JP2014083594A - Cutting facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an operation rate of a cutting apparatus, and to save manpower of cutting work.SOLUTION: A cutting facility comprises: a plurality of storage shelves 11 for storing a material 1 to be cut; a storage area A including a receiving carriage 12 for supplying or receiving the material to be cut to/from the storage shelves; a plurality of cutting apparatuses 21; a cutting area B having a first conveyance carriage 22 and a second conveyance carriage 23 for conveying the material to be cut to the cutting apparatuses; a sorting part 31 for sorting product from the materials to be cut which have finished objective cutting; and a product sorting area C including a supply carriage 32 for receiving the cut material to be cut from the second conveyance carriage and supplying it to the sorting part.

Description

  The present invention has a storage area for storing the material to be cut, a cutting area having a plurality of cutting devices, and a sorting area for sorting the product and the remaining material from the material to be cut after the target cutting has been completed. It is related with the cutting equipment which can improve the working rate of a cutting device and can save a labor of cutting work by transferring a to-be-cut material through this cart.

  In shipbuilding factories or steel construction factories including bridges, a target part is manufactured by cutting a steel sheet into various shapes using a laser cutting device, a plasma cutting device, or a gas cutting device. Further, in a shearing factory, a product is manufactured by cutting a steel plate or a stainless steel plate based on an order from a customer. In such factories, it is essential to sort the cut parts and products from the remaining material, but it takes time to perform this sorting work, and during that time the cutting device is often in a standby state, and the operation rate There is a problem of lowering.

  As a technique for improving the operating rate of a cutting machine, the invention described in Patent Document 1 is known. According to the present invention, a rotatable distribution mechanism is provided, and a plurality of cutting machines and workpiece loading and unloading mechanisms are radially arranged around the distribution mechanism. And when a plurality of arranged cutting machines are in operation, the product and the remaining material are taken out from the cutting machine that has been cut, and then a new material to be cut can be subsequently carried in. is there.

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, after the cut material from which the product has been cut is carried out to the carry-out mechanism, the product and the remaining material cut by the carry-out mechanism are sorted. Then, while the product and the remaining material are sorted by the unloading mechanism, a new material to be cut is carried into the cutting machine that has unloaded the material to be cut. For this reason, it becomes possible to operate the cutting machine into which the new material to be cut is carried even while sorting the product and the remaining material, and the operating rate can be improved. Furthermore, although the cutting time for one piece of material to be cut is not uniquely determined, it is sufficiently long, and by providing one distribution mechanism, the material to be cut into and out of multiple cutting machines Can be performed smoothly.

  Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, since the material to be cut is transported in a state of being placed on the processing table, the product and the remaining material are placed on the processing table when the target cutting is completed. Is held. For this reason, after carrying out a processing table to a carrying-out mechanism, the cut product can be taken out reliably.

  In particular, the processing table can be photographed by a camera provided above the carry-in mechanism, and information on the shape and position of the material to be cut can be collected from this image (see, for example, Patent Document 2), so that the material to be cut is cut. The work of assigning the product to be performed and the work of specifying the position to start cutting can be easily performed.

  The invention described in Patent Document 2 recognizes the material to be cut as a severable region by processing the image by picking up the cutting region in which the material to be cut is arranged with a CCD camera, and in this severable region. On the other hand, a figure (product) to be cut is assigned, and then the cutting machine is driven to cut.

JP 2003-071591 A (Patent No. 3954817) JP 05-123863 A (Patent No. 2548648)

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the operating rate of the cutting machine can be improved. However, there is room for mechanization in the process until the workpiece to be cut placed on the processing table is supplied to the carry-in mechanism and the process after the cut-out material after being cut is carried out by the carry-out mechanism. That is, there is a need for a cutting facility that can improve the operating rate of the cutting device by continuously operating the cutting plant for 24 hours, and can save labor associated with the operation of the facility. It is a fact.

  Further, in a factory that cuts a stainless steel plate, since the material is expensive, it is required to improve the material yield. For this reason, after cutting the target product from one large plate, the remaining material was not scraped immediately, but a small product was cut from the remaining material, and this small product was further cut. A smaller product is cut from the remaining material. However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is not assumed that such an operation is performed, and thus manual intervention is required.

  The objective of this invention is providing the cutting equipment which can aim at the labor saving of a cutting operation while improving the operating rate of a cutting device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a cutting facility according to the present invention stores a material to be cut, which includes a plurality of storage shelves that store the material to be cut, and a receiving carriage that supplies or receives the material to be cut to the storage shelf. An area, a plurality of cutting devices for cutting the material to be cut, a first conveying carriage for conveying a material to be cut received from a receiving carriage in the storage area to a cutting device selected from the plurality of cutting devices, and the cutting A cutting region having a second conveying carriage that conveys the material to be cut that has been cut by the apparatus, a sorting unit that sorts products from the material to be cut after the intended cutting, and a second conveying carriage in the cutting region A product sorting area having a supply carriage that receives the cut material to be cut and supplies the cut material, and the storage area is provided in the vertical direction to accommodate the material to be cut. Has multiple shelves and juxtaposed horizontally A plurality of storage shelves, rails laid on the plurality of storage shelves arranged in parallel, and a lifting member that is placed on the rails so as to be able to travel, and that lifts and lowers while holding a material to be cut. A first conveying carriage that is disposed in the cutting area by supplying the material to be cut, which is stopped at a position facing the shelf, and held by the elevating member to the target shelf or receiving the material to be cut stored in the target shelf And a receiving carriage for receiving the material to be cut from the first transport carriage, wherein the cutting region is selected from a laser cutting device, a plasma cutting device or a gas cutting device for cutting the material to be cut and A plurality of cutting devices arranged in parallel, a rail laid to face the plurality of cutting devices arranged in parallel, and a material to be cut received from a receiving carriage placed on the rail and arranged in the storage area to be selected Cut A first transporting carriage that transports to a device or supplies a material to be cut to the receiving carriage, and a supply carriage that is placed on the rail so as to run and is cut by the cutting device in the sorting area And a second transfer carriage for supplying the material to be cut supplied from the supply carriage to the first transfer carriage, and in the sorting area, products are sorted from the cut materials to be cut. A sorting part to be cut, a rail laid to face the sorting part, and a material to be cut which is cut by a cutting device which is placed on the rail so as to be able to travel and is supplied from the second transport carriage arranged in the cutting region And a supply carriage for supplying a material to be cut to which the product is sorted to the second transport carriage.

