JP2013022642A - Workpiece conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a workpiece conveyor which allows a feed bar to horizontally travel fast by reducing the weight of the feed bar including a rack.SOLUTION: In the workpiece conveyor 10 conveying a workpiece at a predetermined position to another predetermined position in sequence, a feed bar 20 kept horizontal by a slide guide 14 and equipped with a workpiece holding section 50 at a predetermined position in its lengthwise direction travels back and forth at least in the axial direction. The axial back-and-forth horizontal feeding mechanism B includes: a rack 22 made of a lightweight material formed on one side surface of the feed bar 20; a plurality of driving-side pulleys 34 which are arranged on the slide base 30 provided in the slide guide 14; and a driving-side toothed endless belt 36 which is wound around the plurality of pulleys 34 and is engaged with the rack 22. Because at least the rack 22 is made of a lightweight material, the weight of the feed bar 20 including the rack 22 is made smaller than that of a conventional one, thereby making the feed bar 20 travel fast in axial direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a work transfer device, which is an industrial robot used for sequentially transferring work to a mold arranged in a press machine, for example, and in particular, is held horizontally and held at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction thereof. The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer device that holds a workpiece at a predetermined position by a workpiece holding hand and sequentially transfers it to another predetermined position by moving a feed bar provided with a hand at least in an up-and-down operation and an axial direction.

  The following Patent Document 1 is known as an example of this type of work transfer device.

  Here, work holding hands capable of holding a work are fixed to both ends of a feed bar configured to be able to slide in an axial direction and move up and down. For example, the feed bar is lifted, axially slid and lowered. Thus, there is described a workpiece transfer device that is an industrial robot that transfers a workpiece from one place to another (for example, sequentially transfers the workpiece to a mold arranged in a press machine).

  The horizontal feed mechanism that slides the feed bar back and forth in the axial direction includes a driven rack formed on the feed bar side and a drive pinion that is provided on the slide guide side that slidably supports the feed bar and meshes with the rack. It consists of a rack and pinion mechanism.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-5031 (FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6)

  However, since the rack and pinion constituting the rack and pinion mechanism are made of a hard metal material such as an iron alloy in order to prevent wear of the meshing teeth, there are the following problems.

  First, the feed bar is made of a hollow body and is lightweight, but the weight of the rack integrated with the feed bar is large, so the weight of the feed bar including the rack is heavy, and the feed bar is speedy. Therefore, it takes time to transport the workpiece.

  Second, when the feed bar is run in the axial direction, the rack and pinion teeth come into contact with each other and a loud metal sound (noise) is generated.

  Third, in order to suppress tooth wear and noise generation of the rack and pinion mechanism, a greasing operation to the rack and pinion mechanism is indispensable.

  Therefore, the inventor considered as follows.

In the rack and pinion mechanism, only a part of the teeth between the rack and the pinion mesh with each other to transmit the driving force, so the force acting on each tooth is large, and in order to prevent tooth wear, the rack and pinion are made of iron alloy, etc. The hard metal material (iron alloy is heavy).
However, if many teeth are engaged at the same time when the driving force is transmitted between the driving force transmitting side member and the rack that is the driving force receiving side (driven side) member, the driving force transmitting side member and Since the force acting on each tooth meshing between the racks is small, the teeth of both members are less likely to wear out. In particular, if the driving force transmission side member is composed of a toothed belt made of rubber or resin, the teeth will be more difficult to wear out, so the rack material will be a material other than a hard metal material such as an iron alloy (light weight and somewhat harder) Low material), the total weight of the feed bar including the rack can be reduced, and the feed bar can be moved quickly, and the drive force transmission side member and the rack can be operated when the feed bar is moved. Even if the teeth of the two teeth hit each other, it was thought that no loud metal noise (noise) was generated and the frequency of lubrication was reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art and based on the knowledge of the inventor described above, and the object thereof is a driving force transmission side member and a driving force transmitted side (driven side) member. When a rack is meshed and the driving force is transmitted, many teeth are meshed at the same time, making it possible to configure the rack with a lightweight material and driving the feed bar in the axial direction speedily. An object of the present invention is to provide a work transfer device that can be operated.

