JP2013248719A - Clamp device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably grip a long-shaped resin molded article having a flange or the like without causing deformation or displacement, to remove it from a mold or transfer it to the next step.SOLUTION: A clamp device includes a chuck part 2 and a pusher part 3 supported on a movable base 12. A pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b are loosely fitted from a lateral side to the flange parts W1 and W2 of a workpiece W, and a pusher 32 is pressed to the bottom surface of the workpiece W. In this state, the movable base 12 is raised to engage the chuck claws 22a and 22b, and the workpiece W is gripped by the supporting force of the pusher 32 and the chuck claws 22a and 22b.

Description

  The present invention relates to a clamp device that is used in, for example, a transport device that transports a long-shaped workpiece with a flange or a groove, and stably grips the workpiece without causing deformation of the workpiece.

  For example, a resin tank of a heat exchanger mounted on an automobile has a long container shape and has a flange portion projecting outward from the opening. A clamp device is used to take out the resin tank from the mold after injection molding and transport it to the next process. Usually, the clamp device is configured to open and close a pair of parallel chuck claws to grip a product.

  FIG. 16 shows a schematic structure of a conventional clamping device, and the chuck portion 100 has a pair of chuck claws 102 that are driven to open and close by a chuck cylinder 101. A resin tank 103 (work), which is a conveyed product, is inserted into the lower surface side of the flange portion 104 with a chuck claw 102 and clamped from both sides (I in the figure), and the entire chuck portion 100 is raised by a drive mechanism (not shown). Thus, it is pulled out from the mold 105 (II in the figure). Thereafter, the resin tank 103 held by the chuck unit 100 is transported to a predetermined position (III in the figure).

  As a prior art, Patent Document 1 discloses a robot device hand for clamping a plurality of places. This device has a pair of chucking mechanisms having independent drive units in order to securely hold workpieces of various shapes, and each chucking mechanism opens and closes the gripping claws to open a plurality of workpieces. And one of the chucking mechanisms is slidably provided so that a workpiece having a different grip center can be held.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-85583

  By the way, a long product made of a resin material that is easily deformed, such as the resin tank 103 of the heat exchanger, is difficult to handle during transportation. That is, in order to perform stable conveyance, it is preferable to increase the gripping force. However, as shown in FIG. 17, there is a possibility that the clamp part may be crushed (deformed). On the other hand, if the gripping force is weakened in order to avoid crushing, the clamp becomes unstable and the balance becomes poor. For this reason, the position of the resin tank 103 is likely to be displaced with respect to the chuck portion 100 during conveyance to the next process after the drawing, and it becomes difficult to transfer the resin tank 103 to a predetermined assembly position, which leads to problems such as defective product assembly. there is a possibility.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to securely hold a stable product without causing problems such as crushing and misalignment, even if it is a long and easily deformable material used for conveying flanged products. Thus, a clamp device that can be taken out from the mold and transferred to the next process is realized.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides:
A workpiece clamping device having convex portions or concave portions extending in the longitudinal direction on two parallel surfaces, comprising a chuck portion and a pusher portion supported by a movable base,
The chuck portion has a pair of chuck claws that can be engaged with a convex portion or a concave portion of the workpiece, and a chuck driving portion that opens and closes the pair of chuck claws,
The pusher portion has a pusher capable of pressing the other surface of the workpiece perpendicular to the two surfaces, and a pusher drive portion for extending and retracting the pusher,
The movable base is moved in a direction opposite to the pressing direction of the pusher in a state where the pair of chuck claws are loosely fitted to the convex portion or concave portion of the work and the pusher is pressed against the other surface of the work. Then, by engaging the pair of chuck claws with the convex portion or the concave portion of the workpiece, the workpiece is gripped by the projecting tension of the pair of chuck claws and the pusher.

  In the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, the workpiece has a substantially U shape or a long shape with a rectangular cross section.

  In the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention, the workpiece has a pair of flange portions, concave groove portions, concave portions, or through holes that serve as the convex portions or the concave portions at symmetrical positions on two parallel side surfaces. Yes.