  In the cutting facility, an avoidance member for temporarily avoiding a material to be cut is disposed in a transport carriage travel range in which the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage can travel together in the cutting area, The avoidance member is configured to prevent any one of the workpieces from interfering with the conveyance of the other workpieces when the plurality of workpieces are conveyed into the transport carriage travel range. It is preferable that the cutting material is temporarily placed to be avoided.

  In any one of the above-described cutting facilities, the material to be cut is preferably placed on a pallet.

  Further, in any one of the above-described cutting equipment, in addition to the storage area, the cutting area, and the sorting area, there is a recognition area for the material to be cut, and the recognition area for the material to be cut is located above the material to be cut. It is preferable to have a CCD camera that picks up images from an image sensor and an analyzer that recognizes the shape and dimensions of the material to be cut from image data picked up by the CCD camera.

  In the cutting equipment according to the present invention, a first material to be cut is selected from materials to be cut out of materials to be cut stored in a plurality of storage shelves arranged in a storage area, is received by a receiving carriage, and is arranged in the cutting area. Can be supplied to. The 1st conveyance trolley can supply the to-be-cut material supplied to the cutting device selected from among a plurality of cutting devices, and can perform the target cutting with this cutting device. While the cutting device is cutting the material to be cut, by repeating the above-described operation, the material to be cut can be supplied to the other cutting devices. In addition, the material to be cut that has been cut by the cutting device can be supplied from the first transport cart and / or the second transport cart to the supply cart disposed in the sorting area. And a supply trolley can supply a to-be-cut material to a sorting part, and can sort a product in this sorting part.

  In the cutting facility according to the present invention, the work of cutting the material to be cut stored in the storage shelf and transporting the cut product and the remaining material to the sorting unit can be performed without human intervention. In addition, the material to be cut that has been cut by any of the plurality of cutting devices and the supply of a new material to be cut can be performed regardless of the operating status of the other cutting devices. For this reason, the operating rate of a cutting device can be improved and labor saving can be realized.

  In addition, an avoidance member for temporarily retracting the material to be cut is disposed in the transporting carriage traveling range in the cutting region, and when a plurality of materials to be cut are transported into the transporting cart traveling range, To prevent the cutting material from interfering with the conveyance of the other material to be cut, by temporarily placing any material to be cut and avoiding it, the first conveyance carriage and the second conveyance carriage can run. The material to be cut can be transported by traveling simultaneously within the range. For this reason, it becomes possible to improve the operation rate of each conveyance trolley, and a plurality of materials to be cut can be smoothly conveyed.

  Further, since the material to be cut is placed on the pallet, it can be easily held, supplied, received, and transported in the storage shelf, the cutting device, the sorting unit, and the like.

  In addition to a storage area, a cutting area, and a sorting area, a cutting object having a CCD camera that picks up the material to be cut from above, and an analyzer that recognizes the shape and size of the cutting material from image data picked up by the CCD camera. By providing the material recognition area, the shape and dimensions of the material to be cut before being supplied to the storage shelf can be recognized. For this reason, after recognizing the shape and size of a non-cutting material, such as a new material to be cut or a remaining material that has been cut several times, the storage shelf It becomes possible to supply and accommodate, and the efficiency of inventory management can be improved.

It is a top view explaining arrangement | positioning of the whole cutting equipment. It is a front view explaining arrangement | positioning of the whole cutting equipment. It is a side view explaining the structure of the storage shelf arrange | positioned at the storage area. It is a figure explaining the whole structure of the receiving trolley arrange | positioned at the storage area. It is a figure explaining the structure of the principal part of a receiving trolley | bogie. It is a figure explaining the structure of the rail arrange | positioned at a cutting | disconnection area | region, a conveyance trolley, and a pallet receiving member. It is a figure explaining the structure of the rail arrange | positioned in the sorting area | region, and a supply trolley | bogie. It is a figure explaining the structure of the recognition area | region of a to-be-cut material. It is a figure which illustrates typically the control system of the whole cutting equipment.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the cutting equipment according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the cutting equipment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The cutting equipment shown in the figure supplies a plurality of storage shelves 11 (11 a to 11 e) that store the material 1 to be cut placed on the pallet 2 for each stage, and supplies the material 1 to any of the storage shelves 11. A receiving region 12 having a receiving carriage 12 for receiving or receiving, a plurality of cutting devices 21 (21a to 21e) for cutting the material 1 to be cut, and a receiving portion received from the receiving carriage 12 in the storage region A. A first transport carriage 22 that transports the cutting material 1 to the cutting device 21 selected from the plurality of cutting devices 21a to 21e, and a second transport cart 23 that transports the workpiece 1 cut by the cutting device 21. The cutting area B, the sorting part 31 for sorting products from the material 1 to be cut that has been cut, and the cutting material 1 cut from the second transport carriage 23 in the cutting area B are received into the sorting part 31 A product having a supply carriage 32 to supply A material recognition region D having a sorting region C, a CCD camera 41 that images the material to be cut from above, and an analysis device 42 that recognizes the shape of the material 1 to be cut from image data captured by the CCD camera 41. And is configured.

