JP2011255482A - Tool change mechanism and method of adjusting tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized tool change mechanism capable of easily adjusting a gripping force and a separation force according to the weight of a tool and the allowable load capacity of a robot.SOLUTION: A first tool changer 2A has an engagement projection 22. The engagement projection 22 includes the odd number of adjusting holes 22a arranged at equal angular intervals and ball plungers 25 disposed in the adjusting holes 22a, respectively. A second tool changer 2B has an engagement recess 43 into which the engagement projection 22 is inserted. The engagement recess 43 has V-grooves 44a with which the balls 25a of the ball plungers 25 are engaged. The end of each of the adjusting holes 22a at which the ball plunger 25 is not disposed are opened to the outer peripheral surface of the engagement projection 22.

Description

  One embodiment relates to a tool change mechanism and an adjustment method.

  In recent years, multivariate production has become mainstream in order to meet the needs of a wide variety of users in the field of manufacturing electronic devices represented by the manufacture of personal computers and mobile phones. In assembly cell production designed for multivariate production, one worker must assemble other types. When another type of assembly is performed by an automatic assembly machine, a function capable of assembling other types must be incorporated into a general-purpose automation facility such as a robot.

  For example, in order to assemble products of different varieties, it is common to mount a multi-tool unit or a tool change unit on a robot because tools and jigs (tools) dedicated to the product are used. That is, the tool attached to the tip of the robot arm is replaced with a tool dedicated to the product to be assembled.

  The tool change unit generally has a mechanism for attaching / detaching a tool and an actuator (motor, air cylinder, etc.) for driving the mechanism. When such a mechanism is mounted on a robot, the tool change unit must be reduced in size and weight due to restrictions on the allowable load and size of the robot arm. In order to reduce the size and weight of the tool change unit, a tool changer that does not use an actuator has been proposed.

  As an example of a tool change unit that does not use an actuator, a pen replacement mechanism used in a pen plotter (XY plotter) is known. In the pen plotter, an XY movement mechanism that moves and positions the tool also serves as an actuator that drives a mechanism for loading and unloading the tool. However, the tool in the pen plotter is a pen, and the pen has only the same color and thickness, but the outer shape and weight are the same. In other words, although the tools are replaced with different tools, the tools are limited to the same outer shape and weight.

  On the other hand, in automatic assembly work of various products, tools must be exchanged regardless of the functional performance of the tool / robot. Also, it is required to share the weight, size and shape of the tool change unit itself. As with the pen plotter described above, when the robot itself is used as an actuator for the tool change unit, a mechanism that can change the gripping force (mounting force) and release force (detachment force) according to the tool weight and the allowable load capacity of the robot is required. It becomes.

  In general, in a tool change unit, a tool is gripped by engaging an engaging portion on a side on which a tool is mounted (for example, a tip of a robot arm) with an engaging portion provided on the tool side. The engagement portion on the side where the tool is mounted is, for example, a cylindrical convex portion, and the engagement portion on the tool side is, for example, a cylindrical concave portion into which the cylindrical convex portion is inserted and fitted. . That is, this is a mechanism for gripping the tool by fitting the cylindrical convex portion on the tool mounting side into the cylindrical concave portion of the tool.

  As a mechanism similar to such a tool gripping mechanism, in a resin tube transport jig, three ball plungers are provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the tube insertion hole and gripped by engaging the resin tube at three points. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In addition, in a casting mold apparatus, it has been proposed that three ball plungers are provided on the outer peripheral portion of a bore pin, and the ball pin is held on the inner surface of the sleeve to hold the sleeve with the bore pin (for example, patents). Reference 2). Furthermore, a sphere support method has been proposed in which three support rods provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the peripheral frame are pressed and engaged with the outer periphery of the sphere to hold the sphere at three points (for example, , See Patent Document 3).

