CN113661028A - Multi-type tray device, control system for multi-type tray device, displacement limiting mechanism, and copying mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The multi-variety handling tray device (1) comprises: a multi-type coping pallet (2) which can follow the shape of a workpiece and deform the shape; and an apparatus main body (3) to which the multiple-type handling tray is attached, which stores shape restoration data for deforming the multiple-type handling tray, and which restores the shape of the multiple-type handling tray based on the shape restoration data, wherein the multiple-type handling tray is detachable from the apparatus main body, and which has a displacement restricting mechanism that is provided for each workpiece contact portion and that restricts displacement of the workpiece contact portion in at least any one of displacement directions of the workpiece contact portion.

Description

Multi-type tray device, control system for multi-type tray device, displacement limiting mechanism, and copying mechanism

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a multi-type tray device, a control system for a multi-type tray device, a displacement limiting mechanism, and a copying mechanism.

The present application claims priority based on Japanese application laid-open at 12.4.2019 and No. 2019-236508 and Japanese application laid-open at 26.12.12.2019, and the contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Patent document 1 listed below describes a workpiece support device that positions and supports a workpiece when the workpiece is machined. The work support device can be shared by a plurality of kinds of works having different shapes, and includes: a plurality of work support mechanisms each having an abutting portion at one end thereof, the abutting portion being capable of abutting against a work and supporting one work in cooperation with each other; a guide mechanism that guides the workpiece support mechanism so as to be movable so that the contact portion is moved up and down by movement of the workpiece support mechanism; a movement restriction mechanism capable of restricting downward movement of the contact portion at an arbitrary height and releasing the restriction; a moving mechanism that automatically operates when disposed at a predetermined position corresponding to each of the work support mechanisms and moves the work support mechanisms so that the contact portions have a height set in correspondence with each of the works; and a transfer mechanism capable of automatically transferring the moving mechanism to a predetermined position corresponding to each of the workpiece support mechanisms in sequence.

According to such a work support apparatus, it is not necessary to manufacture a plurality of jigs that match the shapes of a plurality of types of work, and it is also not necessary to replace the jigs in accordance with the shapes of the work. In addition, even when the shape of the workpiece is changed, it is not necessary to machine a jig in accordance with the shape of the workpiece, and therefore, the present invention is advantageous particularly in a case of mass production of a plurality of types of workpieces.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2003-1535

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the above-described conventional technique, since the work support mechanism that deforms following the shape of the work is integrated with the apparatus main body that deforms the work support mechanism, it is difficult to move the work support mechanism as a pallet. Therefore, for example, it is difficult to flow the work together with the pallet on the manufacturing line, and there is room for improvement in convenience of use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-type tray handling device and a control system for the multi-type tray handling device which are convenient to use, and to provide a displacement regulating mechanism and a profiling mechanism suitable for them.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, a multi-item tray handling device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a multi-type coping pallet which can follow the shape of a workpiece to deform the shape; and an apparatus main body that stores shape restoration data for deforming the multiple-type handling tray, and restores the shape of the multiple-type handling tray based on the shape restoration data, the multiple-type handling tray being removable from the apparatus main body.

A control system for a multi-product handling tray device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes: the multi-variety handling tray device of the first aspect; and a shape restoration data generation device that generates the shape restoration data.

Further, a displacement regulating mechanism according to a third aspect of the present invention regulates displacement of a shaft in an axial direction, and includes: an outer cylinder having a tapered surface formed on an inner circumferential surface surrounding a circumferential surface of the shaft; an inner cylinder disposed inside the outer cylinder; a rolling element held by the inner tube; and an urging member that urges the rolling elements toward the tapered surface via the inner tube, wherein the outer tube is relatively movable in the axial direction with respect to the inner tube in a state where the inner tube is not moved in the axial direction.

Further, a copying mechanism according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes: a plurality of shafts; and a plurality of displacement regulating mechanisms for regulating axial displacements of the plurality of shafts, wherein the copying mechanism causes distal ends of the plurality of shafts to copy a shape of a workpiece, and the copying mechanism includes the displacement regulating mechanism according to the third aspect as the displacement regulating mechanism.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a multi-type tray device and a control system for a multi-type tray device which are convenient to use, and to obtain a displacement regulating mechanism and a copying mechanism suitable for them.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing a multi-product handling tray device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state where the device main body is removed from the multiple item dealing tray according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the multi-item management tray according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a right side view of the multi-item management tray according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the workpiece abutment portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a view a-a of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the device main body according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a view B-B of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view from C-C shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the multi-item handling tray device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of a driver included in the control system shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a functional block diagram of a shape restoration data generation device included in the control system shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of shape restoration data stored in the driver of each actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a graph obtained by plotting the shape restoration data shown in fig. 13 as a histogram.

Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of generating shape restoration data according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the multiple item handling tray device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16B is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the multiple item handling tray device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modification of the method for generating shape restoration data according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17B is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modification of the method for generating shape restoration data according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a front view showing a three-dimensional vise of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a sectional configuration view of a displacement restricting mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D as shown in fig. 19.

Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a displacement restricting mechanism that fixes the outer ring 31 in the axial direction as a comparative example.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "multi-type compatible" pallet means a pallet that can match the shapes of a plurality of types of workpieces with one pallet by following the shapes of the workpieces and deforming the shapes of the pallets.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing a multi-product handling tray device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the multi-type tray device 1 includes a multi-type tray 2 (copying mechanism) and a device main body 3.

The multi-type tray 2 mainly includes a tray main body 10 having a rectangular plate shape in a plan view, and a plurality of workpiece contact portions 20 that are displaceable (movable up and down) with respect to the tray main body 10. The apparatus main body 3 displaces the plurality of work abutting portions 20, thereby following the shape of the work not shown and deforming the shape of the multi-type response tray 2. The multi-item management tray 2 shown in fig. 1 is a modified example.

Fig. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state where the multi-item management tray 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is removed from the apparatus main body 3.

The multiple-item supporting tray 2 is removable from the apparatus main body 3, and in the example shown in fig. 2, the multiple-item supporting tray 2 is mounted on the auxiliary table 4. That is, the multi-item management tray 2 is detachably provided to the apparatus main body 3. The auxiliary table 4 is provided with four support columns 5 that are fitted into holes 10a formed at four corners of the tray main body 10 of the multi-type corresponding tray 2.

When the multi-type support pallet 2 is mounted on the auxiliary table 4, the support column 5 forms a large space between the pallet main body 10 and the auxiliary table 4 to such an extent that the lower end of the workpiece contact portion 20 extending downward from the pallet main body 10 (specifically, the lowermost end of the workpiece contact portion 20 that has not been displaced) does not come into contact with the auxiliary table 4. Here, when the workpiece contact portion 20 is at the lower end position, the workpiece contact portion 20 is referred to as being at the initial position (zero displacement), and the workpiece contact portion 20 may be referred to as not being displaced. By mounting the multi-type response tray 2 on the auxiliary table 4 in this manner, the post-deformation support stability of the multi-type response tray 2 can be improved. Therefore, for example, the multi-product handling tray 2 is also easily moved in the manufacturing line together with the work.