  In the above-described cutting facility, the material 1 to be cut that is stored on the pallet 2 on the shelf 13 of any storage shelf 11 in the storage area A is received by the receiving carriage 12, and the cutting area B is received from the receiving carriage 12. To the first transport cart 22. The 1st conveyance trolley 22 conveys and supplies the supplied to-be-cut material 1 to the preset cutting device, for example, the cutting device 21b. When the cutting with respect to the material 1 to be cut is completed by the cutting device 21b, the first conveying carriage 22 or the second conveying carriage 23 receives the material to be cut 1 and supplies the sorting area C through the second conveying carriage 23. Supply to the carriage 32. The supply carriage 32 conveys the supplied cut material 1 to any of the sorting units 31, and the sorting unit 31 sorts products from the cut cut material 1. The remaining material into which the products are sorted is supplied to the receiving cart 12 via the supply cart 32, the second transport cart 23 and the first transport cart 22. The receiving cart 12 that has received the remaining material supplies the remaining material to the recognition area D. In the recognition area D, the supplied remaining material is photographed by the CCD camera 41, the image is analyzed by the analysis device 42, the shape and planar dimensions of the remaining material are recognized, and registered as a new material to be cut 1. The new material to be cut 1 is accommodated on the shelf of the accommodation shelf that was initially accommodated via the receiving carriage 12 and waits.

  The width dimension and length dimension of the to-be-cut material 1 which can be cut by the cutting device 21 constituting the cutting facility are not limited. However, it is preferable that the cuttable width dimensions and the cuttable length dimensions of the cutting devices 21a to 21e are the same. Thereby, it becomes possible to unify dimension specifications, such as the width dimension and length dimension of the pallet 2, the width dimension and length dimension of the storage shelf 11, and the dimension of each trolley | bogie 12,22,23,32. In this case, if the width dimension and length dimension of the material 1 to be cut by the cutting device 21 are within the range of the width dimension and the length dimension of the pallet 2, the work proceeds without causing any problem. It is possible.

  Moreover, the material and thickness of the material 1 to be cut are not limited, and a steel plate or a stainless steel plate having a thickness corresponding to the conditions of the product to be cut can be used.

  As the cutting device 21, it is possible to use a cutting device such as a laser cutting device, a plasma cutting device (water plasma cutting device, dry plasma cutting device), a gas cutting device, and the like, and the material of the material 1 to be cut. It is preferable to select appropriately considering conditions such as thickness and thickness. However, when the material to be cut 1 is a stainless steel plate, it is impossible to employ a gas cutting device, and either a laser cutting device or a plasma cutting device is selected.

  In the cutting area B, a first conveyance carriage 22 and a second conveyance carriage 23 configured to be able to travel along a rail 24 described later are disposed. Each of the transport carriages 22 and 23 holds the material 1 to be cut (holds the pallet 2 on which the material 1 to be cut is placed) and travels independently to supply any of the cutting devices 21. The material 1 to be cut, the material 1 to be cut in any of the cutting devices 21, and the remaining material that has been sorted in the sorting region C can be smoothly conveyed.

  Since the first conveyance carriage 22 and the second conveyance carriage 23 are placed on the same rail 24, the range in which these conveyance carriages 22 and 23 can travel together is the conveyance carriages 22 and 23 at both ends of the rail 24. This is the middle part when the is stopped. For this reason, the said range is set as a conveyance trolley travel range in which the 1st conveyance trolley 22 and the 2nd conveyance trolley 23 can drive | work together.

  Thus, since the 1st conveyance trolley 22 and the 2nd conveyance trolley 23 drive | work independently in the conveyance trolley travel range, there exists a possibility of colliding with each other. For this reason, the avoidance member which provided the to-be-cut material 1 which the one conveyance trolley (for example, 1st conveyance trolley 22) hold | maintains primarily within the conveyance trolley travel range before the two conveyance trolleys 22 and 23 collide. It is comprised so that it can drive | work in the same direction as the traveling direction of the other conveyance trolley (for example, 2nd conveyance trolley 23), and can evacuate.

  As described above, by providing the avoidance member within the traveling range of the transport carriage, delivery of the material 1 to be cut from one transport carriage 22 to the other transport carriage 23 is facilitated. Moreover, it becomes possible to improve the operation rate of the 1st conveyance trolley 22 and the 2nd conveyance trolley 23 by arrange | positioning a plurality of avoidance members.

  The avoidance member only needs to have a function of temporarily placing the workpiece 1 (pallet 2), and does not limit the structure. For this reason, it is also possible to comprise so that an avoidance member can be shared with the member which has another function.

  The pallet 2 places the material 1 to be cut, moves from the storage area A to the cutting area B, the sorting area C, and the recognition area D, and is supplied to any of the cutting devices 21 to cut the material 1 to be cut. . When the workpiece 1 is cut, a molten product containing a base material and oxide melted on the upper surface of the pallet 2 is discharged. For this reason, the pallet 2 is comprised so that it can be mounted by supporting the lower surface of the to-be-cut material 1 by point contact or line contact. A gap that penetrates in the thickness direction is formed in a portion other than the point contact portion or the line contact portion, and the molten product can be dropped from this gap.

  Next, the configuration of each area will be described. First, the structure of the storage area A will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The storage area A stores and manages a plurality of materials 1 to be cut. For this reason, in the storage area A, a plurality of storage shelves 11 and a receiving carriage 12 that supplies or receives the material 1 to be cut to the storage shelves 11 are arranged.

  In the present embodiment, in the storage area A, five storage shelves 11a to 11e are arranged adjacent to each other. However, the number of installation shelves is not limited and is preferably set as appropriate in accordance with conditions such as the size of the cutting equipment, the type of material of the material 1 to be cut, the type of plate thickness, and the like. Each of the storage shelves 11a to 11e is provided with a plurality of shelves 13 (15 shelves 13 in this embodiment) in the vertical direction, and a unique address is assigned to each shelf 13.

  Each shelf 13 accommodates a pallet 2 as shown in FIG. The pallet 2 moves from the storage area A to the recognition area D with the material to be cut 1 placed thereon. In this movement process, the pallet 2 is cut by the cutting device and photographed by the CCD camera 41. For this reason, the pallet 2 has dimensions corresponding to the severable width dimension and the severable length dimension of the cutting device 21 that constitutes the cutting area B, and further, the workpiece 1 is placed on each area. It is configured to have sufficient rigidity to move A to D.