JP 2004-67338 A JP 2009-72817 A Japanese Patent No. 3170655

  In the tool change unit, when the tool is mounted and gripped by engaging the engaging part (convex part) on the tool arm side with the engaging part (concave part) provided on the tool side. There is. In such a case, it is necessary to provide an adjustment mechanism for changing the engagement force (gripping force) and the pressing force applied for engagement in accordance with the weight of the tool and the allowable load of the robot. When such an adjustment mechanism is provided on the tool side having the engaging portion (concave portion), the size on the tool side increases, the weight on the tool side also increases, and the load on the robot arm increases accordingly. It is not preferable.

  Therefore, it is desired to develop a small adjustment mechanism that can easily adjust the engagement force (gripping force) and the release force (release force) in accordance with the weight of the tool and the allowable load capability of the robot.

  According to one embodiment, a tool exchanging mechanism used when exchanging a tool attached to a tool moving device, the first tool changer having an engaging convex portion and attached to the tool moving device, and the engagement A second tool changer having an engaging recess into which a mating convex part is inserted and attached to a tool; a plurality of ball plungers arranged on the side of the engaging convex part of the first tool changer; A plurality of adjustment holes into which a tool used for adjusting the pressing force of the ball plunger, which is disposed on the side surface of the engagement convex portion of one tool changer and opposed to each of the ball plungers, can be inserted; There is provided a tool change mechanism provided with a V groove provided on a side surface of the engaging recess of the second tool changer and engaged with a ball of a ball plunger protruding from the engaging protrusion. It is.

  In accordance with the weight of the tool and the allowable load capacity of the tool moving device, the gripping force and release force (release force) of the tool can be easily adjusted.

It is sectional drawing of the tool change unit which is a tool exchange mechanism by one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tool change unit shown in FIG. It is the top view which looked at the arm side tool changer from the arrow III direction of FIG. It is the side view which looked at the arm side tool changer from the arrow IV direction of FIG. It is the top view which looked at the tool side tool changer from the arrow V direction of FIG. It is the side view which looked at the tool side tool changer from the arrow VI direction of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state by which the engagement convex part of the arm side tool changer was inserted in the engagement recessed part of the tool side tool changer. It is an expanded sectional view showing the state where the ball of the ball plunger was engaged with the V groove. It is a side view which shows the state before engaging an arm side tool changer with the tool side tool changer 2B. It is a figure which shows a tool holder, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side view. It is a figure which shows the tool holder in which the tool with which the tool side tool changer was attached was accommodated, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. It is a side view which shows the state which inserted and engaged the engagement convex part of the arm side tool changer in the engagement recessed part of the tool side tool changer. It is a side view which shows the state which moved the tool upwards with the tool side tool changer. It is a side view which shows the state which removed the tool completely from the tool holder. It is a side view which shows the state before putting a tool in the notch part of the tool support member of a tool holder. It is a side view of the state which moved the tool so that the positioning pin of a tool holder may be located in the perpendicular downward direction of the bush of the support plate of an arm side tool changer. It is a side view which shows the state which accommodated the tool with which the tool side tool changer was attached in the tool holder. It is a side view which shows the state which the arm side tool changer removed from the tool side tool changer.

  Next, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG.1 and FIG.2 is sectional drawing of the tool change unit 2 which is a tool exchange mechanism by one Embodiment. The tool change unit 2 includes an arm side tool changer 2A and a tool side tool changer 2B. FIG. 1 shows a state where the tool side tool changer 2B is detached from the arm side tool changer 2A. The tool side tool changer 2B can be attached to the arm side tool changer 2A as shown in FIG.

  The arm side tool changer 2 </ b> A is attached to the tip of the robot arm 6 via the damper mechanism 4. By moving the robot arm 6, the arm-side tool changer 2A can be moved. The damper mechanism 4 is provided to move the arm-side tool changer 2 </ b> A elastically upward in FIG. 2 with respect to the robot arm 6. In this embodiment, the robot is an example of an apparatus for moving a tool to a position where work is performed, and corresponds to a tool moving apparatus.

