JP2004167683A - Robot hand for automatic machining machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic machining machine and its operation method for shortening the recycle time of machining and easily increasing productivity, and a robot hand for the automatic machining machine. <P>SOLUTION: A machining device 4 and two working tables 70 are prepared relatively in a movable manner. Before the machining device 4 finishes the machining of a workpiece 2 fixed on a first working table, the other workpiece 2 fixed on a second working table 70 is replaced with the other different workpiece 2 by a transport device 6. Machining by the machining device 4 and transport motion by the transport device 6 are conducted simultaneously and in parallel, and the productivity is increased by shortening the recycle time for machining one workpiece 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot hand for an automatic processing machine that automatically supplies and removes a workpiece to and from a processing apparatus that processes the workpiece.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wristwatch has been provided with a dial plate on which a number indicating a time indicated by an hour hand is written. As such a dial, in addition to the one on which numbers are printed, as a dial for an intermediate or high-grade wristwatch whose price is higher than that of popular products, abbreviations made of an elongated rod-shaped polyhedron are provided as numbers indicating time. There are things.
As such abbreviations, an integrated type in which a predetermined portion of the dial is squeezed by press working and an implanted type in which a typeset prepared in advance is implanted are used for the dial.
In addition, since the dial is the face of the wristwatch, and the abbreviation also serves as a decoration for decorating the dial, it is necessary to give the abbreviated character an excellent design. For this reason, the abbreviations composed of polyhedrons are mirror-finished on each surface, and are subjected to diamond cutting, which is a cutting method in which the boundaries between the surfaces are sharply displayed.

Before making a diamond cut on the planting type abbreviation, before planting it on the dial, fix a number of typesetting on a cylindrical drum which is a jig for a lathe, put this drum on a lathe and collectively typeset these Diamond cut processing is applied.
At this time, the typesetting is fixed to the drum so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to the diamond cutting tool of the lathe, and cutting is performed, and a diamond cut surface by diamond cutting is formed for each typesetting. Then, the fixing work to the drum and the cutting work are repeated by the number of the diamond cut surfaces to be formed in the typesetting, and the required number of the diamond cut surfaces are formed.
Such typesetting abbreviations require time and effort to manufacture because the cutting operation must be repeated many times.However, large irregularities can be formed on the dial, and a large and luxurious diamond-cut surface can be formed. It can give the board a three-dimensional appearance and luxury, and is used for high-end wristwatches.

Since the integrated abbreviation is integrated with the dial from the beginning, the dial is pressed to squeeze out the abbreviation, and then the dial is cut with a dedicated cutting device and diamond cut.
Here, a rotary table capable of changing the angular position with respect to the diamond bite provided in the cutting device is provided in the cutting device, and the dial is placed on the rotary table. Out of a plurality of abbreviations up to, one of the abbreviations is cut, the abbreviation is cut by adjusting the angular position of the rotary table, and then the angular position of the rotary table is changed, and the other abbreviations are also If the cutting is performed sequentially, the dials once set in the cutting device are diamond cut on all the abbreviations without being removed, so that automation of the diamond cutting operation can be realized.
In addition, if a cutting device equipped with a rotary table as described above is used, a disk-shaped jig formed to have the same dimensions as the dial is prepared, and a plurality of typesettings to be diamond-cut are formed on the disk-shaped jig. After the attachment, the disc-shaped jig is set on the above-mentioned rotary table and the diamond cutting process is performed, so that the diamond cutting operation can be automated even with an implanted abbreviation.
And, for a cutting device equipped with a rotary table as described above, a magazine in which a plurality of slots into which a dial before processing is inserted is provided, and the dial is taken out of the magazine, and the dial is taken out. A material removal device that includes a material supply device to be supplied to the cutting device and a magazine having a plurality of slots formed therein, removes the processed dial from the cutting device, and inserts the removed dial into the slot of the magazine to stock it. Is considered to be able to realize an automatic machining machine that automatically and continuously performs diamond cutting of a dial when manufacturing a large number of dials.

However, by simply combining the above-described cutting device, material supply device, and material removal device, while the cutting device is performing cutting, the workpiece is being processed, so the material supply device is A new workpiece cannot be supplied, and the material removing device cannot remove the processed workpiece from the cutting device, and the material supply device and the material removing device are stopped.
For this reason, even if a cutting device, a material supply device, and a material removal device capable of high-speed operation are employed, the cycle time required for processing one workpiece increases, and it is difficult to improve productivity. is there.
Such a problem becomes a problem not only in a cutting device for performing cutting but also in performing other processes such as polishing and pressing, so that it is a universal problem relating to a processing device.

Also, when inserting a thin plate-shaped workpiece such as a dial into a slot of a magazine, the workpiece removed from the cutting device must be accurately stopped at a position corresponding to the slot of the magazine. In addition to being unable to insert the workpiece, the workpiece may collide with the peripheral portion of the slot and be damaged.
For this reason, a magazine with excellent dimensional accuracy is adopted, and when the workpiece is transported from the cutting device to the slot of the magazine, it is necessary to accurately detect the position of the workpiece, especially in the vicinity of the slot. It is necessary to perform the detection with high precision, and it becomes difficult to quickly insert the workpiece into the slot, which also increases the cycle time required for processing the workpiece and makes it difficult to improve productivity. There is.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a robot hand for an automatic processing machine that can shorten a cycle time required for processing and can easily improve productivity.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first magazine for stocking a plurality of workpieces before processing, a processing apparatus for processing the workpiece, a second magazine for stocking a plurality of workpieces after processing, An automatic processing machine comprising: a transport device that transports a workpiece from the first magazine to the processing device and transports a workpiece from the processing device to the second magazine; Are provided, and a plurality of processing tables on which the processing of the workpiece is performed are provided, and the processing apparatus performs processing on the workpiece mounted on one of the plurality of processing tables. Before completing the process, the processing device and the processing table are used in order to perform an exchange operation of exchanging a workpiece to be processed installed on another processing table with another workpiece by the transfer device. And it is provided to be movable to-basis.

According to the first aspect of the invention, before the processing apparatus completes the processing of the workpiece set on one processing table, the unprocessed workpiece is set on another processing table. Therefore, when one workpiece is completed, the processing apparatus and the processing table are immediately moved relative to each other, so that the processing on the next workpiece can be started immediately.
Then, during the period from the start of the processing to the next workpiece to the completion thereof, the transported device removes the processed workpiece from the processing table and transports the workpiece to the second magazine. Thus, another workpiece to be processed can be transported to an empty processing table.
As a result, the processing by the processing device and the transfer operation by the transfer device can be performed simultaneously in parallel, so that the processing device and the transfer device are not stopped, and the processing operation on one workpiece Are continuously performed, the cycle time required for processing the workpiece to be processed is reduced, and the productivity can be easily improved.

In the automatic processing machine as described above, among the processing device and the processing table that are relatively movably provided, the processing device is horizontally movable, and the processing table is fixed at a predetermined plane position. It is desirable to have been.
If the processing apparatus can be moved in the horizontal direction in this way, the workpiece set on the processing table can be processed in any plane position, and the processing table can be fixed to a predetermined plane position. For example, the position at which the transport device performs feeding and removing materials is fixed, control of the transport device in the feeding operation and the removing operation is facilitated, and the feeding operation and the removing operation can be performed quickly.

  In the above-mentioned automatic processing machine, the first magazine is provided with a take-out device for taking out a workpiece from the first magazine, and the second magazine is provided with a workpiece after processing in the second magazine. A first idle table on which a workpiece to be taken out from the first magazine is temporarily placed between the take-out device and the transport device; It is preferable that a second idle table is provided between the apparatus and the transport device, on which the processed workpieces transported by the transport device are temporarily placed.

With this configuration, once the workpiece is placed on the first idle table, the removal device does not need to directly pass the workpiece to the transport device, and does not have to wait for the arrival of the transport device to perform the next removal. Get started working. If the workpiece is placed on the first idle table, the transport device does not need to wait for the unloading device, and immediately performs the transport operation of transporting the workpiece on the first idle table to the processing device. You can start.
On the other hand, once the workpiece has been placed on the second idle table, the transport device does not need to pass the workpiece directly to the storage device, and can proceed to the next transport operation without waiting for the arrival of the storage device. Become like If the workpiece is placed on the second idle table, the storage device does not need to wait for the transport device, and immediately stores the workpiece on the second idle table in the second magazine. Can start.
Therefore, by setting the unloading work time, transfer work time, and storage work time per one workpiece to be equal, the unloading work, the transfer work, and the storage work can be performed at the same time. Unnecessary waiting time is eliminated, so that the material supply operation and the material removal operation for the processing device by the unloading device, the transport device and the storage device can be quickly performed, and the cycle time required for processing the workpiece to be processed is shortened, Productivity can be easily improved.

  Further, in the automatic processing machine described above, the transfer device includes a transfer robot hand for gripping a workpiece, and the transfer device includes the transfer robot hand as the transfer robot hand after processing from the processing table. It is desirable that a material removing hand for removing a processing member and a material supply hand for supplying a workpiece before processing to the processing table are provided close to each other.