  Each shelf 13 provided in the storage shelf 11 has a size corresponding to the size of the pallet 2. In addition, a plurality of rollers 13a are arranged on each shelf 13 so that the pallet 2 can be smoothly taken in and out. The plurality of rollers 13 a are configured to be driven by a driving device or to be freely rotatable in accordance with the delivery structure of the pallet 2 with the receiving carriage 12.

  For example, when the receiving cart 12 is configured to have a driving roller, the roller 13a is also preferably a driving roller. When the roller 13a is a freely rotatable roller, the receiving cart 12 needs to be provided with a mechanism for pushing or pulling the pallet 2 into or from the shelf 13. In the present embodiment, the plurality of rollers 13a arranged on the shelf 13 are configured as drive rollers that are driven by a drive device (not shown). Therefore, the shelf 13 is configured as a roller conveyor.

  What kind of material 1 to be cut is stored in each of the storage racks 11a to 11e is not limited, and is preferably set appropriately in accordance with conditions such as material and thickness to be cut by the cutting equipment. For example, in this embodiment, the storage shelves 11a, 11b, and 11e are dedicated shelves for storing thin plates, and the storage shelves 11c and 11d are dedicated shelves for storing thick plates. However, it is a matter of course that this configuration is not necessarily required.

  It is preferable that the vertical dimension of the plurality of shelves 13 provided in each of the storage shelves 11a to 11e is the same regardless of the plate thickness to be stored. In this way, by setting the vertical distance of the shelves 13 to the same size, the pallet 2 accommodated in each shelf 13 is received and the receiving cart 12 is easily operated when the pallet 2 is accommodated in each shelf 13. It is possible.

  A pair of rails 14 are laid across the front surfaces of the respective storage shelves 11a to 11e, and the receiving carriage 12 is disposed on the rails 14 so as to be able to travel. The receiving carriage 12 has a gate-shaped garter 12a having four legs arranged with a gap larger than the width and length of the pallet 2, and the pallet 2 is placed on the garter 12a. The raising / lowering member 12b which raises / lowers is arrange | positioned.

  In the garter 12a, a traveling member 12c including a drive motor and a plurality of wheels driven by the drive motor is disposed. And it is possible to drive the receiving carriage 12 in the desired direction along the rail 14 by driving the drive motor which comprises the traveling member 12c in a desired direction.

  The elevating member 12b has a plurality of rollers 12d arranged in parallel with the rails 14, and these rollers 12d are driven in a desired direction by a drive motor 12e. Further, an elevating drive device 12f is arranged at the upper end portion of the garter 12a, and the elevating member 12b is driven by the elevating drive device 12f and is configured to be moved up and down while being guided by the guide 12g.

  In particular, the elevating drive device 12f is configured to elevate the elevating member 12b from the shelf 13 positioned at the bottom of the storage shelf 11 to the shelf 13 positioned at the top and to stop at a position facing each shelf 13. Yes. The mechanism for stopping the elevating member 12b against the target shelf 13 is not particularly limited, and a signal from a sensor provided for each shelf 13 or a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation of the driving member 12f is used. Is possible.

  In the storage area A configured as described above, the receiving carriage 12 is controlled by a transfer control device 54 (see FIG. 9), which will be described later, so that the traveling member 12c is driven to face one of the storage shelves 11 and stopped. In addition, the elevating member 12b can be opposed to any one of the shelves 13 of the accommodating shelf 11c, for example. Then, it is possible to drive a drive motor 12e provided on the elevating member 12b to supply the pallet 2 placed on the elevating member 12 to the shelf 13 or to receive the pallet 2 accommodated in the shelf 13. .

  Next, the configuration of the cutting region B will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6.

  The cutting area B is for cutting the workpiece 1 supplied from the storage area A. Therefore, a plurality of cutting devices 21 (21a to 21e) are installed in parallel in the cutting region B. A pair of rails 24 are laid in a direction crossing the front surfaces of the cutting devices 21a to 21e, and the first transport carriage 22 and the second transport carriage 23 are placed on the rails 24 so that they can travel. Moreover, the pallet delivery member 25 is arrange | positioned in the position which faces each cutting device 21a-21e between a pair of rails 24, respectively.

  In this embodiment, the rail 24 is laid in a direction orthogonal to the rail 14 in the storage area A. Further, the cutting devices 21 a to 21 e are installed in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the rail 24.

  Each cutting device 21a-21e is selected from a laser cutting device, a plasma cutting device, and a gas cutting device according to conditions, such as a material of the to-be-cut material 1, and plate | board thickness. In this embodiment, a laser cutting device is selected as the cutting device 21a, a plasma cutting device (water plasma cutting device) is selected as the cutting devices 21b and 21c, and a plasma cutting device (dry plasma cutting device) is selected as the cutting devices 21d and 21e. Installed. In FIG. 1, a margin for one cutting device is provided between the cutting device 21a and the cutting device 21b in anticipation of future expansion.

  In this embodiment, each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e is configured as a generally used numerical control (NC) type cutting device. That is, each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e has a gate-type garter that runs on a pair of rails and a transverse carriage that traverses the garter, and a laser cutting torch and a plasma cutting torch are mounted on the transverse carriage. ing. The material to be cut is controlled by controlling the running direction and speed of the garter, the transverse direction and speed of the transverse carriage, and the driving of the cutting torch by NC devices 27a to 27e (see FIG. 9) provided in the respective cutting devices 21a to 21e. 1 is configured to cut a preset product.

  The traveling direction (rail laying direction) of the garter of each cutting device 21 a to 21 e is set in a direction orthogonal to the laying direction of the rail 24. A roller conveyor 26 that supports and moves the pallet 2 is disposed between the rails of the cutting devices 21a to 21e. In particular, the roller top of the roller conveyor 26 is configured to be slightly higher than the tread surface of the rail 24.

  The pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 is placed by the first transport carriage 22 or the second transport carriage 23 is supplied to the plurality of cutting devices 21 a to 21 e via the roller conveyor 26. And after the pallet 2 is supplied, it is comprised so that the preset product may be cut | disconnected with respect to the to-be-cut material 1 mounted in this pallet 2. FIG. That is, each of the cutting devices 21 a to 21 e can proceed with the cutting work independently with the supply of the pallet 2.