  The tool side tool changer 2 </ b> B is fixed to the tool 8 and integrated with the tool 8. In the present embodiment, a suction head is used as the tool 8, and the tool 8 is provided with a suction passage 8a. When the tool side tool changer 2B is attached to the tool 8, the suction passage 8a of the tool 8 is connected to the suction plug 41 of the tool side tool changer 2B. When the tool-side tool changer 2B is mounted on the arm-side tool changer 2A, the suction plug 41 of the tool-side tool changer 2B is inserted into the socket hole 21a provided in the arm-side tool changer 2A. The passage 8a is connected to the suction passage 21b of the tool changer 2A. Thereby, by introducing a negative pressure into the suction passage 21b of the tool side tool changer 2A, the suction operation can be performed by introducing a negative pressure into the tool 8 which is the suction head.

  Here, the structure of the arm-side tool changer 2A will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the arm-side tool changer 2A viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the arm-side tool changer 2A viewed from the direction of arrow IV in FIG.

  The arm-side tool changer 2 </ b> A includes a flat plate-shaped main body 20, a socket forming portion 21 that extends in a vertical direction from a part of the outer periphery of the main body 20, and an engagement convex portion 22 that protrudes from the central portion of the main body 20. . The main body 20 is made of a relatively light metal material such as an aluminum alloy. Two positioning pins 23 are provided so as to protrude from the main body 20 around the engaging convex portion 22. The positioning pin 23 is formed of a relatively hard metal material such as stainless steel.

  When the tool side tool changer 2B is mounted on the arm side tool changer 2A, the engaging convex portion 22 is inserted into and engaged with the engaging concave portion of the tool side tool changer 2B. Thereby, the tool side tool changer 2B is detachably attached to the arm side tool changer 2A. Before the engaging convex portion 22 is inserted into the engaging concave portion, the two positioning pins 23 are inserted and fitted into the positioning holes of the tool side tool changer 2B, so that the arm side tool changer 2A becomes a tool side tool. It is positioned with respect to the changer 2B.

  An air suction joint 10 is attached to the socket forming portion 21 of the arm side tool changer 2A and connected to the suction passage 21b. Therefore, by sucking air from the air suction joint 10, negative pressure can be introduced into the suction passage 8 a of the tool 8 through the suction passage 21 b and the suction plug 41.

  A rod 24 extends from the side surface of the main body 20 of the arm-side tool changer 2A. The other end of the spring 11 having one end attached to the rod 4 a of the damper mechanism 4 is attached to the rod 24. The arm-side tool changer 2A is supported by the damper mechanism 4 so as to be slidable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, and the spring 11 is urged in the direction opposite to the sliding direction of the arm-side tool changer 2A.

  The engaging recess 22 protruding from the main body 20 has a cylindrical shape, and three adjustment holes 22a extending through the diameter direction thereof are formed. A screw is formed on the inner surface of the adjustment hole 22a over its entire length, and a ball plunger 25 having a screw formed on the outer periphery is screwed into each adjustment hole 22a. As will be described later, when the ball of the ball plunger 25 is pressed against the inner surface of the engagement recess of the tool side tool changer, the tool side tool changer 2B is mounted and fixed to the arm side tool changer 2A.

  Next, the structure of the tool side tool changer 2B will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the tool-side tool changer 2B as viewed from the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 6 is a side view of the tool-side tool changer 2B as viewed from the direction of the arrow VI in FIG.

  As described above, the suction plug 41 is attached to the main body 40 of the tool side tool changer 2B so as to be fitted into the suction socket hole 21a of the arm side tool changer 2A. A positioning hole 42 into which the positioning pin 23 of the arm side tool changer 2A is inserted is formed in the main body 40 formed of a relatively light metal material such as an aluminum alloy. In the positioning hole 42, a bush 42a formed of a metal material having a relatively high hardness such as stainless steel is fitted. The inner diameter of the bush 42 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the positioning pin 23, and the arm-side tool changer 2A is more accurate than the tool-side tool changer 2B by fitting the positioning pin 23 into the two bushes 42. It can be positioned well.

