Mobile rest equipment for a workpiece with variable distance support arms for automatic production lines

Abstract: A mobile rest equipment for automatic production lines, hereinafter referred to as pallet, comprising a base (1) on which a fastening bar (5) is mounted on which support arms are engaged for a workpiece (16). The arms (13) allow a movement on a transversal plane with respect to the axis of fastening bar (5) between a first and a second position, in particular a rotation movement. In the first position, the arms are able to either translate along the fastening bar or be moved away from it in a transversal direction, in the second position the support arms auto-lock onto the fastening bar through resilient means (21). The pallet has therefore variable distance support arms which are able to auto-lock onto the fastening bar and are easy to be unclamped by it without requiring neither separate locking/unlocking devices, nor, consequently, adjustment means able to interact with said devices. The pallet can be adjusted with no modifications to operate both on a line with a station of automatic adjustment and on a line with a station of manual adjustment.

Description: The present invention relates to a piece of equipment for automatic production lines and, more precisely, it relates to a mobile rest equipment for automatic production lines comprising the features of the preamble of claim 1 (see EP-A-447 805). Description of the prior art There are automatic production lines in which the workpieces are arranged on mobile rest equipment, known in the art as pallets and hereinafter referred to as such, which support them and carry them through one or more workstations. More precisely, each pallet positioned in an entry station to receive a workpiece proceeds on a conveyor which makes it selectively advance through the workstations. In every station, if that is the case, the workpiece will be offered to a machine which collects it from the pallet, works on it and places it again on the pallet, which then restarts moving. During the manufacturing time in one station, the pallet can either continue to rest on the conveyor below, for instance of the belt type, kept locked in a frictional contact with the belt itself, or can be either lifted or removed from the conveyor, for instance taken to a waiting station. At the end of the manufacturing phase, the pallet is either emptied or re-positioned on the conveyor so as to be able to proceed to the next workstation. Alternatively, the workpieces can be worked on directly on their pallet while this is kept still on the conveyor or, as before, either lifted or removed from it. There are production lines of the rigid type, namely, they are prepared to receive either only workpieces of the same size or groups of workpieces of substantially similar sizes. In this case, when the line is started, the pallets are prepared to receive such workpieces and are not modified until that manufacturing campaign is completed. When it is necessary to substantially vary the workpieces' sizes, the line is shut down and both pallets and machines are prepared to receive the new workpieces. On the contrary, when the machines provided for in the different workstations are of the flexible type, namely, they can be adjusted in a short time to receive workpieces of different sizes, consequently, the pallets must be regulated accordingly in real time shortly before receiving each workpiece. There are manually regulable pallets, namely comprising supports which can be moved at will and locked in a precise position to receive the workpieces. A traditional manually regulable pallet requires the release of the supports, for instance through screw links, so that they can be translated to the new position in which they are then locked to firmly carry the workpieces. This operation can be carried out while the pallet proceeds on the line awaiting to receive a new workpiece, for example removing it and re-positioning it soon after the adjustment. Alternatively, in the case of manufacture of sets of workpieces of a similar dimension, while a first set of workpieces taken by a first group of pallets is being worked on, a second group of pallets can be prepared which completely replaces the first group, just when the workpieces belonging to the second set are to be put on the line to be worked on. However, the shift from the first to the second set of workpieces leads to some disadvantages, among which the main ones are either a significant slackening or a shut-down of the production, the increase of the costs due to the need of more sets of pallets, errors in the pallets' position on the line when they must be positioned in a particular order. Pallets with automatically adjustable supports are already known. For instance, in EP 348715, a pallet is described for the manufacture of armatures for electrical motors provided with a pair of V-shaped supports which receive the ends of the armature's shaft. The V-shaped supports are installed through prismatic coupling on guides integral with the pallet. Means, such as endless screws, automatically operated in different ways to a station of adjustment, are provided for to shift the supports along the guides. Locking devices keep the supports still with respect to the guides until, in the station of adjustment, they are released unclamping the supports and allowing them to be translated along the guides by motorised means which move them to the new position. In all the different embodiments described, however, the pallet is complex and heavy to build and requires as complex adjustment means. In IT 5107/A/89, a similar pallet is described having variable distance supports along with the respective adjustment means. The supports have the form of a plate with a V-shaped housing and are installed on a pair of parallel guides on which they can slide, approaching or moving away from each other when they are not kept still by locking devices. A adjustment equipment offers a pair of horizontally and vertically transferable heads, suitable to release the locking devices and at the same time to arrange the supports in the new position. Finally, in EP 447805, a pallet is described with a simpler structure having substantially the form of a frame bounding a central aperture. On the