  As described above, depending on the operation status of each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e, the pallet 2 transported by the transport carriages 22 and 23 and the pallet 2 supplied to or discharged from the cutting device 21 may collide with the rail 24. is there. In order to avoid such a collision, an avoidance member is arranged in a range where the first transport carriage 22 and the second transport carriage 23 can travel together.

  As the avoidance member, for example, the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 to be cut by the cutting devices 21a to 21e is placed from the storage region A to the cutting region B is supplied, and these pallets 2 are designated by the cutting devices 21a to 21a. The working efficiency when supplying to any one of 21e is improved. That is, when the pallet 2 is supplied to each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e one after another, the first conveyance carriage 22 and the second conveyance carriage 23 are operated to receive the pallet 2 from the storage area A; It becomes possible to perform efficient work by cooperating the supply to the cutting devices 21a to 21e.

  In this case, the first transport carriage 22 that has received the pallet 2 from the storage area A travels to receive the next pallet 2 with the pallet 2 placed on the avoidance member, and the second transport carriage 23 is the avoidance member. It is possible to run and supply to any of the designated cutting devices 21a to 21e while holding the pallet 2 placed on the machine.

  In this embodiment, the avoidance member is shared by using a pallet receiving member 25 described later. Each of the transport carriages 22 and 23 is configured to be able to transport the pallet 2 with the pallet 2 being lifted and held above the tread surface of the rail 24, and the pallet 2 is lowered by the pallet delivery member 25 from the tread surface of the rail 24. It is configured to be held by.

  The first transport carriage 22 is placed on the storage area A side (upstream side) of the rail 24, and the second transport carriage 23 is placed on the sorting area C side (downstream side). For this reason, the 1st conveyance trolley 22 cannot travel to the most downstream of the rail 24, and the 2nd conveyance trolley 23 cannot travel to the most upstream of the rail 24 similarly. Therefore, the range excluding the portion where the transport carriages 22 and 23 at the most upstream and the most downstream of the rail 24 stop is the range in which the first transport carriage 22 and the second transport carriage 23 can travel together. The range is set as the transport cart travel range.

  In the present embodiment, since the first transfer carriage 22 and the second transfer carriage 23 have the same dimensions and structure, the configuration of the first transfer carriage 22 will be described as a representative.

  The 1st conveyance trolley 22 is comprised by the structure similar to the receiving trolley 12 mentioned above. That is, the first transport carriage 22 has a gate-shaped garter 22a having four legs arranged with a larger interval than the width and length of the pallet 2, and the garter 22a includes A plurality of wheels 22c driven by the traveling motor 22b are arranged. And it is possible to drive the 1st conveyance trolley 22 in a desired direction along the rail 24 by driving the traveling motor 22b in a desired direction.

  In addition, an elevating member 22d for elevating and lowering the pallet 2 is disposed on the garter 22a. The elevating member 22d has a pair of brackets 22e disposed over the entire length in a direction parallel to the rail 24 and in a direction along the rail 24 of the garter 22a. The bracket 22e is provided with a plurality of rollers 22f having a rotation axis orthogonal to the rail 24 and placing the pallet 2 thereon. Each roller 22f is directly connected to a drive motor 22g and driven in a desired direction. The Further, an elevating drive device 22h is disposed above the garter 22a. By driving the elevating drive device 22h, the bracket 22e is guided by the guide 22i and can be moved up and down. Further, the pair of brackets 22e are configured so as to be separated from each other and can approach each other. When approaching, the pallet 2 is placed on and supported by the roller 22f, and when separated, the support of the pallet 2 can be released. It is configured.

  The pallet delivery member 25 is disposed at a position between the pair of rails 24 and facing each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e. The pallet delivery member 25 transfers the pallet 2 from the rail 24 side toward the roller conveyor 26 of the cutting device 21 or receives it from the roller conveyor 26 of the cutting device 21 and supports it. In particular, in order to avoid interference with the pallet 2 conveyed by the first conveyance carriage 22 and the second conveyance carriage 23, the supported pallet 2 can be lowered to a position lower than the tread surface of the rail 24. Has been. Thus, the pallet delivery member 25 has a function as a roller conveyor by the bracket 25a and the roller 25c, and this roller conveyor constitutes an extension line of the roller conveyor 26 provided in each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e. Yes.

  For this reason, the pallet delivery member 25 includes a bracket 25a disposed in the upper portion, a lifting device 25b that raises and lowers the bracket 25a, and a plurality of rollers 25c that are provided on the bracket 25a and have a rotation axis parallel to the laying direction of the rail 24. The driving member 25d is provided on the bracket 25a and rotates the roller 25c in a desired direction.

  The lifting device 25b only needs to be able to lift and lower the bracket 25a, and does not limit the detailed configuration. In this embodiment, it is configured as a pantograph type lifting device, and the bracket 25a can be lifted and lowered in a parallel state.

  In the cutting area B configured as described above, the first transport carriage 22 receives the supplied pallet 2 by the roller 22f, travels on the rail 24, and transports the pallet 2 to the target position. When the 1st conveyance trolley 22 drive | works, the state which raised 22 d of raising / lowering members which supported the pallet 2 is hold | maintained. And when it arrives at the position which opposes the target cutting devices 21a-21e (for example, cutting device 21b), it is possible to stop and to raise the raising / lowering member 22d and to supply to the pallet delivery member 25.

  Therefore, by controlling the 1st conveyance trolley 22 with the conveyance control apparatus 54, while driving the traveling motor 22b and making it oppose and stop with any of the cutting devices 21, the raising / lowering member 22d is raised / lowered, and the pallet delivery member 25 is carried out. Or the pallet 2 can be received from the pallet delivery member 25.

  Next, the configuration of the sorting area C will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The sorting area C is an area for sorting a product and a remaining material from a material to be cut that has been cut for a preset product. For this reason, in the sorting area C, a sorting section 31 in which a plurality of materials to be cut can be arranged to sort products and remaining materials, a rail 33 laid in the entire area of the sorting section 31, and a rail 33 A supply carriage 32 for supplying the sorting unit 31 with the pallet 2 on which the cut material 1 placed so as to be able to run and on which a preset product has been cut is placed.

