JP3102526B2 - Device for fixing the target member - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for fixing a target member, and more particularly to an improvement in a technique for fixing a target member such as a pallet on which a workpiece is placed in a machine tool.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in fixing such a target member, for example, a pallet (target member) on which a workpiece is mounted is automatically carried into a fixing device provided on a table of a machine tool and fixed. . Further, after machining of the workpiece is completed, the workpiece is automatically unloaded from the fixing device. In order to automatically carry the pallet in and out, the position of the pallet and the position of the conveying member for moving the pallet are detected, and the operation of the fixing device is electrically controlled based on the detection result. A hydraulic cylinder such as a hydraulic cylinder is generally used as a power source of the fixing device.

[0003]

However, when the fixing operation of the target member is performed by the electric control as described above, the structure becomes complicated and a malfunction easily occurs. In addition, since a fluid pressure cylinder is used as a power source, the working fluid supply pipe (for example, a hydraulic pipe) is routed in accordance with the movement of each part of the apparatus, which not only hinders processing but also causes an accident due to breakage of the supply pipe. Is easy to occur.

An object of the present invention is to securely fix a target member such as a pallet in a machine tool or the like without causing a malfunction or an accident.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION For this purpose, an apparatus according to the present invention comprises an upper receiving position which is arranged on a base and is capable of receiving an object member and a lower receiving position which clamps and fixes the object member between the base and the base. A fastening member movable between a fixed position, a biasing means for constantly biasing the fastening member toward the fixed position, and an action of the biasing means connected to the fastening member and rotating the fastening member with rotation. A support mechanism for moving to the receiving position in opposition,
A transport member that moves the target member toward the tightening member at the receiving position; and a support mechanism that is connected to the support mechanism via the connecting member and is displaced by engagement of the target member and the transport member with the movement of the target member. And an engaging member for rotating the rotating member.

[0006]

When the target member is conveyed by the conveying member to the tightening member side and engages with the engaging member, the movement of the engaging member is transmitted via the support mechanism to move the tightening member from the fixed position to the receiving position. Be moved. After the target member is conveyed to the tightening member, the engagement of the engaging member is released, the tightening member moves to the fixed position by the urging member, and fixes the target member with a force corresponding to the urging of the urging member. .

[0007]

1 to 9 show an embodiment of a fixing device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the fixing device is a positioning and fixing device that fixes the target member while positioning it at a predetermined position, uses a pallet on which a workpiece is mounted as the target member, and can move in the horizontal direction as the transfer member. An arm hook is used, a swing lever is used as an engaging member, and a crank plate is used as a fastening member. Hereinafter, the configuration will be mainly described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a clamp plate 3 serving as a fastening member is erected on a base 1 so as to be movable between a receiving position of a pallet P as a target member and a fixed position. Guide pins 5 erected at the corresponding positions on the base 1 are inserted into the respective vertical holes formed at the four corners of the clamp plate 3. These guide pins 5 guide the clamp plate 3 when it moves between the receiving position and the fixed position as described above. Further, an appropriate number of stoppers 7 for the pallets P are fixed above the front end (the right end in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the clamp plate 3. Further, a plurality of rollers 9 are arranged on both sides of the clamp plate 3 in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2). These rollers 9 are for assisting the movement of the pallet P, and the upper portions thereof are provided to slightly protrude from the upper surface of the clamp plate 3.

A first link 19 is connected at its upper end to a bearing near both sides (upper and lower ends in FIG. 1) of the clamp plate 3, and an eccentric cam 13 to be described later is attached to the lower end of each first link 19. Is loosely fitted. Further, two positioning pins 17 are provided on the base 1 so as to be vertically movable facing both side portions of the clamp plate 3. Each positioning pin 17
Has a notch 17a formed in the peripheral surface as shown in FIG.

An operating shaft 11 is provided inside the base 1 so as to extend horizontally in the width direction. A pair of eccentric cams 13 are fixedly engaged with the operating shaft 11 at positions corresponding to the vicinity of both sides of the clamp plate 3. A projection 11a is formed on the operating shaft 11 at a position corresponding to the notch 17a of each of the positioning pins 17 described above. Each protrusion 11a
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, depending on the rotation angle position of the operating shaft 11, the respective notches 17a can engage with the corresponding notches 17a. The pair of eccentric cams 13 are fixed to the operating shaft 11 respectively.

