JP2005095969A - Apparatus and method for gripping workpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the working efficiency by eliminating a useless working time for production. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of first workpiece gripping jigs 15A, 15B for gripping one portion of a workpiece W and a pair of second workpiece gripping jigs 17A, 17B for gripping the other portion of the workpiece W are arranged on a rotary jig base 13 respectively. The first workpiece gripping jigs 15A, 15B can move along a first guide rail 19 arranged on the rotary jig base 13 so as to approach/separate to/from each other. The second workpiece gripping jigs 17A, 17B can move along a second guide rail 21 arranged on the rotary jig base 13 so as to approach/separate to/from each other. The rotary jig base 13 can swivel by 180° such that the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A, 15B and the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A, 17B change their positions to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece gripping apparatus and a workpiece gripping method for gripping a workpiece.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, there are devices described in the following patent documents as devices for gripping body parts of automobiles.
Japanese Patent No. 2505279

  In such a workpiece gripping device, the workpiece is loaded from a certain direction, and after the workpiece is loaded, the entire workpiece gripping device is rotated 180 degrees in the horizontal plane, so that the workpiece loading side workpiece is processed when the workpiece is loaded. There is a case where a partial position that is a part is located on the side opposite to the input side, and predetermined processing is performed on the part to be processed from the opposite side.

  In this case, when the workpiece to be machined is loaded after the machined workpiece has been unloaded, the entire empty workpiece gripping device that is not gripping the workpiece is brought into a state where the original workpiece can be loaded. It must be rotated 180 degrees back.

  As described above, the conventional workpiece gripping device needs to be rotated to the original state at the previous loading in an empty state where the workpiece is not gripped when the workpiece to be processed next is loaded. This wastes time in production, causing a reduction in work efficiency.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to eliminate time that is wasted in production and improve work efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pair of first work gripping jigs for gripping one part of a work, a pair of second work gripping jigs for gripping another part of the work, and the pair The first workpiece gripping jig is supported so as to be movable toward and away from each other, and the pair of second workpiece gripping jigs are supported so as to be movable toward and away from each other. And a rotating jig base that can be rotated so that the positions of the tools are interchanged with each other.

  According to the present invention, the pair of first workpiece gripping jigs are supported so as to be movable toward and away from each other, and the pair of second workpiece gripping jigs are supported so as to be movable toward and away from each other. Since the rotating jig base that can rotate so that the positions of the workpiece holding jig and the second workpiece holding jig can be interchanged with each other, the workpiece after loading is rotated 180 degrees so that one part of the workpiece on the loading side when the workpiece is loaded Even when processing from the opposite side to the loading side, after unloading the processed workpiece, the distance between the pair of first workpiece gripping jigs is changed, and the pair of second workpiece gripping jigs are In order to change the interval, it is only necessary to move each on the rotating jig base, and the entire empty workpiece gripping device that is not gripping the workpiece is rotated to the original position at the time of loading the workpiece. It can be eliminated while, it is possible to improve work efficiency.

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

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a processing facility centering on a workpiece gripping device 1 showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only the workpiece gripping device 1. The processing equipment includes a workpiece insertion port 3 for loading a workpiece W from the direction indicated by an arrow A in the figure with respect to the workpiece gripping device 1, and a welding robot that performs spot welding on the opposite side of the workpiece insertion port 3. 5 is arranged. Further, an unloading robot 7 for unloading the processed workpiece W in the direction indicated by the arrow B is disposed on the side of the workpiece gripping device 1.

  The work W here is composed of an inner panel 9 that constitutes an engine hood provided at the front part of the vehicle body of the automobile, and a striker mounting bracket 11 that is a separate part that is welded and fixed to the inner surface of the inner panel 9 on the front side of the vehicle body. doing.

  The workpiece gripping device 1 is a pair of first workpiece gripping jigs 15 </ b> A and 15 </ b> B for gripping the front side of the vehicle body, which is one part of the inner panel 9, on the rotating jig base 13, and other parts of the inner panel 9. A pair of second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B for gripping the rear side of the vehicle body are provided.

