JP3242828B2 - Processing unit and transfer machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer machine for processing a pair of left and right workpieces while transporting the same, and an improvement of the processing unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a transfer machine such as Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-74049 has been known as a processing unit for performing processing from various directions while changing the postures of two works in various ways. This apparatus includes a pair of pallets for positioning and mounting two works, a transfer bar for conveying the pallets at a constant pitch along a carrying path,
A processing machine is provided for processing a plurality of workpieces at the same time, and a pair of pallets are processed while being simultaneously converted into a predetermined posture.

[0003] Further, as a similar processing unit, for example, an apparatus such as Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-50549 is known. This device also has a pallet for mounting and fixing the work, and a transfer bar for sequentially transporting the pallet to a plurality of processing stations.A reversing device for reversing the pallet is provided at the beginning and end of the transport path. I have. Then, the pallet is inverted by the reversing device at the start end, and the work is arranged below the pallet, so that chips generated during processing are prevented from being deposited on the pallet or the work.

[0004]

By the way, the above-mentioned processing unit has various problems in processing a work which is used in combination with a pair of left and right parts in a well-balanced manner. That is, in the former case, in particular, since there are two pallets for mounting and fixing a pair of works, a posture conversion mechanism for each pallet must also be provided for each pallet. In order to reduce the error at the time, it is necessary to precisely control the position conversion amount of each pallet if the processing parts and processing directions of the two are to be given accuracy, which leads to a problem such as an increase in equipment cost. Was.

In the latter case, the work placed and fixed on the pallet is inverted and transported between the processing stations. However, the work position cannot be changed at each processing station, and the processing direction is not changed. There is a problem that restrictions arise. For this reason, it is not suitable especially for a work that needs to be processed from various directions.

Therefore, for example, a work which is used in combination with a pair of left and right and needs to be machined from almost all circumferential directions can be machined with a reduced relative error.
Moreover, a processing unit and a transfer machine that can be easily configured have been desired.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, in claim 1, a pair of symmetrical workpieces are gripped by a pair of grippers, lifted, and then rotated by a turning mechanism. A loader that converts the workpiece to an arbitrary direction in a horizontal plane, a work clamp jig that clamps a pair of mounted works, and then tilts at an arbitrary angle around a predetermined horizontal axis, and a pair of workpieces that are converted to a predetermined posture. A processing unit including a processing machine for processing a workpiece from a predetermined direction was configured.

[0008] A pair of workpieces are gripped by the pair of grippers of the loader, the orientations of the respective workpieces are changed, and the workpieces are mounted on a workpiece clamp jig. When the workpieces are fixed to the workpiece clamp jig, the workpiece is tilted at a predetermined angle. . Then, the posture of the work is changed by a combination of the change of the direction by the loader and the tilting of the work clamp jig, and for example, the work is always machined from a fixed direction. At this time, since the attitude conversion function is distributed to the loader and the work clamp jig, the attitude conversion mechanism is simplified. In addition, since the pair of works on the work clamp jig are tilted at the same angle, there is no difference in the processing angle between the two works.

In addition, the direction of the pair of workpieces by the loader is changed to a symmetrical direction by rotating the pair of gripping portions in opposite directions by synchronizing the pair of gripping portions by the rotating mechanism . . And, by synchronizing the orientation of the pair of workpieces and setting them to symmetrical positions, for example, when processing symmetrical components to be assembled on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, it is possible to process without any phase difference between the two. Good balance of time can be maintained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a predetermined processing station among a plurality of processing stations arranged in the processing order is contracted.
The processing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the loader is reciprocally movable between adjacent processing stations, and the gripper is vertically movable. It was sent to the processing station. When the processing is completed at the specific processing station, the gripper of the loader is lowered to grip the work on the work clamp jig, and the lifting loader is moved to the downstream processing station. Then, for example, the direction of the work is changed to a symmetrical posture during the movement of the loader, and the gripping part is lowered at the downstream processing station to be placed on the work clamp jig. Then, the work is clamped by a work clamp jig and tilted to a predetermined angle for processing. This operation is repeated, and the workpiece is processed while being sequentially sent downstream. By directly gripping and transporting the work in this way,
The transfer mechanism of the loader can be simplified as compared with the transfer of the entire pallet, and a series of processing can be performed efficiently if the direction of the work is changed during the transfer.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a layout of the transfer machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view for explaining a loader of the transfer machine, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the loader, and FIG. XX of 1
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a knuckle which is an example of a work, where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a front view.