frame, a T-shaped guide is installed with which sliding support arms having a V-shaped end to receive the workpiece to be worked on engage. Locking devices are provided for, which resiliently push the support arms with a friction against the T-shaped guide and which can be automatically unclamped to let the arms slide on the guide, operated by translating adjustment heads. The currently known automatically regulable pallets described hereinabove cannot be easily adjusted to a manual adjustment to be carried out very quickly by an operator. In fact, in the case of small to medium size manufacture lines, it is not necessary to arrange a station of automatic adjustment of the distance between the supports. However, the traditional automatic adjustment pallets mentioned hereinabove would lead to an excessive slackening of the manufacturing process, in the case of small to medium size lines with high flexibility and production rate. Furthermore, the currently known automatically regulable pallets described hereinabove require locking devices of the supports' sliding movement. Consequently, they require means to regulate the supports' position which must also be able to unclamp the supports from the locking devices before moving them. This involves a complexity in building both the pallet and the automatic adjustment means. Summary of the invention On the contrary, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile work rest equipment for automatic manufacture lines, hereinafter referred to as pallet, having variable distance support arms able to auto-lock onto it and easy to unclamp themselves without requiring neither separate locking/unlocking devices, nor, consequently, adjustment means able to interact with said devices. It is another object of the present invention to provide a pallet able to be adjusted with no modifications to operate both on a line with a station of automatic adjustment and on a line with a station of manual adjustment. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet having support members which can be easily changed by support members having different shape and size, both manually and automatically. These and other objects are attained by the mobile rest equipment comprising the features of claim 1. Such equipment comprises a base on which a fastening bar having a longitudinal axis is mounted, with said fastening bar engaging support arms for a workpiece, said arms allowing a movement on a transversal plane with respect to said fastening bar's axis between a first and a second position, in the first position said support arms being able to either be located in different positions with respect to said fastening bar or be moved away from it in a direction transversal to said axis, in the second position said support arms auto-locking to said fastening bar. Preferably, the arms' movement on the plane transversal to the fastening bar is a rotation with respect to the fastening bar's axis between a first and a second angular position. Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the equipment according to the present invention will be made clearer in the description which follows of one of its possible embodiments, given as an example, but not limitative, with reference to the above-mentioned drawings, in which: figures 1 and 2 are respectively transversal and top plan views of a pallet according to the invention; figures 3 and 4 are respectively top plan and transversal views of the base of the pallet of figure 1; figure 5 is a top plan view of a fastening bar able to engage with the base of figure 3; figures 6 and 7 are enlarged transversal views respectively according to arrows VI-VI and VII-VII of the fastening bar of figure 5; figure 8 is a longitudinal view of a support arm of the pallet of figures 1 and 2; figure 9 in a perspective view of the fastening bar of figures 5, 6 and 7 and of the support arms of figure 8; figures 10, 11 and 12 are a sectional view of three consecutive phases of the engagement between the support arm and the fastening bar of figure 9; figure 13 is a unique perspective view of the three engagement/disengagement phases between the support arm and the fastening bar of figure 9; figures 14 and 15 are respectively transversal and top plan views of a different embodiment of the pallet shown in figures 1 and 2. Description of the preferred embodiment With reference to figures 1 and 2, a mobile work rest equipment for automatic manufacture lines, hereinafter referred to as pallet, comprises a rigid base 1 having a substantially rectangular form, made of a light material, for instance resin, strengthened by a metal plate 2, having at its centre a wide aperture 3. A prismatic fastening bar 5 is fixed to plate 2 of base 1, through screws 4 housed in holes 4a, and presents on all its length a portion with a cylindrical surface 6 which expands transversally in an arc of 180° and whose rims are formed by a first and a second step-shaped edge, respectively 7 and 8 diametrically opposed one to the other. The portion with a cylindrical surface 6 has a flattening 9 able to receive a graduated line 10, visible in figures 5, 9 and 13. As it is better shown by the enlarged sections of figures 6 and 7 of the fastening bar of figure 5, under the step 8 a flat reference face 11 having a knurled surface 12 is provided for. Always with reference to figures 1 and 2, with fastening bar 5 of the pallet two support arms 13 engage in auto-locked position, as shown in figure 1, but which can be either easily arranged in a disengaged position with respect to fastening bar 5, or moved away from the fastening bar itself, as described in detail hereinafter. The two support arms 13, shown enlarged also in figure 8, have a free end 14 with a V-shaped section able to support shaft 15 of a workpiece 16, for example an armature of an electrical motor. As shown in figure 2, one of the two arms 13 can have a V-shaped end having a cavity 15a to receive the workpiece and at the same time providing it with a shoulder. The end 14 can either be made in one part integral to support arm 13 (fig. 1 and figs. 9-13) or, according to the solution illustrated in figure 8, be formed by an insert able to snap fit with arm 13 through a slot 14a. In this way, the ends 14, maintaining the same support arms, can be