JP5844684B2 - Tool head changer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tool head exchanging device including an attaching / detaching mechanism for attaching / detaching a multi-axis head provided with a plurality of tools to / from a machine tool.

  Various structural members such as a cylinder block and a transmission case of an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle include, for example, a machine tool including a multi-axis head (also referred to as a gang head) provided with a plurality of tools. Used by machining the workpiece.

  The machine tool is configured, for example, by detachably attaching a multi-axis head to an apparatus main body provided with a power mechanism for driving the tool. In this case, the multi-axis head is replaced in accordance with the type of workpiece, the processing site, and the like.

  At this time, the multi-axis head is detached from the apparatus main body under the action of the attaching / detaching mechanism. As this type of attachment / detachment mechanism, one proposed by the present applicant in Patent Document 1 is exemplified. That is, an apparatus main body to which the multi-axis head can be attached and detached, a stocker for storing a plurality of replacement multi-axis heads thereabove, and an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching / detaching the multi-axis head stored in the stocker to the apparatus main body Are integrally arranged.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a multi-axis head stocker is provided integrally with the apparatus main body, and Patent Document 3 discloses an exchange device that replaces the multi-axis head stored in the stocker with respect to the apparatus main body. The structure which provided is proposed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-31852 JP-A 63-272410 JP 63-295106 A

  The multi-axis head is a heavy object because it includes a plurality of tools. For this reason, the multi-axis head changing device tends to be large in order to ensure sufficient strength and size. For this reason, when the exchange device holds a multi-axis head to be newly mounted on the machine tool, there is a device that can output a large driving force as a drive source such as an advance / retreat mechanism for bringing the multi-axis head close to the machine tool. There is a tendency to be selected. This is because it is necessary to displace an exchange device that holds the multi-axis head, that is, a considerable heavy object.

  A driving source capable of outputting a large driving force is generally both large and heavy. Therefore, in the case as described above, it is a cause for increasing the size and weight of the exchange device.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tool head changer capable of transporting a multi-axis head while having a small and simple configuration. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a tool head changer comprising an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching / detaching a multi-axis head provided with a plurality of tools to / from a machine tool.
The attachment / detachment mechanism includes a base that moves forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
An advancing / retracting mechanism for moving the base forward or backward,
A support plate disposed above the base and moving forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
A cam provided on one of the base or the support plate and having a slope;
A sliding member that is provided on one of the support plate or the rest of the base and slides on the slope of the cam;
With
The support plate is raised or lowered as the sliding member slides along the inclined surface of the cam.

  In the present invention, by adopting a simple configuration in which the sliding member is slid along the slope of the cam, the support plate is raised or lowered during the sliding, and the multi-axis head with respect to the machine tool Can be removed or attached, in other words, exchanged. That is, since the tool head changer can be sufficiently simplified, the tool head changer can be reduced in size and weight.

  Further, since the support plate moves forward or backward following the advance or retreat of the base under the action of the advance / retreat mechanism, it is easy to transport the multi-axis head.

Here, a spindle, a tool connected to the spindle, a gear train for rotating the spindle, and the like are provided on the front surface (surface on which machining is performed) of the multi-axis head. Therefore, the front side is heavier than the front side. For this reason, in some cases, the multi-axis head supported by the machine tool may be inclined forward. In such a case, it is preferable to provide the cam on the support plate and the sliding member on the base. That is, the present invention is an exchange device for a tool head comprising an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching / detaching a multi-axis head provided with a plurality of tools to / from a machine tool,
The attachment / detachment mechanism includes a base that moves forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
An advancing / retracting mechanism for moving the base forward or backward,
A support plate disposed above the base and moving forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
A cam provided on the support plate and having an inclined surface;
A sliding member provided on the base and sliding on the slope of the cam;
With
The support plate is raised or lowered as the sliding member slides along the inclined surface of the cam.

  In this case, when the cam ascends along the slope, first, the forward tilting posture of the multi-axis head is canceled and a horizontal posture is obtained. Thereafter, when the cam further rises along the slope, the multi-axis head comes to a position where it is detached from the machine tool.

  If the multi-axis head remains in the forward tilt position, the multi-axis head may not be able to be detached from the machine tool. However, according to the above configuration, the multi-axis head can be changed from the forward tilt position to the horizontal position. Therefore, the subsequent removal of the multi-axis head from the machine tool becomes easy.

  The base is preferably provided with a lifting guide member for guiding the support plate when the support plate is raised or lowered as described above. Thereby, it can avoid that a support disk raises or descends, raising a position shift.

  Further, it is preferable to provide a lock mechanism for maintaining the support plate in the raised position when the support plate is raised. Since the support plate is positioned in the raised state under the action of this locking mechanism, for example, immediately after the multi-axis head is removed from the machine tool with the raised support plate, the support plate is lowered and the multi-axis head becomes a machine tool. Reattachment is avoided.

  In any case, it is preferable to provide the first engagement portion on the multi-axis head and the second engagement portion on the support board. In this case, when the second engagement portion is engaged with the first engagement portion, the multiaxial head is positioned and fixed on the support board. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the multi-axis head from falling off the support plate, and therefore it becomes easy to transport the multi-axis head.

  The sliding member that slides with respect to the cam may be the second cam, but a roller is more preferable because it slides extremely easily.

  And when a support board advances toward a multi-axis head with a base, it is good to make it stop before a base under the effect | action of a stopper.

  For example, when the base plate is formed with a slope that rises in the direction away from the machine tool, and the support plate is provided with a sliding member, the support plate stops and the base plate faces the machine tool. The sliding member ascends the slope of the cam. Along with this, the support plate rises. That is, in this case, the support plate is raised when the support plate is stopped.

  The tool head changer may further include a transport carriage capable of transporting the multi-axis head and an exchange table provided in the machine tool. In this case, the attachment / detachment mechanism may be moved from the transport carriage to the exchange table or vice versa under the action of the advance / retreat mechanism.

