JP6506051B2 - Material separation apparatus and material separation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a material separation apparatus and a material separation method.

For example, when performing press processing, a material separation apparatus is used to separate one material from a plurality of stacked sheet materials and supply the material to a press (for example, Patent Document 1) reference.).
The material separation device shown in Patent Document 1 is provided with a suction pad which is vertically moved by an air cylinder. Then, the aluminum sheet on the top surface is lifted upward by the suction pad and separated from the stack in which a plurality of aluminum sheets are stacked.

With non-magnetic materials such as aluminum sheets, it is not possible to separate sheets using magnetic force, so the material separation device shown in Patent Document 1 suppresses the occurrence of double blanks and makes the aluminum sheets one by one. Control of a plurality of suction pads is performed so as to be taken out of the stack.
Specifically, control is performed such that one end of the aluminum sheet is suctioned and lifted, then the center of the aluminum sheet is lifted, and then the lifted end is lowered and then both ends are lifted.

JP-A-9-194056

However, in the material separation apparatus of Patent Document 1, when trying to meet the recent demand for improvement in processing speed, the speed of control of the suction pad may be increased, so the frequency of occurrence of double blanks may increase. . If pressing is performed in the state of a double blank, overload may occur in the press machine or the mold.
An object of the present invention is to provide a material separation apparatus and a material separation method capable of reducing the generation of double blanks and increasing the processing speed in consideration of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional material separation apparatus.

  A material separation device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a placement unit, a blow unit, an adsorption unit, a drive unit, and a control unit. A plurality of stacked sheet-like materials are disposed in the placement unit. The blow unit blows air on the plurality of pieces of material placed on the placement unit to float at least a part of the material on the top surface. The suction unit has a plurality of suction pads, and holds the material on the uppermost surface in a state where air is blown, by suction from above with a suction pad. The drive unit drives the suction unit in the vertical direction. The control unit controls the suction pad, which has suctioned the material, to move upward to a first predetermined position. The control unit controls the rising time in at least a part of the range in which the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount to be shorter than the rising time set in the predetermined remaining amount of the material.

Although the details will be described later, the inventor of the present invention has found a tendency that the frequency of occurrence of double blanks increases when the remaining amount of material decreases, and based on the tendency, in the first invention, the predetermined remaining amount is set. Control is performed to shorten the rising time in at least a part of the range in which the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount, as compared with the rising time.
That is, conventionally, since the above tendency was not found, the materials were separated at the same rise time for all the stacked materials, but since the rise speed can be shortened at least in part as in the above invention, Processing speed can be increased.

Further, since the rising speed at the predetermined remaining amount is made longer than the rising time at the part, the occurrence of double blanking can be suppressed.
The double blank includes not only two pieces of material but also three or more pieces of material being moved. The material separation apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is the material separation apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the predetermined remaining amount is the remaining amount that is most likely to generate double blanks of a plurality of stacked materials. It is.

Since the above tendency has not been found in the past, it has been necessary to separate the materials at the slowest rising speed at which double blanks do not occur for all the materials being stacked. Since the rising speed can be increased in at least part of the range other than the remaining amount, the processing speed can be increased.
Further, in the case of a predetermined remaining amount in which double blanks are easily generated, double blanks can be reduced in order to lengthen the rising time.

The material separation device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the material separation device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the predetermined remaining amount is two.
When the remaining amount of the material decreases, double blanks are easily generated. Therefore, when the remaining amount is two sheets, it can be said that the lower material is easily picked up when the upper material is raised.
For this reason, in the rise time which can reduce the occurrence of double blanks when the remaining amount is two, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of double blanks in the entire range of the stacked materials.

A material separation device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the material separation device according to the first aspect, wherein the control unit determines that the remaining amount of the material is equal to or greater than a predetermined remaining amount and reaches a preset remaining amount. , And controls the drive unit to make the subsequent rise time longer than the rise time when it is larger than the set remaining amount.
As a result, when the remaining amount of the material is equal to or less than the predetermined remaining amount, the rise time can be made longer, and the occurrence of double blank of the material can be reduced.

Further, when the remaining amount of the material is larger than the set remaining amount, the rising time can be shortened, so that the processing speed can be increased.
A material separation device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the material separation device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the control unit causes the remaining amount of the material to reach each setting residual amount at a plurality of different setting residual amounts, The drive unit is controlled so as to make the subsequent rise time longer than the rise time when it is larger than the set remaining amount.