modified to choose those most suitable for the workpiece to be supported. On the opposite side of free end 14, the arms 13 have an open tubular sleeve 17 with an internal housing 18 with a cylindrical surface, having a nominal diameter equal to the portion with a cylindrical surface 6 of fastening bar 5. The opposite longitudinal rims of open sleeve 17 comprise respectively a tooth 19, able to engage with the first step 7 of fastening bar 5, and a reference face 20, able to engage against reference face 11 of fastening bar 5, the contact in particular occurring between a knurled surface 20a of the former and the knurled surface 12 of the latter. Furthermore, a resilient tooth 21 is provided for facing into housing 18, able to engage in a snap fitted contact against step 8 of fastening bar 5. As regards to base 1, it also presents a reference hole 25 for dowel pins, holes 26 to anchor the screws of fastening bar 5 and holes 27 to secure a unit 28, necessary for the pallet's identification on the line (shown in figure 2). With reference to figures 9-13, each support arm 13 engages on fastening bar 5 as follows. Starting from a situation where support arm 13 is completely disengaged from fastening bar 5 (figure 9), it is necessary to rotate it as shown in figure 10 and to move it orthogonally towards the fastening bar itself so that tooth 19 passes under step 7. Afterwards, (figure 11) it is necessary to rotate support arm 13 in a direction so as to move both tooth 19 near to step 7 and reference face 20 near reference face 11. In this position, the two cylindrical surfaces 6 and 18 are engaged with one another. At a certain stage of the rotation, the resilient tooth 19 comes into contact with the second step 8 (detail of figure 11) until it partially clicks under it to the final position of figure 12, in which a firm locking occurs. 'In such a position, no movement is possible, with the obvious exception of the rotation in the opposite direction, thanks to the engagements of tooth 19 on step 7, of resilient tooth 18 against step 8 and of reference face 20 against reference face 11, which have portions with a knurled surface respectively 20a and 12 to prevent sliding. The rotation in the opposite direction is shown in figure 13, in which, as also indicated by the arrows, each support arm 13, starting from a locked position (illustrated on the left), can either be arranged in the disengaged position (centre) or, after a further small rotation, be extracted orthogonally to fastening bar 5 (right). In the central position of figure 13, each support arm 13 can be located in whatever point of fastening bar 5. The position can be calculated manually with the help of graduated line 10. Referring again to figure 1, the shaft's two ends are placed in V-shaped housings 14 so that one or both of them abut against shoulders 15a herein provided for. In this way, the machine which collects workpiece 16 from the pallet knows its exact position. When varying the dimension of workpiece 16, it is sufficient to operate as shown in figure 13, unlocking each arm 13 and then locating each one away or nearer to the other, with reference to graduated line 10. This operation can obviously be carried out automatically, being sufficient that a mobile clamping unit operated by a computer, for instance in an adjiusting station provided for on the line, grips the support arms 13, rotates them by some degrees unclamping them and locates them in the new position, rotating them in the opposite direction to lock them to fastening bar 5. In reality, this mobile clamping unit, although it can be similar to a unit of an already existing type in the art briefly described hereinabove, is considerably simpler, for it does not need means to keep the support arms unlocked during their translation. In the pallet according to the invention means to lock the translation, intended as devices expressly configured to create a friction between the fastening bar and the support arms, are not provided for, the support arms 13 autolocking with a click to fastening bar 5. It must be stressed that support arms 13, in the disengaged position on fastening bar 5, are actually physically disconnected from it. In fact, in order not to have a friction between tooth 21 and step 8, it is necessary to have a certain clearance, between the two cylindrical surfaces 6 and 18. Although fastening bar 5 has been referred to as being made of only one part, obviously it cannot be excluded that it can be made of many separate elements. For example, fastening bar 5 may comprise two aligned but separate sections, one for each support arm 13. Furthermore, although support arms 13 have been described as having a unique V-shaped housing 14, for this reason it cannot be excluded that each arm 13 can have more housings 14 for the workpieces. For instance, the same support arm 13 can have two V-shaped housings, so that the pallet conveys two identical aligned workpieces at the same time, offering both of them to different machines, which can profitably provide for parallel manufacturing operations. Although the pallet has been referred to as having an aperture 3, such characteristic is not indispensable. Aperture 3 shown in figures 1 and 2 has the object to make a lighter pallet, to provide a steadier base and to allow the workpiece to be lifted through it from below. However, aperture 3 may be omitted, in case the lifting of the workpiece is carried out from the above. Moreover, as shown in figures 14 and 15, with a pallet without aperture the lifting of workpiece 16 from below, because bar 5 may be arranged so that support arms 13 protrude from the pallet. From what described hereinabove it is clear that the support arms may be easily changed with other support members having different shape and size. In particular, when the adjustment is done automatically, homogeneous support members may be stored in different containers, which are accessible to a robotized head which carries out both the adjustment and the change, where necessary. The pallet according to the invention attains the established object, improving the current knowledge and in particular being less expensive and more functional, allowing both the manual and the automatic adjustment and, in this second case, requiring simpler adjustment means.

