Claims
- 1. A transferring apparatus for transferring generally planar articles comprising:
- at least one mount for placement of an article thereon, the mount having spaced apart groove portions in a lower side of said mount, the groove portions being formed on at least two opposite sides of the mount with at least one groove portion on one side of the mount arranged at a right angle with the groove portions on an opposite side of the mount;
- at least two fixing tables spaced apart from each other in a transfer direction along which the mount is transferred for placement of the mount on the at least two fixing tables;
- a movable transferring arm disposed substantially in parallel with the transfer direction, the transferring arm having arm portions having upward projections for fitting in the groove portions of the mount to support the mount at the groove portions in a substantially horizontal position; and
- a drive mechanism connected to the transferring arm for moving the transferring arm vertically and horizontally to cause the transferring arm to lift up the mount from one of the at least two fixing tables while holding the mount in the substantially horizontal position and preventing horizontal movement of the mount relative to the arm by engagement of the projections with the groove portions and transferring the mount horizontally and thereafter placing the mount onto another of the at least two fixing tables.
- 2. A transfer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:
- each of the at least two fixing tables has projections for fitting into additional groove portions of the mount to position the mount, the additional groove portions being formed at right angles with one another in the lower side of the mount.
- 3. A transfer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:
- at least one of the at least two fixing tables is movable, the transferring arm has a waiting position where the transferring arm is stopped when not being operated, and the waiting position is located midway in a range of horizontal movement of the transferring arm and out of a range of movement of the movable fixing table so that the transferring arm, when not being operated, does not interfere with movement of the movable fixing table.
- 4. A transfer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:
- the drive mechanism moves the transferring arm horizontally while raising the transferring arm when the transferring arm carries the mount so that the mount does not interfere with the at least two fixing tables, and the drive mechanism moves the transferring arm horizontally while lowering the transferring arm when the transferring arm does not carry a mount so that the transferring arm does not interfere with the mount on one of the at least two fixing tables.
- 5. A transfer apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:
- two transferring systems, each transferring system comprising at least two fixing tables, the transferring arm and the drive mechanism and one of the fixing tables in the transferring systems is common to the two transferring systems so that the transferring systems cross each other at the common fixing table and the mount is transferred between the two transferring systems via the common fixing table.
- 6. A transfer apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
- the common fixing table is movable vertically and is formed with a slot for receiving an arm portion of the transferring arm of one of the transferring systems to prevent interference therewith.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
3-225613 |
Sep 1991 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/208,902, filed Mar. 11, 1994, now abandoned, which is a Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/941,683, filed Sep. 8, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2-163927 |
Jun 1990 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
208902 |
Mar 1994 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
941683 |
Sep 1992 |
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