JP5330182B2 - Work transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer apparatus in a press machine body or between press machine bodies.

  Conventionally, in order to improve productivity, a workpiece transfer device within a press machine or between press machines conveys the work from a predetermined position in the upstream process to a predetermined position in the downstream process while maintaining the correct posture of the work. There is a need to be able to.

For this reason, conventionally, various devices of this type have been proposed. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of feeds extending facing the workpiece conveyance direction (workpiece traveling direction). Some use bars 10A and 10B.
This is provided with fingers 20A to 25A, 20B to 25B, etc., which are arranged facing each other at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the pair of feed bars 10A and 10B. The workpieces at a predetermined position in the upstream process are clamped (or placed on the finger) by bringing ˜25B close to each other (clamping operation).

  Next, the workpiece clamped (or placed on the finger) is lifted (lifted) upward in order to remove it from the die (lower die), and the feed bars 10A, 10B and fingers 20A to 25A facing each other in this state. , 20B to 25B are moved (advanced) in the workpiece conveyance direction, and the workpiece is conveyed to a predetermined position in the downstream process (for example, 1st.stg to 2nd.stg, or 2nd.stg to 3rd.stg, etc.).

  And in the said downstream process predetermined position, the feed bar 10A, 10B which extends and fingers 20A-25A and 20B-25B are lowered | hung (down), for example, a workpiece | work is dropped to the predetermined position on a metal mold | die (lower mold | type). .

  Thereafter, the feed bars 10A and 10B facing each other and the fingers 20A to 25A and 20B to 25B are separated from each other by a predetermined distance to release (unclamp) the workpiece, and a die (upper die) that descends by a press operation The fingers 20A to 25A, 20B to 25B each hold the upstream work (next work) (or placed on the finger), etc. The feed bars 10A and 10B and the fingers 20A to 25A and 20B to 25B are returned (returned) to a predetermined position in the process).

  In such a conventional transfer device, for example, a ball screw (rack ball) or a rack and pinion is used to realize each operation such as a lift / down operation of the feed bar, a clamp / unclamp operation, and an advance / return operation. Many use a linear motion mechanism.

  In addition, there is a type using a linear motor or the like. For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to simplify the structure of the entire apparatus and reduce the inertia weight of the movable part, the linear motor is directly connected to the feed bar. It is described that a clamp / unclamp operation, a lift / down operation, and the like are performed by connecting.

Further, for example, in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, for example, the top of a three-bar linkage mechanism is connected to a feed bar, and a ball screw mechanism is connected to an end of each node. Driven and arranged opposite to each other so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the feed bar, the ball screw mechanisms arranged opposite to each other are driven so that the end of each node approaches or extends along the longitudinal direction of the feed bar. There have been proposed ones that perform clamping and unclamping operations by separating them.
JP 2002-102964 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-63666 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-63667

  However, the conventional transfer device as described above needs to include drive sources (actuators) for both the clamp / unclamp operation and the lift / down operation, and the number of parts is large and the configuration is complicated. There is a concern that the product cost is high and a large installation space is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a work transfer device that can transfer a work efficiently with a small drive source while realizing a simple and inexpensive configuration and saving space. And

For this reason, the workpiece transfer apparatus according to the present invention is
Clamping operation for supporting the workpiece by bringing the facing fingers closer, lifting operation for lifting the supported workpiece, advance operation for moving the supported workpiece in the transport direction, down operation for lifting the supported workpiece, and facing fingers A workpiece conveying device that sequentially conveys a workpiece from an upstream process predetermined position to a downstream process predetermined position via an unclamping operation for releasing the workpiece by separating the workpiece and a return operation for returning the finger to the original position,
Each distal end side is connected to a support member that supports the finger via a rotation fulcrum having a different position in the clamping operation direction, and includes two link arms that are rotatable in a plane substantially orthogonal to the workpiece conveyance direction,
The proximal ends of the two link arms are connected to movable elements that can move independently of each other, and
A servo motor capable of rotationally driving the front end side or the base end side of at least one link arm and maintaining it at a predetermined rotational angle position is mounted on a support member or a movable element on which a corresponding rotational fulcrum is mounted,
Each of the movable elements is capable of reciprocating linear movement independently of each other in a direction substantially parallel to the clamping operation direction by a corresponding linear motion actuator .

  In the present invention, the two link arms may be crossed when viewed from the workpiece conveyance direction.

  In the present invention, a lift operation or a down operation can be performed based on a change in the relative distance between the proximal ends of the two link arms.

