JP2015178146A - loader system and machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a loader system and a machine tool capable of achieving cost reduction, and reducing burden on maintenance.SOLUTION: A loader system SYS for conveying a work W in a state that the work W is held in a loader chuck 12 includes: a sensor part 30 capable of detecting a protrusion Wb of the work W; and a loader device 100 having a loader drive part 20 for relatively moving the loader chuck 12 and the sensor part 30 so as to cause the end surface Wc of the work W to face the sensor part 30 around the periphery, and a control part 40 for controlling the loader drive part 20 and calculating the position of the protrusion Wb of the work W based on the outputs from the sensor part 30 and the loader drive part 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a loader system and a machine tool.

  In a machine tool such as a lathe, a loader system that transports a workpiece while being held by a loader chuck is used. Such a loader system is configured to include a loader device that transports a workpiece between the spindle and the workpiece loading unit. When loading a workpiece into the spindle, loading may be performed with the circumferential position (phase) aligned between the spindle and the workpiece. Conventionally, when performing such phase alignment in a loader system, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, the phase of a workpiece has been detected using a dedicated phase detection device separately from the loader device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-221280

  However, when a separate apparatus as described in Patent Document 1 is used, although the phase can be detected with a desired detection accuracy, a space for arranging the apparatus is required, and the entire apparatus becomes large. As a result, there is a problem in that the cost increases and the burden on maintenance increases.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a loader system and a machine tool capable of reducing the cost and reducing the maintenance burden.

  In this invention, it is a loader system which conveys a workpiece | work in the state which hold | maintained the workpiece | work to the loader chuck | zipper, Comprising: The sensor part which can detect at least one among the convex part and recessed part of a workpiece | work, and a sensor over the circumference or side surface of a workpiece | work A drive unit that moves the loader chuck so as to face the part, controls the drive unit, and calculates the position of at least one of the convex part and concave part of the workpiece based on the output from the sensor part and the drive part A loader device having a control unit.

  In addition, the drive unit has a moving mechanism that linearly moves the loader chuck in two directions intersecting each other, and causes the loader chuck to move circularly by the moving mechanism so that the side surface or end surface of the workpiece is opposed to the sensor unit over one round. Also good. Further, the drive unit may cause the loader chuck to circularly move along a plane substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The sensor unit is formed to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, and includes a sensor driving unit that rotates the sensor unit. The control unit causes the side surface of the workpiece to face the sensor unit by the loader driving unit. In this state, the loader chuck may be rotated around the rotation axis, and the sensor unit may be rotated by the sensor driving unit in synchronization with the rotation of the loader chuck. The sensor unit may be an optical sensor.

  In the present invention, the machine tool includes a spindle that holds a workpiece to be machined, and includes a loader system that conveys the workpiece between the workpiece carry-in portion and the spindle, and the loader system is used as the loader system. It is done.

  Further, the sensor unit of the loader system may be arranged in the workpiece conveyance path. In addition, the control unit of the loader system rotates at least one of the spindle and the loader chuck corresponding to the position of at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion based on the calculated position of at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion of the workpiece. You may let them.

  According to the present invention, at least one of the convex part and the concave part of the workpiece is detected by relatively moving the loader chuck and the sensor unit by the driving unit so that the side surface or the end surface of the workpiece is opposed to the sensor unit over the entire circumference. Therefore, the position of at least one of the convex part and the concave part of the workpiece can be calculated without using a phase matching device separately. Thereby, a workpiece | work can be conveyed efficiently and cost reduction of a loader system can be achieved.

  Further, the drive unit has a moving mechanism that linearly moves the loader chuck in two directions intersecting each other, and the loader chuck is moved circularly by the moving mechanism so that the side surface or the end surface of the workpiece is opposed to the sensor unit over one round. According to the present invention, at least one position of the convex portion and the concave portion of the workpiece can be calculated more efficiently. In addition, when the drive unit causes the loader chuck to circularly move along a plane substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the side surface or end surface of the workpiece can be made to face the sensor unit over the entire circumference using the existing loader chuck. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a new drive system, and the cost of the loader system can be reduced. The sensor unit is formed to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, and includes a sensor driving unit that rotates the sensor unit. The control unit causes the loader driving unit to face the side surface of the workpiece to the sensor unit. When the loader chuck is rotated around the rotation axis in the state and the sensor drive unit is rotated by the sensor drive unit in synchronization with the rotation of the loader chuck, at least one of the convex part and the concave part on the side surface of the workpiece is reliably detected. can do. Further, in the case where an optical sensor is used as the sensor unit, the cost of the sensor unit can be suppressed, so that the cost of the loader system can be reduced.