  The main body 40 of the tool side tool changer 2B is formed with an engagement concave portion 43 into which the engagement convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A is inserted. A taper ring 44 having an annular V groove 44 a is fitted into the inner surface of the engagement recess 43. The taper ring 44 is made of a metal material having a relatively high hardness such as stainless steel. When the engaging convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A is inserted into the engaging concave portion 43 of the tool side tool changer 2B, the balls at the tips of the three ball plungers 25 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22 are moved. The V-groove 44a of the taper ring 44 is engaged. When the ball of the ball plunger 25 engages with the V groove 44 a of the taper ring 44, the engagement convex portion 22 is fixed to the engagement concave portion 43. The fixing operation by the ball plunger 25 will be described later.

  A support plate 45 extending in the left-right direction of the main body is fixed to one end (upper end portion) of the main body 40. The support plate 45 is provided to support the upper part of the tool side tool changer 2B when the tool 8 attached to the tool side tool changer 2B is housed in the holder as will be described later. On both the left and right sides of the support plate 45, bushes 45a having positioning holes that engage with positioning pins provided in the holder are provided. Guides 46 having tips tapered are attached to both side surfaces of the lower portion of the main body 40. As will be described later, the guide 46 functions to guide the tool side tool changer 2B to be vertical when the tool 8 attached to the tool side tool changer 2B is stored in the tool holder.

  Here, the fixing operation of the tool side tool changer 2B by the three ball plungers 25 of the arm side tool changer 2A will be described. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which the engaging convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A is inserted into the engaging concave portion 43 of the tool side tool changer 2B. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state where the ball of the ball plunger 25 is engaged with the V groove 44a.

  The engaging convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A is inserted inside a taper ring 44 fitted in the engaging concave portion 43 of the tool side tool changer 2B. At this time, the ball 25 a of the ball plunger 25 projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22 is pushed by the upper edge of the taper ring 44 and moves inward, and slides on the inner side of the taper ring 44 while V-groove. Move to 44a. Then, the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 enters the V-groove 44a as shown in FIG. 8, and is pressed against the inner surface of the V-groove 44a by the elastic force of the spring 25b provided in the ball plunger 25.

  Since the three ball plungers 25 are arranged at an equal angle (120 degrees), they are engaged with the V groove 44a and pressed at three points. Thus, the tool side tool changer 2B can be held (gripped) by the arm side tool changer 2A by engaging the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 with the inner surface of the V groove 44a. The gripping force with which the arm side tool changer 2A grips the tool side tool changer 2B is determined by the pressing force pressing the inner surface of the V groove 44a with the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25.

  Here, when the tool 8 is heavy, a large gripping force is required, and when the tool 8 is light, a small gripping force is sufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the gripping force based on the weight of the tool 8. The gripping force corresponds to a force for pressing the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 with the spring 25b. Therefore, in order to increase the gripping force, the ball plunger 25 may be extended outward so that the ball 25 a protrudes greatly from the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22. On the other hand, in order to reduce the gripping force, the ball plunger 25 is inserted inside, and the protruding amount of the ball 25a from the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22 may be reduced.

  However, if the ball plunger 25 is moved outward to increase the gripping force and the ball 25 a protrudes greatly from the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22, it is necessary for inserting the engaging convex portion 22 into the engaging concave portion 43. The pressing force also increases. In order to insert the engaging convex portion 22 into the engaging concave portion 43, the ball 25 a protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the tapered ring 44 and moves inward, while the tapered ring 44. Is moved to the V-groove 44a. The force that moves the ball 25a against the inner peripheral surface of the taper ring 44 and moves inward is equivalent to the force obtained by changing the direction of the force that presses the engagement recess 22 in the insertion direction with the ball 25a. That is, it is necessary to press the engaging recess 22 in the insertion direction so that a force sufficient to push the ball 25a inwardly against the pressing force of the spring 25b is generated.

