JP2007044708A - Work transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work transfer device in a transfer press or the like where the frequency of the stop in driving caused by the trouble of a servomotor for moving a work grasp apparatus is reduced, and further, a load in storage/control for maintenance parts can be reduced. <P>SOLUTION: The work transfer device comprises: a work grasp part 15 for grasping a prescribed work 1; a pair of arms 7, 8 rotatably connected to the work grasp part 15, respectively; a pair of sliders 4, 5 rotatably connected to the respective other edges of each arm 7, 8 and rectilinearly moving in a reciprocative manner; and a pair of driving parts 17, 18 for driving the pair of sliders 4, 5, wherein the pair of driving parts 17, 18 are composed of actuators 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer device that transfers a workpiece formed by a press or the like.

As a device for molding workpieces (bodies, bonnets, door panels, etc.) for various parts of an automobile, a mold is set in each of a plurality of press devices, and pressing is performed while feeding plate materials sequentially. A transfer press for forming a simple product is known.
In this transfer press, a workpiece transfer device moves a plurality of gripping devices arranged in accordance with an arrangement interval of a plurality of pressing devices in a reciprocating manner and moving up and down in the press line direction in synchronization with a press forming operation. Are sequentially transported to the press machine.

For example, in order to reciprocate the gripping device in the press line direction, feed bars extending in the press line direction are arranged on both sides of the press device, and the gripping device is fixed to the feed bar. Then, a feed drive unit (servomotor) is arranged on one end side of the feed bar, and a pinion attached to the output shaft and a rack provided on the feed bar are engaged with each other, thereby holding the gripping device via the feed bar. Some are capable of reciprocating in the press line direction.
In such a transport device, in order to reduce the frequency of operation stop due to a failure of the feed drive unit that reciprocates the workpiece gripping device in the press line direction, the feed drive unit is connected to a plurality of servo motors connected to each other. Even if one of them fails, the operation can be continued with another servo motor.
JP-A-2005-59080

  However, the above-described technique has a problem that when the servo motor that constitutes the lift drive unit that reciprocates the gripping device in the up and down direction fails, the operation must be stopped. If the lift drive unit is composed of a plurality of servo motors connected to each other, the lift drive unit becomes heavy, so that it is necessary to increase the size of the feed drive unit for reciprocating the lift drive unit in the press line direction. . For this reason, there is an inconvenience that the apparatus is increased in size, weight, and cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. In a work transfer device such as a transfer press, the frequency of operation stoppage due to a failure of a servo motor that moves a work gripping device is reduced, and maintenance parts are stored and managed. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of reducing the burden on the user.

In the workpiece transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the following means are employed in order to solve the above problems.
In the following description, “a pair” refers to two objects disposed opposite to each other in the transport direction, and “one set” refers to two objects disposed opposite to each other in the transport orthogonal direction.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a workpiece gripping portion for gripping a predetermined workpiece, a pair of arms rotatably connected to the workpiece gripping portion, and a rotatably connected to the other end of each of the arms. In the workpiece transfer apparatus including a pair of sliders that reciprocally move linearly and a pair of drive units that respectively drive the pair of sliders, each of the pair of drive units is configured by a plurality of actuators.

