supplying the articles to the automatic assemblying machine;

memory means for memorizing whether said pallets are within each stage and the number of articles within said pallets; and

information processing means for detecting an operating state of said separating means, shifting means, first and second transferring means and memory means, and controlling an operation of each said means, for supplying the articles within said pallets to the automatic assemblying machine according to an assembling order of the automatic assembling machine, and for transmitting the number of articles remaining within said pallets to said memory means.

2. An automatic article feeding system according to claim 1, in which said separating means further includes:

means for detecting the position of the pallet retained on the base,

said holding means being actuated by a signal produced by said detecting means.

3. An automatic article feeding system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for arresting the pallet on said base;

said arresting means including a stopper for arresting the bottom pallet of the stack on said base; and

means for driving said stopper,

said driving means being actuated by an instruction received from said information processing means.

4. An automatic article feeding system according to claim 1, in which said transferring means includes:

a plate movable on said table;

means for driving said plate;

means held on said plate for arresting the pallet to said plate; and

means for actuating said arresting means.

5. A device for stocking articles comprising:

a stocker having stocking portions for stocking a plurality of pallets stacked directly atop each other for containing at least one article;

means for separating a predetermined number of pallets from the stack of pallets;

pallet detecting means for detecting whether there is a pallet on said separating means and issuing a detecting signal;

an elevator arranged adjacent said stocker to move the pallets received from the separating means;

means for identifying the kind of article in the pallet and issuing an identifying signal;

memory means for storing the kinds of articles stocked in said stocker; and

information processing means for controlling rewriting of the stored information of said memory means according to the idenfifying signal, and for receiving the detecting signal from said pallet detecting means and searching for and then transferring the pallet to an empty storing portion of the stocker.