JP2574968B2 - Pallet changer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pallet changing device for transferring and changing a pallet on which a work is placed at a processing station of a machine tool.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an apparatus for efficiently processing a workpiece to be machined using a plurality of pallets. In such an apparatus, one pallet is put into the processing station, and the work is transshipped on a separate pallet during the processing, and when the processing of the work is completed and the work is paid out from the processing station, the next pallet after loading is completed. Into the processing station for processing. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-121742 discloses a method in which the idle time is reduced by alternately loading a plurality of such pallets, and an empty station is provided adjacent to a processing station, and an empty station is provided adjacent to the empty station. In addition, a separate empty station and a work attaching / detaching station are provided, and a work transport path connecting these processing stations, a plurality of empty stations, and one work attaching / detaching station is configured in both X and Y axis directions. Then, a pair of pallets is provided in these work carrying paths so as to be reciprocally movable, and the pallets are sent and paid out between the work attaching / detaching station and the processing station, and two pallets are simultaneously transferred in the Y-axis direction. I have.

[0003]

However, when a pallet is transferred as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-121742, it is difficult to transfer the pallet.
If two pallets are transferred at the same time, the pallets are moved even when the pallets do not need to be moved, depending on the arrangement of the stations and the like. In addition, in such a case, an extra burden is imposed on the pallet driving device, and further, for example, when a work of reloading the work on the pallet at a station is performed, the work may be interrupted. Was.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided a pallet changing apparatus for selecting and transferring only one of pallets located at one or both of adjacent stations. A carriage that is movable along the pallet carrying path, a hook member that is reversible on the carriage, and a hook body that is detachable from the lower surface of the pallet by reversing the hook member; And a pair of rocking claws attached to the connecting pin.
The presence or absence of the pallet on one side was confirmed by the swinging pawl on one side, and the result of this confirmation allowed the swinging pawl on the other side to be freely detachable from the lower surface of the pallet on the other side.

[0005]

[Function] A pair of rocking claws attached to the hook body with a connecting pin are interlocked to be able to rock, and when a pallet is present only on one side of the station, the rocking nail for one side is raised by raising the rocking pawl on one side. The transfer swinging pawl on the other side is engaged with the lower surface of the pallet for transfer. When the pallets are present at both stations, the hook body is engaged with the lower surface of the pallet on the transfer side, and the rocking pawls on the other side and the lower surface of the pallet are moved down by lowering the rocking pawls on one side. Is disengaged, and only the pallet on the transfer side is transferred. By selecting and transferring only one of the adjacent pallets in this way, no extra load is applied to the driving device, and the device can be simplified because the transfer is performed by one driving device.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a pallet changing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a plan view of a pallet changing device, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the same part, and FIG.
4 is a side view as viewed from the line B in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

[0007] As shown in FIG.
At the two work attaching / detaching stations 1a and 1b, works (not shown) are mounted on the respective pallets P and P, and are alternately fed to the working table 2 on the working station side for working.

For this purpose, a model checking idle station 3 is provided next to the machining table 2, and the two work attaching / detaching stations 1a and 1b are connected to the model checking idle station 3.

[0009] Of the workpiece transport paths extending from the model confirmation idle station 3, the workpiece transport path connected to the work attaching / detaching station 1a on one side is a transport path connecting the processing table 2 and the model confirmation idle station 3. Work extension / removal station 1 on the other side
The work carrying path connecting b is perpendicular to this.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the work carrying path connecting the processing table 2 and each work attaching / detaching station 1, 1 has a substantially T-shape, and the intersection of the T-shape is the model confirmation idle station 3. Become.

As described above, a total of two pallets P are provided for each of the work attaching / detaching stations 1a and 1b. One pallet P is sent to the processing table 2 and the other pallet P is being processed. P is returned to each work attaching / detaching station 1a (or 1b) to reload the work, and the processing is alternately repeated to process efficiently.

The pallets P are moved along the rails 4a (FIG. 2) of the upper frame 4 surrounding the work carrying path.

By the way, pallet transfer mechanisms 5 and 6 are provided in a work transport path connecting the model confirmation idle station 3 and the work attaching / detaching stations 1a and 1b.

Then, the pallet P is exchanged between the work attaching / detaching station 1b and the model checking idle station 3 by the pallet transfer mechanism 6 on the side of the work conveyance path in the vertical direction in FIG. The transfer of the pallets P between the work attachment / detachment station 1a and the model checking idle station 3 and the transfer of the pallets P between the model checking idle station 3 and the processing table 2 are performed by the pallet transfer mechanism 5 on the carrying side. ing.

