JP5450037B2 - Operating condition setting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating condition setting method. In detail, it is related with the operating condition setting method of the press line provided with the some press machine and the some conveying apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a press line in which a plurality of press machines are arranged, a transport device that transports a workpiece between press machines is provided. A press line manufactures a product of a predetermined shape from a plate-shaped workpiece through a plurality of pressing processes by each pressing machine. Each press is assigned a different pressing process.

  On the other hand, the conveying device provided between the press machines moves the workpiece from the press machine that performs the previous press process to the press machine that executes the next press process for each press machine that moves up and down at a predetermined cycle. Transport. Therefore, it is necessary to set the conveying operation of the conveying device so as not to interfere with the upper mold and the lower mold of each press that moves up and down.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for setting the transport operation of such a transport device. In this method for setting the transport operation, a plurality of reference forms for the transport operation are prepared in advance. When actually setting the transport operation, one is selected from the plurality of prepared reference forms, and the start position and end position of the transport apparatus are designated. According to this setting method, it is only necessary to select the reference form and specify the start position and the end position of the transfer apparatus, so that the time required for setting the transfer operation of the transfer apparatus can be shortened.

JP 2004-255419 A

  By the way, when improving the production cycle of the whole press line, it is necessary to set the conveying operation of the conveying device so that the workpiece can be conveyed as quickly as possible in accordance with the cycle of the lifting and lowering operation of the mold and the press machine. However, in the setting method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the transporting operation of the transporting device is set based on a reference form prepared in advance, so that an optimal setting is performed according to the lifting / lowering operation of the mold or the press machine. Is difficult. Therefore, finally, it is necessary to optimize the setting based on the judgment of the operator after actually operating the press line.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an operation condition setting method capable of efficiently setting an operation condition of a press line so that an upper mold that moves up and down does not interfere with a conveying device.

  In the present invention, a plurality of press machines (for example, a press machine 2 described later) press a workpiece by raising and lowering an upper mold (for example, an upper mold 22 described below) relative to a lower mold (for example, a lower mold 21 described later). ) And a plurality of transfer devices (for example, a transfer device 3 described later) for transferring a workpiece along a predetermined transfer path (for example, a transfer route C described later), and the cycle of each press In a press line provided with a control device (for example, a control device 4 described later) that controls a general lifting operation and a periodic transport operation along the transport path of each transport device. An operating condition setting method for setting is provided. The operation condition setting method includes a plurality of candidate points (for example, interference candidates at unloading described later) that may interfere with the transfer device or workpiece on the surface of the upper mold based on the shape data of the upper mold. Candidate point extraction step (for example, step S32 in FIG. 5 described later) for extracting points A1 to AN and B1 to BN at the time of carry-in, and an upper mold that passes through the candidate points for each of the plurality of candidate points A candidate for the upper mold among the plurality of upper mold interference curves and an upper mold curve generation process (for example, step S62 in FIG. 13 described later) for generating an interference curve under temporarily set operating conditions. For the upper interference curve that interferes only at a point, the operating conditions temporarily set to generate the upper interference curve are corrected so that a gap is formed between the upper interference curve and the corresponding candidate point. To determine the operating conditions (E.g., step S66 of FIG. 13 described later, as well as steps S11, S12, S13, S14 in FIG. 4) and, the.

  According to the present invention, first, based on the shape data of the upper mold, a plurality of candidate points that may interfere with the upper mold and the transfer device or the workpiece are extracted, and each of them is further set under the temporarily set operating conditions. An upper interference curve that passes through the candidate points is generated. Next, paying attention to the upper interference curve that interferes with the upper die only at the candidate points and the candidate points corresponding to the upper die among the generated upper interference curves, The operating conditions temporarily set to generate the upper mold interference curve are corrected so that a gap is formed between the two. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently set an operation condition in which the transport device passes through the vicinity of the upper die that moves up and down. Moreover, the production cycle of the entire press line can be improved by setting such operating conditions.

  In this case, it is preferable that the shape data of the upper mold used in the candidate point extracting step is two-dimensional data generated by projecting the upper mold onto a plane parallel to the conveyance path of the conveyance apparatus.

  According to the present invention, three-dimensional data is used by using two-dimensional data generated by projecting the upper mold onto a plane parallel to the conveyance path as the upper mold shape data used in the candidate point extraction process. Compared to the case, the calculation time can be shortened.

  In this case, in the candidate point extracting step, it is preferable to extract, as the candidate point, a point where a perpendicular to a direction line extending every arbitrary azimuth interval and the outside of the upper mold are in contact with each other at only one point.