When the operating shaft 11 rotates in one direction, the clamp plate 3 is lowered by the rotation of the eccentric cam 13 while being guided by the guide pins 5, and approaches the base 1. At the same time, the projection 11a of the operating shaft 11 and the notch 1 of the positioning pin 17
The positioning pin 17 is raised through the engagement with 7a.
When the operating shaft 11 rotates in the other direction, the clamp plate 3 is guided by the guide pins 5 by the rotation of the eccentric cam 13 and rises to separate from the base 1. At the same time positioning pin 1
7 falls.

A pair of horizontal guide rails 21 extending in the front-rear direction are provided at the rear end (the left end in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the base 1 for receiving the pallets. The rail 21 has a plurality of rollers 20 for assisting the movement of the pallet. A swing lever 23 is pivotally supported at the lower end on the side of each guide rail 21, and a roller 24 is provided on the upper end of the swing lever 23. These swing levers 23 function as engaging members.

A second link 25 is fixedly provided at the lower end of the operating shaft 11 in parallel with the first link 19. A front end of a connecting member 27 extending back and forth is bearing-connected to an intermediate portion of each swing lever 23, and a rear end of the swing lever 27 is bearing-connected to an upper end of the second link 25. I have. As shown in FIG. 1, each connecting member 27 and the second
Two tension springs 29 are stretched between the shaft connecting the link 25 and the base 1. Therefore, the operating shaft 11 is urged by these tension springs 29 so that the clamp plate 3 approaches the upper surface of the base 1.

In this embodiment, a pallet P which is a target member moves between a pallet carrier of a pallet changing device (not shown) and a fixing device of the present invention. The fixing device is provided on a processing table of a machine tool (not shown). FIG. 4 shows the structure around the pallet. At the rear end of the pallet P, a concave engaging portion 10 is provided. On the lower surface of the pallet P, a pressed portion having an L-shaped cross section is formed. In the drawing, only the portion above the guide surface of the pallet by the roller 20 is shown.

On the opposite side of the pallet P from the fixing device of the present invention, there is provided an arm hook 12 which is reciprocated in the front-rear direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). This arm hook 12 functions as a transport member,
At the end, it is connected to the arm base 14 by a bearing.
It is set to be able to swing up and down. That is, the arm hook 12 is disengaged from the engaging portion 10 of the pallet P by this swing.

Next, the operation of the positioning and fixing device having such a configuration will be described first when a pallet as a target member is carried into the positioning and fixing device. The standby state of the positioning and fixing device is shown in FIGS. At this time, the swinging lever 23 as an engaging member is in a left-tilted state in the drawing, the clamp plate 3 as a fastening member is at a fixed position (approaching the base 1), and the positioning pin 17 projects upward.

That is, the clamp plate 3 is at a fixed position close to the base 1 by the urging forces of the four tension springs 29. At this time, the two positioning pins 17 are moved upward by the protrusions 11 a on the operation shaft 11 and protrude from the base 1. The pallet P is placed on a pallet carrier (not shown).

FIGS. 4 and 7 show a state in which the pallet P is carried into the fixing device. At this time, the swinging lever 23 as the engaging member is inclined rightward in the drawing, the clamp plate 3 as the fastening member is at the receiving position (separated from the base 1), and the positioning pin 17 is lowered and retracted.

That is, the arm hook 12 engages with the engaging portion 10 of the pallet P, and moves the pallet P toward the positioning and fixing device. At this time, the pallet P moves on the plurality of rollers 20 of the guide rail 21. When the pallet P reaches the positioning and fixing device, the pallet P engages the roller 24 at the upper end of the swing lever 23 at the lower end thereof, and swings the swing lever 23 toward the clamp plate 3 against the urging force of the tension spring 29. Move further while moving. As a result, the swing lever 23 comes into contact with the lower surface of the pallet P and maintains this swing position.