  The second invention is a work gripping part for gripping a predetermined work, a pair of arms rotatably connected to the work gripping part, and rotatable to each other end of the pair of arms. A pair of sliders that are reciprocally linearly moved and a pair of drive units that drive each of the pair of sliders, and the pair of drive units includes: Each of them is constituted by a plurality of actuators.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a workpiece gripping portion that grips a predetermined workpiece, a pair of arms that are rotatably connected to the workpiece gripping portion, and a respective other end of the pair of arms that can rotate. A pair of sliders that reciprocally move linearly, and a pair of drive units that drive each of the pair of sliders, and the pair of arms and the pair of pairs. In the workpiece transfer apparatus in which the slider is arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane including the workpiece transfer direction, among the one-to-one set of drive units, a set of upstream drive units arranged on the upstream side in the transfer direction; and A set of downstream drive units arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction is connected so as to be mechanically interlocked.
Further, the set of upstream drive units and / or the set of downstream drive units are configured symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane including the transport direction.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the first and second inventions, since the drive unit is constituted by a plurality of actuators, even if any one of the actuators is stopped due to a failure or the like, it is possible to operate by driving another actuator. Can continue.
According to the third invention, the upstream drive unit and / or the downstream drive unit are mechanically interlocked so that each drive unit can be configured by a plurality of actuators without adding a new actuator. it can. Thereby, even if any one of the actuators is stopped due to a failure or the like, the operation can be continued by driving the other actuators.
In addition, by configuring the upstream drive unit and / or the downstream drive unit to be bilaterally symmetric with respect to the transport direction, for example, deformation such as twisting of the transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the actuator is symmetric, It is possible to minimize the difference in the operation of the mechanism. In addition, there is no part where the force is applied locally, and the life of the device is extended. Further, the maintenance cost can be reduced by sharing the parts of the drive unit.
And in the press line etc. in which such a workpiece conveyance apparatus is arrange | positioned, since the stop frequency of a workpiece conveyance apparatus is reduced, the improvement of the operation rate of a press line etc. is achieved.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a work transfer device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a work transfer device according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, two press stations 14 and a work transfer device 101 provided therebetween are shown in a state viewed from the inside of the press line. In an actual machine, usually, about 2 to 5 press stations 14 are provided.
In the following description, “upstream side” and “downstream side” mean the upstream side and the downstream side of the transport line, respectively.

The workpiece transfer apparatus 101 is installed between the press stations 14a and 14b in order to receive the panel (workpiece) 1 formed from the upstream press station 14a and transfer it to the downstream press station 14b.
The workpiece conveyance device 101 includes a pair of feeding devices 10 provided symmetrically to each other on both sides of a path (X direction is a feeding direction) for conveying the panel 1 to be press-molded.
In the present embodiment, a case in which the workpiece transfer apparatus 101 is configured by a set of feeding apparatuses 10 will be described. However, the panel 1 may be transferred by only one feeding apparatus 10.

Each feeding device 10 operates symmetrically with respect to a plane including the feeding direction X and the vertical direction Z, moves the cross bar 3 to which the workpiece gripping tool 2 is attached in the feeding direction and the vertical direction, and moves the panel 1 to the next. It is conveyed in order to the press station 14b.
The feeding device 10 is installed between the press stations 14a and 14b by attaching both ends thereof to upstream and downstream press stations 14b, a press stand (not shown), or suspended from the ceiling.

  The feeding device 10 includes a workpiece gripping portion 15, a link mechanism 6 rotatably connected to the workpiece gripping portion 15, sliders 4 and 5 connected to the link mechanism 6, a linear motion mechanism 11 that linearly moves the slider 4, A linear motion mechanism 12 that linearly moves the slider 5, a drive unit 17 that drives the linear motion mechanism 11, and a drive unit 18 that drives the linear motion mechanism 12 are provided.

  The work gripping portion 15 includes a work gripping tool 2 such as a vacuum cup that sucks the panel 1, a cross bar 3 to which the work gripping tool 2 is attached and extending in a direction perpendicular to the transfer line, and a tip member 19. A link mechanism 6 is connected to both ends of the crossbar 3 via a tip member 19 (FIG. 1 shows only one link mechanism 6).

The link mechanism 6 includes a tip member 19 connected to both sides of the workpiece gripping portion 15 (cross bar 3) and arms 7 and 8 pivotally attached to the tip member 19.
The arm 7 includes two arms 7a and 7b having the same length. The arms 7a and 7b are pivotally attached at one end to the tip member 19 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis (the pivot points are a1 and a2 from the left, respectively), and the other end is a fixed link member 9. Are pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis (the pivot points are a3 and a4, respectively, from the left). Further, the fixed link member 9 is fixed to the slider 4 in a substantially horizontal state.
On the other hand, the second arm 8 includes one arm 8a. The arm 8a constituting the second arm 8 is composed of an arm having the same length as the two arms 7a and 7b of the first arm 7, and one end is pivotally attached to the tip member 19 so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis. The other end is pivotally attached to the second slider 5 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis (this pivot point is b2).
In addition, in this figure, although the pivot point a2 and the pivot point b1 are arrange | positioned coaxially, it does not necessarily need to be coaxial.