  Further, in the present invention, since the loader system described above that can efficiently carry a workpiece and can reduce the cost is used as the loader system, a machine tool with high machining efficiency is obtained at low cost. be able to.

  In addition, when the loader system sensor unit is arranged on the workpiece conveyance path, it is possible to detect at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion during conveyance of the workpiece, so that the workpiece is efficiently conveyed. Can do. Further, the control unit of the loader system rotates at least one of the spindle and the loader chuck corresponding to the position of at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion based on the calculated position of the convex portion and the concave portion of the workpiece. In this case, the work can be mounted on the spindle without any trouble.

(A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of the loader system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of a workpiece | work. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the operation example of a loader system. (A) is a figure showing an example of a work concerning a modification, and (b) is a figure showing an example about a part of a loader system concerning a modification. It is a figure which shows the operation example of a loader system. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of the machine tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of the flow of operation | movement of a machine tool. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows an example of the flow of operation | movement of a machine tool. It is a figure which shows an example of the flow of operation | movement of a machine tool.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Further, in the drawings, in order to describe the embodiment, the scale is appropriately changed and expressed by partially enlarging or emphasizing the description. In the following drawings, directions in the drawings will be described using an XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as an XZ plane. An arbitrary direction parallel to the XZ plane is expressed as a Z direction, and a direction orthogonal to the Z direction is expressed as an X direction. The direction perpendicular to the XZ plane is denoted as the Y direction. In each of the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, the direction of the arrow in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow direction is the − direction.

<First Embodiment>
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a loader system SYS according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A shows an example when the loader system SYS is viewed from the + Z side. FIG. 1B shows an example when the loader system SYS is viewed from the + Y side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the loader system SYS includes a loader device 100 and a sensor unit 30. The loader device 100 includes a workpiece holding unit 10, a loader driving unit (driving unit) 20, and a control unit 40. The loader device 100 is used by being mounted on, for example, a machine tool to be described later, and main shafts 111 and 112 and a workpiece carry-in portion 120 provided on the machine tool (both shown by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. 1A and 1B). ) To transport the workpiece W.

  The work holding unit 10 has a loader head 11. The loader head 11 has loader chucks 12 and 13 that hold the workpiece W. One of the loader chucks 12 and 13 is disposed in a posture facing the main shaft 111 (a posture facing the −Z direction), and the other is disposed in a posture facing the floor (a posture facing the −Y direction).

  The loader head 11 is provided with a rotation mechanism 14 that exchanges the positions of the two loader chucks 12 and 13. The rotation mechanism 14 can rotate around an axis AX1 (see FIG. 3A) inclined by a predetermined angle (eg, 45 °) with respect to the Y axis. By rotating the rotation mechanism 14, the two loader chucks 12 and 13 can be interchanged with each other. The loader chucks 12 and 13 have grasping claws 12a and 13a. The loader chucks 12 and 13 hold the workpiece W by the grasping claws 12a and 13a.

2A and 2A are perspective views illustrating an example of the workpiece W according to the first embodiment.
As shown to Fig.2 (a), the workpiece | work W1 has the base part Wa and the convex part Wb. The base Wa is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example. The convex portion Wb is formed on one end face Wc of the base portion Wa. The end face Wc is formed in an annular shape. By forming the convex portion Wb on the end surface Wc, the shape of the end surface Wc of the workpiece W1 is changed to be uneven in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the convex portions Wb are arranged at an equal pitch every 120 ° in the circumferential direction of the end face Wc. In addition, about the shape, pitch, etc. of the convex part Wb, it is not limited to this, Another shape or another pitch may be sufficient. For example, the convex portions Wb may be provided with a plurality of convex portions Wb at a pitch different from each other, instead of at an equal pitch.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the workpiece W2 has a base Wd and a recess We. The base Wd is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example. The recess We is formed on one end face Wf of the base Wd. The end face Wf is formed in an annular shape. By forming the concave portion We on the end surface Wf, the shape of the end surface Wf of the workpiece W2 is changed to be uneven in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the recesses We are arranged at an equal pitch every 120 ° in the circumferential direction of the end face Wf. As with the convex portion Wb, the shape, pitch, and the like of the concave portion We are not limited to this, and may be other shapes or other pitches. For example, the recessed portions We may be provided with a plurality of recessed portions We at different pitches instead of the equal pitch. Hereinafter, in the first embodiment, a case where the workpiece W1 illustrated in FIG. 2A is used as the workpiece W will be described as an example.