Next, the structure of the multi-item management tray 2 will be described in detail.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the multi-item management tray 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a right side view of the multi-item management tray 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the workpiece abutment portion 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a view a-a of fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 3, a plurality of rows (workpiece contact rows 21-1 to 21-10) of workpiece contact portions 20 (workpiece contact portions 20A to 20H) are provided in the pallet body 10 to form a workpiece contact row 21 in which the workpiece contact portions are aligned in a row.

In the following description, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is sometimes set, and the positional relationship of each member is sometimes described with reference to the XYZ rectangular coordinate system. The X-axis direction is a direction in which the workpiece abutment rows 21-1 to 21-10 are arranged (also referred to as a longitudinal direction of the tray main body 10), the Y-axis direction is a direction in which the workpiece abutment portions 20A to 20H are arranged (also referred to as a width direction of the tray main body 10), and the Z-axis direction is a displacement direction in which the workpiece abutment portions 20 are displaced (also referred to as a thickness direction of the tray main body 10). The Z-axis direction is sometimes referred to as the vertical direction, and the X-axis direction is sometimes referred to as the left-right direction.

The workpiece contact portions 20 of the present embodiment are arranged in a matrix of 8 × 10 (8 × 10 is an example) as shown in fig. 3. The work contact portions 20 are arranged at equal intervals in the Y-axis direction in which the work contact portions 20A to 20H are arranged, and are also arranged at equal intervals in the X-axis direction in which the work contact rows 21-1 to 21-10 are arranged. In other words, the intervals between the work abutting portion 20 and the work abutting portions 20 adjacent to the work abutting portion 20 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are equal.

The tray main body 10 is formed to be one larger than the 8 × 10 arrangement region of the workpiece contact portion 20 in a plan view, and is formed in a rectangular plate shape elongated in the X axis direction in the present embodiment. Positioning holes 10b are formed in both side surfaces of the tray body 10 in the width direction (Y-axis direction) at positions corresponding to the work abutment rows 21-1 to 21-10. In other words, the positioning holes 10b are formed on both side surfaces of the tray main body 10 at the same pitch as the work abutment rows 21 in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction).

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the workpiece contact portion 20 includes a shaft 22, a distal end portion 23 attached to an upper end of the shaft 22, and a receiving portion 24 attached to a lower end of the shaft 22. The shaft 22 extends in the Z-axis direction, and is guided to be displaceable in the Z-axis direction by the linear guide mechanism 11 attached to the tray main body 10. The linear guide mechanism 11 is installed to clamp the upper and lower surfaces of the tray main body 10 by the retaining rings 12. The linear guide mechanism 11 guides the circumferential surface of the shaft 22 in a rolling manner by rolling elements not shown. The linear guide mechanism 11 may be configured to slidably guide the circumferential surface of the shaft 22 by the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body.

The tip portion 23 can be removed from the shaft 22 according to the kind of the workpiece. The tip portion 23 of the present embodiment is substantially conical rubber (elastomer), but may be a spherical body or may be a hard material such as plastic or metal instead of an elastomer. The tip portion 23 may be a suction pad or the like capable of sucking the workpiece.

The receiving portion 24 is a circular plate body having a conical spot facing 24a formed on a lower surface thereof, and is fixed to a lower end of the shaft 22 via a countersunk screw 25.

Displacement regulating mechanisms 30(30A, 30B) for forming a Z-axis displacement of the workpiece contact portion 20 are provided above and below the linear guide mechanism 11. As shown in fig. 6, the displacement restricting mechanism 30 includes: an outer ring 31 having a tapered surface 31a formed on an inner circumferential surface surrounding the circumferential surface of the shaft 22; an inner ring 32 (retainer) disposed inside the outer ring 31; rolling elements 33 retained in the inner ring 32; a spring 34 that biases the rolling elements 33 toward the tapered surface 31a via the inner ring 32 in the axial direction of the shaft 22; and a spring receiving portion 35 fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 31 and receiving a reaction force generated by the biasing force of the spring 34. As the displacement restricting mechanism 30, a known ratchet mechanism or the like may be used.

The outer ring 31 and the inner ring 32 are each formed in a cylindrical shape and combined so as to be relatively displaceable in the Z-axis direction. The tapered surface 31a of the outer ring 31 is formed so that the inner diameter thereof gradually decreases toward the linear motion guide mechanism 11. The end surface of the inner ring 32 on the linear guide mechanism 11 side is in contact with the linear guide mechanism 11 via a washer 36. A plurality of through holes 32a that penetrate in the radial direction and hold the rolling elements 33 are formed in the inner ring 32 at intervals in the circumferential direction.

The rolling elements 33 are disposed to be capable of rolling in the plurality of through holes 32a of the inner ring 32. As the rolling elements 33, balls (balls), needles (cylinders), gourd-shaped rolling elements in which the circumferential surfaces of the needles are recessed so as to follow the circumferential surface of the shaft 22, or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, the gourd-shaped rolling elements 33 are used, which can secure a large contact area (friction area) with the circumferential surface of the shaft 22.

According to the above configuration, when the rolling elements 33 held by the inner ring 32 are depressed into the wedge-shaped space formed between the circumferential surface of the shaft 22 and the tapered surface 31a of the outer ring 31 by the biasing force of the spring 34, the rolling elements 33 become wedges, and the displacement of the workpiece contact portion 20 (shaft 22) in the Z-axis direction is restricted. The displacement regulating mechanism 30A disposed above the linear motion guide mechanism 11 regulates the movement of the workpiece contact portion 20 vertically downward. The displacement regulating mechanism 30B disposed below the linear guide mechanism 11 is configured by vertically reversing the displacement regulating mechanism 30A, and regulates the movement of the workpiece contact portion 20 vertically upward.

In the present embodiment, the displacement restricting mechanisms 30A and 30B described above are provided so that the workpiece contact portion 20 does not vertically displace due to vibration or the like after the multi-item tray 2 is removed from the apparatus main body 3, but at least the displacement restricting mechanism 30A may be provided (movement restriction in the gravity direction and movement restriction of the workpiece contact portion 20 vertically downward are performed) when the tray is used in an environment where vibration or the like is not considered.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the multi-type pallet 2 includes a coupling mechanism 40(40A, 40B) for coupling the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms 30 to each workpiece contact row 21. As shown in fig. 4, the coupling mechanism 40A is disposed above the pallet body 10, and couples all the displacement regulating mechanisms 30A of the workpiece contact rows 21. The coupling mechanism 40B is disposed below the pallet main body 10, and couples all the displacement restricting mechanisms 30B of the workpiece contact rows 21.

The coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B are each formed in a long plate shape extending in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the tray main body 10, and both ends thereof are connected via a shaft 41 so as to be displaceable in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) of the tray main body 10. That is, one end of the coupling mechanism 40A and one end of the coupling mechanism 40B are connected by one shaft 41, and the other end of the coupling mechanism 40A and the other end of the coupling mechanism 40B are connected by the other shaft 41. The shaft 41 is fixed to the coupling mechanism 40B, extends in the Z-axis direction, and is guided to be displaceable in the Z-axis direction by a linear guide mechanism 11 (the same structure as the linear guide mechanism 11 of the workpiece contact portion 20 described above) attached to the tray main body 10 and the coupling mechanism 40A. The shaft 41 is provided at its upper end with a stopper portion for preventing the linear guide mechanism 11 from coming off.