  The advance / retreat mechanism can be configured to include a rack and pinion and a rotation urging means for rotating the pinion. In this case, the pinion and the rotation urging means are provided on the base, and the rack is provided on both the transport carriage and the exchange table, so that the attachment / detachment mechanism can move from the transport carriage to the exchange table or vice versa. It becomes easy.

  The slope of the cam is preferably composed of a first slope and a second slope having different inclination angles. In this case, the inclination angle of the second slope may be set smaller than that of the first slope.

  When the inclination angle of the slope is large, a large amount of work per unit time is required to raise the multi-axis head. Conversely, when the tilt angle is small, the amount of work per unit time for raising the multi-axis head is reduced, but the multi-axis head is slid to raise it until it reaches the disengagement position from the machine tool. The moving distance of the member must be increased. This takes a long time.

  In contrast, when the first slope and the second slope are provided as described above, the sliding member is slid along the first slope having a large inclination angle, thereby increasing the moving distance of the sliding member. In other words, the support plate can be raised to a certain degree in a shorter time. Thereafter, by sliding the sliding member along the second inclined surface having a small inclination angle, the energy required to reach the position where the multi-axis head is detached from the machine tool can be reduced.

  In the present invention, a cam having a slope formed on one of the base or the support board is provided, and a sliding member that slides on the slope is provided on one of the rest of the support board or the base to constitute an attachment / detachment mechanism. Like to do. According to this attachment / detachment mechanism, the support plate is raised or lowered by sliding the sliding member along the slope of the cam. At this time, the multi-axis head is detached from the machine tool and held on the support plate. Alternatively, the multi-axis head held on the support plate can be attached to the machine tool.

  That is, the multi-axis head replacement operation can be performed while having a simple configuration as described above. For this reason, it is possible to sufficiently simplify the tool head changer, and hence to reduce the size and weight.

  Further, since the support plate moves forward or backward following the advancement or retreat of the base under the action of the advance / retreat mechanism, the multi-axis head can be easily conveyed.

It is the typical perspective lineblock diagram showing collectively the machine tool and the exchange device for tool heads concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a principal part schematic longitudinal cross-section side view of the said tool head replacement | exchange apparatus. It is a partially notched cross-sectional perspective view of an attachment / detachment mechanism. It is a principal part schematic plane fragmentary sectional view of the said exchange apparatus for tool heads. FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a main part showing an enlarged guide stopper and guide pins shown in FIG. 5. It is a principal part expanded partial sectional view which expands and shows the case where a guide stopper contact | abuts to a guide pin and stops. It is a principal part general | schematic longitudinal cross-section side view which shows the state which the support board raised from FIG. It is a principal part schematic longitudinal cross-sectional side view which shows typically the state which raises a 1st bracket and a 2nd bracket, being guided by the raising / lowering guide post which is a raising / lowering guide member. FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional side view of an essential part showing a state in which the support plate is further raised from FIG. 8 and the multiaxial head is removed from the suspension rail. It is a principal part schematic longitudinal cross-section side view of the exchange apparatus for tool heads concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a principal part schematic longitudinal cross-section side view which shows the state which the support board raised from FIG. It is a principal part general | schematic longitudinal cross-section side view which shows the state which the support plate further raised from FIG. 12, and the multiaxial head was removed from the suspension rail.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a tool head changer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective configuration diagram showing a machine tool 10 and a tool head changing device (hereinafter also simply referred to as a changing device) 12 according to the present embodiment. Here, the exchange device 12 is for exchanging the multi-axis head 14 that is detachably attached to the machine tool 10.

  First, the machine tool 10 will be described.

  The machine tool 10 is disposed in the vicinity of the transfer line 16 on which the workpiece W is transferred, and includes a plurality of multi-axis heads 14 (six in this embodiment) for performing predetermined machining on the workpiece W. ) Each multi-axis head 14 is provided with a plurality of tools 18 so as to be capable of rotating under the action of a rotational drive source (not shown). Usually, a drill, a reamer, a tap or the like is selected as the tool 18, and in this case, the workpiece W is subjected to drilling. Examples of the workpiece W include a cylinder block and a cylinder head that constitute an internal combustion engine, or a mission case that houses a mission.

  The machine tool 10 has a plurality (six in this embodiment) of arms 22 extending radially around the index motor 20, and each of the multi-axis heads 14 is supported at the tip of each arm 22. Is done. As will be described later, the arm 22 rotates at a predetermined angle about the index motor 20 under the action of the index motor 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, which is an enlarged view of the main part, the machine tool 10 is provided with annular suspension rails 24 a and 24 b that are installed in two upper and lower stages below the arm 22 and suspend the multiaxial head 14. It is done. On the other hand, hook portions 26a and 26b that engage with the suspension rails 24a and 24b are provided on the back surface of the multi-axis head 14, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the hook portion 26a is provided with a pair of sliding rollers 28a and 28b. Similarly, the hook portion 26b is provided with a pair of sliding rollers 30a and 30b. Therefore, the multi-axis head 14 slides with respect to the suspension rails 24a and 24b via the hook portions 26a and 26b and the sliding rollers 28a, 28b, 30a, and 30b provided at a total of four positions in the vertical and horizontal directions. Engageable. In this state, a rectangular parallelepiped locked piece 32 installed at the center of the upper surface of the multi-axis head 14 is locked between a pair of locking members 34a and 34b provided at the tip of the arm 22 (FIG. 2). Here, in FIG. 2, the head cover 35 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted.

  There is a slight play between the locked piece 32 and the locking members 34a and 34b. For this reason, the multi-axis head 14 is slid along the suspension rails 24a and 24b within this play range. Is possible.