  As described above, when the protruding amount of the ball 25a is increased, the distance to push the ball 25a inward is increased accordingly, and the force for pushing the ball 25a inward against the pressing force of the spring 25b must be increased. In other words, if the protruding amount of the ball 25a is increased in order to increase the gripping force, the force that presses the engagement convex portion 22 in the insertion direction must be increased accordingly.

  When the arm-side tool changer 2A is pressed against the tool-side tool changer 2B by the driving force of the robot arm 6 as in the present embodiment and the engagement convex portion 22 is inserted into the engagement concave portion 43, the robot is used. There is an upper limit (allowable load capacity of the robot) depending on the performance of the robot. In a small robot or the like, if the protruding amount of the ball 25a is increased, there is a possibility that a pressing force sufficient to insert the engaging convex portion 22 into the engaging concave portion 43 cannot be produced.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a mechanism for adjusting the protruding amount of the ball 25a is provided in consideration of necessary gripping force and robot performance (maximum force capable of pressing the arm-side tool changer 2A). The protruding amount of the ball 25a is adjusted by shifting the position of the ball plunger 25 to the outside or the inside. A screw is formed on the outer periphery of the ball plunger 25, and the ball plunger 25 is screwed into the adjustment hole 22a (screw hole) and incorporated. The adjustment hole 22a extends through the engagement convex portion 22, and the ball plunger 25 is located on one end side of the adjustment hole 22a. The rear end of the ball plunger 25 is provided with an engagement hole 25c in which a driver bit or a wrench can be engaged. Therefore, a driver bit or a wrench can be inserted from the opposite side of the adjustment hole 22a to be engaged with the engagement hole 25c at the rear end of the ball plunger 25. And the protrusion amount of the ball | bowl 25a can be adjusted by rotating the ball plunger 25 and moving the position of the ball plunger 25. FIG. This adjustment can be easily performed by an assembly worker using a driver or a wrench.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, three adjustment holes 22a are arranged at an equal angle (at intervals of 120 degrees), and a ball plunger 25 is incorporated in each of them. The central axes of the three adjustment holes 22 a extend in the same plane and intersect each other at the center of the engagement convex portion 22. With this configuration, the opposite side of each adjustment hole 22a to the ball plunger 25 is open to the outer peripheral surface of the engagement convex portion 22, and a driver bit or a wrench can be inserted into the adjustment hole 22a. Moreover, the ball plunger 25 arrange | positioned at one adjustment hole 22a is the length which does not block the part which the adjustment hole 22a crosses.

  The number of adjustment holes 22a is not limited to three, and if not restricted by the size of the engaging convex portion 22, an odd number of adjustment holes 22a such as five or seven may be provided. By arranging the odd number of adjustment holes 22a at an equal angle, the opposite side of the adjustment hole 22a to the ball plunger 25a can be opened at the outer peripheral surface of the engagement convex portion 22, and a tool such as a driver bit or a wrench can be used. Can be inserted into the adjustment hole 22a.

  Here, for example, if the four adjustment holes 22a are arranged at an equal angle as an even number, the two adjustment holes 22a are arranged in a cross shape, and the ball plungers 25 are arranged at both ends of each adjustment hole 22a. Must be placed. If the ball plungers 25 are disposed at both ends of the adjustment hole 22a, both ends of the adjustment hole 22a are blocked by the two ball plungers 25, and a driver bit or a wrench cannot be inserted into the adjustment hole 22a. End up. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the odd number of adjustment holes 22a are arranged at an equal angle.

  As described above, the assembling worker can adjust the protrusion amount of the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 in advance so that an appropriate gripping force is obtained in accordance with the weight of the tool 8 and the allowable load capacity of the robot. it can. Therefore, by using the tool change unit 2 of the present embodiment, each of a plurality of tools having different weights and shapes can be easily attached to the same robot only by the operation of the robot.

  Next, a tool change operation performed using the tool change unit 2 which is the above-described tool change mechanism will be described.

