Transporting apparatus

Abstract

A transporting apparatus permits to intermittent indexing with freely and independently setting stop position of work tables and stopping period adapting to each individual work station. The transporting apparatus sequentially transports a work table across a plurality of work stations. The transporting apparatus has a linear transporting path linearly connecting a plurality of work stations and guiding linear motion of the work table, a cylindrical cam engaging with a contactor provided on the work table for driving the work-table for linear motion, and the cylindrical cam having a stopping zone formed corresponding to each position of the work station and having no axial displacement relating to cam rotation angle and a transporting zone formed corresponding to a position between the work station and having an axial displacement relative to cam rotation angle.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A transporting apparatus sequentially transporting a work table across a plurality of work stations, comprising: 
 a linear transporting path linearly connecting a plurality of work stations and guiding linear motion of said work table;    a cylindrical cam engaging with a contactor provided on said work table for driving said work table for linear motion,    said cylindrical cam having a stopping zone formed corresponding to each position of said work station and having no axial displacement relating to cam rotation angle and a transporting zone formed corresponding to a position between said work station and having an axial displacement relative to cam rotation angle.    
     
     
         2 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said linear transporting path is constructed with a support base integrally formed with an apparatus housing and slidably mounting said work table and a guide member provided on said support base in linear shape, and said work table is provided with a slider engaging with said guide member and permitting linear movement of said work table with restricting pivotal motion thereof.  
     
     
         3 . A transporting apparatus comprising: 
 a linear transporting mechanism driving a work table engaging with guide means of a transporting path formed into linear shape along said guide means by means of a cylindrical cam; and    a pivotal transporting mechanism having a pivotal arm mounted on an output shaft which performs extracting and retracting motion in axial direction and rotating motion about an axis, said pivotal arm being engaged and disengaged to and from said work table according to extracting and retracting motion of said output shaft, and pivotally transporting said work table engaging with said pivotal arm according to rotating motion of said output shaft,    said pivotal transporting mechanism being provided at a transportation terminating end or a transportation starting end of said linear transporting mechanism and being actuated in synchronism with said cylindrical cam of said linear transporting mechanism for transferring said work table between said pivotal transporting mechanism and said linear transporting mechanism.    
     
     
         4 . A transporting apparatus comprising: 
 a plurality of linear transporting mechanism, each including    a linear transporting path extending linearly across a plurality of work stations and having guide means releasably engaging with a work table for guiding the latter for linear motion;    a cylindrical cam provided along said linear transporting path and releasably engaging with a contactor extended from said work station in the same direction as engaging and disengaging direction of said guide means for driving said work table to move linearly, said cylindrical cam defining a stopping zones corresponding to a transportation terminating end, a transportation starting end and each work station and having no axial displacement relative to cam rotational angle and transporting zones located at positions between said work stations and having axial displacement relative to cam rotational angle;    each of said linear transporting mechanisms having transportation terminating end and transportation starting end, said linear transporting mechanisms being sequentially arranged with placing said transportation terminating end of one linear transporting mechanism in close proximity with said transportation starting end of the other linear transporting mechanism with a predetermined angle;    a pivotal transporting mechanism each located between said adjacent transportation terminating end of one linear transporting mechanism and transportation starting end of the other linear transporting mechanism having an output shaft located with equal distance to said adjacent transportation terminating end and transportation starting end, having a pivotal arm mounted on said output shaft for engaging with said work table stopped at said transportation terminating end of one linear transporting mechanism by extracting motion of said output shaft in axial direction and transferring said work table to said transportation starting end of the other linear transporting mechanism by rotational motion of said output shaft, and disengaging from said work table by retracting motion of said output shaft,    said plurality of linear transporting mechanism and said pivotal transporting mechanism being operated in synchronism with each other.    
     
     
         5 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in  claim 3  or  4 , wherein said linear transporting path is constructed with a support base integrally formed with an apparatus housing and slidably mounting said work table and a guide member provided on said support base in linear shape, and said work table is provided with a slider engaging with said guide member and permitting linear movement of said work table with restricting pivotal motion thereof.  
     
     
         6 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in  claim 3  or  4 , wherein at least two linear transporting mechanisms and corresponding number of pivotal transporting mechanisms are provided for forming an endless circulating transporting path.  
     