Next, a pallet transfer mechanism 5 for exchanging pallets P between the processing table 2 and the work attaching / detaching station 1a will be described.

The pallet transfer mechanism 5 includes a transfer carriage 7 movable between the work attaching / detaching station 1a and the model checking idle station 3. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a pair of vertical plates 10 attached to a gantry 8 supporting the above-described upper frame 4 is provided at the center of the work transport path. At the top, the plate surface is horizontal and the work loading / unloading station 1
A guide rail member 11 extending from the end of “a” to the end of the model confirmation idle station 3 is attached, and the carrier 7 is caused to travel along the guide rail 11.

A pair of sprockets 12, 13 as shown in FIG. 3 are provided at the end of the work attaching / detaching station 1a and the end of the model checking idle station 3, respectively. Is connected to an output shaft of a drive motor 14 to drive the chain 15 wound around each of the sprockets 12 and 13 to travel. Incidentally, the chain 15 is provided with a tensioner portion 15a so that the tension can be adjusted.

The carriage 7 comprises an upper horizontal plate 16 provided above the guide rail member 11, and a pair of front and rear vertical plates 17 hanging from both left and right sides of the upper horizontal plate 16 with the chain 15 interposed therebetween. (Fig. 3)
And a pair of upper and lower vertical rollers 18 attached to each vertical plate 17, a bracket 20 provided near each vertical plate 17, and a horizontal roller 21 attached to the bracket 20. Vertical rollers 18 sandwich the guide rail member 11 up and down, and the horizontal rollers 21
The roller 1 comes into contact with the side surface and rolls. (Fig. 2)

A chain connecting member 22 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the lower surface of the central portion of the upper horizontal plate 16, and the chain 15 is connected to the chain connecting member 22. Accordingly, when the chain 15 travels due to the operation of the drive motor 14, the carrier 7 also moves along the guide rail member 11. Each stopper member 2 for regulating the moving position of the transport carriage 7 is provided above the front and rear ends of the guide rail member 11.
3 are provided.

A hook mechanism 24 is provided on the upper part of the carriage 7.
Is provided. The hook mechanism 24 includes a pair of front and rear bearing members 25 as shown in FIG. 3, a reversing shaft 26 rotatably supported by the bearing members 25, and a hook member 27 provided at a tip end of the reversing shaft. The hook member 27 can be engaged with a groove provided on the lower surface of the pallet P as described later.

A reversing mechanism 30 is connected to the reversing shaft 26 described above.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the reversing mechanism 30 is connected to a reversing cylinder unit 31 attached to the gantry 8 at the end of the work attaching / detaching station 1a and to the tip of a cylinder rod 31a of the reversing cylinder unit 31. 2 and a prism bar 33 to which the arm 32 is fixed. The prism bar 33 extends along the guide rail member 11 as shown in FIG. And is rotatably supported by a pair of brackets 34 projecting from the frame 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, the prism bar 33 is rotated by 90 degrees around the center axis by the reciprocating cylinder unit 31 moving forward and backward.

A sliding member 35 as shown in FIG. 2 is engaged with the prism bar 33. That is, this sliding member 3
5 has a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 5 and allows the prismatic bar 33 to slidably penetrate therethrough. When the prismatic bar 33 rotates around its axis, the prismatic bar 33 rotates integrally therewith. I have.

A connecting member 36 as shown in FIG. 6, which is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1, is linked to the sliding member 35. The other end of the connecting member 36 is linked to the reversing shaft 26 of the hook mechanism 24.

For this reason, when the carriage 7 moves along the guide rail member 11, the sliding member 35 also moves to the prismatic bar 33.
, And the reversing shaft 2 is actuated by the operation of the reversing cylinder unit 31 irrespective of the position of the carriage 7 in any position.
6 can be inverted. In other words, there is no need to provide a reversing drive device in the transport cart 7 itself,
The weight of the moving part can be reduced.

The hook member 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 is an enlarged view of the hook member 27, FIG. 10 is a view as viewed from E in FIG. 9, FIG. 11 is a view as viewed from F in FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 is a view as viewed from G in FIG.

The hook member 27 includes a main body 37 fixed to the tip of the reversing shaft 26, a connecting pin 38 provided on the main body 37, and one side swinging claw fixed to a predetermined portion of the connecting pin 38. The coupling pin 38 is provided on an extension line of the axis of the reversing shaft 26 and is attached to the main body 37. On the other hand, the pin 38 is rotatable around the axis.

