CN112789141A

CN112789141A - Fluid module

Info

Publication number: CN112789141A
Application number: CN201980064227.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中山寛
Original assignee: BL Autotec Ltd
Current assignee: BL Autotec Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-25
Filing date: 2019-10-23
Publication date: 2021-05-11
Also published as: WO2020085391A1; JPWO2020085391A1; JP6747648B1

Abstract

The invention aims to provide a fluid module which prevents cooling water inevitably leaked when a tool tray is detached from a main tray from wetting other tools and the like mounted on the tool tray. In the fluid module of the present invention, the tool-side unit includes: a protrusion disposed on an upper surface thereof; a vertical flow path that is open on the upper surface of the protruding portion and extends in the thickness direction; a movable member disposed in the longitudinal flow path and movable in the thickness direction; and a biasing member for biasing the movable member upward; the main side unit includes: a longitudinal flow path which is open on the lower surface side and extends in the thickness direction; and a fixing portion that pushes down the movable member when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, the longitudinal flow path of the main side unit being communicable with the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, and an upper surface of the movable member being located below an upper surface of the tool side unit when the tool tray is dismounted from the main tray.

Description

Fluid module

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fluid module.

Background

A robot arm used in industrial equipment such as a factory is provided with various tools (end effectors) such as a welding tool at the tip thereof to perform production work. As a device for easily replacing such a tool, a tool replacing device is known. The tool changer includes a main tray attached to the front end of the robot arm, and a combination of a plurality of tool trays on which various tools are respectively attached. Each tool tray is formed to be fittable with the main tray. The tool changer can easily change the tool of the robot arm by changing the tool tray.

When a welding tool is attached to such a robot arm as a tool to perform a welding operation, for example, since the torch temperature is very high, it is necessary to supply cooling water from the robot arm side to suppress a temperature rise of the torch. Therefore, the fluid module is mounted on the tool changer. The tool changer supplies cooling water from the robot arm side using the fluid module, or recovers the used cooling water (see, for example, japanese patent laid-open No. 2016-.

In the fluid module, when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, a flow path for supplying and recovering cooling water must be formed between the main tray and the tool tray. In the fluid module, when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, it is necessary to stop the flow paths of the main tray and the tool tray in order to prevent the cooling water from leaking.

In order to meet the requirements, previous fluid modules include, for example, a main-side unit provided to the main tray, and a tool-side unit provided to the tool tray. The conventional fluid module is configured to form a flow path (vertical flow path) communicating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) when the tool tray is attached to the main tray. In the above-described conventional fluid module, when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, a mechanism for sealing each of the vertical flow paths is provided, and openings for supplying or recovering cooling water are provided on the outer sides in the thickness direction of the vertical flow paths.

Further, as the sealing mechanism, a water stop valve is used, which controls sealing and releasing of the sealing of the flow path by moving in the thickness direction in the flow path. The water stop valve operates to seal the flow path when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, and the cooling water may inevitably leak due to dripping or the like depending on the timing of sealing. In the above-described conventional fluid module, although the amount of cooling water leaking from the opening is small, the cooling water is transferred to the surface of the tool tray by movement of the tool tray when the tool tray is removed and stored, or by inclination of the tool tray when the tool tray is stored. As a result, the leaked cooling water may wet the mounted tool and cause a failure.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2016 & 34681

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of such an abnormality, and an object thereof is to provide a fluid module in which cooling water inevitably leaked when a tool tray is removed from a main tray does not easily wet other tools and the like mounted on the tool tray.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention made to solve the above problems is a fluid module mounted on a tool changer, the tool changer including: the main disc is arranged on the mechanical arm; and a tool tray detachably attached to the main tray and attached to a tool, wherein the fluid module includes a plate-shaped main side unit attached to the main tray and a plate-shaped tool side unit attached to the tool tray, and the tool side unit includes: a columnar protrusion portion protruding from an upper surface thereof; a vertical flow path that is open on an upper surface of the protruding portion and extends in a thickness direction; a movable member disposed in the longitudinal flow path and configured to be movable in a thickness direction; and a biasing member that biases the movable member upward, the main-side unit including: a longitudinal flow path which is open on the lower surface side and extends in the thickness direction; and a fixing portion that pushes the movable member relatively downward when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, the longitudinal flow path of the main side unit being communicable with the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, the movable member sealing the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit watertight when the tool tray is detached from the main tray, and an upper surface of the movable member being located below an upper surface of the tool side unit.

In the fluid module, the upper surface of the movable member is located below the upper surface of the tool-side unit, and the recess is formed above the upper surface of the movable member in a state where the movable member seals the vertical flow path in a watertight manner. When the tool tray is detached from the main tray, a small amount of cooling water leaking out of the flow path due to drips or the like drops to the tool tray located below, i.e., the tool-side unit side, and can be accumulated in the recessed portion. Therefore, in the fluid module, the leaked cooling water is prevented from being conducted to the upper surface of the tool-side unit and wetting other modules mounted on the tool tray, for example.