The processing unit and the transfer machine of the present invention are applied to, for example, an apparatus for processing a pair of left and right knuckles constituting a part of a steering mechanism of a front wheel of a vehicle. The knuckle N is, for example, as shown in FIG. The lower arm connecting part a to which the lower arm is connected, the tie rod connecting part b to which the tie rod is connected, the damper connecting part c to which the damper is connected, and the like project in an irregular direction to form a complicated shape. A coupling hole or the like is formed in a, b, c, and the like. A coupling hole d for coupling the axle is formed substantially at the center.

Such a knuckle N is formed by forming a pair of symmetrical knuckle materials in advance by, for example, casting or the like, and then machining necessary portions with the present transfer machine. Examples of the processing include, for example, drilling of the joints a, b, and c, and end face processing. At this time, since the processing direction differs depending on the processing portion, when the processing machine is arranged in a fixed direction like a transfer machine, it is necessary to change the directions of the knuckles N, N one after another. In addition, for example, since the directions of the holes of the coupling portions a, b, and c are slightly inclined from the directions of the three basic coordinate axes, it is not enough to change the orientation, and the posture is changed three-dimensionally. There must be. Also, at this time, the left and right knuckles N, N are assembled so that no imbalance occurs when the knuckles N, N are assembled to the same vehicle.
It is desirable to balance the processing portion of N, the processing direction, and the like.

Therefore, the processing unit and the transfer machine according to the present invention are designed to efficiently perform a series of processing for these knuckles N and N materials and to improve the balance at the time of assembly. It is applied to a first transfer machine 1 on the upstream side of the transport path and a second transfer machine 2 on the downstream side of the transport path as shown. Each of the first and second transfer machines 1 and 2 is provided with eight processing stations.

[0015] Each of these processing stations
, A clamp jig 3 for clamping a pair of knuckles N, N, a processing machine 5 disposed in each processing station, and a plurality of loaders 4 corresponding to each processing station. 2) are provided, and the loaders 4,... (FIG. 2) are knuckles N on the clamp jig 3,
After grasping N, it can be transported toward the next processing station downstream and mounted on the clamp jig 3.
It is provided with a pair of gripping portions 17, 17 that can be reciprocated at a predetermined pitch along the carrying path and that can move up and down.
The processing machines 5,... Are arranged in the same direction with respect to the work transport path, and each processing axis is movable forward and backward in a direction orthogonal to the transport path.

For example, among the processing stations on the upstream side shown in FIG. 1, the second, fifth, and sixth processing stations surrounding the clamp jig 3 with a double frame;
Of the processing stations on the downstream side, the first, second,
6th processing station, clamp jig 3, ...
Is tiltable around a horizontal axis parallel to the carrying path. In the processing station, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a tiltable clamp jig 3 and a pair of clamped knuckles N, N are processed. Processing machine 5 and knuckles N, N
The main processing unit 7 is constituted by the loader 4 for transporting the workpiece.

Hereinafter, details of the main processing unit 7 will be sequentially described. The loaders 4,... Are arranged so that all the loaders 4,... Reciprocate simultaneously at a predetermined pitch by a single moving motor 8 as shown in FIG. The gripping portions 17, 17,... Are simultaneously raised and lowered by a single lifting motor 10 as shown in FIG. (Note that in FIG.
Is omitted. )

That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of pedestals 11,... Are erected along the work carrying path, and a beam 12 mounted on the pedestals 11,. The loaders 4,... Are slidably mounted. Each of the adjacent loaders 4 is connected to a connection bar 13.
Are connected, and when one loader 4 is moved, all the loaders 4,... Are moved at the same time.

The moving motor 8 is attached to an intermediate portion of the beam 12, and as described later,
The pinion attached to the output shaft of the moving motor 8 is mounted on the rack 1
4 (FIG. 3) so that the rack 14 can reciprocate in the direction of the transport path at a predetermined pitch.
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of loaders 4 and 4 are fixed to both ends of the rack 14, and the motor 10 for lifting is fixed to an intermediate portion. I am free to move. The connecting bar 1 is also provided between the lifting motor 10 and the left and right loaders 4, 4.
3 and 13 are provided and connected.

The lifting motor 10 is connected to each loader 4,
Can be simultaneously driven to move up and down, and the loader 4 is driven by the motor 10 for raising and lowering.
Are rotated around the axis, and the later-described elevating bodies 6,... Described later are simultaneously raised and lowered by a pinion rack mechanism provided in each of the later-described loaders 4,. The pair of left and right grips 17, 17 are rotatable in opposite directions to each of the lifting and lowering bodies 6, by a later-described rotating mechanism 16.