  The index motor 20 constitutes an index mechanism that pivots the arm 22, and thus each multi-axis head 14, along the suspension rails 24a and 24b, thereby indexing to a predetermined phase.

  That is, when the index motor 20 is energized, the arm 22 turns intermittently at a predetermined angle (for example, every 60 °) by the rotational driving force. As described above, since the locked piece 32 installed on the multi-axis head 14 is sandwiched between the locking members 34a and 34b provided on the arm 22, the multi-axis follows the turning of the arm 22. The head 14 turns along the suspension rails 24a and 24b. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, a desired one of the plurality of multi-axis heads 14 can be determined at a processing position (processing phase) facing the workpiece W. At the same time, another multi-axis head 14 that is 180 ° apart from the multi-axis head 14 is indexed to the replacement position (exchange phase).

  The machine tool 10 configured in this way is basically known, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, it projects from the lower end of the multi-axis head 14 and extends vertically downward. Four existing engaging projections 36 (first engaging portions) and two guide pins 38 that are longer than the engaging protruding portions 36 are provided. Both the engaging protrusion 36 and the guide pin 38 have a substantially cylindrical shape.

  Next, the exchange device 12 will be described. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the exchange device 12 includes an exchange table 40 provided in the machine tool 10 and a transport carriage 42 that can transport the multi-axis head 14.

  An exchange table 40 supported by a support frame (not shown) is arranged in the exchange phase. The exchange table 40 is provided with first guide rails 44 a and 44 b each having a sliding groove 43 and a first rack 46. The first rack 46 is joined to the upper end surface of the first guide rail 44a.

  The transport carriage 42 reciprocates between a stocker (not shown) and the exchange table 40, and at this time, delivers the multi-axis head 14 between the stocker and the exchange table 40. That is, a plurality of spare multi-axis heads 14 are stored in the stocker. When machining the workpiece W, when the spare multi-axis head 14 stored in the stocker is required instead of the multi-axis head 14 mounted on the machine tool 10 in advance, the transport carriage 42 makes a spare multi-axis head 14. The shaft head 14 is conveyed to the exchange table 40.

  Here, the transport carriage 42 is connected and pulled by an unillustrated AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) which is an automatic guided vehicle (automatic transport vehicle). A control signal is transmitted to the AGV from a control circuit (not shown). Following the automatic travel of the AGV that has received this control signal along a predetermined route, the transport carriage 42 travels from the stocker toward the exchange table 40 or in the opposite direction. The AGV may be configured integrally with the transport carriage 42.

  The transport carriage 42 includes four legs 50 provided with moving rollers 48 (see FIG. 1), and a top plate 52 supported by the legs 50. The top plate 52 is provided with an attaching / detaching mechanism 54 for attaching / detaching the multi-axis head 14 to / from the machine tool 10.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the top plate 52 is provided with second guide rails 56 a and 56 b. The width between the second guide rails 56a and 56b matches the width between the first guide rails 44a and 44b. A second rack 58 is joined to the upper end surface of the second guide rail 56a. The pitch of the second rack 58 matches the pitch of the first rack 46.

  The attachment / detachment mechanism 54 has a base 62 provided with side sliders 60 at both ends in the width direction of the upper end surface. The side slider 60 is slidably engaged with a sliding groove 64 formed in the second guide rails 56a and 56b. For this reason, the base 62 is engaged with the second guide rails 56a and 56b. It is possible to move while being guided.

  As shown in FIG. 4 which is a partially cut-away perspective view of the attachment / detachment mechanism 54, lift guide posts 66 a and 66 b (lift guide members) having a substantially cylindrical shape are erected on the upper end surface of the base 62. . A first bracket 68 is mounted on the lift guide post 66a so as to be movable up and down, and a second bracket 70 is mounted on the lift guide post 66b so as to be movable up and down. That is, in the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70, the engaging recesses 72 that are recessed vertically upward are formed on the lower end faces facing the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b, respectively, and the lifting guide posts 66a. , 66b are slidably engaged with the engaging recesses 72, respectively.

  The engaging recess 72 is preferably formed as a groove extending along the axial direction of the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70, but the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b are slidably inserted. May be a bottomed hole.

  When a support plate 74 described below is positioned at the lowermost position, the bottom surfaces of the lift guide posts 66a and 66b may be in contact with the ceiling surface of the engaging recess 72, but may be slightly separated from each other. Note that the depth of the engaging recess 72 (distance from the opening to the ceiling surface) is such that the tips of the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b do not separate from the engaging recess 72 when the support plate 74 is positioned at the uppermost position. Set to

  A cam 78 in which a first slope 76 and a second slope 77 are formed on the side facing the machine tool 10 is provided at a substantially central portion of the base 62. Both the first slope 76 and the second slope 77 are formed so as to rise from the side close to the machine tool 10 toward the side away from the machine tool 10. Hereinafter, the side close to the machine tool 10 is referred to as “front”, and the side away from the machine tool 10 is referred to as “rear”.

  Further, the inclination angle of the first slope 76 is set to be larger than that of the second slope 77. That is, the slope of the cam 78 includes a first slope 76 that is largely inclined on the front side and a second slope 77 that is slightly inclined on the rear side.

  Behind the cam 78, an advancing / retracting motor 80 (see FIG. 2), and a pinion 82 that rotates under the action of a rotating shaft of the advancing / retreating motor 80 and a gear train (both not shown), are a housing 84. It is arrange | positioned in the state accommodated in. That is, the advance / retreat motor 80 is a rotation urging means for rotating the pinion 82.

  The advance / retreat motor 80 can send and receive signals to and from the control circuit via wireless communication. Alternatively, the advance / retreat motor 80 may be electrically connected to the control circuit via a signal line (not shown).