  In the invention according to claim 4 of the present invention, the chuck portion opens and closes in a direction in which the pair of chuck claws are orthogonal to the two parallel surfaces, and the pusher portion has the pusher configured to move the pair of chuck claws. Located between.

  In the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention, a plurality of the chuck portions or the pusher portions are provided to grip an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the workpiece.

  When the workpiece is clamped by the clamping device of the present invention, first, the pair of chuck claws of the chuck portion is driven to loosely fit the convex portion or the concave portion from the two parallel sides of the workpiece. Next, the pusher of the pusher portion is driven and pressed against the other surface of the workpiece. In this state, when the movable base is moved in a direction opposite to the pressing direction of the workpiece, the pair of chuck claws engage with the convex portion or the concave portion, and the workpiece is gripped by the protruding tension of the pair of chuck claws and the pusher. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to stably take out and convey the workpiece without causing the conventional crushing and displacement.

  Specifically, the clamping device of the present invention is adapted to a long workpiece having a substantially U-shaped or rectangular cross section, and can stably hold both side surfaces and the bottom surface or top surface (Claim 2).

  Specifically, the clamping device of the present invention engages a chuck portion with a pair of flange portions, concave groove portions, concave portions, or through holes that are symmetrically arranged on two parallel side surfaces of a workpiece, and pushes the other surface to the pusher. By pressing with the part, the workpiece can be gripped effectively (claim 3).

  The clamping device of the present invention opens and closes a pair of chuck claws of the chuck portion facing two parallel surfaces of the workpiece. At this time, deformation can be suppressed by loosely fitting the chuck claw into the concave portion or the convex portion with a clearance. Next, between the pair of chuck claws, the pusher is moved in a direction perpendicular to the opening / closing direction, and in this state, the pair of chuck claws are moved in the direction opposite to the pusher, thereby generating a projecting tension ( Claim 4).

  The clamping device of the present invention can grip a long workpiece more stably by providing a plurality of chuck portions or pusher portions and disposing the chuck portion or the pusher portion in an intermediate portion in the workpiece longitudinal direction. Moreover, it can respond also to the shape where a workpiece | work press surface inclines by driving a several pusher independently (Claim 5).

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the whole structure of the clamp apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the product shape example used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating the taking-out method from the shaping | molding die of the product used as clamp object. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the structural example of the conveying apparatus containing the clamp apparatus of this invention. It is A arrow directional view of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating the clamp operation | movement using the clamp apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the chuck | zipper part using the clamp apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the pusher part using the clamp apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the chuck head using the clamp apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other example of a shape of the product used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other example of a shape of the product used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other example of a shape of the product used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other example of a shape of the product used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other example of a shape of the product used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other example of a shape of the product used as the clamp object of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the conventional clamp apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating the deformation | transformation of the product by the conventional clamp apparatus.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration of a chuck head 1 constituting the clamping device of the present invention, and FIG. In FIG. 2, a workpiece W is a long shaped product made of a resin material that is easily deformed, for example, a resin tank T for a heat exchanger. The workpiece W has a long container shape with a substantially U-shaped cross section with an open top surface, and has a pair of flange portions W1 and W2 extending in the longitudinal direction at the upper edge. The pair of flange portions W1 and W2 are shaped to bend and project outward in an L-shape from the upper end edges of both side surfaces which are two parallel surfaces.

  The heat exchanger generally includes a large number of tubes through which a heat exchange medium flows, and the resin tank T is attached to a plate that connects both ends of the large number of tubes to form a junction. Such a resin molded product is usually injection-molded using a molding die C composed of a lower die C1 and an upper die C2 shown in FIG. The molded product is taken out by removing the upper mold C2 and pushing it out from below the lower mold C1 with the ejector C3 to clamp the flange portions W1 and W2 protruding from the lower mold C1. At this time, the clamping device of the present invention is used to take out the molded product without deformation and transport it to the next process.

