EP1927446A2

EP1927446A2 - Multi-function automatic working machine for door panels.

Info

Publication number: EP1927446A2
Application number: EP07122002A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luigi Patregnani
Original assignee: Essepigi Srl
Current assignee: Essepigi Srl
Priority date: 2006-12-01
Filing date: 2007-11-30
Publication date: 2008-06-04
Also published as: EP1927446A3; ITMC20060166A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-fonction automatic working machine for door panels, composed of a bearing frame (1), a first operating unit (10) designed to move a door panel (A) forward in horizontal position and perform machining operations with inward direction on both longitudinal borders of the door panel, and a second operating unit (100) in upper position designed to perform additional machining operations in downward position on the front surface of the door panel through the entire thickness of the door panel.

Description

The present patent application for industrial invention refers to a multi-function automatic working machine for door panels.
As it is known, doors are composed of a frame fixed to the wall and a panel that rotates around one of the vertical jambs of the frame.
The door panel is provided with hinges on the border mounted to the vertical jamb, and a lock on the opposite vertical border designed to cooperate with a metal plate provided with a suitable slot housed in the jamb of the frame.
Most current models of door panels are provided with a large central opening used to insert a glass pane, moulding or surface fluting to obtain a more pleasant finish.
In view of this, doors undergo a series of complex machining operations that are automatically carried out by specific working machines in which door panels are inserted in horizontal position.
A first type of similar machines is used to install the hinges on one of the longitudinal borders of the door and the lock on the opposite longitudinal border.
In view of the fact that door panel is inserted in the machine in horizontal position, it appears evident that the tools used for the said operations work in horizontal position, thus interfering with the longitudinal borders of the door panel with inward direction.
In this type of machines each door panel is moved forward by a conveyor belt that controls the forward movement and the stop of each door panel according to the working requirements of the tools used to mount hinges and lock.
The presence of the conveyor belt ensures the continuous feeding of the machine, by placing several door panels one after the other on the conveyor belt.
According to the current technology, after being extracted from the first working machine, the door panel is loaded in a second working machine to perform the machining operations that are necessary to insert the glass pane or obtain moulding or fluting.
In this second type of machines the tools operate in vertical position, thus interfering with the door panel surface with downward direction.
These machines are not continuously fed with door panels and are assisted by an operator in charge of loading each door panel in the machine, extract it when the machining operation is finished and replace it with a new door panel to repeat the operation.
Based on this general description of the state-of-art, it appears evident that door panel manufacturers must be provided with two types of working machines (one machine for "horizontal" machining operations and one machine for "vertical" machining operations), without the possibility to coordinate and synchronise the working activities of the two machines. In view of the above, a similar working process is inevitably characterised by dead times between the first and the second phase, with negative consequences on the manufacturer's general productivity.
A careful examination of the current situation has led to the development of the new multi-function machine of the invention, which for the first time allows to perform the two working process in the same work centre.
Obviously, such a result is especially advantageous not only because the potential purchaser of the machine of the invention can purchase and manage one machine instead of two different machines, but also because of the complete automation of the tools with vertical axis, meaning the capability of the machine to feed the door panels continuously without the intervention of the operator.
In other words, it can be stated that the high technical-functional efficiency of the multi-function machine of the invention consists in the contemporary automatic sequence of the two machining processes that were performed either by two different work centres without coordination or in the same work centre with the manual intervention of the operator.
It must be noted that the development of the multi-function machine of the invention did not simply consist in the superimposition of the two different types of pre-existing machines, but required to find a solution to a series of significant technical-functional difficulties.
This is because the two types of traditional machines are currently characterised by specific constructive features and technical-practical requirements that make them physically and functionally incompatible, unless specific adjustments are made, which represent the inventive part of the present invention.
A traditional machine used for horizontal operations (i.e. installation of hinges and lock) is equipped with a conveyor belt with width equal at the door panel that is being machined.