  According to the present invention, based on the two-dimensional shape data of the upper mold, a point where the perpendicular to the direction line extending every arbitrary azimuth interval and the outside of the upper mold touch at only one point is extracted as a candidate point. Thereby, a some candidate point can be extracted by simple calculation.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the press line to which the operating condition setting method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is the figure which looked at the conveying apparatus concerning the embodiment from the perpendicular direction upper part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conveyance motion calculating apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which produces | generates conveyance motion data and press motion data by the conveyance motion calculating apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the data process for a calculation which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the some interference candidate point set to the upper type outline based on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the procedure which extracts the interference candidate point which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the representative point set to the vacuum cup which concerns on the said embodiment, and its locus | trajectory. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the cross bar of the conveyance apparatus which moves along the conveyance path | route which concerns on the said embodiment, and this conveyance path | route. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which sets the return path | route of the conveyance path | route which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control point of the conveying apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveyance path | route divided | segmented into three areas which concern on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed procedure which sets the phase difference between conveyance apparatuses and line SPM which concern on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state in which two conveying apparatuses existed simultaneously in the type | mold of the press machine which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the characteristic of the upper mold | type interference curve which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the upper mold | type interference curve which passes through the some interference candidate point which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the workable range of the press-conveyance phase difference which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the change of the workable range at the time of reducing the press SPM which concerns on the said embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a press line 1 to which an operation condition setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  The press line 1 includes a plurality of press machines 2 that process the workpiece W, a plurality of transport devices 3 that are provided along with the press machines 2 and transport the workpiece W between the press machines 2, and A control device 4 that controls the operation of the press machine 2 and the operation of each transport device 3 is provided.

  The press line 1 manufactures a product of a predetermined shape from a flat plate workpiece through a plurality of pressing processes by each pressing machine 2. The plurality of pressing machines 2 are arranged in the same order as the progress of the pressing process, and each pressing process 2 is assigned to each pressing process. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the pressing process proceeds in order from the left side to the right side in FIG. Further, it is assumed that the direction in which the pressing process proceeds and the transport direction Y in which each transport device transports the workpiece are the same.

  Each press machine 2 moves the upper die 22 closer to and away from the lower die 21, the lower die 21 arranged below the workpiece W, the upper die 22 arranged facing the lower die 21, and the lower die 21. It has an elevating mechanism 23 and a controller (not shown) that controls the elevating mechanism 23. The above press machine 2 presses the workpiece W by moving the upper die 22 up and down along the vertical direction Z with respect to the lower die 21.

  The conveyance device 3 includes a columnar crossbar 32, a movement device (not shown) that moves the crossbar 32 along a conveyance path C set between adjacent pressing machines, and a controller (not shown) that controls the movement device. Have. In addition, the crossbar 32 is provided with a plurality of holding portions that attract and hold the work W in a predetermined posture. In the present embodiment, a case where a dish-like vacuum cup 31 as shown in FIG. 1 is used as the holding portion will be described. However, the shape, position, number, and the like of the holding portions are not limited to the following.

FIG. 2 is a view of the transport device 3 as viewed from above in the vertical direction.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cross bar 32 extends in the direction X perpendicular to the transport direction Y. In addition, a total of four vacuum cups 31 are provided on the cross bar 32 in the front and rear directions Y. Further, these vacuum cups 31 have a perfect circle shape when viewed along the vertical direction Z.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the transport path C of each transport device 3 includes a forward path CO extending from the press machine 2 that executes the previous press process to the press machine 2 that executes the next press process, and the press machine 2 that executes the next press process. And a return path CB extending to the press 2 that executes the pre-press process. Each conveyance device 3 moves the cross bar 32 along the conveyance path C between the adjacent press machines 2, and the workpiece W processed by the press machine 2 corresponding to the previous press process is transferred to the next press. It conveys to the press machine 2 corresponding to a process. That is, the transfer device 3 moves on the forward path CO while holding the workpiece W with the vacuum cup 31, and runs idle without holding the workpiece W on the return path CB.

Each conveyance device 3 operates as follows and conveys the workpiece W.
First, the cross bar 32 is moved along the return path CB between the upper mold 22 and the lower mold 21 of the press machine 2 corresponding to the previous press process.
Next, the processed workpiece W is sucked by the vacuum cup 31 and is held.
Next, the cross bar 32 is moved along the forward path CO while holding the workpiece W between the upper mold 22 and the lower mold 21 of the press machine 2 corresponding to the next press process.
Next, the held work W is placed on the lower mold 21 of the press machine 2.

  The control device 4 transmits a control signal to the controllers of each press machine 2 and each transport device 3 based on predetermined press motion data and transport motion data, and periodically raises and lowers each press machine 2 (hereinafter, “ As well as a periodic transport operation (hereinafter referred to as “transport motion”) of each transport device 3.

  The transport motion calculation device 5 reads the press motion data that defines the press motion of each press machine 2, generates transport motion data that defines the transport motion of each transport device 3, and further generates the press motion data and the transport motion data. To the control device 4.

Here, the contents of the press motion data and the transport motion data will be described.
The press motion data defining the press motion includes information about the press motion such as the speed, position, and time for driving the upper die 22 of each press machine 2. The speed at which the upper die 22 is driven is characterized as a processing speed indicating the processing capability of the workpiece of the press machine 2, that is, a press SPM. Accordingly, the larger the press SPM, the shorter the period for raising and lowering the upper die 22.

