JP5188569B2 - Bean chip removal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bean chip removing device that removes a bean chip fitted to the tip of a base plate of a spot welder.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, spot welding is widely used as one means for welding metal members, in which an electric current is applied while a metal member is crimped and the metal is melted and joined by the resistance heat. In an automated welding line for welding a white body or the like of an automobile, a welding gun 200 as shown in FIG. 6 is used by being attached to the tip of a robot arm. The welding gun 200 is obtained by fitting a cap tip 195 to the tips of opposed shanks 190 and 191. When welding, the cap tip 195 facing the robot arm is moved to the welding location 252 of the workpieces 250 and 251, and an electric current is passed while the welding locations 250 and 251 are crimped by the cap tip 195, 250 and 251 are welded. In the welding gun 200 as shown in FIG. 6, since the dimension α from the base of the shank 190 to the tip of the cap tip 195 is large, when the member 255 is in the vicinity of the workpiece 250, the shank 190 and the cap tip 195 are included. However, it does not enter between the workpiece 250 and the member 255, and the workpieces 250 and 251 cannot be welded. Therefore, in such a welding location, a welding gun 300 as shown in FIG. 7 is used.

  The welding gun 300 is a welding gun in which a base plate 301 is used instead of the shank 190 and a bean chip 302 is attached to the tip of the base plate 301. FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of the base plate, and FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of the bean chip. As shown in FIG. 8, the base plate 301 has a plate shape, and the bean chip 302 is attached to the mounting hole 301 a formed in communication with the tip of the base plate 301, so that the tip of the base plate 301 and the bean chip 302 are in contact with each other. The thickness dimension β of the portion 302a is small, and even in a narrow place where there is a member 255 provided close to the work 250, the mini chip 302 can be moved to the welding place 252, and the works 250 and 251 are welded. It becomes possible.

  If spot welding is performed for a certain level or more, the contact portion 302a of the mini chip 302 and the tip shape of the cap chip 195 are deformed and worn, making it difficult to ensure the welding quality. Therefore, when a certain processing time or a certain number of welding points is exceeded, it is necessary to remove the mini chip 302 and the cap chip 195 and replace them with new ones or polished ones.

  Conventionally, the automated welding line is stopped, the operator enters the automated welding line, an electrode tip removal tool as shown in Patent Document 1 is inserted into the tip of the shank 191, and the cap tip 195 is removed. The bean chip 302 was removed by hitting the mounting portion 302b of the bean chip 302 from the mounting hole 301a of the base plate 301. However, it is very dangerous for the operator to enter the automated welding line because the operator enters the movable range of the robot arm. In addition, in order for the operator to enter the automated welding line, it is necessary to stop the automated welding line, which causes a problem that production efficiency deteriorates. Furthermore, recently, since many of the materials to be welded have been subjected to rust prevention treatment with a chemical treatment agent, the wear of the bean chip 302 and the cap chip 195 tends to be fast and the replacement frequency tends to increase. However, in each case, stopping the automated welding line and replacing the bean chip 302 or the cap chip 195 has a problem that the production efficiency is greatly deteriorated.

  Then, the cap chip removal apparatus of a welding machine as shown by patent document 2 is proposed. The cap removal device of this welding machine includes a fixed claw inserted into the tip of the shank 191, a movable claw that is pivotally attached to the base end of the fixed claw, and that is attached to and detached from the fixed claw, and a rotational force applied to the movable claw. And a rotation mechanism for providing When removing the cap chip 195, the cap arm 195 is detached from the shank 191 by moving the robot arm, inserting the tip of the shank 191 into the fixed claw and the movable claw, and releasing the movable claw from the fixed claw. . However, such a cap removing device of the welder can remove the cap chip 195 but cannot remove the mini chip 302. If the automated welding line includes at least one step of using the bean chip 302, the automated welding line is stopped and the operator enters the automated welding line and removes the bean chip 302 as usual. Still, the problem that the worker is exposed to danger and the problem that the production efficiency of the automated welding line is greatly deteriorated cannot be solved.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-123565 PCT / JP2004 / 011688