  A part of the pinion 82 is exposed from the housing 84 and meshes with the second rack 58. The advance / retreat motor 80, the gear train, the pinion 82, the second rack 58 and the first rack 46 constitute an advance / retreat mechanism for moving the base 62 forward or backward. Needless to say, the first rack 46 and the second rack 58 and the pinion 82 constitute a rack-and-pinion.

  A cylinder (not shown) is further installed on the upper end surface of the base 62. The cylinder rod 86 (see FIG. 3) expands and contracts along the width direction of the second inclined surface 77 of the cam 78. As will be described later, the rod 86 functions as a lock mechanism that maintains the support plate 74 in the raised position.

  A support plate 74 is disposed above the base 62. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, two guide stoppers 88 a and 88 b are provided on the front end surface of the support plate 74.

  As understood from FIG. 5, each of the guide stoppers 88 a and 88 b is formed with a V-shaped groove 89 so as to be recessed from the front to the rear. In other words, the V-shaped groove 89 is expanded so that the dimension in the width direction increases toward the front. The widthwise dimension W1 of the V-shaped groove 89 is the largest at the opening and is set to be larger than the diameter D1 of the guide pin 38.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, four engagement holes 90 (second engagement portions) are formed through the front end portion of the support plate 74 along the thickness direction. These engagement holes 90 are for inserting the engagement protrusions 36, and the diameter thereof is slightly larger than the diameter of the engagement protrusions 36 (see FIG. 3).

  A notch 92 is formed at the rear end of the support plate 74 from the rear end to the center (see FIG. 4). A roller connection plate 94 is provided at the end of the notch 92. A lifting roller 96 (sliding member) is provided. The raising / lowering roller 96 protruding toward the substantially vertical lower side of the support board 74 faces the first slope 76 (or the second slope 77) of the cam 78. The elevating roller 96 contacts the upper end surface of the base 62 or the cam 78, so that the support plate 74 is supported by the base 62.

  At both ends in the width direction of the support board 74, the third guide rails 98a, 98b are laid on the lower end surface, and the fourth guide rails 100a, 100b are laid on the upper end surface. The third guide rails 98a and 98b are each formed with a reverse concave groove 102 that is recessed vertically upward, while the fourth guide rails 100a and 100b are formed with a concave groove 104 that is recessed vertically downward. Is done.

  The upward convex portions 108 of the two lower sliders 106 are slidably engaged with the reverse concave grooves 102 of the third guide rails 98a and 98b. Further, the downward convex portions 112 of the two upper sliders 110 are slidably engaged with the concave grooves 104 of the fourth guide rails 100a and 100b. That is, the third guide rails 98 a and 98 b and the fourth guide rails 100 a and 100 b are sandwiched between the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110.

  Here, the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 are both connected to the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70. As can be understood from this, the support plate 74 is formed by attaching the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70 to which the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 are connected to the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b. It is supported by the base 62.

  When the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70 are raised or lowered along the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b, the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 are also raised or lowered following this, and further, the lower slider 106 and the upper The support plate 74 in which the third guide rails 98a and 98b and the fourth guide rails 100a and 100b are sandwiched by the slider 110 is raised or lowered.

  The exchange device 12 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation and effect will be described.

  Of the six multi-axis heads 14 mounted on the machine tool 10, when a predetermined multi-axis head 14 needs to be replaced (removed), first, a signal from the control circuit or an input operation by an administrator, etc. Based on the above, a control signal is transmitted to the control unit of the AGV. The AGV that has received this control signal travels the transport carriage 42 that does not hold the multi-axis head 14 and reaches the tip of the exchange table 40. Thereby, the top plate 52 of the transport carriage 42 and the exchange table 40 are in contact with each other and face each other. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide stoppers 88 a and 88 b provided on the support plate 74 are positioned to face the guide pins 38 and 38.

  During this time, the control circuit urges the index motor 20 that constitutes the index mechanism to rotate the arm 22 intermittently. Following this turning, the multi-axis head 14 turns along the suspension rails 24a and 24b. This is because the locked piece 32 installed on the multi-axis head 14 is sandwiched between the locking members 34 a and 34 b provided on the arm 22 as shown in FIG. 2.

  As a result of this turning, the multi-axis head 14 to be exchanged is determined at the exchange position (exchange phase). Recognizing this, the control circuit deactivates the index motor 20 to stop the arm 22.

  Next, the AGV transmits a signal notifying that the transport carriage 42 has arrived at the exchange table 40 to the control circuit. Upon receipt of this signal, the control circuit confirms that the multi-axis head 14 to be exchanged is indexed in the exchange phase, and then energizes the advance / retreat motor 80. As a result, the pinion 82 rotates through the gear train.

  Since the pinion 82 is engaged with the second rack 58, the base 62 provided with the pinion 82 starts to move forward toward the machine tool 10. At this time, the side slider 60 slides along the sliding grooves 64 of the second guide rails 56a and 56b, whereby the base 62 is guided to the second guide rails 56a and 56b.

  When the base 62 further moves forward under the driving action of the advance / retreat motor 80, the base 62 and the support plate 74 are moved from the top plate 52 of the transport carriage 42 to the exchange table 40. When the base 62 further moves forward, the pinion 82 is detached from the second rack 58 and meshed with the first rack 46. Thereafter, as the pinion 82 advances along the first rack 46, the base 62 continues to advance toward the machine tool 10 side.

  When the base 62 further advances, the side slider 60 is detached from the sliding grooves 64 of the second guide rails 56a and 56b and engages with the sliding grooves 43 of the first guide rails 44a and 44b. Accordingly, the base 62 is thereafter guided to the first guide rails 44a and 44b.

  The support plate 74 advances to the machine tool 10 side in synchronization with the base 62. This is because the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70, to which the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 are connected, are attached to the lifting guide posts 66 a and 66 b erected on the upper end surface of the base 62. As shown in FIG. 3, the support plate 74 moves forward until it is positioned below the multi-axis head 14.