The above configuration will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view in a side view showing the relationship between the moving motor 8 and the loader 4, FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view in a front view showing the internal structure of the loader 4, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view in a side view showing a relationship between a lifting motor 10 and a rotating shaft 15, and FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view in a front view of FIG. 9.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the output shaft of the moving motor 8 attached to the beam 12 has a pinion 2
The pinion 20 is engaged with the rack 14. The length of the rack 14 is substantially the same as the pitch interval between the processing stations as described above, and a pair of loaders 4 and 4 are connected to both ends, and a middle portion of the rack 14 is The elevating motor 10 is connected. (Fig. 3)

The support frame 2 of the loaders 4,.
.. Are slidable with respect to the beam 12, and the loaders 4,... Incidentally, the pinion 20 is, as shown in FIG.
It meshes with another pinion 22 via the idle gear 21, and this pinion 22 meshes with the rack 14. The load on the pinion is reduced by engaging the two pinions 20, 22 with the rack 14 in this manner.

The lifting motor 10 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the frame 23 is attached to an upper portion of a frame 23 connected to the rack 14. The frame 23 is slidable with respect to the beam 12, and penetrates the frame 23 from side to side. A rotation shaft 15 is provided. A cylindrical worm 24 is fixed to the output shaft of the elevating motor 10,
The cylindrical worm 24 meshes with a worm wheel 25 fixed to the rotating shaft 15. Also, this rotating shaft 1
5 rotatably penetrate the loaders 4,... (FIG. 3), and are rotated around the axis by the driving of the lifting / lowering motor 10.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each loader 4,... Is provided with an elevating body 6,. The elevating body 6 is moved up and down by the pinion 2 attached to the rotating shaft 15.
6 and a rack bar 27 that meshes with the pinion 26.

Each of the lifting members 6 is connected to the rack bar 27.
And a pair of left and right guide bars 30, 30 penetrating the support frame 28 up and down freely, a turning mechanism 16 coupled to each guide bar 30, 30 and a lower end of the rack 27, and a lower part of the turning mechanism 16. A pair of left and right grips 17, 17 protruding
When the rotary shaft 15 rotates, the entire lifting body 6 is moved up and down by a pinion 26 and a rack bar 27 mechanism. In the figure, reference numeral 33 denotes a balance cylinder.

The pair of left and right grips 17, 17 are turned by the turning mechanism 16 in synchronization with each other in the opposite directions about the axis. The details of the turning mechanism 16 will be described below with reference to FIGS. It is explained based on. Here, FIG. 11 is a half sectional view of the turning mechanism 16 as viewed from the front, FIG. 12 is a half sectional view of the same in plan view, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the turning mechanism 16 includes an outer frame 34, a turning motor 35 mounted on a central side surface of the outer frame 34, and an output shaft of the turning motor 35. A ball screw 36 to be connected, a screw member 37 into which the ball screw 36 is screwed, and a slide plate 38 to which the screw member 37 is fixed are provided. The slide plate 38 is a rail mounted on the bottom surface of the outer frame 34. It is slidable back and forth along 40, 40.

Racks 41, 41 are attached to both side ends of the slide plate 38 parallel to the sliding direction, and pinions 42, which mesh with the racks 41, 41, are mounted.
42 is a pivot shaft 43 which constitutes a part of the gripping portions 17, 17;
The upper gear 43 is in mesh with the gears 43a, 43a. Therefore, when the turning motor 35 is driven, the ball screw 36
The slide plate 38 advances and retreats through the racks 41 and 4,
1, both pivot axes 43, 4 via pinions 42, 42
3 rotates synchronously in the opposite direction.

By the way, the gripping portion 17 is provided with the turning shaft 43, a chuck cylinder 44 built in below the turning shaft 43 as shown in FIG. A pair of chuck arms 45, 45 are provided.
After the 45 is inserted into the wheel coupling hole d of the knuckle N, it is opened outward to hold the inner diameter of the coupling hole. Further, the gripping portion 17 is provided with a positioning pin 47 inserted into the positioning hole 46 of the clamp jig 3 when the gripping portion 17 is lowered from above. The configuration of the loader 4 is as described above.