In a traditional machine the presence of such a continuous support and movement surface would make it impossible to perform additional operations in vertical direction (to obtain openings, holes for handles, moulding, fluting, etc.), since it would be impossible to perform vertical operations or to dispose of the part removed from the door panel by gravity when making the opening or of the wood chips produced during the execution of moulding and fluting.
An innovative means was devised to support and move the door panel forward, in order to provide the removal by gravity of the machining waste and ensure the stable support of the door panel to withstand without bending or sliding effects caused by the interference of the tools used for the different operations.
Moreover, while developing the machine of the invention, the volumes of the two operating units were optimised by suitably repositioning the tools.
Additional design improvements were necessary to devise a "universal" machine, that is to say a machine able to work with door panels having a different width.
For purposes of clarity, the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration only and not in a limiting sense, whereby:

Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the multi-function working machine of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a view of the same machine seen from the side where the door panels to be machines are inserted;
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of fig. 1 with plane B-B.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, the multi-function machine of the invention comprises two different operating units (10, 100), the first lower unit (10) being equipped with the tools designed to interfere horizontally with the longitudinal borders of the door panel (A), and the second upper unit (100) being equipped with the tools designed to interfere vertically in downward direction against the upper surface of the door panel (A).
As mentioned earlier, the two units (10, 100) are designed to operate simultaneously on the same door panel, in order to reduce the time needed for the complete processing of the door panel.
The machine of the invention comprises a bearing frame (1) formed of four uprights (2) connected two by two on top by means of suitable cross-beams (3) in order to generate two similar portal-shaped structures in opposite position.
To complete the bearing frame (1) the portal-shaped cross-beams (3) are connected by means of a pair of long cross-pieces (4).
In the bearing frame (1) the first operating unit (10) is mounted in internal position between the four uprights (2) at approximately half of their height, and the second operating unit (100) is hung to the pair of long cross-pieces (4) with the possibility of sliding in longitudinal direction.
In particular, the first operating unit (10) is composed of a pair of longitudinal members (11,12) to support and actuate the parts designed to directly support, block and move forward the door panels that are being machined.
The first longitudinal member (11) is permanently fixed in internal position on a pair of uprights (2) that rest on the same side of the machine of the invention (1), and the second longitudinal member (12) makes alternate parallel travels to move away or close to the fixed longitudinal member (11), thus adapting the mutual distance to the specific width of the door panel that is being machined.
To that end, two large tubular rods (13) are perpendicularly fixed under the fixed longitudinal element (11), facing the mobile longitudinal element (12) with slightly lower length than the distance between the two uprights (2) provided on one side of the machine of the invention and the corresponding uprights (2) on the opposite side.
Each tubular rod (13) is supported on the floor by means of suitable height-adjustable feet (13a) and supports a rectilinear guide track (14) on which a suitable slide (15) alternatively slides to support the mobile longitudinal element (12).
In view of the fact that the operating unit (10) is provided with two tubular rods (13), the mobile longitudinal element (12) is associated with two different slides (15) that provide balanced support also during the alternate travels.
Both tubular rods (13) support a rectilinear rack (13b) with horizontal axis on the internal side with downward teeth.
The two racks (13b) are coupled with corresponding sprockets (16a) splined at the ends of a torsion shaft (16) longitudinally mounted under the mobile longitudinal element (12) and actuated by a gear motor that drives it into alternate travels.
The torsion shaft (16) is rotated in a direction to get the longitudinal element (12) close to the fixed longitudinal element (11) and in the opposite direction for the return travel.
The movement of the longitudinal element (12) in the two directions is produced by the rotation of the sprockets (16a) provided at the ends of the torsion shaft joined to it with respect to the teeth of the racks (13b) fixed in internal position on the two tubular rods (13); it being also evident that the said travels are guided by the coupling provided between the two slides (15) positioned under the mobile longitudinal element (12) and the guides (14) mounted over the two tubular rods (13).