  In the present invention, the clamping operation or the unclamping operation is performed based on the fact that the proximal ends of the two link arms are moved in the same direction.

In the present invention, the linear motion actuator may be a linear motor .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the workpiece conveyance apparatus which can convey a workpiece | work efficiently with few drive sources can be provided with a simple and cheap structure and implement | achieving space saving.

It is a perspective view (figure seen from the diagonally forward of a workpiece conveyance direction) which shows schematically the whole structure of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a perspective view (figure seen from the diagonally forward of a workpiece conveyance direction) explaining the structural example and the mode of operation | movement of a finger, a feed bar, etc. of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above. It is a figure which shows the initial state (unclamped and down state) of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above, (A) is the figure seen from the workpiece conveyance direction upstream, (B) is a bottom view of (A). (C) is a side view of (A). It is a figure which shows the "clamp and a down state" of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above, (A) is the figure seen from the workpiece conveyance direction upstream, (B) is a bottom view of (A). It is a figure which shows the "clamp and lift state" of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above, (A) is the figure seen from the workpiece conveyance direction upstream, (B) is a bottom view of (A). It is a figure which shows the inclination state (clamp and down state) of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above, (A) is the figure seen from the workpiece conveyance direction upstream, (B) is a bottom view of (A). is there. It is the figure which compared and showed the mode of operation | movement of the normal state and inclination state of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above. It is a figure which shows another example of the link mechanism of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a work transfer device in a press machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a workpiece transfer apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the body of a press 1. However, it can also be used to transport workpieces between multiple press bodies.

  In FIG. 1, a workpiece (only the top workpiece is shown) is conveyed from the left side of the machine body of the press 1 toward the downstream side of the workpiece conveyance direction (workpiece traveling direction). This conveyance will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The clamping operation, the lift operation, the advance operation, the down operation, the unclamping operation, and the return operation of the pair of feed bars 10A, 10B and the fingers 20A to 25A, 20B to 25B attached thereto are repeated. Is made by

  The workpiece is set at a predetermined position in each process (for example, in the first process, the position where the workpiece of FIG. 2 is illustrated), and the feed bars 10A and 10B and the fingers 20A to 25A (20B to 25B) are unclamped. Then, in the press 1, the slide 2 is moved up and down to perform a predetermined pressing process on the workpiece W.

  The workpiece (finished product or semi-finished product) that has been subjected to the predetermined press treatment and thus formed in a predetermined manner is clamped by the fingers 20A to 25A and 20B to 25B attached to the pair of feed bars 10A and 10B. Via a lift operation, advance operation, down operation, unclamping operation, and return operation, from a predetermined position on the upstream side of the press 1 process (for example, 1st.stage) to a predetermined position on the downstream side of the descending process (for example, 2nd.stage) The workpieces are sequentially conveyed, and each workpiece is sequentially subjected to press processing in the next process.

  Here, in the workpiece conveyance device 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the feed bar 10 </ b> A (or 10 </ b> B) is supported via a pantograph type link mechanism 100.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the link mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment employs a pantograph-type link mechanism in which link arms 101A and 101B are crossed and arranged in an X shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the link mechanism 100 is disposed near both ends of each feed bar 10 </ b> A (or 10 </ b> B) in the workpiece conveyance direction, but is not limited thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the front ends of the link arms 101A and 101B are feed bar sliding guides 11A that support the feed bars 10A and 10B while slidably guiding them in the advance (or return) direction. It is rotatably connected to the connecting portions 11Aa, 11Ab, 11Ba, and 11Bb of 11B.

  The link arms 101A and 101B intersect when viewed from the long axis direction (advance / return direction) of the feed bars 10A and 10B, and the base end side of the link arm 101A is substantially integrated with the movable element 111A of the linear actuator 110A. The link arm 101B can be rotated by an actuator 120 such as a servo motor, while the base end side of the link arm 101B is rotatable to a connection portion 111b substantially integral with the movable element 111B of the linear actuator 110B. It is connected to.

  The actuator 120 can drive the link arm 101A to rotate around the connecting portion 111a (for example, applies a driving force to the link arm 101A so that the link arm 101A can be maintained at a predetermined rotational angle position with respect to the reaction force. (Including such driving) is not limited to a servo motor, and other fluid actuators using air pressure, hydraulic pressure, or the like can be used. In addition, for example, mechanical elements (for example, coil springs, leaf springs, rubbers, etc.) that can act (supply) a predetermined urging force (elastic force) in the rotation direction directly or indirectly on the link arm 101A. Member) or the like can be used as an actuator.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the actuator 120 is attached in the vicinity of the connecting portion 111a and exemplified as a configuration for applying a rotational force to the link arm 101A connected thereto. Not only, but it can be set as the structure which acts with respect to the other connection part 111b, and also the link arm around 11Aa, 11Ab (or 11Ba, 11Bb).