  First, the operation of mounting the tool 8 on the robot arm 6 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the tool side tool changer 2 </ b> B attached to the tool 8 is accommodated in the tool holder 50. The tool holder 50 includes a base plate 51 extending in the vertical direction, a tool support member 52 extending in the horizontal direction from the base plate 51, and a guide mounting member 53 extending in the horizontal direction below the tool support member 52. And a pair of guide receivers 54a and 54b provided on the guide mounting member.

  10A and 10B are views showing the tool holder 50, where FIG. 10A is a plan view, FIG. 10B is a front view, and FIG. 10C is a side view. The tool holder 50 is configured to store a plurality of tools. In the example shown in FIG. 10, two storage portions are formed so that two tools can be stored. That is, the tool support member 52 is provided with two notches 56, and the tool 8 can be accommodated in the tool holder 50 by inserting the tool 8 from above into each of the notches 56.

  In order to reinforce the tool support member 52 extending in the horizontal direction from the base plate 51, a reinforcing plate 55A that contacts the base plate 51 and the tool support member 52 is attached. Similarly, in order to reinforce the guide attachment member 53 extending in the horizontal direction from the base plate 51, a reinforcement plate 55B that contacts the base plate 51 and the guide attachment member 53 is attached.

  11A and 11B are views showing a tool holder 50 in which the tool 8 to which the tool side tool changer 2B is attached is housed. FIG. 11A is a plan view and FIG. 11B is a front view. Positioning pins 52a provided on the tool support member 52 of the tool holder 50 are fitted to bushes 45a provided on the left and right portions of the support plate 45 of the tool side tool changer 2B, and the left and right portions of the support plate 45 are the tool support members. 52 to be supported. When housed in the tool holder 50, the guides 46 attached to the left and right side surfaces of the tool side tool changer 2B are inserted between a pair of guide receivers 54a and 54b provided on the guide attachment member 53 of the tool holder 50. ing. As described above, the tool-side tool changer 2B is supported by the tool support member 52 in a state where the tool 8 is stored in the tool holder 50, and the horizontal movement is restricted by the positioning pin 52a and the guide receivers 54a and 54b. Is done.

  As described above, the tool 8 is stored in the tool holder 50 in a state where both sides of the support plate 45 of the tool side tool changer 2B attached to the tool 8 are supported by the tool support member 52. In this state, the guide 46 attached to the side portion of the tool side tool changer 2B is accommodated between the pair of guide receivers 54a and 54b of the tool holder 50.

  In a state where the tool 8 is housed in the tool holder 50, as shown in FIG. 12, the robot arm 6 is moved so that the engagement convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A becomes the engagement concave portion 43 of the tool side tool changer 2B. Insert and engage. At this time, the two positioning pins 23 of the arm side tool changer 2A are fitted into the positioning holes 42 of the tool side tool changer 2B, and the arm side tool changer 2A is positioned with respect to the tool side tool changer 2B. When the engagement convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A is inserted into the engagement concave portion 43 of the tool side tool changer 2B, the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 abuts on the taper ring 44 and the tool side tool changer 2B is pushed. It will be. However, since the upper part of the tool side tool changer 2B is locked by the positioning pin 52a of the tool holder 50 and the lower part is locked by the guide receiver 54b, the tool side tool changer 2B cannot move in the pushed direction. The engaging convex portion 22 can be inserted into the engaging concave portion 43 while being pressed by the robot arm 6.

  Further, in order to move the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 inward, a force for pressing the arm side tool changer 2A by the robot arm 6 is required. As described above, this pressing force is stored within the range of the force that the robot arm 6 can output (within the allowable load capacity of the robot) by adjusting the position of the ball plunger 25 using the adjustment hole 22a. Therefore, the engaging convex portion 22 of the arm side tool changer 2A can be inserted into the engaging concave portion 43 of the tool side tool changer 2B.