  The rotation jig base 13 has an arrow so that the positions of the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B and the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B are interchanged from the state shown in FIG. As indicated by C, it can rotate 180 degrees in a horizontal plane. The pair of first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B are movable in a direction approaching and separating from each other along the first guide rail 19 provided on the rotating jig base 13. The jigs 17A and 17B are movable along a second guide rail 21 provided on the rotation base 13 in a direction approaching and separating from each other.

  The first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B and the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B have basically the same structure as a single unit, and this basic structure is shown in FIG. This will be described using the gripping jig 17B.

  The second work gripping jig 17 </ b> B moves the first slide mechanism 23 by driving the first slide mechanism 23 that moves along the second guide rail 21 on the rotation base jig 13 and the first slide mechanism 23. A second slide mechanism 25 that moves in a direction orthogonal to the direction, and a third slide mechanism that moves in the same direction as the movement direction of the first slide mechanism 23 along the second guide rail 21 by driving the second slide mechanism 25. 27 respectively.

  The upper part of the third slide mechanism 27 is provided with an arm 31 projecting upward via a connector 29, and a work gripping portion 33 for gripping the inner panel 9 is provided at the tip of the arm 31. Yes. That is, each of the first and second workpiece gripping jigs 15A, 15B, 17A, and 17B moves the workpiece gripping portion 33 in a direction orthogonal to the direction of approaching / separating movement along the guide rails 19 and 21. The first slide mechanism 23, the second slide mechanism 25 that moves the work gripping portion 33 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first slide mechanism 23, and the work gripping portion 33 for the first and second slide mechanisms 23, respectively. , 25, the third slide mechanism 27 for moving in a direction perpendicular to the plane including the respective moving directions is provided.

  The third slide mechanism 27 includes a third servo motor 35 and an up-and-down direction movable shaft portion 37 that moves the connecting tool 29 in the up-and-down direction indicated by an arrow Z in the drawing by driving the third servo motor 35. The vertically movable shaft portion 37 includes a screw rod (not shown) that rotates by driving of the third servo motor 35, and a ball guide nut (not shown) that is screwed to the screw rod is fixed to the connector 29, thereby using a ball screw mechanism. Is configured. By transmitting the driving force of the third servo motor 35 to the ball screw mechanism, the work gripping portion 33 integrated with the connector 29 via the arm 31 is moved up and down.

  The second slide mechanism 25 moves the third slide mechanism 27 in the left-right direction (in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 3) as viewed from the workpiece insertion port 3 by driving the second servomotor 39 and the second servomotor 39. A left-right direction movable shaft portion 41 is provided. The left and right movable shaft portion 41 includes a screw rod (not shown) that rotates by driving of the second servo motor 39, and a ball guide nut (not shown) that is screwed to the screw rod is fixed to the vertical movable shaft portion 37, thereby A ball screw mechanism is configured. By transmitting the driving force of the second servo motor 39 to the ball screw mechanism, the work gripping portion 33 is moved in the left-right direction together with the third slide mechanism 27.

  The first slide mechanism 23 moves the first servomotor 43 and the second slide mechanism 25 in the front-rear direction (arrow Y direction in FIG. 3) when viewed from the workpiece insertion port 3 by driving the first servomotor 43. A front-rear direction movable shaft portion 45 is provided. The front-rear direction movable shaft portion 45 includes a screw rod (not shown) that rotates by driving the first servo motor 43, and a ball guide nut (not shown) that is screwed to the screw rod is fixed to the left-right direction movable shaft portion 41, thereby A ball screw mechanism is configured. By transmitting the driving force of the first servo motor 43 to the ball screw mechanism, the workpiece gripping portion 33 is moved in the front-rear direction together with the second and third slide mechanisms 25 and 27.

  The first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B are configured such that the arm 31 can rotate with respect to the connection tool 29 with the vertical direction as the central axis, and the position of the workpiece gripping portion 33 can be adjusted more finely. Such a rotation mechanism may be provided in the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the work gripping portion 33 is provided with a positioning pin 49 that protrudes upward on the upper end of a work receiving tool 47 having a work receiving surface 47 a on which the inner panel 9 is placed. The clamp arm 51 is movably accommodated in a slit 49 a formed in the pin 49.