  The transport motion data defining the transport motion includes information regarding the transport path C of each transport apparatus 3 and the speed at which the transport apparatus 3 is driven along the transport path C. In the present embodiment, the conveyance path C of the conveyance device 3 is defined as a locus of the center position of the crossbar 32 in the three-dimensional space.

  In addition, the transfer motion data includes information related to the line SPM as the line speed indicating the work production capacity, that is, the quantity that can be processed in one minute on the press line 1. That is, the production cycle in the press line 1 can be improved by setting this line SPM to a large value. Moreover, the speed and time which drive each conveying apparatus 3 are determined according to this line SPM.

In addition, in order to control a plurality of transport apparatuses 3 that repeat a periodic transport motion, the transport motion data includes information on the phase difference of the transport motion between the transport apparatuses 3 (hereinafter referred to as “phase difference between transport apparatuses”). included.
Furthermore, in order to control each press machine 2 that repeats a periodic press motion and each transport device 3 that repeats a periodic transport motion, the transport motion data includes the transport motion of each press machine 2 and each transport device. 3 includes information regarding a phase difference between the three transport motions (hereinafter referred to as a “press-transport phase difference”).

  The transport motion calculation device 5 transmits press motion data and transport motion data including the above information to the control device 4.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the transport motion calculation device 5.
The transport motion calculation device 5 includes an input device 51, a storage device 52, and a calculation device 53.

The input device 51 includes hardware such as a keyboard and a mouse that can be operated by an operator. Data and commands input by operating the input device 51 are input to the arithmetic device 53.
The storage device 52 is configured by hardware such as a hard disk or a CDROM. Various data are stored in the storage device 52, and the stored data is appropriately input to the arithmetic device 53.

  The arithmetic device 53 is configured by hardware such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The arithmetic device 53 includes a plurality of functional blocks realized by these hardware. More specifically, the arithmetic device 53 includes a calculation data reading unit 531, a calculation data processing unit 532, a conveyance path calculation unit 533, a conveyance path evaluation unit 534, and an inter-conveyer phase difference calculation unit 535. The workable range calculation unit 536, the workable range evaluation unit 537, and a motion data output unit 538 are included.

  The storage device 52 stores CAD data that defines the shapes of the upper and lower dies of each press, the shape of the workpiece in each process, and the shape and position of the crossbar and vacuum cup of each transport device. The storage device 52 stores preset press motion data in addition to such CAD data.

The calculation data reading unit 531 reads various CAD data stored in the storage device 52 (see step S1 in FIG. 4 described later).
The calculation data processing unit 532 performs preprocessing on the CAD data read by the calculation data reading unit 531 to reduce the load on calculation (see step S3 in FIG. 4 described later).

The transport path calculation unit 533 calculates the transport path C of each transport apparatus based on the preprocessed CAD data and various transport conditions including the line SPM (see step S4 in FIG. 4 described later). .
The conveyance path evaluation unit 534 evaluates the conveyance path C calculated by the conveyance path calculation unit 533 and determines whether or not the workpiece can actually be conveyed along the conveyance device C (see FIG. 4 described later). (See step S5).

  The inter-conveyer phase difference calculation unit 535 calculates the inter-conveyer phase difference based on the transport path C calculated by the transport path calculation unit 533 and the line SPM input from the input device 51 (FIG. 13 described later). Step S61).

  The workable range calculation unit 536 reads the press motion data stored in the storage device 52. Further, when the press line is operated with the read press motion data and the set transport path C and the phase difference between the transport devices, the upper mold and the transport device and the work transported by the transport device interfere with each other. The workable range in which the press-conveyance phase difference can be set is calculated (see step S65 in FIG. 13 described later).

The workable range evaluation unit 537 evaluates the calculated workable range and determines whether the workable range has been secured for all the presses. When the workable range can be secured, the press-conveyance phase difference is set within this range (see step S11 in FIG. 4 described later).
The motion data output unit 538 transmits the press motion data and the transport motion data calculated as described above to the control device 4 (see step S16 in FIG. 4 described later).

  Next, with reference to the main flowchart shown in FIG. 4, a procedure for generating press motion data and transport motion data by the transport motion computing device 5 and transmitting it to the control device will be described.

  In step S1, various CAD data are read. In this step, the shape of the upper die of each press machine, the shape of the lower die of each press machine and the shape of the lower die on which the workpiece is placed, the shape of the work in each pressing process, and the crossbar and vacuum cup of each conveyor CAD data defining the shape and position is read from the storage device.

In step S2, a conveyance condition is input. Here, the conveyance conditions indicate various set values that are required when the workpiece is conveyed by the conveyance device. Specifically, in addition to the above-described line SPM, the conveyance conditions include the height of the crossbar when the workpiece is sucked, the lift amount and the feed amount with respect to the lower mold of the workpiece, and the workpiece when the workpiece is conveyed. A set value such as an amount related to the held posture is included.
In this step, the line SPM is provisionally set to the maximum value. Here, the line SPM set to the maximum value is reset to an appropriate value in the steps S61 to S67 of FIG.

