JP2005246477A - Apparatus for supplying and transporting metal plate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain the production cost in a metal plate supplying and transporting system for supplying and transporting the metal plate. <P>SOLUTION: The main part of this metal plate supplying and transporting apparatus 100 is arranged in a range of y≤¾b¾ and has almost symmetrical structure at the upper and the lower area except fixed bars 140 to the metal plate W in the figure. That is, the point P in the figure indicates the position of x-axis and a distance to the zx plane in the side face at the outside of each fixed bar 140 is b, respectively. In the main body 110, a guide rail 112 extended in the x-axial direction is fixed and a feed bar 120 can reciprocatively be moved in the x-axial direction by guiding this guide rail. Further, the driving force outputted from a feed screw 111 reciprocatively moves the feed bar 120 in the x-axial direction after transmitting to a connecting plate 121 parallel shifted in the x-axial direction. Center grippers 130 arranged at periodically four pairs at the equal interval L in the x-axial direction on the feed bar 120 are vertically moved simultaneously according to the level of the air pressure in an air cylinder 131. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a metal plate feeding device (feeder) that feeds a metal plate to be processed to a press working device having a transfer provided with a side gripper that sandwiches an edge of a substantially plate-like metal plate from both front and back surfaces. .

  FIG. 16 illustrates a configuration form of a conventional metal plate feeding system. In the tower frame 3 installed on the base 1, there are a work stacker 200 having a stack table 201, a hydraulic mechanism 202, a vertical take-out device 300 having a vacuum pad BP, a vacuum pad lifting device 301, and the like. It is arranged. Reference numerals O, A, B, C, D, and E indicate the respective relay points of the workpiece when the workpiece (metal plate) is conveyed to a predetermined press working apparatus. These are all arranged on a straight line, and the straight line is hereinafter referred to as a pass line. The interval between the relay points on this path line is constant, and the length is hereinafter referred to as L. In FIG. 16, the x-axis is taken to overlap this pass line, and the orthogonal coordinates are selected so that the relay point O coincides with the origin of the coordinate system.

  The metal plates stacked in the stack area Wz in the drawing are conveyed one by one from the top to the relay point O in the vertical direction by the work stacker 200 and the vertical take-out device 300. Subsequent workpiece transfer processing from the relay point O to the relay point A is executed by an arbitrary horizontal take-out device (configuration example: the horizontal take-out device 400 in FIG. 4 and the like).

  For example, a conventional metal plate feeding device 900 of FIG. 17 can be disposed on the table leg 2 of FIG. The conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 sequentially conveys a metal plate (hereinafter, also referred to as a workpiece W) to be operated from the relay point A to the relay point E in the horizontal direction. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the above-described pass line at the relay point B (FIG. 16: x = 2L) of the conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900.

  A substrate 21 is fixed on the table leg 2. The fixing bars 901 and 902 are both fixed so as not to move with respect to the substrate 21. The side gripper of the metal plate feeding device 900 includes a stopper 903a attached to the inside of the movable frame 903 and a grip 905, and sandwiches the metal plate from the side. That is, the grip 905 is lifted by the air cylinder 906, and by this operation, the edge portion of the work W is sandwiched between the front and back sides from the left and right sides by the stopper 903a and the grip 905. FIG. 17 shows that when the workpiece W is sandwiched between the stopper 903a and the grip 905, the substantially central portion of the workpiece W overlaps with the relay point B on the pass line.

  The fitting portion 904 is fitted to the lower portion of the fixed bar 901 and is guided in the x-axis direction by the fixed bar 901. The fitting portion 904 can reciprocate in the x-axis direction by a distance L together with the movable frame 903, the grip 905, the air cylinder 906, and the like. The driving force is simultaneously transmitted to the movable frame 903, the fitting portion 904, the grip 905, the air cylinder 906, and the like by the feed screw 907. Therefore, the workpiece W can be transported by the distance L in the x-axis direction while the workpiece W is held between the stopper 903a and the grip 905.

Hereinafter, the following series of operations (1) to (4) executed based on the above configuration will be referred to as a one-cycle operation of the metal plate feeding device 900.
(1) The edge portion of the workpiece W is sandwiched between the front and back surfaces by the stopper 903a and the grip 905 from both the left and right sides.
(2) Move by + L in the x-axis direction while maintaining the clamping state.
(3) Release the clamping state.
(4) Move by -L in the x-axis direction (returns to the original state just before executing (1))
However, any state during this one-cycle operation may be selected as the initial state in this one-cycle operation.

  A conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 is formed by repeatedly arranging the above-described structure in four places (four cycles) at intervals L in the x-axis direction. Therefore, if such a metal plate feeding device 900 is used, the workpiece W can be sequentially conveyed from the relay point A to the relay point E in m stages. Here, m is a natural number one smaller than the number of relay points (A to E). That is, in order to execute such transport to the relay points A to E, it is sufficient to execute the one-cycle operation of the above-described metal plate feeding device 900 continuously m times for each periodic structure. .

FIG. 18 is an explanatory view exemplifying a usage pattern of the above-described conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 at the press work site. The press machine 700 is a device that presses each substantially plate-shaped metal plate Wi (i is a work serial number) to be fed using a predetermined mold, and holds the edge of each metal plate from both front and back surfaces. A transfer 600 having a side gripper 602 is provided. Each side gripper 602 is fixed to the movable bar 601.
In FIG. 18, the x coordinate of the tip of the end of the metal plate feeder 900 near the press 700 of the fixed bar 901 is assumed to be x ₀ . The other coordinates x _j represent the x coordinate of each relay point (subscript j is a symbol of each relay point).

FIG. 19 is a state transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 900 and the transfer 600. In FIG. 19, only the fixed bar 901 is stationary. In the figure, x = x ₀ represents the position (x coordinate) of the fixed point. Hereinafter, the states shown in FIGS. 19-A, B, C, and D are referred to as a state A, a state B, a state C, and a state D, respectively. After the state D, the state returns to the state O in FIG. 18, and the operation states of the metal plate feeding device 900 and the transfer 600 are sequentially and periodically in the order of the state O, the state A, the state B, the state C, and the state D. Transition.

Since the transfer 600 lifts or lowers the workpiece when conveying the workpiece, the side gripper 602 moves in the z-axis direction in addition to the movement in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19. The movement in the direction (vertical direction) is also executed at the same time. That is, the transfer 600 has three-dimensional (three orthogonal directions) degrees of freedom. However, of course, some conventional devices have only two-dimensional degrees of freedom.
Hereinafter, even with the transfer 600, the operation of returning to the original state after passing through each of the above states once is referred to as a one-cycle operation. However, any state during this one-cycle operation may be selected as the initial state in this one-cycle operation.

  The press machine 700 simultaneously presses the workpieces W2 and W3 into a target shape around the state C shown in FIG. 19-C. Therefore, by repeatedly repeating these operations (state O, state A, state B, state C, and state D), the desired press working can be continuously performed.

  However, when the above-described conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 is used, as can be inferred from FIG. 18 and the like, the vicinity of the point Q1 of the movable frame 903 and the vicinity of the point Q2 of the side gripper 602 are members if miscontrolled. May cause interference. In order to prevent these members (the movable frame 903 and the side gripper 602) from interfering with each other, in the metal plate feeding device 900, from the state B in FIG. 19B to the state C in FIG. 19-C. The movable frame 903 needs to be moved (withdrawn to the left side) within a short time. The following limiting factors can be cited as factors that cause such a need for the movable frame 903.

(Limiting factor)
There are strong restrictions on the operation timing in the x-axis direction of at least one of the two devices (600, 900) (600/900) due to the operation mode and timing of a predetermined peripheral device. However, the predetermined peripheral device mentioned here refers to a predetermined related device other than the above two devices (600, 900) such as the press 700, the vertical take-out device 300, or the horizontal take-out device described above.
More specifically, for example, the following cases can be exemplified.

(Case where horizontal take-out device 400 becomes a limiting factor (part 1))
For example, in the state O in FIG. 18, the metal plate feeding device 900 indicates that the workpiece located at the origin O (relay point O) is conveyed to the relay point A by the horizontal take-out device 400 (FIG. 4). waiting. If this waiting time becomes long, the time from the state O in FIG. 18 to the state C in FIG. 19-C via the states A and B in FIG. 19 is limited to a very short time. It becomes. For this reason, as described above, in the conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900, the movable frame 903 is moved within a short time from the state B in FIG. 19B to the state C in FIG. May need to be evacuated).