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the feed bar sliding guides 11A and 11B are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center plane X on which the feed bars 10A and 10B are arranged to face each other, and are connected to this. The link arms 101A and 101B and the linear actuators 110A and 110B are also arranged in plane symmetry.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (A), each of the movable elements 111A of the linear actuator 110A arranged symmetrically with respect to the center plane X where the feed bars 10A and 10B face each other is clamped by the feed bars 10A and 10B. It is configured to be movable while being guided by a common linear guide 112A extending substantially parallel to the direction of the operation / unclamping operation, and the base end side of the link arm 101A is connected to each of the movable elements 111A.

  Further, each of the movable elements 111B of the linear actuator 110B arranged symmetrically with respect to the center plane X is a common linear guide that extends substantially parallel to the direction of the clamping operation / unclamping operation of the feed bars 10A, 10B. It is configured to be movable while being guided by 112B, and the base end side of the link arm 101B is connected to each of the movable elements 111B.

  Therefore, in the link mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment, in one link mechanism 100, the connecting portion 111a connected to the link arm 101A and the connecting portion connected to the link arm 101B via the actuator 110B. The feed bar 10A (10B) can be lifted by relatively approaching 111b, while the feed bar 10A (10B) can be lifted by relatively separating the connecting portion 111a and the connecting portion 111b. ) Can be taken down.

  In such a lift operation and a down operation, the actuator 120 (in the case of an electric actuator such as a servo motor) is driven and controlled so as to smoothly move the link arm 101A corresponding to these operations. Yes. In addition, when the actuator 120 uses the biasing force of the elastic body, the lift operation and the down operation are performed against the biasing force.

  Further, in the pair of link mechanisms 100 arranged symmetrically with respect to the center plane X, the distance between the pair of coupling portions 111a that are plane-symmetric with respect to the central plane X and the pair of coupling portions 111b that are plane-symmetric with respect to the central plane X. By making both the distances longer, the workpiece can be unclamped by separating the feed bar 10A (10B), while the distance between the pair of plane-symmetric connecting portions 111a and the pair of plane-symmetric connections By shortening both the distances between the portions 111b, the work can be clamped by bringing the feed bar 10A (10B) closer.

  By the way, in this Embodiment, although demonstrated as a structure which arranged two movable elements 111A (or 111B) facing common linear guide 112A (or 112B), it is not limited to this, Each movable A linear guide 112A (or 112B) may be provided for each element 111A (or 111B).

  In addition, the linear actuators 110A and 110B as the linear motion actuators illustrated in FIG. 3 are described using a linear motor as an example. However, the linear actuators are not limited to this, and for example, a ball screw mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism The linear actuator can be a combination of an electric motor and an electric motor.

Here, the advance operation and the return operation of the feed bars 10A and 10B are achieved by sliding the feed bars 10A and 10B on the feed bar sliding guides 11A and 11B via an unillustrated conventional actuator or the like. .
Therefore, detailed descriptions of the advance operation and the return operation are omitted.

  Here, the feed bar sliding guides 11A and 11B according to the present embodiment correspond to support members for supporting the fingers according to the present invention. For example, the advance operation and the return operation are performed by the fingers and the feed bars 10A and 10B. Is not configured by sliding on the feed bar sliding guides 11A, 11B (for example, a configuration in which the whole supporting the fingers, the feed bars 10A, 10B, etc. is moved in the advance operation direction / return operation direction) In this case, the feed bar may be a support member for supporting the finger according to the present invention.

  On the other hand, the clamp operation, unclamp operation, lift operation, and down operation of the feed bars 10A, 10B are performed as described above, such as the pantograph type link mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment (link arms 101A, 101B, Linear actuators 110A, 110B, etc.).

  Hereinafter, a workpiece transfer operation (clamping operation, unclamping operation, lift operation, down operation, advance operation, return operation) in the workpiece transfer apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

(I) FIG. 3 shows an initial state of the unclamped state and the down state.