The side wall constituting the longitudinal flow path of the main side unit and the side wall constituting the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit may be made of resin. As described above, the side walls of the vertical flow path of the main side unit and the side walls of the vertical flow path of the tool side unit are made of resin, thereby achieving weight reduction. Further, even when the coolant contains a chemical, the side wall of the flow path is less likely to be dissolved, and therefore, the durability is excellent.

The tool-side unit further comprises: a lateral flow path which is open on the side surface side and is communicated with the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit; and a cover which is disposed on a side surface, is made of metal, and has a plate shape, and an opening of the lateral flow path of the tool-side unit is disposed on the cover. As described above, by providing the lateral flow path in the tool side unit and disposing the opening of the lateral flow path in the metal cover, the strength for connecting the pipes can be easily secured.

The tool-side unit may further include: a metal rod embedded in a side wall of a vertical flow path constituting the tool-side unit such that a central axis of the metal rod faces a surface of the cover; and a screw connecting the metal rod and the cover. As described above, by screwing the cap to the metal rod buried in the side wall of the vertical flow path constituting the tool-side unit, the side wall constituting the vertical flow path can be made less likely to break. Therefore, the strength of the supply pipe or the recovery pipe for connecting the cooling water is easily ensured. The phrase "the central axis of the metal rod faces the surface of the cover" means that the central axis of the metal rod is parallel to the surface of the cover or forms an angle of 30 ° or less.

The tool-side unit may further include a floating portion movable in the horizontal direction, and the floating portion may be provided with an opening of a longitudinal flow path of the tool-side unit. As described above, by providing the opening of the vertical flow path of the tool side unit in the floating portion, when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, since the opening of the vertical flow path of the tool side unit can be moved in the horizontal direction, the vertical flow path of the tool side unit and the vertical flow path of the main side unit can be easily communicated with each other. Here, the "horizontal direction" is a direction substantially orthogonal to the "thickness direction (vertical direction)".

The inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the longitudinal flow passage of the tool-side unit may be formed in a reverse tapered shape having a diameter increasing toward the opening of the longitudinal flow passage. As described above, by forming the side peripheral surface [ inner peripheral surface ] of the upper end portion of the longitudinal flow path of the tool-side unit into a reverse tapered shape whose diameter is increased toward the opening of the longitudinal flow path, the floating portion can be easily moved so that the longitudinal flow path of the tool-side unit communicates with the longitudinal flow path of the main-side unit.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

As described above, when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, the cooling water inevitably leaked out of the fluid module according to the present invention does not easily wet other tools and the like mounted on the tool tray.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main-side unit of a fluid module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a tool-side unit of a fluid module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a tool tray on which the tool-side unit of fig. 2 is arranged.

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view under line IV-IV of the main side unit of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view under line V-V of the main side unit of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tool side unit of fig. 2 taken along line VI-VI.

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tool-side unit of fig. 2, taken along line VII-VII.

Fig. 8 is a schematic sectional view showing a fitting state of the main side unit of fig. 4 and the tool side unit of fig. 6 when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate.

The fluid module according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a tool changer.

[ tool changer ]

The tool changing device includes: the main disc is arranged on the mechanical arm; and a tool tray detachably mounted to the main tray for mounting a tool. The main plate and the tool plate are detached by operation, so that various tools can be replaced and mounted on the mechanical arm.

The structure for attaching and detaching the tool changer is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, the following: the tool tray has an insertion recess on an upper surface thereof, and the main tray has a cylindrical portion insertable into the insertion recess.

[ fluid Module ]

The fluid module comprises a plate-like main side unit 1 shown in fig. 1 and a plate-like tool side unit 2 shown in fig. 2. The main side unit 1 is provided to the main tray. Further, a tool side unit 2 is provided to the tool tray. Fig. 3 shows a state in which the tool side unit 2 is disposed on the tool tray T. As described above, the tool side unit 2 is fixed to the tool tray T as one of the tools by the mounting screws 21 and assembled, so that the entire tool tray T is configured in a disk shape. The main-side unit 1 is also assembled by being fixed to the main tray by the mounting screws 11, so that the main tray is integrally formed in a tray shape.

< Main side Unit >

As shown in fig. 4, the main side unit 1 includes a first vertical flow path 12, a first lateral flow path 13, a plug 14, a first movable member 15, and a first biasing member 16.

In the main-side unit 1, the first vertical flow path 12, the first horizontal flow path 13, the plug 14, the first movable member 15, and the first biasing member 16 constitute a flow path for supplying or recovering the cooling water. The number of the flow paths for supplying or recovering the cooling water may be determined as appropriate depending on the type or number of the tools to be cooled. Further, since the cooling water supplied from the main tray side to the tool tray side is usually recovered to the main tray side, the number of the flow paths is preferably two or more, and more preferably an even number. For example, six flow paths are formed in the main plate of fig. 1.

Hereinafter, each structure of the main-side unit 1 will be described in detail.

(first longitudinal flow path)

The first vertical channel 12 is open on the lower surface side of the main side unit 1 (has an opening 12a in fig. 4), and extends in the thickness direction. The lower end portion 12c of the first vertical flow path 12 is configured to have an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper end portion.

