JP2009208163A - Workpiece delivery device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly efficiently deliver a workpiece in a short period of time, and to employ even a conventional V-shaped receiving table. <P>SOLUTION: A body 4 provided at a tip of an arm 2 is rotatably stored with a drum 10, the drum 10, on its outer circumference, is concentrically formed with a pair of first and second storage parts 20 and 21, the first and second storage parts can store workpieces between themselves and the inner face of the body 4, in a manner of being outwardly opened in the radial direction, and the body 4 is formed with an entrance 8 from which the upper end of the receiving table 24 can intrude in the body 4 and an air cylinder 16 for rotaionally controlling the drum 10. This constitution can deliver the workpieces between the receiving table 24 and the storage parts via the entrance 8 at a rotation position of the drum 10 where the first and second storage parts 20 and 21 coincides with the entrance 8 in phase, and retain the workpiece in the body 4 at a rotation position of the drum 10 where the first and second storage parts 20 and 21 is shifted from the entrance 8 in phase. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer device used for transferring a workpiece to and from a machine tool or the like.

  The workpiece transfer device is used to transfer workpieces between machine tools and the like, such as receiving a processed workpiece from a machine tool such as a lathe and transferring a workpiece before processing to the machine tool. Specifically, as shown in Patent Document 1, a work hand having a pair of gripping claws is provided at the lower end of an elevating arm provided on a carrier that moves horizontally along a gate-shaped frame. A double-hand method in which the front workpiece is gripped by different sets of gripping claws, and, as shown in Patent Document 2, an intermediate claw and left and right outer claws swingable on both sides of the middle claw are provided at the lower end of the arm. There is known a single-hand system that can clamp and unclamp workpieces that have been processed and before processing at once. In addition, as shown in Patent Documents 3 and 4, the workpiece is transferred between the workpiece delivery device and the machine tool via a cradle having an upper end formed in a V shape.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-4723 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-31932 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-16003 Utility Model Registration No. 2528744

  In the double hand system of Patent Document 1, the number of operations associated with workpiece transfer increases, and the time required for transfer increases. In this regard, the single-hand method disclosed in Patent Document 2 can reduce the number of operations and waste time, and enables efficient delivery. However, since the workpiece is transferred between processed and unprocessed at different positions on the left and right of the middle nail, a special shape having a W-shaped upper end of the cradle is formed, and lacks versatility.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has an object to provide a workpiece transfer device that can realize workpiece transfer efficiently in a short time and is excellent in versatility so that it can be used in a conventional V-shaped receiving platform. It is.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that a rotating body is rotatably accommodated in a main body provided at the tip of an arm, and the inner surface of the main body is concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the rotating body. Forming at least a pair of accommodating portions capable of accommodating the workpieces so as to open outward in the radial direction, and providing the main body with an entrance through which the upper end of the cradle can enter the main body. And a drive mechanism that controls the rotation of the rotating body, and the receiving portion and the housing are accommodated via the entrance / exit at a rotational position of the rotating body where any of the housing portions is in phase with the entrance / exit. While allowing the work to be taken in and out of the part, the work part can be held in the main body at the rotational position of the rotating body where the housing part containing the work is out of phase with the entrance. Also characterized by It is.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, in order to hold the workpiece smoothly and reliably, a pair of the accommodating portions are provided, and the drive mechanism is configured such that the two accommodating portions are alternately arranged in the entrance / exit. The rotation body is controlled to rotate at a rotation position whose phase coincides with that of the rotation body, and protrudes in the radial direction between the housing portions of the rotation body so as to be close to the inner surface of the main body, and both side edges in the rotation direction are respectively provided. A fan-shaped overhanging portion that is continuous with the housing portion is formed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, in order to obtain an effective structure by reliably receiving a workpiece, a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis of the rotating body in the housing portion is set in the rotation direction. In this case, the depth of the overhanging portion side is deeper than the depth of the opposite side, and each is formed asymmetrically around the radius of the rotating body.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the workpiece can be transferred with a simple operation, the time required for the transfer is shortened, and the working efficiency is improved. Further, since the cradle may have a conventional shape having a V-shaped groove, and it is not necessary to use a cradle having a special groove, it is excellent in versatility.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the work housed in both housing portions from contacting the inner surface of the main body during the rotation of the rotating body, thereby holding the work. Can be carried out smoothly and reliably.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, the workpiece can be smoothly picked up by the respective accommodating portions during the rotation of the rotating body, and an effective structure can be obtained by reliably receiving the workpiece. .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a workpiece transfer device, in which the right side is a front view and the left side is a central longitudinal section thereof.
In the workpiece transfer device 1, a main body including an orthogonal base plate 3 and a pair of parallel holding plates 5 and 5 fixed to a lower surface of the base plate 3 at a predetermined interval at the lower end of the downward arm 2. 4 is provided. In the center of each holding plate 5, 5, the circular holes 6, 6 centered on the axis of the arm 2 are formed concentrically on the axis of the arm 2 to form a cylindrical space 7 in the main body 4. Yes. Further, at the center of the lower end of the main body 4, an entrance / exit 8 is formed by a notch continuous with the circular hole 6 to communicate the lower end of the space 7 with the outside. Between the holding plates 5, 5 on both sides of the entrance / exit 8, pins 9, 9 are installed to hold the interval between the holding plates 5, 5.