In order to solve the above-described problem, in the workpiece transfer device according to claim 1, a long-sized feed bar provided with a workpiece holding portion, and a slide guide that supports the feed bar so as to be slidable in the axial direction horizontally. A workpiece transfer apparatus provided with a horizontal feed mechanism that is interposed between a slide base provided in the slide guide and the feed bar and moves the feed bar in the axial direction with respect to the slide guide;
The horizontal feed mechanism is a driven-side rack formed of a lightweight material formed on one side of the feed bar, a plurality of drive-side pulleys disposed on the slide base close to the rack, and A drive-side toothed endless belt wound between a plurality of pulleys and meshing with the rack is provided.

In order to solve the above problem, in the work transfer device according to claim 2, a long feed bar in which a work holding hand is disposed at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction, and a feed bar supported on a gantry. Between the feed bar and the slide base, a slide base that is slidably supported horizontally in the axial direction, a slide base that is fixed and integrated on the side of the slide guide opposite to the work holding hand arrangement side, and A horizontal feed mechanism that moves the feed bar in the axial direction with respect to the slide guide, and is interposed between the slide base and the gantry, and the slide guide is integrated with the slide guide. An elevating mechanism that moves the feed bar up and down, and conveys a work at a predetermined position held by the work holding hand to another predetermined position. In over click conveying device,
The horizontal feed mechanism is a driven-side rack formed of a lightweight material formed on one side of the feed bar, a plurality of drive-side pulleys disposed on the slide base close to the rack, and A drive-side toothed endless belt wound between a plurality of pulleys and meshing with the rack is provided.

  (Operation of claims 1 and 2) The rack formed on one side of the feed bar is made of a lightweight material such as rubber, resin, aluminum alloy or magnesium alloy (light weight material having lower rigidity than conventional iron alloys). However, since the driving end toothed endless belt (external teeth thereof) meshes with the driven side rack (teeth) throughout the plurality of pulleys to transmit the driving force, the toothed endless belt and the rack The force acting on the individual teeth meshing with each other is smaller than the force acting on the individual teeth meshing between the rack and the pinion constituting the conventional horizontal feed mechanism because the number of meshing teeth is large. That is, the driving force is transmitted by the meshing of the external teeth of the driving-side toothed belt and the teeth of the driven-side rack, but the force acting on each tooth of the toothed belt and the rack is the force of the teeth meshing with the driving force. Since the sizes are distributed in numbers, the teeth of the toothed belt and the rack are less likely to wear out.

  Furthermore, since the toothed endless belt on the driving side is made of rubber or resin having flexibility that can be wound around a pulley, the teeth of the rack are more difficult to wear.

  That is, the rack of the feed bar can be made of a lightweight material such as rubber, resin, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and the rack teeth are not abraded.

  Since the feed bar rack is made of a lightweight material, the weight of the feed bar including the feed bar rack is reduced compared to the weight of the conventional feed bar (at least the rack made of iron alloy). Can be driven quickly in the axial direction, and the load acting on the motor that drives the horizontal feed mechanism of the feed bar is also small.

  Also, the toothed endless belt on the drive side is made of rubber or resin, and the rack is made of a lightweight material such as rubber, resin, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, etc. Even if the teeth of the belt and the rack hit each other, there is no loud metal sound that occurs in the rack and pinion mechanism that constitutes the conventional horizontal feed mechanism, and even at the part where the driving pulley and the toothed endless belt mesh with each other No noise is generated.

  Also, at the meshing portion between the toothed belt on the driving side and the rack on the driven side, the teeth are difficult to wear out and no noise is generated, so it is unnecessary to lubricate the meshing portion of both, or the frequency of lubrication is low Less is enough.

  (Working of Claim 2) Since the work holding hand generally extends horizontally from the feed bar toward the front side of the apparatus, the work holding hand and the weight load of the work are cantilevered when the work is transported. Although acting on the lifting mechanism (acting as an eccentric load), the slide base equipped with the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism is disposed on the side opposite to the work holding hand arrangement side of the slide guide. By arranging the feed bar elevating mechanism interposed between the bases closer to the slide guide, the work holding hand, the weight load of the work, and the weight load of the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism act on the feed bar elevating mechanism in a cantilevered manner. (Acting with a large eccentricity) is avoided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the work transfer device according to the first or second aspect, the rack is made of a lightweight material such as rubber, resin, aluminum alloy, or magnesium alloy fixed and integrated on one side of the feed bar. It was comprised with the elongate thin plate-shaped rack structural member.