(II) From the initial state of FIG. 3 (unclamped state and down state), as shown in FIG. 4, the distance between the facing movable elements 111A of the linear actuator 110A (110B) arranged facing each other and the facing movable The linear actuator 110A (110B) is driven so as to shorten the distance between the elements 111B (to move the movable elements 111A or 111B closer to each other), thereby reducing the facing distance between the movable elements 111A (111B). The workpiece is clamped by reducing the distance A1 shown in FIG. 3B to the distance A2 shown in FIG. 4B.
At this time, the movable element 111A and the movable element 111B in each of the linear actuators 110A (110B) can be moved substantially in parallel, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the amount of movement according to various requirements. Can also be changed (see distance X1 in FIG. 3B, distance X2 in FIG. 4B, etc.).

(III) After clamping the workpiece, the workpiece is lifted in order to pull it out of the mold (lower die) and transport it to the downstream process side while avoiding interference with others (see FIG. 5).
The lift of the work is performed by the movable element 111A and the movable element 111B in each of the link mechanisms 100A (100B) supporting the feed bar 10A (10B) while maintaining the state of clamping the work of (II) (FIG. 4). So that the relative distance between the connecting portion 111a and the connecting portion 111b is shortened (that is, the distance X2 in FIG. 4B is shortened to the distance X3 in FIG. 5B). Drive each linear actuator 110A (110B) and actuator 120, thereby extending the feed bars 10A, 10B and fingers 20A-25A (20B-25B) as shown in FIG. The workpiece is lifted by a predetermined lift stroke.

(IV) In a state where the workpiece is clamped and lifted to a predetermined level, the feed bars 10A and 10B are advanced through a conventional actuator (not shown) to convey the workpiece to the downstream process.

(V) When the work is transported to a predetermined position in the downstream process, in order to place the work in a predetermined position such as a mold (lower mold), each linear actuator 110A (110B) and actuator 120 are driven to move the work. Bring it down.
That is, for example, each linear actuator 110A (110B) and the actuator 120 are driven so as to return from the state of FIG. 5 to the state of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the feed bar sliding guides 11A and 11B and the center plane X side of the feed bars 10A and 10B can be inclined and the down operation and the clamping operation can be performed. .

  That is, in the down operation, for example, it may be assumed that the slide (die: upper die) is to be lowered from the upper part earlier for the press operation in response to a request such as an improvement in production speed. As shown in the figure on the left side of FIG. 7, the slide (die: upper mold) that descends interferes with the upper surfaces of the fingers 20A to 25A (20B to 25B) and the feed bar 10A (10B). However, as shown in the drawings on the right side of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the fingers 20A to 25A (20B˜ 25B) and the operation of retracting the feed bar 10A (10B) to the unclamped state, it is possible to avoid the interference and thus meet demands such as an increase in production speed. Together so that that can, can be improved, such as flexibility of the die design.

  In addition, when clamping a workpiece, there may be cases where the workpiece is picked up before the slide (die: upper die) is fully moved up in response to demands such as an increase in production speed. In such a case, as shown in the diagram on the left side of FIG. 7, the slide (die: upper die) that is not sufficiently raised, the fingers 20A to 25A (20B to 25B), and the feed bar 10A (10B), etc., easily interfere with each other, but as shown in the right side of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, by performing the clamping operation while keeping the center plane X side inclined downward, The interference can be avoided, so that it is possible to meet demands such as an improvement in production speed, and it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in mold design.

  By the way, the clamping operation is not limited to the case where the workpieces are sandwiched (gripped) from both sides by the fingers 20A to 25A (20B to 25B), but the fingers 20A to 25A (20B to 25B) are opposed to each other with a predetermined approach. The case where a workpiece is placed on ˜25A (20B to 25B) is also included. That is, the clamping operation can be an operation in which the opposing fingers A to 25A (20B to 25B) or the feed bar 10A (10B) are relatively approached by a distance that can support the workpiece.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the link mechanism 100 has been described as a pantograph-type link mechanism in which the link arms 101A and 101B are crossed and arranged in an X shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 8, a link mechanism or the like arranged in a substantially trapezoidal shape without crossing the link arms 101A and 101B may be used.

  One of the feed bars 10A (10B) is an X-shaped link mechanism, the other is a substantially trapezoidal link mechanism, or one end of one feed bar 10A (or 10B) is an X-shaped link mechanism. In addition, an X-shaped link mechanism and a substantially trapezoidal link mechanism can be used in combination, such as a substantially trapezoidal link mechanism on the other end side.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the link arm of the link mechanism is driven by the linear actuator that linearly moves in substantially the same direction, whereby the feed bars 10A and 10B are clamped and unclamped. Since it is configured to lift, down, and even tilt, the actuator required for operation in different directions can be omitted as before, reducing the number of parts and installing space. Can be saved.