By providing the material removal hand and the material supply hand in this manner, the workpiece can be removed from the processing table by the material removal hand while the workpiece is held by the material supply hand, and the material removal is completed. The workpiece to be processed can be immediately supplied to the processing table by the supply hand.
Further, since the removing hand and the supplying hand are provided close to each other, in the removing operation and the supplying operation described above, the moving distance of the removing hand and the supplying hand is a minimum distance. .
As a result, it is possible to perform the material removing operation for removing the workpiece from the processing table and the material supply operation for supplying the workpiece to the processing table in a short time, and to perform the material supplying operation to the processing device and the material removing by the transfer device. Work can be done quickly.

  At this time, the member to be processed is formed in a flat plate shape having a small thickness, and extends to the transfer robot hand so as to extend from an edge of the member to be processed to a surface on the back side, and can be separated from each other. A pair of support claws provided, and a pressing member that is arranged in a state of being urged toward these support claws and is sandwiched between the support claws to grip the workpiece to be processed are provided. Preferably.

According to such a transfer robot hand, when gripping a workpiece to be processed placed on a table such as the processing table and the first table, the pair of support claws are separated, and then the transfer robot hand is lowered. Then, the pressing member is pressed against the table, and in this state, the pair of supporting claws are brought close to each other, and then the transfer robot hand is raised, and the biased pressing member sandwiches the workpiece between the supporting claws. Thus, the workpiece is gripped by the pressing member and the support claw.
Here, since the pressing member is urged, the position of the contacting height with the workpiece is not limited, so that even if a plurality of types of workpieces having different thicknesses are mixed, the transfer robot can be used. When lowering the hand, it is not necessary to stop the transfer robot hand at a height position corresponding to the thickness of the workpiece, and stop at a predetermined height level regardless of the thickness of the workpiece. The workpiece can be gripped by the transfer robot hand by being raised again.
On the other hand, when the workpiece to be gripped is set on the table, simply performing the gripping operation in the reverse order can set the workpiece to the table with the robot hand for sending.
This allows the transfer robot hand to control the lifting and lowering of the transfer robot hand with simple control means such as a limit switch when performing the feeding operation and the removal operation by the transfer robot hand, and to detect the height position of the transfer robot hand. Is not required to be performed with high accuracy, the feed control of the transfer robot hand is facilitated, and the feeding and removing operations by the transfer robot hand can be performed quickly.

  Here, the transfer device is provided with a transfer moving mechanism for moving the transfer robot hand in three directions orthogonal to each other, and the robot hand includes a connecting member mounted on the transfer movement mechanism. The transfer member is attached to the transfer mechanism via a first connecting portion connected to the transfer mechanism side, and a second connection portion to which the transfer robot hand is connected, A free state in which the positional relationship between the first joint and the second joint is displaceable within a predetermined range, and a fixed state in which the first joint and the second joint are fixed in a predetermined positional relationship. The transfer robot hand is a compliance module that can be switched from one of the two states to the other, and the transfer robot hand has a positioning pin that is inserted into a positioning hole formed in the processing table. It is desirable to have been.

As described above, the positioning of the transfer robot hand is performed by inserting the positioning pins into the positioning holes of the processing table, so that the transfer robot hand can be accurately positioned with respect to the processing table.
In addition, since the transfer robot hand is attached to the transfer moving mechanism via the compliance module as described above, even if the center axes of the positioning pins of the transfer robot hand and the positioning holes of the processing table are slightly shifted, the transfer is performed. The position of the transfer robot hand is automatically adjusted by forming the tip of the positioning pin or the opening of the positioning hole into a tapered shape, etc., so that the position of the transfer robot hand is automatically adjusted. It is not necessary to drive the transfer mechanism for correcting the position.
Therefore, when the transporting moving mechanism moves the transporting robot hand to supply the material to the processing table with the transporting robot hand, the transport robot hand is allowed to be displaced from the processing table. It is not necessary to detect the planar position of the robot hand with high accuracy, the feed control of the transfer robot hand is facilitated, and the material supply operation by the transfer robot hand can be performed quickly.

  In the automatic processing machine described above, the workpiece is a thin flat plate, and the first magazine is formed with a plurality of slots into which the workpiece is inserted. A take-out device for taking out a workpiece from the first magazine is provided. The take-out device includes a take-out robot hand having a pair of holding fingers for sandwiching an edge of the work-piece from both sides, and an insertion device inserted into the slot. It is preferable that a posture correcting member that corrects the processed member to a posture that can be held by the pair of holding fingers by contacting the processed member is provided.

In this way, if a plurality of slots into which the workpieces are inserted are provided in the first magazine, a plurality of flat workpieces having a small thickness can be arranged in the thickness direction. A large number of workpieces can be stored.
In addition, as described above, if a pair of holding fingers that sandwich the edge of the workpiece from both sides are provided in the removal robot hand, the interval between the slots is set small, and a large number of workpieces are arranged in the thickness direction. Even if it does, since the space where a pair of pinching fingers move is secured on both sides of the row of the member to be processed, when taking out one of the members to be processed stored in the first magazine, the pinching finger is used. Even when opened, the holding finger does not touch other workpieces, does not touch and damage other workpieces, or removes one workpiece without removing two workpieces. Can be performed reliably.
Here, if the thickness of the plate-shaped workpiece is smaller than the width of the slot, the workpiece stored in the first magazine is inclined with respect to the slot, and both edges of the workpiece are inclined. May be out of the range that can be pinched by the pinching finger.
In such a case, if the posture correcting member that comes into contact with the workpiece is provided as described above, when the workpiece is taken out by the removal robot hand, the removal robot hand is lowered and the pinching finger is moved to the workpiece. When the robot hand for removal is moved along the thickness direction of the workpiece when moving to the vicinity of the workpiece, the workpiece is pushed by the posture correcting member, and the posture of the workpiece becomes parallel to the slot, Both edges of the workpiece are within the range that can be pinched by the pinching fingers, and the pinching fingers allow the workpiece to be reliably taken out.

  At this time, at least a tip portion of the pair of holding fingers is provided with a contact portion that comes into contact with an edge of the workpiece, and the contact portion extends along the edge of the workpiece. Preferably, a groove having a V-shaped cross section is provided.

  With this configuration, when the gripping finger grips the workpiece, the workpiece is guided by the V-shaped groove, and the workpiece is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the gripping finger, and the posture of the workpiece is adjusted. When the holding finger is parallel to the first idle table, the workpiece is also parallel to the first idle table, and the positioning pilot pin provided on the first idle table is inserted into the pilot hole of the workpiece. Even when the positioning structure for insertion is adopted, when the workpiece is placed on the first idle table, the workpiece does not tilt with respect to the first idle table, and the workpiece is placed on the first idle table. Becomes easier.

  Further, the take-out device is provided with a take-out moving mechanism for moving the take-out robot hand along three directions orthogonal to each other, and the take-out robot hand is provided with a connecting member attached to the take-out move mechanism. Is attached to the removal moving mechanism via the first member, the connecting member includes a first joining portion joined to the removal moving mechanism side, and a second joining portion to which the removal robot hand is joined, A free state in which the positional relationship between the first joint and the second joint is displaceable within a predetermined range, and a fixation in which the first joint and the second joint are fixed in a predetermined positional relationship. It is desirable that the compliance module be capable of switching from one of the two states to the other.

Here, the forming accuracy and the dimensional accuracy of the slot of the first magazine are not sufficient, and the workpiece pressed by the posture correcting member deviates from between the pair of pinching fingers. May not be pinched.
In such a case, as described above, the take-out robot hand is attached to the take-out moving mechanism via the compliance module, and when the workpiece is held by the holding finger, the take-out robot hand is set in a free state in which it can be displaced. Then, the position of the take-out robot hand is corrected by the reaction force of the posture correcting member pressing the workpiece, and a pair of holding fingers are arranged at positions sandwiching the workpiece between them, resulting in a complicated position. The workpiece can be clamped by the clamping finger without providing a detection device or control means.

  In the above-described automatic processing machine, the workpiece is a thin flat plate, and a plurality of slots into which the workpiece is inserted are formed in the second magazine at equal intervals. And a storage device for inserting a workpiece into the slot of the second magazine, wherein the storage device includes a pair of holding fingers for holding an edge of the workpiece from both sides. A hand and a pilot claw that is inserted into a slot next to a target slot into which the workpiece is to be inserted and that engages with the adjacent slot to determine the position of the robot hand. preferable.

As described above, if the pilot claw inserted into the slot next to the slot into which the workpiece is inserted is provided, when inserting the thin flat workpiece into the slot, the pilot claw is inserted into the slot next to the target slot. When the pawl is inserted, the pilot pawl is guided by the slot to accurately determine the position of the retracting robot hand with respect to the slot, so that even if the width of the slot is small, it can be received without colliding with the side wall around the slot. Since the processed member can be easily inserted into the slot and the processed member does not collide with the side wall around the slot, deformation of the thin processed member can be prevented.
In addition, since the positioning can be performed accurately with the pilot claw, when controlling the storage robot hand that transports the workpiece to the slot, the positional relationship between the slot into which the workpiece is to be inserted and the storage robot hand is highly accurate. The storage robot hand can be controlled by simple control means, and the work of storing the workpiece in the second magazine can be performed quickly.
In addition, since the accuracy of the pitch of the slots arranged in a large number is insufficient, even if the position of the slot far from the reference point is largely deviated from the pitch, the slot next to the slot into which the workpiece is to be inserted becomes the reference. There is no problem in storing the workpieces in the second magazine, and there is no need to separately provide a positioning hole or the like on the second magazine side. Certain ordinary magazines can be employed as the second magazine.