(Case where horizontal take-out device 400 becomes a limiting factor (part 2))
Further, if the vertical movement of the vacuum pad lifting device 301 of the vertical take-out device 300 in FIG. 16 cannot be performed in a short time, the standby time at the relay point A of the horizontal take-out device 400 (FIG. 4) that receives the metal plate at the relay point O. Becomes longer. For this reason, the metal plate feeding device 900 is a type of device that clamps the workpiece from both sides, similarly to the horizontal take-out device 400, so that the metal plate that waits for an operation with respect to the horizontal take-out device 400 waiting at point A is used. The waiting time at the relay point E of the feeding device 900 is also increased. Therefore, in the metal plate feeding device 900, it is necessary to move the movable frame 903 within a short time (retract to the left side) until the state C is reached.

  In general, it is not easy to sufficiently wipe out various limiting factors in the cases (No. 1 and No. 2) as described above. Therefore, when the conventional metal plate feeding device 900 is used, it is desired in press working. In order to achieve this throughput, it is usually necessary to ensure a very high motion performance in the negative direction of the movable frame 903 in the x-axis direction. Alternatively, it is necessary to alleviate the above limiting factors as much as possible by increasing the motion performance of a predetermined peripheral device such as the above-described vertical extraction device or horizontal extraction device. Of course, these measures and the like may be implemented at the same time, however, these measures naturally require a high cost.

In addition, when the motion performance of any of the above devices is increased, at least a partial life of those devices may be shortened due to the impact caused by the high-speed or high-acceleration motion of these devices, or the press work site In many cases, unforeseen problems related to these devices will surface due to the noise and vibration of the equipment becoming larger than expected. For example, if the vertical movement of the vacuum pad lifting device 301 is speeded up or accelerated, the life of the vacuum pad BP and its peripheral members is shortened.
For these reasons, the use of the conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 is very disadvantageous when it is necessary to achieve a higher throughput than the conventional one.
The above problem occurs regardless of the number of relay points (A to E).

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its object is to feed a metal plate that feeds a metal plate to be processed to a press working apparatus that is intended to achieve a predetermined throughput. In the system, the manufacturing cost of the feeding system is reduced by making it possible to reduce the moving speed or acceleration of the movable frame of the metal plate feeding device.
Another object of the present invention is to ensure the durability of the metal plate feeding system as described above, or to suppress the power consumption of the metal plate feeding system as described above. Or it is suppressing the noise and vibration of the press work site where the above metal plate feeding systems are introduced.
However, it is sufficient that the above-mentioned individual objects are achieved individually by at least one of the individual means of the present invention, and the individual inventions of the present application simultaneously solve all the above-mentioned problems. It does not necessarily guarantee that there is a means that can be solved.

In order to solve the above problems, the following means are effective.
That is, the first means of the present invention is a metal plate feeding device that feeds a metal plate into a press working device having a transfer provided with a side gripper that sandwiches an edge of a substantially plate-like metal plate from both front and back surfaces. A center gripper that sandwiches a portion from the front and back sides of the metal plate from the center, and a reciprocating drive mechanism that reciprocates the center gripper in the same direction as the reciprocating motion performed by the transfer, And a receiving member that receives the metal plate released from being clamped by the center gripper, and the above-described reciprocating drive mechanism causes the above-mentioned center gripper to reciprocate at the same period as the reciprocating motion of the transfer.

  However, when arranging a plurality of the above center grippers along the feeding direction of the metal plate, they may be arranged on one line parallel to the feeding direction or parallel to the feeding direction. These may be arranged in parallel on two rows, or may be arranged in three or more rows.

  Further, a second means of the present invention is the above-mentioned first means, comprising a plurality of the above center grippers, all of which are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the reciprocating direction, And it is synchronizing each clamping operation | movement, clamping release operation | movement, and reciprocating motion.

  Further, the third means of the present invention is the above first or second means, wherein the sandwiching portion of the center gripper that contacts the metal plate is placed on the surface of a pair of upper and lower movable bars that can translate in the longitudinal direction. Each of them is arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction so as to confront each other.

  The fourth means of the present invention is the above-mentioned third means, wherein the movable bar is reciprocated along the guide rail laid in the longitudinal direction both above and below.

  The fifth means of the present invention is that in the fourth means described above, when the center gripper sandwiches and releases the metal plate, only the lower side of the guide rail is moved up and down.

  According to a sixth means of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth means, the reciprocating drive mechanism includes a rack and pinion mechanism, a feed screw mechanism, an air cylinder, or a linear motor. It is to provide.

  A seventh means of the present invention is to clamp the metal plate by the center gripper based on the pressure from the air cylinder in any one of the first to sixth means.

  According to an eighth means of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh means described above, the metal plate supported by the receiving member is in a direction substantially perpendicular to the reciprocating motion direction of the reciprocating drive mechanism. It is to provide a metal plate escape means for removing the metal plate from a predetermined production line.

  According to a ninth means of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth means, a capture device for taking in a metal plate supplied from the outside is provided, and the metal plate is held when the metal plate is held. The take-up device includes tension applying means for applying a tension component in a direction perpendicular and horizontal to the reciprocating direction of the reciprocating drive mechanism to the metal plate.

  According to a tenth means of the present invention, in the ninth device, the side gripper includes a side gripper that sandwiches the left and right edges of the metal plate from both the front and back surfaces. On the other hand, it is dynamically energized outwardly in the horizontal direction by the tension applying means.

However, here, the direction of the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating drive mechanism is the front-rear direction, and the horizontal direction perpendicular thereto is the left-right direction. The right side gripper may be dynamically urged horizontally outward by the tension applying means, the left side gripper may be urged horizontally outward, or the pass line may be Both may be energized both horizontally and outward in the center.
By the above means of the present invention, the above-mentioned problem can be effectively or rationally solved.

The effects obtained by the above-described means of the present invention are as follows.
That is, according to the first means of the present invention, the gripper (center gripper) of the metal plate feeding device is disposed at the center near the pass line (on the x axis) in FIG. Interference between the apparatus members, in which the members of the feeding apparatus directly interfere with members such as a transfer side gripper provided in the press working apparatus, can be inevitably avoided.

  Further, according to such a configuration, at the timing (eg, FIGS. 19C and 19D) at which the metal plate should be transferred from the metal plate feeding device to the transfer included in the press working device, the metal plate feeding device. However, even when the metal plate is being released, the transfer provided in the press working apparatus can start to hold the metal plate by the side gripper. In other words, at least until the transfer starts to hold the metal plate (eg, work W4 in FIG. 19), the metal plate feeding device moves the metal plate at the delivery point (eg, relay point E in FIG. 16). Even if it clamps, interference between members does not generate | occur | produce between a metal plate feeder and a transfer.

In other words, at least until the transfer starts to hold the metal plate (for example, the workpiece W4 in FIG. 19), the metal plate feeding device has its transfer point (for example, the relay point E in FIG. 16: x = x _E = 5L). Even if the metal plate in () is clamped at the delivery point, no inter-member interference occurs between the metal plate feeding device and the transfer. For this reason, during the period from the state C (FIG. 19C) to the next state D, the movement of the metal plate feeding device in the x-axis direction can be spared in the time related to the retraction operation of the gripper of the metal plate feeding device. Is born. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the timing design regarding the position control of the metal plate feeding device is increased, and the timing design regarding the position control of the metal plate feeding device is facilitated.

Further, such actions and effects can be obtained in the same way for the metal plate receiving point (example: relay point A: x = L in FIG. 16) of the metal plate feeding apparatus. That is, according to the means of the present invention, for example, with respect to the inter-member interference with respect to the horizontal take-out device 400 that has a side gripper that sandwiches a metal plate from both the left and right sides, and that stands by at the point A described above, It can be inevitably avoided on the basis of a similar action.
Therefore, when the peripheral device (that is, the front and rear metal plate transporting devices) is a type in which the metal plate is sandwiched from both sides, both front and back surfaces, if the metal plate feeding device of the present invention is used, it is directly connected to the peripheral devices. Therefore, in the timing design related to the position control of the metal sheet feeding device, it is only necessary to consider only the operation timing with the workpiece position. In addition, such an increase in the degree of freedom of timing related to position control naturally contributes greatly to the improvement of the throughput of the metal sheet feeding process.