  The positioning pins 49 are inserted into the positioning holes 9a formed in the inner panel 9 from below to perform positioning. On the other hand, the clamp arm 51 moves between a housing position indicated by a two-dot chain line, the entirety of which is accommodated in the slit 51a, and a projecting position indicated by a solid line in which the clamp claw 51a formed at the tip projects outward from the slit 49a. Is possible. The clamp pawl 51a clamps and fixes the inner panel 9 to the workpiece receiving surface 47a at this protruding position.

  The clamp air cylinder 53 for moving the clamp arm 51 rotatably connects the clamp arm 51 to the tip of a rod 55 protruding upward via a connection pin 57. In addition, a cam groove 51b is formed in the clamp arm 51, and a cam pin 59 fixed to the workpiece holder 47 side is inserted into the cam groove 51b so as to be relatively movable.

  That is, when the clamp arm 51 is moved forward together with the rod 55 by driving the clamp air cylinder 53, the cam pin 59 is relatively moved to the bent lower end portion of the cam groove 51b, and the clamp arm 51 becomes the accommodation position indicated by the two-dot chain line. . On the other hand, when the clamp arm 51 is retracted together with the rod 55, the cam pin 59 is relatively moved to the upper end portion of the cam groove 51b, and the clamp arm 51 is in the protruding position indicated by the solid line.

  FIG. 5 is a control block diagram for controlling the operation of the processing equipment shown in FIG. The equipment control device 63 is controlled by the vehicle body process production instruction device 61, and the equipment control device 63 controls the robot control device 65, the workpiece gripping jig control device 67, the rotating jig base driving device 69, and the other auxiliary devices 71, respectively. To do.

  The robot controller 63 drives and controls the welding robot 5 and the unloading robot 7 shown in FIG. The workpiece gripping jig control device 67 includes a servo amplifier 73. The servo amplifier 73 drives and controls the first to third servo motors 43, 39, and 35 shown in FIG. The clamp air cylinder 53 is driven and controlled. The rotating jig base driving device 69 controls the rotation of the rotating jig base 13 shown in FIG. Other accessory devices 71 include various detection devices and safety devices.

  Next, the operation of the above processing facility will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows the positions of the positioning pins 49 on the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B and the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B on the rotating jig base 13 and the spot welding processing point position S on the workpiece W. Respectively. The spot welding processing point position S is a processing point when the striker mounting bracket 11 is fixed to the inner panel 9 by welding. In FIG. 7, regions L1, L2, L3, and L4 surrounded by a two-dot chain line around each of the first work gripping jigs 15A and 15B and the second work gripping jigs 17A and 17B are shown in FIG. The movable ranges of the positioning pins 49 in the tools 15A, 15B, 17A, and 17B are shown.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, an operator 75 (see FIG. 7) inputs a workpiece W from the workpiece insertion port 3 in the direction indicated by the arrow A and sets the workpiece W in the workpiece gripping apparatus 1 (step 101). FIG. 2 also shows the same state as when the workpiece is input. The work W is loaded by setting the inner panel 9 on the first and second work gripping jigs 15A, 15B, 17A and 17B, and then placing the striker mounting bracket 11 on the upper surface of the inner panel 9 on the front side of the vehicle body. set.

  At this time, the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B have a first spacing H1 in which the spacing between the positioning pins 49 corresponds to the gripped position (two positioning holes 9a) on the vehicle body front side of the inner panel 9. It has become. On the other hand, in the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B, the distance between the positioning pins 49 corresponds to the gripped position (two positioning holes 9a) on the vehicle body rear side of the inner panel 9 described above. The second interval H2 is wider than H1.

  When the inner panel 9 is gripped by the first and second workpiece gripping jigs 15A, 15B, 17A, and 17B, the positioning pins 49 shown in FIG. 4 are inserted into the corresponding positioning holes 9a of the inner panel 9. After that, the clamp air cylinder 53 is driven to bring the clamp arm 51 into the protruding position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Thereby, the clamp pawl 51a of the clamp arm 51 clamps and fixes the inner panel 9 between the workpiece receiving surface 47a (step 103).