Claims: Mobile workpiece (15) rest equipment for automatic production lines, hereinafter referred to as pallet, comprising a base (1), a fastening bar (5) having a longitudinal axis mounted on said base (1), support arms (13) for a workpiece (15) engaging with said fastening bar (5), said arms (13) lying in a plane transversal to said fastening bar axis, characterised in that said arms (13) allow a movement in said transversal plane between a first and a second position, in said first position said support arms (13) being able to be located in different positions of said fastening bar (5) or to be moved away from it in said transversal plane, in said second position said support arms (13) auto-locking onto said fastening bar (5). Equipment according to claim 1, wherein said movement in said transversal plane of said arms (13) is a rotation with respect to said fastening bar axis between a first and a second angular position, in said first angular position said support arms (13) being able to be located in different positions of said fastening bar (5) or to be moved away from it in said transversal plane, in said second angular position said support arms (13) autolocking onto said fastening bar (5). Equipment according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein said support arms (13) and said fastening bar (5) comprise surfaces (6, 18) engaging on one another parallelly to said axis, on said arms (13) resilient engagement means (21) being provided which interact with said fastening bar (5) when said arms (13) are in said second position. Equipment according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein said support arms (13) and said fastening bar (5) comprise surfaces (6, 18) engaging on one another parallelly to said axis, on said fastening bar (5) resilient engagement means being provided which interact with said arms (13) when said arms (13) are in said second position. Equipment according to either claim 3 or 4, wherein said arms (13) and said fastening bar (5) comprise surfaces (7,19 - 12,20)) abutting on one another when said arms (13) are in said second position. Equipment according to claim 5, wherein said surfaces abutting on one another comprise portions (12,20) with a high friction factor. Equipment according to claims 5 or 6, wherein said fastening bar (5) has a surface mutually engaging with said arms (13), including a portion (6) with a cylindrical surface, said cylindrical surface (6) being interrupted by rims (7,8) which constitute said abutting surfaces for said arms, said rims being a first and a second step-shaped edge diametrically opposed one to the other, under said second step-shaped edge a reference face (12) being provided having a knurled surface. Equipment according to claim 7, wherein said support arms (13) offer a free end (14) able to receive said workpieces (15) and a tubular open sleeve end (17) with a cylindrically-shaped internal housing (18), constituting the mutually engaging surface for said fastening bar (5) and having a nominal diameter equal to the portion of the fastening bar (5) with a cylindrical surface (6), said sleeve (17) having open longitudinal edges comprising said reference-surfaces for said support arms, said reference-surfaces for said support arms (13) respectively being formed by a tooth (19), able to engage with the first step of said fastening bar (5) and a reference face (20), able to engage against the reference face (12) of said fastening bar (5). Equipment according to claims 7 and 8, wherein said support arms (13) have said resilient engagement means comprising a resilient tooth (21) able to engage with said second step (8) of said fastening bar (5). Equipment according to claim 1, wherein said fastening bar (5) longitudinally has a flattening (9) comprising a graduated line able to indicate the position of said support arms (13) with respect to said fastening bar (5).

Inventors: CRESTI FABRIZIO, PONZIO MASSIMO, CRESTI, FABRIZIO, PONZIO, MASSIMO
Applicants: ATOP SPA, ATOP S.P.A.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B23Q7
IPC codes: B23Q1, H02K15, B23Q7