That is, if such a time allowance is generated, the metal plate can be transported using the time, so that the drive device that drives the movement in the x-axis direction of the metal plate feeding device Even if the exercise performance provided by is not necessarily as high as that of the prior art, a throughput equal to or higher than that of the conventional one can be achieved. Or according to the structure of this invention, even if it comprises a feeding system only using the drive device of the same movement performance as the past, higher throughput (the number of sheets of metal plates fed per unit time) can be realized. . Alternatively, the upper limit value of the relay point interval L can be made larger than before.
Therefore, the present invention contributes to at least one of reduction of the manufacturing cost of the metal plate feeding system, improvement of throughput, or enlargement of the workpiece to be handled.

Further, according to the configuration of the present invention, the following advantages can be obtained in addition to the merit related to the motion performance of the drive device.
(1) Conventionally, since it was necessary to sandwich the workpiece from both sides, two rows of grippers were prepared in the x-axis direction. However, according to the configuration of the present invention, the arrangement of the grippers of the metal plate feeding device Since only one row of the center center gripper is required, the number of gripper arrays can be halved. For this reason, the cost for constituting the metal plate feeding device can be reduced, and further, the metal plate feeding device can be reduced in size or weight in the y-axis direction.

  However, the center grippers may be arranged in two or more rows. Even in this case, each center gripper can be translated while maintaining the relatively same positional relationship, so that the drive control of each center gripper can be realized more simply than before.

(2) Further, according to the configuration of the present invention, the target metal plate feeding device further includes a vertical extraction device (configuration example: FIG. 16), a horizontal extraction device (configuration example: FIG. 4), and the like. Since it is possible to eliminate unnecessary high-speed operation or high acceleration operation in the entire metal plate feeding system, the durability of such a metal plate feeding system is improved. In addition, it is possible to reduce wasteful power consumption, noise, vibration, and the like of the metal plate feeding system.

(3) Moreover, according to the structure of this invention, since the arrangement | sequence of the gripper of a metal plate feeder needs only one row | line | column of a center center gripper, in order to respond | correspond to the width | variety of the y-axis direction of a workpiece | work one by one, For example, it is not necessary to provide a y-axis direction sliding mechanism as illustrated in FIG.
However, the center grippers may be arranged in two or more rows. Similarly in this case, the position of each center gripper is not strongly restrained by the position of the edge of the workpiece, and thus the same effect can be obtained.

In addition, according to the second means of the present invention, the feeding process in the x-axis direction can be performed in multiple stages by a plurality of conveying steps, so that the workpiece loading point (example: FIG. 16) in the metal plate feeding device Provides high metal plate feeding performance (throughput) even in the field environment where the distance from the relay point A) to the workpiece transfer point to the transfer (example: relay point E: x = x _E = 5L in FIG. 16) is long. can do.

  Further, according to the third means of the present invention, the sandwiching portion of the center gripper is disposed on the surface of the pair of upper and lower movable bars so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction in a row, so that the second means described above In addition, the pinching operation, the pinching release operation, and the reciprocating movement of each of the plurality of center grippers can be reliably synchronized with each other.

  However, the shape of the sandwiching portion of the center gripper that contacts the metal plate may be arbitrary, and therefore the thickness, size, shape, and the like may be determined in accordance with the size, thickness, shape, etc. of the workpiece (metal plate). Moreover, you may form the clamping part of a center gripper continuously, for example in the longitudinal direction of said movable bar without a cut | interruption. Even with such a configuration (that is, the embodiment of the invention according to claim 3 in the metal plate feeding device according to claim 1), a plurality of metal plates can be simultaneously conveyed, and the same effect as described above can be obtained. be able to.

  In addition, if the clamping portion of the center gripper is continuously formed in the longitudinal direction of the movable bar as described above, the length of the device in the longitudinal direction can be adjusted by adjusting the number of relay points on the pass line. It is also possible or easy to change the transport stroke (: one-way distance in the reciprocating motion of the movable bar) in a stepwise manner while fixing the height.

  Further, according to the fourth means of the present invention, only the movable bar can be translated along the guide rail (usually horizontal reciprocating motion), so that the translational motion part can be reduced in size, Therefore, the member which reciprocates with the metal plate can be effectively reduced in weight. Therefore, the cycle of the reciprocating motion for transporting the metal plate can be effectively shortened, and the size, power consumption, manufacturing cost, etc. of the device can be effectively suppressed by the downsizing of the translational motion part. You can also.

  Further, according to the fifth means of the present invention, the center gripper can be simply moved up and down (usually vertical reciprocating motion) only by the lower guide rail (and its supporting member) for supporting and guiding the lower movable bar. A grip mechanism that performs a clamping operation and a releasing operation with respect to the metal plate can be configured very simply. Further, if only the lower guide rail is moved up and down, the structure of the apparatus can be simplified and the size and weight can be reduced, thereby effectively suppressing the power consumption and manufacturing cost of the apparatus. .

Further, if the reciprocating drive mechanism in the x-axis direction of the metal plate feeding device is configured using a rack and pinion mechanism or a feed screw mechanism, the reciprocating drive mechanism can be configured at a relatively low cost. A relatively realistic configuration can be obtained in light of market needs, prices, etc. (effect by the sixth means).
Further, the reciprocating drive mechanism in the x-axis direction of the metal plate feeding device is configured by using a rack and pinion mechanism or a linear motor, thereby forming a reciprocating drive mechanism having higher motion performance or higher positioning accuracy than conventional ones. This is also possible (the effect of the sixth means).
In addition, when a rack and pinion mechanism, a feed screw mechanism, a linear motor, or the like is used, the stroke length of the reciprocating motion can be easily changed only by correcting or changing the control program for executing servo control or the like ( : Effect of the sixth means).

Further, if the reciprocating drive mechanism in the x-axis direction of the metal plate feeding device is configured using an air cylinder, the above reciprocating drive mechanism can be designed and manufactured relatively easily (Sixth: Effect by means).
Further, the reciprocating drive mechanism in the x-axis direction of the metal plate feeding device may be constituted by another mechanical driving force transmission mechanism. If the center gripper and its driving force source are connected mechanically purely by mechanical parts, there is no need to interpose electronic control (computer) between them, so servo control algorithms such as feedback control and feedforward control Alternatively, it is not necessary to create a synchronization control program for controlling synchronization between machines by using various position sensors or the like (the effect of the sixth means).

  Further, according to the seventh means of the present invention, the drive device for driving the clamping operation of the center gripper of the metal plate feeding device can be configured simply and inexpensively.

  Further, according to the eighth means of the present invention, when two metal plates carried into the metal plate feeding device are overlapped or defective, they are not stopped without stopping the production line. Only metal plates can be missed from the production line.

Further, according to the ninth or tenth means of the present invention, the distance of the clamping operation in the center gripper can be minimized, thereby further improving the motion performance (throughput) of the metal plate feeding device. Can do.
Alternatively, according to the ninth or tenth means of the present invention, each time the workpiece is changed, the positional relationship between the take-in device and the metal plate feeding device (especially the left and right widths) ( In particular, it is not necessary to adjust the height every time.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on specific examples.
However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a metal plate feeding apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. 2A to 2D show side views of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. A point P in FIG. 1 indicates the position of a predetermined pass line, and the front view of FIG. 1 represents a plane perpendicular to the pass line. Also in the first embodiment, the x-axis is taken so as to overlap with this pass line, and the orthogonal coordinates are selected so that the relay point O in FIG. 3 described later coincides with the origin of the coordinate system as in FIG. It is.
This metal plate feeding apparatus 100 has a substantially vertical symmetrical structure with respect to a substantially plate-like metal plate W (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a workpiece W) in the figure except for the fixing bar 140. ing.

  A guide rail 112 extending in the x-axis direction is fixed to the lower part of the main body 110 of the metal plate feeding device 100. Since the feed bar 120 has the fitting portion 122 that fits with the guide rail 112, the feed bar 120 can reciprocate in the x-axis direction. Further, the main body 110 includes a feed screw mechanism, and the driving force output from the feed screw 111 is transmitted through the connecting plate 121 that translates in the x-axis direction to reciprocate the feed bar 120 in the x-axis direction. The generation source of this driving force is of course the motor 113 of FIG. That is, the motor 113 rotates and drives the long and substantially cylindrical feed screw 111 with its cylindrical axis as a rotation axis.