  At this time, at least a tip portion of the pair of holding fingers is provided with a contact portion that comes into contact with an edge of the workpiece, and the contact portion extends along the edge of the workpiece. It is desirable that a groove having a V-shaped cross section be provided.

  With this configuration, similarly to the aforementioned robot hand for taking out, when the holding finger grips the workpiece, the workpiece is guided by the V-shaped groove, and the workpiece is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the holding finger. Since the posture of the workpiece is adjusted, when the holding finger is made parallel to the second idle table, the workpiece is also parallel to the second idle table, and the positioning member provided on the second idle table stands upright. Even when the positioning structure for inserting the pilot pin into the pilot hole of the workpiece is adopted, the workpiece does not tilt with respect to the second idle table when mounted on the second idle table. Mounting of the member on the second idle table is facilitated.

  Further, the storage device is provided with a storage moving mechanism for moving the storage robot hand in three directions orthogonal to each other, and the storage robot hand is provided with a connecting member mounted on the storage movement mechanism. The storage member is attached to the storage moving mechanism via the first, the connecting member includes a first connection portion connected to the storage movement mechanism side, and a second connection portion to which the storage robot hand is connected, A free state in which the positional relationship between the first joint and the second joint is displaceable within a predetermined range, and a fixation in which the first joint and the second joint are fixed in a predetermined positional relationship. It is preferable that the compliance module is configured to be switchable from one of the two states to the other.

Since the storage robot hand is attached to the storage moving mechanism via the compliance module in this manner, after the storage robot hand reaches the slot just above the slot into which the workpiece to be processed of the second magazine is to be inserted, the workpiece is processed. When inserting the robot hands, even if the positions of the pilot claws of the storage robot hand and the slots into which the workpieces are to be inserted are slightly misaligned, the storage robot hand can be displaced. The position of the storage robot hand is automatically corrected by forming the opening of the portion or the slot in a tapered shape, and it is not necessary to drive the storage moving mechanism for correcting the position of the storage robot hand.
For this reason, in order to store the workpiece in the second magazine with the storage robot hand, when the storage moving mechanism is driven to move the storage robot hand, a positional shift of the storage robot hand with respect to the slot is allowed. Therefore, it is not necessary to detect the planar position of the storage robot hand with high accuracy, the feed control of the storage robot hand is facilitated, and the storage operation by the storage robot hand can be performed quickly.

  In the automatic processing machine as described above, before the processing device completes the processing of the workpiece set on one processing table, the workpiece mounted on another processing table is replaced with another workpiece. It is desirable that the transfer operation to be performed is performed by the transport device.

  With this configuration, the processing by the processing device and the transfer operation by the transfer device can be performed at the same time, so that the processing device and the transfer device do not come to a stop state, and one workpiece can be processed. Is continuously performed, the cycle time required for processing the member to be processed is reduced, and productivity can be easily improved.

  Here, it is preferable that the cycle time required for the processing apparatus to process one workpiece and the cycle time required for the transfer device to replace the workpiece be set equal.

  In this way, the processing and the transfer operation can be performed simultaneously, and the waiting time during which the processing device and the transfer device are on standby is eliminated, so that the processing of the processing device and the transfer operation of the transfer device are performed without waste. Thus, the cycle time required for processing one workpiece is shortened, and productivity can be easily improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot hand provided in an automatic processing machine for processing a thin plate-shaped workpiece, and for inserting the workpiece into a magazine having a plurality of slots into which the workpiece is inserted. In the magazine, the plurality of slots are provided at equal intervals, and the robot hand is inserted into a slot next to a target slot into which the workpiece is to be inserted, and A pilot claw that determines a position of the robot hand by engaging with the slot is provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, the position of the storage robot hand with respect to the slot is accurately determined by the pilot claw inserted into the slot next to the slot into which the workpiece is inserted. Even if the width of the workpiece is narrow, the workpiece can be easily inserted into the slot without colliding with the side wall around the slot, and the workpiece does not collide with the side wall around the slot. Can be prevented.
For this reason, if it is an automatic processing machine that processes a thin plate-shaped workpiece, the second invention can be easily applied, and various processes such as cutting, cutting, polishing, and pressing can be performed on the thin plate-shaped workpiece. The control of the robot hand of the automatic processing machine to be performed is facilitated, and the storing operation of the workpiece can be quickly performed.

  In the robot hand as described above, the automatic processing machine is provided with a moving mechanism for moving the robot hand in three directions orthogonal to each other, and a robot arm rotatably supported by the moving mechanism. The robot hand is attached to the robot arm via a connecting member attached to a tip of the robot arm, and the connecting member is connected to a first joint to be joined to the robot arm and the robot hand to a joint. Two states: a free state in which the positional relationship with the second joint part is displaceable within a predetermined range, and a fixed state in which the first joint part and the second joint part are fixed in a predetermined positional relation. It is preferable that the compliance module be switchable from one to the other.

If the robot hand is attached to the moving mechanism via the compliance module in this manner, as described above, the position of the pilot claw of the robot hand and the position of the slot into which the workpiece is to be inserted are slightly different in inserting the workpiece. Even if the robot hand is displaced, the position of the robot hand can be freely displaced, so that the position of the robot hand is automatically corrected by forming the tip of the pilot claw or the opening of the slot in a tapered shape, etc. There is no need to drive the moving mechanism for position correction.
Therefore, it is not necessary to accurately detect the planar position of the robot hand when the workpiece is stored in the magazine by the robot hand, so that the feed control of the robot hand becomes easy and the storing operation by the robot hand can be performed quickly. become.

  Further, in the robot hand as described above, a pair of holding fingers that sandwich the edge of the workpiece from both sides is provided, and at least a tip portion of these fingers abuts the edge of the workpiece. Preferably, a contact portion is provided, and the contact portion is provided with a V-shaped groove extending along the edge of the workpiece.

  With this configuration, as described above, when the gripping finger grips the workpiece, the workpiece is guided by the groove having a V-shaped cross section, and the workpiece is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the gripping finger. In the magazine, the processing member is set up and stored, while the processing table is configured such that even when the processing member is set to be laid down, the pinching finger that pulls out the processing member from the magazine is applied to the processing table. When the positioning member is parallel to the processing table, the processing member is also parallel to the processing table, and even if a positioning structure in which the positioning pilot pin provided on the processing table is inserted through the pilot hole of the processing member is adopted, Since the processing member does not tilt with respect to the processing table, the workpiece can be easily mounted on the processing table.

As described above, according to the present invention, the cycle time required for processing can be reduced, and productivity can be easily improved.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 show an automatic processing machine 1 according to the present embodiment. First, an outline of the entire automatic processing machine 1 will be described, and then each part of the automatic processing machine 1 will be sequentially described.

[Overview]
1 and 2, an automatic processing machine 1 is a cutting machine in which a dial used for a wristwatch is set as a workpiece 2 and a diamond cut is performed on the abbreviation of the dial. The automatic processing machine 1 includes a first magazine 3 for stocking a plurality of workpieces 2 before processing, a processing device 4 for cutting the workpiece 2, and a second magazine 3 for stocking a plurality of workpieces 2 after processing. A second magazine 5, a transport device 6 for transporting the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3 to the processing device 4 and transporting the workpiece 2 from the processing device 4 to the second magazine 5; There are provided two processing table devices 7 which are installed and on which the workpiece 2 is processed.
The components 3 to 7 constituting the automatic processing machine 1 are supported by a desk-shaped base 1A.

The first magazine 3 is provided with a removal device 30 for removing the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3. The unloading device 30 moves the unloading robot hand 31 that grips the workpiece 2 and the unloading robot hand 31 along three directions orthogonal to each other, specifically, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The moving mechanism 32 for taking out is provided.
The second magazine 5 is provided with a storage device 50 for storing the workpiece 2 in the second magazine 5. The storage device 50 includes a storage robot hand 51 for holding the workpiece 2 and a storage movement for moving the storage robot hand 51 in three directions orthogonal to each other, that is, in the X, Y, and Z axes. A mechanism 52 is provided.

  The transfer device 6 includes two transfer robot hands 61 for holding the workpiece, and transfer movement for moving the transfer robot hand 61 along three directions orthogonal to each other, that is, along the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. A mechanism 62 is provided. The transfer robot hand 61 of the transfer device 6 includes a material supply hand 61A that supplies the workpiece 2 before processing to the processing table device 7 and a material removal hand that removes the processed workpiece 2 from the processing table device 7. 61B is provided in close proximity.