A cover 17 is provided at the upper end of the first vertical flow path 12 to prevent the cooling water flowing through the first vertical flow path 12 from leaking from the upper surface side of the main side unit 1. The cap 17 also serves as a fixing base for the mandrel 14 described below.

The cover 17 is preferably configured to be removable. By detachably configuring the cap 17, the mandrel bar 14 or the first movable member 15 can be easily cleaned or replaced. In this case, when the main side unit 1 is detached from the cap 17, the upper surface side of the main side unit 1, that is, the upper end of the first longitudinal flow path 12 is opened, and a first movable member 15 described below can be inserted into the first longitudinal flow path 12 from the upper surface side of the main side unit 1. As described above, by providing the cover 17, there is no need to adopt a structure in which the main side unit 1 can be divided up and down, for example, in order to insert the first movable member 15 into the first longitudinal flow path 12, and the main side unit 1 can be easily downsized.

The cover 17 may be formed integrally with a plurality of flow paths, but as shown in fig. 1, one cover 17 is preferably provided for one flow path. As described above, since maintenance of each flow path can be performed independently by providing one cover 17 for each flow path, the maintenance performance of the main-side unit 1 can be improved.

The side wall of the first vertical channel 12 constituting the main side unit 1 is preferably made of resin. As described above, by making the side walls of resin, the main side unit 1 and even the fluid module can be made lightweight. In addition, the side walls of the flow paths are less likely to be dissolved even when the coolant contains a chemical, and therefore the fluid module is excellent in durability.

The side walls may be provided independently of the flow paths, and are preferably integrally formed together as side walls of the first transverse flow paths 13 described below, as shown in fig. 1. That is, the main-side unit 1 is preferably configured to provide the first vertical flow path 12 and the first horizontal flow path 13 in the resinous main body 18. By making such a structure, the fluid module can be made small and excellent in durability.

(first transverse flow path)

The first lateral flow path 13 is open on the side surface side of the main side unit 1 (has an opening 13a in fig. 4), and communicates with the first vertical flow path 12.

The opening 13a of the first transverse flow path 13 is provided at a relatively low position which is a height overlapping the plug 14 in a side view. The first lateral flow path 13 may extend obliquely downward from the opening 13a to communicate with the first vertical flow path 12, but preferably extends in the horizontal direction to communicate with the first vertical flow path 12. As described above, by positioning the opening 13a so that the first cross flow path 13 extends in the horizontal direction, the main side unit 1 can be thinned.

The main side unit 1 may further include a metal plate-like first cover 19 on the side surface, and the opening 13a of the first lateral flow path 13 of the main side unit 1 may be disposed in the first cover 19. A supply pipe or a recovery pipe of the cooling water is connected to the opening 13a of the first transverse flow path 13. As described above, by disposing the opening 13a of the first lateral flow path 13 of the main-side unit 1 in the first cover 19 made of metal, the strength for connecting these pipes can be easily secured.

The structure of fixing the first cover 19 to the side surface of the main-side unit 1 is not particularly limited. As the fixing construction, the main side unit 1 may further include: a metal rod 31 embedded in a side wall (the resin body 18 of the main side unit 1) constituting the first vertical flow path 12 so that a central axis thereof faces the surface of the first cover 19; and a screw 32 for connecting the metal rod 31 and the first cover 19. The screw 32 fixes the first cover 19 to the metal bar 31 via the body 18. In particular, when the main body 18 of the main-side unit 1 is made of lightweight resin, the resin main body 18 can be made less likely to break by screwing the first cover 19 to the metal rod 31 embedded in the main body 18 as described above. Therefore, it is easy to secure the strength of the fluid module for connecting the supply pipe or the recovery pipe of the cooling water.

A specific configuration example will be described with reference to fig. 5, but the structure for fixing the first cover 19 to the side surface of the main-side unit 1 is not limited to this. As shown in fig. 5, the metal rod 31 may have, for example, a columnar shape or a prismatic shape, and is embedded in the resin body 18 along the thickness direction. Further, the metal bar 31 is preferably parallel to the surface of the first cover 19.

Further, the metal rod 31 is formed with a screw hole 31a into which a screw 32 is screwed. The screw hole 31a is preferably formed such that the screw 32 can be screwed in the horizontal direction from a position overlapping the metal bar 31 of the first cover 19 when viewed from the side of the main-side unit 1. Further, the screw 32 is passed through the first cover 19 and a part of the main body 18 in this order, and the tip end portion is screwed into the screw hole 31a of the metal rod 31, whereby the first cover 19 is firmly fixed to the metal rod 31 and the first cover 19.

One screw 32 may be provided for one metal rod 31, or a plurality of screws (two screws in fig. 5) may be provided. By using a plurality of screws 32 for one metal bar 31, the fixing strength of the first cover 19 is improved, and the first cover 19 can be prevented from rattling in the thickness direction, for example.

The number of embedded metal rods 31 may be one, and a plurality of metal rods (four metal rods in fig. 1) are preferable from the viewpoint of improving the fixing strength.