  The objective of this invention is providing the apparatus which removes the said problem and removes the chip | tip automatically attached to the attachment hole of the base plate of a spot welder automatically.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a bean chip remover for removing a bean chip fitted in an attachment hole formed in communication with the tip of a base plate of a spot welder. An external device,
A fixing claw in contact with the upper surface of the base plate ;
An extruding pin that protrudes toward the fixed claw and contacts the lower end of the mounting portion of the bean chip protrudes, and a movable claw disposed so as to open and close with respect to the fixed claw,
A driving mechanism for applying a driving force to open and close the movable claw with respect to the fixed claw;
With the base plate held by the fixed claw, the movable claw is closed to the fixed claw side and the push pin is inserted into the mounting hole of the base plate to release the fitting between the base plate mounting portion and the mini chip. The bean chip is removed.

The movable claw of the invention according to claim 2 is pivotally supported by the base end of the fixed claw so as to be rotatable.
The drive mechanism is characterized in that turning force is applied to the movable claw.

The drive mechanism of the invention according to claim 3 is:
A lever connected to the movable claw and extending rearward of the rotation axis of the movable claw;
A pressing member disposed behind the lever so as to be movable back and forth, and having an inclined surface inclined with respect to the moving direction, pressing the rear end of the lever with the inclined surface, and rotating the lever;
It is characterized by comprising a cylinder for moving the pressing member in the front-rear direction.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that a roller that contacts the inclined surface of the pressing member is rotatably attached to the rear end of the lever.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that a restriction mechanism is provided for restricting the movement of the pressing member due to the reaction force acting on the pressing member when the lever rear end is pressed.

The regulating mechanism of the invention according to claim 6 is:
A roller rotatably attached to the pressing member;
It is comprised from the control board contact | abutted to the said roller and arrange | positioned in parallel with the moving direction of a press member.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that two fixed claws are arranged in parallel to the width direction of the apparatus, and a movable claw is arranged between the two fixed claws in the width direction. To do.

The invention according to claim 1 is a bean chip removing device for removing a bean chip fitted to an attachment hole formed in communication with the tip of a base plate of a spot welder, comprising: a fixing claw;
An extruding pin projecting toward the fixed claw protrudes and provides a movable claw disposed so as to open and close the fixed claw and a driving force for opening and closing the movable claw with respect to the fixed claw. It has a drive mechanism.
For this reason, it is possible to provide a device that can automatically remove the bean chip attached to the base plate, and it is not necessary for the operator to enter the automated welding line to remove the bean chip. In addition, since it is not necessary to stop the automated welding line, production efficiency can be improved.
In addition, since the bean chip attached to the mounting hole is pushed out with the push pin of the movable claw while holding the base plate with the fixed claw, the force pushed out to the bean chip with the push pin can be surely applied, It is possible to reliably release the fitting between the mounting hole and the mini chip.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the movable claw is pivotally supported by the base end of the fixed claw, and the drive mechanism imparts rotational force to the movable claw.
As described above, since the movable claw is pivotally supported by the fixed claw, it is possible to apply a large force to the movable claw while pressing the base plate with the fixed claw, and the fitting hole and the mini chip are securely fitted. Can be released.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive mechanism including a lever connected to the movable claw and extending rearward of the rotating shaft of the movable claw, and a slope inclined with respect to the moving direction. And a pressing member that rotates the lever by pressing the rear end of the lever on the inclined surface, and a cylinder that moves the pressing member in the front-rear direction.
For this reason, if a lever is set long with respect to a movable nail | claw, it will become possible to give a big turning power to a movable nail | claw by the lever principle.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that a roller that contacts the inclined surface of the pressing member is rotatably attached to the rear end of the lever.
For this reason, the friction at the time of pressing a lever with a pressing member reduces, and it becomes possible for a pressing member to provide rotational power to a lever reliably.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that a restriction mechanism is provided for restricting the movement of the pressing member due to the reaction force acting on the pressing member when the lever rear end is pressed.
As described above, since the movement of the pressing member due to the reaction force is restricted, it becomes possible to reliably apply the rotational force to the lever by the pressing member.