  In FIG. 1, a chuck head 1 of a clamping device has a movable base 12 that can be moved in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by a transport loader 11, and a chuck part 2 and a pusher part 3 that are attached to the movable base 12. The workpiece W is disposed below the movable base 12 and faces the chuck portion 2 and the pusher portion 3. The chuck unit 2 includes a chuck cylinder 21 as a chuck driving unit fixed to the lower surface of the movable base 12 and a pair of chuck claws 22 a and 22 b that are driven to open and close by the chuck cylinder 21. The pusher unit 3 includes a pusher cylinder 31 as a pusher drive unit disposed above the movable base 12 and a pusher 32 that is driven to extend and contract by the pusher cylinder 31.

  In the chuck portion 2, the pair of chuck claws 22 a and 22 b are opposed to each other with the workpiece W interposed therebetween. The pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b has a T-shaped base portion that is slidably supported by the guide rail 23, and tip portions 221a and 221b that are bent in an L shape inward from the lower ends of the chuck claws 22a and 22b. Lower to the opposite position. The chuck claws 22a and 22b are guided by the guide rail 23 so as to open and close in the left-right direction in the figure.

  By the nail insertion operation (closing operation) shown in (1) in the figure, the chuck claws 22a and 22b have the tip portions 221a and 221b inserted into the lower surfaces of the flange portions W1 and W2. At this time, the chuck claws 22a and 22b are loosely fitted with the workpiece W with a slight clearance, and do not press both sides of the workpiece W. The chuck claws 22a and 22b are close to the lower surfaces of the flange portions W1 and W2, and can be engaged with the workpiece W by the vertical movement of the drawing.

  In the pusher portion 3, the pusher cylinder 31 and the pusher 32 are coaxial, and the pusher 32 is positioned between the pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b. The front-end | tip part which the pusher 32 expands / contracts is inserted in the container-shaped workpiece | work W, and is facing the bottom face center part which is another surface. The pusher 32 expands and contracts in the vertical direction in the drawing, and can be lowered by the pushing operation (extension operation) shown in (2) in the drawing to press the bottom surface of the workpiece W.

  The chuck head 1 can move the chuck part 2 and the pusher part 3 together with the movable base 12 in the vertical direction by the transport loader 11. In the present invention, the workpiece W supported by the chuck portion 2 and the pusher portion 3 can be taken out from the lower die C1 by the pulling operation (lifting operation) shown in FIG. Thereafter, the chuck load 1 can be moved in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by the transport loader 11 to transport the workpiece W to a predetermined position.

  In the clamping device of the present invention, the chuck part 2 is engaged with the flange parts W1 and W2 of the workpiece W in the process of the pulling operation (3) in the figure, and the vertical thrust by the pusher part 3 and the chuck part 2 is used. Clamp the workpiece W. Thus, the workpiece W can be reliably gripped and transported without being deformed. Details of these series of operations will be described later.

  4 and 5 show another embodiment of the present invention, which is another configuration example of the transport device including the clamp device. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of chuck portions 2 and pusher portions 3 can be provided in order to stably hold the long workpiece W. Specifically, the chuck portions 2 are arranged at two locations across the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W, and a pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b are provided respectively. The two pairs of chuck claws 22 a and 22 b have the same shape, and their upper ends can slide relative to the guide rail 23. Further, the tip portions of the chuck claws 22a and 22b are formed wide so that the flange portions W1 and W2 are supported by a relatively wide tip surface when engaged with the workpiece W to prevent deformation.

  The pusher portions 3 are arranged at three locations including the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W between the two sets of chuck portions 2. In the three sets of pusher portions 3, pushers 32 having the same shape are arranged at equal intervals, and are driven independently by corresponding pusher cylinders 31. In this way, even if there is an inclination or unevenness on the bottom surface of the workpiece W, it is possible to press uniformly with a predetermined set pressure by adjusting the extension amount of the corresponding pusher 32.

  4 and 5, the chuck unit 2 and the pusher unit 3 are supported and fixed to a movable base 12 to which a transport loader 11 is attached. The right figure in FIG. 4 shows a state before the workpiece is taken out, and the left figure shows a state after the workpiece is taken out. Here, the workpiece W only needs to have a shape that can be clamped by the projecting tension of the chuck portion 2 and the pusher portion 3. For example, the workpiece W has a shallower width such as a workpiece W ′ indicated by a broken line in the drawing. The container shape with a narrow flange may be sufficient.