As shown in fig. 6, the coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B are in contact with end surfaces (end surfaces on the opposite side from the tray main body 10) of the outer rings 31 of the displacement restricting mechanisms 30A and 30B, and receive the reaction force of the biasing force of the spring 34. In this state, the displacement of the workpiece abutment portion 20 (shaft 22) in the Z-axis direction is restricted in both directions (also referred to as a clamped state). Here, when the coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B are pressed against the tray main body 10 against the biasing force of the spring 34, the outer ring 31 (tapered surface 31a) moves toward the tray main body 10 and the rolling elements 33 roll out from the wedge-shaped space, and the displacement restriction in the Z-axis direction of the workpiece contact portion 20 (shaft 22) by the displacement restricting mechanisms 30A and 30B is released in both directions (also referred to as a non-clamped state).

As shown in fig. 3, the coupling mechanism 40A is formed with a position detection pattern 42 for detecting the position of the workpiece abutment row 21 by the apparatus main body 3 (described later), and a row detection pattern 43 for detecting the workpiece abutment row 21 as several rows. The position detection pattern 42 is formed of two hole portions separated in the X-axis direction. The column detection pattern 43 is formed by a combination of 4 (4-bit) hole portions. That is, the hole forming pattern of the row detection pattern 43 is different for each row of workpiece abutment rows 21-1 to 21-10.

Next, the structure of the apparatus main body 3 will be described in detail.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the device main body 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a view B-B of fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a view from C-C shown in fig. 7.

The apparatus main body 3 includes a rectangular bottom plate 3a as viewed in plan as shown in fig. 7, a pair of side plates 3b provided upright from both sides in the width direction of the bottom plate 3a as shown in fig. 9, and a top plate 3c connecting upper ends of the pair of side plates 3b to each other. A support plate 3d (beam) for supporting an actuator row 92 described later is provided between the pair of side plates 3 b. The pair of side plates 3b are connected to the bottom plate 3a by a plurality of connecting plates 3e (reinforcing members) shown in fig. 7.

In the description of the apparatus main body 3, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system may be set, and the positional relationship between the respective members will be described with reference to the XYZ rectangular coordinate system. The X-axis direction is a longitudinal direction of the apparatus main body 3 (the rectangular bottom plate 3a in plan view) (also referred to as a conveying direction of the multi-type handling tray 2), the Y-axis direction is a width direction of the apparatus main body 3 (a direction in which the pair of side plates 3b face each other), and the Z-axis direction is a height direction of the apparatus main body 3.

The apparatus main body 3 has: a tray conveying unit 50 for conveying the multi-item handling tray 2 as shown in fig. 7 and 8; a tray position detection unit 60 that detects the position of the multi-item tray 2 conveyed by the tray conveying unit 50 as shown in fig. 9; a tray position fixing unit 70 for fixing the position of the multi-item tray 2 in response to the result of the tray position detecting unit 60; a tray displacement restriction releasing unit 80 that releases the displacement restriction by the displacement restricting mechanism 30 of the multi-item tray 2 whose position is fixed by the tray position fixing unit 70; and a tray shape restoring portion 90 that displaces the workpiece contact portion 20 of the multi-type corresponding tray 2 whose displacement restriction is released by the tray displacement restriction releasing portion 80.

As shown in fig. 7, the pallet conveying unit 50 includes a pair of conveying belts 51 that support the lower surface of the pallet main body 10 of the multi-item corresponding pallet 2. The pair of conveyor belts 51 are bridged so as to be able to be looped back in the X-axis direction by a plurality of pulleys 52 attached to the pair of side plates 3 b. One of the pulleys 52 is connected to a pulley 52 facing in the Y axis direction via a drive shaft 53. The drive shaft 53 is rotated forward and backward about a shaft extending in the Y-axis direction by a stepping motor 54. The stepping motor 54 rotates the drive shaft 53 via a drive pulley 55 fixed to the drive shaft 53 and a drive belt 56 wound around the drive pulley 55.

As shown in fig. 9, the tray position detection portions 60 are provided on the pair of side plates 3b, respectively. The tray position detection portion 60A provided on the side plate 3b on one side (Y side) has a photosensor (photo interrupter or the like) having a light projecting portion 61 and a light receiving portion 62. The tray position detecting unit 60A includes two sets of the optical sensors separately in the conveying direction (X-axis direction) of the multi-type corresponding tray 2, and detects the position detection pattern 42 formed on the coupling mechanism 40A shown in fig. 3. The tray position detecting unit 60B provided on the other side (+ Y side) side plate 3B includes four sets of the above-described photosensors, and detects the 4-bit row detection pattern 43 formed on the coupling mechanism 40A shown in fig. 3.

The tray position fixing portions 70 are located below the tray position detecting portion 60, and are provided on the pair of side plates 3b, respectively. The tray position fixing portion 70 has a positioning pin 71 whose tip is tapered and an actuator 72 that moves the positioning pin 71 in the Y-axis direction. The actuator 72 includes, for example, an air cylinder and an electromagnetic valve for supplying air to the air cylinder, and by opening and closing the electromagnetic valve, the positioning pin 71 is inserted into and removed from the positioning hole 10b formed in the tray main body 10.

The tray displacement restriction releasing units 80 are disposed above and below the conveyance path of the multi-item trays 2 of the tray conveying unit 50. The tray displacement restriction releasing unit 80A disposed on the upper side (+ Z side) of the conveyance path includes a pressing member 81a capable of pressing the coupling mechanism 40A and a pair of actuators 82a for moving the pressing member 81a in the Z-axis direction. The pressing member 81a has a comb-tooth-shaped pressing portion 81a1 that can press the coupling mechanism 40A while avoiding the workpiece contact portion 20. The pressing portions 81a1 of the present embodiment are arranged at equal intervals in the Y axis direction with respect to half of the workpiece contact portions 20 included in the workpiece contact row 21.

The pair of actuators 82a are positioned above the tray position detection unit 60, are provided on the pair of side plates 3b, and are connected to both ends of the pressing member 81a in the Y-axis direction. The pair of actuators 82a includes, for example, an air cylinder and an electromagnetic valve for supplying air to the air cylinder, and the pressing member 81a is moved up and down by opening and closing the electromagnetic valve.

On the other hand, the tray displacement restriction releasing unit 80B disposed on the lower side (the (-Z side) of the conveying path) includes a pressing member 81B capable of pressing the coupling mechanism 40B described above, and a pair of actuators 82B (see fig. 7) for moving the pressing member 81a in the Z-axis direction. The pair of actuators 82b are air cylinders driven by electromagnetic valves, as with the pair of actuators 82a described above, but are attached to the surface of the support plate 3d facing the + X side (downstream side in the conveying direction of the multi-type trays 2). The pressing member 81b has a comb-tooth-shaped pressing portion 81b1 similarly to the above-described pressing member 81A, but extends from directly above the pair of actuators 82a to directly above the actuators 91A to 91H to be described later. As shown in fig. 9, the pressing member 81A is formed with a through hole 81b2 that avoids interference with the shaft 93 of the actuators 91A to 91H.