(core rod)

The tip of the plug 14 protrudes from the opening 12a of the first longitudinal flow path 12. The plug 14 has its other end (end opposite to the projecting end) fixed to the cover 17 so as to form a gap with the inner side peripheral surface (inner peripheral surface) 12b of the first longitudinal flow path 12.

The mandrel bar 14 also serves as a fixing portion for pushing the second movable member 26 of the tool side unit 2 described below relatively downward when the tool tray is attached to the main tray. Therefore, the plug 14 needs to have a certain strength and is made of, for example, metal.

Since the gap between the side peripheral surface of the plug 14 and the side peripheral surface 12b of the first vertical flow path 12 is a flow path through which cooling water flows, the thickness thereof is appropriately determined according to the diameter of the first vertical flow path 12, the amount of cooling water flowing, and the like. Since the fluid module forms the flow path so that the cooling water flows outside the mandrel 14, even if the first lateral flow path 13 communicates with the first vertical flow path 12 at a position lower than the upper end of the mandrel 14, a flow path through which the cooling water flows can be secured. Therefore, the fluid module can be reduced in size because the flow path in the thickness direction can be shortened.

The mandrel 14 includes a columnar portion 14 a. The columnar portion 14a has a side peripheral surface which is watertightly fitted with the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 and extends in the thickness direction when the tool tray is detached from the main tray.

A specific configuration example of the columnar portion 14a will be described with reference to fig. 4, but the configuration of the columnar portion 14a is not limited thereto. As shown in fig. 4, the columnar portion 14a is formed at the tip end portion of the mandrel bar 14 so as to be thicker than other portions of the mandrel bar 14 (so as to have a larger cross-sectional area than other portions of the mandrel bar 14). The side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 in a state where the tool tray is removed from the main tray (the state of fig. 4). Further, an O-ring 41 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 fitted to the outer side peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface) of the columnar portion 14a, and the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a and the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 are sealed with water.

The length of the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a in the central axis direction (the length in the thickness direction) is determined so that the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a does not contact the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 by the movement of the first movable member 15 when the tool tray is attached to the main tray (see fig. 8). That is, the length of the side circumferential surface of the columnar portion 14a in the central axis direction is determined so as to be a length at which the cooling water can be supplied or recovered from the lower surface side of the main tray by attaching the tool tray to the main tray.

In the fluid module, the mandrel 14 includes a columnar portion 14a having a side peripheral surface that is watertightly fitted with an inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 and extends in the thickness direction when the tool tray is removed from the main tray. That is, when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 is in contact with and fitted to the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14 a. Therefore, even if impurities contained in the cooling water adhere to the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 fitted to the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a, the impurities are easily pushed out by the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a when the first movable member 15 is fitted to the columnar portion 14 a. Therefore, since the fluid module is less likely to sandwich impurities between the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 and the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a, leakage of cooling water due to impurities is less likely to occur when the tool tray is removed from the main tray.

(first movable Member)

The first movable member 15 is a tubular member positioned between the first vertical flow path 12 and the mandrel 14 in a plan view, and is movable in the thickness direction while maintaining a water-tight seal between an outer peripheral surface 15a thereof and a side peripheral surface 12b of the first vertical flow path 12.

The upper end portion 15c of the first movable member 15 is located above the lower end portion 12c of the first vertical flow path 12, and has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the lower end portion 12c of the first vertical flow path 12. Therefore, the upper end portion 15c of the first movable member 15 is caught from above to the lower end portion 12c of the first vertical flow path 12, whereby the first movable member 15 is prevented from falling downward from the main side unit 1.

The water seal structure between the outer peripheral surface 15a of the first movable member 15 and the side peripheral surface 12b of the first vertical flow path 12 is not particularly limited, and for example, as shown in fig. 4, an O-ring 42 provided on the side peripheral surface 12b of the first vertical flow path 12 may be used.

The inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 is formed in a two-stage cylindrical shape having a larger inner diameter at its upper end, and the lower end of the first biasing member 16 described below can be fixed at a position where the inner diameter changes.

(first urging member)

The first biasing member 16 biases the first movable member 15 downward. As shown in fig. 4, for example, a coil spring may be used as the first biasing member 16, and the upper end thereof is fixed to the cap 17 and arranged to surround the mandrel bar 14, and the lower end thereof biases the upper surface of the first movable member 15 downward.

The biasing force of the first biasing member 16 (the restoring force of the coil spring) is adjusted so that the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 is fixed in a state of being watertightly fitted to the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a of the mandrel bar 14 when the tool tray is removed from the main tray.

< tool side cell >

As shown in fig. 6, the tool-side unit 2 includes a floating portion 22. The tool-side unit 2 includes a protruding portion 23, a second vertical flow path 24, a second lateral flow path 25, a second movable member 26, a second biasing member 27, and a claw portion 28 in the floating portion 22.