  Subsequently, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the loader driving unit 20 moves the work holding unit 10. The loader drive unit 20 includes an X drive unit 21, a Z drive unit 22, and a Y drive unit 23.

  The X drive unit 21 includes an X moving body 21a and a guide rail 21b. The guide rail 21b extends in parallel to the X direction and is fixed to a fixing portion (not shown). The guide rail 21b guides the X moving body 21a. The X moving body 21a is movable in the X direction along the guide rail 21b by a drive source (not shown). A casing 24 is provided along the guide rail 21b. The case 24 accommodates the guide rail 21b and is formed to have a size capable of accommodating the work holding unit 10 in the Y direction.

  The Z drive unit 22 includes a Z moving body 22a and a guide unit (not shown). The guide portion is provided on the X moving body 21a and extends in the Z direction. The guide unit guides the Z moving body 22a. The Z moving body 22a is movable in the Z direction along the guide portion by a drive source (not shown).

  The Y drive unit 23 includes a Y moving body 23a and a guide unit (not shown). The guide portion is provided on the Z moving body 22a and extends parallel to the Y direction. The guide unit guides the Y moving body 23a. The Y moving body 23a is formed in a rod shape. The Y moving body 23a is movable in the Y direction along the guide portion by a drive source (not shown). The workpiece holding unit 10 is fixed to the −Y side end of the Y moving body 23a. Further, the + Y side end of the Y moving body 23a can protrude from the housing 24 to the + Y side.

  When moving the workpiece holding unit 10 in the X direction, the loader driving unit 20 moves the X moving body 21a in the X direction. At this time, the Z moving body 22a and the Y moving body 23a move in the X direction integrally with the X moving body 21a. In this movement, no relative movement occurs between the X moving body 21a, the Z moving body 22a, and the Y moving body 23a.

  Further, when moving the workpiece holding unit 10 in the Z direction, the loader driving unit 20 moves the Z moving body 22a in the Z direction. At this time, the Y moving body 23a moves in the Z direction integrally with the Z moving body 22a, but the X moving body 21a does not move. Therefore, due to the movement of the Z moving body 22a, the Y moving body 23a moves in the Z direction with respect to the X moving body 21a.

  Further, when moving the workpiece holding unit 10 in the Y direction, the loader driving unit 20 moves the Y moving body 23a in the Y direction. At this time, the X moving body 21a and the Z moving body 22a do not move. Therefore, due to the movement of the Y moving body 23a, the Y moving body 23a moves in the Y direction with respect to both the X moving body 21a and the Z moving body 22a.

  With these operations, the loader drive unit 20 transports the workpiece W from the workpiece carry-in unit 120 to the transport destination (for example, the main shaft 111) through a predetermined transport path TR. Further, the loader driving unit 20 performs a circular motion along the XY plane without moving the work holding unit 10 in the Z direction by combining the movement in the X direction and the movement in the Y direction among the above operations. It is possible. Further, the loader driving unit 20 can change the diameter of the circular motion by adjusting the movement amount in the X direction and the Y direction. The loader drive unit 20 outputs the drive amounts of the X drive unit 21, the Z drive unit 22, and the Y drive unit 23 to the control unit 40.

  The sensor part 30 detects the convex part Wb arrange | positioned at the end surface Wc of the workpiece | work W. FIG. The sensor unit 30 is disposed on the transport path TR of the workpiece W. For example, the sensor unit 30 is fixed to the inner surface on the −Z side of the housing 24, but is not limited to this, and may be fixed to another part. As the sensor unit 30, for example, a reflective optical sensor is used. The sensor unit 30 includes a light emitting unit that emits detection light in the + Z direction and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the emitted detection light. The detection result detected by the light receiving unit is transmitted to the control unit 40. Note that an imaging device such as a CCD camera may be used as the sensor unit 30.

  The control unit 40 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the loader device 100 such as the operation of the work holding unit 10, the operation of the loader driving unit 20, and the operation of the sensor unit 30. The control unit 40 includes an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device such as a memory. The control unit 40 performs various operations when the arithmetic device executes processing according to a predetermined program stored in the storage device. In addition, the control part 40 can perform operation | movement of the workpiece | work holding | maintenance part 10, the loader drive part 20, and the sensor part 30 in conjunction.

  In addition to the above program, the storage device stores various information necessary for the transport operation. For example, the storage device includes data relating to the opening / closing operations of the grasping claws 12a and 13a, information relating to driving of the loader driving unit 20, the shape (columnar shape, cylindrical shape, etc.) and dimensions (outer diameter) of the workpiece W to be conveyed. , Inner diameter, height) and the like are stored.