  The center grippers 130 periodically arranged at equal intervals L in the x-axis direction on the feed bar 120 move up and down simultaneously with each other according to the air pressure provided by the air cylinder 131. When the air pressure is large, one workpiece W can be held by the pair of upper and lower center grippers 130. When this clamping operation is released by a decrease in air pressure provided by the air cylinder 131, the workpiece W is supported on the fixed bar 140 away from the center gripper 130. The length s in the x-axis direction of the fixed bar 140 is set to an appropriate length that satisfies 4L <s <5L. In addition, the distance between the outer side surfaces of the two left and right fixing bars 140 in FIG. In other words, the distance from the outer side surface of each fixing bar 140 to the zx plane is b.

  The discharge roll 150 is a component constituting the metal plate escape means of the present invention. When two workpieces W are carried in piles or defective, the workpiece W supported on the fixed bar 140 is moved in the y-axis perpendicular to the pass line by the active rotation of the discharge roll 150. Can be discharged in the direction. That is, the discharge roll 150 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). The air cylinder 151 is for sandwiching the work W by the discharge roll 150 by translating up and down the discharge roll 150, and is normally located outside the range in which the work W moves. That is, they are arranged apart from each other up and down (in the z-axis direction) across the xy plane.

  In the state 1 of FIG. 2A, four workpieces (W1 to W4) are sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces by the four center grippers 130, respectively. FIG. 2-B shows a state (state 2) in which each workpiece W is conveyed from the state 1 by a length L in the x-axis direction by the translational movement of the connecting plate 121 in the positive direction in the x-axis direction.

  FIG. 2C shows a state (state 3) in which the above-described clamping operation by the four center grippers 130 is released in accordance with the pressure reduction control of the air cylinder 131. In FIG. 2C, the illustration of the fixing bar 140 in FIG. 1 is omitted, but each workpiece (W1 to W4) in FIG. 2C is supported on the upper surface of the fixing bar 140. While the above-mentioned clamping operation by the four center grippers 130 is released, this time, the upper and lower feed bars 120 are again moved as shown in FIG. The original position is returned (state 4: FIG. 2-D). Thereafter, if the four center grippers 130 are returned to the clamping state by the pressure control of the air cylinder 131, the metal plate feeding device 100 returns to the state 1 in FIG. The above-described one-cycle operation is hereinafter referred to as one-cycle operation of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100. In other words, the operation of returning to the original state after going through state 1, state 2, state 3, and state 4 of FIG. However, it may start from any state.

FIG. 3 illustrates an arrangement form of the metal plate feeding device 100 described above. The metal plate feeding system shown in FIG. 3 is for feeding a metal plate at a predetermined cycle to a predetermined press working apparatus (press machine 700 having the transfer 600 described above). A relay point E in the figure is a delivery point for the transfer 600 described above.
This metal plate feeding system includes the above-described four devices fixed to the tower frame 3 and the table leg 2 fixed on the base 1, that is, the above-described work stacker 200 and the vertical take-out device. 300, the horizontal take-out device 400, the metal plate feeding device 100, and the like.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of each part of the metal plate feeding system of FIG. 3 on which the metal plate feeding device 100 of the first embodiment is mounted will be described.
The work stacker 200 includes a stack table 201, a guide member 203, and the like, and a stack area Wz of a metal plate to be processed is secured on the stack table 201. The height of the stack table 201 is controlled up and down by a hydraulic mechanism 202. By this elevation control, the uppermost one of the metal plates stacked in the stack area Wz is always maintained at an appropriate position accessible from the vacuum pad BP.

  The vertical take-out device 300 includes a total of nine vacuum pads BP in three rows each in length and width. Reference numeral 302 denotes a vacuum tube, and reference numeral 301 denotes a vacuum pad lifting device. The metal plate stacked in the stack area Wz is lifted to an appropriate height by the hydraulic mechanism 202, and further, only one sheet located at the top of the stack area Wz is moved to the position of the point O illustrated by the vertical take-out device 300. Lifted.

The horizontal take-out device 400 in FIG. 4 further relays a metal plate (hereinafter also referred to as a workpiece W) taken out in the vertical direction to a point O (hereinafter also referred to as the origin O). It is a device for taking out in the horizontal direction (positive direction in the x-axis direction).
In FIG. 4, the rear view of said horizontal extraction apparatus 400 is shown. The grippers GR1 and GR2 that sandwich the edge of the metal plate W from both the front and back surfaces are substantially symmetrical with respect to the zx plane in the drawing. The grip hand Gh is rotatably supported by the gripper arm Ga, and the workpiece W can be sandwiched between the stopper Gs positioned above the grip hand Gh and the grip hand Gh. Reference sign Gc in the figure indicates the rotation axis of the gripper arm Ga.

  The guide rail Gg is fixed to a frame 3a provided in parallel to the frame 3b constituting a part of the tower frame 3 in FIG. Further, the fitting portion Gk that fits with the guide rail Gg is guided by the guide rail Gg and can reciprocate in the x-axis direction. The roller Gr supports the reciprocating motion.

  With these configurations, the workpiece W in FIG. 4 is transferred from the vertical take-out device 300 to the horizontal take-out device 400 at the origin O in FIG. Of course, the horizontal take-out device 400 securely holds the workpiece W at this time by the two grippers GR1 and the two GR2. When this delivery is established, the vacuum pads BP simultaneously release the suction operation. Thereafter, the position of the vacuum pad BP is controlled to be raised by the vacuum pad lifting device 301 described above. Simultaneously with this ascent control, the horizontal take-out device 400 moves in the x-axis direction based on the support and guide action of the guide rail Gg, the fitting portion Gk, the roller Gr, etc., and relays the workpiece W from the origin O in FIG. Transport to point A.

  Since the position (rotation angle) of the gripper arm Ga of each of the grippers GR1 and GR2 is controlled by the servomotor in the horizontal take-out device 400, when the workpiece W is clamped, the workpiece W is based on the rotation angle. It is detected whether or not two sheets overlap. This detection means may be optional. When it is detected that two workpieces W are overlapped and sandwiched, the above-described metal plate escape means (: FIG. 1) arranged near the relay point A in FIG. 3 (x≈L). By the operation of the discharge roll 150 and the air cylinder 151), the two workpieces W are both discharged in the positive direction in the y-axis direction. At this time, the drop guide plates 171 to 173 in FIG. 3 guide the two workpieces W discharged from the predetermined production line into the unused workpiece collection box 160.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory view illustrating a usage pattern of the metal plate feeding device 100 according to the first embodiment at the press working site. The press machine 700 is exactly the same as the conventional press machine 700 of FIG. 18, and the components and components such as the transfer 600 are configured and controlled in the same manner as in the past.

That is, also in FIG. 5, the press machine 700 presses each substantially plate-shaped metal plate Wi (i is a work serial number) to be fed using a predetermined die, and the edge of each metal plate. A transfer 600 provided with a side gripper 602 for holding the part from both the front and back sides. Each side gripper 602 is fixed to the movable bar 601.
In this figure 5, the x-coordinate of the tip end of the press 700 near the fixed bar 140 of the metal plate feeder 100 of FIG. 1 and x _0. The other coordinates x _j represent the x coordinate of each relay point (subscript j is a symbol of each relay point).

FIG. 6 is a state transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 and the transfer 600. Hereinafter, the states shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D are referred to as state a, state b, state c, and state d, respectively. After the state d, the state returns to the state s in FIG. 5, and the operation states of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 and the transfer 600 are sequentially and periodically in the order of the state s, the state a, the state b, the state c, and the state d. Transition. Hereinafter, the operation of going through each of these states once and returning to the original state is referred to as one-cycle operation. However, it may start from any state. In FIG. 6, only the fixed bar 140 is stationary, and x = x ₀ in the figure represents the fixed point of FIG. 5, that is, the position coordinates of the tip of the fixed bar 140 near the press 700. ing.

The press 700 in FIG. 5 simultaneously presses the workpieces W2 and W3 into the target shapes at the timing between the state b and the state c in FIG. Therefore, by periodically repeating these operations (state s, state a, state b, state c, and state d), it is possible to continuously perform the desired press working.
Hereinafter, each state will be described in detail.