  When the engaging convex portion 22 is inserted into the engaging concave portion 43, the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 of the engaging convex portion 22 engages with the V groove 44a of the taper ring 44 of the engaging concave portion 43, and the tool side tool changer. 2B is gripped by the arm side tool changer 2A. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the robot arm 6 is moved upward, and the tool 8 is moved upward together with the tool side tool changer 2B. By this upward movement, the tool side tool changer 2B is disengaged from the positioning pin 52a, and the guide 46 is disengaged from between the guide receivers 54a and 54b.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 14, by moving the robot arm 6 in a direction away from the tool holder 50, the tool 8 is completely detached from the tool holder 50 and can be moved to the working position.

  When the tool 8 that has been used is returned to the tool holder 50, an operation opposite to the above operation may be performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the robot arm 6 is moved to insert the tool 8 into the notch 56 of the tool support member 52 of the tool holder 50. At this time, the vertical position of the tool 8 is determined so that the support plate 45 of the arm-side tool changer 20B is above the positioning pin 52a of the tool holder 50. Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the robot arm 6 is moved horizontally, and the tool 8 is moved so that the positioning pin 52a of the tool holder 50 is positioned vertically below the bush 45a of the support plate 45 of the arm side tool changer 20B. Moving.

  Thereafter, by moving the robot arm 6 vertically downward, the positioning pin 52a of the tool holder 50 is inserted into the bush 45a of the support plate 45 of the tool side tool changer 20B, and the guide 46 is interposed between the guide members 54a and 54b. Is inserted. As a result, the tool 8 to which the tool side tool changer 20B is attached is housed in the tool holder 50 as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, by moving the robot arm 6 in the horizontal direction away from the tool holder 50, the arm side tool changer 20A is detached from the tool side tool changer 20B as shown in FIG. At this time, since the arm side tool changer 20A must be moved in the horizontal direction against the gripping force of the arm side tool changer 20A, a load is applied to the robot arm 6. However, the gripping force of the arm-side tool changer 20A is set to an appropriate gripping force by adjusting the protruding amount of the ball 25a of the ball plunger 25 described above. The side tool changer 20A can be detached from the tool side tool changer 20B.

  The tool 8 to be mounted on the robot arm 6 can be easily replaced by the mounting operation of the tool 8 on the robot arm 6 and the storing operation on the tool holder 50 as described above.

2 Tool change unit 2A Arm side tool change unit 2B Tool side tool change unit 4 Damper mechanism 6 Robot arm 8 Tool 8a Suction passage 10 Suction joint 20 Main body 21 Socket forming portion 21a Socket 21b Suction passage 22a Adjustment hole 23 Positioning pin 25 Ball plunger 25a Ball 25b Spring 25c Engagement hole 40 Main body 41 Suction plug 42 Positioning hole 42a Bushing 43 Engaging recess 44 Taper ring 44a V groove 45 Support plate 45a Bush 46 Guide 50 Tool holder 51 Base plate 52 Tool support member 52a Positioning pin 53 Guide Mounting member 54a, 54b Guide receiver

Claims (3)

A tool exchange mechanism used when exchanging a tool attached to a tool moving device,
A first tool changer having an engaging projection and attached to the tool moving device;
A second tool changer that has an engagement recess into which the engagement projection is inserted and is attached to the tool;
A plurality of ball plungers disposed on a side surface of the engagement convex portion of the first tool changer;
A plurality of adjustment holes, which are disposed on the side surfaces of the engagement convex portion of the first tool changer and at positions facing each of the ball plungers and into which a tool used for adjusting the pressing force of the ball plunger can be inserted; ,
A tool exchanging mechanism comprising: a V groove provided on a side surface of the engagement concave portion of the second tool changer and engaged with a ball of a ball plunger protruding from the engagement convex portion. The tool change mechanism according to claim 1,
The ball plunger and the adjustment hole are each a tool change mechanism in which three each are equally arranged on the side surface of the engaging convex portion. The tool change mechanism according to claim 1 or 2,
The plurality of adjustment holes intersect each other at the center of the engagement convex portion,
A tool change mechanism in which a ball plunger arranged in one of the adjustment holes has a length that does not block the other adjustment holes.

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