In step S3, calculation data processing is performed. The CAD data defining the shapes of the upper mold and the lower mold read in step S1 is generally three-dimensional data. Although it is theoretically possible to perform the following various calculations based on such three-dimensional data, there is a possibility that the calculation takes a long time. Therefore, in this step, in order to reduce the load required for the calculation of the conveyance path C and the workable range described later, the three-dimensional CAD data read in step S1 is preprocessed, and various data used for the calculation are stored. Generate.
As will be described in detail later, the shape data of the upper mold and the lower mold is used when inspecting interference with the transport apparatus moving along the transport path C. However, in practice, the part that may interfere with the upper mold and the lower mold is limited according to the shape of the transport device. Therefore, in this data processing for calculation, a location that is highly likely to interfere is identified based on the shape of the transfer device among the upper mold and the lower mold, and a three-dimensional calculation is performed to perform calculation specialized for the location. Various data such as two-dimensional data and point cloud data are generated from the data.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of calculation data processing. Note that the data generated in steps S31 and 32 is mainly used in steps S62 and S63 of FIG. 13 described later, and the data generated in steps S33 and S35 is mainly used in steps of FIG. 10 described later. This is used in S45.

In step S31, upper two-dimensional silhouette data is generated.
Since the transport device is provided with the vacuum cup extending downward in the substantially vertical direction from the cross bar extending perpendicularly to the transport direction as described above, there is a high possibility that the cross bar interferes with the upper mold. There is a high possibility that the vacuum cup interferes with the lower mold.
As described above, the crossbar is columnar and extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. When considering the interference with the upper die when the crossbar having such a shape is moved, the upper die has a shape of the upper die when viewed along the extending direction X of the crossbar. That is, it is considered that the shape of the upper die when the upper die is projected onto a plane parallel to the conveyance path is mainly important. Therefore, in step S31, two-dimensional silhouette data as shown in FIG. 6 obtained by projecting the upper mold onto a plane parallel to the conveyance path of the conveyance apparatus is generated from the upper mold three-dimensional data.

In step S32, based on the upper mold two-dimensional silhouette data generated in step S31, a plurality of interference candidate points that may interfere with the crossbar of the transport device are extracted from the upper mold surface.
First, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of directions D1 to DL are set for each arbitrary direction interval.
Next, the points where the perpendicular to the direction line extending along each direction D1 to DL and the outside of the upper mold are in contact at only one point are extracted as a plurality of interference candidate points A1 to AN and B1 to BN. At this time, the interference candidate points on the right side with respect to the center of the upper die, that is, the side on which the crossbar passes when the workpiece is unloaded are set as a plurality of interference candidate points A1 to AN at unloading. Further, the interference candidate points on the left side with respect to the center of the upper mold, that is, the side through which the crossbar passes when the workpiece is loaded are set as a plurality of interference candidate points B1 to BN at the time of loading.

As shown in FIG. 7, a specific procedure for extracting the interference candidate points AM as described above based on one DM among a plurality of directions D1 to DL will be described.
First, a perpendicular line LM is drawn with respect to a direction line extending along the direction DM.
Next, when this perpendicular LM is translated from the upper die outer side to the upper die inner side along the direction DM, the point where the perpendicular LM first contacts the contour of the upper die is extracted as an interference candidate point AM. To do. Not limited to this, when the perpendicular line LM is translated from the inner side of the upper mold to the outer side of the upper mold along the direction DM, the point where the perpendicular line LM is in contact with the contour line of the upper mold is the interference candidate point AM. It may be extracted.

  Returning to FIG. 5, in step S33, at least four feature points are extracted for each vacuum cup. The vacuum cup is dish-shaped as described above, and its suction portion is directed downward. Therefore, in the following calculation relating to the interference between the vacuum cup and the lower mold, in this step S33, at least four on the outer periphery of the annular suction portion so that high-speed calculation is possible while maintaining the effectiveness of the calculation. Feature points P1, P2, P3, and P4 are virtually set (see FIG. 8). In the following, the trajectory of the vacuum cup when the crossbar is moved along the transport path is regarded as the trajectory of the feature points P1 to P4. In step S33, such a plurality of feature points are extracted for all vacuum cups.

In step S34, a plurality of feature points P1 to P4 corresponding to all the extracted vacuum cups are projected onto the work placed on the lower mold.
In step S35, two-dimensional data of a cross section including the trajectory of each feature point P1 to P4 of the lower mold on which the workpiece is placed is generated.
As described above, as the shape of the vacuum cup is simplified as the four feature points P1 to P4 in the two-dimensional plane, the shape of the lower mold can also be simplified. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when the vacuum cup trajectory is regarded as the trajectory of the feature points P1 to P4, when considering the interference between the vacuum cup and the lower mold, the shape of the lower mold includes these characteristic points P1 to P1. Only the cross-sectional shape along each plane including the trajectory TR1, TR2, TR3, TR4 of P4 is considered to be mainly important. Therefore, in this step S35, the representative points P1 to P4 of the four vacuum cups are projected onto the workpiece placed on the lower mold along the transport direction Y on the lower mold, thereby causing each locus of the representative points P1 to P4. Two-dimensional data of the workpiece and the lower die section along each plane including TR1 to TR4 is generated from the lower die three-dimensional data.