Thus, by reducing the processing speed at a plurality of locations, the occurrence of double blanks can be reduced without reducing the processing speed as much as possible.
The material separation device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the material separation device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the control unit delays the rising time stepwise or continuously as the remaining amount of the material decreases. To control the drive unit.

Thus, by reducing the processing speed stepwise or continuously at multiple locations, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of double blanks of the material without reducing the processing speed as much as possible.
The material separation apparatus according to the seventh invention is the material separation apparatus according to the fourth invention, wherein the controller blows air from the blow unit to float at least a part of the material on the suction pad. By setting the speed of raising the material to a second predetermined position lower than the first predetermined position after suction, and setting the rising time after the remaining amount of material reaches the set remaining amount Make it longer than the rise time when there is more than the remaining amount.

In the remaining amount where double blanks are easily generated, the material on the top surface is easily separated from the material on the lower side by decreasing the rising speed, and the occurrence of double blanks of material can be suppressed.
On the other hand, it is possible to shorten the rising time and to increase the processing speed by increasing the rising speed within the range of the remaining amount in which double blanks are less likely to occur.
The material separation apparatus according to the eighth invention is the material separation apparatus according to the fourth invention, wherein the control unit blows air from the blow unit to float at least a part of the material, and the suction pad is used as the material. The suction pad is raised to a second predetermined position lower than the first predetermined position, and then the suction pad is controlled to stop at a second predetermined position for a predetermined time while air is stopped. . The control unit makes the rising time after the remaining amount of the material reaches the set remaining amount longer than the rising time in the case where the remaining amount of the material reaches the set remaining amount by increasing the predetermined time.

By lengthening the stop time at the remaining amount at which double blanks are likely to occur, it is possible to sufficiently secure the time for the blank other than the top blank material to drop after stopping the air, so it is possible to suppress the occurrence of double blanks of blanks. .
On the other hand, the rise time can be shortened and the processing speed can be increased by shortening the stop time within the range of the remaining amount in which double blanks are less likely to occur.

  The material separation device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the material separation device according to the first aspect, wherein the controller blows air from the blow unit to float at least a part of the material, and the suction pad The suction unit raises the suction pad to a second predetermined position lower than the height of the first predetermined position by the drive unit, and stops the suction pad at the second predetermined position for a predetermined time while air is stopped. After that, the suction pad is controlled to be raised to the transfer position by the drive unit.

Thus, by controlling, it is possible to increase the processing speed while reducing the occurrence of double blanks.
The material separation device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the material separation device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the drive unit has a servomotor as a drive source.
As described above, by using the servomotor as the drive source of the drive unit for vertically driving each suction pad, the speed and the acceleration can be variably controlled, and the drive of the suction pad can be controlled with high accuracy.

A material separation method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a blow process, an adsorption process, an elevating process, and a control process.
In the blowing step, at least a part of the material on the top surface is floated by blowing air onto the stacked plural sheets. In the adsorption step, the material sprayed with air is adsorbed from above and held. In the raising step, the adsorbed material is raised to a first predetermined position. In the control step, the rising time for moving the adsorbed material upward to the first predetermined position is controlled. In the control step, the rising time in at least a part of the range in which the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount is controlled to be shorter than the rising time set in the predetermined remaining amount of the material.

As a result, since the rising speed can be shortened at least in part, the processing speed can be increased as a whole.
Further, based on the tendency found by the inventor of the present application, since the rising speed at the predetermined remaining amount is made longer than the rising time at the part, the occurrence of double blank can be suppressed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a material separation apparatus and a material separation method capable of reducing the generation of double blanks and increasing the processing speed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The figure which shows typically the structure of the raw material separation apparatus in embodiment concerning this invention. (A), (b) Sectional drawing for demonstrating the adsorption | suction part of the raw material separation apparatus of FIG. 1, and a drive part. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the sheet separating operation of one aluminum sheet of the material separating device of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in the position and speed of a suction pad in the sheet separation operation of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an operation of separating all aluminum sheets of the stack in the material separating device of FIG. 1; The figure which shows the graph of a change of the position of a suction pad at the time of changing the rise time of an aluminum sheet long. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an operation of separating all aluminum sheets of the stack in the material separating device in the modification of the embodiment according to the present invention.

First, the occurrence of the double blank of the sheet-like material in the material separation device will be described with respect to the contents examined and discovered by the inventor of the present application. The double blank means that the material on the top surface is lifted by the suction pad and the material on the lower side is also lifted, and not only two materials but also three or more may be lifted and moved. .
The inventor of the present invention examined the occurrence of double blanks of the material by changing the number of laminated sheets and the processing speed (rising time of the suction pad). We have found that double blanks tend to occur more frequently if the remaining amount of material in the stack is small even if the processing speed (rise time) is the same. That is, even when the separation operation of the material is performed at a constant processing speed, when the remaining amount of the material decreases, the occurrence frequency of double blanks of the material tends to increase.

