JP2006218594A - Work holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work holding device with its structure capable of being simplified, miniaturized, and lightened. <P>SOLUTION: For holding a work 40 by the work holding device 1, a work holding body 10 is dropped downward by moving an arm 2 and an edge of a work supporting rod 20 is inserted into an insertion hole 40B of the work 40. Then, the work supporting rod 20 is tilted by extending an air cylinder 30 and the work holding body 10 is raised in this status. As the work supporting rod 20 is tilted from the axis of the insertion hole 40B, the work 40 can be held by hitching the insertion hole 40B of the work 40 to the peripheral surface of the work supporting rod 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a work holding device for holding and transferring a work such as an automobile part.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a work holding device for holding a work such as an automobile part and transporting it to the next assembly line is known, for example, in an automobile manufacturing factory. As such a workpiece holding device, for example, a pin is inserted into a hole provided in the workpiece, and an L-shaped clamp which is a workpiece holding body accommodated in the pin is caused to protrude from the pin and hooked into the hole of the workpiece, Or what was made to hold | maintain and convey a workpiece | work by removing from a hole is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Further, as another work holding device, there is known a structure in which a work is held from both sides by a pair of work holding arms and is suspended and conveyed (for example, see Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-51956 (paragraphs 0020 to 0027, FIG. 1) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-16378 (paragraphs 0006 to 0013, FIG. 1)

  However, the workpiece holding device described in Patent Document 1 has a complicated structure in the holder to which the pin and the L-shaped clamp are attached in order to automatically project and retract the L-shaped clamp from the pin, and the number of parts increases. There's a problem. In addition, when the hole formed in the workpiece has a small diameter, the L-shaped clamp must be made small according to the hole, and the portion of the L-shaped clamp that is caught with respect to the hole of the workpiece is reduced, which may cause a holding error. There is a problem that there is.

  In addition, since the work holding device described in Patent Document 2 employs a method of holding a work from both sides by a pair of work holding arms, the work holding device is larger than the outer shape of the work, and the work holding device is made smaller. There is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the weight and weight.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a work holding device that can solve the above-described problems, simplify the structure by reducing the number of parts, and reduce the size and weight.

  The present invention is configured to solve the above-described problem, and the invention according to claim 1 is a workpiece holder and a plurality of insertions provided on the workpiece, the tilt holder being coupled to the workpiece holder. Tilt the plurality of work support rods disposed so as to be insertable into the holes and the plurality of work support rods in a direction in which their tips approach or separate from each other in a state of being inserted into the plurality of insertion holes of the work. A workpiece holding device comprising a drive device.

  According to the work holding device according to claim 1, when holding the work using the work holding device, first, the work holding body is moved to move the plurality of work support bars into the plurality of insertion holes respectively provided in the work. Insert into. Next, the plurality of work support bars are tilted in the direction in which the tips approach or depart from each other by the driving device, and the work holding body is pulled up in this state. Here, since the work support bar is inclined with respect to the axis of the insertion hole, the work does not move up and down with respect to the work support bar. For this reason, a workpiece | work can be hold | maintained so that the insertion hole of a workpiece | work may be hooked on the outer peripheral surface of a workpiece | work support rod.

  The invention described in claim 2 is the work holding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the work support bar has a length capable of penetrating through a plurality of insertion holes of the work.

  According to the workpiece holding apparatus of the second aspect, the workpiece can be reliably held by hooking the workpiece with the tip of the workpiece support bar. Therefore, the work can be stably held by the work support bar.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the work holding device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the work support bar is formed in a shape that gradually decreases toward the tip.

  According to the work holding device according to claim 3, since the work support bar has a shape in which the thickness is gradually reduced toward the tip, for example, even when the plurality of insertion holes are formed with different sizes. The insertion hole with a large hole diameter can be inserted into the part of the workpiece support bar having a large thickness, and the insertion hole with a small hole diameter can be inserted into the workpiece support bar with a small thickness. Part can be inserted. Thus, the workpiece support bar can be reliably inserted into the insertion hole even for the insertion holes having different sizes, and the workpiece can be stably held by the workpiece support rod.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the structure of the entire work holding device can be simplified and the number of parts can be reduced by using the work holding body, the work support rod, the driving device, and the like. A reduction in size and weight can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, a work holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a workpiece holding device and a workpiece according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece holding device and the workpiece as seen from the direction of arrows II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the workpiece support rod inserted into the insertion hole of the workpiece as seen from the same position as FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the workpiece support rod tilted by the air cylinder. It is the front view seen from the same position. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the support rod and the workpiece in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the workpiece is held using the cylinder holding device according to the present embodiment from the same position as in FIG. It is the seen front view.