  As described in the background art, the arm 2 is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to a carrier that horizontally moves along a portal frame, for example. Of course, in addition to this, the arm 2 is moved up and down and horizontally moved, such as a type in which the arm 2 can be moved up and down at the tip of the swivel arm turning at the upper end of the support column, or a type in which the arm 2 is attached to the tip of the articulated robot. A known structure can be adopted as the mechanism.

  In the main body 4, a drum 10 as a rotating body is provided. The drum 10 has a lower end of a support plate 11 erected on the lower surface of the base plate 3 between the holding plates 5 and 5, a central shaft 12 supported coaxially with the space 7, and both ends of the central shaft 12. It comprises a pair of rotating disks 14 and 14 that are rotatably mounted via a ball bearing 13 and have an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the circular hole 6 and pins 15 that connect the rotating disks 14 and 14 together. Both the rotating disks 14 and 14 can rotate in synchronization in the space 7. Note that the outer surface of the turntable 14 is located on substantially the same plane as the outer surface of the holding plate 5.

Further, on the front side of the base plate 3, an air cylinder 16 serving as a driving mechanism is supported on the base plate 3 so as to be swingable with the piston rod 17 facing downward, and the tip of the piston rod 17 is located on the front side. A pin is coupled to an eccentric position near the outer edge of the turntable 14. That is, the drum 10 can be controlled to rotate within a range of 90 ° by expansion and contraction of the piston rod 17 accompanying the driving of the air cylinder 16.
In addition, a pair of first and second notches 18 and 19 that are overlapped with each other in the axial direction of the drum 10 and open in a C shape toward the outside in the radial direction are formed on the outer edges of both the rotary disks 14 and 14. The phase is shifted by 90 °. The first and second cutouts 18 and 19 are alternately in phase with the inlet / outlet 8 of the main body 4 in accordance with the rotation of the drum 10 due to the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 17. The first and second accommodating portions 20 and 21 for the workpiece W are formed between the first notches 18 and 18 and the second notches 19 and 19 that overlap in the direction.

  Reference numeral 22 denotes a regulating plate attached in parallel to the turntable 14 on the outer surface of each turntable 14, provided so as to cover the outer sides of the notches 18 and 19 in a non-contact manner, and accommodated in the accommodation portions 20 and 21. This prevents the workpiece W from jumping out. Further, in each turntable 14, between both notches 18, 19 is a fan-like shape that protrudes in the radial direction and is close to the inner surface of the circular hole 6, and both side edges in the rotation direction are continuous with the notches 18, 19, respectively. The overhang portion 23 is formed. Further, the first and second cutouts 18 and 19 are formed so that the depth on the overhanging portion 23 side in the rotation direction of the drum 10 is slightly deeper than the depth on the opposite side. The cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axis of the drum 10 at 21 is an asymmetric shape centered on the radius of the drum 10.

The workpiece transfer operation by the workpiece transfer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described by taking the transfer between the workpiece exchange station and the NC lathe as an example.
First, each of the exchange station and the NC lathe is provided with a cradle 24 having a V-shaped groove 25 formed on the upper surface, and the workpiece transfer device 1 transfers workpieces between the cradles 24 and 24 of both. Become.
As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 (A), with the workpiece W1 before processing (hereinafter referred to as “material”) W1 set on the cradle 24 on the exchange station side, the arm 2 is moved up and down and moved horizontally. The main body 4 is positioned on the cradle 24. At this time, the piston rod 17 contracts, and the first accommodating portion 20 of the drum 10 is made to coincide with the entrance / exit 8. Therefore, if the main body 4 is lowered as it is to a position where the V-shaped groove 25 of the cradle 24 substantially coincides with the inner periphery of the circular hole 6, the material W1 on the cradle 24 becomes the entrance / exit as shown by the solid line in FIG. 8 is relatively accommodated in the first accommodating portion 20.