The tray shape restoring unit 90 is disposed below the conveyance path of the multi-type trays 2. The pallet shape restoring portion 90 has an actuator row 92 in which a row is formed by the same number of actuators 91A to 91H as the number of workpiece contact portions 20 included in one row of the workpiece contact rows 21, and the workpiece contact portions 20 are displaced for each row of the workpiece contact rows 21 by the actuator row 92. That is, the one-row actuator row 92 displaces the plurality of workpiece contact portions 20 included in each of the plurality of workpiece contact rows 21. Hereinafter, the position where the actuator row 92 is arranged in the conveying direction (X-axis direction) of the multi-type trays 2 may be referred to as a shape resetting position. That is, the position where the actuator row 92 is disposed and the position facing the position where the actuator row 92 is disposed in the Z-axis direction may be referred to as a shape reset position.

The actuators 91 are arranged at equal intervals in the Y-axis direction in which the actuators 91A to 91H are arranged in a row. The pitch in the Y-axis direction of the actuators 91 is equal to the pitch in the Y-axis direction of the workpiece abutment portion 20 described above. The actuator 91 includes a shaft 93, a linear motion guide mechanism 94 that guides the shaft 93 in the Z-axis direction, a drive unit 95 that moves the shaft 93 in the Z-axis direction via the linear motion guide mechanism 94, and a driver 96 that drives the drive unit 95.

A truncated cone shaped cover into which the spot facing 24a shown in fig. 6 can be inserted is attached to the upper end of the shaft 93.

The linear guide mechanism 94 is, for example, a ball screw mechanism, and moves the shaft 93 (screw shaft) in the Z-axis direction by rotating a nut (not shown).

The driving unit 95 includes, for example, a motor for rotating the nut of the linear guide mechanism 94 and a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation speed of the motor. The actuator 91 may be provided with another displacement sensor (e.g., a linear encoder) as long as it can detect the displacement amount of the shaft 93.

Next, the configuration of the actuator 96 and the configuration of the control system 100 including the actuator 96 will be described in detail.

Fig. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system 100 of the multi-item supporting pallet apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of the driver 96 included in the control system 100 shown in fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a functional block diagram of the shape restoration data generation device 101 included in the control system 100 shown in fig. 10.

As shown in fig. 10, the multi-product tray device 1 (device main body 3) can be electrically connected to an external shape restoration data generation device 101 via an I/O unit 102.

The I/O unit 102 is configured by an I/O node, a hub device, and the like, and is communicably connected to the shape restoration data generation device 101 described later, and the various devices (the tray conveying unit 50, the tray position detection unit 60, the tray position fixing unit 70, the tray displacement restriction releasing unit 80, and the tray shape restoration unit 90 (in other words, the actuators 91A to 91H)) provided in the apparatus main body 3 described above. The I/O unit 102 has a control unit for monitoring and instructing various devices connected thereto. The control unit monitors various connected devices by a dedicated processor, a program executed by the processor, or the like, and adjusts the timing of the operation. The control unit stores an ID for identifying the I/O unit 102.

The driver 96 of each actuator 91 of the tray shape restoration unit 90 is integrally provided with a control unit for controlling the drive unit 95 of each actuator 91. The control unit is formed by a dedicated processor, a program executed by the processor, or the like. In the control system 100, as shown in fig. 10, the control units of the drivers 96 mounted on the respective actuators 91 are daisy-chained in series, and can perform can (controller Area network) communication between the control units. An ID for identifying each driver is set for each driver 96 of each actuator 91, and the ID is stored in a control unit of the driver. The I/O unit 102 and the control unit of the driver 96 may include memories such as a cpu (central Processing unit) and a ram (random Access memory) and a rom (read Only memory). The control unit may further include a storage device such as an hdd (hard Disk drive) or an ssd (solid State drive).

The shape recovery data generation device 101 can be connected to the I/O unit 102 from the outside. The shape-recovery-data generating device 101 is connected to the daisy-chained CAN communication line, and by this connection, it is possible to rewrite a control scenario (program) for driving the actuators, which the drivers 96 of the plurality of actuators 91 are daisy-chained to have. Therefore, when rewriting the micro-script, it is not necessary to establish a connection between the shape-restored data generating apparatus 101 and the I/O unit 102. The shape-restored-data creating device 101 is formed as a personal computer or a microcomputer that executes a program for rewriting the script. The shape restoration data generation device 101 may include a CPU, and a memory such as a RAM or a ROM.

Fig. 11 shows a functional block diagram in which functions to be exerted in a control unit included in the driver 96 of the actuator 91 are graphically represented. The functions indicated by the functional blocks are realized by a program executed by the control unit using hardware such as a processor, an input/output port, and a memory provided in the driver 96. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing and patterning control function blocks executed by the shape-restored-data generating device 101. The control content of the function block is also realized by various methods such as a processor included in the shape restoration data generation device 101 and a program executed therein.

The control unit of the driver 96 is provided with an input unit 96a, an output unit 96b, an ID holding unit 96c, a coordinate data holding unit 96d, a scenario holding unit 96e, a scenario rewriting receiving unit 96f, and a program executing unit 96 g. The input unit 96a is a functional unit to which data necessary for drive control of the drive unit 95 directly corresponding to the driver 96 is input via an input port of the driver 96. The input unit 96a is also a functional unit for inputting a command signal for the driving unit 95 from the driver 96 of the other actuator 91.

The output unit 96b is a functional unit that outputs, to the control unit included in the other driver 96, a command signal for driving the respective drive units 95 directly associated with the driver 96 of the other actuator 91, via the output port of the driver 96, in contrast to the input unit 96 a. Therefore, the command signal output from the output unit 96b included in the control unit of the driver 96 is input to the input unit 96a included in the control unit of the other driver 96 of the output destination.

The ID holding unit 96c is a functional unit that holds the ID for identification set for each driver 96 as described above. Specifically, the memory on the drive 96 holds the identification ID. The coordinate data holding unit 96d is a functional unit that stores coordinate data belonging to a movable range that can be obtained by the actuator 91 for driving the driving unit 95 (coordinate data of the actuator 91 within the movable range of the actuator 91). In the program in the scenario holding unit 96e, a command for directly specifying the coordinates of the destination of movement of the driving unit 95 (the upper end of the shaft 93) is prepared, and the coordinate data held in the coordinate data holding unit 96d is used as an argument of the command.

The script holding unit 96e is a functional unit that holds a script including a program related to drive control of the driver unit 95 directly associated with the driver 96 in a memory in the driver 96. The script rewriting receiving unit 96f is a functional unit that receives a rewriting instruction when the script is rewritten by the external shape-restored data generating device 101. Therefore, by receiving the script edited on the shape-restored data generating apparatus 101 side together with the rewrite command by the script rewrite receiving unit 96f, the program (script) for drive control held by the script holding unit 96e can be rewritten.

The program execution unit 96g executes the program (script) for drive control held by the script holding unit 96e, and actually performs drive control of the actuator 91. In this program, the actuator 91 to be driven can be specified by the identification ID of the driver 96. The program execution unit 96g can also be said to be a motor control unit that controls the drive unit 95 (motor).

In this way, the drivers 96 are electrically connected to each other so as to be in a mutual communication state with the drivers 96 of the other actuators 91, and the number of wires connecting each other may be small, so that the control system 100 can be easily constructed. It is also preferable that actuators of various devices other than the tray shape restoration unit 90 provided in the apparatus main body 3 are connected to the same driver 96 and electrically connected to each other so as to be in a mutually communicating state. The control unit of the I/O unit 102 described above is a controller (the head of mind) of the control units of the various devices connected thereto. The control unit of the I/O unit 102 also holds a script having a configuration similar to that of the driver 96 shown in fig. 11, and communicates, monitors, and instructs various devices connected thereto by the script. The control unit of the I/O unit 102 can be said to be obtained by adding a functional block such as an I/O input/output unit to the configuration of the driver 96 shown in fig. 11.