(State a)
In this state a illustrated in FIG. 6A, the metal plates of the workpiece W1 to the workpiece 6 are located at substantially equal intervals. This state shows a state that transitions next to the state s in FIG. 5, and in the previous state s, the workpiece W4 that is sandwiched from the front and back surfaces by the center gripper 130 of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 is in this state. In a, it is conveyed to the transfer point to transfer 600 (relay point E: x = x _E ). Further, during the transfer, the transfer 600 releases the holding operation of each metal plate (workpieces W1 to W3) by the side gripper 602.
That is, when attention is paid to the operation of the metal sheet feeding device 100, the above-described transition operation from the state s to the state a corresponds to the operation from the state 1 to the state 2 in FIGS.

(State b)
In this state b illustrated in FIG. 6B, the movable bar 601 of the transfer 600 is translated in a negative direction in the x-axis direction. During the translational movement of the movable bar 601, the clamping operation by the center gripper 130 with respect to the workpieces W4 to 6 is released, and as a result, the metal plate feeding device 100 transitions to the state 3 in FIG. In addition, before the movable bar 601 enters the translational motion in the negative direction in the x-axis direction, of course, the movable bar 601 has already completed the retreating operation on both sides (translational movement in the y-axis direction). ing.

(State c)
In this state c illustrated in FIG. 6C, the approaching operation in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction of the movable bar 601 of the transfer 600 with respect to the workpieces W2 to 4 has already been completed. At this time, in this state c, the retraction operation of the feed bar 120 of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 in the negative direction in the x-axis direction is not completed, that is, the state 4 of FIG. No inter-member interference occurs between the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 and the transfer 600.

This is because at least in the vicinity of the transfer point (relay point E: x = x _E ), the metal plate feeding device 100 is always located in the region | y | ≦ b during the one-cycle operation, and the transfer Since 600 is always located in a region | y |> b during the one-cycle operation, between the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 and the transfer 600, the inter-member interference is always performed during the one-cycle operation. This is because no occurrence can occur. Of course, the metal plate feeding device 100 can always be arranged in the region of | y | ≦ b during the one-cycle operation because the center gripper 130 is introduced according to the present invention.

(State d)
In this state d illustrated in FIG. 6D, the retraction operation of the feed bar 120 of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 in the negative direction in the x-axis direction is completed. That is, the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 has reached the state 4 in FIG. Meanwhile, the side gripper 602 of the transfer 600 sandwiches the metal plates (workpieces W2 to W4).
Thereafter, the movable bar 601 starts translational movement in the positive direction in the x-axis direction (that is, the operation of taking / relocating each workpiece into the press machine 700).

Further, this translational movement is executed from the present state d to the state s described above (returned). At the same time, each metal plate (work W5, 6 in FIG. 6-D) supported on the upper surface of the fixing bar 140 is sandwiched from the front and back surfaces by the center gripper 130 of the metal plate feeding device 100. By this operation, the metal sheet feeding device 100 transits from the state 4 in FIG. 2-D to the state 1 in FIG.
With the above operation, each one-cycle operation of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 and the transfer 600 is completed.

The graph of FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship between each of the metal plate feeding devices (100, 900) described above and the transfer 600 using each position coordinate (x coordinate and y coordinate). The horizontal axis of this graph is the time axis, and represents one cycle in the full width. Further, the symbols Q1, Q2, and Q3 of the respective graphs coincide with the symbols of the respective points illustrated in FIG. 5 or FIG. 18, and of course, the graph represents the coordinates of the respective points. However, as can be seen from the above description, each point Q3, Q1 on each metal plate feeding device (100, 900) has no degree of freedom in the y-axis direction. Note that the time t = t _{C in} FIG. 7 substantially coincides with the time in the state C in FIG. 19-C.

According to the configuration and control method of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(Effects of Example 1)
(Effect 1) Compared to the conventional method (configuration example: metal plate feeding device 900 in FIG. 17) in which the metal plate is clamped from both sides by using side grippers, the number of grippers arranged in the x-axis direction is set to both sides. Can be halved to approximately the center. With this configuration, the components of the gripper such as an air cylinder can be greatly reduced, so that the manufacturing cost of the metal plate feeding device can be effectively reduced.
(Effect 2) Further, since the metal plate feeding device 100 can be always compactly arranged in a region narrower than the conventional case where | y | ≦ b, y of the metal plate feeding device and the metal plate feeding system including the same can be obtained. It is possible to effectively reduce the size or weight in the axial direction.

(Effect 3) Since no inter-member interference occurs between the metal plate feeding device 100 and the transfer 600, the time required for the reciprocating motion of the feed bar 120 can be greatly increased as can be seen from FIG. Thereby, a time margin is created in the time schedule for controlling the metal plate feeding apparatus 100, or the vertical extraction apparatus 300 and the horizontal extraction apparatus 400. For this reason, the freedom degree in the timing design of each apparatus (especially the metal plate feeding apparatus 100, the vertical extraction apparatus 300, or the horizontal extraction apparatus 400) which comprises a feeding system increases, and these control programs are comprised. The timing design at the time becomes much easier than before.

(Effect 4) As described above, the time during which the feed bar 120 may be located in the vicinity of the delivery point (relay point E: x = x _E ) can be greatly expanded, and the time taken for the reciprocating motion of the feed bar 120 Can be secured significantly longer than before. This makes it possible to configure a feeding system that can achieve the same throughput even if the driving performance of the motor 113 that drives the feed bar 120 is lower than the conventional one. Therefore, a feeding system that can achieve the same throughput can be realized at a lower cost than in the past.

(Effect 5) Therefore, conversely, if it is cost-effective to construct a feeding system using a driving device (for example, the motor 113 in FIG. 2) having the same movement performance as the conventional one, the device (metal) The plate feeder 100) can achieve a higher throughput (the number of metal plates fed per unit time) than before. Or since it becomes possible to make the upper limit of the space | interval L of each relay point larger than before, it becomes possible to cope with the enlargement of the workpiece W.

(Effect 6) The conventional high-load operation in the metal plate feeding system can be eliminated or reduced. Therefore, for example, when lowering the motion performance of a predetermined drive device such as the motor 113 described above, the durability of the metal plate feeding system (particularly, the devices 300, 400, 100) is improved, and at the same time, these devices. The power consumption, noise, and vibration related to can be inevitably and effectively suppressed.

In the first embodiment, the method (metal plate feeding device 100) that realizes the clamping operation of each center gripper by using twice as many air cylinders as the number of center grippers is illustrated. The number of air cylinders used to realize the clamping operation can be significantly reduced from twice the number of center grippers.
In the following second embodiment, the driving mechanism for clamping operation of these center grippers or the driving mechanism for reciprocating motion for feeding the metal plate is further improved by the third to fifth means of the present invention described above. A concise implementation example is shown.

8 to 11 show a side view, a plan view, a front view, and a partially enlarged front view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment. The tower frame of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 includes metal frames 5a and 5b fixed on the first reference horizontal plane 2001 and metal frames 5c, 5d and 5e fixed on the second reference horizontal plane 2002. , 5f, etc.
In this metal plate feeding device 2000, the number of relay points is designed to be three more than that in the metal plate feeding device 100 of the first embodiment. The relationship (synchronization condition, interlocking mode, etc.) with respect to the peripheral devices 400 and 600 is ensured in substantially the same manner as the metal plate feeding device 100 of the first embodiment.

A work stacker 2200 of FIG. 8 has a structure substantially equivalent to that of the work stacker 200 of the first embodiment described above, and includes a stack table 2201, a guide member 2203, and the like. The height of the stack table 2201 is controlled up and down by the hydraulic mechanism of the work stacker 2200.
The vertical take-out device 2300 in FIG. 8 includes a plurality of vacuum pads BP. The metal plate stacked on the stack table 2201 is lifted to an appropriate height, and only the uppermost one is lifted up to the position of the point O shown in the figure by the vacuum pad BP of the vertical take-out device 2300. .