  (Operation) Since the rack is configured separately from the feed bar as a long thin plate-shaped rack component, it is easy to manufacture the rack component. In addition, it is easy to fix and integrate the rack constituent members to the feed bar main body.

  Since the rack constituent members are fixed and integrated on one side of the feed bar, the rigidity of the rack is ensured, so that the rack can be made of rubber and the choice of materials constituting the rack is expanded.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the work transfer device according to the first or second aspect, the rack is integrally formed on the feed bar made of a lightweight material such as a resin, an aluminum alloy, or a magnesium alloy.

  (Operation) The rack is integrally formed with the feed bar. When the feed bar is made of resin, the feed bar and the rack are integrally formed or the rack is formed by cutting, and the feed bar is made of metal. The feed bar and the rack can be integrally extruded or the rack can be formed by cutting.

  The entire feed bar including the rack is made of lightweight materials such as resin, aluminum alloy, and magnesium alloy with the strength required for the feed bar, so the weight of the feed bar compared to the weight of the conventional feed bar The feed bar can be made to travel more speedily in the axial direction by being greatly reduced, and the load acting on the motor that drives the horizontal feed mechanism of the feed bar is further reduced.

  Further, since the rack and the feed bar are integrally formed, the number of parts constituting the horizontal feed mechanism is small, and the configuration of the work transfer device is simplified.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the work conveying device according to the second aspect, the rack is formed on the back side of the feed bar, and a drive pulley that is driven by a motor to a predetermined position that is separated from the feed bar of the slide base. The toothed endless belt is wound between the plurality of pulleys and the drive pulley.

  (Operation) In order to drive (run) the belt wound around the driving pulley, one of the driving pulleys may be configured as a driving pulley that drives the motor. It is necessary to dispose a drive motor. However, a feed bar elevating mechanism is interposed between the slide base and the pedestal, but since this drive motor interferes with the feed bar elevating mechanism, one of the drive side pulleys is used as a motor driven pulley. It may be difficult to configure.

  Accordingly, in claim 5, a rack is formed on the back side of the feed bar, and a drive pulley (and a drive motor) is disposed at a position away from the rack so that the drive motor does not interfere with the feed bar lifting mechanism. By arranging, driving of the driving pulley (running of the toothed endless belt) is ensured.

  In the embodiment, the feed bar elevating mechanism is composed of a linear guide and a ball screw. However, the feed bar elevating mechanism is disposed between the slide guide for supporting the feed bar and the horizontal feed mechanism. Since the weight load is balanced on the slide guide side across the lifting mechanism and the opposite side, the eccentric load (unexpected bending moment) does not act on the feed bar lifting mechanism (linear guide).

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the workpiece transfer device according to the second aspect, the rack is formed on a lower surface side or a rear surface side of the feed bar, and one of the plurality of pulleys is configured by a drive pulley that is driven by a motor. did.

  (Operation) At least two pulleys (drive pulley and driven pulley linked via a toothed endless belt) are required to drive the drive-side double-sided toothed endless belt meshing with the rack. The weight load acting on the lifting mechanism that moves the feed bar up and down integrally with the slide guide (slide base) is small.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the workpiece transfer apparatus according to claims 1 and 2, since the speedy horizontal movement of the feed bar is possible, the workpiece transfer time is shortened accordingly.

  In addition, since noise during horizontal running of the feed bar, which has been a problem in the past, is reduced, the work environment in the workpiece transfer process is improved.

  In addition, the toothed endless belt on the drive side and the teeth on the driven rack, which form the horizontal feed mechanism of the feed bar, are less likely to wear out, and the noise when the two mesh with each other is reduced. The frequency of fat decreases, and the work in the work transfer process becomes much easier.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the feed bar elevating mechanism interposed between the gantry and the slide base is not greatly decentered by the work holding hand, the work weight load, and the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism. As a result, the feed bar can be moved up and down smoothly.

  According to claim 3, it is possible to easily manufacture a feed bar in which a rack made of various lightweight materials such as rubber, resin, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy and the like is formed on one side.