  In this case, the gap between the pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b is adjusted to be narrower when the chuck portion 2 is closed, and the extension amount of the pusher portion 32 is shorter when the pusher portion 3 is pressed. By adjusting, it is possible to correspond to the workpiece shape. Then, as the movable base 12 is raised, the workpiece W ′ can be reliably gripped and transported.

Next, a series of steps for taking out the workpiece W from the forming die C using the clamping device of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
First, from the state immediately after molding shown in FIG. 3, the upper die C2 is removed, and the ejector C3 is raised from below the lower die C1. FIG. 6 shows the protrusion operation of the workpiece W, and the upper end portion of the workpiece W including the flange portions W1 and W2 above the lower mold C1 is projected. Above the workpiece W, the chuck head 1 of the clamping device is disposed, the chuck portion 2 has a pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b located outside the flange portions W1 and W2, and the pusher portion 3 has a tip end of the pusher 32. The initial position is in the vicinity of the flange portions W1 and W2.

  From this state, the chuck head 1 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 7 using the transport loader 11 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the chuck portion 2 has a pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b inserted below the flange portions W1 and W2 of the workpiece W, and the pusher portion 3 has a pusher 32 inserted from the upper end opening of the workpiece W into the inside. The pusher 32 extends in the vertical direction in parallel with both side surfaces of the workpiece W, and the tip of the pusher 32 faces the center of the bottom surface that is a horizontal plane.

  Here, the chuck cylinder 21 moves the pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b in the closing direction indicated by the arrows in the figure, and inserts them into the lower surface side of the flange portions W1 and W2 of the workpiece W. At this time, in order not to apply a load to the workpiece W, the chuck claws 22a and 22b are nipped into the flange portions W1 and W2 to have a gripping force (for example, about 0.8 kgf). Do not clamp. That is, since it is loosely fitted with a slight clearance between both side surfaces of the workpiece W and the lower surfaces of the flange portions W1 and W2, there is no occurrence of conventional crushing on the side surface of the workpiece W.

  Next, in FIG. 8, the pusher cylinder 31 is used to extend the pusher 32, and the pusher 32 is lowered and pressed against the bottom surface of the workpiece W as indicated by an arrow in the figure. At this time, the pusher 32 may be adjusted so as to press the workpiece W from above with a predetermined pressing force (for example, about 10 kgf).

  While maintaining this state, the entire chuck head 1 is moved up as shown by the arrow in FIG. In the process, first, the pair of chuck claws 22a and 22b of the chuck portion 2 engages with the flange portions W1 and W2, and then the workpiece W is pulled out from the lower die C1. That is, when the chuck head 1 is raised with the same pulling force while pressing the bottom surface of the workpiece W with the pusher 32 (for example, about 10 kgf), the chuck claws 22a and 22b are raised with respect to the workpiece W and the flange portion W1. , Abuts on the lower surface of W2. Thereby, the gripping force in the lateral direction can be converted into a gripping force by pulling in the vertical direction.

  Therefore, the workpiece W can be reliably gripped by the projecting tension of the chuck portion 2 and the pusher portion 3, and the side surface when the workpiece W is clamped and the displacement during conveyance can be prevented. Then, it is possible to easily take out the workpiece W from the mold C and convey it to the next process, and to avoid the occurrence of assembly failure or the like.

  The product to which the clamping device of the present invention can be applied is not limited to the resin tank T of the heat exchanger. Specifically, the two parallel surfaces have convex portions or concave portions that can be engaged with the chuck claws 22a and 22b of the chuck portion 2, and other surfaces that can be pressed by the pusher 32 of the pusher portion 3. That's fine. Examples of such elongated products are shown in FIGS.