As shown in fig. 12, the shape restoration data generation device 101 includes a driver recognition unit 101a, a scenario editing unit 101b, and a scenario rewriting unit 101 c. The driver recognition unit 101a is a functional unit that recognizes a driver included in the control system 100 in a state where the shape recovery data generation device 101 is connected to the control system 100 via CAN communication connection. The driver 96 recognized by the driver recognition unit 101a is the target of editing and rewriting the script by the shape-restored data generation device 101.

The scenario editing unit 101b is a functional unit that performs editing processing such as addition, change, and deletion of a scenario held by the control unit of the driver 96 included in the control system 100. The scenario rewriting unit 101c is a functional unit that rewrites the scenario by reflecting the scenario edit performed by the scenario editing unit 101b on the scenario held by the scenario holding unit 96e of the driver 96. The script is rewritten through a CAN communication connection between the shape-restored data generating device 101 and the control system 100 and a daisy chain connection between the input/output port of each driver 96 and the driver 96.

Next, the drive control of the actuator 91 will be described in detail. The driver 96 of each actuator 91 drives the driving unit 95 of each actuator 91 based on the shape restoration data as shown in fig. 13 and 14 described below.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of shape restoration data stored in the driver 96 of each actuator 91 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a graph obtained by plotting the shape restoration data shown in fig. 13 as a histogram.

The shape restoration data shown in fig. 13 is table data that holds coordinate data that specifies how much the driver 96 of each of the actuators 91A to 91H drives the driving unit 95 toward the workpiece contact row 21 in the second row. The graph data shown in fig. 13 is 8 × 10, but the expansion can be appropriately performed according to the number of actuators 91 and the number of workpiece abutment rows 21.

The driver 96 of each of the actuators 91A to 91H stores a number sequence (1 sequence to 10 sequences) corresponding to a to H. In other words, the driver 96 of the actuator 91A stores the coordinate data corresponding to the 1 st to 10 th rows of a, the driver 96 of the actuator 91B stores the coordinate data corresponding to the 1 st to 10 th rows of B, and similarly, the driver 96 of the actuators 91C to 91H also stores the coordinate data corresponding to the 1 st to 10 th rows of C to H, respectively.

The shape restoration data generation device 101 shown in fig. 10 generates the shape restoration data described above, and stores the generated shape restoration data in the driver 96 of each actuator 91 of the device main body 3. The shape restoration data generation device 101 can generate shape restoration data based on three-dimensional data of the workpiece W, as shown in fig. 15, for example.

Specifically, the shape-recovered-data creating device 101 specifies the lower surface (support surface) of the three-dimensional data of the workpiece W, and cuts the lower surface into circular pieces (in the example shown in fig. 15, the vertical direction, in other words, the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the multi-item handling tray 2) in accordance with the number of rows of the workpiece abutment rows 21. Next, when the lower surface is traversed in the lateral direction (in other words, the conveying direction of the multi-item handling tray 2) at a to H depending on the number of the actuators 91 (workpiece contact portions 20), points that intersect vertically and horizontally are extracted, and the distance of the points from the reference plane (the plane of the initial position (zero displacement) of the workpiece contact portions 20) is acquired as coordinate data.

Next, the shape-restored-data creating device 101 creates graph data as shown in fig. 13 described above, based on the acquired coordinate data. The number series corresponding to a to H of the graph data is stored in the driver 96 of each of the actuators 91A to 91H corresponding to a to H. Thus, the driver 96 of each of the actuators 91A to 91H can read the stored coordinate data and drive the driving unit 95 based on the coordinate data. For example, when the coordinate data as shown in fig. 13 is specified, the actuators 91 can be driven according to the coordinate data, and the workpiece contact portions 20 of the multi-type reaction pallet 2 can be displaced so as to be identical to the shape restoration data that is illustrated in fig. 14 (see fig. 16A and 16B).

To explain the specific operation, first, the multiple-type handling tray 2 is set in the apparatus main body 3 as shown in fig. 16A. Next, when a start switch (not shown) connected to the I/O unit 102 (see fig. 10) of the apparatus main body 3 is pressed, the tray conveying unit 50 conveys the multi-item tray 2. The tray conveying unit 50 sends the workpiece abutment rows 21 of the multiple-type trays 2 one by one to the shape return positions (directly above the actuator rows 92 shown in fig. 8) where the actuator rows 92 are arranged.

When the tray position detecting portion 60A shown in fig. 9 detects the position detection pattern 42 formed on the coupling mechanism 40A in the shape resetting position, the tray conveying portion 50 stops the conveyance of the multi-item tray 2. Next, the tray position fixing portion 70 is driven to insert the positioning pins 71 into the positioning holes 10b, and fix the positions of the multiple-item trays 2. Next, the tray displacement restriction releasing portions 80A and 80B are driven to press the coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B, and release the displacement restriction of the workpiece contact portions 20 included in the workpiece contact row 21 located at the shape return position.

Next, the tray shape restoring portion 90 is driven to lift the respective workpiece contact portions 20A to 20H from which the displacement restriction is released by the respective actuators 91A to 91H provided in the same number as the respective workpiece contact portions 20A to 20H. In the shape resetting position, the tray position detecting unit 60B shown in fig. 9 detects the row detection pattern 43 formed on the coupling mechanism 40A, and the actuators 91A to 91H read the coordinate data of the shape resetting data stored in the driver 96 based on the detection result of the tray position detecting unit 60B, and drive the driving unit 95 based on the coordinate data.

After confirming that the driving unit 95 (the upper end of the shaft 93) has moved to the predetermined coordinates by the rotary encoder or the like, the driver 96 stops the driving unit 95. Then, the tray displacement restriction releasing portions 80A and 80B are driven to release the pressing of the coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B. As a result, as shown in fig. 6, the workpiece contact portion 20 cannot be displaced in the Z-axis direction, and can be maintained in the displaced state. Then, the actuators 91A to 91H return the shafts 93 to the initial positions, and the tray conveying section 50 sends out the next workpiece contact row 21 to the shape resetting position.

By repeating the above operations from the workpiece abutment rows 21-1 to 21-10, the shape of the multi-item tray 2 can be restored based on the shape restoration data as shown in fig. 16B.

In this way, after the shape of the multi-type support tray 2 is restored, the multi-type support tray 2 can be removed from the apparatus main body 3, and as shown in fig. 2, can be mounted on the auxiliary table 4 or the like and conveyed together with the workpiece.

As described above, the multi-product handling tray device 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a multi-type coping pallet 2 which can follow the shape of a workpiece and deform the shape; and an apparatus main body 3 that stores shape restoration data for deforming the multi-type handling tray 2 and restores the shape of the multi-type handling tray 2 based on the shape restoration data, and the multi-type handling tray 2 is configured to be removable from the apparatus main body 3, whereby the work can be moved in a manufacturing line together with the multi-type handling tray 2, and the ease of use can be improved. Further, since the apparatus main body 3 stores the shape restoration data for deforming the multi-type trays 2, the shape of the multi-type trays 2 can be restored by one apparatus main body 3. In other words, it is possible to mass-produce the multi-kind handling tray 2 having a shape corresponding to the workpiece. Further, when restoring the shape of the multi-type management pallet 2, it is not necessary to press the multi-type management pallet 2 against the workpiece to deform the multi-type management pallet 2 in a copying manner as in the conventional technique, and therefore, the present invention can be applied to, for example, soft workpieces and workpieces that are easily broken.