Here, in the transport path of the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3 to the second magazine 5 via the processing device 4, between the unloading device 30 and the transport device 6, the workpiece is taken out of the first magazine 3. A first idle table 8 on which the workpiece 2 is temporarily placed is provided. Between the storage device 50 and the transport device 6, the processed workpiece 2 transported by the transport device 6 is temporarily stored. There is provided a second idle table 9 which is temporarily placed.
Although not shown, each of the machining table 70, the first idle table 8 and the second idle table 9 of the machining table device 7 has a positioning pilot pin formed in a conical shape with a sharp tip. It is erected.
On the other hand, although not shown, the workpiece 2 is provided with positioning pilot holes through which the pilot pins of the processing table 70, the first idle table 8 and the second idle table 9 are inserted.
By inserting the pilot pin into the pilot hole of the workpiece 2, the workpiece 2 is accurately set at a predetermined position on each of the processing table 70, the first idle table 8, and the second idle table 9. ing.

Hereinafter, the processing device 4, the processing table device 7, the first magazine 3, the second magazine 5, and the transfer device 6 of the automatic processing machine 1 will be sequentially described.
[Processing equipment]
FIG. 3 shows the processing apparatus 4 in an enlarged manner. In FIG. 3, a processing device 4 includes a cutting mechanism 40 that cuts an abbreviation with a diamond tool (not shown), and a moving mechanism 41 that moves the cutting mechanism 40 along two directions orthogonal to each other, that is, along the X axis and the Y axis. It is provided with.

The cutting mechanism 40 receives a cutting rotary plate 42 to which a plurality of diamond bits are attached at a predetermined angle, an electric motor 43 for rotating and driving the cutting rotary plate 42, and a rotating shaft of the cutting rotary plate 42. A bearing 44 and a speed reducer 45 for reducing the rotational driving force of the electric motor 43 and transmitting the reduced rotational driving force to the rotating shaft of the cutting rotary plate 42 are provided.
The moving mechanism 41 includes a pair of Y-axis rails 46 laid on the base 1A of the automatic processing machine 1 and extending in the Y-axis direction, a Y-axis slider 47 sliding along these Y-axis rails 46, A pair of X-axis rails 48 (only one is shown) extending in the X-axis direction and laid on the Y-axis slider 47, and an X-axis slider 49 sliding along these X-axis rails 48 are provided. I have.
Although not shown in FIG. 3, the moving mechanism 41 drives a feed screw device and an electric motor mounted on the base 1A side and an X-axis slider 49 to drive the Y-axis slider 47. For this purpose, a feed screw device and an electric motor attached to the Y-axis slider 47 are provided.
By such a moving mechanism 41, the cutting mechanism 40 of the processing apparatus 4 is movable along the X axis and the Y axis, and is moved by the moving mechanism 41 to a predetermined position along the Y axis, in other words, At a predetermined height level, cutting can be performed on an arbitrary portion of a horizontal plane including the X axis and the Y axis.

[Processing table device]
4 and 5 show the processing table device 7 in an enlarged manner. The processing table device 7 raises the workpiece 2 placed on the processing table 70 toward the cutting rotary plate 42 of the processing device 4 and rotates the workpiece 2 on the rotating cutting rotary plate 42. Is caused to cause the processing device 4 to cut the workpiece 2.
For this purpose, the machining table device 7 is provided with a lifting drive mechanism 71 (only shown in FIG. 5) for raising the machining table 70 toward the cutting rotary plate 42 of the machining device 4.
Further, the processing table device 7 includes an angle adjusting mechanism 72 for arbitrarily setting an angular position θ of the processing table 70 with respect to the cutting rotary plate 42 of the processing device 4, and an ascending mechanism for cutting the workpiece 2. In doing so, a rising start point setting mechanism 73 (only shown in FIG. 5) for arbitrarily setting a height level at which the processing table 70 starts to rise is provided.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a lower housing 74 fixed to the base 1A of the automatic processing machine 1 is provided below the processing table device 7. On the upper surface of the lower housing 74, a plurality of Z-axis rails (not shown) extending in the Z-axis direction and, as shown in FIG. 5, a feed screw device 75 is erected.
Above the lower housing 74, a Z-axis slider 76 slidable along the Z-axis rail is provided. A servomotor 77 that drives a feed screw device 75 is provided inside the lower housing 74. A rising starting point setting mechanism 73 that raises and lowers the processing table 70 is formed by including the feed screw device 75 and the servomotor 77.

Inside the Z-axis slider 76, a vertical U-shaped elevation base 711 that rotatably supports the processing table 70, a Z-axis rail 712 that guides the elevation base 711 along the Z-axis direction, and an elevation base 711. And a bracket 714 having an L-shaped cross section provided with a partition portion 714A that horizontally separates the servo motor 713 from the lifting base 711 and the servomotor 713.
The output shaft 713A of the servomotor 713 is provided with a cam 715, and the elevating base 711 is provided with a push rod 716 that passes through the partition 714A and reaches the cam 715 of the servomotor 713.
A wheel 716A that contacts the cam 715 is rotatably provided at the tip of the push rod 716, and a flange 716B that extends in the radial direction is provided at an intermediate portion of the push rod 716. A coil spring 717 is interposed between the flange 716B and the partition 714A.
The coil spring 717 urges the push rod 716 toward the cam 715 so that the wheel 716A at the tip of the push rod 716 always contacts the cam 715. Thus, when the servo motor 713 drives the cam 715 to rotate, the push rod is driven to follow the profile of the cam 715, and the working table 70 moves up and down. A lifting drive mechanism 71 for raising the working table 70 is formed by including these components 711 to 717.
The cam 715 may be, for example, an Archimedes cam. Here, the rotation speed of the servomotor 713 for rotating and driving the cam 715 is controlled by a control device (not shown) according to the material of the workpiece 2 and the like, whereby the rising speed and the like of the processing table 70 can be varied. With the cam 715 having the same profile, cutting can be performed under various processing conditions.

A processing table 70 is mounted on the upper surface of the vertical base 711 having a U-shaped side surface via a ball bearing 721. Inside the vertical base 711, the processing table 70 is rotationally driven and the angular position of the processing table 70 A servo motor 722 for determining θ is provided. The servo motor 722 allows the machining table 70 to set its rotation angle position to an arbitrary angle position θ. An angle adjusting mechanism 72 including these ball bearings 721 and the servo motor 722 is formed. I have.
Here, the angle adjusting mechanism 72 is provided with a lock mechanism 78 for fixing the processing table 70 set at the angular position θ by the servomotor 722 at the rotational angle position.
That is, the processing table 70 is a columnar member having a reduced diameter portion 781 whose diameter is reduced in an intermediate portion. Above the reduced diameter portion 781 is a disk portion 70B provided with a processing stage 70A on which the workpiece 2 is placed, and below the reduced diameter portion 781 is a base 782 concealed inside the Z-axis slider 76. It has become.
Around the base 782, a cylindrical braking member 783 surrounding the base 782 is provided. At the upper end of the braking member 783 in the drawing, a braking flange 784 is provided extending between the disk portion 70B and the base 782 and near the side surface of the reduced diameter portion 781. A flange 785 extending toward the side wall 76A of the Z-axis slider 76 is provided at the lower end of the braking member 783 in the drawing.
On the other hand, the Z-axis slider 76 is provided with a flange portion 786 extending from the upper end of the side wall 76A in the figure toward the braking member 783. A coil spring 787 is interposed between the flange 785 and the flange 786 of the Z-axis slider 76. By the coil spring 787, the braking member 783 is urged downward in the drawing. Further, since the lower end of the braking member 783 in the figure is hooked on the upper end of the bracket 714, it cannot move downward.
Then, when the angle adjusting mechanism 72 sets the rotation angle position of the processing table 70 to the angular position θ, and the ascending drive mechanism 71 raises the processing table 70, the rotation is formed on the processing table 70 as shown in FIG. The upper surface of the base 782 is pressed against the lower surface of the braking flange 784 formed on the braking member 783, so that the rotational angle position of the processing table 70 is fixed at the angular position θ. A lock mechanism 78 that locks the rotational angle position of the processing table 70 is formed by including these parts 781 to 787.

  Here, the processing device 4 can be moved horizontally with respect to the processing table 70 fixed at the plane position, whereby the processing device 4 and the processing table 70 are relatively movable.

[First Magazine]
FIG. 7 shows the first magazine 3 and the take-out device 30 in an enlarged manner. Among them, the first magazine 3 stores a large number of thin plate-shaped workpieces 2 arranged in the thickness direction.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, the first magazine 3 has a plurality of side walls 301 erected on both sides of the plurality of workpieces 2 to be processed. A plurality of insertion grooves 302 through which the workpiece 2 is inserted are provided at predetermined pitches on the side surfaces of the side wall portions 301 facing each other. Opposing ones of the insertion grooves 302 form one of the slots 303 into which the workpiece 2 is inserted.

Further, a pair of connecting side wall portions 304 are disposed to face each other on the left and right sides (only the left side is shown) of the plurality of side wall portions 301 in the drawing. The ends of the plurality of side walls 301 are connected to each other by these connection side walls 304. Further, the bottom portions of the connection side wall portions 304 located opposite to each other are connected to each other by a flat bottom material 305 as shown in FIG. 8B. Thus, the entire first magazine 3 is formed in a box shape.
The depth dimension D of the first magazine 3 formed in a box shape is substantially equal to the height dimension H of the workpiece 2 which is raised vertically, but the raising member 306 is placed on the bottom surface member 305. Is provided.
Thereby, when taking out the workpiece 2, the upper edge of the workpiece 2 projects upward from the upper edge of the first magazine 3 so that the removal robot hand 31 can easily grip the workpiece 2. It has become.