In the tool-side unit 2, the protruding portion 23, the second vertical flow path 24, the second horizontal flow path 25, the second movable member 26, and the second biasing member 27 constitute a flow path for supplying or recovering the cooling water. When the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, the flow paths formed in the tool-side unit 2 are arranged so as to communicate with the flow paths formed in the main-side unit 1. That is, the number of flow paths in the tool-side unit 2 is the same as the number of flow paths in the main-side unit 1.

Hereinafter, each configuration of the tool-side unit 2 will be described in detail.

(Floating part)

The floating portion 22 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction.

The movable mechanism of the float portion 22 is not particularly limited, and may be configured as shown in fig. 7, for example. In the movable mechanism shown in fig. 7, the tool-side unit 2 includes: a screw 20a which is provided in a cylindrical shape protruding from a base 20 serving as a non-movable portion of the tool-side unit 2; and a screw 20b screwed to the inside of the screw 20 a. The floating portion 22 has a through hole 22a, and the cylindrical screw 20a is fitted into the through hole 22a so as to cover the outer peripheral surface thereof.

The inner diameter of the through hole 22a is larger than the outer diameter of the screw 20a and smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the screw 20 b. If the inner diameter of the through-hole 22a is set to such a diameter, the inner diameter of the through-hole 22a is larger than the outer diameter of the screw 20a, and therefore the floating portion 22 is movable in the horizontal direction within the range of the difference in the diameters. Since the inner diameter of the through hole 22a is smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the screw 20b, if the floating portion 22 is fitted into the cylindrical screw 20a and screwed by the screw 20b, the floating portion 22 restricts movement in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the tool-side unit 2, and the floating portion 22 is prevented from coming off the base 20. Further, even if the floating portion 22 is screwed by the screw 20b, the horizontal movement is not restricted. The method of not restricting the horizontal movement of the floating portion 22 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a method of adjusting the screwing of the screw 20b or a method of raising the screw 20a above the surface of the through hole 22 a.

The difference between the inner diameter of the through hole 22a and the outer diameter of the screw 20a is appropriately determined according to the required movable amount, and may be set to, for example, 1mm to 5 mm. That is, the movable amount of the floating portion 22 is preferably 1mm to 5 mm.

(protruding part)

The protruding portion 23 is columnar and provided to protrude from the upper surface of the tool-side unit 2.

The protrusion 23 has an opening 23a on the upper surface, and constitutes an opening of a second vertical flow path 24 described later. As described above, when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, the flow paths formed in the tool-side unit 2 are arranged so as to communicate with the flow paths formed in the main-side unit 1, respectively, and therefore the protrusion 23 is arranged at a position corresponding to the flow paths formed in the main-side unit 1 when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray.

(second longitudinal flow path)

The second longitudinal flow path 24 extends in the thickness direction from the opening 23a of the protrusion 23. That is, the second longitudinal flow path 24 is open on the upper surface side of the tool-side unit 2 and extends in the thickness direction.

The inner diameter of the second vertical flow path 24 is determined so as to be fittable to the first movable member 15 of the main side unit 1. Further, an O-ring 43 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the second vertical flow path 24 fitted to the first movable member 15. With this configuration, when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, the second vertical flow path 24 of the tool-side unit 2 is watertightly fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the first movable member 15. Further, since the first movable member 15 is pushed upward by a claw portion 28, described later, formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second vertical flow path 24, which is fitted to the first movable member 15, is the inner peripheral surface on the upper side of the claw portion 28. Therefore, the O-ring 43 is disposed at a position above the claw portion 28.

In addition, when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, the second longitudinal flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2 pushes the first movable member 15 relatively upward through the claw portion 28, and can communicate with the first longitudinal flow path 12 of the main side unit 1.

As described above, since the protrusion 23 and the second vertical flow passage 24 are formed in the float section 22, the opening 23a of the second vertical flow passage 24 of the tool-side unit 2 is disposed in the float section 22. As described above, by providing the opening 23a of the second vertical flow path 24 to the float section 22, when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, the opening 23a of the second vertical flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2 can be moved in the horizontal direction, and therefore the second vertical flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2 can be easily communicated with the first vertical flow path 12 of the main side unit 1.

The second vertical flow passage 24 of the tool-side unit 2 may be formed in a reverse tapered shape in which the inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion 24a is enlarged in diameter toward the opening 23a of the second vertical flow passage 24. As described above, by forming the inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion 24a into the reverse taper shape, the second longitudinal flow passage 24 of the tool-side unit 2 can easily move the float part 22 in such a manner as to communicate with the first longitudinal flow passage 12 of the main-side unit 1.

The side wall of the second vertical flow path 24 constituting the tool-side unit 2, that is, the float portion 22 is preferably made of resin. As described above, by making the side wall of the tool-side unit 2 of resin, the weight of the fluid module can be reduced. In addition, the side walls of the flow paths are less likely to be dissolved even when the coolant contains a chemical, and therefore the fluid module is excellent in durability.

(second transverse flow path)

The second lateral flow path 25 is open on the side surface side of the tool-side unit 2 (has an opening 25a in fig. 6), and communicates with the second vertical flow path 24.