  The control unit 40 can adjust the height position of the loader chucks 12, 13 and the opening / closing amounts of the grasping claws 12a, 13a using the data of the workpiece W stored in the storage device. Further, the control unit 40 can detect driving amounts in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction by the loader driving unit 20. Further, the control unit 40 can calculate the shape of the reflection surface by detecting a change in the intensity of the reflected light detected by the sensor unit 30.

  Next, an example of the operation of transporting the workpiece W by the loader system SYS will be described. It is assumed that the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece loading unit 120 with the end surface Wc directed downward (−Y side). Information about the shape and dimensions of the workpiece W is stored in advance in the storage device of the control unit 40.

  First, the control unit 40 of the loader device 100 brings the work holding unit 10 close to the work carry-in unit 120 and holds the upper end (+ Y side end) of the work W by the grasping claws 12 a of the loader chuck 12. After holding the workpiece W, the control unit 40 rotates the rotation mechanism 14 to switch between the position of the loader chuck 12 and the position of the loader chuck 13. By this operation, the end surface Wc of the work W held by the loader chuck 12 is directed in the −Z direction.

  Thereafter, the control unit 40 causes the loader driving unit 20 to move the workpiece holding unit 10 in the + Y direction and arrange the workpiece holding unit 10 at a predetermined height position in the housing 24. Thereafter, the control unit 40 moves the workpiece holding unit 10 in the + X direction so that a part of the end surface Wc of the workpiece W and the sensor unit 30 face each other in the Z direction. At this time, the control unit 40 adjusts the position of the workpiece W so that the + Z side end of the end surface Wc faces the sensor unit 30.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the control unit 40 emits the detection light L1 from the sensor unit 30 in the + Z direction. The detection light L1 is incident on the end face Wc of the workpiece W, and a part thereof is reflected by the end face Wc and returns to the sensor unit 30. The sensor unit 30 receives the reflected light at the light receiving unit and transmits the result to the control unit 40.

  Next, the control unit 40 causes the loader chuck 12 to circularly move along the XY plane in a state where the detection light L1 is emitted from the sensor unit 30, thereby causing the end surface Wc of the workpiece W to face the sensor unit 30 over one circumference. . As shown in FIG. 3B, the control unit 40 moves the workpiece W along a circle centered on the sensor unit 30 in the Z direction view by the X driving unit 21 and the Y driving unit 23 of the loader driving unit 20. Let The control unit 40 can set the diameter of the circle at this time to a value equal to the distance from the center of the workpiece W to the end face Wc when viewed in the Z direction. FIG. 3B shows an example in which the workpiece W (loader chuck 12) is moved in a clockwise direction around the sensor unit 30, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece W is moved counterclockwise. You may make a circular motion.

  By this operation, the detection light L1 emitted from the sensor unit 30 scans the end surface Wc of the workpiece W in the circumferential direction. The sensor unit 30 receives the detection light L <b> 1 reflected over the entire circumference of the end surface Wc, and transmits the light reception result to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 detects a change in the amount of received light based on the transmitted light reception result. The control unit 40 detects the position (phase) of the convex portion Wb in the circumferential direction of the end face Wc by associating the driving amounts of the X driving unit 21 and the Y driving unit 23 with changes in the amount of received light. When the convex portions Wb are arranged at an equal pitch in the circumferential direction of the end surface Wc like the workpiece W of the first embodiment, the shape change in the entire end surface Wc is detected by detecting the phase of one convex portion Wb. It is possible to estimate the position (the position of the other convex portion Wb). After detecting the phase of the convex portion Wb of the workpiece W, the control unit 40 places the workpiece W at a predetermined position in the housing 24, and moves the workpiece W in the + X direction to a predetermined conveyance destination (eg, the main shaft 111). Move.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the loader chuck 12 is moved relative to the sensor unit 30 by the loader driving unit 20 so that the end surface Wc of the workpiece W is opposed to the sensor unit 30 over the entire circumference. In order to detect the convex portion Wb, the position of the convex portion Wb of the workpiece W can be calculated without using a separate phase detector. Thereby, the workpiece | work W can be conveyed efficiently and cost reduction of the loader apparatus 100 can be achieved. In addition, when the workpiece | work W2 shown in FIG.2 (b) is used as the workpiece | work W, the sensor part 30 detects the recessed part We arrange | positioned at the end surface Wf of the workpiece | work W2. In this case, the control unit 40 can calculate the position (phase) of the concave portion We without using a phase detection device separately.