Further, when attention is paid to one of the plurality of lower molds and the workpiece placed on the lower mold, the shape of the workpiece is different before and after the press working. Accordingly, in the generation of the two-dimensional data of the cross section of the workpiece and the lower die, two types of two-dimensional, the lower die on which the workpiece before pressing is placed and the lower die on which the workpiece after pressing is placed. Generate data. Accordingly, the number of workpieces corresponding to (number of vacuum cups) × (number of feature points extracted from one vacuum cup) × 2 (work pieces before and after pressing) and the two-dimensional cross section of the lower die Data is generated.
In addition, the conveyance apparatus (refer to conveyance apparatus 3A in FIG. 9 to be described later) for carrying the workpiece before pressing into the lower mold, and the conveyance apparatus for conveying the workpiece after press processing from the lower mold (the conveyance apparatus in FIG. 9 to be described later). In general, the position and number of the vacuum cups are different from each other. Therefore, in this case, the position and number of the cross section of the lower die on which the workpiece before pressing is placed are different from the position and number of the lower die on which the workpiece after pressing is placed.

Returning to the main flowchart of FIG. 4, in step S4, the conveyance path C is set using the workpiece generated in step S35 of the calculation data processing and the lower two-dimensional data.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the transport path C and the transport apparatus 3 that moves along the transport path C. FIG. 9 shows a transfer apparatus 3A that moves while holding the workpiece W along the forward path CO, and a transfer apparatus 3B that runs idle without holding the workpiece along the return path CB.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the transport path C, the distance between the transport device 3 or the work W transported by the transport device 3 and the lower mold 21 or the work W placed on the lower mold 21 is as small as possible. Is set to be

On the return path CB in the transport path C, the transport apparatus 3B runs idle without holding a workpiece. For this reason, the return path CB is set so that the distance between the vacuum cup 31 of the transfer device 3B, the workpiece W, and the lower mold 21 is small.
In the forward path CO of the transport path C, the transport apparatus 3A moves while holding the workpiece W. For this reason, the forward path CO is set so that the interval between the workpiece W held by the transfer device 3A and the lower mold 21 is small.
In this way, by setting the transport path C so that the distance from the lower mold 21 is small, it is possible to easily avoid interference between the upper mold 22 that moves up and down with respect to the lower mold 21 and the transport device 3.

  Next, a procedure for setting the return path CB of the transport path C will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following description, only the procedure for setting the path on the return path CB in which the transport device faces the lower mold will be described. Of the return path CB, the path from which the transport device exits the lower mold is set in the same procedure as this, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the outward path CO is set visually according to the size of the workpiece.

  In step S41, the position of the control point PC is temporarily set. As shown in FIG. 11, this control point PC defines the transport path C of the transport device 3 as a point through which the crossbar 32 should pass, and is set in the vicinity of the lower mold. In the present embodiment, the position of the control point PC is defined by coordinates (YPC, ZPC) with the predetermined reference point PLO of the lower mold as the origin. That is, the position of the control point PC is defined by two values: a distance YPC along the transport direction Y from the reference point PLO and a distance ZPC along the vertical direction Z from the reference point PLO. Note that when the control point PC is temporarily set in step S41, it is preferable to set the operation limit value of the transfer device farthest from the workpiece and the lower mold.

  In step S42, the conveyance path C passing through the temporarily set control point PC is calculated based on the control point position information (YPC, ZPC) (see FIG. 11). The transport path of the transport device is defined by a predetermined function according to the transport speed, the operation range, and the like of the transport device. Therefore, by inputting the position information (YPC, ZPC) of the temporarily set control point PC as a point through which the crossbar should pass, as shown in FIG. 11, the transport direction Y and the vertical direction Z are used as the base. The conveyance path C can be determined as a trajectory in the plane.

In step S43, the transport path is divided into three sections (section 1, section 2, and section 3) according to the transport speed of the transport apparatus, excluding a predetermined minute section including the end of the path (see FIG. 12). . Generally, the transfer speed of the transfer device is set to decrease as the end of the path is approached (from section 3 to section 1), assuming an emergency stop of the press line, a power failure, parts breakage, etc. Is done. Therefore, in the following, the transport path C is divided into three sections in order to set a transport path suitable for each section having different transport speeds. In the following, the transport path in section 1 is C1, the transport path in section 2 is C2, and the transport path in section 3 is C3.
By the way, it is clear that the vacuum cup contacts the workpiece at the end of the path. Further, as will be described in detail below, in the present embodiment, the conveyance path is determined so that a predetermined interval is ensured between the locus of the vacuum cup and the workpiece and the lower mold. Therefore, in order to prevent erroneous determination that the conveyance device and the workpiece interfere with each other in the following processing, as described above, the section 1 except for the minute section including the end of the path is excluded from the conveyance path. Define ~ 3.