  In this state, when the air cylinder 16 is driven and the piston rod 17 is extended, the drum 10 rotates 90 ° counterclockwise as shown in FIG. At this time, the raw material W1 on the cradle 24 is scooped up into the first housing part 20 so as to be accommodated in the first housing part 20, and moved 90 ° in the circular hole 6 as the first housing part 20 is moved. Therefore, the material W1 is held in the main body 4. At the same time, the second accommodating portion 21 is rotated 90 ° and positioned on the cradle 24. Therefore, if the main body 4 is raised together with the arm 2, the material W1 can be received from the exchange station as shown in FIG.

  Then, the arm 2 is moved up and moved to move the main body 4 to the NC lathe, and a processed workpiece (hereinafter referred to as “product”) W2 is set as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. If the main body 4 is positioned on the cradle 24 and the main body 4 is lowered to a position where the V-shaped groove 25 of the cradle 24 substantially coincides with the inner periphery of the circular hole 6, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The product W2 on the cradle 24 is relatively accommodated in the second accommodating portion 21 via the doorway 8.

  Next, when the air cylinder 16 is driven and the piston rod 17 is contracted this time, the drum 10 rotates 90 ° to the right as shown in FIG. Then, the product W2 on the cradle 24 is accommodated in the second housing portion 21 so as to be scooped up by the second housing portion 21, and is moved 90 ° in the circular hole 6 as the second housing portion 21 is moved. Therefore, the product W2 is held in the main body 4. At the same time, since the first storage unit 20 is rotated by 90 ° and is positioned on the cradle 24, the material W1 stored in the first storage unit 20 is set on the cradle 24. Therefore, when the main body 4 is raised, the product W2 can be received from the NC lathe and the material W1 can be delivered as shown in FIG. 3C, and the material W1 can be processed by the NC lathe. On the other hand, the product W2 held in the second container 21 is transported to the exchange station by the movement of the arm 2, and similarly receives a new material W1 and delivers the product W2 to the cradle 24 of the exchange station. Will do.

  As described above, according to the workpiece transfer device 1 of the above embodiment, the drum 10 is rotatably accommodated in the main body 4 provided at the tip of the arm 2, and concentrically around the outer periphery of the drum 10. A pair of first and second accommodating portions 20, 21 capable of accommodating a workpiece between them are formed so as to open outward in the radial direction, and the upper end of the cradle 24 is formed on the main body 4. At the rotational position of the drum 10, the air cylinder 16 that controls the rotation of the drum 10 is provided, and the first and second storage portions 20, 21 are in phase with the doorway 8. While allowing the workpiece to be taken in and out between the cradle 24 and the accommodating portion through the entrance / exit 8, the drum 10 in which the first and second accommodating portions 20, 21 accommodating the workpiece are out of phase with the entrance / exit 8 is provided. In the rotational position of the In that set to be held, it is possible to transfer the material W1 and product W2 by a simple operation, the time required for transfer is improved working efficiency becomes shorter. In addition, since the V-shaped groove 25 only needs to have a bilaterally symmetric shape, the cradle 24 does not need to use a cradle 24 having a special groove. That is, while enjoying the advantages of the single-hand method capable of transporting two workpieces at a time, the conventional cradle can be adopted and the versatility is excellent.

Further, here, a pair of first and second accommodating portions 20 and 21 are provided, and the air cylinder 16 controls the rotation of the drum 10 at a rotational position where the phases of the accommodating portions are alternately in phase with the inlet / outlet 8. The fan-shaped projecting portion 23 that protrudes in the radial direction and is close to the inner surface of the main body 4 and has both side edges in the rotation direction continuous with the housing portions 20 and 21 between the housing portions 20 and 21 of the drum 10. By forming, the work accommodated in the 1st, 2nd accommodating parts 20 and 21 at the time of rotation of the drum 10 is prevented from contacting the inner surface of the main body 4, and the work is received smoothly and reliably. Can do.
In particular, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis of the drum 10 in the first and second accommodating portions 20 and 21 is set so that the depth on the protruding portion 23 side in the rotational direction is deeper than the depth on the opposite side. Since the drums 10 are formed asymmetrically around the radius of 10 respectively, the workpieces can be smoothly picked up by the receiving portions 20 and 21 when the drum 10 is rotated, and an effective structure is obtained by reliably receiving the workpieces. Yes.