<Modification>
Next, a modified example will be described. In the first embodiment, the example in which the shape change position of the end surface Wc of the workpiece W is detected has been described. However, in the present modification, a case in which the shape change position of the side surface of the workpiece W is detected will be described as an example. To do. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the workpiece and the configuration of the sensor unit are different from those in the first embodiment, and the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing an example of a workpiece W3 according to this modification.
As shown to Fig.4 (a), the workpiece | work W3 has the base Wg and the convex part Wh. The base Wg is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example. The convex portion Wh is formed on the side surface Wi of the base portion Wg. Note that the side surface Wi is a cylindrical surface. In this modification, one protrusion Wh is arranged on the side surface Wi. For example, when the workpiece W3 is attached to the main shaft and rotated, the rotation is unbalanced because the convex portion Wh is provided. Therefore, when attaching the workpiece W3, a balance weight is arranged on the main shaft in order to balance rotation. The balance weight is provided at a part of the periphery of the main shaft, and is adjusted to a weight corresponding to the convex portion Wh of the workpiece W3. When the workpiece W3 is attached to the main shaft, it is necessary to adjust the phase of the main shaft so that the balance weight is disposed at a position corresponding to the convex portion Wh (for example, a position that is 180 degrees out of phase with the convex portion Wh). For this purpose, it is necessary to detect the phase of the convex portion Wh when the workpiece W3 is attached to the spindle. In addition, about the shape, arrangement | positioning, etc. of the convex part Wh, it is not limited to this, Other shapes or arrangement | positioning may be sufficient. For example, a concave portion may be formed on the side surface Wi instead of or in addition to the convex portion Wh.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of the sensor unit 30A according to this modification.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the sensor unit 30A detects the convex portion Wh of the side surface Wi of the workpiece W3. When viewed in the Z direction, the sensor unit 30A is disposed at substantially the same position as the sensor unit 30 of the first embodiment. The sensor unit 30A is fixed to the rotating member 31A. The rotating member 31A is formed, for example, in a columnar shape, and can be rotated around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 parallel to the Z axis by the sensor driving unit 32A. For example, a reflective optical sensor is used as the sensor unit 30A. The sensor unit 30A is fixed to the peripheral surface of the rotating member 31A, and a light emitting unit that emits the detection light L2 toward the outside in the radial direction of the rotating member 31A, and a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light of the emitted detection light And have. The detection result detected by the light receiving unit is transmitted to the control unit 40. An imaging device such as a CCD camera may be used as the sensor unit 30A.

  Next, an example of a detection operation using the sensor unit 30A will be described. First, the control unit 40 holds the workpiece W3 by the workpiece holding unit 10 in the same procedure as in the first embodiment. After that, as shown in FIG. 4B, a part of the side surface Wi of the workpiece W is opposed to the sensor unit 30A. At this time, the control unit 40 directs the sensor unit 30A in the −Y direction, and adjusts the position of the workpiece W so that the + Y side end of the side surface Wi faces the sensor unit 30A.

  Next, the control unit 40 causes the detection light L2 to be emitted from the sensor unit 30A in the -Y direction. The detection light L2 is incident on the side surface Wi of the workpiece W, and a part of the detection light L2 is reflected by the side surface Wi and returns to the sensor unit 30A. The sensor unit 30 </ b> A receives the reflected light at the light receiving unit and transmits the result to the control unit 40.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 40 circularly moves the workpiece W3 (loader chuck 12) along the XY plane in a state where the detection light L2 is emitted from the sensor unit 30A, and the sensor driving unit 32A. Thus, the rotating member 31A and the sensor unit 30A are rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the workpiece W3 (loader chuck 12). In FIG. 5, the loader chuck 12 is not shown. 5 shows an example in which the workpiece W3 and the sensor unit 30 are circularly moved or rotated clockwise. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece W3 and the sensor unit 30 may be circularly moved or rotated counterclockwise.

  With this operation, the detection light L2 emitted from the sensor unit 30A scans the side surface Wi of the workpiece W in the circumferential direction. The sensor unit 30 </ b> A receives the detection light L <b> 2 reflected over the circumference of the side surface Wi and transmits the light reception result to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 detects a change in the amount of received light based on the transmitted light reception result. The control unit 40 calculates the position (phase) of the convex portion Wh of the workpiece W by associating the drive amounts of the X drive unit 21 and the Y drive unit 23 with changes in the received light amount. Note that the control unit 40 may calculate the position of the convex portion Wh by associating the driving amount of the sensor driving unit 32A with the change in the amount of received light. After calculating the position of the convex portion Wh, the control unit 40 adjusts the rotational phase of the main shaft so that the balance weight is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the convex portion Wh, for example, when the workpiece W3 is attached to the main shaft. .