  As described above, the attachment / detachment mechanism 54 of the exchange device 12 is configured as a so-called self-propelled device that moves the transport carriage 42 and the exchange table 40 by rack and pinion.

  In the exchange device 12, the guide stoppers 88a and 88b of the support plate 74 are located in the forefront (see FIG. 5). For this reason, when the support plate 74 advances to a predetermined position below the multi-axis head 14, the guide stoppers 88 a and 88 b come into contact with the guide pins 38.

  Here, for example, when the multi-axis head 14 is not accurately indexed to the exchange phase, as indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 6, with respect to the V-shaped grooves 89 formed in the guide stoppers 88a and 88b, The guide pin 38 is relatively displaced. Therefore, when the width direction dimension W1 of the V-shaped groove 89 is set equal to the diameter D1 of the guide pin 38, the guide pin 38 comes into contact with the tips of the guide stoppers 88a and 88b as shown in FIG. There is a concern that it will not enter 89.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the width direction dimension W1 of the V-shaped groove 89 is set to be larger than the diameter D1 of the guide pin 38. Therefore, even when the guide pin 38 is displaced as shown in FIG. 6, the guide pin 38 enters the V-shaped groove 89 and is guided along the side wall of the V-shaped groove 89. The bottom that is the rear end of the groove 89 is reached.

  Thus, while the guide pin 38 enters the V-shaped groove 89 and reaches the bottom of the V-shaped groove 89, the multiaxial head 14 slightly slides along the suspension rails 24a and 24b. As a result, the posture of the multi-axis head 14 is corrected. That is, according to the present embodiment, the guide pins 38 are provided on the multi-axis head 14, and the guide stoppers 88a and 88b in which the V-shaped grooves 89 that are opened larger than the diameter D1 of the guide pins 38 are formed. 74, the multi-axis head 14 can be accurately aligned with respect to the support plate 74.

  As described above, when the guide stoppers 88a and 88b abut on the guide pins 38 and 38, the support plate 74 is in a state of being blocked. For this reason, the support plate 74 stops.

  On the other hand, the advancement / retraction motor 80 is continuously energized, whereby the base 62 continues to advance. At this time, the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 slide in the reverse groove 102 of the third guide rails 98a and 98b and the groove 104 of the fourth guide rails 100a and 100b. For this reason, the base 62 can be advanced despite the support plate 74 being stopped.

  At the same time, as shown in FIG. 8, the lifting roller 96 provided on the support plate 74 slides along the first inclined surface 76 of the cam 78 and rises while being guided by the first inclined surface 76. As a result, the support plate 74 is lifted away from the base plate 62. Since the inclination angle of the first slope 76 is large, at this time, the support plate 74 can be raised to a certain extent while reducing the moving distance of the elevating roller 96, that is, in a relatively short time.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70 are raised while being guided by the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b. For this reason, the raise of the support board 74 is not prevented.

  When the lifting roller 96 further slides, the lifting roller 96 moves from the first slope 76 to the second slope 77 as shown in FIG. Since the inclination angle of the second inclined surface 77 is small, when the elevating roller 96 slides along the second inclined surface 77, the moving distance of the elevating roller 96 compared to when sliding on the first inclined surface 76. However, the force required to raise the multi-axis head 14 is reduced. Accordingly, the advance / retreat mechanism for moving the base 62 forward or backward, in other words, the advance / retreat motor 80 as a power source is a small power generating force and a small power consumption. Can be adopted. Thereby, energy saving can be achieved.

  The series of operations shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 can be summarized as follows.

  Even if the advancing / retreating motor 80 that is an advancing / retreating mechanism (power source) for moving the base 62 forward or backward is, for example, a small force that is generated with a relatively small force and low power consumption, Since it is significantly lighter than the multi-axis head 14, the support plate 74 can be raised to some extent in a short time.

  On the other hand, at the time shown in FIG. 10, the weights of the support plate 74 and the multi-axis head 14 are combined, so that the weight is considerable. However, even if the advancing / retreating motor 80 has a relatively small force generated as described above and small power consumption, the inclination angle of the second inclined surface 77 is smaller than that of the first inclined surface 76. The force required to raise the shaft head 14 is reduced. Therefore, even if the advancing / retreating motor 80 has a relatively small force generated as described above and has a small power consumption, the multi-axis head 14 can be raised with a small amount of power.

  For the above reasons, it is possible to reduce the time required for the multi-axis head 14 to reach the position where the multi-axis head 14 is detached from the machine tool 10 with the advancing / retreating motor 80 with low power consumption, and the energy can be reduced. .

  In the middle of the ascending / descending roller 96 reaching the top of the second inclined surface 77, in other words, in the middle of raising the support plate 74 as the base 62 moves forward, the engaging protrusion 36 engages with the engaging hole 90. Match. As a result, the multi-axis head 14 is held on the support plate 74. As described above, since the multi-axis head 14 and the support plate 74 are accurately aligned with respect to each other, the positions of the engagement holes 90 and the engagement protrusions 36 are matched. Therefore, the multi-axis head 14 can be reliably held by the support plate 74.

  As the base plate 62 further advances, the support plate 74 further rises, and when the elevating roller 96 further slides and reaches the top of the second inclined surface 77, as shown in FIG. The multi-axis head 14 held on the support plate 74 is also raised. As a result, the hook portions 26a, 26b (sliding rollers 28a, 28b, 30a, 30b) are detached from the suspension rails 24a, 24b. In other words, the multi-axis head 14 is detached from the suspension rails 24a and 24b.

  At this time, the lock mechanism operates. That is, the cylinder rod 86 extends and is interposed between the lifting roller 96 and the second inclined surface 77 of the cam 78. The rod 86 functions as a wedge (stopper), whereby the elevating roller 96 is positioned. That is, the raising / lowering roller 96 is lowered along the second inclined surface 77, and the support plate 74 holding the multiaxial head 14 is lowered, and the multiaxial head 14 is resuspended on the suspension rails 24a and 24b. This can be prevented.

