US 4,727,982 AGranted

Workpiece transfer apparatus

AssigneeToyoda Koki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsTakehiko Hayashi, Fumio Sakamoto

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

In a workpiece transfer apparatus for a plurality of serially arranged machine tools, a horizontally extending transfer bar which forms a part of a parallel motion mechanism is provided alongside work tables of the machine tools and is vertically movable. A plurality of linear motion members is mounted on said transfer bar at the same interval as the machine tools and is connected to be bodily movable along the transfer bar. Each of the linear motion members carries a plurality of arm members each pivotable about a vertical axis for horizontal swing motion. A transfer jig for supporting a workpiece thereon is secured to each of the arm members. A feed cylinder device is provided to move the linear motion members along the transfer bar so as to transfer each workpiece from a position facing one machine tool to another position facing another machine tool successive thereto. A loading cylinder device is provided to horizontally swing all or a corresponding one of the arm members so as to load workpieces onto the work tables and unload the same therefrom. Further, an elevation cylinder device is provided to vertically move the transfer bar so as to seat the workpieces on the work tables and lift up the same therefrom.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A workpiece transfer apparatus for a plurality of machine tools arranged to make a line in a first horizontal direction and each having a work table onto which workpieces are loaded one after another, said transfer apparatus comprising:

a transfer unit disposed alongside said work tables of said machine tools and reciprocatively movable in said first horizontal direction and a vertical direction;
a plurality of transfer jigs provided on said transfer unit at the same interval as said machine tools and each capable of carrying a workpiece to be loaded onto one of said work tables;
jig support means for supporting each of said transfer jigs to be movable in a second horizontal direction which extends substantially across said first horizontal direction;
first feed means drivingly connected to said transfer unit for moving the same up and down to raise and lower the workpieces relative to said work tables;
second feed means drivingly connected to said transfer unit for reciprocatively moving the same in said first horizontal direction to advance the workpieces from work table to work table;
and
third feed means drivingly connected to said plurality of transfer jigs for moving the same in said second horizontal direction to move the workpieces laterally into or out of said work tables.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.