The upper end of the insertion groove 302 is provided with an upwardly tapered portion 302A. Below the tapered portion 302A is a straight portion 302B in which both end edges of the insertion groove 302 are parallel.
When the workpiece 2 is inserted into the slot 303, the lower end edge of the workpiece 2 is tapered even if the center axis of the workpiece 2 is slightly displaced from the center axis of the slot 303 when the workpiece 2 is inserted into the slot 303. Since it is guided to 302A, the workpiece 2 can be easily inserted.

Returning to FIG. 7, the removal moving mechanism 32 of the removal device 30 includes a robot arm 311 supporting a removal robot hand 31 for removing the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3, and a rotation of the robot arm 311. A Z-axis slider 312 for supporting the Z-axis slider 312 slidably along the Z-axis direction; and a Z-axis feed screw device 313 for supporting the Z-axis slider 312 slidably along the Z-axis direction. It comprises a Y-axis feed screw device 314 slidably supported, and an X-axis feed screw device 315 for slidably supporting the Y-axis feed screw device 314 along the X-axis direction.
Here, the unloading robot hand 31 has two positions, a vertical position P where the gripped workpiece 2 is vertical and a horizontal position Q where the gripped workpiece 2 is horizontal, by the rotation of the robot arm 311. It is possible to swing between.

As shown in FIG. 9, the take-out robot hand 31 includes a connecting member having a first joint 33A joined to the robot arm 311 and a second joint 33B joined to the take-out robot hand 31. It is attached to the robot arm 311 via 33.
The connecting member 33 is in a free state in which the positional relationship between the first joint portion 33A and the second joint portion 33B is free to be displaced within a predetermined range, and the predetermined positional relationship between the first joint portion 33A and the second joint portion 33B. The compliance module can be switched from one of two fixed states to the other.
As the compliance module, model number XT355-35 manufactured by SMC Co., Ltd. which operates with compressed air can be adopted.
When the connecting member 33 is in the free state, the take-out robot hand 31 is free to move within a predetermined range along both the X-axis and the Y-axis, and It is rotatable within a predetermined range around an axis R along the center line of 31.
On the other hand, when the connecting member 33 shifts from the free state to the fixed state, the position of the take-out robot hand 31 is returned to a predetermined position on a plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis and fixed, and the rotation angle is changed. The position is also returned to a predetermined position and fixed.

The take-out robot hand 31 is provided with a pair of holding fingers 34 that hold the edge of the workpiece 2 from both sides.
Each of these holding fingers 34 is movable between two positions, an open position A and a closed position B. The surfaces of the holding fingers 34 facing each other are abutting portions 34A that abut against the edges of the workpiece 2 as a whole. However, the dimension of the holding finger 34 in contact with the workpiece 2 differs depending on the amount of projection of the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3, that is, the height H of the workpiece 2.
Each contact portion 34A is provided with a V-shaped cross-section groove 34B extending along the edge of the workpiece 2.

In the vicinity of such a pinching finger 34, a posture correcting member that corrects the processing member 2 to a posture that can be clamped by the pair of clamping fingers 34 by abutting on the member 2 inserted into the slot 303. A certain leaf spring 35 is provided.
The leaf spring 35 has a side surface shape bent in a crank shape, and is provided at a position where the base end 35A is out of a region between the pair of holding fingers 34. At the tip of the leaf spring 35, a pair of abutting portions 35B are provided to abut on the vicinity of both edges of the workpiece 2. These contact portions 35B are provided at positions inside a region sandwiched between the pair of holding fingers 34.

Hereinafter, the removal operation of the removal robot hand 31 will be briefly described.
After the connecting member 33 is fixed, as shown in FIG. 10A, the unloading robot hand 31 is moved in the Y-axis direction with respect to the workpiece 2 inserted in the slot 303 of the first magazine 3. 10B, the take-out robot hand 31 is advanced in the minus direction of the Y-axis, and the contact portions 35B of the leaf springs 35 are brought into contact with the vicinity of both end edges of the workpiece 2 as shown in FIG. So that the posture of the workpiece 2 is corrected.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 10A, even if the workpiece 2 is inserted obliquely into the slot 303, the leaf spring 35 changes the posture of the workpiece 2 into the slot 303 as shown in FIG. Corrected to 303.
Here, since the molding accuracy and dimensional accuracy of the slot 303 of the first magazine 3 are not sufficient, even if the workpiece 2 is displaced outside the region sandwiched between the pair of holding fingers 34, the connecting member 33 is in the free state. Then, the position of the take-out robot hand 31 is corrected by the reaction force due to the elastic force of the leaf spring 35, and the workpiece 2 completely fits inside the region sandwiched between the pair of holding fingers 34.

  In this state, the pair of holding fingers 34 approach each other, and the workpiece 2 is held between the holding fingers 34 as shown in FIG.

Thereafter, the take-out robot hand 31 is raised, and the workpiece 2 is extracted from the slot 303.
At this time, since the connecting member 33 is in the free state, the position of the workpiece 2 to be extracted is freely displaced, and the workpiece 2 does not strongly rub against the side wall portion 301 of the first magazine 3. The workpiece 2 is not damaged.
After completely removing the workpiece 2 from the slot 303, the connecting member 33 is fixed again, and in this state, the workpiece 2 is carried to the first idle table 8, and the removal operation of the removal robot hand 31 is completed. I do.

[Second Magazine]
FIG. 11 shows the second magazine 5 and the storage device 50 in an enlarged manner. Among them, the second magazine 5 is the same as the first magazine 3 except that the raising member 306 is omitted from the above-mentioned first magazine 3, and the description thereof is omitted.
The storage moving mechanism 52 of the storage device 50 includes a robot arm 511 that supports a storage robot hand 51 for storing the workpiece 2 in the second magazine 5, and a Z that rotatably supports the robot arm 511. A shaft slider 512; a Z-axis feed screw device 513 for slidably supporting the Z-axis slider 512 in the Z-axis direction; and a Z-axis feed screw device 513 for slidably supporting the Z-axis feed screw device 513 in the Y-axis direction. And an X-axis feed screw device 515 for supporting the Y-axis feed screw device 514 slidably along the X-axis direction.
Here, the storage robot hand 51 is moved by the rotation of the robot arm 511 into two positions, a vertical position P where the gripped workpiece 2 is vertical and a horizontal position Q where the gripped workpiece 2 is horizontal. It is possible to swing between.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the storage robot hand 51 has a connection member having a first connection part 53A connected to the robot arm 511 and a second connection part 53B connected to the storage robot hand 51. It is attached to the robot arm 511 via 53.
Similarly to the above-described connecting member 33, the connecting member 53 is in a free state in which the positional relationship between the first connecting portion 53A and the second connecting portion 53B can be displaced within a predetermined range. This is a compliance module that can be switched from one of two states of a fixed state in which the joint portion 53B is fixed in a predetermined positional relationship to the other.
When the connecting member 53 is in the free state, the storage robot hand 51 is free to move within a predetermined range along both the X-axis and the Y-axis, and It is rotatable within a predetermined range around an axis R along the center line of 51.
On the other hand, when the connecting member 53 shifts from the free state to the fixed state, the storage robot hand 51 is returned to the predetermined position on the plane including the X axis and the Y axis and fixed, and the rotation angle is changed. The position is also returned to a predetermined position and fixed.

The storage robot hand 51 is provided with a pair of holding fingers 54 that sandwich the edge of the workpiece 2 from both sides.
Each of these holding fingers 54 is movable between two positions, an open position A and a closed position B. The surfaces of the holding fingers 54 facing each other are abutting portions 54A that abut against the edges of the workpiece 2 as a whole. Each contact portion 54A is provided with a V-shaped groove 54B extending along the edge of the workpiece 2.

Below such a pinching finger 54, a workpiece 303 is inserted into a slot 303 adjacent to the slot 303 into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted, and is engaged with the adjacent slot 303 to determine the position of the storage robot hand 51. A pair of pilot claws 55 are provided.
Each of these pilot claws 55 is movable between a closed position C and an open position D.
Here, as shown in FIG. 13 (C), the planar cross-sectional shape of each pilot claw 55 depends on the planar shape of the insertion groove 302 of the second magazine 5 and has an apex that forms an equal side on the insertion groove 302 side. It has an isosceles triangle shape.

  Each of the pilot claws 55 is fixed to a pair of brackets 55A each having a trapezoidal side surface, and these brackets 55A are connected to a box-shaped frame 55B joined to a housing 51A of the storage robot hand 51. Is slidably supported on the bottom surface of the. Accordingly, the positional relationship between the holding finger 54 and the pilot claw 55 in the horizontal direction corresponds to the positional relationship between the slot 303 into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted and the adjacent slot 303, that is, the pitch of the slots 303. It has become.