  The distance between the pivot points a1 and a2 is the same as the distance between the pivot points a3 and a4. With this configuration, since the two arms 7a and 7b are maintained in parallel, the tip member 19 can always be maintained in parallel. That is, the arms 7a and 7b, the fixed link member 9, and the tip member 19 constitute a parallel link mechanism, and even when the position of the tip member 19 changes, it can be positioned horizontally. In this way, the workpiece gripping tool 2 and the crossbar 3 attached to the tip member 19 can be held horizontally without being inclined.

In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where the 1st arm 7 comprised a parallel link, it is not limited to this, The workpiece holding part 15 is hold | maintained horizontally by making the 2nd arm 8 into a parallel link. You may do it.
Further, depending on the shape of the tip member 19 and how the cross bar 3 is attached, the parallel link may not necessarily be configured.

The first linear motion mechanism 11 and the second linear motion mechanism 12 are attached to a V-shaped base member 16. The two linear motion mechanisms 11 and 12 are provided with ball screws 26 and 27 having the same length, respectively.
A ball nut (not shown) is formed on the first slider 4 and the second slider 5, and ball screws 26 and 27 are screwed to the ball nut.
Then, by rotating the ball screws 26 and 27 by the first drive unit 17 and the second drive unit 18 connected to one ends of the ball screws 26 and 27, the first slider 4 and the second slider 5 are moved to the base. It moves linearly along the member 16 and can be accurately positioned by numerical control or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the first linear motion mechanism 11 is in a high position on the upstream side of the conveyance line and in a low position on the downstream side in the drive region.
Further, the second linear motion mechanism 12 has a low position on the upstream side of the conveyance line and a high position on the downstream side in the drive region. The second linear motion mechanism 12 is disposed downstream of the first linear motion mechanism 11 on the transport line, and is provided symmetrically about the Z axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane with respect to the first linear motion mechanism 11. Yes.
And the two linear motion mechanisms 11 and 12 intersect on the downward extension line of each linear motion direction, and the angle | corner (theta) which it makes is set to 60 degrees, for example.

In the present embodiment, the first linear motion mechanism 11 and the second linear motion mechanism 12 constitute a V-shaped linear motion in which the lower extension lines intersect each other, but are not necessarily limited to this. For example, the first linear motion mechanism 11 and the second linear motion mechanism 12 are reverse V-shaped linear motions configured such that the upper extension lines intersect each other, or the first linear motion mechanism 11 and the second linear motion mechanism 12 It is also possible to shift the linear motion mechanism 12 in the width direction of the transport line to make an X-type linear motion whose driving areas intersect.
Further, the formed angle θ is determined individually for each press apparatus according to the interval between the press stations 14a and 14b, that is, the transport distance of the panel 1, and is not limited to the above angle.

The drive unit 17 includes two servo motors 31A and 31B, and a gear box 28 to which the servo motors 31A and 31B and the ball screw 26 described above are coupled.
Similarly, the drive unit 18 includes two servo motors 32A and 32B, and a gear box 29 to which the servo motors 32A and 32B and the ball screw 27 described above are coupled. That is, the ball screws 26 and 27 are connected to the output shafts of the gear boxes 28 and 29, and the servo motors 31A, 31B, 32A and 32B are connected to the two input shafts orthogonal to the output shaft, respectively. . In this way, the driving force of the servo motors 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B is transmitted to the ball screws 26, 27 via the gear boxes 28, 29.

  With the configuration as described above, the workpiece transfer device 101 reciprocates the workpiece gripping portion 15 between the press stations 14a and 14b by changing the positions of the sliders 4 and 5 by the two drive portions 17 and 18. Can do. Thereby, the panel 1 gripped by the workpiece gripping portion 15 can be transported in the X direction.