Next, the structure of the clamp jig 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
5 and FIG. Here, FIG. 15 is a plan view of the clamp jig, and FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view as viewed from the front. The clamp jig 3 is configured such that a pair of knuckles N, N can be arranged and fixed in a line along the carrying path direction, and a tilting table 51 that can be tilted about a horizontal axis P parallel to the carrying path with respect to the base 50. A tilting motor 52 for driving the tilting table 51 is provided, and the tilting table 51 can be tilted at an arbitrary angle around the horizontal axis P by driving the tilting motor 52.

On the tilting table 51, a pair of receiving portions 53 on which a pair of knuckles N, N can be placed,
The positioning holes 46, 46 are formed substantially at the center of the receiving portions 53, 53, and clamp mechanisms 54, 54 are provided near the receiving portions 53, 53.

The clamp mechanisms 54, 54
It comprises clamping rods 56, 56 movable vertically along the clamping cylinders 55, 55, and clamping arms 57, 57 connected to the clamping rods 56, 56, and intermediate portions of the clamping arms 57, 57. Are pivotally supported by pivot pins 60 of the support arms 58, 58, and are provided at their distal ends with pressing portions 57a, 57a.

When the knuckles N, N are placed on the receiving portions 53, 53, the clamping cylinders 55, 55
, The knuckles N, N are vertically clamped by the pressing portions 57a, 57a of the clamp arms 57, 57 so as to be clamped. The clamp jig 3 is configured as described above.

Next, the first and second transfer machines 1,
The types of the processing machines 5,... Of each of the processing stations 2, and the outline of the mode of processing in each of the processing stations 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 17 shows the processing postures and knuckles N, N at each processing station of the first transfer machine 1, and FIG. 18 shows the processing postures of knuckles N, N at each processing station of the second transfer machine 21. And the processing part.

First, at the first processing station of the first transfer machine 1, as shown in FIG. 17, both end faces of the tie rod coupling parts b, b are milled by a double-ended milling machine, and at the second processing station, As shown in (1) and (2), both ends of the lower arms a and a are milled by a two-head milling machine.

At this time, when moving the knuckles N, N from the first processing station to the second processing station,
As shown in FIG. 17, the direction of the knuckles N, N is changed by 90 degrees by the loader 4 and the clamp jig 3 of the second station is changed.
After that, the clamp jig 3 is tilted at a predetermined angle, set in a predetermined posture, and processed.

In the third working station, the knuckles N, N are changed in direction by 180 degrees as shown in the following, and then the connecting holes of the tie rod connecting parts b, b are tapered, and in the fourth working station, As shown in (1), taper reamer processing is performed on the coupling holes of the coupling rear portions b and b. At this time, the directions of the knuckles N, N of the third processing station and the fourth processing station are the same, and it is possible to perform drilling and reaming at the same station. Since the tact time is the same and processing and transport are performed simultaneously, processing is performed at another processing station as described above.

Next, at the fifth processing station, the directions of the knuckles N and N are changed by 180 degrees as shown in FIG.
By tilting the clamp jig 3 at a predetermined angle, the lower arm connecting portion a,
In the sixth processing station, the directions of the knuckles N, N are changed by 178 degrees and 35 minutes, and the clamp jig 3 is tilted at a predetermined angle as shown in FIG. Of the bonding hole of (1). Then, at the seventh processing station, the directions of the knuckles N, N are changed by 90 degrees to perform the drilling of the damper tightening holes of the damper coupling portions c, c, as shown in FIG. As shown, tapping of a part of the damper tightening hole is performed in the same posture.

Hereinafter, the processing in the second transfer machine 2 shown in FIG. 18 is performed in the same procedure.
While the direction of N is converted by the loader 4, it is sent to the downstream processing station, and the first, second, and sixth processing stations, and the clamp jigs 3,.

Incidentally, in the first processing station, the slits of the coupling holes of the damper coupling portions c, c are formed,
At the processing station, distortion correction processing of the coupling holes of the damper coupling parts c, c is performed, at the third processing station, side holes e, e around the damper coupling parts c, c are drilled, and at the fourth processing station, , The side holes e, e
Perform tap processing. In the fifth working station, the lower arm joints a, a are slotted, and in the sixth working station, the lower arm joints a, a are reamed. In the seventh processing station, deburring is performed around the damper coupling parts c, c, and in the eighth processing station, deburring is performed around the lower arm coupling parts a, a.