  Next, the control circuit re-energizes the advancing / retreating motor 80 and transmits a control signal so that its rotating shaft rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the pinion 82 rotates in the reverse direction and relatively moves back along the first rack 46 of the exchange table 40. As a result, the base 62 moves backward toward the transport carriage 42. At this time, since the lifting roller 96 of the support board 74 is pressed by the rod 86, the support board 74 moves backward in synchronization with the base 62 while holding the multi-axis head 14 and being in the raised position.

  A temporary stop position sensor (not shown) may be provided, and when the position sensor detects that the attachment / detachment mechanism 54 has moved back to a predetermined position, the attachment / detachment mechanism 54 may be temporarily stopped. . During the temporary stop, the rod 86 of the cylinder is contracted and the raising / lowering roller 96 is lowered along the second inclined surface 77 to lower the support plate 74. In this state, the retraction of the attaching / detaching mechanism 54 is resumed. do it.

  The exchange device 12 moves from the exchange table 40 to the transport carriage 42 when the pinion 82 moves from the first rack 46 to the second rack 58. Thereafter, when the pinion 82 moves backward to a predetermined position of the second rack 58, the control circuit transmits a control signal for deactivating the advance / retreat motor 80. Thereby, the exchange device 12 stops. The multi-axis head 14 removed from the machine tool 10 in this way is transported to a stocker and stored as necessary. Of course, at this time, the AGV is driven under the control action of the control circuit, and the transport carriage 42 moves from the exchange table 40 to the stocker.

  The new multi-axis head 14 to be attached to the machine tool 10 is transported from the stocker to the replacement table 40 by the transport carriage 42 while being held on the support plate 74. The support plate 74 has already been raised in accordance with the above.

  When the transport carriage 42 approaches and faces the exchange table 40, the advance / retreat motor 80 is energized under the control action of the control circuit as described above. As a result, the base 62 and the support plate 74 move forward toward the machine tool 10 side, following the start of the rotation of the pinion 82 meshed with the second rack 58.

  When the position sensor (not shown) detects that the base 62 has reached a predetermined position, the cylinder is biased and the rod 86 contracts. As a result, the lifting roller 96 is released from the rod 86 and descends along the second inclined surface 77 and the first inclined surface 76 of the cam 78. As a result, the support plate 74 is lowered so as to approach the base 62. At this time, the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70 are lowered while being guided by the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b, and the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 are inverted concave grooves 102 of the third guide rails 98a and 98b. Then, it slides in the concave groove 104 of the fourth guide rails 100a and 100b (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 9). For this reason, the support board 74 can be advanced although the base | substrate 62 has stopped.

  When the support plate 74 moves forward, the guide pin 38 enters the V-shaped groove 89 of the guide stoppers 88a and 88b. Similarly to the above, the posture of the multi-axis head 14 is corrected by the guide pin 38 reaching the bottom of the V-shaped groove 89, and as a result, the multi-axis head 14 is accurately aligned with the machine tool 10. . Further, since the guide stoppers 88a, 88b abut against the guide pins 38, 38, further advancement of the support plate 74 is prevented.

  Further, since the support plate 74 is lowered, the multi-axis head 14 held on the support plate 74 is also lowered. As a result, the hook portions 26a, 26b (sliding rollers 28a, 28b, 30a, 30b) are mounted on the suspension rails 24a, 24b, and the multi-axis head 14 is suspended on the suspension rails 24a, 24b. Furthermore, the locked piece 32 installed at the center of the upper surface of the multi-axis head 14 is locked between the locking members 34a and 34b provided at the tip of the arm 22 (see FIG. 2).

  As the support plate 74 is further lowered, the engagement protrusion 36 is detached from the engagement hole 90 (see FIG. 8). As a result, the multi-axis head 14 is released from the support plate 74. Thus, the replacement of the multi-axis head 14 is completed. Since the multi-axis head 14 has been moved to the machine tool 10, the exchange device 12 is in a so-called empty state.

  Next, the control circuit re-energizes the advancing / retreating motor 80 (see FIG. 2) and transmits a control signal so that its rotating shaft rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the pinion 82 rotates in the reverse direction and relatively moves back along the first rack 46 of the exchange table 40. As a result, the base 62 moves backward toward the transport carriage 42. Since the first bracket 68 and the second bracket 70 to which the lower slider 106 and the upper slider 110 are connected are crowned on the lifting guide posts 66a and 66b erected on the upper end surface of the base 62, at this time, The support board 74 moves backward in synchronization with the base 62.

  The exchange device 12 moves from the first rack 46 to the second rack 58 of the transport carriage 42. Thereafter, when the pinion 82 moves backward to a predetermined position of the second rack 58, the control circuit transmits a control signal for deactivating the advance / retreat motor 80. Thereby, the exchange device 12 stops.

  During the above replacement work, the multi-axis head 14 set to the machining phase opposite to the exchange phase continues to process the workpiece W (see FIG. 1). That is, the control circuit controls the rotation of the index mechanism to determine the multi-axis head 14 to be exchanged as the exchange phase, and also assigns the multi-axis head 14 for machining to the machining phase. In other words, the multi-axis head 14 that is in the opposite phase to the multi-axis head 14 that needs to be processed is preferentially selected as an exchange target. As a result, since the machining of the workpiece W can be continued even during the replacement work, the machining efficiency for the workpiece W and, in turn, the production efficiency of the processed products such as the cylinder block, the cylinder head, and the transmission case are greatly improved. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the machine tool 10 is configured such that the multi-axis head 14 suspended and supported by the suspension rails 24a and 24b can be indexed to a predetermined exchange phase by the index mechanism. At the same time, the transport carriage 42 is connected to the exchange phase. Thus, by providing the exchange table 40 on the machine tool 10 side, the exchange device 12 (detachment mechanism 54) mounted on the transport carriage 42 can be easily connected to the machine tool 10.