  According to the fourth aspect, since the feed bar including the rack is significantly reduced in weight, the feed bar can be moved more quickly in the horizontal direction, so that the work transfer time is further shortened accordingly.

  Since the number of parts constituting the horizontal feed mechanism is small and the configuration of the workpiece transfer device is simplified, the assembly of the workpiece transfer device is facilitated.

  Further, in claim 3, it is conceivable that the rack constituent member is peeled off from the feed bar due to long-term use, but in claim 4, since such a case cannot be considered, it can be said that the durability is excellent. .

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the drive pulley is disposed at a predetermined position away from the rack, the drive pulley motor can be disposed so as not to interfere with the lifting mechanism that moves the feed bar up and down. Increase design freedom.

  In addition, since the weight load is balanced on the slide guide side across the feed bar lifting mechanism and the opposite side, the center of gravity of the weight of the entire workpiece transfer device is in the vicinity of the feed bar lifting mechanism, making the workpiece transfer device more durable. Sex is secured.

  According to the sixth aspect, since the weight load acting on the raising / lowering mechanism for raising / lowering the feed bar is reduced, the speed of raising / lowering the feed bar becomes possible, so that the work conveyance time is further shortened.

It is a front view of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a right view of the workpiece conveyance apparatus. It is a front perspective view of the work conveyance device. It is a back perspective view of the workpiece conveyance apparatus. It is a principal part expansion back perspective view of the workpiece conveyance apparatus. It is an expansion rear perspective view of a horizontal feed mechanism. It is an enlarged side view of a horizontal feed mechanism and an elevating mechanism. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view (a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 7) of the horizontal feed mechanism and the lifting mechanism. (A), (b) It is a cross-sectional view of the feed bar which is the principal part of the workpiece conveyance apparatus based on the 2nd, 3rd Example of this invention. It is a front view of the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism which is the principal part of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on the 4th Example of this invention. FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view (a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI shown in FIG. 10) of the horizontal feeding mechanism and the lifting mechanism. It is an enlarged plan view of a feed bar horizontal feed mechanism and an elevating mechanism which are the main parts of a workpiece transfer apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

  A first embodiment of a workpiece transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  1 to 4, the workpiece transfer device 10 is installed at an intermediate position between a pair of press machines (not shown), for example, as in the conventional example described above, and one (for example, the left side of FIG. 1) press work. It is configured as an industrial robot that receives a workpiece from a workpiece mounting table (not shown) of the machine and sends the workpiece to the workpiece mounting table (not shown) of the other press working machine (for example, the right side of FIG. 1). .

  Specifically, the workpiece transfer device 10 is assembled in a horizontally extending long slide guide 14 that can be moved up and down with respect to the gantry 12, and slidable in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). A long feed bar 20 and negative pressure suction hands 50 and 50 which are work holding hands provided at both ends of the feed bar 20 are provided.

  Then, the feed bar raising / lowering mechanism A and the feed bar horizontal feeding mechanism B provided on the gantry 12 are driven to raise and lower the feed bar 20 integrally with the slide guide 14, or the feed bar 20 is moved with respect to the slide guide 14. By performing horizontal feed operation in the longitudinal direction, the workpieces W1 and W2 sucked and held by the negative pressure suction hand 50 extending in a cantilevered manner from the lower surface of both ends of the feed bar 20 to the front side of the apparatus are moved from one workpiece mounting table. It is comprised so that it may convey sequentially to the other workpiece mounting base.

  Specifically, a workpiece mounting table (not shown) is also installed on the front surface of the gantry 12 of the apparatus 10, which is an intermediate position between the workpiece mounting tables of a pair of press machines (not shown). The apparatus 10 receives workpieces W1 and W2 from a workpiece mounting table (not shown) of the press machine on the left side of FIG. 1 and a workpiece mounting table (not shown) installed in front of the mounting frame 12, respectively. The workpieces W1 and W2 are transferred to the workpiece mounting table installed in front of the workpiece 12 and the workpiece mounting table of the press machine on the right side of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the feed bar 20 is composed of a long member having a T-shaped cross section, while the slide guide 14 is composed of a long member having a U-shaped cross section that opens downward and slides. In the guide 14, guide rollers 16 facing vertically are disposed at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction. The transverse bar T-shaped section of the feed bar 20 is supported by the guide roller 16 so that the feed bar 20 can slide back and forth in the axial direction with respect to the slide guide 14.

