Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Including assembly pallet
Patent
1993-01-04
1995-05-09
Vo, Peter Dungba
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Including assembly pallet
29784, B23P 1904
Patent
active
054128633
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to installations for machining and/or assembling workpieces in which the workpieces to be machined and/or assembled are carried by circulating pallets which bring them to one or a plurality of machining and/or assembly stations where they are immobilized so as to permit the machining and/or the assembly of the workpieces and, from there, move towards another station, and so on.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a general manner, in the field of the automated transfer of workpieces from one station to another station, various systems have been developed and are currently used.
In some of these systems, self-guided autonomous carriages comprise an electric motor powered by a battery of accumulators which the carriages carry. The battery is rechargeable with energy at the work stations or in parking zones.
These motorized carriages are of large dimensions approximately 0.5.times.1 m to 1.times.2 m) and are generally used for transporting voluminous and/or heavy workpieces (from 25 kg to 500 kg) and circulate at low speed (10 m/min to 40 m/min on average).
These pieces of automatic handling equipment move inside production workshops along routes which have been partially or totally defined previously. They have piloting means integral with the carriages so as to slave their steering and their circulation speed as a function of a permanent or discontinuous detection of the route traveled and of that still remaining to be traveled.
This technique envisages numerous embodiments which allow these carriages to circulate in complete safety by means of on-board sensors of various natures. The types of sensors include electromechanical sensors, especially combined with bumpers actuating one or a plurality of operating switches. Inductive, optical, telemetric, among other sensors may also be used. These environment sensors are combined with the circuits for slaving the clutches, brakes, and speed variators of the motor or motors of these carriages. They control the braking, deceleration and stopping so as to avoid any abrupt collision with other carriages or obstacles or else their slow advancement and their stopping in each positioning zone provided at the work stations. The work stations often comprise the means for recharging carriages' batteries.
Moreover, the progress made in miniaturizing motors and sensors, combined with widespread, inexpensive control electronics, have permitted this well-known technology to be transferred to applications relating to the entrainment of pallets of small dimensions (0.3 m.times.3.4 m) in installations provided for machining and/or assembling workpieces of low weight (from 1 kg to 45 kg) circulating at high speed (120 m/min).
Numerous embodiments calling upon motorized pallets exist. These pallets are of a size very close to that of remotely guided toy cars and their respective motorization method is generally similar to that of such toys. They are equipped with an electric geared motor supplied from a battery which they carry. The motor is slaved in speed by various electronic circuits managing the acceleration and braking of two or four drive wheels rotating about horizontal axes.
Taking this prior art into account, there have more recently been proposed embodiments relating to installations for assembling and/or machining for the manufacture of workpieces of small dimensions carried by motorized pallets. Embodiments can be distinguished from one another generally by the constitution of the entrainment means of these pallets interacting with straight or curved devices for guiding them and suitable for ensuring their changes of direction on a floor, on rails, or on other supports.
The most recent installations in this field are based on the "off line" working principle. The majority of assembly and/or machining operations take place there, outside of a general circulation line, in circuits which bypass this line. The manual and/or automatic work stations are, therefore, outside of the general high-speed circulation line of the
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