  As described above, in the present modification, the sensor unit 30A is formed to be rotatable about the predetermined rotation axis AX2, and includes the sensor driving unit 32A that rotates the sensor unit 30A. The loader chuck 12 is rotated around the rotation axis AX2 in a state where the side surface Wi of the workpiece W is opposed to the sensor unit 30A by the drive unit 20, and the sensor unit 30A is synchronized with the rotation of the loader chuck 12 by the sensor drive unit 32A. , The convex portion Wh of the side surface Wi of the workpiece W can be reliably detected.

  In the present modification, the configuration in which the sensor unit 30A is provided instead of the sensor unit 30 of the first embodiment has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, the sensor unit 30A together with the sensor unit 30 is provided. The structure provided may be sufficient. In this case, the phase can be detected by the sensor unit 30 or the sensor unit 30A according to the shape of the workpiece W. Thereby, the phase detection according to the shape of the workpiece | work W is attained.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a machine tool including the loader system SYS described in the first embodiment will be described as an example. The second embodiment will be described using an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system common to the first embodiment. However, in 2nd Embodiment, let the rotating shaft direction of the main shafts 111 and 112 be a Z direction, and let the direction which prescribe | regulate the cutting amount with respect to the workpiece | work W be an X direction.

  6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of the machine tool 200 according to the second embodiment. A machine tool 200 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B is, for example, a parallel twin-axis lathe. 6A and 6B, the + Z side of the machine tool 200 is a front surface, and the −Z side is a back surface. Further, the ± X side of the machine tool 200 is a side surface, and the X direction is the left-right direction of the machine tool 200.

The machine tool 200 includes a main body 110, a workpiece loading unit 120, a loader system 130, and a control unit 140.
The main body 110 has main shafts 111 and 112 and turrets 113 and 114. The main shafts 111 and 112 are arranged side by side in the X direction. The main shafts 111 and 112 are rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) or the like. Grasping claws 111a and 112a are provided on the + Z side ends of the main shafts 111 and 112, respectively. A plurality of grasping claws 111 a and 112 a are arranged around the rotation axes of the main shafts 111 and 112 at a predetermined interval. The grasping claws 111 a and 112 a can hold the workpiece W by moving in the radial direction of the main shafts 111 and 112.

  The spindles 111 and 112 are provided with a seating detection unit (not shown). The seating detection unit is provided to confirm whether or not the workpiece W is properly seated on the main shafts 111 and 112. The seating confirmation unit includes a gas ejection unit provided on a surface perpendicular to the central axes AX3 and AX4 of the main shafts 111 and 112, and a gas supply unit connected to the gas ejection unit. A seating confirmation part determines whether the workpiece | work W is arrange | positioned by the gas ejection part by detecting the back pressure of a gas supply part. When seating detection is performed by such a seating detection unit, a problem may occur if a convex portion or a concave portion is formed on the end surface or side surface of the workpiece W. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the phase of the workpiece W is detected by the sensor unit 30 provided in the loader system 130 described later, and the phase of the seating detection unit (gas ejection unit) of the spindles 111 and 112 is calculated using the detection result. It is the structure which adjusts a phase by adjusting.

  The turret 113 is disposed on the −X side of the main shaft 111. The turret 114 is disposed on the + X side of the main shaft 112. Each of the turrets 113 and 114 is provided with a rotational drive device such as a motor. The turrets 113 and 114 can be rotated around an axis parallel to the Z direction by a rotary drive device. A plurality of holding portions for holding the cutting tool are provided on the peripheral surfaces of the turrets 113 and 114 (not shown). A cutting tool is held on all or part of these holding portions. Therefore, a desired cutting tool is selected by rotating the turrets 113 and 114. The cutting tools held in the holding portions of the turrets 113 and 114 can be exchanged for each holding table. As the cutting tool, a rotating tool such as a drill or an end mill may be used in addition to a cutting tool for cutting the workpiece W. Further, the turrets 113 and 114 can be moved in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction by a driving device (not shown). Thereby, the cutting tool can move in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction with respect to the workpiece W.