During this operation, the operating shaft 11 rotates in the same direction as the swinging movement of the swinging lever 23, and the clamp plate 3 is moved to the receiving position separated from the base 1 by the corresponding rotation of the eccentric cam 13. The pallet P can be accepted. At the same time, the positioning pin 17 is lowered by the movement of the projection 11a on the operating shaft 11, as shown in FIG. Pallet P
Is further guided by the roller 9 on the side of the clamp plate 3 and moves forward, and then comes into contact with the stopper 7 (see FIG. 2), and the arm hook 12 stops.

FIGS. 5 and 8 show the state at this time.
The swing lever 23 is engaged with the lower surface of the arm base 14 and maintains the right tilt state, and the positioning holes of the pallet P are at positions corresponding to the positioning pins 17 as shown in FIG.

Pallet P detached from arm hook 12
6 and 9 are shown in FIGS. At this time, the swinging lever 23 as the engaging member returns to the left tilt state in the drawing, the clamp plate 3 as the tightening member maintains the fixed position (approaching to the base 1), and the positioning pin 17 projects upward. FIG. 10 shows the relationship among the clamp plate 3, the positioning pin 17, the reference seat 15, the guide pin 5, and the stopper 7 at this timing.

That is, the arm hook 12 is swung upward by a driving means (not shown) provided in the positioning and fixing device, and detaches from the engaging portion 10 of the pallet P. The arm hook 12 retreats as it is with the arm base 14, and eventually disengages from the engagement with the swing lever 23. As a result, the swing lever 23 returns to the left tilt state as shown in FIG. 6 by the urging force of the tension spring 29.

When the swing lever 23 swings to the left, the operating shaft 11 rotates together with the eccentric cam 13 in a direction opposite to the initial direction, and the pallet P moves down to a fixed position together with the clamp plate 3 to thereby clamp the plate. By 3, it is fixed to the base 1 by a force corresponding to the urging force of the tension spring 29.
In parallel with this, the positioning pin 17 is raised by the action of the projection 11a of the operating shaft 11, is inserted into a positioning hole formed on the lower surface of the pallet P, and the pallet P is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position.

Next, a case where a pallet as an object member is carried out from the positioning and fixing device will be described. When the processing of the workpiece is completed, the arm hook 12 is moved to the arm base 14.
Together with the positioning and fixing device. During the forward movement, the lower surface of the arm base 14 is engaged with the swing lever 23, and the swing lever 23 swings to the right again. This state corresponds to the states shown in FIGS. With the rotation of the operating shaft 11 accompanying this, the positioning pin 17 descends and disengages from the positioning hole on the lower surface of the pallet P, and the positioning and fixing state with respect to the pallet P is released.

The tip end of the arm hook 12 is engaged with the engaging portion 10 of the pallet P (this state is shown in FIGS. 5 and 8).
In this state, the vehicle temporarily stops and then retreats. During the retreat, the swing lever 23 is maintained in the right tilt state by engagement with the lower surface of the pallet P. An inclined surface is formed on each of the distal end portion of the arm hook 12 and the engaging portion 10 of the pallet P. Therefore, arm hook 1
When the arm 2 moves forward toward the engaging portion 10 of the pallet P, the two members are automatically engaged by the arm hook 12 climbing over the engaging portion 10 along the inclined surface.

When the pallet P retreats to a predetermined position,
The swing lever 23 is disengaged from the engagement state with the pallet P, and returns to the initial left tilt state. With the rotation of the operating shaft 11 accompanying this, the clamp plate 3 also returns to the fixed position, and the entire positioning and fixing device is in the initial state shown in FIGS.

The above-described positioning and fixing device may be provided on a setup table for performing an operation of mounting a workpiece on a pallet, in addition to being provided on a processing table of a machine tool. Furthermore, such a positioning and fixing device can be used as an arrangement rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the pallet transport direction (horizontal direction in the drawing), that is, as a vertical arrangement.