A spring 42 as shown in FIG. 11 is provided at the lower end of the checking claw 40 to urge the claw to the side where the claw is raised (counterclockwise in FIG. 11). Since the transport claw 41 and the check claw 40 are both fixed to the connecting pins 38 as described above, when the check claw 40 swings with respect to the main body 37, the transport claw 41 also swings with the swing.

A first engaging protrusion 37a and a second engaging protrusion 37b are provided on the upper part of the main body 37 before and after the confirmation claw 40, and the first engaging protrusion 37a and the second The interval between the abutment portions 37b and the interval between the second engagement projections 37b and the transport claws 41 are substantially the same, and the front-rear direction of the first engagement projections 37a, the second engagement projections 37b, and the transport claws 41 is set. Have substantially the same thickness.

On the other hand, a groove M with which the hook member 27 can be engaged is provided on the lower surface of each pallet P. That is, the groove M is inserted from the end of the pallet P
It is provided in a place that is recessed by an interval of about the thickness of
The width of the first engagement protrusion 37a is substantially the same as the thickness of the first engagement protrusion 37a.

The grooves M are provided in the pallet P on the work attaching / detaching station 1a side in the front-rear direction of the pallet P, respectively.
The pallet P on the b side is provided at least on the rear end side of the pallet P.

When the reversing shaft 26 is reversed and the hook member 27 falls down, the upper ends of the first engaging projections 37a, the second engaging projections 37b, the transport claws 41 and the check claws 40 are also palletized. So that the hook member 2
7 is turned upside down, the first engagement projections 37a,
The upper end of each of the second engaging projection 37b, the transport claw 41, and the check claw 40 is higher than the lower surface of the pallet P.

When the pallet P located at the work attaching / detaching station 1a is sent to the model checking idle station 3, the conveying pawl 41 is engaged with the groove M in front of the pallet P and sent. When feeding the positioned pallet P to the processing table 2, the pallet P is sent by engaging the first engagement protrusion 37a with the groove M behind the pallet P. When the first engagement protrusion 37a is engaged with the groove M behind the pallet P, as shown in FIG.
The check claw 40 is obstructed by the lower surface of the pallet P and cannot be completely raised.

That is, when the pallet P of the model confirmation idle station 3 is sent to the processing table 2, even if the pallet P remains in the work attaching / detaching station 1a, the transport claws 41 are engaged with the grooves M of the pallet P. Therefore, only the front pallet P can be sent in without any need.

When there is no pallet P in the model checking idle station 3, the hooks 27 are inverted and the checking claws 40 are raised in the raised position, and the transport claws 41 are engaged with the grooves M in front of the pallets P. Can be done.

Next, the pallet transfer mechanism 6 provided along the work path in the vertical direction in FIG. 1 will be described. The pallet transfer mechanism 6 includes a guide rod 45 provided at the center of the carrying path, and a transfer body 46 slidable along the guide rod 45.
Attach the tip and move it back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 13 in which a part of FIG. 1 is enlarged and turned upside down, FIG. 14 as viewed from H in FIG. 1, and FIG. A forked hook member 48 is provided, and as described later,
This hook member 48 is inserted into a groove M1 on the lower surface of the pallet P (FIG. 1).
5) It is detachable. That is, this hook member 4
Numeral 8 is free to swing around the central axis 49, is engaged with the groove M1 when raised, and is disengaged from the groove M1 when it is folded down.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, stopper / guide plates 51a, 51b, 51c are provided on the periphery of the model checking idle station 3 so as to be able to come and go freely in three directions.

That is, a stopper / guide plate 5 between the processing table 2 and the model confirmation idle station 3
1a, a stopper / guide plate 51 between the work attaching / detaching station 1b and the model checking idle station 3
b, stopper / guide plate 51c between the work attaching / detaching station 1a and the model checking idle station 3
Of the stopper and guide plate 5
For example, when the pallet P is carried in from the work attaching / detaching station 1a to the model confirmation idle station 3, the stopper / guide plate 51c which is located in the middle of the carrying path is immersed, and the other two stoppers 1a, 51b and 51c serve as stoppers. The guide plates 51a and 51b protrude, the forward movement is restricted by the stopper / guide plate 51a on the front surface of the pallet P, and the movement is guided by the stopper / guide plate 51b on the side surface of the pallet P.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the lifting cylinder units 52a, 52b, 5
2c is pivotally mounted, and a stopper / guide plate 51a, 51b, 51c is attached to the upper end of each cylinder rod so as to be able to move up and down.