  The positions of the positioning pins 49 in the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B and the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B and the spot welding processing point position S with respect to the workpiece W at this time are as shown in FIG. become. That is, the distance between the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B that grip the vehicle body front side of the inner panel 9 is as narrow as the first gap H1, while the second workpiece gripping jig that grips the vehicle body rear side of the inner panel 9. The space between 17A and 17B is as wide as the second space H2. Further, the spot welding processing point position S is on the worker 75 side, that is, the side close to the workpiece insertion port 3.

  After the inner panel 9 is clamped and fixed, the rotary jig base 13 is rotated by 180 degrees so that the positions of the first workpiece holding jigs 15A and 15B and the second workpiece holding jigs 17A and 17B are interchanged (step). 107). That is, at this time, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8, the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B are located on the welding robot 5 side, and the distance between them remains the first distance H1. On the other hand, the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B are located on the workpiece insertion port 3 side, and the interval between them remains the second interval H2.

  The spot welding processing point position S is on the welding robot 5 side. In this state, the striker mounting bracket 11 is fixed to the inner panel 9 by spot welding by the welding robot 5 as shown in FIG. Work is performed (step 107).

  When the welding process is completed, the clamp air cylinder 53 shown in FIG. 4 is driven forward to release the clamp operation with the clamp arm 51 in the storage position indicated by the two-dot chain line (step 109). Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the processed workpiece W is unloaded in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 1 by the unloading robot 7 (step 111).

  Next, in the state without rotating the rotating jig base 13, as shown in FIG. 10, the interval between the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B, which is wide with the second interval H2, is set to the second interval H2. It is narrowed so that the interval H1 is 1. At the same time, the servomotors 43, 39, and 35 of the first to third slide mechanisms 23, 25, and 27 in the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B are driven, and the positioning pins 49 are moved to the inner panel 9. The position is adjusted so as to align with the two positioning holes 9a on the vehicle body front side (step 113). As a result, the second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B that have gripped the vehicle body rear side of the inner panel 9 so far narrow the distance between them to the first distance H1 as shown in FIG. 7C. As a result, the vehicle body front side of the inner panel 9 can be gripped.

  On the other hand, the interval between the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B, which is the first interval H1 in FIG. 7B, is widened to be the second interval H2. At the same time, the servomotors 43, 39, and 35 of the first to third slide mechanisms 23, 25, and 27 in the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B are driven, and the positioning pins 49 are moved to the inner panel 9. The position is adjusted so as to align with the two positioning holes 9a on the vehicle body front side (step 113). As a result, the first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B that have gripped the vehicle body front side of the inner panel 9 up to now increase the distance between them to the second distance H2 as shown in FIG. 7C. As a result, the vehicle body rear side of the inner panel 9 can be gripped.

  In this state, similarly to the previous time, the worker 75 inputs the workpiece W to be processed next in the direction indicated by the arrow A from the workpiece insertion port 3 and sets the workpiece W in the workpiece gripping apparatus 1 (step 115).

  If the workpiece to be processed next has a different shape from the previously processed workpiece and the clamp position is different, the positions of the positioning pins 49 are adjusted as appropriate.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the pair of first workpiece gripping jigs 15A and 15B are supported so as to move toward and away from each other, and the pair of second workpiece gripping jigs 17A and 17B are supported to each other. Since the rotating jig base 13 is provided so as to be movable toward and away from the first workpiece holding jig 15A, 15B and the second workpiece holding jig 17A, 17B so that the positions of the first workpiece holding jig 17A, 17B can be switched with each other. When the workpiece W is rotated 180 degrees and one part of the input side when the workpiece is input is processed by the welding robot 5 from the side opposite to the workpiece input port 3, after the processed workpiece W is unloaded, The distance between the pair of first work gripping jigs 15A and 15B and the distance between the pair of second work gripping jigs 17A and 17B are moved on the rotary jig base 13 so as to be changed. Be to, then processed to the work-up is possible. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate a wasteful production time of rotating the entire workpiece gripping device 1 that is not gripping the workpiece W to the original position, thereby improving work efficiency.