  In step S44, the trajectories of all feature points of all vacuum cups when the transport device is moved along the transport path C set in step S42 are calculated. More specifically, each trajectory is calculated by translating the transport paths C1, C2, and C3 to the feature points. In the following, the trajectories of all the feature points of all the vacuum cups are defined as a set of trajectories belonging to section 1 (hereinafter referred to as “C1 trajectory group”) and a set of trajectories belonging to section 2 (hereinafter referred to as “C2 trajectory”). And a set of trajectories belonging to the section 3 (hereinafter referred to as “C3 trajectory group”). FIG. 12 shows only the locus of three feature points as an example.

  In step S45, the workpiece and lower mold are compared by comparing the two-dimensional data of the entire lower section of the lower mold generated in step S35 of the calculation data processing with the C1, C2, and C3 trajectory groups calculated in step S44. And the feature point trajectory are calculated for each trajectory group.

In step S46, the measured value of the distance from the lower mold for each trajectory group in step S45 is compared with a predetermined target value set for each section. More specifically, the difference between the measured value of the interval for each trajectory group and the target value is calculated.
As described above, the transport speed of the transport device is set to become slower as the end of the path is approached. In this way, since the transport speed of the transport device is set to be slower as the end of the path is approached, the target value of the interval between the workpiece and the lower mold and the trajectory increases from section 3 to section 1. It is set to be smaller.

  In step S47, the smallest one of the differences between the measured value and the target value for each trajectory group calculated in step S46 is selected.

  In step S48, by determining whether or not the difference between the measured value selected in step S47 and the target value is within a predetermined allowable range, the distance between the locus of the vacuum cup and the workpiece and the lower mold is determined as the target. Determine if the value is close enough. If this determination is YES, the process is immediately terminated, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S49.

  In step S49, when it is determined that the difference between the vacuum cup trajectory and the target value is not within the allowable range, the position of the control point PC is adjusted so that the vacuum cup trajectory approaches the target value. The process proceeds to step S42. Here, for example, when the measured value is larger than the target value, that is, when the locus of the vacuum cup is far away from the workpiece and the lower mold, the position of the control point PC is brought closer to the lower mold reference point PLO. It is preferable to adjust to. When the measured value is smaller than the target value, that is, when the locus of the vacuum cup is too close to the work and the lower mold, or the vacuum cup interferes with the work and the lower mold, the position of the control point PC is set to the lower mold. It is preferable to adjust the distance from the reference point PLO.

  Returning to FIG. 4, in step S <b> 5, it is determined whether or not the workpiece can be conveyed along the set conveyance path C. In this step, when the crossbar is moved along the transport path C, the work along the transport path C can be actually transported by calculating the load on the moving device that moves the crossbar. It is determined whether or not there is. If this determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S6, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S4 to reset the transport route C that can be transported.

  In step S6, press motion data is read. In this step, among the plurality of press motion data set in advance and stored in the storage device, the press SPM reads the maximum press motion data. Thereby, the press SPM is set to the maximum value as the provisional value. The press SPM of each press is reset to an appropriate value in the steps S12 to S14 described in detail later.

In step S7, after performing the process which sets the phase difference between adjacent conveying apparatuses and line SPM, it moves to step S11.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure for setting the phase difference between these transfer devices and the line SPM.

First, in step S61, a phase difference between adjacent transport devices is calculated.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which two conveying devices 3A and 3B are simultaneously present in the mold of the press machine 2. FIG. More specifically, FIG. 14 shows a state in which after the workpiece WA is processed by the press machine 2, the workpiece WB before processing is carried in by the transfer device 3B while the processed workpiece WA is carried out by the transfer device 3A. FIG.

  In order to set the press SPM of the press machine 2 to a large value, the time difference between the time when the processed workpiece WA is unloaded from the press machine 2 and the time when the unprocessed workpiece WB is loaded into the press machine 2 is as much as possible. It is preferable to shorten it. That is, it is preferable to reduce the time spent in the molds of the two transfer devices 3A and 3B as much as possible. Therefore, the phase difference between the transfer devices 3A and 3B is determined in the mold of the press machine 2 between the post-processed workpiece WA unloaded from the press machine 2 and the unprocessed work WB loaded into the press machine 2. The interval ΔYL along the transport direction Y is set to be minimum. In step S61, the phase difference between the conveying apparatuses adjacent to each other is set under the above policy.

  Returning to FIG. 13, in step S62, for each of the candidate interference points A1 to AN at the time of extraction and the candidate interference points B1 to BN at the time of transfer extracted in step S32 of the calculation data process, these candidate interference points A1. The upper mold | type interference curve which passes through -AN and B1-BN is produced | generated under the temporarily set operation conditions.