  The workpiece W of FIG. 10 has a rectangular cross-section block shape, and has flange portions W1 and W2 extending along both longitudinal edges on the upper end surface. As shown in FIG. 11, the flange portions W <b> 1 and W <b> 2 extending along the longitudinal direction may be formed in the middle portion on both side surfaces. In any case, the chuck portion 2 of the clamp device is engaged with the flange portions W1 and W2, and the pusher 32 of the pusher portion 3 is pressed against the upper end surface of the work W, so that the same as in the first and second embodiments. Can be clamped by movement.

  The work W of FIG. 12 has a rectangular cross-section block shape, and has a concave groove W3 extending in the longitudinal direction in the middle part of both side surfaces. Even if it has a shape having a concave portion instead of a convex portion such as the flange portions W1 and W2, the chuck portion 2 is engaged with the concave groove W3 and the pusher 32 of the pusher portion 3 is pressed against the upper end surface of the work W. Clamping can be performed by the same operation as in the first and second embodiments.

  The work W of FIG. 13 has a rectangular cross-sectional block shape, and has a plurality of round hole-like recessed portions W4 arranged in the longitudinal direction at the intermediate portion on both side surfaces. Thus, it may have a shape having a plurality of concave portions and convex portions, and a plurality of chuck portions 2 are arranged at positions where they can be engaged with a plurality of concave portions W4, and the pusher 32 of the pusher portion 3 is connected to the upper end surface of the work W. Can be clamped by the same operation as in the first and second embodiments. As shown in FIG. 14, the same applies to the case where a plurality of through holes W5 arranged in the longitudinal direction are provided on both side surfaces of the substantially W-shaped workpiece W.

  The workpiece W of FIG. 15 has an inclined portion on the bottom surface of the workpiece W of FIG. 1, and the depth in the longitudinal direction is different. In such a case, using the clamp device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of pusher portions 3 can be used to press a plurality of locations having different bottom depths, thereby enabling stable gripping.

  In the above embodiment, the chuck unit 2 is driven in the left-right direction and the pusher unit 3 is driven in the up-down direction. However, when two parallel surfaces of the workpiece W are arranged in the up-down direction, the chuck unit 2 is driven. 2 is driven in the vertical direction and the pusher unit 3 is driven in the horizontal direction, so that it can be taken out and transported in the same manner.

  The clamping device of the present invention can be applied not only to a resin molded product but also to an elongated workpiece made of a material that is easily deformed. Various devices can be used as a device for clamping and taking out the workpiece or transferring it to a predetermined position. It can be used for

W Work W1, W2 Flange part W3 Concave groove W4 Concave part W5 Through hole 1 Chuck head 11 Transport loader 12 Movable base 2 Chuck part 21 Chuck cylinder (chuck drive part)
22a, 22b Chuck claw 3 Pusher part 31 Pusher cylinder (Pusher drive part)
32 pusher

Claims (5)

A workpiece clamping device having convex portions or concave portions extending in the longitudinal direction on two parallel surfaces, comprising a chuck portion and a pusher portion supported by a movable base,
The chuck portion has a pair of chuck claws that can be engaged with a convex portion or a concave portion of the workpiece, and a chuck driving portion that opens and closes the pair of chuck claws,
The pusher portion has a pusher capable of pressing the other surface of the workpiece perpendicular to the two surfaces, and a pusher drive portion for extending and retracting the pusher,
The movable base is moved in a direction opposite to the pressing direction of the pusher in a state where the pair of chuck claws are loosely fitted to the convex portion or concave portion of the work and the pusher is pressed against the other surface of the work. A clamping device characterized in that the workpiece is gripped by the protruding tension of the pair of chuck claws and the pusher by engaging the pair of chuck claws with a convex portion or a concave portion of the workpiece.   The clamp apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece has a substantially U shape or a long shape with a rectangular cross section.   The clamp apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the workpiece has a pair of flange portions, concave groove portions, concave portions, or through holes that become the convex portions or the concave portions at symmetrical positions on two parallel side surfaces.   4. The chuck part according to claim 1, wherein the pair of chuck claws are opened and closed in a direction perpendicular to the two parallel surfaces, and the pusher part is located between the pair of chuck claws. The clamp apparatus of Claim 1.   The clamping device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of the chuck portions or the pusher portions are provided to grip an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the workpiece.

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