  Each of the first and second work gripping jigs includes a first slide mechanism that moves the work gripping part in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the first or second work gripping tool approaches and separates, and the work gripping part A second slide mechanism for moving the workpiece in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction by the first slide mechanism, and a third slide for moving the work gripper in a direction orthogonal to the plane including the movement directions by the first and second slide mechanisms. Since each mechanism is provided, even if the clamp position with respect to the workpiece changes due to a change in the shape of the workpiece, the clamping operation with respect to the workpiece can be reliably performed.

  By using the workpiece as an engine hood located in the front part of the vehicle body of the automobile and a separate part that is welded and fixed to one part of the engine hood, work efficiency in the vehicle body assembly work can be improved.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of processing equipment centering on a workpiece gripping device showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state which put in the workpiece | work with the workpiece | work holding apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the basic structure as a single body of the 1st, 2nd each workpiece | work holding jig. It is a side view including the partial cross section which shows the detail of the workpiece holding part in the workpiece holding apparatus of FIG. It is a control block diagram which controls operation | movement of the processing equipment shown in FIG. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the processing equipment shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a position of a positioning pin of each of the first and second workpiece gripping jigs and a spot welding processing point position with respect to the workpiece in the workpiece gripping apparatus of FIG. ) Is a state in which the rotating jig base is rotated 180 degrees from the state of (a), and (c) is a distance between the first and second workpiece gripping jigs on the rotating jig base from the state of (b). Each changed state is shown. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state which is welding with respect to a workpiece | work with the workpiece | work holding apparatus of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state which carries out the workpiece | work after welding in FIG. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the first and second workpiece gripping jigs are moved on the rotating jig base after the workpiece is unloaded in FIG. 9. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state which put in the workpiece | work to process next, after moving the 1st, 2nd each workpiece | work holding jig in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

9 Inner panel (engine hood)
11 Striker mounting bracket (separate parts)
13 Rotating jig base 15A, 15B First work gripping jig 17A, 17B Second work gripping jig 23 First slide mechanism 25 Second slide mechanism 27 Third slide mechanism W Work H1 First interval H2 Second interval

Claims (4)

  A pair of first work gripping jigs for gripping one part of the work, a pair of second work gripping jigs for gripping the other part of the work, and the pair of first work gripping jigs moving toward and away from each other The pair of second workpiece gripping jigs are supported so as to be movable toward and away from each other, and can be rotated so that the positions of the first workpiece gripping jig and the second workpiece gripping jig are interchanged with each other. A workpiece gripping device comprising a rotating jig base.   Each of the first and second workpiece gripping jigs has a first slide mechanism for moving the workpiece gripping portion in a direction orthogonal to the approaching / separating movement direction, and the workpiece gripping portion is moved by the first slide mechanism. A second slide mechanism that moves in a direction orthogonal to the direction; and a third slide mechanism that moves the workpiece gripping portion in a direction orthogonal to a plane including the movement directions of the first and second slide mechanisms. The workpiece gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece gripping device is provided.   A part of the workpiece is gripped by a pair of first workpiece gripping jigs arranged at a first interval, and at a second interval different from the first interval by the first workpiece gripping jig. The other part of the work is gripped by a pair of second work gripping jigs, and in this gripping state, the rotating jig base that supports the first and second work gripping jigs is used as the first work gripping jig. And the second workpiece gripping jig are rotated so that the positions thereof are interchanged with each other. Thereafter, predetermined processing is performed on the vicinity of the partial position of the workpiece, and after the workpiece is unloaded, the pair of the first workpiece The distance between the workpiece gripping jigs is moved on the rotating jig base so as to be the second distance from the first distance, and the distance between the pair of second workpiece gripping jigs is changed to the first distance. From the interval of 2 to the first interval Work gripping method characterized by moving in the rotating jig base on so. 4. The work gripping method according to claim 3, wherein the work is an engine hood positioned at a front portion of a vehicle body of an automobile and a separate part that is joined and fixed to a part of the engine hood by welding.

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