  Here, the characteristics of the upper mold interference curve will be described with reference to FIG. The upper mold interference curve refers to a crossbar interference point trajectory, which is a point that easily interferes with the upper mold 22 among the crossbars 32 that move along the set conveyance path, under a predetermined condition set. It is the figure seen from the stationary system of the upper mold | type 22 which raise / lowers by. That is, when the upper mold interference curve overlaps with the upper mold, it indicates that the upper mold and the transfer device interfere with each other. In FIG. 15, the upper interference curve when the crossbar 32 is moved along the path exiting from the lower mold in the return path CB is indicated by a solid line. In this case, the left point PA in FIG. 15 among the upper ends of the crossbar 32 becomes the crossbar interference point. Further, when the crossbar 32 is moved along the path toward the lower mold in the return path CB, the right point PB in FIG. 15 of the upper end of the crossbar 32 becomes the crossbar interference point.

The function form of the upper mold interference curve changes according to the ratio between the press speed of the upper mold and the transport speed of the transport apparatus (press speed / transport speed, hereinafter referred to as “PM ratio”). For example, when the press speed is increased and the PM ratio is increased, the upper interference curve tends to change so that the angle with respect to the horizontal direction becomes larger as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. On the other hand, when the PM speed is reduced by decreasing the press speed, the upper interference curve tends to change so that the angle with respect to the horizontal direction becomes smaller as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
Thus, since the function form of the upper mold interference curve changes when the PM ratio is changed, the point of the upper mold that is likely to interfere also changes. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of interference candidate points A1 to AN and B1 to BN are extracted in advance, and each of the plurality of interference candidate points A1 to AN,. A method of searching for an optimum driving condition by selecting a point that most easily interferes from B1 to BN is used.

  In step S62, as shown in FIG. 16, after determining the function form of the upper mold interference curve under the temporarily set line SPM and press SPM, the upper mold interference curve is moved in parallel, thereby An upper interference curve that passes through the extracted interference candidate points A1 to AN and B1 to BN is generated. Note that the operation of translating the upper mold interference curve while the function shape of the upper mold interference curve is fixed corresponds to changing a press-conveyance phase difference ΔTP described later. Moreover, in FIG. 16, illustration of the upper type | mold interference curve which passes through the interference candidate points B1-BN at the time of carrying-in is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step S63, the upper mold is selected from among the generated upper interference curve that passes through the interference candidate points A1 to AN at the time of carry-out and the upper mold interference curve that passes through the candidate interference points B1 to BN at the time of carry-in. The upper interference curve that interferes only at the interference candidate point is selected. Here, the upper interference curve that interferes only with the interference candidate point with respect to the upper die means an upper interference curve that contacts with the upper die only with the interference candidate point. In the example shown in FIG. This corresponds to the upper interference curve passing through the candidate point A3.

  In step S64, a predetermined required clearance is ensured between the upper mold interference curve and the upper mold by moving the upper mold interference curve selected in step S63 in a direction away from the upper mold.

  In step S65, the workable range of each press is determined based on the interference candidate point at the time of unloading selected in steps S63 and S64, the interference candidate point at the time of loading, and the upper interference curve passing through each interference candidate point. Calculate and move to step S66. Here, the workable range refers to the upper mold and the transfer device when the press line is operated under the set transfer path C, transfer device phase difference ΔTH, line SPM, and press SPM of each transfer device. Or the range which can set press-conveyance phase difference (DELTA) TP without interfering with the workpiece | work hold | maintained at this conveying apparatus is shown.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a workable range of the press-conveyance phase difference.
As shown in FIG. 17, depending on the phase difference between the press and the conveyance, the upper mold and the conveyance device interfere with each other, and there are an area where the work cannot be carried out and an area where the work cannot be carried. Therefore, the workable range is limited to an area where unloading and loading are possible. In this step S65, a workable range in which the press-conveyance phase difference can be set is calculated for each press.

Returning to FIG. 13, in step S <b> 66, it is determined whether or not work is possible, that is, whether or not a significant work possible range has been secured.
If this determination is NO, it is determined that the conveying device cannot be moved without interfering with the upper mold under the temporarily set line SPM or press SPM, and the process proceeds to step S67.
In step S67, the line SPM is set to a smaller value, and then the process proceeds to step S61. That is, the line SPM is reduced until work is possible.
On the other hand, if this determination is YES, the transport path, line SPM, and transport device are selected so that the upper interference curve selected in step S63 passes through the vicinity of the interference candidate point and passes near the interference candidate point. In order to determine the remaining operating conditions excluding the interphase difference, the process proceeds to step S11 in FIG.
In step S46, the line SPM is reduced so that the work can be performed, and the process proceeds to step S41.

