JP2000288871A - Alignment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the shift, turn and tilt of a carried object gripped by a grip member. SOLUTION: In this alignment device, an alignment space 16 is formed inside a device body 10a having a lock block 13 and a support plate 15. The device body 10a can be moved by a moving member, while an operation plate 21 is mounted with a chuck. The operation plate 21 can freely move perpendicularly to the center axis O of the device body 10a, freely swingingly turn around the center axis O, and freely tilt relatively to the center axis O. The operation plate 21 is mounted with plural cylindrical members 23 as alignment members, while the lock block 13 is provided with plural piston rods 27 coming into pressure-contact with the cylindrical members 23 to apply a pressing force toward a reference position to the operation plate 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention locks a gripping member at a reference position and displaces the gripping member in an arbitrary direction when a workpiece such as a work is gripped and transported by a gripping member such as a chuck. And a centering device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A chuck is provided on a moving member such as a robot arm, and when a transferred object such as a work is gripped by the chuck and the transferred object is transferred from a first position to a second position, the chuck is used. Must be a reference position, and be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the central axis.

[0003] For example, when an object to be conveyed is gripped by a chuck and conveyed from a first position to a second position, and then the object is inserted into a support hole, the object is conveyed to the second position. If the position of the transferred object and the support hole is shifted, the transferred object cannot be inserted into the support hole, so that it is necessary to shift the position of the transferred object when performing the insertion operation. . Further, when the object to be transported is gripped by the chuck at the first position, if the position of the chuck and the position of the object to be transported are shifted, the object to be transported cannot be gripped. There is a need.

[0004] In order to fulfill such a function, an aligning device also called a compliance module may be attached between the chuck and the moving member.

[0005]

In the conventional centering device, the center axis of the chuck is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the center of the chuck, but depending on the type of the object to be transferred, the center axis of the chuck may be shifted. In addition to the centering function to be matched, it is necessary to rotate the chuck around the center axis or to tilt and move the chuck with respect to the center axis, and furthermore, it is possible to shift the chuck while tilting it. Need to be

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to shift a conveyed object gripped by a gripping member and to perform a rotation and a tilting movement.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An aligning device according to the present invention has a support portion and a lock portion, has an aligning space formed therein, and holds an apparatus main body attached to a moving member, and grips a transferred object. A gripping member is attached, and the centering is performed so as to be movable along the support portion in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the apparatus main body, swingable around the central axis, and tiltably movable with respect to the central axis. An operation plate disposed in a space, a plurality of alignment members provided on the operation plate so as to face the lock portion, and provided on the lock portion so as to be reciprocally movable along the central axis, and And a plurality of piston rods that press against the alignment member to apply a pressing force toward the reference position to the operation plate.

In the aligning device according to the present invention, a spring member for applying a pressing force to the operating plate toward the support portion may be provided in the lock portion. You may make it provide the taper part which reduced the diameter toward the front-end | tip surface of the rod.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a front view showing the appearance of a centering device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the aligning device 10 is adapted to be attached to a moving member 11 such as an arm of a transfer robot, and a gripping member such as a finger or a chuck for gripping an object to be transferred is provided. It can be attached to the centering device 10. The centering device 10 can lock the chuck 12 in this state by aligning the center axis of the chuck 12 with the center axis O of the chuck 12. By releasing the lock, the chuck 12 is moved relative to the centering device 10. Can be set to be movable.

The apparatus main body 10a of the centering device 10 has a lock block 13 having a circular outer periphery, and a screw hole 14 to which the moving member 11 is attached is formed on the base end face of the lock block 13. A disk-shaped support plate 15 is screwed to the distal end surface of the lock block 13 so as to cover a concave portion formed at the distal end. The support plate 15 and the lock block 13 allow the device body 10a to be adjusted. A heart space 16 is formed.

A retainer 17 is provided on the inner surface of the support plate 15.
As shown in FIG. 3, a total of twelve receiving holes 18 are provided in the retainer 17 at the same radial position from the central axis O of the apparatus main body 10a at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A steel ball or ball 19 is formed in each of the receiving holes 18.