The stopper / guide plate 51a, 51b, 51c is mounted on the lift cylinder unit 52c as represented by the stopper / guide plate 51c shown in FIG. 7 viewed from the line DD in FIG. A lower plate 53c to be connected, and a pair of inverted L-shaped inverted L-shaped plates 5 attached to upper portions on both ends of the lower plate 53c.
4c, a rectangular frame body whose upper middle part is opened is formed, and the upper part of each inverted L-shaped plate 54c is a pallet P
It can be projected upward or immersed downward from the lower surface of the. And this stopper / guide plate 5
In order to vertically move 1c, a vertical cutout groove 55c is provided in one inverted L-shaped plate 54c on one side, and a guide member 56c on the gantry 8 side is engaged with this groove 55c to guide vertical movement. I have.

Of these, the work attaching / detaching station 1b
The stopper / guide plate 51b between the and the model confirmation idle station 3 is configured to disengage the hook member 48 from the groove M1 of the pallet P by interlocking with the hook member 48 when projecting upward. The mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.

The stopper / guide plate 51b is
As shown in FIG. 14, the lifting cylinder unit 52b is connected to one end of the lower plate 53b so as to be biased, and the stopper / guide plate 51b is raised and lowered vertically. A cutout groove 55b is provided, and a guide member 56b projecting from the gantry 8 side as shown in FIG. 13 is engaged with the cutout groove 55b.

As shown in FIG. 13, a bracket 57 protrudes from the one side of the inverted L-shaped plate 54c, and a pin 58 provided on the bracket 57 is engaged with one end of the rocking plate 60. I have.

That is, the rocking plate 60 is rotatably fixed around a support shaft 62 of a fixed base 61 as shown in FIG. 15, and has one end side for allowing the pin 58 to freely pass therethrough. A connecting hole 63 is provided, and another connecting hole 64 is provided on the other end side of the swing plate 60.

A pin 66 integral with the left and right shift rod 65 is movably inserted into the connection hole 64, and the left and right shift rod 65 is guided by the guide portion 61 a of the fixed base 61.
Are slidably held in the left-right direction.

Therefore, when the lifting cylinder unit 52b is raised, the swinging plate 60 moves about the support shaft 62 as shown in FIG.
To rotate the left / right shift rod 65 rightward.

The left and right shift rods 65 are provided with hook swing pins 67 as shown in FIG. The hook swinging pin 67 can be engaged with the forked hook member 48 described above, and moves when the left and right shift rod 65 is shifted to the left, that is, when the stopper / guide plate 51b is lowered. It is inserted into the groove of the rising hook member 48.

That is, when the transfer body 46 reaches the forward end by engaging the hook member 48 with the groove 50 on the lower surface of the pallet P,
The hook swing pin 67 enters the forked groove of the hook member 48.

Thereafter, when the stopper / guide plate 51b is raised by the operation of the lifting / lowering cylinder unit 52b, the left and right shift rods 65 are shifted laterally by the action of the swinging plate 60, and as shown in FIG.
8 is disengaged from the pallet P.

The outline of the operation of the pallet changing device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement of the pallet of the work attaching / detaching station 1a on one side, and FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement of the pallet of the work attaching / detaching station 1b on the other side.
b is omitted.

First, the exchange of the pallet P of the work attaching / detaching station 1a on the extension of the carrying path connecting the model confirmation idle station 3 and the processing table 2 will be described.

Pallet P at work loading / unloading station 1a
The work is mounted on the upper surface (FIG. 16 (a)). When the work is completed, the hook member 27 of the carrier 7 is turned over and engaged with the groove M on the front lower surface of the pallet P as shown in FIG.

That is, even if the reversing shaft 26 is reversed, the check pawl 40 does not interfere with the pallet P, so that the transport pawl 41 also rises up and enters the groove M of the pallet P. (In the drawing, the pallet P is displayed on the model confirmation idle station 3, but this is not the case.)

Then, the carriage 7 is moved by a predetermined stroke in one motion, and the pallet P is sent to the model confirmation idle station 3. At this time, the stopper / guide plate 51a on the front side of the pallet P is projected upward to regulate the forward end, and the stopper / guide plate 51b
To guide the side edges. (Fig. 16 (b))

When the feeding to the idle station 3 is completed, the reversing shaft 26 is reversed, the transport claws 41 are disengaged from the grooves M, and the transport carriage 7 returns to the original position.

Next, the reversing shaft 26 is reversed, and the hook member 27 is engaged with the groove M on the lower surface of the rear portion of the pallet P. That is, the first engagement protrusion 37a shown in FIG. At this time, the confirmation claw 40 for confirming the presence or absence of the pallet interferes with the lower surface of the pallet P and cannot be completely lifted up. Therefore, the transport claw 41 also remains down. Is meaningless because it is absent.