The regulating mechanism of the invention according to claim 6 is a roller rotatably attached to the pressing member;
It is comprised from the control board contact | abutted to the said roller and arrange | positioned in parallel with the moving direction of a press member.
As described above, since the roller is brought into contact with the regulating plate and the movement of the pressing member due to the reaction force acting on the pressing member is decided, the sliding resistance for moving the pressing member is lowered, and the pressing is surely performed. The member can be moved forward, and the lever can be reliably rotated.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that two fixed claws are arranged in parallel to the width direction, and a movable claw is arranged between the two fixed claws in the width direction.
For this reason, it becomes possible to hold down the bean chip from the base plate with a fixing claw, regardless of the direction of the base plate.

It is a side view of the bean chip removal apparatus which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the bean chip removal apparatus which shows embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement which closes a movable nail | claw. It is explanatory drawing at the time of removing a bean chip. (Top view) It is explanatory drawing at the time of removing a bean chip. (Side view) It is explanatory drawing of a welding gun. It is explanatory drawing of a welding gun. It is explanatory drawing of a baseplate. It is explanatory drawing of a bean chip.

Explanation of symbols

1 Housing 1a Upper plate (regulatory plate)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1b Support recessed part 2 Fixed claw 2a Shaft hole 3 Movable claw 3a Extrusion pin 3b Shaft hole 4 Cylinder 4a Rod 5 Press member 5a Slope 6 Lever 6a Support recessed part 7 Coil spring 8 Shaft 9 Roller 10 Roller 50 Bean chip removal device 190 Shank 191 Shank 195 Cap tip 200 Welding gun 250 Workpiece 251 Workpiece 252 Welding location 255 Member 300 Welding gun 301 Base plate 301a Mounting hole 301b Cooling water channel 302 Bean chip 302a Abutting portion 302b Mounting portion

(Description of base plate and bean chip)
FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of the base plate 301, FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of the bean chip 302, and the bean chip 302 to be removed by the bean chip removing device 50 of the present invention and the bean chip 302 are attached. The base plate 301 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the base plate 301 has a plate shape. The tip of the base plate 301 is thinner than the other parts. An attachment hole 301 a is formed in communication with the tip of the base plate 301. The mounting hole 301a has a tapered shape such that the inner diameter increases toward the abutting portion 302a side of the mini chip 302. As shown in FIG. 9, the mini chip 302 includes a cylindrical contact portion 302 a and a mounting portion 302 b formed at the lower portion of the contact portion 302 a. The outer diameter of the attachment portion 302b is smaller than the outer diameter of the contact portion 302a, and is tapered so that the outer diameter becomes smaller toward the lower end. The taper angle of the mounting hole 301a and the taper angle of the mounting portion 302b are the same angle. The bean chip 302 is attached to the base plate 301 by inserting the fitting part 302b of the bean chip 302 into the attachment hole 301a of the base plate 301 and fitting it. A cooling water channel 301b is formed in the base plate 301 from the base end side to the vicinity of the mounting hole 301a. The tip of the base plate 301 is cooled by the cooling water flowing through the cooling water channel 301b, so that the mini chip 302 is cooled.

(Structure of bean chip removal device)
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of the mini chip removing device 50. FIG. 2 is a top view of the mini chip removing device 50. The mini chip removing device 50 of the present invention is mainly composed of a housing 1, a fixed claw 2, a movable claw 3, a cylinder 4, a pressing member 5, a lever 6, and a coil spring 7.

  The housing 1 has a box shape. In FIG. 1, the side plate of the housing 1 is removed so that the internal structure in the housing 1 can be seen.

  The fixed claw 2 is provided at the front portion of the housing 1 so as to protrude forward. As shown in FIG. 2, the two fixed claws 2 are arranged in parallel to the width direction of the housing 1. The interval between the two fixed claws 2 is larger than the outer diameter (width dimension) of the abutment portion 2a of the bean chip 2, and the abutment portion 2a of the bean chip 2 is 2 as described later. It can enter between the fixed claws 2 of the book. A shaft hole 2 a communicating in the width direction is formed at the base end of the fixed claw 2.