  In addition, the exchanging device 12 has a simple configuration in which the lifting roller 96 provided on the support plate 74 slides with respect to the first inclined surface 76 and the second inclined surface 77 of the cam 78 provided on the base 62. The shaft head 14 can be exchanged, in other words, the multi-axis head 14 can be attached to and detached from the suspension rails 24a and 24b. That is, the replacement work of the multi-axis head 14 can be easily performed by the replacement device 12 having a simple configuration. For this reason, the exchange device 12 can be sufficiently simplified, and thus can be reduced in size and weight.

  In the present embodiment, the attachment / detachment mechanism 54 is moved (self-propelled) from the transport carriage 42 to the exchange table 40 or in the opposite direction by rack and pinion. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a cylinder with a large driving force. This also contributes to sufficient simplification, size reduction, and weight reduction of the exchange device 12.

  In addition, since the guide stoppers 88a and 88b provided on the support plate 74 can absorb the relative displacement of the guide pins 38 provided on the multi-axis head 14, the multi-axis head 14 is Positioning with respect to the support plate 74 can be performed with high accuracy. For this reason, it is possible to easily hold the multi-axis head 14 by the support plate 74 and raise or lower the multi-axis head 14 together with the support plate 74.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the support plate 74 may be provided with a cam, and the base 62 may be provided with a lifting roller 96. Hereinafter, this will be described as a second embodiment. The same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. However, the cams, the first slope, and the second slope are denoted by reference numerals 120, 122, and 124, respectively, in order to easily distinguish the cam 78, the first slope 76, and the second slope 77 from each other.

  FIG. 11: is a principal part schematic longitudinal cross-section side view of the exchange apparatus for tool heads concerning 2nd Embodiment. As described above, in this case, the lifting roller 96 is provided on the upper end surface of the base plate 62 facing the support plate 74, and the cam 120 is provided on the lower end surface of the support plate 74 facing the base plate 62.

  In this case, the first slope 122 of the cam 120 is disposed rearward, while the second slope 124 is disposed forward. That is, in this case, the slope of the cam 120 is set to rise from the front to the rear.

  The lifting roller 96 is initially disposed in the vicinity of the first slope 122. Accordingly, also in this case, the lifting roller 96 slides in the order of the first slope 122 and the second slope 124.

  Here, a tool 18, a spindle, a gear train for rotating the spindle, and the like are provided on the front surface (surface on which machining is performed) of the multi-axis head 14. Therefore, the front side is heavier than the front side. For this reason, in some cases, as shown in FIG. 11, the multi-axis head 14 supported by the suspension rails 24a and 24b may be inclined forward. In FIG. 11, the forward tilted state is exaggerated for easy understanding.

  If the multi-axis head 14 remains in the forward inclined posture, even if the multi-axis head 14 is raised, the sliding rollers 28a and 28b or the sliding rollers 30a and 30b are caught on the suspension rails 24a and 24b, There is a concern that it is not easy to detach the head 14 from the suspension rails 24a and 24b.

  However, according to the second embodiment, even when the multi-axis head 14 is in the forward tilt posture, it can be changed to the horizontal posture. Therefore, the multi-axis head 14 can be easily detached from the suspension rails 24a and 24b.

  Explaining this point, as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the base 62 moves forward by energizing the forward / backward motor 80. Along with this, the lifting roller 96 provided on the base 62 slides while being guided by the first inclined surface 122 of the cam 120. As a result, the support plate 74 is supported from below by the lifting roller 96. That is, the support plate 74 is lifted. By this lifting, as shown in FIG. 12, the multi-axis head 14 is in a horizontal posture. Of course, as in the above-described embodiment, the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 122 is large, and at this point, the moving distance of the elevating roller 96 is reduced, that is, the support plate 74 is raised to some extent in a short time. Can be made.

  While the lifting roller 96 slides on the first inclined surface 122, in other words, while the base plate 62 moves forward, the engagement protrusion 36 engages with the engagement hole 90. Match. As a result, the multi-axis head 14 is held on the support plate 74.

  When the elevating roller 96 further slides, the elevating roller 96 moves from the first inclined surface 122 to the second inclined surface 124 as shown in FIG. Since the inclination angle of the second inclined surface 124 is small, when the elevating roller 96 slides along the second inclined surface 124, the moving distance of the elevating roller 96 is larger than when the elevating roller 96 slides along the first inclined surface 122. However, the force required to raise the multi-axis head 14 is reduced. Accordingly, as in the above-described embodiment, the advance / retreat mechanism for moving the base 62 forward or backward, in other words, the advance / retreat motor 80, which is a power source, is a small one that generates a relatively small force. For this reason, a device with low power consumption can be employed. Thereby, energy saving can be achieved.

  As the base plate 62 is further advanced, the support plate 74 further rises, and when the elevating roller 96 further slides and reaches the vicinity of the top of the second inclined surface 122, as shown in FIG. The held multi-axis head 14 is also raised, and the hook portions 26a, 26b (sliding rollers 28a, 28b, 30a, 30b) are detached from the suspension rails 24a, 24b. In other words, the multi-axis head 14 is detached from the suspension rails 24a and 24b. At this time, the locking mechanism operates in the same manner as described above, and the lifting roller 96 is positioned by the rod 86 functioning as a stopper.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, even if the multi-axis head 14 is in the forward inclined posture, it can be easily detached from the suspension rails 24a and 24b.

  The series of operations shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 can be summarized as follows.

  Even if the advancing / retreating motor 80 that is an advancing / retreating mechanism (power source) for moving the base 62 forward or backward is, for example, a small force that is generated with a relatively small force and low power consumption, Since it is significantly lighter than the multi-axis head 14, the support plate 74 can be raised to some extent in a short time.