  A fixed frame 2510 in FIG. 8 is fixed to the tower frame. The fixed frame 2510 is provided with a traverse guide rail 2511 (FIGS. 8 and 11) on its bottom surface. The traverse guide rail 2511 is fixed to an upper traverse bar 2530 that can be translated in the longitudinal direction. Is guided in the x-axis direction (work transfer direction). Thereby, the upper traversing bar 2530 can reciprocate in the x-axis direction. On the bottom surface of the upper traversing bar 2530, sandwiching pads 2533 are periodically arranged along the pass line in the x-axis direction. This arrangement cycle coincides with the arrangement interval of the relay points A to H on the pass line.

  On the other hand, the vertically movable frame 2520 facing the fixed frame 2510 in parallel is provided with a traverse guide rail 2521 (FIGS. 8 and 11) on its upper surface, and the traverse guide rail 2521 can be translated in the longitudinal direction. The rail holder 2542 fixed to the lower traversing bar 2540 is guided in the x-axis direction (work transfer direction). Thus, the lower traversing bar 2540 can reciprocate in the x-axis direction. On the upper surface of the lower traversing bar 2540, sandwiching pads 2543 are periodically arranged along the pass line in the x-axis direction. This arrangement cycle also coincides with the arrangement interval of the relay points A to H on the pass line. Thus, the upper clamping pad 2533 and the lower clamping pad 2543 are designed to always face each other.

  The timing belt TB1 (FIGS. 8 and 10) is rotated around the timing pulleys TP1 and TP3 in FIG. 8 by the driving force transmitted from the rotating shaft C1 in FIGS. Patrol. This driving force is sequentially transmitted from the electric motor to the rotating shaft C1, the gear box 2700, the universal joint UJ1, the universal joint UJ2, the timing pulley TP1, the timing belt TB1, and the timing pulley TP3 in this order. Is used for the reciprocating motion in the x-axis direction.

  Further, the driving force of the rotating shaft C1 is also distributed to the universal joint UJ3 in FIG. 10 via the gear box 2700. This driving force is sequentially transmitted in the order of the universal joint UJ4, the timing pulley TP2, the timing belt TB2, and the timing pulley TP4, and is used for the reciprocating motion of the lower traversing bar 2540 in the x-axis direction.

  The receiving members RBa and RBb in FIG. 9 are fixed to the left and right sides of the pass line along the pass line. On the other hand, the movable frames 7a and 7b located on both sides of the receiving members RBa and RBb are respectively fixed on the movable frames α and β shown in FIG. 10, and can be moved in the y-axis direction. As can be seen from FIG. 10, this translation in the y-axis direction is guided by a guide pole GP extending in the y-axis direction. Therefore, if the positions of the movable frames 7a and 7b are appropriately changed according to the length of the workpiece in the y-axis direction, the positions of the movable frames 7a and 7b are determined from the pass lines P of the support rollers Ra and Rb that support the workpiece W in FIG. Any of these distances can be optimized at any time.

  All of the upper horizontal bar 2530, the rack 2531, the rail holder 2532, and the clamping pad 2533 in FIG. 11 are fixed to each other. These are guided by the above-mentioned traverse guide rail 2511 (FIGS. 8 and 11), and can translate in the x-axis direction. The driving force that causes this translational motion is transmitted from the pulley TP1 to the upper transverse bar 2530 by a rack and pinion mechanism in which the gear TP1g of the pulley TP1 is a pinion gear and the rack 2531 is a rack. The pulley TP2, the pulley TP3, and the pulley TP4 shown in FIG. 8 also form a rack and pinion mechanism together with the corresponding racks, and each of the horizontal bars (the upper horizontal bar 2530 or the The lower traversing bar 2540) is driven in translation.

  Therefore, for example, the driving force for driving the rack 2541 in FIG. 11 is transmitted from the universal joint UJ4 to the shaft C3 and the pulley TP2 rotatably supported by the bearing br4 having the ball bearing bb and the pulley TP2 has. Transmission is supplied from the gear TP2g. Since the lower traversing bar 2540, the rack 2541, the rail holder 2542, and the sandwiching pad 2543 are all fixed to each other, the lower traversing bar 2540 is moved in the x-axis direction by the driving force transmitted from the gear TP2g. Is driven in translation. At this time, the lower traversing bar 2540 is guided by the aforementioned traversing guide rail 2521 (FIGS. 8 and 11), so that the lower traversing bar 2540 translates in the x-axis direction along a predetermined pass line. be able to.

  The bearing br3 (FIG. 11) having the ball bearing bb is fixed on the side wall surface of the vertical movable frame 2520, whereby the universal joint UJ4, the bearing br4, the vertical movable frame 2520, and the lower traversing bar 2540 are At the same time, they reciprocate in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) with the same phase. This reciprocating motion in the vertical direction is guided by a vertical rail 2523 a fixed on the support plate 2523. That is, the rail holder 2522 is fixed on the side wall surface of the vertical movable frame 2520, whereby the vertical movable frame 2520 is guided in the z-axis direction along the vertical rail 2523a. As can be seen from FIG. 8 or FIG. 12, this support plate 2523 is disposed one by one on a total of four metal frames 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f.

  The work holding bar PBa facing the receiving member RBa above the receiving member RBa (FIG. 11) through the work W is translated up and down (reciprocated) by the air cylinder Asa fixed to the fixed frame 7c. Exercise. In addition, the work holding bar PBb facing the upper side of the receiving member RBb via the work W is also translated up and down (reciprocating) by the air cylinder ASb. These work holding bars are for preventing the work W from coming into close contact with the holding pad 2533 and deviating from a desired relay point when releasing the work W from being clamped. The work holding bars PBa and PBb operate so as to press the work W against a predetermined relay point when releasing the holding of the work W, and both reciprocate simultaneously in the vertical direction in the same phase.

  A metal frame 8 is fixed on the metal frame 6g shown in FIGS. Further, the air cylinder 2610 fixed on the metal frame 8 is for reciprocating the vertical movable frame 2520 vertically. However, the legs of the air cylinder 2610 are supported on the connecting shaft j1 so as to be slightly rotatable. The head of the air cylinder 2610 is supported on the connecting shaft j2 so as to be slightly rotatable. The synchronous pole SP of FIG. 10 also shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, is rotatably supported on the rotation axis C4 (FIG. 10). The connecting arm 2611 is fixed on the synchronization pole SP, and thus rotates around the rotation axis C4 in complete synchronization with the synchronization pole SP. The connecting shaft j3 is a shaft that connects the connecting arm 2611 and the connecting arm 2612 in the drawing. That is, both the connecting arm 2611 and the connecting arm 2612 can slightly rotate around the connecting axis j3.

  Therefore, the vertical driving force output from the air cylinder 2610 is indirectly transmitted to the connecting arm 2612 via the connecting arm 2611. Of course, this driving force causes the vertically movable frame 2520 to reciprocate up and down in translation, but this driving force causes the connecting arm 2611 that rotates around the rotation axis C4 in complete synchronization with the synchronization pole SP. Therefore, a slight synchronization mismatch (timing error) that may occur between each of the three air cylinders 2610 (FIG. 12) in total, which causes the vertically movable frame 2520 to reciprocate vertically, is transmitted to the air cylinder 2610 through the air cylinder 2610. The synchronization action based on the synchronization pole SP is obviated completely.

  FIG. 12 is a side view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment. However, although the transverse bars (2530 and 2540) that are the center of the apparatus configuration are illustrated in the side view of FIG. 8, the above-described work holding bar PBb, receiving member RBb, and the like are illustrated in FIG. 12 instead. . FIG. 12 also shows the above-mentioned synchronization pole SP and the like. The symbol SPR in FIG. 12 is a bearing of the synchronization pole SP. A total of four bearings SPR are arranged, and all of them fix the rotating shaft C4 of the same single synchronization pole SP.

  In the metal plate feeding device 2000 according to the second embodiment, a total of three air cylinders 2610 for driving the reciprocating motion in the vertical direction are disposed below the vertical movable frame 2520 along the path line. The number of air cylinders 2610 for driving the vertically movable frame may be arbitrary. Therefore, the number of arrangements may be appropriately changed according to, for example, the weight of the workpiece (metal plate) or the required throughput of the metal plate feeding process. For this reason, in the metal plate feeding device 2000 of the second embodiment, the same applies to each of the midpoints (two places in total) of the three air cylinders 2610 as can be seen from FIG. 16 or FIG. In order to easily add an air cylinder, the connecting members 2612 and the like are arranged in advance at approximately equal intervals in a total of five places.