The opening 25a of the second cross flow path 25 is provided at a height that overlaps the second movable member 26 of the tool-side unit 2 in a side view, that is, at a relatively low height position. The second lateral flow path 25 may extend obliquely upward from the opening 25a to communicate with the second vertical flow path 24, but preferably extends in the horizontal direction to communicate with the second vertical flow path 24. As described above, by positioning the opening 25a at a relatively low height position and extending the second cross flow path 25 in the horizontal direction, the tool side unit 2 can be made thin.

The tool-side unit 2 may further include a metal plate-shaped second cover 29 on the side surface, and the opening 25a of the second lateral flow passage 25 of the tool-side unit 2 may be disposed in the second cover 29. Specifically, the second cover 29 may be disposed on a side surface of the floating portion 22. A supply pipe or a recovery pipe of the cooling water is connected to the opening 25a of the second transverse flow passage 25. As described above, by disposing the opening 25a of the second lateral flow path 25 of the tool-side unit 2 in the second cover 29 made of metal, the strength for connecting these pipes can be easily secured.

The structure of fixing the second cover 29 to the side surface of the tool-side unit 2 is not particularly limited. As the fixing configuration, the tool-side unit 2 may further include: a metal rod embedded in a side wall (resin float portion 22) constituting the second vertical flow path 24 so that a central axis thereof faces a surface of the second cover 29; and a screw for connecting the metal rod and the second cover 29. The second cover 29 is fixed to the metal bar with screws through the floating portion 22. In particular, when the floating portion 22 of the tool-side unit 2 is made of lightweight resin, the resin floating portion 22 can be made less likely to break by screwing the second cover 29 to the metal rod embedded in the floating portion 22 as described above. Therefore, it is easy to secure the strength of the fluid module for connecting the supply pipe or the recovery pipe of the cooling water. As a specific configuration, the same configuration as that of the first cover 19 of the fixed main-side unit 1 can be adopted.

(second Movable Member)

The second movable member 26 is disposed in the second vertical flow path 24 and movable in the thickness direction. When the tool tray is detached from the main tray, the second movable member 26 seals the second longitudinal flow path 24 of the tool-side unit 2 in a watertight manner, and the upper surface of the second movable member 26 is located below the upper surface of the tool-side unit 2. Here, the "upper surface of the tool-side unit 2" refers to a surface around the protruding portion 23.

As a specific configuration of the second movable member 26, the second movable member 26 may be formed in a columnar shape having a head portion that can be brought into contact with a claw portion 28 described below so as to seal the second vertical flow passage 24 from below, for example. As shown in fig. 6, the head portion may be tapered so as to be reduced in diameter upward. By providing the head portion with a tapered shape, the second longitudinal flow path 24 can be easily sealed. The structure for watertight sealing the second longitudinal flow path 24 is not particularly limited, and for example, a structure using an O-ring 44 at a position in contact with the claw portion 28 in the tapered portion of the head portion is exemplified.

The second movable member 26 has a recess in a lower surface into which a second urging member 27 described later can be inserted. By inserting the second force application member 27 into the recess, the upper end of the second force application member 27 described later can be fixed.

In a state where the head portion of the second movable member 26 is moved to a position not in contact with the claw portion 28 (see fig. 8), the outer diameter thereof becomes smaller than the inner diameter of the second vertical flow passage 24. That is, in a state where the head portion is moved to a position not in contact with the claw portion 28, a flow path through which cooling water flows is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the second vertical flow path 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the second movable member 26, and the cooling water is supplied or recovered from the opening 23a of the second vertical flow path 24.

The lower limit of the difference (height difference) in height position between the upper surface of the tool-side unit 2 and the upper surface of the second movable member 26 is preferably 1mm, and more preferably 2 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the height difference is preferably 5mm, and more preferably 4 mm. If the difference in height is below the lower limit, there are concerns that: the volume of the recess is insufficient, and the accumulation effect of the leaked cooling water is insufficient; or, in order to secure the volume of the recess, the height of the protruding portion 23 must be increased, which leads to an increase in the size of the tool-side unit 2. On the other hand, if the height difference exceeds the upper limit, the second vertical flow path 24 must be extended, which may increase the size of the tool-side unit 2.

(second force application member)

The second biasing member 27 biases the second movable member 26 upward. As the second biasing member 27, for example, a coil spring is used, and as shown in fig. 6, the lower end thereof is fixed to a concave portion provided at the lower end of the second vertical flow path 24, and the second movable member 26 is biased by the upper end of the concave portion inserted into the lower surface of the second movable member 26.

When the tool tray is removed from the main tray, the urging force of the second urging member 27 (the return force of the coil spring) is adjusted so that the head portion of the second movable member 26 comes into contact with the claw portion 28 from below, and the second vertical flow path 24 can be fixed in a watertight sealed state.

(claw part)

The claw portion 28 is brought into contact with the first movable member 15 of the main-side unit 1 when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, thereby pushing the first movable member 15 upward relatively (see fig. 8). As described above, the claw portion 28 comes into contact with the head portion of the second movable member 26 from above, thereby sealing the second longitudinal flow path 24 in a watertight manner.