When the knuckles N, N are transported by the loaders 4,..., The grippers 17, 17 hold the knuckles N, N and lift them. The knuckles N are placed on the receiving portions 53 of the clamp jigs 3 in each of the processing stations in a state where the directions of the knuckles N are changed. By turning the knuckles N, N in the opposite direction synchronously in this manner, the knuckles N, N can be machined in a state where left-right symmetry is achieved, and the balance at the time of assembly is improved.

Of the clamp jigs 3 on which the knuckles N whose orientations have been converted are placed, the clamp jigs 3 with a tilting mechanism are provided with the knuckles N, N. Until the knuckle N,
When the mounting and clamping of N are completed, the tilting motor 5
2 operates, and the tilting table 51 is set at a predetermined angle.
At this time, since the pair of knuckles N, N are fixed on the same tilting table 51, there is little difference in the processing directions between them, and the balance at the time of assembly can be further improved. The knuckles N, N are manufactured by a series of such processing.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, a pair of symmetrical workpieces are gripped by a pair of grippers and lifted, and then converted to an arbitrary direction in a horizontal plane by a turning mechanism. A work unit comprising a loader, a work clamp jig that clamps a work whose direction has been changed and then tilts at an arbitrary angle around a predetermined horizontal axis, and a processing machine that works a work in a predetermined posture from a predetermined direction. With this configuration, it is possible to efficiently process a pair of workpieces that need to be processed from various directions, and to simply configure the posture conversion mechanism. In addition, a pair of gripping portions are
By turning in the opposite direction synchronously, the work
Since it converts to symmetrical orientation, for example, it is embedded on the left and right
When machining symmetrical parts, there is little relative error between the two.
Can be machined in good condition, and the balance during assembly is good.
You can keep it good.

[0046] Also, as claimed in claim 2, a predetermined processing station of the plurality of processing stations disposed in the processing order is disposed a processing unit according to claim 1, reciprocable between processing stations adjacent the loader If the gripper can be moved up and down freely, and the workpiece is directly gripped by the gripper of this loader and sent to the downstream processing station, the transport mechanism can be simplified compared to transporting the entire pallet, and Can efficiently process the workpiece.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a layout of a transfer machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view for explaining a loader of the transfer machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the loader.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows XX in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a knuckle as an example of a work (A).
Is a plan view, (B) is a front view

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the moving motor and the loader, as viewed from the side.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the internal structure of the loader.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a meshing state between the moving motor and the rack.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a relationship between a lifting motor and a rotating shaft in a side view.

10 is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 9 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 11 is a half cut sectional view of the turning mechanism as viewed from the front.

FIG. 12 is a half sectional view in the plan view.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view showing a tip of a gripper.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a clamp jig.

FIG. 16 is a partial sectional view as viewed from the front.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing an example of a processing posture and a processing portion of the first transfer machine.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory view showing an example of a processing posture and a processing part of the second transfer machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st transfer machine, 2 ... 2nd transfer machine, 3 ... clamp jig, 4 ... loader, 5 ... processing machine, 7
... Processing unit, 8 ... Moving motor, 10 ... Moving motor, 16 ... Turning mechanism, 17 ... Grip part, 35 ... Turning motor, 51 ... Tilt table, 52 ... Tilt motor, 54 ... Clamp mechanism, N ... knuckle.

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Noboru Kai 1-10-1 Shinsayama, Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture Inside Honda Engineering Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideyuki Arai 1-10-1 Shinsayama, Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture Honda Engineering (56) References JP-A-2-59248 (JP, A) JP-A-9-225773 (JP, A) JP-A-1-74049 (JP, U) JP-A-7-15716 (JP, A) Y2) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B23Q 7/00, 39/04

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] After a pair of symmetrical workpieces are gripped and lifted by a pair of gripping portions, the loader converts the orientation into an arbitrary direction in a horizontal plane by a turning mechanism, and a pair of clamped workpieces are placed. A work clamp jig that tilts at an arbitrary angle about a predetermined horizontal axis, and a processing machine that processes a pair of works converted into a predetermined posture from a predetermined direction ,
The change of the work direction by the loader is performed by the turning mechanism.
As a result, the pair of grips are synchronously turned in opposite directions.
A processing unit characterized by being converted into a symmetrical direction by turning. 2. A plurality of processing stations arranged in a processing order.
The processing method according to claim 1,
A machining unit is arranged, and the loader is
Reciprocating between the stations and raising and lowering the gripper
Freely, and directly grip the work with the gripper of this loader.
It is noted that it was sent to the downstream processing station.
Transfer machine .