According to the apparatus configuration as described above, the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment can be operated with substantially the same timing settings as those shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. Also with the feeding device 2000, the operation and effect of the present invention can be obtained as in the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the timing of the operation of the apparatus is designed so that the point Q3 in FIG. 5 corresponds to the point Q3 ′ in FIG.
Further, in the metal plate feeding device 2000 of the second embodiment, the air cylinder itself does not reciprocate in the x-axis direction unlike the metal plate feeding device 100 of the first embodiment, and the center gripper Since the number of driving devices (air cylinder 2610) for driving the clamping operation is small, it is advantageous in terms of device scale and power consumption.

  A metal plate escape device 2800 in FIG. 10 is obtained by improving the metal plate escape means (150, 151 in FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. The main body 2804 of the metal plate escape device 2800 can be translated along the slide guide bar 2805 in the y-axis direction. Thereby, the positions of the timing belts tb3 and tb4 can be optimized in accordance with the size of the workpiece. The timing belt tb3 rotates around the timing pulley 2801. Similarly, the timing belt tb4 rotates around the timing pulley 2802. The motor 2808 supplies this rotational driving force via the timing belt tb5.

The positions of the timing belts tb3 and tb4 (the distance between the timing pulley 2801 and the timing pulley 2802) are driven and controlled by an air cylinder 2803 attached in the y-axis direction. The driving force is transmitted through the arm 2807. When a plurality of workpieces are overlapped by this drive control, the workpiece is sandwiched between the timing belt tb3 and the timing belt tb4 and placed on the slide 2806. It can be discharged (escaped). At this time, whether or not a plurality of workpieces are overlapped can be determined by the above-described horizontal take-out device 400 mounted on the metal plate feeding device 2000, as in the first embodiment.
With these configurations, workpieces that should not continue to be fed thereafter are collected in the collection box 2160.

  In addition, in the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 of Example 2 described above, the arrangement cycle of the upper and lower clamping pads (2533, 2543) matches the arrangement interval of the relay points (A to H). The arrangement cycle of each clamping pad in the x-axis direction (work transfer direction) or the length of each of the upper and lower transverse bars (2530, 2540) in this direction is the length of the work in the x-axis direction and the required feed. You may change according to a transmission capability (throughput) etc. In addition, each of the upper and lower clamping pads may be continuously formed without any break in the x-axis direction.

  When the distance between the workpiece receiving point (relay point A) and the workpiece delivery point (relay point H) is λ, the interval between each relay point on the pass line is λ / n (n is an appropriate natural number). Can be set. In addition, when each of the upper and lower clamping pads is formed continuously in the x-axis direction, the distance between the relay points on the pass line controls the reciprocating motion of the upper and lower horizontal bars (2530, 2540). By dynamically changing the control parameter in the control program to be performed, it can be easily changed dynamically at any time. When such a variable method is introduced into the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment, the variable method contributes to the miniaturization of the workpiece and further improvement of the throughput of such a small workpiece.

  13 to 15 are a front view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of the capturing device 400 ′ of the third embodiment. This take-in device 400 ′ is a device that is very similar to the horizontal take-out device 400 (FIG. 4) shown in the first embodiment, and the purpose of use, the form of use, the operation sequence, and the like are substantially the same as those of the horizontal take-out device 400 described above. . However, the capture device 400 ′ is mounted on the metal plate feeding device 2000 of the second embodiment. Therefore, for example, the metal frames 5a and 5b shown in FIGS. 13 to 15 correspond to the metal frames 5a and 5b of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment.

With the zx plane having the pass line P in FIG. 13 as a symmetry plane, the side grippers GR1 ′ provided for each of the left and right objects can move by a distance L2 in the y-axis direction. For example, the left side gripper GR1 ′ is guided by the guide plate P2 by a total of four rollers rr provided on the movable support M2 from both the upper and lower sides, and is moved by the distance L2 in the y-axis direction together with the movable support M2. Can translate. Each of the stopper Gs, the guide rail Gg, and the fitting portion Gk has a structure substantially equivalent to the function equivalent to each portion in the side gripper GR1 of the first embodiment.
For example, the fitting portion Gk fitted to the guide rail Gg is guided by the guide rail Gg and can reciprocate in the x-axis direction, and the roller Gr in FIG. 14 rolls on the movable column M1 or M2 Supports reciprocating motion.

The origin O and the relay point A in FIG. 14 are the same as the points O and A in FIG. The distance between the two points is set to L1 as shown in the figure, and the translational movement between the two points is fixed by the movable support columns M1 and M2 and is extended by the guide rails Gg extending in parallel in the x-axis direction. Guided.
The front and rear ball screws BN extending in the y-axis direction drive the translational motion while guiding the movable columns M1 and M2 in the y-axis direction, respectively. The electric motor em supplies the driving force. This driving force is converted into a y-axis direction by the rotational axis of the rotational driving force by a gear box (not shown) built in the housing hs, and the timing belt TB supported by the rollers R1, R2, etc. Is transmitted to each ball screw BN.

  The guide pole gp shown in FIG. 15 is disposed on the central axis of the multiple cylindrical body Et. The gap between the cylinders of the multi-cylindrical body Et or the gap between the middle cylinder and the guide pole gp on the shaft is filled with lubricating oil. Both the robust and stable support for the movable part in the y-axis direction of the taking-in device 400 ′ configured around M2 and the high responsiveness in the translational motion of the movable part in the y-axis direction are compatible. The connection plate Lp connects the bearing of the ball screw BN urged in the y-axis direction by the ball screw BN and the multi-cylindrical body Et to fix the position between the two. A rail holder rh is disposed on the upper surface portion of the connecting plate Lp, and the rail holder rh is guided by a guide rail gr extending in the y-axis direction so that each movable column M1, M2 is centered. An accurate translational movement in the y-axis direction of the y-axis direction movable part is realized.

  Here, the reason why high responsiveness is required for the translational motion of each movable column M1, M2 in the y-axis direction is that the distance from the pass line (: x-axis) of each center gripper GR1 ′ is moved at high speed. This is to change it automatically. That is, immediately after the workpiece is securely clamped by the left and right center grippers GR1 ', the workpiece is pulled right and left to suppress the deflection caused by the gravity to the minimum. In this way, the control for pulling the sandwiched workpiece to the left and right may be executed by position control in the y-axis direction, or may be executed by force control (tension control) in the y-axis direction.

By providing a tension applying mechanism that pulls the workpiece to the left and right in this manner, if the vertical deflection of the workpiece is suppressed, the center gripper (: upper and lower clamping pads (2533, 2543) of the metal plate feeding device 2000 Etc.) and the workpiece will not interfere. Alternatively, since the positioning accuracy of the workpiece with respect to the center gripper is greatly improved, the distance of the clamping operation in the center gripper can be minimized. With this, if the taking-in device 400 ′ of this embodiment is used, the metal plate feeding device The motion performance (throughput) of 2000 can be further improved.
Alternatively, when the capturing device 400 ′ according to the present embodiment is used, each time the workpiece is changed, the size between the capturing device 400 ′ and the metal plate feeding device 2000 is changed according to the size (particularly the width in the y-axis direction). It is not necessary to adjust the positional relationship (especially the height) every time.

  In the take-in device 400 ′ of the third embodiment, the workpiece is pulled outward from both the left and right sides, but the y-axis coordinate of one center gripper GR1 ′ is fixed and the other center gripper GR1 ′ Only the y-axis coordinate may be dynamically controlled. Even with such a simple configuration, the effects and advantages of the present invention can be obtained by means of the present invention as in the third embodiment.

[Other variations]
The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and other modifications as exemplified below may be made. Even with such modifications and applications, the effects of the present invention can be obtained based on the functions of the present invention.
(Modification 1)
For example, in the first embodiment, the feed screw mechanism (such as the motor 113 and the feed screw 111) is used as the drive device for the feed bar 120 in the x-axis direction. You may comprise using a linear motor etc.
In the first embodiment, the air cylinder 131 is used as the driving device for realizing the clamping operation of the center gripper 130. However, the driving device for realizing the clamping operation of the center gripper 130 includes a motor or the like. May be used.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment, the four-stage connection type feed bar 120 having four pairs of the center grippers 130 is illustrated. However, when the target metal plate feeding system is configured, the metal plate feeding of the one-stage configuration is performed. Any number of feeding devices may be continuously arranged. Of course, one single-stage metal plate feeding device may be used alone. That is, in the first embodiment, the total number of relay points is five, but it is also possible to configure an apparatus having only two relay points.
Alternatively, any number of two-stage metal plate feeding devices may be continuously arranged. In these cases, the interval L between the relay points is not necessarily constant in the system. In realizing the means of the present invention, these system configurations may be arbitrary.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment, the work stacker 200, the vertical take-out device 300, the horizontal take-out device 400, and the like are used in configuring the target metal plate feeding system. However, the present invention is configured by these peripheral devices. However, it does not give any restrictions. In the embodiment of the present invention, these peripheral devices are not necessarily required, and any peripheral device can be introduced when configuring a target feeding system.