  Moreover, the rack 22 is formed in the back surface (back surface) side of the cross-sectional T-shaped vertical bar-shaped part of the feed bar 20, as shown to FIGS. Specifically, the feed bar 20 is formed of a hollow body having a T-shaped cross section obtained by extruding an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy. The long thin plate-like rubber or resin rack component 21 is fixed and integrated by the fixing means so as to be in close contact with each other. Reference numeral 23 in FIG. 6 is a screw for fixing the rack constituent member 21 to the back surface of the feed bar 20.

  On the other hand, on the back side of the slide guide 14, as shown in an enlarged view in FIGS. 7 and 8, a vertical plate 31 having an opening 31 a and a horizontal plate 33 that extends horizontally perpendicular to the vertical plate 31. And a slide base 30 having a substantially L-shaped longitudinal cross-section, in which a pair of side plates 32 are integrated, is fixed and integrated, and a main portion of the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism B is mounted on the horizontal plate 33.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, two driven-tooth pulleys 34 are disposed along the rack 22 at the side edge of the horizontal plate 33 that extends along the opening 31 a of the vertical plate 31. At a position spaced apart from the driven pulley 34 on the horizontal plate 33 on the opposite side of the rack 22 by a predetermined distance, a drive toothed pulley 35 that is attached to the drive shaft of the motor M2 fixed to the horizontal plate 33 is disposed. Between the pulleys 34 and 35, a double-sided toothed endless belt 36 made of rubber or resin meshing with the rack 22 is wound. Then, the drive pulley 35 is rotated by the drive of the drive motor M2 so that the double-sided toothed endless belt 36 travels, and the rack 22 (feed bar 20) meshing with the double-sided toothed endless belt 36 travels integrally with the belt 36. The drive motor M2 and the drive toothed pulley 35 are disposed on a slide plate 33a that can slide in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 8 with respect to the horizontal plate 33. The position of the drive toothed pulley 35 (drive motor M2) can be adjusted so that the tension of the endless belt 36 is appropriate.

  That is, the rack 22 of the feed bar 20, the two driven pulleys 34, 34 and the one driving pulley 35 that drives the motor, and the double-sided toothless endlessly wound around the pulleys 34, 34, 35 and meshing with the rack 22. The belt 36 constitutes a horizontal feed mechanism B that moves the feed bar 20 forward and backward with respect to the slide guide 14 in the axial direction.

  The slide base 30 integrated on the back side of the slide guide 14 is configured to move up and down with respect to the main body frame 40 placed on the gantry 12 by a ball screw 46 type lifting mechanism A. Yes.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the main body frame 40 has a vertically extending lower frame 41 in which an opening 41 a is formed and an upper frame 42 extending in parallel to the lower frame 41. And a pair of left and right side frames 43, 43 that are connected and integrated. Linear guides 44 and 44 are interposed between the vertical plate 31 of the slide base 30 fixed to the back side of the slide guide 14 and the pair of left and right side frames 43 and 43 of the main body frame 40. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 44a is a rail provided on the side frame 43 extending vertically, and reference numeral 44b is a slider provided on the vertical plate 31 to be engaged with the rail 44a. The linear guide 44 is constituted by both 44a and 44b. Has been.

  Further, between the upper and lower frames 42, 41, the screw shaft 46 a of the ball screw 46 is disposed vertically through the horizontal plate 33 of the slide base 30, and the drive motor M 1 disposed on the lower frame 41 is driven. The shaft is connected to the screw shaft 46 a of the ball screw 46 through the coupling 47. On the other hand, the horizontal plate 33 of the slide base 30 is provided with a nut member 46b that engages with the screw shaft 46a of the ball screw 46, and the screw shaft 46a of the ball screw 46 is rotated by driving of the drive motor M1. The slide base 30 moves up and down together with the nut member 46b.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the linear guides 44 and 44 interposed between the vertical plate 31 of the slide base 30 and the side frames 43 and 43 of the main body frame 40 and the upper and lower frames 42 and 41 are arranged. The feed bar 20 is moved together with the slide guide 14 by a screw shaft 46a of a ball screw 46 that is provided and driven by a motor, and a nut member 46b that is disposed on the horizontal plate 33 of the slide base 30 and engages with the screw shaft 46a. A lifting mechanism A that moves up and down is configured.