In particular, since the drive unit 17 is composed of a plurality of servo motors 31A and 31B, for example, even if the power supply to the servo motor 31A is stopped when one servo motor 31A fails, the other servo motor The ball screw 26 can be continuously driven by 31B. Similarly, since the drive unit 18 is configured by a plurality of servo motors 32A and 32B, the ball screw 27 can be continuously driven by the other servo motor even when one of the servo motors is stopped.
By incorporating a clutch mechanism or the like in the gearboxes 28 and 29, even if one servomotor does not rotate (locks) due to a failure, the other servomotor rotates the ball screws 26 and 27. It is preferable to be able to continue.

Further, in the work transfer device 101, since the drive units 17 and 18 do not move with respect to the part to which the work transfer device 101 is attached, the maintenance is easy and the occurrence of failures can be suppressed. . In other words, in the conventional transfer apparatus having the parallel movement drive unit and the vertical movement drive unit, the vertical movement drive unit is moved horizontally by the drive of the horizontal direction drive unit, so the cable to the vertical movement drive unit Etc. are likely to wear, and there is a high possibility of failure. On the other hand, in the work transfer device 101, the drive units 17 and 18 are fixed to the part to which the work transfer device 101 is attached. In addition, workability such as maintenance is improved.
Note that by making the servo motors 31A, 31B, 32A, and 32B the same model, it is possible to reduce apparatus costs and maintenance costs by sharing parts.
Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where a drive part was comprised with two servomotors, it is not restricted to two, What is necessary is just two or more.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the work transfer device 102 according to the second embodiment, and is a view of the work transfer device 102 as viewed from above.
Similar to the workpiece transfer device 101, the workpiece transfer device 102 is constituted by a set of feeding devices 10 and is installed between the press stations 14a and 14b.
For convenience of explanation, one feeding device 10 is a feeding device 10A and the other is a feeding device 10B. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component which is common in the workpiece conveyance apparatus 101, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

A feeding device 10A constituting the work transfer device 102 includes drive units 17A and 18A. Further, the feeding device 10B includes driving units 17B and 18B.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the work transfer device 102, the upstream drive units 17 </ b> A and 17 </ b> B and the downstream drive units 18 </ b> A and 18 </ b> B of the feeding devices 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are coupled to each other mechanically. Has been.

Gear boxes 41A and 42A are connected to the ball screws 26 and 27 of the feeding device 10A, respectively, and their input shafts are arranged to face the other feeding device 10B facing each other. Similarly, gear boxes 41B and 42B are connected to the ball screws 26 and 27 of the feeding device 10B, respectively, and their input shafts are arranged to face the other feeding device 10A facing each other. Thus, the output shafts of the gear boxes 41A and 42A of the feeding device 10A and the output shafts of the gear boxes 41B and 42B of the feeding device 10B are arranged on the same axis.
Drive shafts 43A and 43B, gear boxes 45A and 45B, and servomotors 47A and 47B are arranged between the gear box 41A and the gear box 41B. Similarly, drive shafts 44A and 44B, gear boxes 46A and 46B, and servo motors 48A and 48B are disposed between the gear box 42A and the gear box 42B.
Thus, the upstream drive unit 17A includes the gear box 41A, the drive shaft 43A, the gear box 45A, and the servo motor 47A. The upstream drive unit 17B includes a gear box 41B, a drive shaft 43B, a gear box 45B, and a servo motor 47B. The downstream drive unit 18A includes a gear box 42A, a drive shaft 44A, a gear box 46A, and a servo motor 48A. The downstream drive unit 18B includes a gear box 42B, a drive shaft 44B, a gear box 46B, and a servo motor 48B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the gear box 45A and the gear box 45B are coupled to each other by a coupling shaft 49A so as to be mechanically interlocked. The gear box 46A and the gear box 46B are coupled to each other by a coupling shaft 49B so as to be mechanically interlocked.
That is, when the servo motor 47A of the upstream drive unit 17A is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the ball screw 26 of the feeding device 10A, and the ball screw 26 is also driven via the connecting shaft 49A. Power is transmitted. The same applies when the servo motor 47B of the upstream drive unit 17B is driven.
Further, when the servo motor 48A of the downstream drive unit 18A is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the ball screw 27 of the feeding device 10A, and the ball screw 27 is also driven via the connecting shaft 49B and the like. Power is transmitted. The same applies when the servo motor 48B of the downstream drive unit 18B is driven.