As shown in fig. 6, the claw portion 28 is provided so as to protrude inward over the entire inner circumferential surface of the second vertical flow passage 24, for example. The shape of the claw portion 28 is not particularly limited, and the upper surface may be a horizontal surface in order to easily push the first movable member 15 upward. In addition, the lower surface of the claw portion 28 may have a shape corresponding to the head portion of the second movable member 26 so as to be in contact with the head portion of the second movable member 26, thereby facilitating sealing of the second longitudinal flow passage 24. For example, when the head portion of the second movable member 26 is tapered so as to decrease in diameter upward, the lower surface of the claw portion 28 may be tapered so as to decrease in diameter upward at an angle equal to the taper angle of the head portion of the second movable member 26.

< formation of flow channel >

As described above, when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, the first vertical channel 12 of the main side unit 1 communicates with the second vertical channel 24 of the tool side unit 2, and a channel is formed to connect the opening 13a of the first horizontal channel 13 of the main side unit 1 and the opening 25a of the second horizontal channel 25 of the tool side unit 2. The formation of the flow path when the tool tray is attached to the main tray will be described with reference to fig. 8.

The plug 14 of the main side unit 1 is fixed to protrude from the opening 12a of the first vertical flow path 12. Therefore, when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, the mandrel bar 14 pushes the second movable member 26, which seals the second vertical flow path 24 of the tool-side unit 2 in a watertight manner, relatively downward. Thereby, a flow path is formed between the opening 25a of the second lateral flow path 25 and the opening 23a of the second vertical flow path 24 of the tool-side unit 2.

When a tool tray is attached to the main tray, first, the tool tray is inserted into the main tray, and then the outer peripheral surface 15a of the first movable member 15 of the main side unit 1 is watertightly fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the second longitudinal flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2. Thereby connecting the first longitudinal flow path 12 of the main side unit 1 and the second longitudinal flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2 watertight.

After the tool tray is inserted, as shown in fig. 8, the first movable member 15 is relatively pushed upward by the claw portion 28 in a state of being watertightly fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the second longitudinal flow passage 24. When the attachment of the tool tray to the main tray is completed, the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14a is not in contact with the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 due to the movement of the first movable member 15, and therefore a flow path is formed between the opening 13a of the first lateral flow path 13 and the opening 12a of the first vertical flow path 12 of the main side unit 1.

As described above, the first vertical flow path 12 of the main side unit 1 and the second vertical flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2 are connected in a watertight manner, and the first movable member 15 and the second movable member 26 that seal the first vertical flow path 12 and the second vertical flow path 24, respectively, are moved to release the seal, thereby forming a flow path that connects the opening 13a of the first lateral flow path 13 of the main side unit 1 and the opening 25a of the second lateral flow path 25 of the tool side unit 2.

When the tool tray is removed from the main tray, as shown in fig. 6, the second movable member 26 of the tool side unit 2 is released from the push-down by the core rod 14 of the main side unit 1. At this time, the second movable member 26 is pushed upward by the second biasing member 27, and is brought into contact with the claw portion 28 from below so as to seal the second vertical flow passage 24.

Further, when the tool tray is detached from the main tray, the pushing up of the first movable member 15 of the main side unit 1 by the claw portion 28 of the tool side unit 2 is released. At this time, the first movable member 15 is pushed downward by the first urging member 16, and the inner peripheral surface 15b of the first movable member 15 is watertightly fitted to the side peripheral surface of the columnar portion 14 a. Thereby sealing the first longitudinal flow passage 12.

Therefore, when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray, the first longitudinal flow path 12 of the main side unit 1 and the second longitudinal flow path 24 of the tool side unit 2 communicate with each other, and the cooling water can be supplied and recovered between the main tray and the tool tray. On the other hand, when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, the first vertical flow path 12 and the second vertical flow path 24 are sealed, respectively, and leakage of the cooling water can be suppressed.

< advantage >

In the fluid module, the recess is formed at a position above the upper surface of the second movable member 26 in a state where the second movable member 26 seals the second longitudinal flow path 24 watertight by positioning the upper surface of the second movable member 26 below the upper surface of the tool-side unit 2 (see fig. 6). When the tool tray is detached from the main tray, a small amount of cooling water leaking out of the flow path due to drips or the like drops to the tool tray located below, i.e., the tool-side unit 2 side, and can be accumulated in the concave portion. Therefore, in the fluid module, the leaked cooling water is prevented from being conducted to the upper surface of the tool-side unit 2 and wetting other modules mounted on, for example, a tool tray.

[ other embodiments ]

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various modified and improved forms other than the above forms.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the metal rod is embedded in the thickness direction in the side wall of the vertical flow path constituting the main side unit has been described, but the embedding direction is not limited to the thickness direction as long as the central axis of the metal rod faces the surface of the first cover. For example, the metal bar may be embedded in a horizontal direction. The same applies to the metal rod embedded in the side wall of the vertical flow path constituting the tool-side unit.