  Returning to FIG. 4, in step S <b> 11, the workable range of each press machine calculated in step S <b> 65 is evaluated, and it is determined whether an appropriate workable range is secured for all the press machines. If it is determined that a sufficient workable range has been secured, for example, the press-conveyance phase difference ΔTP is set at substantially the center of the workable range, and then the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S12, it is determined whether or not there is a surplus in the workable range for each pressing machine calculated in step S8. If this determination is YES, that is, if there is a surplus in the workable range, the process proceeds to step S13, the press SPM in the press with surplus is set to a smaller value, and then the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the workable range is calculated again under the set press SPM, and the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if this determination is NO, the setting of the press motion data and the transport motion data is terminated, and the process proceeds to step S15.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a change in the workable range when the press SPM is reduced.
As shown in FIG. 18, if only the press SPM is reduced while keeping the line SPM, the workable range becomes narrower. This is because, when the press SPM is reduced as described above, the function shape of the upper mold interference curve changes, and as a result, the gap between the upper mold interference curve and the upper mold becomes narrow, and therefore, the surplus of the workable range described above. Corresponds to the gap between the upper mold interference curve and the upper mold.

  As described above, in steps S12 to S14, the upper mold interference curve is set based on the set transport path C of each transport apparatus, each transport apparatus phase difference ΔTH, line SPM, and press-transport phase difference ΔTP. And the press SPM is reduced until the gap between the interference candidate points focused on when calculating the workable range in step S65 reaches a predetermined lower limit. Here, the lower limit of the gap between the upper mold interference curve and the interference candidate point is assumed to be the upper mold and the transfer device even in an emergency, assuming an emergency stop of the press line, a power failure, parts breakage, etc. Is set to a value that does not interfere with the equipment specifications.

  Returning to FIG. 4, in step S15, an animation that reproduces the press motion of the press and the transport motion of the transport device is generated based on the set press motion data and transport motion data. The operator looks at this animation and finally confirms the press motion data and the transport motion data.

  In step S16, the press motion data and the transport motion data are transmitted to the control device, and this process is terminated.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the present embodiment, first, based on the shape data of the upper mold 22, a plurality of interference candidate points A1 to AN that may interfere with the upper mold 22 and the transfer device 3 are extracted, and further provisional An upper interference curve that passes through each interference candidate point under the set operating conditions is generated. Next, paying attention to the upper interference curve that interferes with the upper die 22 only at the interference candidate point and the interference candidate points corresponding to this curve among the generated upper interference curves, The operating condition temporarily set to generate the upper interference curve is corrected so that a gap is formed between the interference candidate points. As a result, it is possible to efficiently set an operation condition in which the transport device 3 passes through the vicinity of the upper die 22 that moves up and down. Moreover, the production cycle of the entire press line can be improved by setting such operating conditions.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, the upper mold 22 is a plane parallel to the conveyance path C as the shape data of the upper mold 22 used when extracting a plurality of interference candidate points in step S32 of the calculation data processing. By using the two-dimensional data generated by projecting the image, the time required for the calculation can be shortened as compared with the case of using the three-dimensional data.

(3) According to the present embodiment, based on the two-dimensional shape data of the upper mold 22, the perpendicular to the direction line extending every arbitrary azimuth interval, and the point that contacts the outside of the upper mold 22 at only one point are interference candidates. Extract as a point. Thereby, a plurality of candidate points can be extracted by simple calculation.
Moreover, the position of the interference point which a conveyance apparatus interferes among upper mold | types changes according to driving | running conditions. According to the present embodiment, after changing the operating condition, the interference point is selected again from the plurality of extracted interference candidate points, so that the gap between the upper mold and the transport device can be more reliably ensured.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements and the like within a scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the operation condition setting method of the press line 1 including the four steps, that is, the four press machines 2 has been described. However, the number of press machines included in the press line is not limited thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Press line 2 ... Press machine 21 ... Lower mold | type 22 ... Upper mold | type 3 ... Conveyance apparatus 4 ... Control apparatus 5 ... Conveyance motion arithmetic unit

Claims (3)

A plurality of presses that press the workpiece by raising and lowering the upper die relative to the lower die;
Among these press machines, a plurality of conveying devices that convey a workpiece along a predetermined conveying path,
An operation for setting the operating conditions of the press line in a press line having a control device for controlling the periodic lifting operation of each press machine and the periodic transport operation along the transport path of each transport device A condition setting method,
Based on the shape data of the upper mold, a candidate point extracting step of extracting a plurality of candidate points that may interfere with the transfer device or the workpiece from the surface of the upper mold;
For each of the plurality of candidate points, an upper interference curve generation step for generating an upper interference curve passing through the candidate point under a temporarily set operating condition;
Of the plurality of upper mold interference curves, the upper mold interference curve that interferes with the upper mold only at the candidate point, so that a gap is formed between the upper mold interference curve and the corresponding candidate point. An operating condition determining step for correcting an operating condition temporarily set to generate an upper mold interference curve.   The shape data of the upper mold used in the candidate point extraction step is two-dimensional data generated by projecting the upper mold onto a plane parallel to the conveyance path of the conveyance apparatus. The operating condition setting method described.   3. The point of the candidate point extraction step is characterized in that a point where a perpendicular to a direction line extending every arbitrary azimuth interval and the outside of the upper mold are in contact with each other at only one point is extracted as the candidate point. Operating condition setting method.

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