As described above, in the workpiece transfer device 102, a pair of the feeding devices 10A and 10B are arranged to face each other, and the driving units 17A and 17B and the driving units 18A and 18B of the feeding devices 10A and 10B are connected to the connecting shaft 49A, 49B is connected so as to be mechanically interlocked, so that it is possible to obtain the same effect as when each drive unit is constituted by a plurality of servo motors without preparing a new servo motor. That is, for example, even when the servo motor 47A is stopped due to a failure, the ball screw 26 of the feeding devices 10A and 10B is driven by the servo motor 47B, so that the operation of the workpiece transfer device 102 is continuously maintained. Can do.
Furthermore, since the upstream drive units 17A and 17B and the downstream drive units 18A and 18B are symmetrically configured, the gear boxes 41A to 42B, the drive shafts 43A to 44B, the gear boxes 45A to 46B, and the servo motors 47A to 48B. Can be made the same shape and model. As described above, by sharing the components, the apparatus cost and the maintenance cost can be reduced. Further, for example, since the twist amounts of the drive shafts 43A and 43B are the same, there is no part where the force is applied locally, and the difference in operation of the feeding devices 10A and 10B can be minimized. .

  In the present embodiment, for example, the case where each of the drive units 17A and 17B is substantially constituted by two servo motors has been described. However, for example, as shown in FIG. You may make it comprise with one servomotor. Further, the number of servo motors may be increased. Even in this case, it is desirable that the upstream drive unit and the downstream drive unit have symmetrical configurations.

  The various shapes and combinations of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and various changes can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a schematic block diagram of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of 2nd embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Panel (work)
4, 5 ... Slider 7, 8 ... Arm 10 (10A, 10B) ... Feeder (work transfer device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 12 ... Linear motion mechanism 15 ... Work holding part 17 (17A, 17B) ... Upstream drive part 18 (18A, 18B) ... Downstream drive part 31A, 31B, 32A, 32B, 47A, 47B, 48A, 48B ... Servo motor (actuator)
49A, 49B ... Connection shaft 101, 102 ... Work transfer device

Claims (4)

A workpiece gripping part for gripping a predetermined workpiece;
A pair of arms rotatably connected to the workpiece gripper,
A pair of sliders rotatably connected to the other end of each arm and reciprocating linearly;
A pair of drive units for respectively driving the pair of sliders;
In a workpiece transfer device comprising:
Each of the pair of driving units includes a plurality of actuators. A workpiece gripping part for gripping a predetermined workpiece;
A pair of arms rotatably connected to the workpiece gripping part;
A pair of sliders rotatably connected to the other ends of the pair of arms and reciprocating linearly;
A pair of drive units for driving each of the pair of sliders;
In a workpiece transfer device comprising:
Each of the one-to-one set of driving units includes a plurality of actuators. A workpiece gripping part for gripping a predetermined workpiece;
A pair of arms rotatably connected to the workpiece gripping part;
A pair of sliders rotatably connected to the other ends of the pair of arms and reciprocating linearly;
A pair of drive units for driving each of the pair of sliders;
In the workpiece transfer device, the one-to-one set of arms and the one-to-one set of sliders are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane including the workpiece transfer direction
Among the one-to-one set of drive units, a set of upstream drive units arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction and / or a set of downstream drive units arranged on the downstream side in the conveyance direction are a machine The workpiece transfer device is connected so as to be interlocked with each other. 4. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the set of upstream drive units and / or the set of downstream drive units are configured symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane including the transfer direction. 5. .

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