(Modification 4)
In the second embodiment, the upper and lower horizontal bars are reciprocated in the x-axis direction (conveying direction) using the rack and pinion mechanism. However, the reciprocating motion of each horizontal bar in the x-axis direction is efficient. As a drive mechanism that drives well, for example, a linear motor or the like can be used. In the case of using a linear motor, the drive capability can be further utilized in place of the air cylinder (air cylinder 2610) for driving the vertically movable frame. That is, for example, when a linear motor is used as a drive mechanism for driving and controlling the lower traversing bar (lower traversing bar 2540), the lower traversing bar can be moved back and forth with only the linear motor arranged in the x-axis direction. Needless to say, in the direction (x-axis direction), drive control can also be performed in the vertical direction (z-axis direction). Therefore, it is possible or easy to further reduce the configuration of these driving devices. Further, for example, if the drive mechanism of the traversing bar is configured by using a linear motor in this way, the gear box 2700 need not be manufactured or installed. It is possible or easy.

(Modification 5)
Further, when the metal plate feeding system of the present invention is introduced in configuring a metal plate feeding system that supports automation of, for example, metal plate pressing, the horizontal direction of the first embodiment and the third embodiment described above. The take-out device (400, 400 ') is not necessarily a necessary device.
For example, if the metal plate feeding device 2000 according to the second embodiment is used, a large margin can be provided for the work handling timing setting and the work peripheral space. For this reason, when the workpiece is large, a portion other than the central portion (near the pass line) of the workpiece can be adsorbed by the vacuum pad BP, and the workpiece can be pulled up. For example, the workpiece can be received directly from the vertical take-out device 300 or the like.

In this case, the position of the vacuum pad BP, the vacuum tube 302, etc., particularly the pass line (: :) so that the parts such as the vacuum pad BP and the vacuum tube 302 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the vertical extraction device 300 do not interfere with the center gripper. It is only necessary to appropriately set the distance to the zx plane having (x-axis).
Therefore, in such a case, a desired metal plate feeding system can be realized at a lower cost by the present invention by eliminating the horizontal take-out device as described above.

  The present invention relates to a metal plate feeding device (feeder) that feeds a metal plate to be processed to a press working device having a transfer provided with a side gripper that sandwiches an edge of a substantially plate-like metal plate from both front and back surfaces. It is very useful for pressing metal plates. Therefore, the present invention exhibits a great effect in improving throughput and suppressing capital investment, particularly when mass-producing metal products using a press working apparatus.

The front view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 of Example 1. Side view of the metal plate feeding device 100 of the first embodiment (state 1) Side view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 of the first embodiment (state 2) Side view of the metal plate feeding device 100 of the first embodiment (state 3) Side view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 100 of the first embodiment (state 4) System configuration diagram illustrating the arrangement of the metal plate feeding device 100 Rear view of horizontal take-out device 400 Explanatory drawing which illustrates the usage pattern in the press work field of metal plate feeding device 100 State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 100 and the transfer 600 (state a) State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 100 and the transfer 600 (state b) State transition diagram (state c) showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 100 and the transfer 600 State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 100 and the transfer 600 (state d) Graph showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device (100, 900) and the transfer 600

Side view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment. The top view of the metal plate feeder 2000 of Example 2. Front view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment. Front view of the central part of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment Side view of the metal plate feeding apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment. Front view of the capturing device 400 'of the third embodiment Plan view of capturing device 400 'of Embodiment 3 Side view of intake device 400 'of Embodiment 3 System configuration diagram illustrating a configuration form of a conventional metal plate feeding system Sectional drawing of the conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 Explanatory drawing which illustrates the usage pattern in the press work site of the conventional metal plate feeding apparatus 900 State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 900 and the transfer 600 (state A) State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 900 and the transfer 600 (state B) State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 900 and the transfer 600 (state C) State transition diagram showing the positional relationship between the metal plate feeding device 900 and the transfer 600 (state D)

Explanation of symbols

1: Base 2: Table leg 3: Tower frame 100: Metal plate feeder (Example 1)
110: Main body of metal plate feeding device 120: Feed bar 130: Center gripper 140: Fixed bar 150: Discharge roll (metal plate escape means)
160: Unused workpiece collection box 171-
173: Drop guide plate (metal plate escape means)
200: Work stacker 300: Vertical take-off 400: horizontal take-off 600: Transfer 700: press BP: vacuum pad A to H: relay point x _j: x coordinate of the relay point (j symbols of relay points)
x ₀ : x coordinate of the end of the fixed bar of the metal plate feeding device Wi: metal plate (i is the workpiece serial number)

2000: Metal plate feeder (Example 2)
2200: Work stacker 2300: Vertical take-out device 2510: Fixed frame 2511: Traverse guide rail (upper side)
2520: Vertical movable frame 2521: Traverse guide rail (lower side)
2530: Upper traverse bar 2531: Rack (upper)
2532: Rail holder (upper side)
2533: Holding pad (upper side)
2540: Lower traversing bar 2541: Rack (lower)
2542: Rail holder (lower side)
2543: Holding pad (lower side)
2610: Air cylinder (for vertical movable frame drive)
2800: Metal plate escape device SP: Synchronization poles TB1, TB2: Timing belts TP1 to TP4: Timing pulley (pinion)
UJ1 to UJ4: Universal joint

Claims (10)

A metal plate feeding device that feeds the metal plate to a press working device having a transfer provided with side grippers that sandwich the edge of a substantially plate-shaped metal plate from both the front and back surfaces,
A center gripper that clamps a portion of the metal plate from both the front and back sides than the edge of the metal plate,
A reciprocating drive mechanism for reciprocating the center gripper in the same cycle as the reciprocating motion of the transfer in substantially the same direction as the reciprocating motion performed by the transfer;
A metal plate feeding device comprising: a receiving member that receives the metal plate released from being clamped by the center gripper. A plurality of the center grippers,
The center grippers are both
Arranged at substantially equal intervals in the direction of reciprocation of the center gripper, and
The metal plate feeding device according to claim 1, wherein each clamping operation, clamping release operation, and reciprocating motion are synchronized. The sandwiching portion of the center gripper that contacts the metal plate is
3. The metal plate according to claim 1, wherein the metal plates are arranged on the surfaces of a pair of upper and lower movable bars capable of translating in the longitudinal direction so as to face each other in a row in the longitudinal direction. Feeding device. The movable bar is
The metal plate feeding device according to claim 3, wherein both of the upper and lower sides reciprocate along a guide rail laid in the longitudinal direction. When the center gripper sandwiches and releases the metal plate,
The metal plate feeding device according to claim 4, wherein only the lower side of the guide rail moves up and down. The reciprocating drive mechanism is
The metal plate feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a rack and pinion mechanism, a feed screw mechanism, an air cylinder, or a linear motor. The center gripper is
The metal plate feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal plate is clamped based on a pressure from an air cylinder. Metal plate escape means for removing the metal plate from a predetermined production line by letting the metal plate supported by the receiving member escape in a direction substantially perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the reciprocating drive mechanism. The metal plate feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Comprising a take-in device for taking in the metal plate supplied from the outside,
The capture device comprises:
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising tension applying means for applying a tension component in a direction perpendicular and horizontal to the reciprocating motion direction of the reciprocating drive mechanism to the metal plate when the metal plate is held. The metal plate feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The capture device comprises:
Having side grippers that sandwich the left and right edges of the metal plate from both the front and back surfaces;
The tension applying means includes
The metal plate feeding device according to claim 9, wherein the side gripper in a state of sandwiching the metal plate is dynamically urged outward in a horizontal direction.