  In FIG. 1, a work holding device 1 is generally constituted by a work holding body 10, a work support bar 20, and an air cylinder 30 as a driving device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the work holding body 10 is provided with a flat work holding plate 11 and a first hung from the lower surface of the work holding plate 11 so as to be separated from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the work holding plate 11. Brackets 12 and 12 and second brackets 13 and 13 extending inward in the horizontal direction so as to approach each other from the lower ends of the first brackets 12 and 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the second bracket 13 has a bifurcated branch at the tip end side to form support bar mounting portions 13 </ b> A and 13 </ b> A. For example, an arm 2 of a transfer robot is attached to the upper surface of the work holding plate 11 by pin coupling, and the work holding body 10 can be moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by the arm 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the work support bar 20 is formed as a stepped cylindrical body whose lower end is reduced in diameter in two steps downward. As shown in FIG. 2, the work support bar 20 has a large-diameter columnar portion 20A formed with an outer diameter dimension d1 on the lower end side and a small-diameter cylinder formed with an outer diameter dimension d2 (d2 <d1). Part 20B. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the front-end | tip part of the workpiece | work support bar 20 is the 1st taper part 20C which becomes thin as it goes to a front-end | tip. Furthermore, between the large diameter cylindrical portion 20A and the small diameter cylindrical portion 20B, and on the proximal end side of the large diameter cylindrical portion 20A, a second tapered portion 20D and a third tapered portion that become thinner toward the tip of the work support rod 20, respectively. The taper portion 20E is formed. Further, the work support bar 20 is connected to the support bar mounting parts 13A and 13A of the second bracket 13 via a connecting pin 21 so that the work bar 20 can be tilted. Furthermore, the upper end side of the work support bar 20 is rotatably connected to the air cylinder 30 via a connecting pin 22. These two workpiece support bars 20 are arranged side by side with their ends directed in one direction (downward in the present embodiment).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air cylinder 30 is provided with a rod 30 </ b> B that can be expanded and contracted between the first bracket 12 of the workpiece holder 10 and the workpiece support rod 20. The air cylinder 30 is generally composed of a cylinder 30A provided with one end fixed to the first bracket 12, and a rod 30B operated by air pressure in the cylinder 30A. Further, the other end side of the rod 30B of the air cylinder 30 branches into a bifurcated shape as shown in FIG. 2 to form support rod mounting portions 30C and 30C, and between the support rod mounting portions 30C and 30C described above. The work support bar 20 is pin-coupled via the connecting pin 22. The air cylinder 30 expands and contracts between the first bracket 12 and the work support bar 20 by pneumatic pressure, and when the air cylinder 30 extends in the directions indicated by arrows a and a 'shown in FIG. 20 is tilted in the directions of arrows b and b 'shown in FIG.

  Reference numeral “40” denotes a workpiece such as an automobile part, and the upper plate 40A of the workpiece 40 is provided with insertion holes 40B and 40B into which the workpiece support bar 20 is inserted as will be described later. Here, the hole diameter of the insertion hole 40B is formed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension d1 of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 20A of the work support rod 20 as shown in FIG.

Next, operation | movement of the workpiece | work holding | maintenance apparatus 1 comprised in this way is demonstrated.
First, the arm 2 of the transfer robot is moved to move the workpiece holder 10 in the horizontal direction, so that the axis of the workpiece support bar 20 coincides with the axis of the insertion hole 40B of the workpiece 40 as shown in FIG. Perform center alignment.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the arm 2 is moved to vertically lower the work holder 10 downward, and the large diameter cylindrical portion 20 </ b> A and the small diameter cylindrical portion 20 </ b> B of the work support rod 20 are inserted into the insertion holes of the work 40. Insert into 40B.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, by extending the rod 30B of the air cylinder 30 from the cylinder 30A in the directions indicated by arrows a and a ', the workpiece support bar 20 is tilted in the directions indicated by arrows b and b'. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 20 </ b> A of the work support rod 20 is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 40 </ b> B of the work 40.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, the arm 2 is moved upward. Here, since the large-diameter cylindrical portion 20A of the workpiece support bar 20 is inclined obliquely with respect to the insertion hole 40B, as shown in FIG. 5, the shortest distance AA (workpiece between the large-diameter cylindrical portions 20A, 20A is shown. The support rod A) and the shortest distance A′-A ′ (referred to as workpiece A ′) between the insertion holes 40B and 40B of the workpiece 40 are set to have a relationship of workpiece support rod A <work A ′. The longest distance BB between the large-diameter cylindrical portions 20A and 20A (referred to as a work support bar B) and the longest distance B′-B ′ (referred to as a work B ′) between the insertion holes 40B and 40B of the work 40. , The relation of work support bar B> work B ′ is set. As a result, the workpiece 40 is stably held with respect to the workpiece support rod 20 without moving up and down (without rattling) with respect to the workpiece support rod 20. As a result, the workpiece 40 is lifted from the floor 50 integrally with the workpiece holding device 1, and the workpiece 40 is held by the workpiece holding device 1 in this state, for example, by moving the arm 2 in the horizontal direction. It is conveyed to.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the workpiece 40 can be reliably held only by hooking the workpiece 40 with the tip of the workpiece support bar 20. For this reason, it is not necessary to employ a complicated structure using an L-shaped clamp or the like as described in Patent Document 1, and the number of parts of the work holding device 1 can be reduced and the structure can be simplified. Further, even when the insertion hole 40B of the workpiece 40 has a small diameter, by inserting the small diameter cylindrical portion 20B into the insertion hole 40B of the large diameter cylindrical portion 20A and the small diameter cylindrical portion 20B and tilting the workpiece support rod 20, The workpiece 40 can be stably held.

  Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to eliminate the problem that the holding part of the L-shaped clamp is small and a holding error occurs, and the performance and reliability of the work holding device 1 can be improved. Further, by providing the large-diameter cylindrical portion 20A and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 20B on the tip end side of the workpiece support rod 20 in this way, when the hole diameter of the insertion hole 40B of the workpiece 40 is relatively large, the insertion hole 40B is large. When the diameter cylindrical portion 20A is inserted and the hole diameter of the insertion hole 40B is relatively small, the clearance between the workpiece support rod 20 and the insertion hole 40B is made constant by inserting the small diameter cylindrical portion 20B into the insertion hole 40B. Thus, the stroke of the air cylinder 30 for tilting the work support rod 20 can be always set to be the same, and the operability of the air cylinder 30 can be improved.

  Further, since the workpiece holding device 1 is configured not to pinch the end portion of the workpiece 40 but to insert the workpiece support rod 20 into the insertion hole 40B provided in the workpiece 40, it has been described in Patent Document 2 described above. Thus, it is not necessary to dispose the holding arm so as to protrude from the outside of the work, and the work holding device 1 can be reduced in size and weight.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the workpiece support rods 20 and 20 are configured to be operated by the separate air cylinders 30 and 30 has been described as an example. The workpiece support rod 20 may be tilted by only one air cylinder via a link mechanism or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the first bracket 12 is fixedly attached to the work holding plate 11 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the insertion hole formed in the work 40 is not limited thereto. The mounting position of the first bracket 12 with respect to the work holding plate 11 may be varied using a servo motor or the like according to the mounting position of 40B.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the work support bar 20 is formed in a columnar shape has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cross section of the work support bar 20 according to the insertion hole of the work. The shape may be changed, for example, a polygonal cross section.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the number of workpiece support bars 20 is set to two has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be three or more, for example.

  Furthermore, in order to increase the frictional force generated between the workpiece support bar 20 and the insertion hole 40B of the workpiece 40 when the workpiece 40 is held by the workpiece holding apparatus 1, the insertion hole 40B of the workpiece support bar 20 and the workpiece 40 is increased. An anti-slip process such as knurling may be applied to the contact surface.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the drive device is configured by the air cylinder 30 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be configured by, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, a motor, or the like. It may be configured.

It is a front view showing a work holding device and a work concerning an embodiment. It is sectional drawing which looked at the workpiece | work holding device and the workpiece | work from the arrow II-II direction in FIG. It is the front view which looked at the state which inserted the work support rod into the insertion hole of the work from the same position as FIG. It is the front view which looked at the state which tilted the workpiece support rod with the air cylinder from the same position as FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the support rod and workpiece | work in FIG. It is the front view which looked at the state which hold | maintained the workpiece | work using the cylinder holding device which concerns on embodiment from the same position as FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Work holding device 10 Work holding body 20 Work support rod 30 Air cylinder (drive device)
40 Work 40B Insertion hole

Claims (3)

A workpiece holder;
A plurality of workpiece support rods that are tiltably coupled to the workpiece holder and arranged to be inserted into a plurality of insertion holes provided in the workpiece;
A drive device that tilts the plurality of workpiece support bars in a direction in which the tips approach each other or away from each other in a state of being inserted into the plurality of insertion holes of the workpiece;
A workpiece holding device characterized by comprising:   The work holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work support bar has a length that allows the work support bar to pass through a plurality of insertion holes of the work.   The work holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work support bar is formed in a shape that gradually decreases toward the tip.

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