It must be noted that the same function can be entrusted to actuators of different type, as long as functionally equivalent.
As mentioned earlier, the longitudinal elements (11, 12) are provided with means to favour the support and continuous forward movement of the door panels loaded in the machine of the invention.
In particular, brackets (18) in edgeways position protrude upwards from the internal side of the longitudinal elements, with horizontal bars (19) fixed on top, each of them being provided at the ends with two toothed wheels (20) that favour the closed circuit rotation of the toothed belts (11 a, 12a).
In each pair of wheels (20), one wheel is driven and one wheel is a driving wheel by means of the cooperation with a suitable gear motor (21).
As shown in fig. 1, the fixed longitudinal element (11) supports a single belt (11 a) that basically covers the entire length and the mobile longitudinal element (12) supports a belt (12a) composed of two perfectly aligned segments.
As shown in fig. 2, the simultaneous rotation of the two belts (11 a, 12a) allows the door panel (A) that rests on the belts (11 a, 12a) to move forward in the machine of the invention, placing the door panel (A) in the correct position for the various operations and moving the "finished" door panel out of the machine to give access to the next door panel to be machined.
It must be noted that the machine of the invention is provided with additional means able to block and support the door panel (A) while the door panel is stopped in the machine to undergo the aforementioned operations.
In particular, the door panel is permanently blocked by means of suitable clamps (22) that firmly grab the longitudinal borders of the door panel on opposite sides, being supported on the two longitudinal elements (11, 12) in an articulated way and actuated by corresponding actuators.
The actuation of the said fixing means (22) occurs together with the actuation of the means designed to firmly support the door panel inside the machine of the invention.
In addition to the two belts (11 a, 12a) - which only interfere with the peripheral longitudinal section of the door panel - the door panel is also supported by two opposite staggered series of retractable supports (23) fixed in internal position on the longitudinal elements (11, 12), each of them basically consisting in the stem of a small jack (23a) with vertical axis fixed at the end of a small arm (24) that horizontally protrudes from the corresponding longitudinal element.
As shown in fig. 2, once they are driven in the operating position, the retractable supports (23) are basically flush with the upper section of the rotary belts (11 a, 12a) and interfere with the lower side of the door panel that is being machined in more internal position compared to the position in which the interference with the belts is produced (11 a, 12a).
Each door panel is supported along the entire length in four (or more) points; in view of the considerable length of the support arms (24), it is evident that the retractable supports (23) are able to interfere with the door panel on opposite sides at a reduced mutual distance.
This allows to support the central area of the door panel, that is to say in the furthest point from the two belts (11 a, 12a), thus preventing excessive bending in the central area when the central area is subjected to the energetic interference with the tools that operate in downward direction (as illustrated in details below) designed to obtain openings, holes, moulding, fluting, etc. on the door panel.
As soon as the blocking (22) and support (23) means of the door panel (A) are in operating position, all tools designed to perform the desired operations on the door panel are operated.
As mentioned earlier, the first operating unit (10) of the machine of the invention is equipped with the tools of known type, designed to perform machining operations in horizontal direction.
The fixed longitudinal element (11) externally supports a high-speed rotary tool (25) designed to drill the holes for the "Anuba" type hinges on the longitudinal border of the door panel (A) and execute milling with interpolated axes for the housing that contains the assembly of hinge and fixing plate.
An adjacent operating unit (26) with a hinge feed unit (27) is designed to screw each hinge into the corresponding hole suitably drilled by the previous tool (25).
The external position of the hinge feed unit (27) on the fixed longitudinal element (11), in backward position with respect to the bearing frame (1) has been carefully studied to prevent the unit (27) from interfering with the longitudinal sliding of a trolley (101) that operates in the upper unit (100), in view of the considerable height.