  In this embodiment, since the work holding hand 50 extends horizontally from the feed bar 20 toward the front side of the apparatus, when the work is transported, the weight load of the work holding hand 50 and the work is cantilevered. Although acting on A (acting as an eccentric load), the slide base 30 on which the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism B is mounted is arranged on the side opposite to the work holding hand 50 arrangement side of the slide guide 14, thereby The feed bar elevating mechanism A (linear guide 44) interposed between the slide base 30 and the slide base 30 acts with the work holding hand 50, the work weight load, and the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism B being greatly eccentric. Thus, the smooth drive of the feed bar lifting mechanism A is ensured.

  In this embodiment, the feed bar 20 is made of a lightweight material such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy, the rack 22 is made of rubber or resin, and the drive bar 20 is engaged with the rack 22 to drive the feed bar 20. By using the rubber or resin double-sided toothed endless belt 36 wound around the driven pulleys 34 and 34 and the drive pulley 35, the following first to third actions and effects are exhibited.

  First, since the feed bar 20 including the rack 22 is reduced in weight, a speedy horizontal running operation of the feed bar 20 becomes possible, and the work transfer time is shortened accordingly.

  Although the rack 22 is made of rubber or resin that is inferior in rigidity and elasticity compared to conventional iron alloys, the meshing teeth between the drive-side double-sided endless belt 36 and the driven-side rack 22 are worn away. There is no risk.

  That is, the driving force is transmitted by the meshing of the external teeth of the driving side toothed belt 36 and the teeth of the driven side rack 22, but the force acting on each tooth of the driving side toothed belt 36 and the driven side rack 22 is The driving force is dispersed in the number of teeth engaged with each other. Specifically, the toothless endless belt 36 (external teeth) on the driving force transmission side meshes with the rack 22 (the teeth) on the driven side in the entire area between the driven pulleys 34 and 34, so that the driving force is transmitted. The force acting on each meshing tooth between the endless belt 36 and the rack 22 is distributed to each meshing tooth, and the force acting on each tooth is reduced. Further, the double-sided toothed endless belt 36 on the driving side is further reduced. Since it is made of flexible rubber or resin that can be wound around the pulleys 34 and 35, there is no possibility that the teeth of the rubber or resin rack 22 are worn away.

  Since the rack 22 of the feed bar 20 is made of a light material, the weight of the feed bar 20 including the rack 22 is reduced compared to the weight of the conventional feed bar, so that the feed bar 20 travels in the axial direction speedily. The load acting on the motor M2 that drives the horizontal feed mechanism of the feed bar 20 is also small.

  Second, the drive-side double-sided toothed endless belt 36 is made of rubber or resin, and the rack 22 is made of a lightweight material such as rubber or resin. Even if the teeth of the endless belt 36 and the rack 22 come into contact with each other, there is no loud metal sound generated in the rack and pinion mechanism that constitutes the conventional horizontal feed mechanism, and the pulleys 34, 34, 35 on the drive side and both sides No noise is generated even at the portion where the toothed endless belt 36 meshes.

  Third, at the meshing portion between the toothed belt 36 on the driving side and the rack 22 on the driven side, the teeth are hard to wear out and no noise is generated. Less frequent lubrication.

  As a configuration of the horizontal feed mechanism B, it is conceivable that one of the driven toothed pulleys 34, 34 is configured as a driving toothed pulley that drives a motor, but in the vicinity of the slide guide 14 between the slide base 30 and the gantry 12. Is provided with a ball screw 46 constituting the feed bar lifting mechanism A, and the motor M2 for driving the pulley with drive teeth interferes with the feed bar lifting mechanism A (ball screw 46). It is not possible to dispose a drive toothed pulley in the vicinity. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the drive toothed pulley 35 is disposed at a position away from the slide guide 14, and the motor M2 is disposed so as not to interfere with the feed bar lifting mechanism A (ball screw 46). Driving of the drive toothed pulley 35 (travel of the double-sided toothed endless belt 36) is ensured.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views of a feed bar which is a main part of the work transfer device according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment described above, the rack 22 is configured separately from the feed bar 20, whereas in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the resin feed bar 20A is crossed. A rack 22A is integrally formed (integrated or cut) on the back side of the surface T-shaped vertical bar.