Not only one sheet, but also the double blank phenomenon in which two or more sheets are raised, it is considered that the oil film tension between the sheets and the vacuum state generated at the moment of separation are factors. The tendency discovered by the inventor of the present invention is considered to be that as the number of stacked materials decreases, the oil film and surface tension in the material to be adsorbed and the stack below the material become weak.
Having discovered the above tendency, the inventor of the present invention provides a material separation apparatus and a material separation method capable of reducing the generation of double blanks and increasing the processing speed.

Next, a material separation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
<1. Configuration>
(1-1. Configuration of material separation device)
FIG. 1 is a view showing the configuration of a material separation device 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the material separation apparatus 1 mainly includes a placement unit 2, a blow unit 3, a suction unit 4, a suction pad drive unit 5, a position detection unit 6, and a control unit 10. .

The material separation device 1 separates one material from a stack in which a plurality of sheet-like materials are stacked. Examples of the sheet-like material separated by the material separation device 1 include nonmagnetic materials such as aluminum and magnesium. In the present embodiment, an aluminum sheet will be described as an example.
The material separation device 1 adsorbs one aluminum sheet 11 from the stack 12 on which the aluminum sheets 11 are stacked by the suction unit 4 and moves it to the upper transport position. The aluminum sheet 11 moved to the transport position is transported by the conveyor 100. The conveyor 100 has an adsorption function, and conveys the aluminum sheet 11 separated by the material separation device 1 toward the next work device (for example, a press device) while holding the aluminum sheet 11 by suction.

The control unit 10 controls the placement unit 2, the blow unit 3, the suction unit 4, and the suction pad drive unit 5 based on the detection by the position detection unit 6.
(1-2. Mounting unit)
The mounting unit 2 includes a mounting table 21 and a mounting table driving unit 22 that drives the mounting table 21 up and down.
A stack 12 in which a plurality of aluminum sheets 11 are stacked is mounted on the mounting table 21. The mounting table drive unit 22 drives the mounting table 21 up and down.

The mounting table drive part 22 is arrange | positioned at the right and left of the mounting table 21 as shown in FIG. 1, and supports the mounting table 21 so that raising / lowering is possible.
The mounting table drive unit 22 has a hydraulic cylinder (not shown), a hydraulic circuit connected to the hydraulic cylinder, and a pump for supplying hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic circuit. The control unit 10 controls the valve, the pump, and the like of the hydraulic circuit of the mounting table driving unit 22 to drive the mounting table 21 up and down.

(1-3. Blow part)
The blow unit 3 has a plurality of nozzles 31 for discharging air, an air compressor 32 for generating high pressure air, and a valve 33. The plurality of nozzles 31 are disposed in the vicinity of the upper end of the stack 12 so as to face each other. The nozzle 31 discharges high pressure air toward the side near the upper end of the stack 12 to float the aluminum sheet 11 on the top surface. The air compressor 32 supplies compressed air to the plurality of nozzles 31. The valve 33 is provided between the air compressor 32 and the nozzle 31. The air compressor 32 is always driven, and compressed air is discharged from the nozzle 31 when the valve by the control unit 10 is turned on, and the discharge of compressed air from the nozzle 31 is stopped when the valve 33 is turned off.

(1-4. Adsorption section)
The suction unit 4 is provided with a plurality of suction pad units 41 arranged side by side in the left-right direction and the paper surface depth direction in FIG. 1, a valve 42 connected to each suction pad unit 41, and a vacuum connected to all the valves 42. And a pump 43 (see FIG. 1). In FIG. 1, the valves 42 for all the suction pad portions 41 are not shown in order to make the drawing easy to see.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are partial cross-sectional views showing configurations of the suction pad portion 41 and the suction pad drive portion 5. FIG. 2A is a view showing a state in which the suction pad portion 41 has moved upward, and FIG. 2B is a view showing a state in which the suction pad portion 41 has moved downward.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the suction pad portion 41, the suction pad 411 suctioned to the aluminum sheet 11, the pad support member 412 connected to the upper end of the suction pad portion 41, and the upper end of the pad support member 412 are connected. A tube connection portion 413 and a drive connection portion 414 disposed on the upper side of the tube connection portion 413 are included.