Hereinafter, the storing operation of the storing robot hand 51 will be briefly described.
The connecting member 53 is fixed, and in this state, the workpiece 2 placed on the second idle table 9 is gripped, and the workpiece 2 is lifted from the second idle table 9. Is moved to the second magazine 5.
When the storage robot hand 51 reaches just above the slot 303 where the workpiece 2 is to be inserted, the storage robot hand 51 is stopped. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13A, the center line of the slot 303 adjacent to the slot 303 into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted and the center line of the pilot claw 55 may be slightly shifted.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13B, the storage robot hand 51 is lowered to a position where the pilot pawl 55 is at a height level lower than the upper end of the slot 303. In this state, as shown in FIG. 13C, the pair of pilot claws 55 are in a closed state, and are not engaged with the slots 303.

Next, the connecting member 53 is set in the free state, and the pair of pilot claws 55 are opened to engage the slots 303. Then, as shown in FIG. 14 (D), the position of the storage robot hand 51 is corrected, and the workpiece 2 held by the holding fingers 54 of the storage robot hand 51 is positioned directly above the slot 303 to be inserted. It is arranged at the position.
In this state, when the holding finger 54 of the storage robot hand 51 is opened, the workpiece 2 drops toward the slot 303 to be inserted, as shown in FIG. Is done. Thereafter, when the pilot claws 55 are closed and the storage robot hand 51 is raised, the storage operation of the storage robot hand 51 is completed.

[Transport device]
FIG. 15 shows the transport device 6 in an enlarged manner. The transfer moving mechanism 62 of the transfer device 6 supports a material supply hand 61A and a material removal hand 61B that respectively perform material supply and material removal with respect to the processing table 70, and a Z-axis slider having a built-in Z-axis feed screw device. 611, an X-axis slider 613 having a Z-axis rail 612 for guiding the Z-axis slider 611 along the Z-axis direction, and an X-axis feeder for supporting the X-axis slider 613 slidably along the X-axis direction. A screw device 614 and a Y-axis feed screw device 615 that supports the X-axis feed screw device 614 slidably along the Y-axis direction are provided.
Here, on the upper part of the Z-axis slider 611, an upper structural member 610 for supporting the material supply hand 61A and the material removal hand 61B is provided. As shown in FIG. 16, the transfer robot hand 61 serving as the material supply hand 61A and the material removal hand 61B includes a first joint portion 63A joined to the upper structural member 610 and the transfer robot hand 61. It is attached to a Z-axis slider 611 via a connecting member 63 having a second joint 63B to be joined.
The connecting member 63 has a free state in which the positional relationship between the first joint portion 63A and the second joint portion 63B can be displaced within a predetermined range, as in the case of the above-described connecting members 33 and 53, and the first joint portion 63A This is a compliance module that can be switched from one of the two fixed states in which the second joint 63B is fixed in a predetermined positional relationship to the other.
When the connecting member 63 is in the free state, the transfer robot hand 61 is movable within a predetermined range along both the X-axis and the Y-axis, and It is rotatable within a predetermined range around a rotation axis along the center line of 61.
On the other hand, when the connecting member 63 shifts from the free state to the fixed state, the transfer robot hand 61 is returned to a predetermined position on a plane including the X axis and the Y axis and fixed, and the rotation angle is changed. The position is also returned to a predetermined position and fixed.

The transport robot hand 61 includes a housing 611A having an open bottom, a driving unit 611B supported by the housing 611A, and a pair of fixed fingers 611C extending downward from both end edges of the driving unit 611B. It is provided with.
Among them, the fixed finger 611C is provided on the transfer robot hand 61 in accordance with the position of the positioning hole 64 formed in the processing table 70, the first idle table 8 and the second idle table 9, and the bottom thereof has a positioning. A positioning pin 65 to be inserted into the hole 64 is provided. A tapered portion 65A having a smaller outer diameter toward the distal end is formed at the distal end of the positioning pin 65.

Further, inside the fixed finger 611C, a hook-like shape is formed extending from the edge of the workpiece 2 placed on the tables 70, 8, 9 to the back side surface so as to be able to approach and separate from each other. A pair of supporting claws 66 provided, and a pressing member 67 that is disposed in a state of being urged toward these supporting claws 66 and is sandwiched between the supporting claws 66 to grip the workpiece 2. Are provided.
Specifically, the support pawl 66 is a part of a substantially J-shaped pawl member 66A, which is opened by being driven by an actuator (not shown) incorporated in the driving section 611B. It is movable between two positions, a position A and a closed position B.

The pressing member 67 includes three rods 68 extending from the surface opposite to the surface that comes into contact with the workpiece 2 toward the drive unit 611B. These rods 68 are inserted into through holes 68C that penetrate the drive unit 611B vertically in the drawing.
Of these, the rods 68A disposed at both ends are guide rods that guide the pressing member 67 to move linearly by engaging with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 68C.
The rod 68B disposed at the center is inserted into the inside of the coil spring 69 interposed between the driving section 611B and the pressing member 67. The pressing member 67 is biased toward the supporting claw 66 by the coil spring 69.
At the upper end of the rod 68B in the drawing, a retaining portion 69A having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 68C is provided so that the rod 68B does not fall out of the through hole 68C.

Hereinafter, the operation of removing the material from the processing table 70 and the first idle table 8 by the transfer robot hand 61 will be briefly described.
As shown in FIG. 17A, when the transfer robot hand 61 reaches just above the tables 70 and 8, the transfer robot hand 61 is lowered, and as shown in FIG. The positioning pins 65 of the hand 61 are inserted into the positioning holes 64 of the tables 70 and 8. At this time, if the position of the positioning pin 65 is misaligned with the position of the positioning hole 64, the positioning pin 65 may not be able to be inserted through the positioning hole 64. In this case, when the connecting member 63 is set in the free state and the transfer robot hand 61 is further lowered, the position of the transfer robot hand 61 is guided by the tapered portion 65A provided at the tip of the positioning pin 65. The position is corrected and the positioning pin 65 is inserted into the positioning hole 64.
Here, a time limiter that measures the elapsed time from the start of the lowering of the transfer robot hand 61 and a position detection device such as a limit switch that detects that the transfer robot hand 61 has dropped to a predetermined height level are provided. Then, even if the predetermined time elapses, it is possible to detect that the positioning pin 65 is not inserted into the positioning hole 64, and that the transfer robot hand 61 does not descend to the predetermined height level. The switching operation to the free state can be automatically performed.

Thereafter, the pressing member 67 is pressed against the workpiece 2, and the transfer robot hand 61 is further lowered against the elastic force of the coil spring 69 so that the support claws 66 are positioned lower than the upper surfaces of the tables 70 and 8. Is reached, the pair of support claws 66 are brought close to each other, and then the transfer robot hand 61 is slowly raised. Then, as shown in FIG. 17C, the pressing member 67 urged by the coil spring 69 rises while the workpiece 2 is held between the supporting member 66 and the pressing member 67.
Thus, the transfer robot hand 61 lifts the workpiece 2 from the tables 70 and 8 while holding the workpiece 2 and sets the connecting member 63 in a fixed state, and removes the workpiece 2 from the tables 70 and 8. Is completed.

The material supply operation to the processing table 70 and the second idle table 9 by the transfer robot hand 61 is the reverse of the material removal operation described above.
That is, when the transfer robot hand 61 reaches just above the tables 70 and 9, the transfer robot hand 61 is lowered, and the positioning pins 65 of the transfer robot hand 61 are inserted into the positioning holes 64 of the tables 70 and 8.
At this time, when the positioning pin 65 is not inserted into the positioning hole 64, the connecting member 63 is in a free state, the transfer robot hand 61 further descends, and the taper portion 65A of the positioning pin 65 causes the transfer robot hand 61 to move. The position is corrected, and the positioning pin 65 can be inserted into the positioning hole 64.

When the positioning pin 65 is inserted into the positioning hole 64, the pressing member 67 is pressed against the workpiece 2, and the transfer robot hand 61 is further lowered against the elastic force of the coil spring 69, and When the robot reaches a position lower than the upper surfaces of the tables 70 and 9, the pair of support claws 66 are separated from each other, and then the transfer robot hand 61 is slowly raised. Then, since the support claws 66 are in the separated state, the workpiece 2 remains mounted on the tables 70 and 9, and the transfer robot hand 61 separates from the tables 70 and 9 without holding anything. To rise.
Thereafter, when the connecting member 63 is fixed, the material supply operation for placing the workpiece 2 on the tables 70 and 9 is completed.

[Overall operation]
Next, the operation of the entire automatic processing machine 1 of the present embodiment will be briefly described.
As shown in FIG. 18A, the processing device 4 of the automatic processing machine 1 moves the X axis in the plus direction when the processing on the processing target member 2 of the processing table 70 on the left side in the figure is completed. , Move away from the processing table 70.
When the processing device 4 is completely detached from the processing table 70, the material removing hand 61B of the transfer device 6 moves the X axis in the plus direction, reaches the position directly above the processing table 70, and processes the processed workpiece 2 which has been processed. Remove from table 70.