  In the present embodiment, since the feed bar 20A integrally formed with the rack 22A is made of resin, the effect of reducing the weight of the entire feed bar 20A including the rack 22A is great.

  Further, since the rack 22A is integrally formed with the feed bar 20A, the number of parts constituting the horizontal feed mechanism B is small, and the assembly of the work transfer device is facilitated because the configuration of the work transfer device is simplified. .

  In the first embodiment described above, the rack constituent member 21 may be peeled off from the feed bar 20 due to long-term use. However, in this embodiment, the rack 22A cannot be considered as such. It can be said that it is excellent in durability.

  In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 9B, the feed bar 20B is configured as a hollow body formed by extruding an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy. A rack 22B is integrally formed on the back side by integral extrusion molding or cutting of the feed bar and the rack.

  In this embodiment, since the rack 22B is made of a lightweight metal, the rack 22B is superior in durability to the racks 22 and 22A made of resin or rubber in the first and second embodiments.

  10 and 11 are a front view and a side view of a feed bar horizontal feed mechanism which is a main part of a work transfer device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment described above, the drive side of the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism B has two driven toothed pulleys 34, 34, one drive toothed pulley 35 that drives the motor, and toothed pulleys 34, 34. , 35 is constituted by a double-sided toothed endless belt 36. In the fourth embodiment, the drive side of the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism B1 is a single driven-tooth pulley 34, a motor It comprises a single driving toothed pulley 35 to be driven and a double-sided toothed endless belt 36A wound between the toothed pulleys 34, 35.

  Specifically, the rack 22 is formed on the lower surface of the feed bar 20, and the vertical wall 33a is formed on the front edge of the horizontal plate 33 of the slide base 30A. The driven pulley 34, the drive motor M2, and the drive teeth are formed on the vertical wall 33a. A pulley 35 is provided.

  That is, in the first embodiment described above, the number of drive-side pulleys is three, whereas in this embodiment, only two drive-side pulleys are required, so that a heavy load acting on the slide base 30A is required. As a result, the feed bar 20 can be moved up and down more quickly by the lifting mechanism A.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the motor M2 for driving the pulley 35 with drive teeth is disposed in the vicinity of the feed bar 20, the length (width) L1 of the slide base 30A is the case of the first embodiment described above. The depth L2 of the gantry 12 can also be reduced according to the size of the slide base 30A.

  Others are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and the same reference numerals are used to omit redundant description.

  FIG. 12 is an enlarged plan view of a feed bar horizontal feed mechanism and an elevating mechanism, which are the main parts of a workpiece transfer apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. 8 in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism B, B1 includes a plurality of drive-side pulleys 34, 35 disposed on the slide base 30, 30A, and the tooth pulley 34, In the fifth embodiment, the horizontal feed mechanism B2 slides close to the rack 22 and is constituted by the drive-side double-sided endless belts 36, 36A wound between the belts 35 and meshing with the rack 22. First and second driven pulleys 34a and 34b on the driving side disposed on the base 30, a third driven pulley 34c on the driving side disposed on the slide base 30 apart from the rack 22, and a slide base 30 between the second and third driven pulleys 34b, 34c at 30 and spaced from the rack 22, and is driven by a motor-driven pulley 35, driven pulleys 34a, 34b, 34c, Are wound between the toothed pulleys 35 is constituted by the outer surface toothed endless belt 36B of the drive side meshing with the rack 22.

  That is, in the first to fourth embodiments described above, the driven pulley 34 constituting the feed bar horizontal feed mechanism is constituted by a toothed pulley having teeth formed on the outer periphery, but in this embodiment, the driven pulley 34a, 34b, and 34c are constituted by pulleys that do not form teeth on the outer periphery.

  In the first embodiment, the tension of the double-sided toothed endless belt 36 is adjusted by sliding the position of the drive motor M2 (and the drive-tooth pulley 35). The third driven pulley 34c is slidably adjusted in the approaching / separating direction (X direction) with respect to the driven pulleys 34a and 34b, and the tension of the outer toothed endless belt 36B is appropriate (the outer toothed endless belt). 36B and the rack 22 are adjusted so that the meshing can be ensured.