  The sorting unit 31 is configured to support a plurality of pallets 2 arranged in series or in parallel, and does not have a function as a conveyor. In addition, there is no limitation on how to sort the product and the remaining material from the workpiece 1 from which a preset product placed on the pallet 2 has been cut. Good. In this case, it is preferable to install a crane above the sorting unit 31 and attach the magnet or suction cup to the crane so that the crane can move.

  In the present embodiment, the sorting unit 31 is provided between a pair of rails 33 laid in parallel, and the sorting unit 31 can install four pallets 2 along the laying direction of the rails 33. It is configured as follows. Accordingly, it is possible to sort the four workpieces 1 simultaneously.

  The rail 33 is laid in a direction orthogonal to the rail 24 in the cutting area B. For this reason, the entire arrangement of the cutting equipment is H-shaped in which the rail 14 in the storage area A and the rail 33 in the sorting area are orthogonal to the rail 24 in the cutting area B, and the floor of the factory is rationally used. It is possible.

  The supply carriage 32 is configured as a carriage having substantially the same structure as the first transfer carriage 22. That is, since the rail 33 in the sorting area C is laid in a direction orthogonal to the rail 24 in the cutting area B, the traveling direction of the supply carriage 32 becomes a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the first transport carriage. Although the direction of the wheel 32c is different, other configurations are the same.

  The supply carriage 32 has a gate-shaped garter 32a having four legs arranged with a gap larger than the width dimension and the length dimension of the pallet 2, and the garter 32a includes a traveling motor 32b. A plurality of wheels 32c driven by the above are arranged. By driving the traveling motor 32b in a desired direction, the supply carriage 32 can travel along the rail 33 in the desired direction.

  The garter 32a is provided with an elevating member 32d for placing the pallet 2 and elevating it. The elevating member 32d has a bracket 32e arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rail 33. A plurality of rollers 32f having rotational axes parallel to the rails 33 are arranged on the bracket 32e, and each roller 32f is directly connected to a drive motor and driven in a desired direction. Further, an elevating drive device 32g is arranged on the upper portion of the garter 32a. By driving the elevating drive device 32g, the bracket 32e is guided by a guide 32h and can be moved up and down. Further, the pair of brackets 32e are configured so as to be separated from each other and can approach each other. When approaching, the pallet 2 is placed on and supported by the roller 32f, and when separated, the support of the pallet 2 can be released. It is configured.

  In the sorting area C configured as described above, when the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 cut in the cutting area B is placed is supplied from the second transport carriage 23 to the supply carriage 32, the supply carriage 32 is moved to the rail. The pallet 2 is lowered and installed without the pallet 2 being arranged in the sorting unit 31. Thereafter, the products can be sorted manually or using a crane, and the sorted products can be stored in a storage space (not shown).

  Next, the configuration of the recognition area D will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 8.

  The recognition area D has a function of recognizing the shape and dimensions of the large plate or remaining material placed on the pallet 2 as the workpiece 1. For this reason, the recognition area D includes a CCD camera 41 that captures the entire pallet 2 on which a large plate or a remaining material is placed, an analysis device 42 that analyzes image data captured by the CCD camera 41 (see FIG. 9), A series of roller conveyors 43a to 43c provided around the photographing range of the CCD camera 41 and a frame 44 having the CCD camera 41 disposed thereon are configured.

  The number of CCD cameras 41 arranged in the recognition area D is not particularly limited as long as the entire area of the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 is placed can be photographed. For this reason, in the present embodiment, two CCD cameras 41 are provided on the upper portion of the frame 44, and the entire area of the pallet 2 can be photographed by the CCD cameras 41 by one photographing.

  The roller conveyors 43 a to 43 c are laid in parallel with the rail 14 provided in the storage area A, the roller conveyor 43 a is arranged outside the frame 44, and the roller conveyor 43 b is in a shooting range by the CCD camera 41 provided in the frame 44. The roller conveyor 43c is disposed outside the frame 44 and between the rails 24 in the cutting area B.

  The roller conveyors 43a to 43c are configured to be independently driven. Therefore, the pallet 2 can be transferred to the roller conveyor 43b by supplying the pallet 2 with the workpiece 1 placed on the roller conveyor 43a and driving the roller conveyors 43a and 43b in this state. Then, it is possible to take a picture with the CCD camera 41 with the pallet 2 stopped, and then drive the roller conveyors 43b and 43c to transfer the pallet 2 to the roller conveyor 43c and supply it to the cutting area B. .

  For this reason, the roller conveyor 43c is configured to avoid the tread of the rail 24 when the pallet 2 photographed by the CCD camera 41 is transferred. The mechanism for avoiding the rail 24 is not limited. For example, an elevating member 45 is provided and the roller conveyor 43c is moved up and down by the elevating member 45, or a portion corresponding to the roller conveyor 43c of the rail 24 is moved up and down. You may comprise as follows.

  Image data obtained by photographing the entire area of the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 is placed by the CCD camera 41 is analyzed by the analysis device 42. The analysis of the image data is performed by the same method as the invention described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Further, data relating to the shape and dimensions of the workpiece 1 after analysis may be stored in the analysis device 42, but in the present embodiment, it is stored in a data file 52 described later.

  Next, the control system of the cutting equipment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, 51 is a control device for controlling the entire cutting equipment. 52 is a data file, to-be-cut material data including dimensions and materials such as the shape, width, length, thickness, etc. of the cut material 1 housed in each shelf 13 of each of the housing shelves 11a to 11e, and received orders. Data such as data is managed.

  53 is an allocating device for allocating a figure to the material 1 to be cut, and the NC data based on the result of allocating and allocating the material data of the material 1 to be cut and the order data of the product read from the data file 52. It has a function to create and output data. The outputted NC data is inputted to the NC device 27b of the cutting device 21b, for example, selected from the plurality of cutting devices 21a to 21e via the control device 51.