In the embodiment described above, when the pallet P is moved to the most advanced position, the swing lever 23 is kept in the right tilt state as shown in FIG. 5 by engagement with the arm base. . Alternatively, however, the swing lever 23 may be disengaged from engagement with the arm base when the pallet P moves to the most advanced position. FIGS. 11 and 12 show an example thereof.

That is, the bracket 31 is interposed between the arm hook 12 and the arm base 14. The arm hook 12 is mounted on the bracket 31 so as to swing up and down, while the arm base 14 is connected to the bracket 31 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. A stopper 33 is provided at the base end of the arm hook 12.
Is provided, whereby the arm hook 12 is maintained in a horizontal state.

When the arm hook 12 moves the pallet P forward to the positioning and fixing device, the swing lever 23 is disengaged from the lower surface of the pallet P, and the pallet P is fixed. After the arm hook 12 is retracted, the arm base 14
The arm hook 12 is rotated by 80 degrees as shown in FIG.
Is set in the same direction as.

When the arm hook 12 moves forward to carry out the pallet P from the positioning and fixing device, the arm base 14 engages with the swing lever 23 to tilt the swing lever 23 to the right, thereby causing the operating shaft 11 to move. By rotation, the fastening to the pallet P is released.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the swing lever 23 is used as the engagement member, but a slider that moves up and down may be used instead. FIG. 13 shows an example.

That is, the rack 4 provided so as to be vertically movable.
A roller 43 is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the slider forming the first shaft 1. The pinion 45 engaging with the rack 41 of the slider has a transmission shaft 4 having bevel gears at both ends.
7 is connected to a gear 46 fixed to the operating shaft 11. A guide piece 49 is attached to the front end of the pallet P.

When the pallet P moves forward, the guide piece 49 contacts the roller 43 to lower the slider. The rotation of the pinion 45 accompanying this causes the gear 46 and thus the operating shaft 1
1 rotates to separate the clamp plate 3 from the base 1.

In each of the above embodiments, the engaging member is engaged with the lower surface of the pallet which is the target member and the arm base of the arm hook which is the conveying member. However, instead of this, the clamp plate 3 serving as a fastening member can be configured to engage with the side surface of each member.
May be moved to the receiving position.

[0038]

When the pallet is automatically carried in and out of the fixing device, the fixing operation is controlled mechanically, so that the operation can be performed without malfunction. In addition, since a fluid pressure cylinder is not used as a power source, there is no need to route the working fluid supply pipe, etc.
No accidents occur due to breakage of the supply pipe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an example of a fixing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the operation.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the operation.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the operation.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 base 3 clamp plate 5 guide pin 7 stopper 11 operating shaft 12 arm hook 13 eccentric cam 14 arm base 15 reference seat 17 positioning pin 21 guide rail 23 swing lever 27 connecting member 41 rack P pallet

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B23Q 7/00 B23Q 3/00 B23Q 3/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A receiving Allowed the Target member is disposed on the base
A movable clamping member between the fixed position beneath the ability of upper receiving position and the target member to tighten <br/> only fixed with the base, with constantly towards the clamping member in a fixed position A biasing means for biasing, and a tightening portion connected to the
Support to move the material to the receiving position against the action of the biasing means.
And lifting mechanism, the clamping member is a Target member to a receiving position toward
Only the conveying member for moving the engaging member to rotate the displacement to the support mechanism by the engagement of the target member and the conveying member with the movement of the concatenated by the target member to the support mechanism via a connecting member Yes An apparatus for fixing a target member, comprising: A supporting mechanism fixed to the operating shaft;
Eccentric cam and the engaging member can swing on the base.
Noh bearing and connected to the operating shaft.
As the member swings due to engagement with the target
Rotate the eccentric cam through the
The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is moved to a receiving position against a spring biasing force of a biasing means. And a support mechanism fixed to the operating shaft.
And an eccentric cam connected to the tightened tightening member,
An engaging member is provided on the base so as to be vertically movable and moves.
It is connected to the operating shaft of the support mechanism via the conversion mechanism,
With the downward movement due to the engagement of the engaging member with the front end of the target member,
Rotate the eccentric cam via the operating shaft to urge the tightening member
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is moved to a receiving position against a spring bias of the means.