In the present embodiment, the multi-type pallet 2 has a plurality of workpiece abutment rows 21 each including a plurality of workpiece abutment portions 20 which are displaceable relative to the pallet main body 10, the apparatus main body 3 has a plurality of actuator rows 92 each including a plurality of actuators 91 which are the same in number as the number of the workpiece abutment portions 20 included in one of the plurality of workpiece abutment rows 21, and the workpiece abutment portions 20 are displaced for each of the plurality of workpiece abutment rows 21 by the actuator rows 92. According to this configuration, the time required to restore the shape of the multi-type response tray 2 can be significantly shortened as compared with a configuration in which the workpiece contact portions 20 are individually displaced as in the conventional art.

In the present embodiment, each of the actuators 91 included in the actuator row 92 includes a driving unit 95 and a driver 96 for driving the driving unit 95, and the drivers 96 are electrically connected to each other so as to be in a state of communicating with the drivers 96 of the other actuators 91. With this configuration, the number of wires connecting the actuators 91A to 91H may be small, and the control system 100 can be easily constructed. In other words, the control system 100 excellent in expandability can be constructed.

In the present embodiment, the multi-item management tray 2 includes: a displacement regulating mechanism 30 provided for each of the workpiece contact portions 20 and regulating displacement of the workpiece contact portion 20 in at least one of displacement directions of the workpiece contact portions 20; and a connecting mechanism 40 that connects the displacement restricting mechanism 30 so as to be able to release the displacement restriction of the workpiece contact portion 20 for each row of the workpiece contact rows 21. According to this configuration, the post-displacement state of the workpiece contact portion 20 can be maintained by the displacement restricting mechanism 30, and further, the displacement restricting mechanisms 30 are coupled by the coupling mechanism 40, so that even when a load is locally applied to a part of the displacement restricting mechanisms 30, it is possible to eliminate the fear that the displacement restriction of only a part of the workpiece contact portion 20 of the displacement restricting mechanism 30 is unexpectedly released.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the apparatus main body 3 includes: a tray conveying unit 50 for conveying the workpiece abutment rows 21 of the plurality of types of trays 2 to be dealt with one by one to the shape reset positions where the actuator rows 92 are arranged; and a tray displacement restriction releasing section 80 that, at the shape return position, presses the coupling mechanism 40 by the tray displacement restriction releasing section 80, releases the restriction of the displacement of the workpiece contact portion 20 for each workpiece contact row 21, and releases the pressing of the coupling mechanism 40 after the workpiece contact portions 20 included in the workpiece contact row 21 are displaced by the actuator row 92. According to this configuration, since the release of the displacement restriction and the displacement restriction after the displacement of the workpiece contact portion 20 can be performed for each row of the workpiece contact rows 21, the time for restoring the shape of the multi-type tray 2 can be significantly shortened.

Further, in the control system 100 of the multi-type pallet apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the multi-type pallet apparatus 1 and the shape restoration data generation apparatus 101 for generating the shape restoration data are provided, and the shape restoration data generation apparatus 101 generates the shape restoration data based on the three-dimensional data of the workpiece and stores the generated shape restoration data in the apparatus main body 3, the shape restoration data of the multi-type pallet 2 can be generated even for a soft workpiece or a workpiece which is easily broken.

When the workpiece W is a workpiece that is hard to some extent, the shape recovery data generation device 101 may generate the shape recovery data based on actual data obtained when the multi-type tray device 1 actually deforms the multi-type tray 2 following the shape of the workpiece W, as shown in fig. 17A and 17B.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 17A, the workpiece W is loaded on the multi-item serving tray 2, and the multi-item serving tray 2 is fed out in the same manner as in fig. 16A and 16B described above. The workpiece W is preferably fixed to the multi-type pallet 2 by a fixing tool (a rope, a vise, or the like) not shown. The top plate 3c and the pressing member 81a shown in fig. 9 may be removed or changed in shape according to the shape of the workpiece W. Further, as shown in fig. 17A, when all the workpiece contact portions 20 are lowered to the initial position, the displacement restriction of the workpiece contact portions 20 to the lower side does not need to be released in the displacement restriction release described later, and therefore the displacement restriction release of the tray displacement restriction release portion 80A described above does not need to be performed. In other words, the pressing member 81b may be provided, and the pressing member 81a may be removed.

At the shape return position directly above the actuator row 92, the workpiece abutment row 21 is sent out row by row, and the above-described position detection, position fixing, and displacement restriction cancellation are performed. After the displacement restriction is released, the driver 96 of each of the actuators 91A to 91H drives the driving unit 95 until the upper end of the shaft 93 abuts on the workpiece W. The timing at which the driver 96 stops the driving unit 95 is when the upper end of the shaft 93 abuts against the workpiece W and the value of the rotary encoder does not increase, or when the current value of the driving unit 95 exceeds a predetermined threshold value due to the abutment against the workpiece W. The actuator 96 also stops the driving unit 95 when the upper end of the inner shaft 93 does not contact the workpiece W (e.g., when a hole is formed in the workpiece W) for a certain period of time.

After the driving portions 95 of the actuators 91A to 91H stop, the tray displacement restriction releasing portion 80 is driven to restrict the displacement of the workpiece contact portions 20A to 20H. Then, the shape restoration data generation device 101 acquires displacement data (actual data) of the drive units 95 of the actuators 91A to 91H from displacement sensors (rotary encoders and the like), and generates coordinate data of the workpiece contact array 21. The coordinate data may be zero at a portion where the upper end of the shaft 93 does not abut on the workpiece W. By repeating the above operations until all the workpiece abutment rows 21(21-1 to 21-10) as shown in fig. 17B, the shape restoration data as shown in fig. 13 and 14 can be generated. With this configuration, even if there is no three-dimensional data of the workpiece W, the shape restoration data of the multi-type handling tray 2 can be generated from the workpiece W (real object).

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained. In the following description, the same or equivalent structures as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

Fig. 18 is a front view showing a three-dimensional vise 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The three-dimensional vise 200 shown in fig. 18 includes a plurality of shafts 22 as described above, a plurality of displacement regulating mechanisms 30, and a profiling mechanism for profiling the shapes of the work W (spherical in the example shown in fig. 18) with the distal ends of the plurality of shafts 22. In other words, the three-dimensional vise 200 is one of the copying mechanisms similar to the multi-product coping pallet 2 described above.

The three-dimensional vise 200 includes a pair of copying units 201, and a base member 202 that faces the pair of copying units 201 with a gap therebetween. The base member 202 has a pair of fixing portions 203 to which the copying unit 201 is fixed, and a connecting portion 204 that connects the pair of fixing portions 203. The pair of fixing portions 203 is provided to rise vertically from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 204. Therefore, the base member 202 is formed into a substantially U shape in front view.