  54 is a transfer control device that controls the receiving carriage 12 arranged in the storage area A, the first conveyance carriage 22 arranged in the cutting area B, the second conveyance carriage 23, and the supply carriage 32 arranged in the sorting area C. To do.

  The overall operation of the cutting equipment composed of the regions A to D configured as described above will be described.

  The shelves 13 of the storage shelves 11a to 11e in the storage area A contain the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 is placed or the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 is not placed. The address and the unique code of the pallet 2 accommodated in each shelf are stored in the data file 52. In addition, data to be cut of the material to be cut 1 placed on each pallet 2 and data of the pallet 2 on which the material to be cut 1 is not placed are also stored in the data file 52.

  When the material to be cut 1 is an unused large plate, the operator can manually input the width, length, thickness dimension, material, and the like of the material to be cut 1. However, even a large plate may be input using the recognition area D. That is, the pallet 2 is supplied to the roller conveyor 43a in the recognition area D and a large plate is placed on the pallet 2, the pallet 2 is photographed by the CCD camera 41, and the image data is analyzed by the analysis device 42 to analyze the shape and shape. Recognize dimensions. At the same time, the worker inputs the thickness and material of the workpiece 1 and stores these data in the data file 52 as the workpiece data of the workpiece 1.

  Further, when the material to be cut placed on the pallet 2 is the remaining material after cutting the product, the pallet 2 on which the remaining material is placed is supplied from the roller conveyor 43a to the roller conveyor 43b and photographed by the CCD camera 41. Then, the image data is analyzed by the analysis device 42 to recognize the shape and dimensions. At this time, since the plate thickness and material of the material 1 to be cut are already stored in the data file 52 by the unique code of the pallet 2, the shape and dimensions of the remaining material are recognized and stored in the data file 52. Although it is a material, it is stored as a new material 1 to be cut.

  As described above, the data to be cut of the material to be cut 1 stored in the respective shelves 13 of the respective storage shelves 11 a to 11 e is stored in the data file 52.

  The control device 51 gives an instruction to cut the ordered product. When the products to be cut are read, the thickness and material of each product are set, and the material data of the material to be cut 1 corresponding to the plate thickness and material is stored together with the address of the shelf 13 and the unique code of the pallet 2. Read out. Further, an optimum cutting device, for example, a cutting device 21b is selected from the plurality of cutting devices 21a to 21e according to the plate thickness and material of the product to be cut. Furthermore, NC data is created by optimal allocation by the allocation device 53, and this NC data is transferred to the NC device 27b of the selected cutting device 21b. At the same time, the data of the unique code (address of the shelf 13) of the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 to be cut by the cutting device 21b is transferred is transferred to the transport control device 54.

  As described above, the work order is set by transferring the NC data to the NC devices 27a to 27e of the cutting devices 21a to 21e. At the same time, the pallet received from the shelf 13 is transferred to the conveyance control device 54 by transferring the data of the unique code (address of the shelf 13) of the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 to be supplied to each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e is placed. An initial order of 2 is set.

  When each of the cutting devices 21a to 21e is in a non-operating state, a signal for requesting the supply of the pallet 2 set in advance is transmitted to the transport control device 54. In response to this signal, the transport control device 54 specifies the pallet 2 required by any of the cutting devices, for example, the cutting device 21b, controls the traveling member 12c and the lifting member 12b of the receiving carriage 12 in the storage area A, and The elevating member 12b is opposed to the shelf 13 in which the pallet 2 on which the target workpiece 1 is placed is received, and the pallet 2 is received. In the cutting area B, the first transport carriage 22 is kept waiting at a position close to the storage area A that is the most upstream side of the rail 24. Then, the pallet 2 is transferred to the first conveyance carriage 22 with the receiving carriage 12 facing the first conveyance carriage 22 in the cutting area B.

  The first transport carriage 22 transports the pallet 2 received from the receiving carriage 12 to a position facing the cutting device 21 b and supplies it to the pallet receiving member 25. Then, the 1st conveyance trolley 22 drive | works to the position which approaches the storage area A, and prepares for reception of the pallet 2 supplied next. After the 1st conveyance trolley 22 moves, the roller 25c is driven in the pallet receiving member 25, and the pallet 2 currently mounted is supplied to the roller conveyor 26 of the cutting device 21b.

  In the cutting device 21b, the roller conveyor 26 is stopped, and the cutting of the workpiece 1 placed on the pallet 2 is started in accordance with the NC data created in advance by the allocation device 53 and stored in the NC device 27b. By executing the NC data, it is possible to perform a series of cuts on the workpiece 1.

  As described above, it is possible to supply the pallet 2 on which the workpieces 1 corresponding to the plurality of cutting devices 21a to 21e are placed. And in the cutting devices 21a-21e which received supply of the to-be-cut material 1, it is possible to cut the preset product.

  In any of the cutting devices, for example, the cutting device 21b, when the cutting of the preset product with respect to the material to be cut 1 is completed, a signal indicating that the cutting of the material to be cut 1 is finished from the cutting device 21b is a control device. 51 and the conveyance control device 54. Based on this signal, the control device 51 recognizes that one work in the cutting device 21b has been completed. Further, in the cutting device 21b, the pallet 2 on which the material 1 to be cut that has finished cutting the product is supplied to the pallet receiving member 25 by the roller conveyor 26.

  In response to a signal from the cutting device 21b, the second transport carriage 23 travels to a position facing the cutting device 21b, receives the pallet 2 placed on the pallet receiving member 25, and is the downstream side of the rail 24. The vehicle travels to the area C side and supplies the pallet 2 to the supply cart 32 in the sorting area C.

  In addition, the receiving carriage 12 and the first transport carriage 22 that have received the signal from the cutting device 21b immediately cut the material 1 to the other cutting device when the material 1 to be cut is not conveyed to the other cutting device. When this transport is completed, the same operation as described above is performed, the cutting device 21b receives the pallet 2 on which the material 1 to be cut next is placed from the shelf 13, and this The pallet 2 is supplied to the cutting device 21b.