  When the link mechanism as in the present embodiment is used, when the feed bars 10A and 10B are clamped (unclamped) and lifted (down), the clamp (unclamp) direction and the lift (down) direction The slide guide for guiding the feed bars 10A and 10B along the line can be made unnecessary, and also in this respect, simplification of the configuration, size reduction, space saving, cost reduction, and the like can be promoted.

  Furthermore, when the link mechanism as in the present embodiment is used, the feed bars 10A and 10B can be easily tilted freely, so that the fingers 20A to 25A (20B to 25B) attached to the feed bars 10A and 10B. Therefore, it is possible to avoid interference with a mold or the like, which can contribute to an improvement in production speed and an increase in freedom of mold design.

  The direction of the inclination is not limited to the case where the center plane X side is inclined as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, but the center plane X side is opposite to that shown in FIGS. It is also possible to incline so as to be on top. Furthermore, the feed bar 10A (10B) can be tilted with respect to the longitudinal direction of the feed bar 10A (10B), for example, by lifting one end in the longitudinal direction with respect to the other end or lowering it downward.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the configuration of the linear motion mechanism (linear motion actuator) is not limited to the linear motor, but when a linear motor is employed as the linear motion mechanism, There are advantages like
In other words, in the case of a conveyance device using a linear motion mechanism that uses a screw mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism, it is necessary to use it in combination with a slide guide that guides the linear motion in both the clamping / unclamping operation and the lift / down operation. In addition, the structure is complicated and the screw mechanism has a relatively large loss due to mechanical efficiency.
On the other hand, when a linear motor is employed as the linear motion mechanism as in this embodiment, an efficient transfer device with less mechanical loss is achieved while simplifying the configuration compared to a conventional transfer device. It becomes possible to provide.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the link mechanism 100 and the linear actuator 110A (110B) are respectively disposed on the two feed bars 10A and 10B has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which only at least one feed bar is provided with a link mechanism and a linear actuator.

  Further, the movable elements 111A and 111B are connected to both of the base end sides of the link arms 101A and 101B. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the movable element extends to only one of the linear arms. And the other is connected to a fixed rotation shaft as a position, and a lift / down operation is achieved by driving one of the linear actuators, and for the clamp / unclamp operation, link arms 101A, 101B, Various modifications are possible, such as achieving it by moving the fixed pivot shaft and the linear actuator such as a movable element as a whole.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Press 10 Work Conveying Device 10A, 10B Feed Bar 11A, 11B Feed Bar Slide Guide (Support Member)
11Aa, 11Ab, 11Ba, 11Bb Connecting part (rotating fulcrum on the tip side)
20A to 25A Fingers 20B to 25B Finger 100 Link mechanism 101A, 101B Link arm 110A, 110B Linear actuator 111A, 111B Movable element 111a, 111b Linking portion (base end pivot point)
120 Actuator (servo motor, etc.)

Claims (5)

Clamping operation for supporting the workpiece by bringing the facing fingers closer, lifting operation for lifting the supported workpiece, advance operation for moving the supported workpiece in the transport direction, down operation for lifting the supported workpiece, and facing fingers A workpiece conveying device that sequentially conveys a workpiece from an upstream process predetermined position to a downstream process predetermined position via an unclamping operation for releasing the workpiece by separating the workpiece and a return operation for returning the finger to the original position,
Each distal end side is connected to a support member that supports the finger via a rotation fulcrum having a different position in the clamping operation direction, and includes two link arms that are rotatable in a plane substantially orthogonal to the workpiece conveyance direction,
The proximal ends of the two link arms are connected to movable elements that can move independently of each other, and
A servo motor capable of rotationally driving the front end side or the base end side of at least one link arm and maintaining it at a predetermined rotational angle position is mounted on a support member or a movable element on which a corresponding rotational fulcrum is mounted,
Each of the movable elements can be reciprocated linearly and independently in a direction substantially parallel to a clamping operation direction by a corresponding linear actuator .   2. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two link arms intersect each other when viewed from the workpiece transfer direction.   The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lift operation or a down operation is performed based on a change in a relative distance between the proximal ends of the two link arms.   The workpiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a clamping operation or an unclamping operation is performed based on movement of proximal ends of the two link arms in the same direction. Conveying device. The said linear motion actuator is a linear motor, The workpiece conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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