The mobile longitudinal element (12) externally supports a tool designed to interfere with the longitudinal border opposite to the door panel (A), which is provided with two milling units (28, 29), the first one used to obtain the slot for the lock and the second one used to obtain the housing for the fixing plate.
The second operating unit (100) of the machine of the invention is equipped with the trolley (101) hung in transversal position to the cross-pieces (4) of the bearing frame (1) to make alternate longitudinal travels with respect to the same cross-pieces (4).
One or more milling units (102) are supported under the trolley (101) and slide in two directions with respect to the longitudinal axis of the trolley (101), mounted in vertical position to interfere in downward direction with the door panel (A) to obtain moulding, fluting, openings (by removing large central portions of the material), and through holes for the insertion of the handle or the block of the lock.
By means of the electronic control unit of the machine, the retractable supports (23) that support the door panel (A) from below are able to selectively retract downwards, in order to interfere with the action of the tools that work in downward direction to perform machining operations on the door panel.
In such a case, all the other retractable supports (23) remain in operating position to guarantee the stable support of the door panel.
As mentioned earlier, the machine of the invention is provided with solutions for the rational disposal of the machining waste produced by the milling units (102) of the operating unit (100); this specific need has required the development of technical solutions that were not foreseen by the prior technique.
The first technical solution was conceived to extract the wooden panels removed from the door panels machined with the machine of the invention to obtain the central opening used to insert a glass pane.
As soon as the milling units (102) with vertical axis have cut the perimeter of the panel to be removed, the electronic control unit of the machine actuates the downward retraction of the supports (23).
This eliminates the support provided in the central area of the door panel (A) that is being machined to allow the central panel cut by the milling units (102) to fall by gravity.
Following to the fall, the lateral borders of the panel are supported by a second pair of conveyor belts (30) with longitudinal direction positioned at a slightly lower height in internal position with respect to the two belts (11 a, 12a) designed to ensure the support and forward movement of the entire door panel (A).
Evidently, in order to generate this effect, following to the downward retraction, the supports (23) are situated at a height lower than the height of the upper section of the two belts (30).
The actuation of the second pair of conveyor belts (30) guarantees that the wooden panel removed from the door panel (A) is extracted from the machine of the invention according to a rectilinear direction that exactly coincides, although at a lower height, with the direction followed by the entire door panel by means of the first pair of conveyor belts (11 a, 12a).
A similar attention has also been paid to the disposal of the wood chips produced by the interference of the milling units on the door panel (A) to make the wood chips fall towards the bottom of the machine by gravity on a conveyor belt (31) that takes them out of the machine.
In particular, the conveyor belt (31) rotates in perpendicular direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine, in such a way that the machining waste is ejected on the side of the machine with the fixed longitudinal element (11).
The need to allow wood chips to fall freely by gravity on the conveyor belt (31) eliminated the presence of any mechanical members in the space between the height where the door panel is stopped and the height of the conveyor belt (31).
It must be noted that the two tubular rods (13) for the slides (15) designed to move the mobile longitudinal element (12) are provided upstream and downstream the conveyor belt (31), that is to say in a position that does not interfere with the falling wood chips.
The same purpose required the adoption of the system used to move the mobile longitudinal element (12), by placing the torsional shaft (16) in protected position under the same longitudinal element (12) and by cooperation with the racks (13b) fixed in projected position inside the two tubular rods (13) in more external position with the conveyor belt (31).
As soon as the necessary operations have been performed on the door panel (A), the supports (23) are retracted downwards (if they have not retracted as mentioned above), the clamps (22) release the longitudinal borders of the door panel and the first pair of conveyor belts (11a, 12a) is started to take the door panel (A) to the unload area of the machine of the invention.
After explaining the operation of the upper operating unit (100) it is easy to understand the reason why the conveyor belt (12a) supported on top o the mobile longitudinal element (12) is made of two different segments, with the interposition of a wooden strip (17) that can be removed and replaced easily.