  A shaft hole 3 b is formed at the base end of the movable claw 3. A shaft 8 that passes through the shaft hole 3b of the movable claw 3 and the shaft hole 2a of the fixed claw 2 is attached to the shaft hole 2a and the shaft hole 3b. With such a structure, the movable claw 3 is pivotally supported by the base end of the fixed claw 2, and the movable claw 3 opens and closes with respect to the fixed claw 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable claw 3 is disposed at a position between the two fixed claws 2 in the width direction of the bean chip removing device 50.

  The movable claw 3 is provided with a push pin 3a that protrudes (upward) toward the fixed claw 2 side. The cross-sectional shape of the extrusion pin 3a is a circular shape. The outer diameter of the push pin 3a is smaller than the inner diameter (smallest inner diameter) of the mounting hole 301a of the base plate 301 so that it can enter the mounting hole 301a.

  Next, a drive mechanism that applies turning force to the movable claw 3 will be described. This drive mechanism includes a cylinder 4, a pressing member 5, and a lever 6. The front end of the lever 6 is connected to the base end (rear end) of the movable claw 3 so that the movable claw 3 and the lever 6 are integrated. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lever 6 extends rearward from the rotation axis (axis 8) of the movable claw 3. The lever 6 has a plate shape and is accommodated in the housing 1. A roller 9 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the lever 6.

  A cylinder 4 is attached to the rear end of the housing 1. In the present embodiment, the cylinder 4 is an air cylinder that operates by air pressure, but may be an electric servo cylinder. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rod 4 a of the cylinder 4 penetrates into the housing 1. Due to the air pressure, the rod 4a of the cylinder 4 advances forward in the housing 1 and is pulled back to the rear side of the housing 1 (inside the cylinder 4).

  A pressing member 5 is attached to the tip of the rod 4 a of the cylinder 4. By moving the rod 4a of the cylinder 4 back and forth, the pressing member 5 moves back and forth in the housing 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressing member 5 has a slope 5 a. As shown in FIG. 1, the inclined surface 5 a is inclined so that the movable claw 3 is positioned on the opening direction side (lower side) in the direction in which the rod 4 a is drawn. As shown in FIG. 1, the roller 9 attached to the tip of the lever 6 is in contact with the inclined surface 5 a of the pressing member 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a roller 10 is rotatably supported on a portion (upper part) opposite to the inclined surface 5 a of the pressing member 5. The roller 10 is in contact with the upper plate 1a (regulation plate) of the housing 1. The contact surface of the upper plate 1 a with the roller 10 is parallel to the moving direction of the pressing member 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a support recess 6 a is formed in the middle of the lower surface of the lever 6. Further, a support recess 1 b is formed as a recess at a position facing the support recess 6 a of the housing 1. A coil spring 7 is supported by the support recess 6 a and the support recess 1 b and is mounted in the housing 1. The coil spring 7 urges the lever 6 in the direction in which the roller 9 is pressed against the inclined surface 5 a of the pressing member 5. For this reason, the lever 6 hangs down due to gravity and prevents the movable claw 3 from closing with respect to the fixed claw 2.