A workpiece W that is a processing target in the machine tool 200 is placed on the workpiece loading unit 120. For example, a fixed table is used as the workpiece loading unit 120, but the workpiece loading unit 120 is not limited thereto, and a conveyor, a rotary table, or the like may be used.
As the loader system 130, for example, the loader system SYS described in the first embodiment is used. The loader device 100 of the loader system 130 conveys the workpiece W on a conveyance path TR between the workpiece loading unit 120 and the spindle 111 (or the spindle 112). Note that, as in the first embodiment, the sensor unit 30 is disposed in the transport path TR. In the loader device 100, the guide rail 21 b of the X drive unit 21 is located between the main body 110 and the workpiece loading unit 120 so that the workpiece holding unit 10 can move between the spindles 111 and 112 and the workpiece loading unit 120. Are arranged so as to straddle the X direction. Thereby, the loader device 100 can convey the workpiece W between the spindles 111 and 112 and the workpiece loading unit 120.

  The control unit 140 comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the machine tool 200 such as the operation of the main body 110, the operation of the work loading unit 120, and the operation of the loader system 130. The control unit 140 includes an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device such as a memory. The control unit 40 performs various operations when the arithmetic device executes processing according to a predetermined program stored in the storage device. The control unit 140 includes the function of the control unit 40 described in the first embodiment. The storage device stores various data necessary for processing the workpiece W, such as a processing recipe.

Next, the operation of the machine tool 200 configured as described above will be described. 7 to 9 are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the machine tool 200. FIG.
First, the control part 140 arrange | positions the workpiece | work holding | maintenance part 10 of the loader apparatus 100 above the workpiece | work carrying-in part 120 (+ Y side). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7A, the control unit 140 moves the Y moving body 23a in the −Y direction with the loader chuck 12 of the loader head 11 facing downward (−Y direction), and grasps it. The work W is gripped by the claw 12a.

  Thereafter, the control unit 140 causes the loader chuck 12 and the loader chuck 13 to be switched by the rotation mechanism 14. Thereby, the loader chuck 12 and the workpiece W are directed in the −Z direction, and the loader chuck 13 is directed in the −Y direction. After the loader chuck 12 is directed in the −Z direction, the control unit 140 causes the loader driving unit 20 to move the work holding unit 10 in the + Y direction as shown in FIG. Place it in the position.

  Thereafter, the control unit 140 moves the workpiece holding unit 10 in the + X direction to cause a part of the end surface Wc of the workpiece W and the sensor unit 30 to face each other in the Z direction as illustrated in FIG. At this time, the control unit 40 adjusts the position of the workpiece W so that the + Z side end of the end surface Wc faces the sensor unit 30. Then, similarly to the procedure described in the first embodiment, the control unit 140 emits detection light from the sensor unit 30, and in this state, causes the loader chuck 12 to make a circular motion along the XY plane, thereby allowing the workpiece W to move. The end face Wc is made to face the sensor unit 30 over one circumference. By this operation, the detection light emitted from the sensor unit 30 scans the end surface Wc of the workpiece W in the circumferential direction. The sensor unit 30 receives the detection light reflected over the entire circumference of the end face Wc, and transmits the light reception result to the control unit 140. The control unit 140 detects a change in the amount of received light based on the transmitted light reception result. The control unit 140 detects the position (phase) of the convex portion Wb in the circumferential direction of the end surface Wc of the workpiece W by associating the driving amounts of the X driving unit 21 and the Y driving unit 23 with changes in the amount of received light. As shown in FIG. 8B, the control unit 140 rotates the spindle 111, which is the conveyance destination of the workpiece W, in accordance with the phase of the convex portion Wb based on the detected phase of the convex portion Wb.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the X moving body 21 a is moved in the + X direction, and the work holding unit 10 and the work W are disposed, for example, above the main shaft 111 (on the + Y side). Hereinafter, a case where the workpiece W is arranged on the spindle 111 will be described as an example. When the work W is disposed on the main shaft 112, the work holding unit 10 and the work W are disposed above the main shaft 112.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the control unit 140 moves the Y moving body 23 a in the −Y direction so that the workpiece W faces the main shaft 111. Then, the control unit 140 moves the Z moving body 22 a in the −Z direction from the state shown in FIG. 9 and holds the workpiece W on the grasping claw 111 a of the main shaft 111. At this time, since the main shaft 111 is arranged so that the phase of the gas ejection part of the seating detection part corresponds to the phase of each convex part Wb of the end face Wc of the work W, seating detection of the work W can be performed without any trouble. It can be carried out. Thereafter, the control unit 140 causes the workpiece W to be processed based on a predetermined processing recipe.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the work piece W is moved by moving the loader chuck 12 with respect to the sensor unit 30 by the loader driving unit 20 so that the end surface Wc of the work W is opposed to the sensor unit 30 over the entire circumference. In order to detect the convex portion Wb, the position of the convex portion Wb of the workpiece W can be calculated without using a separate phase detector. Thereby, the workpiece | work W can be conveyed efficiently and the cost reduction of the loader system 130 can be achieved.