In the above embodiment, the rotating body has a drum shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotating body may have a cam shape having only a semicircular portion provided with a housing portion, or a bifurcated shape having a housing portion at the tip. As long as the workpiece can be delivered by rotation at, it can be changed as appropriate.
Further, depending on the shape of the workpiece, the regulation plate can be omitted. For example, if the workpiece has a shape having large diameter portions at both ends of the shaft portion as in the above embodiment, a housing portion that accommodates only the shaft portion is formed on the rotating body, and the large diameter portions at both ends are outside the main body. If protruding, the large-diameter portion remains as it is.
On the contrary, not only a structure that accommodates a part of the workpiece, but also a structure in which the rotating body is completely accommodated in the closed main body except for the entrance / exit, and the entire workpiece is accommodated and delivered can be considered. In other words, the shape of the accommodating portion may be selected according to the shape of the workpiece to be transferred.

Furthermore, the rotation angle of the rotating body is not limited to 90 °, and can be changed as appropriate according to the shape of the rotating body and the position of the housing. The drive mechanism is not limited to the air cylinder, but other actuators such as a hydraulic cylinder and a ball screw. It is possible to employ a gear, and it is possible to rotate the rotor by transmission of rotation from a motor.
On the other hand, the number of workpiece storage units is not limited to a pair, and three or more workpiece storage units may be provided to hold a plurality of materials and products. In addition, it is desirable that the main body is provided with detection means such as a proximity sensor for confirming the accommodation of the workpiece in the accommodating portion to improve the reliability of the workpiece delivery.

And in the said form, although this invention is applied to the delivery of the workpiece | work between an exchange station and NC lathe, when the supply side station and the discharge | emission side station are installed on both sides of a machine tool, Usage mode, such as using the machine for delivery of workpieces, installing it between machine tools on a machining line where multiple machine tools are installed side by side, and using it to deliver workpieces between the previous process and the next process Can be changed as appropriate.

It is explanatory drawing of a workpiece | work delivery apparatus, the right shows a front and the left shows AA cross section, respectively. (A)-(C) is explanatory drawing of the reception operation | movement of a raw material. (A)-(C) are explanatory drawings of the receipt of a product, and the delivery operation | movement of a raw material.

Explanation of symbols

  1 .. Work transfer device 2.. Arm 4.. Main body 5 .. Holding plate 6 .. Circular hole 7 .. Space 8. 14 .... Rotary disc, 16 .... Air cylinder, 17 .... Piston rod, 18 .... First notch, 19 .... Second notch, 20 .... First housing part, 21 .... Second housing Part, 22 ... regulating plate, 23 ... overhang, 24 ... cradle, 25 ... V-shaped groove.

Claims (3)

A workpiece transfer device that holds a workpiece at the tip of an arm that can move up and down and move horizontally, and transfers the workpiece to a workpiece cradle,
A rotating body is rotatably accommodated in a main body provided at the tip of the arm, and at least a pair of accommodating portions capable of accommodating a workpiece with the inner surface of the main body on a concentric circle on the outer periphery of the rotating body, Each of the main bodies is formed so as to open toward the outside in the direction, and an inlet / outlet through which the upper end of the cradle can enter the main body is formed in the main body, and a driving mechanism for controlling the rotation of the rotating body is provided. ,
In the rotational position of the rotating body in which any of the accommodating portions is in phase with the entrance / exit, the workpiece can be taken in / out between the cradle and the accommodating portion via the entrance / exit. The workpiece transfer device, wherein the workpiece can be held in the main body at a rotational position of the rotating body whose phase is shifted from the entrance / exit.   A pair of the accommodating portions is provided, and the drive mechanism is configured to control the rotation of the rotating body at a rotational position where the both accommodating portions are alternately in phase with the entrance / exit, and between the accommodating portions in the rotating body. The workpiece transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a fan-shaped projecting portion that protrudes in a radial direction and is close to the inner surface of the main body and has both side edges in the rotation direction continuing to the housing portion. .   The transverse cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axis of the rotating body in the housing portion is set so that the depth on the protruding portion side in the rotation direction is deeper than the depth on the opposite side, and the radius of the rotating body is the center. The workpiece transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the workpiece transfer device is formed asymmetrically.

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