  FIG. 3 shows an explanatory view of the operation of closing the movable claw 3, and the operation of closing the movable claw 3 to the fixed claw 2 side will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, when the rod 4 a is pulled into the cylinder 4, the movable claw 3 is in an open state with respect to the fixed claw 2. In this state, the lever 6 is substantially horizontal. The roller 9 attached to the rear end of the lever 6 is located at the tip of the pressing member 5, that is, the tip (upper end) of the slope 5a. In this state, when the rod 4a of the cylinder 4 is advanced to the front of the housing 1 (to the movable claw 3 side), as shown in FIG. 3, the roller 9 attached to the tip of the lever 6 is pressed by the pressing member. 5, the lever 6 is rotated about the shaft 8 (clockwise in FIG. 3), and the movable claw 3 attached integrally with the lever 6 is also centered on the shaft 8. Rotating (clockwise in FIG. 3), the movable claw 3 is gradually closed to the fixed claw 2 side. Further, when the rod 4a of the cylinder 4 is advanced to the movable claw 3 side, the movable claw 3 is further rotated and the movable claw 3 is closed to the fixed claw 2 side (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 3). State). When the angle of the inclined surface 5a with respect to the moving direction of the pressing member 5 (the moving direction of the rod 4a of the cylinder 4) is θ, the force A (the turning force of the lever 6) that the pressing member 5 presses the roller 9 is 4 pressing force × tan θ. Accordingly, when the angle θ is set to be small, the force A with which the pressing member 5 presses the roller 9 can be increased.

(Operation of the present invention)
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are explanatory views when the bean chip 302 is removed. As shown in FIG. 4, the robot arm is moved so that the abutting portion 302 a of the mini chip 302 attached to the tip of the base plate 301 enters between the two fixed claws 2, and the mounting hole 301 a of the base plate 301 is inserted. Is positioned above the push pin 301a of the movable claw 3.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (1), the lower surface of the fixed claw 2 is in contact with the upper surface of the base plate 301. In this state, the rod 4a is advanced to the movable claw 3 side, and the movable claw 3 is closed to the fixed claw 2 side. Then, the push pin 3a of the movable claw 3 comes into contact with the lower end of the mounting portion 302b of the mini chip 302 (state (2) in FIG. 5).

  Further, when the movable claw 3 is closed to the fixed claw 2 side, the push pin 3a of the movable claw 3 presses the lower end of the mounting portion 302b of the bean chip 302 and enters into the mounting hole 301a of the base plate 301. The fitting between the mounting hole 301a and the mounting portion 302b of the mini chip 302 is released, and the mini chip 302 is removed from the mounting hole 301a of the base plate 301 (state (3) in FIG. 5).

  Since the fixed claw 2 presses the upper surface of the base plate 301, the fixed claw 2 prevents the base plate 301 from moving when the push pin 3a of the movable claw 3 presses the lower end of the mounting portion 302b of the bean chip 302. The upper force can be reliably applied to the lower end of the mounting portion 302b of the mini chip 302. In the present embodiment, since the two fixed claws 2 are arranged in parallel to the width direction of the bean chip removing device 50, the bean chip 302 is attached to the base plate regardless of the direction of the base plate 301. When removing from 301, it becomes possible to hold down with the fixed claw 2.

  Further, when the push pin 3a of the movable claw 3 presses the lower end of the mounting portion 302b of the mini chip 302, as shown in FIG. 3, the roller attached to the tip of the lever 6 by the inclined surface 5a of the pressing member 5 A force equal to the force A acts on the pressing member 5 in the upward direction due to the reaction force of the force A that presses 9. Therefore, the pressing member 5 prevents the rod 4a from moving upward, an excessive force does not act on the rod 4a, and the rod 4a is prevented from being damaged. In addition, since the upward movement of the pressing member 5 is prevented, the downward force A can be reliably applied to the lever 6 by the pressing member 5, so that the turning force can be reliably applied to the lever 6. For this reason, even if it is the bean chip 302 firmly fixed to the mounting hole 301 a of the base plate 301, it can be surely removed from the mounting hole 301 a of the base plate 301. Since the roller 9 is brought into contact with the upper plate 1a of the housing 1 and the upward movement of the pressing member 5 is prevented, the sliding resistance for moving the pressing member 5 is lowered, and the pressing member is surely 5 can be moved forward, and the lever 6 can be reliably rotated.

  In the embodiment shown in the figure, when the rear end of the lever 6 is pressed, a restricting mechanism that restricts the movement of the pressing member 5 due to the reaction force acting on the pressing member 5 can be freely rotated on the pressing member 5. It comprised from the attached roller 10 and the upper board (regulation board) 1a contact | abutted with the roller 10 and arrange | positioned in parallel with the moving direction of the press member 5. FIG. However, the restriction mechanism is not limited to this structure, and rails and guides that engage with the pressing member 5 are arranged in the housing 1 along the moving direction of the pressing member 5, and A structure that restricts the movement of the direction may be used.