In the above embodiment, the case where the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the plug and the inner peripheral surface of the first longitudinal flow passage is the flow passage through which the cooling water flows has been described, but the flow passage through which the cooling water flows is not limited to the above configuration. For example, a flow path may be provided inside the plug. In the case of such a flow path, the plug has an opening at a lower end portion thereof for releasing or recovering cooling water to/from the outside, and when the tool tray is removed from the main tray, the opening is closed, and when the tool tray is attached to the main tray, the opening is connected to the second vertical flow path of the tool-side unit.

In the above embodiment, the case where the plug includes the columnar portion having the outer peripheral surface that is watertightly fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the first movable member and extends in the thickness direction when the tool tray is removed from the main tray has been described, but the mechanism for watertightly sealing the first longitudinal flow passage is not limited to the columnar portion. For example, the structure may be the same as that of the second vertical channel.

In the above embodiment, the description has been given of the case where the mandrel bar functions as the fixing portion that pushes the second movable member of the tool-side unit relatively downward when the tool disk is attached to the main disk, but the fixing portion that pushes the second movable member of the tool-side unit relatively downward may not be used in combination with the mandrel bar, that is, the fixing portion may be provided separately from the mandrel bar.

In addition, in the embodiment, the description has been given of the case where the main side unit includes the first movable member, but the first movable member is not an essential structural element. For example, in the case where cooling water is supplied from the tool-side unit to the main-side unit, when water leakage at the supplied main-side unit is small, the first movable member may also be omitted. In this case, since the first urging member is also not required, it can be omitted altogether.

In the above embodiment, the case where the main-side unit includes the first cross flow path has been described, but the first cross flow path is not an essential structural element. For example, an opening may be provided also in the upper surface of the main side unit, and the first longitudinal flow path may be provided between the opening in the upper surface and the opening in the lower surface of the main side unit.

Industrial applicability

The cooling water inevitably leaked from the fluid module of the present invention when the tool tray is removed from the main tray is unlikely to wet other tools and the like mounted on the tool tray.

Description of the symbols

1: main side unit

11: mounting screw

12: first longitudinal flow path

12 a: opening of the container

12 b: side peripheral surface

12 c: lower end part

13: first cross flow path

13 a: opening of the container

14: core rod (fixed part)

14 a: columnar part

15: first movable member

15 a: peripheral surface

15 b: inner peripheral surface

15 c: upper end part

16: a first force applying member

17: cover

18: body

19: first cover

2: tool side unit

20: base station

20 a: screw fastener

20 b: screw with a thread

21: mounting screw

22: floating part

22 a: through hole

23: projection part

23 a: opening of the container

24: second longitudinal flow path

24 a: upper end part

25: second cross flow path

25 a: opening of the container

26: second movable member

27: second force application member

28: claw part

29: second cover

31: metal bar

31 a: screw hole

32: screw with a thread

41. 42, 43, 44: o-shaped ring

T: a tool tray.

Claims

1. A fluid module mounted on a tool changer, the tool changer comprising: the main disc is arranged on the mechanical arm; and a tool tray detachably attached to the main tray and to a tool,

the fluid module comprises a plate-like main side unit provided to the main tray, and a plate-like tool side unit provided to the tool tray,

the tool-side unit includes:

a columnar protrusion portion protruding from an upper surface thereof;

a vertical flow path that is open on an upper surface of the protruding portion and extends in a thickness direction;

a movable member disposed in the longitudinal flow path and configured to be movable in a thickness direction; and

a biasing member for biasing the movable member upward,

the main side unit includes:

a longitudinal flow path which is open on the lower surface side and extends in the thickness direction; and

a fixing portion for pushing the movable member downward when the tool tray is mounted on the main tray,

the longitudinal flow path of the main side unit is configured to be communicable with the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit when the tool tray is mounted to the main tray,

when the tool tray is detached from the main tray, the movable member seals the vertical flow path of the tool-side unit in a watertight manner, and an upper surface of the movable member is located below an upper surface of the tool-side unit.

2. The fluid module according to claim 1, wherein a side wall constituting a longitudinal flow path of the main side unit and a side wall constituting a longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit are made of resin.

3. The fluidic module of claim 2, wherein said tool-side unit further comprises:

a lateral flow path which is open on the side surface side and is communicated with the longitudinal flow path of the tool side unit; and

a cover disposed on the side surface, made of metal, and having a plate shape

The opening of the lateral flow path of the tool-side unit is disposed in the cover.

4. The fluidic module of claim 3, wherein said tool-side unit further comprises:

a metal rod embedded in a side wall of a vertical flow path constituting the tool-side unit such that a central axis of the metal rod faces a surface of the cover; and

and a screw connecting the metal rod and the cover.

5. The fluid module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tool-side unit further includes a floating portion movable in a horizontal direction,

the floating portion is provided with an opening of a vertical flow path of the tool-side unit.

6. The fluid module according to claim 5, wherein an inner peripheral surface of an upper end portion of the longitudinal flow path of the tool-side unit is formed in an inverted cone shape expanding in diameter toward an opening of the longitudinal flow path.