  The supply carriage 32 to which the pallet 2 on which the workpiece 1 to be cut in which a preset product has been cut is placed is supplied travels to a vacant part in the sorting unit 31, and the pallet 2 is installed at this position. Thereafter, by sorting the products cut from the workpiece 1 placed on the pallet 2, the remaining material is placed on the pallet 2.

  When a signal indicating that the sorting of the products from the pallet 2 has been completed is transmitted to the conveyance control device 54, the supply carriage 32 is operated based on this signal, and the pallet 2 having been sorted is received and the second conveyance of the cutting area B is performed. The vehicle travels to a position facing the carriage 23 and stops, and supplies the pallet 2 to the second transport carriage 23.

  Next, the second transport cart 23 travels upstream, and supplies the pallet 2 to the first transport cart 22. Further, the pallet 2 is supplied from the first transport carriage 22 to the receiving carriage 12 and is placed on the roller conveyor 43 a in the recognition area D by the receiving carriage 12. Thereafter, the remaining material placed on the pallet 2 is photographed by the CCD camera 41 and the image data is analyzed by the analysis device 42 to recognize the shape and size. The recognized shape and dimension data is stored in the data file 52 together with the unique code of the pallet 2.

  The pallet 2 on which the remaining material as the material 1 to be cut is placed is transferred between the rails 24 in the cutting region B by the roller conveyor 43 c and is received by the first transport carriage 22. Thereafter, the first carriage 22 is supplied to the receiving carriage 12 and is received by the receiving carriage 12 in the shelf 13 corresponding to the unique code set on the pallet 2.

  Therefore, it is possible to improve the operation rate by shortening the time during which the cutting of the plurality of cutting devices 21a to 21e is stopped as much as possible.

  Since the cutting equipment of the present invention can improve the operating rate of a plurality of cutting devices and save labor, a plurality of cutting devices are continuously operated to cut a material to be cut including steel plates and stainless steel plates. Useful for factories.

A Storage area B Cutting area C Sorting area D Recognition area 1 Material to be cut 2 Pallet 11 (11a to 11e) Storage rack 12 Receiving cart 12a Garter 12b Lifting member 12c Traveling member 12d Roller 12e Drive motor 12f Lifting drive device 12g Guide 13 Shelf 13a Roller 14 Rail 21 (21a-21e) Cutting device 22 First transport carriage 22a Garter 22b Traveling motor 22c Wheel 22d Lifting member 22e Bracket 22f Roller 22g Drive motor 22h Lifting drive device 23 Second transporting carriage 24 Rail 25 Pallet delivery member 25a Bracket 25b Lifting device 25c Roller 25d Driving member 26 Roller conveyor 27a-27e NC device 31 Sorting part 32 Supplying carriage 32a Garter 32b Traveling motor 32c Wheel 32d Lifting member 32e Bracket 32f Roller 32g Lifting drive device 32h Guide 33 Rail 41 CCD camera 42 Analysis device 43a-43c Roller conveyor 44 Frame 45 Lifting member 51 Control device 52 Data file 53 Allocation device 54 Transport control device

Claims (4)

A storage region for the material to be cut having a plurality of storage shelves for containing the material to be cut and a receiving carriage that supplies or receives the material to be cut to the storage shelf;
A plurality of cutting devices for cutting a material to be cut, a first transport carriage for conveying a material to be cut received from a receiving cart in the storage area to a cutting device selected from the plurality of cutting devices, and cutting by the cutting device A second transport carriage for transporting the cut material to be cut, and a cutting area,
A sorting unit that sorts products from a material to be cut that has been cut, and a supply carriage that receives the material to be cut from the second conveyance carriage in the cutting region and supplies the cut material to the sorting unit. A sorting area, and
The storage area has a plurality of shelves provided in the vertical direction to accommodate the material to be cut, and a plurality of storage shelves arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction, and laid to face the plurality of parallel shelves. A rail and a lifting member that is placed on the rail so as to be able to travel and that lifts and lowers while holding the workpiece, and stops at a position facing a selected storage shelf and is held by the lifting member. A receiving carriage that receives the material to be cut or supplied to the first shelf or is supplied to the first conveying carriage disposed in the cutting area; Is placed,
In the cutting region, a plurality of cutting devices selected from a laser cutting device, a plasma cutting device, or a gas cutting device for cutting a material to be cut and arranged in parallel, and a rail laid to face the plurality of cutting devices arranged in parallel A first transport carriage that receives the material to be cut from a receiving carriage that is movably mounted on the rail and is disposed in the storage area, and conveys the cut material to a selected cutting device, or supplies the cutting material to the receiving carriage; The material to be cut, which is placed on the rail so as to be able to travel and cut by the cutting device, is supplied to a supply carriage arranged in the sorting area, or the material to be cut supplied from the supply carriage is supplied to the first transport carriage A second transport carriage for supplying to the
In the sorting area, a sorting section that sorts products from the material to be cut after cutting, a rail laid facing the sorting section, and placed on the rail so as to be able to travel are arranged in the cutting area. A supply carriage for supplying the material to be cut, which has been cut by the cutting device supplied from the second transport carriage, to the sorting unit or for supplying the material to be cut into which the products are sorted to the second transport carriage is disposed. Cutting equipment characterized by that. An avoiding member for temporarily avoiding a material to be cut is disposed in a transport carriage travel range in which the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage can travel together in the cutting region,
The avoidance member is configured to prevent any one of the materials to be cut from interfering with the conveyance of the other material to be cut when a plurality of materials to be cut are conveyed within the transport carriage traveling range. The cutting equipment according to claim 1, wherein the material to be cut is temporarily placed to be avoided.   The cutting equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material to be cut is placed on a pallet.   In addition to the storage area, the cutting area, and the sorting area, there is a recognition area of the material to be cut, and the recognition area of the material to be cut was picked up by a CCD camera that picks up the cutting material from above and a CCD camera. The cutting equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an analysis device that recognizes the shape and dimensions of the material to be cut from the image data.

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