  Since the roller 9 is rotatably attached to the rear end of the lever 6, friction when the lever 6 is pressed by the inclined surface 5 a of the pressing member 5 is reduced, and the turning force is surely applied to the lever 6 by the pressing member 5. Can be granted.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, if the distance from the shaft 8 to the roller 9 is set longer than the distance from the shaft 8 to the extrusion pin 3a, the extrusion pin 3a of the movable claw 3 is set according to the lever principle. Therefore, a large force can be applied to the push pin 3a.

(Summary)
In the embodiment shown in the figure, a drive mechanism for applying a driving force for opening and closing the movable claw 3 with respect to the fixed claw 2 is connected to the movable claw 3 and extends to the rear of the rotating shaft 8 of the movable claw 3. 6 and a rear surface of the lever 6 so as to be movable back and forth, and has a slope 5a inclined with respect to the moving direction, and the slope 5a presses the rear end of the lever 6 to rotate the lever. 5 and a cylinder 4 for moving the pressing member 5 in the front-rear direction. However, the drive mechanism is not limited to such a structure. For example, a pin that protrudes in the width direction is provided at the rear end of the lever 6 and a slide plate in which a cam groove is formed to engage with the pin is provided. The slide plate may be moved in the front-rear direction by the cylinder 4 so as to apply a turning force to the movable claw 3.

  When the spot welder is not a welding gun attached to the robot arm but a stationary gun, the mini chip removing device 50 is attached to the robot arm, and the mini chip removing device 50 is attached to the stationary gun. The bean chip 302 may be removed from the base plate 301 of the spot welder by moving to the spot welder.

  Although the present invention has been described above in connection with the most practical and preferred embodiments at the present time, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. However, it can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and it is understood that the bean chip removing device accompanying such a change is also included in the technical scope. It must be.

Claims (7)

A bean chip removing device for removing a bean chip (302) fitted in an attachment hole (301a) formed in communication with the tip of a base plate (301) of a spot welder,
A fixing claw (2) in contact with the upper surface of the base plate (301) ;
An extrusion pin (3a) that protrudes toward the fixed claw (2) and contacts the lower end of the mounting portion (302b) of the bean chip (302) protrudes and opens and closes with respect to the fixed claw (2). A movable claw (3) disposed;
A bean chip removing device having a driving mechanism for applying a driving force for opening and closing the movable claw (3) with respect to the fixed claw (2). The movable claw (3) is pivotally supported by the base end of the fixed claw (2),
The bean chip detaching device according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism applies turning force to the movable claw (3). The drive mechanism is
A lever (6) connected to the movable claw (3) and extending rearward of the rotation axis of the movable claw (3);
The rear surface of the lever (6) is arranged so as to be movable back and forth, and has a slope (5a) inclined with respect to the moving direction. The slope (5a) presses the rear end of the lever (6) to A pressing member (5) to be rotated;
The bean chip removing device according to claim 2, comprising a cylinder (4) for moving the pressing member (5) in the front-rear direction.   4. The bean chip removing device according to claim 3, wherein a roller (9) that abuts on the inclined surface (5a) of the pressing member (5) is rotatably attached to the rear end of the lever (6).   The bean according to claim 3, further comprising a restriction mechanism for restricting the movement of the pressing member (5) due to a reaction force acting on the pressing member (5) when pressing the rear end of the lever (6). Chip removal device. The regulatory mechanism
A roller (10) rotatably attached to the pressing member (5);
6. The chip removal device according to claim 5, comprising a regulating plate (1a) in contact with the roller (10) and disposed in parallel with the moving direction of the pressing member (5). .   The two fixed claws (2) are arranged parallel to the width direction, and the movable claw (3) is arranged between the two fixed claws (2) in the width direction. Item 2. A chip removal apparatus according to Item 1.

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