  Others are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and the same reference numerals are used to omit redundant description.

  In the horizontal feed mechanism B2 of the present embodiment, four drive-side pulleys are disposed on the slide base 30, which is disposed in comparison with the horizontal feed mechanisms B and B1 in the first and fourth embodiments. Although the weight load acting on the feed bar elevating mechanism A is large due to the large number of pulleys, the following specific effects are exhibited.

  The outer toothed belt 36B has more types than the double-sided toothed belts 36, 36A, and can be obtained at a low cost. The driven pulleys 34a, 34b, 34c are also less expensive because they are not toothed, so the horizontal feed mechanism B2 Can be provided at a lower cost than the horizontal feed mechanisms B and B1 in the above-described embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the workpiece transfer device is an industrial robot that is used to sequentially transfer workpieces to dies arranged in a press machine. In particular, the workpiece transfer device is held horizontally and has a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction. A workpiece transfer device that holds a workpiece at a predetermined position with a workpiece holding hand and sequentially conveys it to another predetermined position by moving the feed bar provided with a workpiece holding hand at least in the up-and-down operation and the axial movement back and forth. As described above, a workpiece transfer device having a structure in which a feed bar provided with a workpiece holding portion at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction is moved only in the front and rear in the axial direction to sequentially transfer a workpiece at a predetermined position to another predetermined position. The same applies.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Work conveying apparatus 12 Base 14 Slide guide 20 Feed bar 22, 22A, 22B Rack A Feed bar raising / lowering mechanism B, B1, B2 Feed bar horizontal feed mechanism 30, 30A Slide base 34 Pulley 34a, 34b, 34c with driven teeth 35 Drive-tooth pulleys 36, 36A Double-sided toothed endless belt 36B External-toothed endless belt M1 Drive motor M2 for elevating mechanism Drive motor 40 for horizontal feed mechanism Main body frame 44 Linear guide 46 Ball screw 46a Screw shaft 46b Nut member 50 Work holding hand

Claims (6)

An elongated feed bar provided with a work holding portion, a slide guide that supports the feed bar so as to be slidable in the axial direction horizontally, and a slide base provided on the slide guide and an intermediate between the feed bar. A workpiece transfer device provided with a horizontal feed mechanism that is mounted and moves the feed bar in the axial direction relative to the slide guide;
The horizontal feed mechanism includes a driven-side rack formed of a lightweight material formed on one side of the feed bar, a plurality of drive-side pulleys disposed on the slide base close to the rack, and A work conveying apparatus comprising: a drive-side toothed endless belt wound between pulleys and meshing with the rack. A long feed bar in which a work holding hand is disposed at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction, a slide guide supported on a gantry to support the feed bar so as to be slidable horizontally in the axial direction, and the work holding of the slide guide A slide base fixed and integrated on the opposite side of the hand arrangement side, and a horizontal feed that is interposed between the feed bar and the slide base to move the feed bar in the axial direction relative to the slide guide. A mechanism, and a lifting mechanism interposed between the slide base and the gantry and moving the feed bar up and down integrally with the slide guide with respect to the gantry, and held by the work holding hand In a workpiece transfer device that transfers a workpiece at a position to another predetermined position,
The horizontal feed mechanism includes a driven-side rack formed of a lightweight material formed on one side of the feed bar, a plurality of drive-side pulleys disposed on the slide base close to the rack, and A work conveying apparatus comprising: a drive-side toothed endless belt wound between pulleys and meshing with the rack.   The rack is composed of a long thin plate-shaped rack component member made of a lightweight material such as rubber, resin, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and the like fixed and integrated on one side of the feed bar. The workpiece conveyance apparatus of Claim 1 or 2.   The work rack according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rack is integrally formed with the feed bar made of a lightweight material such as a resin, an aluminum alloy, or a magnesium alloy.   The rack is formed on the back side of the feed bar, a drive pulley that is driven by a motor is disposed at a predetermined position away from the feed bar of the slide base, and the rack is disposed between the plurality of pulleys and the drive pulley. The work conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a toothed endless belt is wound.   The work transport device according to claim 2, wherein the rack is formed on a lower surface side or a rear surface side of the feed bar, and one of the plurality of pulleys is configured by a drive pulley that is driven by a motor.

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