The copying unit 201 includes the plurality of shafts 22 and the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms 30. The copying unit 201 further includes a moving member 210 for releasing the axial displacement restriction of the shaft 22 of the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms 30. The moving member 210 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, for example. The moving member 210 is guided to be movable in the axial direction of the shaft 22 with respect to the fixed portion 203 of the base member 202 via the linear movement guide mechanism 11 and the shaft 41 (see fig. 4) in the same manner as the above-described coupling mechanism 40 (see fig. 4), but is not shown.

An actuator 211 is connected to the moving member 210 via an actuator rod 212. The actuator 211 applies a load L to the moving member 210 to release the displacement restriction of the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms 30. The actuator 211 can be exemplified by an air cylinder or the like. A spring 205 is disposed between the moving member 210 and the workpiece contact portion 20.

When the displacement restriction of the displacement restriction mechanism 30 is released by moving the moving member 210 in the axial direction by the actuator 211, the workpiece contact portion 20 (tip) is brought into contact with the workpiece W by the urging force of the spring 205. This enables the distal end of the shaft 22 to clamp the workpiece W in conformity with the shape of the workpiece W. After clamping the workpiece W, the displacement restricting mechanism 30 restricts the displacement of the shaft 22 and holds (fixes) the shape thereof by releasing the load L generated by the actuator 211.

Fig. 19 is a sectional configuration diagram of a displacement restricting mechanism 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D as shown in fig. 19.

As shown in fig. 19, the shaft 22 is disposed through a through hole 203a formed in the fixed portion 203 and a through hole 210a formed in the movable member 210. The displacement restricting mechanism 30 restricts the axial displacement of the shaft 22.

Specifically, the displacement restricting mechanism 30 includes: an outer ring 31 (outer cylinder) having a tapered surface 31a formed on an inner circumferential surface surrounding the circumferential surface of the shaft 22; an inner ring 32 (inner cylinder) disposed inside the outer ring 31; rolling elements 33 retained in the inner ring 32; and a spring 34 (urging member) that urges the rolling elements 33 toward the tapered surface 31a via the inner ring 32. A plurality of through holes 32a that penetrate in the radial direction and hold the rolling elements 33 are formed in the inner ring 32 at intervals in the circumferential direction.

The tapered surface 31a of the outer ring 31 is reduced in diameter toward the fixed portion 203. The outer ring 31 receives the biasing force of the spring 34 via the spring receiving portion 35. Thereby, the outer ring 31 is in contact with the moving member 210, and can move in the axial direction of the shaft 22 together with the moving member 210. On the other hand, the inner ring 32 is in contact with the fixing portion 203 and is not movable at least in the direction toward the fixing portion 203 in the axial direction of the shaft 22. In other words, the outer ring 31 is able to move relatively in the axial direction with respect to the inner ring 32.

The inner ring 32 is formed with a step at one end 32A thereof that receives an end of the spring 34. Therefore, the inner ring 32 is not movable at least in the direction toward the fixing portion 203, receiving the reaction force of the biasing force of the spring 34. The other end 32B of the inner ring 32 is planar, and the inner ring 32 can move in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the shaft 22. In other words, the inner ring 32 is in a floating state in which it is not movable at least in the direction toward the fixing portion 203 in the axial direction of the shaft 22 but is slightly movable with respect to the fixing portion 203 in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the shaft 22. The inner ring 32 may be fixed not only in a state of being in contact with the fixing portion 203 but also in a state of being immovable with respect to the fixing portion 203. In other words, the outer ring 31 may be relatively movable in the axial direction with respect to the inner ring 32 in a state where the inner ring 32 does not move in the axial direction.

As shown in fig. 20, the rolling elements 33 are formed in a gourd shape capable of securing a large contact area (friction area) with the circumferential surface of the shaft 22. Specifically, the rolling element 33 includes: a first arc peripheral surface 33a which is in contact with the peripheral surface of the shaft 22; and second arc circumferential surfaces 33b disposed on both sides of the first arc circumferential surface 33a and contacting the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring 31. Thereby, the rolling element 33 can contact both at the contact point P1 with respect to the shaft 22 and at the two contact points P2, P3 with respect to the outer ring 31. The load applied to the rolling elements 33 is evenly distributed by the three contact points P1 to P3.

A guide groove portion 31b recessed in the radial direction is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 31. On the other hand, a guide projection 32b projecting in the radial direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 32. The guide groove portion 31b and the guide protrusion portion 32b are engaged with each other so as to be relatively movable in the axial direction of the shaft 22. Between the guide groove portion 31b and the guide projection portion 32b, a predetermined gap is formed in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the shaft 22, and the inner ring 32 is slightly movable with respect to the outer ring 31 in the radial direction and the circumferential direction.

According to the displacement regulating mechanism 30 having the above-described configuration, as shown in fig. 19, when the rolling elements 33 held by the inner ring 32 are depressed into the wedge-shaped space formed between the circumferential surface of the shaft 22 and the tapered surface 31a of the outer ring 31 by the biasing force of the spring 34, the rolling elements 33 become wedges, and the displacement of the shaft 22 in the axial direction is regulated. On the other hand, when the displacement restriction is released, the load L is applied to the outer ring 31 via the moving member 210, and the outer ring 31 is moved in the axial direction (the fixed portion 203 side) with respect to the inner ring 32.

The inner ring 32 is in contact with the fixed portion 203 and does not move in the axial direction, and therefore the rolling elements 33 hardly move in the axial direction but rotate at their positions (denoted by reference symbol R). The rotation of the rolling elements 33 is caused by sliding (slip) relative to the shaft 22. Therefore, the load L required to release the displacement restriction of the shaft 22 may be ensured to be a load equal to or greater than the frictional force F between the shaft 22 and the rolling elements 33.

Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a displacement restricting mechanism 30 that fixes an outer ring 31 in the axial direction as a comparative example.

As shown in fig. 21, the outer ring 31 is fixed to the fixing portion 203 via a fixing ring 37. In this case, the load L required to release the displacement restriction of the shaft 22 becomes large.

Specifically, in the case of the structure shown in fig. 21, the inner ring 32 is moved in the axial direction (the fixing portion 203 side) with respect to the outer ring 31. The outer ring 31 is fixed to the fixing portion 203 in the axial direction, and therefore the rolling elements 33 move in the axial direction together with the inner ring 32, and hardly rotate. Thus, the load L required to release the displacement restriction of the shaft 22 must be ensured to be equal to or greater than the sum of the frictional force F1 between the shaft 22 and the rolling elements 33 and the frictional force F2 between the outer ring 31 and the rolling elements 33.

In the three-dimensional vise 200 (the same applies to the multi-product handling tray 2 described in the first embodiment), since it is preferable that the load L required for the cancellation is small because it is preferable that the cancellation efficiency is good in simultaneously canceling the displacement restrictions of the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms 30. Therefore, as shown in fig. 19, the structure in which the inner ring 32 is not moved in the axial direction can reduce the load L required to cancel the displacement restriction of the shaft 22, compared to the structure in which the outer ring 31 is fixed to the fixing portion 203 and the outer ring 31 is not moved in the axial direction shown in fig. 21. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the actuator 211 (the same applies to the tray displacement restriction releasing unit 80 described in the first embodiment) for releasing the restriction on the displacement of the shaft 22.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the displacement regulating mechanism 30 for regulating the displacement in the axial direction of the shaft 22 includes: an outer ring 31 having a tapered surface 31a formed on an inner circumferential surface surrounding the circumferential surface of the shaft 22; an inner ring 32 disposed inside the outer ring 31; rolling elements 33 retained in the inner ring 32; and a spring 34 that biases the rolling elements 33 toward the tapered surface 31a via the inner ring 32, and that allows the outer ring 31 to move relative to the inner ring 32 in the axial direction while the inner ring 32 is not moving in the axial direction. With this configuration, the load L required to cancel the displacement restriction of the shaft 22 can be reduced, and the displacement restricting mechanism 30 suitable for the copying mechanism such as the three-dimensional vise 200 (the same applies to the multi-type pallet 2) can be provided.