The strip (17) acts as support plane for the tool of the milling unit (102) when the milling unit (102) interferes in downward direction with the door panel (A) when through holes are drilled to house the handle and the key block of the lock.
During these operations, after going through the entire thickness of the door panel (A), the milling unit (102) interferes with the strip (17) in such a way to cause considerable damages; in this case the strip is replaced easily with another identical strip.
Without the strip (17), in case of a belt (12a) composed of only one section, as with the opposite belt (11 a), the direct interference between the tool of the milling unit (102) and the belt (12a) would seriously damage the belt, and even break it.
Finally, it must be noted that in the embodiment shown in the enclosed figures, the operating unit designed to mount hinges on the door panel (A) longitudinally slides in external position on the fixed longitudinal element (11) on which it is applied.
For this purpose, the entire operating unit - including the tools (25, 26) and the hinge feeding unit (27) - is mounted on a large plate (32) in edgeways position, coupled with a pair of suitable rectilinear guides (11 b) provided in external position on the fixed longitudinal element (11); it being provided that the plate (32) is fitted to the gear motor (33) that provides movement in cooperation with a rack (33a) fixed in external position on the longitudinal element (11) in intermediate position between the two guides (11 b).
Because of the sliding movement of the bearing plate (32), the operating unit interferes with two or three different points on the lateral border of the door panel (A) mounted in the machine of the invention, to install the hinges.
Alternatively, the fixed longitudinal element (11) can support two or three fixed operating units in external position for hinge installation.
In such a case, each operating unit only interferes with the specific section of the lateral border of the door panel (A) that stops in front of the operating unit.

Claims

Multi-function automatic working machine for door panels, characterised by the fact that it comprises an ordinary bearing frame (1) and two operating units (10, 100), of which:
- the first lower unit (10) is equipped with means (11 a, 12a) used to support and move forward the door panel (A) in horizontal position, means designed to selectively tighten the door panel (A), means (25, 26, 27, 28, 29) of known type, designed to interfere horizontal in inwards direction from opposite sides with the longitudinal borders of the door panel (A) to mount hinges and lock components;

- the second upper unit (100) is equipped with means (102) designed to interfere in downward direction with the surface of the door panel (A) in horizontal position in order to make openings, holes, moulding, fluting and similar operations.
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the bearing frame (1) is formed of four uprights (2) connected two by two by means of cross-beams (3); it being provided that the cross-beams (3) are connected by means of a parallel cross-pieces (4) that basically extend along the entire length of the machine.
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the means (11 a, 12a) provided in the first operating unit (10) to support and move forward the door panel (A) only interfere with the longitudinal borders of the lower side of the door panel.
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 3, characterised by the fact that the means (11a, 12a) provided in the first operating unit (10) to support and move forward the door panel (A) are able to vary their mutual resistance according to the width of the door panel being machined.
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the means (11 a, 12a) provided to support and move forward the door panel (A) consist in an opposite pair of horizontal belts (11 a, 12a) positioned on the two sides of the machine, basically along the entire length of the machine, each of them with close circuit rotation between two wheels (20), a driving wheel and a driven wheel, supported in vertical position at the two ends of a longitudinal bar (19); it being provided that the bars (19) used to support the conveyor belts (11 a, 12a) are fixed, with the interposition of suitable vertical brackes (18), above corresponding longitudinal elements (11, 12), the first element being fixed on a pair of uprights (2) of the bearing frame (1), and the second element being designed to make alternate parallel travels to move away or close with respect to the fixed longitudinal element (1).
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the mobile longitudinal element (12) is supported in lower position by two slides (15) that alternatively slide with respect to corresponding rectilinear guide tracks (14) mounted above two tubular rods (13) that extend transversally inside the frame (1) near the longitudinal ends of the frame (1), starting from the fixed longitudinal element (11), using the ground support provided by suitable heigh-adjustable feet (13a); it being also provided that the tubular rods (13) support horizontally, on the internal sides, corresponding rectilinear racks (13b) designed to couple with sprockets provided at the ends of a torsion shaft (16) mounted longitudinally under the mobile longitudinal element (12) and driven in alternate rotations by a suitable gear motor.