Next, as shown in FIG. 18 (B), the removing hand 61B of the transport device 6 moves away from the processing table 70, and the feeding hand 61A disposed close to the removing hand 61B reaches directly above the processing table 70. Then, the unprocessed workpiece 2 is placed on the processing table 70.
Thereafter, the removing hand 61B and the feeding hand 61A move the X-axis in the minus direction to move away from the processing table 70, further move the Y-axis in the plus direction, and move along the Y-axis of the removing hand 61B. When the position reaches the same position as the second idle table 9 as shown in FIG. 18C, the moving direction is changed to the plus direction of the X axis.
By this time, the processing apparatus 4 has reached the position directly above the processing table 70 on the right side in the figure, and is processing the workpiece 2 placed on the processing table 70.
Then, as shown in FIG. 18 (D), when the removing material hand 61B reaches the position immediately above the second idle table 9, the removing material hand 61B moves the workpiece on the second idle table 9 after finishing the processing. 2 is placed.

  When the placing of the workpiece 2 on the second idle table 9 is completed and the removing hand 61B moves in the minus direction along the X axis and is completely separated from the second idle table 9, the storage device of the second magazine 5 is stored. 50, removes the processed workpiece 2 from the second idle table 9 before the removing hand 61B reaches the second idle table 9, and removes the removed workpiece 2 from the second magazine 5; To be stored.

On the other hand, the material removing hand 61B and the material supplying hand 61A separated from the second idle table 9 move the Y axis in the minus direction, and the position of the material supplying hand 61A along the Y axis is shown in FIG. When the same position as the first idle table 8 is reached, the moving direction is changed to the positive direction of the X axis.
Then, as shown in FIG. 19 (F), when the material supply hand 61A reaches the position immediately above the first idle table 8, the material supply hand 61A moves the unprocessed material placed on the first idle table 8. Is gripped.
When the workpiece 2 of the first idle table 8 is gripped, the supply hand 61A moves the X axis in the minus direction, and when the supply hand 61A is completely separated from the first idle table 8, the supply of the first magazine 3 starts. The unloading device 30 removes the next workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3 before the material supply hand 61A reaches the first idle table 8, and removes the removed workpiece 2 from the first idle table 8. Place on

  On the other hand, the material removing hand 61B and the material supplying hand 61A separated from the first idle table 8 move the Y axis in the plus direction, and the position of the material removing hand 61B along the Y axis is shown in FIG. As shown, by the time the processing device 4 reaches the same position as the processing table 70 on the right side in the figure, the processing apparatus 4 has completed processing on the workpiece 2 placed on the processing table 70 on the right side in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 19H, when the processing on the workpiece 2 of the processing table 70 on the right side in the figure is completed, the processing apparatus 4 moves the X axis in the plus direction and separates from the processing table 70.
When the processing device 4 is completely separated from the processing table 70, the removing material hand 61B moves the X axis in the plus direction, reaches the position directly above the processing table 70, and removes the processed workpiece 2 from the processing table 70. .

As described above, the automatic processing machine 1 alternately repeats the work of supplying and removing the material to be processed 2 and the processing on the two processing tables.
Here, the cycle time required for the processing device 4 to process one workpiece 2, the cycle time required for the transfer device 6 to replace the workpiece 2, and the removal time taken out of the first magazine 3 by the unloading device 30. The cycle time for placing the workpiece 2 on the first idle table 8 and the cycle time for storing the workpiece 2 placed on the second idle table 9 by the storage device 50 in the second magazine 5 are substantially the same. It is set so that the waiting time of the processing device 4, the transport device 6, the unloading device 30, and the storage device 50 is almost zero.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, the processing device 4 and the two processing tables 70 are provided so as to be relatively movable, and before the processing device 4 completes the processing on the workpiece 2 installed on one processing table 70, the other processing table is completed. Since the exchanging operation of exchanging the workpiece 2 installed at 70 with another workpiece 2 is performed by the transport device 6, the processing by the processing device 4 and the transport operation by the transport device 6 are simultaneously performed in parallel. The processing device 4 and the transfer device 6 are not stopped, and the processing operation for one workpiece 2 is continuously performed. Can be shortened and the productivity can be improved.

  Also, since the processing device 4 can be moved in the horizontal direction and the processing table 70 is fixed at a predetermined plane position so that processing can be performed on any plane position of the workpiece 2 set on the processing table 70, The position at which the transporting device 6 performs feeding and removing materials is fixed, control of the transporting device 6 in the feeding operation and the removing operation becomes easy, and the feeding operation and the removing operation can be performed quickly.

Further, a take-out device 30 for taking out the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3 is provided in the first magazine 3 for stocking the unprocessed workpiece 2, and the first magazine 3 is provided between the take-out device 30 and the transport device 6. Since the first idle table 8 on which the workpiece 2 taken out of the magazine 3 is temporarily placed is provided, if the removal device 30 places the workpiece 2 on the first idle table 8, the removal is performed. The device 30 does not need to pass the workpiece 2 directly to the transfer device 6, so that the next removal operation can be started without waiting for the arrival of the transfer device, and the transfer device 6 waits for the removal device 30. Instead, the transfer operation for transferring the workpiece 2 on the first idle table 8 to the processing device 4 can be started immediately.
Then, a storage device 50 for storing the processed workpiece 2 in the second magazine 5 is provided in the second magazine 5 for stocking the processed workpiece 2, and a storage device 50 is provided between the storage device 50 and the transport device 6. Is provided with a second idle table 9 on which the processed workpiece 2 transported by the transport device 6 is temporarily placed, so that the transport device 6 places the workpiece 2 on the second idle table 9. Once placed, there is no need to pass the workpiece 2 directly to the storage device 50, so that the next transfer operation can be started without waiting for the arrival of the storage device 50, and the second idle table 9 If the workpiece 2 is placed, the storage device 50 does not need to wait for the transport device 6 and immediately performs the storing operation of storing the workpiece 2 on the second idle table 9 in the second magazine 5. You can start.
Here, since the unloading work time, transfer work time, and storage work time per piece of the workpiece 2 are set to be equal, the unloading work, the transfer work, and the storage work can be performed at the same time. Unnecessary waiting time of the device 6 and the storage device 50 is eliminated, and the feeding operation and the removal operation of the processing device 4 by the unloading device 30, the transport device 6 and the storage device 50 can be performed quickly, and as a result, The cycle time required for processing the member 2 can be reduced, and the productivity can be further improved.

  Further, the transfer device 6 is provided with a material removal hand 61B for removing the workpiece 2 after processing from the processing table 70 and a material supply hand 61A for supplying the workpiece 2 before processing to the processing table 70 in close proximity. Therefore, it is possible to remove the workpiece 2 from the processing table 70 by the removal material hand 61B while holding the workpiece 2 on the material supply hand 61A. Thus, the workpiece 2 can be immediately supplied to the processing table 70 by the material supply hand 61A, and the material supply operation and the material removal operation to the processing device 4 can be performed quickly.

  Further, a pair of support claws, which extend from the edge of the workpiece 2 to the back side surface and are provided so as to be able to approach and separate from each other, are provided to the transfer robot hand 61 as the material supply hand 61A and the material removal hand 61B. And a pressing member 67 which is disposed in a state of being urged toward these supporting claws 66 and is gripped between the supporting claws 66 to grip the workpiece 2. The transfer robot hand 61 grips the workpiece 2 by stopping the hand 61 at a predetermined height level and raising it again, so that a plurality of types of workpieces 2 having different thicknesses are mixed. Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the transfer robot hand 61 at a height position corresponding to the thickness of the workpiece 2, so that the feed control of the transfer robot hand 61 is facilitated. Robot A sheet material working and the material removing operation by the hand 61 can be performed quickly.

  Here, since the transfer moving mechanism 62 for moving the transfer robot hand 61 in the three-dimensional direction was provided, and the transfer robot hand 61 was attached to the transfer movement mechanism 62 via the connecting member 63 formed of the compliance module, In positioning the transfer robot hand 61 by inserting the positioning pins 65 provided on the transfer robot hand 61 into the positioning holes 64 formed in the processing table 70, the center of the positioning pins 65 and the positioning holes 64 is determined. Even if the axis is slightly displaced, the position of the transfer robot hand 61 can be freely displaced, and the tapered portion 65A of the positioning pin 65 is guided to the positioning hole 64, and the position of the transfer robot hand 61 is automatically corrected and transferred. It is not necessary to drive the transfer moving mechanism 62 to correct the position of the transfer robot hand 61, which facilitates the feed control of the transfer robot hand 61, A sheet material work by the bot hand 61 can be carried out more quickly.

  Further, an unloading device 30 for unloading the workpiece 2 from the first magazine 3 includes an unloading robot hand 31 having a pair of holding fingers 34 for sandwiching the edge of the workpiece 2 from both sides, and a slot of the first magazine 3. A leaf spring 35 for correcting the posture of the workpiece 2 by contacting the workpiece 2 inserted into the workpiece 303 is provided, and the workpiece 2 stored in the first magazine 3 is Even if one of the two end edges of the workpiece 2 is out of the range that can be clamped by the holding fingers 34, the posture of the workpiece 2 is made parallel to the slot 303 by the leaf spring 35, Since both edges are within the range that can be pinched by the pinching fingers 34, the workpiece 2 can be reliably and quickly taken out by the pinching fingers 34.