  On the other hand, at the time shown in FIG. 13, the weights of the support plate 74 and the multi-axis head 14 are added together, so that the weight is considerable. However, even if the advancing / retreating motor 80 has a relatively small force generated as described above and small power consumption, the inclination angle of the second inclined surface 124 is smaller than that of the first inclined surface 122. The force required to raise the shaft head 14 is reduced. Therefore, even if the advancing / retreating motor 80 has a relatively small force generated as described above and has a small power consumption, the multi-axis head 14 can be raised with a small amount of power.

  For the above reasons, it is possible to reduce the time required for the multi-axis head 14 to reach the position where the multi-axis head 14 is detached from the machine tool 10 with the advancing / retreating motor 80 with low power consumption, and the energy can be reduced. .

  In either of the two embodiments described above, a cam having only one slope may be employed. Alternatively, a second cam is provided in place of the elevating roller 96, and the slope of the second cam slides along the first slopes 76, 122 and the second slopes 77, 124 of the cams 78, 120. You may make it make it.

  Further, the advance / retreat mechanism is not limited to the rack and pinion composed of the pinion 82, the first rack 46, and the second rack 58, and may be, for example, a ball screw.

  Furthermore, the engagement hole may be formed in the multi-axis head 14 as the first engagement portion, and the engagement protrusion 36 may be formed in the support plate 74 as the second engagement portion.

  Furthermore, the guide stoppers 88 a and 88 b may be provided on the multi-axis head 14, and the guide pin 38 may be provided at the tip of the support plate 74. Even in this case, the width direction dimension of the opening of the V-shaped groove 89 of the guide stoppers 88 a and 88 b may be set larger than the diameter of the guide pin 38.

  For example, the locking mechanism for positioning the sliding member such as the lifting roller 96 forms an engagement hole in one of the base plate 62 or the support board 74 and also on one of the support board 74 or the rest of the base board 62. In addition, it may be configured by providing a pin that can move forward and backward with respect to the engagement hole, or may be another mechanism. In addition, it is not essential to provide a lock mechanism.

  In any case, the exchange device 12 may be provided on the exchange table 40. That is, the transport carriage 42 is not essential. In this case, for example, the multi-axis head 14 stored in the stocker may be held by the robot and placed on the exchange device 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Machine tool 12 ... Tool head changer 14 ... Multi-axis head 18 ... Tool 20 ... Indexing motor 22 ... Arm 24a, 24b ... Suspension rail 26a, 26b ... Hook part 36 ... Engagement protrusion 38 ... Guide pin 40 ... Exchange table 42 ... Conveying carts 44a, 44b ... First guide rail 46 ... First rack 54 ... Detachable mechanism 56a, 56b ... Second guide rail 58 ... Second rack 60 ... Side sliders 66a, 66b ... Lifting guide post 68 ... 1st bracket 70 ... 2nd bracket 74 ... Supporting board 76, 77, 122, 124 ... Slope 78, 120 ... Cam 80 ... Motor for advance / retreat 82 ... Pinion 86 ... Rod 88a, 88b ... Guide stopper 89 ... V-shaped groove 90 ... engaging hole 96 ... lifting rollers 98a, 98b ... third guide rails 100a, 100b ... fourth guide rails 06 ... the lower slider 110 ... upper slider W ... work

Claims (10)

A tool head changer comprising an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching / detaching a multi-axis head provided with a plurality of tools to / from a machine tool,
The attachment / detachment mechanism includes a base that moves forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
An advancing / retracting mechanism for moving the base forward or backward,
A support plate disposed above the base and moving forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
A cam provided on one of the base or the support plate and having a slope;
A sliding member that is provided on one of the support plate or the rest of the base and slides on the slope of the cam;
With
The tool support changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is raised or lowered by sliding the sliding member along the inclined surface of the cam. A tool head changer comprising an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching / detaching a multi-axis head provided with a plurality of tools to / from a machine tool,
The attachment / detachment mechanism includes a base that moves forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
An advancing / retracting mechanism for moving the base forward or backward,
A support plate disposed above the base and moving forward or backward in a direction approaching or separating from the machine tool;
A cam provided on the support plate and having an inclined surface;
A sliding member provided on the base and sliding on the slope of the cam;
With
The tool support changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is raised or lowered by sliding the sliding member along the inclined surface of the cam.   3. The exchange apparatus for a tool head according to claim 1, wherein an elevating guide member for guiding the support board when the support board is raised or lowered is provided on the base.   4. The exchange device for a tool head according to claim 1, further comprising a lock mechanism for maintaining the support plate in a raised position when the support plate is raised. .   5. The exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the multi-axis head is provided with a first engagement portion and the support plate is provided with a second engagement portion, and the first engagement portion. The tool head changer characterized in that the multi-axis head is positioned and fixed on the support plate by engaging the second engagement portion with respect to the support plate.   6. The exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding member is a roller.   The exchange device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the support board advances toward the multi-axis head together with the base, it stops before the base under the action of a stopper. Tool head changer characterized by the above. The exchange apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a transport carriage capable of transporting the multi-axis head, and an exchange table provided in the machine tool,
The attachment / detachment mechanism for a tool head, wherein the attachment / detachment mechanism moves from the transport carriage to the exchange table or vice versa. 9. The exchange apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the advance / retreat mechanism includes a rack and pinion, and a rotation biasing means for rotating the pinion.
The tool head changer characterized in that the pinion and the rotation urging means are provided on the base, and a rack is provided on both the transport carriage and the exchange table.   10. The exchange device according to claim 1, wherein a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface having a smaller inclination angle than the first inclined surface are formed as the inclined surface of the cam. When the moving member is positioned on the second inclined surface, the multi-axis head is located at a position where the multi-axis head is detached from the machine tool.

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