Then, the pallet P of the model confirmation idle station 3 is sent to the processing table 2 in the next one motion of the transporting trolley 7, and at this time, the stopper / guide plate 51a constituting the carrying path is immersed. (Fig. 16 (c))

The dispensing of the worked workpiece is performed by the reverse operation.

That is, as shown in FIG.
The hook member 27 is engaged with the groove M on the rear lower surface of the pallet P, and the pallet P is pulled back to the model confirmation idle station 3 in one motion (FIG. 16 (d)), and then the engagement of the hook member 27 is released. The carriage 7 is caused to travel in the reverse direction, and is then engaged with the groove M on the front lower surface of the pallet P.
The stopper / guide plate 51c is retracted and returned to its original position. (Fig. 16 (e))

Incidentally, the control of the elevation of the stopper / guide plates 51a, 51b, 51c is automatically performed. To control the elevation, a plurality of proximity sensors 67 are provided as shown in FIG. The position is detected.

Next, the exchange of pallets P between another work attaching / detaching station 1b and the processing table 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

Pallet P at work loading / unloading station 1b
When the work is mounted thereon, it is sent to the model confirmation idle station 3 by the transfer body 46 in FIG. 1 (from FIG. 17A to FIG. 17B). That is, the hook member 4 of the transfer body 46 in FIG.
8 is moved by engaging with the groove M1 on the lower surface of the pallet P.

At this time, the stopper / guide plates 51a and 51c on the side of the pallet P are located at the protruding positions, and the other stopper / guide plates 51b are immersed, but after being loaded, the stopper / guide plates 51b are raised. As described above, the hook member 48 comes off the groove M1 on the lower surface of the pallet P.

The procedure for sending the pallet P of the model confirmation idle station 3 to the machining table 2 or performing the reverse operation is as shown in FIGS. 16C to 16D. The point that the pallet P exists in the other work attaching / detaching station 1a is different from the above case.

However, in this case, as described above, since the confirmation claw 40 shown in FIG. 9 is obstructed by the lower surface of the pallet P and cannot be completely raised, the transport claw 41 is also moved to the rear groove 4.
3, two pallets P are not transported at the same time.

Then, the model confirmation idle station 3
When the exchange between the robot and the processing table 2 is completed, the transfer body 46
The pallet P to the original work attaching / detaching station 1b
And transfer the work. (Fig. 17 (e))

The two work loading / unloading stations 1a and 1b reload the work on one pallet P while the other pallet P is working, but transfer only the necessary pallets. For example, there is no problem such as interruption of the work reloading work.
That is, efficient work becomes possible.

[0070]

As described above, in the pallet changing device of the present invention, a pair of swinging claws are provided on the reversible hook member, and the existence of the transfer pallet is confirmed by the swinging claws for confirmation on one side. When the oscillating pawls on the other side are disengaged from the pallet by tilting the oscillating pawls on the other side, the oscillating pawls on the other side are raised to bring the In this case, only one pallet is transferred in each case, so that the work reloading work to the pallet at the work attaching / detaching station is not interrupted.
There is no extra burden on the drive. Further, by performing such selective pallet transfer by one apparatus, there is an effect that the installation space can be minimized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pallet changing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the same part.

FIG. 3 is a front view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side view taken along the line DD in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an operation diagram of a transport vehicle.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a hook member 27;

FIG. 10 is a view as viewed from E in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view as viewed from F in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a view as viewed from G in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a front view as viewed from the H direction in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of pallet transfer between a work attaching / detaching station and a processing station.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of pallet transfer between another work attaching / detaching station and a processing station.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b Work attaching / detaching station 2 Processing table 3 Model checking idle station 7 Carriage cart 27 Hook member 30 Reversing mechanism 37 Hook body 37a First engaging projection 37b Second engaging projection 38 Connecting pin 40 Confirmation claw 41 Transport claw M Groove P Pallet

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pallet changing device for selecting and transferring only one of pallets located at one or both of adjacent stations, the pallet changing device includes a pallet transfer device which is movable along a pallet carrying path. A cart and a hook member provided on the carrier cart and capable of being inverted,
The hook member includes a hook body that is detachable from the lower surface of the pallet by reversing, a connecting pin provided on the hook body, and a pair of swinging claws attached to the connecting pin. A pallet changing device for checking the presence or absence of a pallet on one side, and disengaging the swinging pawl on the other side with the lower surface of the pallet on the other side based on the result of the check.