  Further, an extraction moving mechanism 32 for moving the extraction robot hand 31 in the three-dimensional direction is provided in the extraction device 30, and the extraction robot hand 31 is connected to the extraction moving mechanism 32 via a connecting member 33 formed of a hand compliance module. Since it is attached, the molding accuracy and dimensional accuracy of the slot 303 of the first magazine 3 are not sufficient, and the workpiece 2 pushed by the leaf spring 35 deviates from between the pair of holding fingers 34, and Even if there is a case where the workpiece 3 cannot be pinched by the finger 34, if the connecting member 33 is set in the free state, the position of the take-out robot hand 31 is corrected by the reaction force of the leaf spring 35, and the pair of pinching fingers 34 The workpiece 2 can be reliably clamped by the clamping finger 34 without the need for a complicated position detecting device or control means.

  Further, a storage device 50 for inserting the workpiece 2 into the slot 303 of the second magazine 5 is provided, and the storage device 50 includes a pair of holding fingers 54 for sandwiching the edge of the workpiece 2 from both sides. The hand 51 is inserted into the slot 303 adjacent to the target slot 303 into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted, and is engaged with the adjacent slot 303 to determine the position of the storage robot hand 51. The pilot claw is guided to the adjacent slot 303 so that the position of the storage robot hand 51 with respect to the target slot 303 is accurately determined. Therefore, even if the width of the slot 303 is small, The workpiece 2 can be easily inserted into the target slot 303 without colliding with the side wall 301, and the workpiece 2 does not collide with the side wall 301 around the slot 303. The deformation can be prevented.

  In addition, since the positioning can be accurately performed by the pilot pawl 55, when controlling the storage robot hand 51 that transports the workpiece 2 to the slot 303, the slot 303 into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted and the storage robot hand 51 It is not necessary to determine the positional relationship with the storage robot hand 51 with high accuracy, the storage robot hand 51 can be controlled with simple control means, and the work of storing the workpiece 2 in the second magazine 5 can be performed quickly. .

  Further, because the accuracy of the pitch of the slots 303 arranged in a large number is insufficient, even if the position of the slots 303 far from the reference point is deviated from the predetermined pitch, or the machining accuracy of the second magazine 5 prepared in a large number, Because of the variation, even if the position of the slot 303 is shifted from the predetermined pitch, the slot 303 adjacent to the slot 303 into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted is used as a reference. There is no problem in the storage operation of the second magazine 5 and there is no need to separately provide a positioning hole or the like on the second magazine 5 side, and a general-purpose general magazine used for other purposes is used in the second magazine 5. 5, and a large number of second magazines 5 can be alternately used for the automatic processing machine 1.

  Further, a storage moving mechanism 52 for moving the storage robot hand 51 in the three-dimensional direction is provided in the storage device 50, and the storage robot hand 51 is connected to the storage movement mechanism 52 via a connecting member 53 including a hand compliance module. Since the mounting is performed, the molding accuracy and dimensional accuracy of the slot 303 of the second magazine 5 are not sufficient, and even if the positions of the pilot pawl 55 and the slot 303 are shifted from each other, the workpiece 2 can be inserted into the slot 303. In this case, the connecting member 53 is in a free state, the storage robot hand 51 can be displaced, the pilot pawl 55 is guided to the slot 303, and the positioning of the storage robot hand 51 can be performed with high accuracy by the pilot pawl 55. .

  Further, grooves 34B, 54B having a V-shaped cross section extending along the edge of the workpiece 2 are provided in the contact portions 34A, 54A of the holding fingers 34, 54 of the robot hand 31 for extraction and the robot hand 51 for storage. When the gripping fingers 34, 54 grip the workpiece 2, the workpieces 2 are guided by the V-shaped grooves 34B, 54B so that the posture of the workpiece 2 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the gripping fingers 34, 54. When the holding fingers 34 and 54 are parallel to the idle tables 8 and 9, the workpiece 2 is also parallel to the idle tables 8 and 9 and does not incline. The placement on the idle table 8 and the removal of the workpiece 2 from the second idle table 9 can be easily performed.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. .
For example, the ascending drive mechanism of the processing table device is not limited to one that adjusts the rotation speed of the servo motor and performs cutting under processing conditions according to the material of the workpiece, etc., and many types of cams having different profiles. May be prepared, and a cam having a profile according to the material of the workpiece to be cut or the like may be selected, whereby the cutting may be performed under various processing conditions.

In addition, the pair of pilot claws that determine the position of the robot hand can be moved between two positions, a closed position and an open position, and engage with a slot of a magazine in an open state to determine the position of the robot hand. 20, a pair of pilots fixed to the robot hand 51 via a bracket 56A fixed to the bottom of a box-shaped frame 55B provided on the robot hand 51 side, as shown in FIG. The nail 56 may be used.
Each of the pilot claws 56 is tapered outward and tapered downward, and as shown in FIG. 21A, a slot into which the workpiece 2 is to be inserted. Even if the center line of the slot 303 next to 303 is slightly deviated from the center line of the pilot pawl 56, when the robot hand 51 is lowered, it is guided by the tapered portion 302A provided in the slot 303 of the magazine 5, It is provided at a position where it engages with 303.
The pilot claw 56 corrects the position of the robot hand 51 by lowering the robot hand 51 as shown in FIG. 21 (B), and appropriately puts the workpiece 2 into the slot 303 as shown in FIG. 21 (C). The robot hand 51 is positioned so that it can be inserted.
In short, the pilot pawl only needs to be able to accurately determine the position of the robot hand by engaging with the slot of the magazine, and the specific shape and the supporting structure of the pilot pawl can be appropriately selected for implementation.

  Further, the member to be processed is not limited to the dial of a watch, but may be a silicon wafer in an LSI process or a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, or a printed board in an automatic soldering apparatus.

  In particular, a storage robot hand for inserting a workpiece into a slot of a magazine is a transport device in machining such as cutting, cutting and polishing, and pattern formation using photolithography and electron beam lithography. In other words, the present invention can be applied to any type of machine that handles a thin flat workpiece.

It is a perspective view showing the whole of one embodiment concerning the present invention. It is a top view which shows the whole said embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the processing device of the above-mentioned embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the processing table device of the embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the working table apparatus of the said embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the different states of the processing table apparatus of the said embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the whole 1st magazine of the above-mentioned embodiment. It is the top view and longitudinal section showing the 1st magazine of the above-mentioned embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the removal robot hand of the said embodiment. It is a figure explaining operation of a robot hand for taking out of the embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the whole 2nd magazine of the above-mentioned embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the storage robot hand of the said embodiment. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the robot hand for storage of the said embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an operation subsequent to FIG. 13 of the embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the whole conveyance device of the above-mentioned embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partially broken front view showing the transfer robot hand of the embodiment. It is a figure explaining operation of the robot hand for conveyance of the above-mentioned embodiment. It is a figure for explaining the whole operation of the above-mentioned embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an operation subsequent to FIG. 18 of the embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the robot hand for storage concerning the modification of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation of the robot hand for storage of the modification.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic processing machine, 2 Workpiece, 3 First magazine, 4 Processing device, 5 Second magazine, 6 Transport device, 8 First idle table, 9 Second idle table, 30 Take-out device, 31 Take-out robot hand, 32 Removal moving mechanism, 33, 53, 63 Connecting member, 33A, 53A, 63A First joint, 33B, 53B, 63B Second joint, 34, 54 Nipping finger, 34A, 54A Contact, 34B, 54B Groove with V-shaped cross section, 35 Leaf spring as posture correcting member, 50 storage device, 51 storage robot hand, 52 storage movement mechanism, 55, 56 pilot claw, 61 transfer robot hand, 61A material supply hand, 61B excluded Material hand, 62 transport moving mechanism, 64 positioning hole, 65 positioning pin, 66 support claw, 67 pressing member, 70 processing table, 303 slot

Claims (3)

A robot hand for an automatic processing machine that is provided in an automatic processing machine that processes a thin plate-shaped workpiece and inserts the workpiece into a magazine having a plurality of slots into which the workpiece is inserted,
The magazine is provided with the plurality of slots, and the robot hand is inserted into a slot next to a target slot into which the workpiece is to be inserted, and is engaged with the adjacent slot to A robot hand for an automatic processing machine, wherein a pilot claw for determining the position of the robot hand is provided.   The robot hand for an automatic processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the automatic processing machine has a moving mechanism that moves the robot hand along three directions orthogonal to each other, and is rotatably supported by the moving mechanism. A robot arm, wherein the robot hand is attached to the robot arm via a connecting member mounted on a tip of the robot arm, and the connecting member is connected to a first joint portion joined to the robot arm. A free state in which the positional relationship with the second joint to which the robot hand is joined can be displaced within a predetermined range, and the first joint and the second joint are fixed in a predetermined positional relationship. A robot hand for an automatic processing machine, characterized in that it is a compliance module that can be switched from one of two fixed states to the other. 3. The robot hand for an automatic machining machine according to claim 1, wherein a pair of holding fingers sandwiching an edge of the workpiece from both sides is provided, and at least a distal end portion of the holding fingers has the holding finger. Automatic machining, wherein an abutting portion which abuts on an edge of the processing member is provided, and the abutting portion is provided with a V-shaped groove extending along the edge of the workpiece. Robot hand for machinery.

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