An operating plate 21 is arranged in the centering space 16, and the operating plate 21 comes in contact with the ball 19 and is movable along the support plate 15 in a direction perpendicular to the center axis O, that is, in a radial direction. And can be shifted in the X direction shown in FIG. 2 and in the Y direction perpendicular thereto.

A connecting member 22 is fixed to the operating plate 21 by projecting from a through hole formed at the center of the support plate 15 to the outside. The chuck 12 is attached to the working plate 21 via 22.

The operating plate 21 is located in the centering space 16.
As described above, it is free to be displaced in the radial direction, is free to be tilted and movable within a range of an angle α in a direction inclined with respect to the central axis O, and has a rotation angle around the central axis O. It is freely rotatable in the range of θ.

The operating plate 21 has two cylindrical members 23
Is attached, and each cylindrical member 23 is attached at a position shifted by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis of the operation plate 21.
Each cylindrical member 23 is an alignment member provided on the operation plate 21 so as to face the lock block 13. In the illustrated case, two cylindrical members 23 are provided, but three or more cylindrical members may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lock block 13 is formed with two cylinder chambers 25 corresponding to the cylindrical members 23. In each of the cylinder chambers 25, a piston 26 reciprocates in the axial direction. The pistons 26 are provided freely, and each piston 26 is provided with a piston rod 27.
The piston rod 27 is guided by a spacer 28 fixed to the lock block 13 so as to be movable. A tapered portion 29 is formed at the tip of the piston rod 27, and the piston rod 27 enters the cylindrical member 23.

The distal end of the piston rod 27 is not tapered, but is straight, and the cylindrical member 23
May be tapered. Further, the distal end of the piston rod 27 may have a cylindrical shape, and the cylindrical member 23 as an alignment member may be a rod. In this case, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical piston rod may have a tapered shape, and the rod may have a tapered shape. It is good.

A compression coil spring 31 is applied to each piston 26 to apply a spring force to the piston 26 in the retreating direction.
Is mounted between the cover 32 fixed to the lock block 13 and the rear end face of the piston 26.
3 are formed. A supply / discharge port 34 is formed in the lock block 13 to supply compressed air to each pneumatic chamber 33, and the two pneumatic chambers 33 are connected to each other by a communication passage 35.

Therefore, when the compressed air is supplied from the supply / discharge port 34, both pistons 26 advance in synchronization with each other to be in the locked position, and the supply / discharge port 34
When the air is exhausted from the outside, the two pistons 26 are respectively retracted synchronously by the spring force of the compression coil spring 31 to be in the unlocked position. In FIG. 2, for convenience of description, the right piston 26 shows a state in which the piston is in a locked position, and the left piston 26 shows a state in which the piston 26 is in a locked position.

When both pistons 26 are in the locked position, the center of each piston rod 27 and the cylindrical member 2
3 and the center of the connecting member 2
The center axis of No. 2 coincides with the center axis O of the apparatus main body 10a. That is, the amount of displacement between the operating plate 21 and the connecting member 22 in the radial direction with respect to the central axis O of the apparatus main body 10a becomes zero, and the inclination angle α and the rotation angle θ also become zero.

On the other hand, when the piston 26 comes to the unlock position, the distal end of the piston rod 27 separates from the cylindrical member 23, and the operating plate 21 and the connecting member 22
Are movable in the above-described directions.

A cylindrical member 37 having a cylindrical portion 37a and a top portion 37b is mounted in the receiving hole 36 formed in the center of the lock block 13 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The top portion 37b of the cylindrical member 37 comes into contact with the ball 39 arranged in the accommodation hole 38. A compression coil spring 41 is incorporated in the tubular member 37 so that the tubular member 37 applies a spring force toward the support plate 15 to the operation plate 21.