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the tightening means of the longitudinal borders opposite the door panel (A) provided in the first operating unit (10) consist in clamps (22) fixed in articulated manner to the longitudinal elements (11, 12) and actuated by relevant actuators.
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that it is provided with a second, more internal, pair of conveyor belts (30) with horizontal axis in adjacent lower position with respect to the first pair of belts (11 a, 12a).
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that it is provided with additional retractable support means (23) that protrude from opposite sides inside the longitudinal elements (11, 12) of the first operating unit (10), designed to interfere with upward direction with two longitudinal sections of the door panel (A) in close position to its symmetrical axis.
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 9, characterised by the fact that the additional support means consist in the stems (23) of a plurality of jacks with vertical axis (23a) fitted at the ends of corresponding arms (24) fixed in internal projecting position on the longitudinal elements (11, 12); it being provided that the upper ends of the stems (23) reach the same height as the upper section of the first pair of conveyor belts (11 a, 12a) at the end of the ascending travel and a lower height than the upper section of the second pair of conveyor belts (30) at the end of the descending travel.
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the means with horizontal axis (25, 26, 27) provided for the automatic installation of hinges on one of the longitudinal border of the door panel (A) are mounted in external position on the fixed longitudinal element (11), so that they are situated in external position also with respect to the bearing frame (1).
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 11, characterised by the fact that the means (25, 26, 27) provided for the automatic installation of hinges are fitted to a plate (32) in edgeways position coupled with a pair of rectilinear horizontal guides (11 b) provided in external position on the longitudinal element (11), with the plate (32) that alternatively slides by means of a suitable gear motor (33) that cooperates with a rack (33a) fixed in external position on the longitudinal element (11).
Multi-function machine as claimed in claims 11 and/or 12, characterised by the fact that the means provided for the automatic installation of hinges consist in a high-speed rotary tool (25) designed for drilling of holes for "Anuba" type hinges and milling with interpolated axes for the housing and an operating unit (26) assisted by a corresponding hinge feed unit (27) designed to screw hinges inside the holes that were previously drilled by the rotary tool (25).
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the means with horizontal axis (28, 29) provided to mount the lock on the longitudinal opposite border of the door panel (A) are mounted in external position on the mobile longitudinal element (12).
Multi-function machine as clacimed in claim 14, characterised by the fact that the means provided for the lock consist in two side-by-side milling units (28, 29), the first one being designed to obtain the slot for the lock and the second one being designed to obtain the housing for the fixing plate.
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that a conveyor belt (31) is provided in close position to the ground, with rotation according to a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal axis of the machine, in intermediate position between the two transversal tubular rods (13).
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the means (102) of the second operating unit (100) designed to interfere with downward direction with the door panel stopped at the first operating unit (10) are fixed, with possibility of alternate sliding travels, under a trolley (101) hung in transversal position to the cross-pieces (4) of the bearing frame (1) to make alternate longitudinal travels with respect to the same cross-pieces (4).
Multi-function machine as claimed in claim 17, characterised by the fact that the means designed to interfere with the door panel (A) consist in one or more operating units (102) able to make cuts, holes, moulding, fluting and similar operations.
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the interference exerted from above by the means (102) of the second operating unit (100) on the door panel (A) is coordinated with the support action exerted from below by the retractable means (23) of the first operating unit (10) on the door panel (A), in such a way that each retractable means (23) is selectively retracted downwards if the presence of the same means (23) under the door panel interferes with the "working" direction of the means (102).
Multi-function machine as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the conveyor belt (12a) supported above the mobile longitudinal element (12) is made of two different perfectly aligned section, with a removable wooden strip (17) in intermediate position.