  Further, since the loader system 130 capable of efficiently transporting the workpiece W and reducing the cost is used, the machine tool 200 with high processing efficiency can be obtained at low cost. In addition, since the sensor unit 30 of the loader system 130 is disposed on the transport path TR of the workpiece W, the convex portion Wb can be detected while the workpiece W is transported. Thereby, conveyance of the workpiece | work W can be performed efficiently. Moreover, since the control part 140 rotates the main axis | shaft 111 according to the position of this convex part Wb based on the calculated position of the convex part Wb of the workpiece | work W, it can mount | wear with the main spindle 111 without a malfunction. it can.

The embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above description, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment and the modification, only the loader chuck 12 (or the workpiece W) moves in the XY direction between the loader chuck 12 (the workpiece W) and the sensor unit 30 (the sensor unit 30A). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sensor unit 30 (or sensor unit 30A) can move in the XY directions in synchronization with the movement of the loader chuck 12 (or the workpiece W). May be. In this case, a drive unit that drives the sensor unit 30 (or the sensor unit 30A) is provided, and the control unit 40 can calculate the position of the convex portion Wb of the workpiece W using the output from the drive unit.

  Further, for example, in the second embodiment, the example in which the main shaft 111 is rotated corresponding to the position of the convex portion Wb based on the calculated convex portion Wb position of the workpiece W has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the loader chuck 12 side may be configured to rotate corresponding to the position of the convex portion Wb. Moreover, the structure rotated by both the main axis | shaft 111 and the loader chuck 12 may be sufficient.

  In the above-described embodiment, the loader system SYS has been described by taking as an example the case where the workpiece W is transferred between the workpiece loading unit 120 for loading the workpiece W and the spindles 111 and 112. However, the present invention is limited to this. is not. For example, when a workpiece unloading unit for unloading the workpiece W is separately provided, the loader system SYS may be configured to convey the workpiece W between the spindles 111 and 112 and the workpiece unloading unit.

  W, W1, W2, W3 ... Work Wb, Wh ... Convex part Wc, Wi ... End face We ... Concave part TR ... Conveyance path L1, L2 ... Detection light AX2 ... Rotating shaft SYS, 130 ... Loader system 10 ... Work holding part 12, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Loader chuck 20 ... Loader drive part 21 ... X drive part 22 ... Z drive part 23 ... Y drive part 24 ... Case 30, 30A ... Sensor part 31A ... Rotating member 32A ... Sensor drive part 40, 140 ... Control part 100 ... Loader devices 111, 112 ... Spindle 120 ... Work loading part 200 ... Machine tool

Claims (8)

A loader system for transporting the workpiece while holding the workpiece on a loader chuck,
A sensor part capable of detecting at least one of the convex part and the concave part of the workpiece;
A drive unit that moves the loader chuck so that a side surface or an end surface of the workpiece is opposed to the sensor unit over a round, and controls the drive unit and is based on outputs from the sensor unit and the drive unit; And a loader device having a controller that calculates a position of at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion of the workpiece.   The drive unit includes a moving mechanism that linearly moves the loader chuck in two directions intersecting each other, and the sensor unit circularly moves the loader chuck by the moving mechanism so that a side surface or an end surface of the workpiece is rotated around the sensor unit. The loader system according to claim 1, which is opposed to the loader system.   The loader system according to claim 2, wherein the drive unit circularly moves the loader chuck along a plane substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane. The sensor unit is formed to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis, and includes a sensor driving unit that rotates the sensor unit,
The controller rotates the loader chuck around the rotation shaft with the loader driving unit facing the sensor side surface to the sensor unit, and synchronizes with the rotation of the loader chuck by the sensor driving unit. The loader system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor unit is rotated.   The loader system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an optical sensor is used for the sensor unit. A machine tool having a spindle for holding a workpiece to be machined,
A loader system for transporting a workpiece between a workpiece carry-in section and the spindle;
A machine tool in which the loader system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as the loader system.   The machine tool according to claim 6, wherein the sensor unit of the loader system is disposed on a transfer path of the workpiece.   The control unit of the loader system determines at least one of the main shaft and the loader chuck based on the calculated position of at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion of the workpiece and at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion. The machine tool according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the machine tool is rotated according to the position of the machine tool.

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