     
         7 . A transporting apparatus sequentially transporting work table across a plurality of work stations, comprising: 
 a linear transporting mechanism including    a linear transporting path linearly extending across said plurality of work stations and having guide means for linearly transporting said work table;    two cylindrical cams provided along said linear transporting path arranged in alignment with each other and engaging with contactor extended from said work table for driving said work table linearly;    transfer means provided between said cylindrical cams and engaging with engaging means provided in said work table for transferring said work table reaching a transportation termination end of one cylindrical cam arranged upstream side in transporting direction to a transportation starting end of the other cylindrical cam arranged downstream side in transporting direction; and    synchronous actuation device provided between both cylindrical cams for synchronously transmitting rotary torque to said transferring means and said cylindrical cam.    
     
     
         8 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in  claim 7 , which further comprises pivotal transporting mechanism, in which at least one of said transportation starting end and said transportation terminating end of said linear transporting mechanism is provided with a pivotal arm mounted on an output shaft performing extracting and retracting operation in axial direction and rotational motion about an axis, said pivotal arm engages with said work table by extracting motion of said output shaft and pivotally transporting the work table engaging with said pivotal arm by operational motion of said output shaft, 
 said pivotal transporting mechanism is synchronously operated with said cylindrical cam of said linear transporting mechanism for transferring the work table between said pivotal transporting mechanism and said linear transporting mechanism.    
     
     
         9 . A transporting apparatus sequentially transporting work table across a plurality of work stations, comprising: 
 a plurality of linear transporting mechanism, each including    a linear transporting path extending linearly across a plurality of work stations and having guide means releasably engaging with a work table for guiding the latter for linear motion;    two cylindrical cams provided along said linear transporting path in alignment and releasably engaging with a contactor extended from said work table in the same direction as engaging and disengaging direction of said guide means for driving said work table to move linearly,    transfer means provided between said cylindrical cams and engaging with engaging means provided in said work table for transferring said work table reaching a transportation termination end of one cylindrical cam arranged upstream side in transporting direction to a transportation starting end of the other cylindrical cam arranged downstream side in transporting direction; and    synchronous actuation device provided between both cylindrical cams for synchronously transmitting rotary torque to said transferring means and said cylindrical cam;    each of said linear transporting mechanisms having transportation terminating end and transportation starting end, said linear transporting mechanisms being sequentially arranged with placing said transportation terminating end of one linear transporting mechanism in close proximity with said transportation starting end of the other linear transporting mechanism with a predetermined angle;    a pivotal transporting mechanism each located between said adjacent transportation terminating end of one linear transporting mechanism and transportation starting end of the other linear transporting mechanism having an output shaft located with equal distance to said adjacent transportation terminating end and transportation starting end, having a pivotal arm mounted on said output shaft for engaging with said work table stopped at said transportation terminating end of one linear transporting mechanism by extracting motion of said output shaft in axial direction and transferring said work table to said transportation starting end of the other linear transporting mechanism by rotational motion of said output shaft, and disengaging from said work table by retracting motion of said output shaft,    said plurality of linear transporting mechanism and said pivotal transporting mechanism being operated in synchronism with each other.    
     
     
         10 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in any one of  claims 7  to  9 , wherein at least two linear transporting mechanisms and corresponding number of pivotal transporting mechanisms are provided for forming an endless circulating transporting path.  
     
     
         11 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in any one of  claims 7  to  9 , wherein said cylindrical cam defines a stopping zone corresponding to a transportation terminating end, a transportation starting end and each work station and having no axial displacement relative to cam rotational angle and transporting zones located at positions between said work stations and having axial displacement relative to cam rotational angle.  
     
     
         12 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said engaging member is formed with a pin extended from the work table, and said transferring means is formed with a sprocket.  
     
     
         13 . A transporting apparatus as set forth in any one of  claims 7  to  9 , wherein said linear transporting path is constructed with a support base integrally formed with an apparatus housing and slidably mounting said work table and a guide member provided on said support base in linear shape, and said work table is provided with a slider engaging with said guide member and permitting linear movement of said work table with restricting pivotal motion thereof.