By attaching the aligning device 10 having such a structure to the moving member 11 and attaching the chuck 12 to the connecting member 22 of the aligning device 10, the object to be conveyed is gripped by the chuck 12. When the transported object is transported by the moving member 11, for example, the centering device 10 is locked by driving the piston 26. Thus, the operating plate 21 and the chuck 12 are in an aligned state in which the central axes thereof coincide with the central axis O of the apparatus main body 10a. In this state, the chuck 12 can be moved to the position of the work as the transferred object arranged at the first position, and the transferred object can be gripped, that is, held by the chuck 12. However, the lock may be released immediately before gripping the transported object. In this case, even if the transported object is shifted from a predetermined position, the transported object can be reliably gripped.

After the transported object held in this manner is transported to the second position, when the transported object is removed at the second position, the position of the transported object positioned on the chuck 12 is determined. Even if a deviation from the second position has occurred, it is possible to reliably position the transferred object by releasing the lock. For example, when inserting a transferred object gripped by the chuck 12 into the mounting hole,
Even if the mounting hole is inclined or displaced, if the unlocked state is established, only the insertion operation is performed by the chuck 12 into the mounting hole, and the transferred object is securely inserted into the mounting hole. Can be inserted.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the operating plate 21 is shifted by a stroke R in the radial direction under the unlocked state, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the operating plate 21 is inclined and moved by an angle α, and FIG. This shows a state in which the operation plate 21 has been rotated by the angle θ. When the operation plate 21 moves in this manner, the chuck 12 connected to the operation plate 21 via the connection member 22 also moves.

The radial movement stroke R and the angle θ of the working plate 21 are set by the size of the difference between the outer diameter of the tip of the piston rod 27 and the inner diameter of the cylindrical member 23. It is set by the size in the vertical direction. The operation plate 21 can move in a state where the shift movement in the radial direction, the inclination movement, and the rotation are combined.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the chuck 12 as a gripping member
As long as can hold the object to be conveyed, not only the structure shown in FIG. 1 but also various types can be used. The piston 26 is of a single-acting type that is driven by compressed air when moving forward and is driven by a spring force when moving backward, but is a backward-acting type that performs both forward and backward operations by air pressure. It is good.

[0031]

According to the present invention, the gripping member attached to the working plate is centered at a position coinciding with the center axis of the apparatus main body by contact between the piston rod and the aligning member by moving the piston rod forward. When the piston rod is moved backward, the working plate is unlocked by the Pitson rod, and the gripping member is in a range where the working plate can move in the radial direction, tilt, and rotate in the centering space. Can be moved in these directions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view showing the appearance of a centering device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an operation plate is shifted by a stroke R in a radial direction.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the operation plate is inclined.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the operation plate is rotated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Alignment apparatus 10a Device main body 11 Moving member 12 Chuck (gripping member) 13 Lock block (Lock part) 15 Support plate (Support part) 16 Alignment space 19 Ball 21 Working plate 22 Connecting member 23 Cylindrical member (Centering member) 25 Cylinder chamber 26 Piston 27 Piston rod 29 Tapered section 33 Pneumatic chamber 34 Supply / discharge port

Claims (3)

[Claims] An apparatus main body having a support portion and a lock portion and having an alignment space formed therein and attached to a moving member; and a gripping member for gripping an object to be conveyed, the center of the device main body being provided. An actuation plate disposed in the centering space so as to be movable along the support portion in a direction perpendicular to an axis, swingable about the central axis, and tiltably movable with respect to the central axis; A plurality of aligning members provided on the plate so as to face the lock portion; and a reciprocatingly provided along the central axis on the lock portion, and press-contact each of the aligning members to contact the operating plate. A plurality of piston rods for applying a pressing force toward a reference position. 2. The centering device according to claim 1, wherein a spring member that applies a pressing force to the operating plate toward the support portion is provided on the lock portion. 3. The centering device according to claim 1, wherein the centering member is a cylindrical body, and the piston rod has a tapered portion whose diameter decreases toward a distal end surface. Heart device.