In the above configuration, as shown in fig. 19, the inner ring 32 receives the axial load L received by the outer ring 31. Such an inner ring 32 may be formed of lightweight and high-strength fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), metal, or the like.

In addition, the inner ring 32 is movable in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the shaft 22. According to this configuration, the inner ring 32 is in a floating state in which it cannot move relative to the fixed portion 203 in the axial direction of the shaft 22 but can move relative to the fixed portion 203 in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the shaft 22, and the plurality of rolling elements 33 shown in fig. 20 freely move in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the shaft 22 and easily and evenly sink into the wedge space. This makes it difficult to apply a load biased to the inner ring 32, and improves the load resistance of the inner ring 32.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 18, a moving member 210 is provided, and the moving member 210 simultaneously moves at least a part of the outer ring 31 (for each copying unit 201) provided in the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms 30 relative to the inner ring 32 in the axial direction. According to this configuration, since the load L for releasing the displacement restriction of one displacement restriction mechanism 30 is small, the release of the displacement restriction of the plurality of displacement restriction mechanisms 30 can be simultaneously performed via the moving member 210.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The various shapes, combinations, and the like of the respective constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, although the first embodiment has been described above with respect to the structure in which the workpieces are supported by the different-type-handling tray 2, for example, a method of using the same may be employed in which the workpieces are attached to the different-type-handling tray 2 (workpiece contact portion 20) and suspended from the top. For example, a method of using the three-dimensional vise of the second embodiment described above, in which the workpiece is clamped from the left and right by a set of multi-type corresponding pallets 2, may be used.

For example, in the first embodiment, the description has been given of the configuration in which the workpiece contact portions 20 are displaced for each row of the workpiece contact rows 21 using the actuator row 92 in which the same number of actuators 91 as the number of the workpiece contact portions 20 are arranged, but the configuration may be such that the workpiece contact portions 20 are displaced one by one using one actuator 91, although it takes time. The same applies to the second embodiment.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can be used for a multi-type tray device and a control system for a multi-type tray device which are convenient to use, and can be used for a displacement regulating mechanism and a copying mechanism suitable for them.

Description of reference numerals:

1 multi-variety coping tray device

2 Multi-variety coping tray (profiling mechanism)

3 device body

10 tray main body

20 workpiece abutment

21 workpiece contact row

30 displacement limiting mechanism

31 outer ring (outer cylinder)

31a taper surface

32 inner ring (inner cylinder)

33 rolling element

34 spring (forcing component)

40 connecting mechanism (moving member)

50 tray conveying part

80 tray displacement restriction releasing part

91 actuator

92 actuator column

95 drive part

96 driver

100 control system

101 shape restoration data generating device

200 three-dimensional bench clamp (copying mechanism)

203 fixed part

210 move the member.

Claims (13)

1. A multi-variety coping tray device, wherein,

the multi-variety handling tray device includes:

a multi-type coping pallet which can follow the shape of a workpiece to deform the shape; and the number of the first and second groups,

an apparatus main body that stores shape restoration data for deforming the multiple-item handling tray and restores the shape of the multiple-item handling tray based on the shape restoration data,

the multiple-variety handling tray is removable with respect to the apparatus main body.

2. The multi item handling tray device according to claim 1,

the multi-type pallet has a plurality of work abutment rows each constituted by a work abutment portion displaceable relative to the pallet main body,

the apparatus main body has a row of actuator rows each including the same number of actuators as the number of the workpiece contact portions included in one of the workpiece contact rows,

the workpiece contact portion is displaced for each row of the workpiece contact row by the actuator row.

3. The multi item handling tray device according to claim 2,

each of the actuators included in the actuator row has a drive unit and a driver for driving the drive unit,

the driver is electrically connected to the drivers of the other actuators in such a manner as to be brought into a mutual communication state with the drivers of the other actuators.

4. The multi item handling tray device according to claim 2 or 3,

the multi-variety management tray includes:

a displacement regulating mechanism provided for each of the workpiece contact portions and regulating displacement of the workpiece contact portion in at least one of displacement directions of the workpiece contact portions; and

and a connecting mechanism that connects the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms so as to be able to release the displacement restriction of the plurality of workpiece contact portions for each of the workpiece contact rows.

5. The multi item handling tray device according to claim 4,

the device main body has:

a tray conveying unit that conveys the workpiece abutment rows of the multi-item corresponding trays one by one to shape return positions opposed to positions where the actuator rows are arranged; and

and a tray displacement restriction releasing section that, at the shape return position, presses the coupling mechanism, releases the restriction of the displacement of the workpiece contact portion for each row of the workpiece contact rows, and releases the pressing of the coupling mechanism after the workpiece contact portions included in the workpiece contact row are displaced by the actuator row.

6. A control system for a multi-variety coping tray device, wherein,

the control system of the multi-item tray handling device includes:

the multi-item management tray device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and

and a shape restoration data generation device that generates the shape restoration data.

7. The multi item handling tray device control system according to claim 6,

the shape restoration data generation device generates the shape restoration data based on three-dimensional data of the workpiece, and stores the generated shape restoration data in the device main body.

8. The multi item handling tray device control system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein,

the shape restoration data generation device generates the shape restoration data based on actual data when the multi-type handling tray device actually deforms the multi-type handling tray following the shape of the workpiece, and stores the generated shape restoration data in the device main body.

9. A displacement restricting mechanism that restricts axial displacement of a shaft, wherein,

the displacement limiting mechanism includes:

an outer cylinder having a tapered surface formed on an inner circumferential surface surrounding a circumferential surface of the shaft;

an inner cylinder disposed inside the outer cylinder;

a rolling element held by the inner tube; and

an urging member that urges the rolling elements toward the tapered surface via the inner tube,

the outer cylinder is movable relative to the inner cylinder in the axial direction without moving the inner cylinder in the axial direction.

10. The displacement limiting mechanism of claim 9,

the inner cylinder bears the axial load borne by the outer cylinder.

11. The displacement limiting mechanism of claim 9 or 10,

the inner cylinder is movable in a radial direction and a circumferential direction of the shaft.

12. A copying mechanism is provided with:

a plurality of shafts; and

a plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms that restrict axial displacement of the plurality of shafts,

the profiling mechanism profiles the leading ends of the plurality of shafts to the shape of the workpiece, wherein,

the displacement restricting mechanism includes the displacement restricting mechanism according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. The profiling mechanism of claim 12 wherein,

the copying mechanism includes a moving member that simultaneously moves at least a part of the outer cylinder provided in the plurality of displacement restricting mechanisms relative to the inner cylinder in the axial direction.

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