  The suction pad 411 is made of rubber or the like, and suctions to the aluminum sheet 11. The pad support member 412 is a hollow cylindrical member connected to the inner space of the suction pad 411. The tube 44 connected to the valve 42 is connected to the tube connection portion 413. The valve 42 is connected to the vacuum pump 43. After the suction pad 411 abuts on the upper surface of the aluminum sheet 11, the air in the inner space of the suction pad 411 is operated by the vacuum pump 43 to operate the pad support member 412, the tube connection portion 413, the tube 44 and the valve 42. Via the vacuum pump 43.

The drive connection portion 414 connects the tube connection portion 413 and the suction pad driving unit 5.
(1-5. Suction pad drive unit)
The suction pad drive unit 5 has a plurality of servomotors 50 and a conversion unit 51 that converts rotational drive of the servomotors 50 into vertical drive. The servo motor 50, the conversion unit 51, and the suction pad unit 41 are arranged in order from the top.

The servomotor 50 is provided for each suction pad portion 41 and is used as a drive source for moving the suction pad portion 41 up and down. The servomotor 50 is disposed such that its rotation axis 501 coincides with the vertical direction.
The converter 51 includes a ball screw 511 coaxially arranged with the servomotor 50, a nut 512, a restricting portion 513 restricting the movement of the nut 512 in the rotational direction, and a cylindrical portion 514 connected to the restricting portion 513. And a housing 515 that covers the ball screw 511, the nut 512, the restricting portion 513, and the cylindrical portion 514.

The housing 515 has a cylindrical shape, and the servomotor 50 is disposed at the upper end. The rotating shaft 501 of the servomotor 50 is rotatably supported by the bearing 53 on the housing 515.
The ball screw 511 is disposed along the vertical direction, is connected to the rotation shaft 501, and is coaxially disposed. The nut 512 is inserted into the ball screw 511, and the screw portion on the inner side of the nut 512 and the screw portion on the surface of the ball screw 511 are screwed together.

The restricting portion 513 is provided in connection with the nut 512, and prevents the nut 512 from rotating together with the rotation of the ball screw 511. For example, the inner peripheral surface of the housing 515 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the restricting portion 513 is also formed in a rectangular shape along the inner periphery of the housing 515.
The cylindrical portion 514 is disposed around the ball screw 511 so as not to be in contact with the ball screw 511. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 514 is connected to the restricting portion 513, and the lower end is connected to the drive connection portion 414.

The plurality of housings 515 are supported above the placement unit 2 by a support frame 8 (see FIG. 1).
With the above configuration, when the servomotor 50 is driven, the ball screw 511 rotates in one direction. As shown in FIG. 2B, the nut 512 whose rotation is restricted by the restricting portion 513 moves downward as the ball screw 511 rotates. Then, the cylindrical portion 514 connected to the nut 512 via the restricting portion 513 moves downward, and the suction pad portion 41 moves downward.

In addition, the suction pad portion 41 moves upward by reversing the rotation direction of the ball screw 511.
(1-6. Position detection unit)
The position detection unit 6 is a photoelectric sensor, and includes a light emitting unit 61 that emits light as shown in FIG. 1 and a light receiving unit 62 that receives light emitted from the light emitting unit 61. The light emitting unit 61 and the light receiving unit 62 are provided at the upper end position of the stack 12 and are disposed so as to sandwich the stack 12 in the left-right direction.

When the light from the light emitting unit 61 is blocked by the stack 12 and the light receiving unit 62 does not receive light, it detects that the uppermost surface of the stack 12 has reached the sheet separation position and transmits a signal to the control unit 10. Here, the sheet separation position is a position at which the separation operation of the topmost aluminum sheet 11 is started.
(1-7. Control unit)
The control unit 10 controls the hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic circuit, the pump, and the like of the mounting table driving unit 22 to move the mounting table 21 up and down. The control unit 10 stops the mounting table 21 based on the detection by the position detection unit 6 and drives the air compressor 32 to blow air from the nozzle 31 toward the aluminum sheet 11.

In addition, the control unit 10 drives the servomotor 50 to move the suction pad 411 downward and stops the suction pad 411, and then drives the vacuum pump 43 and the valve 42 to suction the aluminum sheet 11 by the suction pad 411. Adsorb to
The control unit 10 has a storage unit 13. The storage unit 13 stores the motion of the suction pad 411 (see FIG. 4 described later), the set remaining amount described later, a first predetermined speed described later, a first predetermined stop time, and the like.

<2. Operation>
Next, the operation of the material separation device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, and an example of the material separation method will also be described.
In the material separation device 1 of the present embodiment, when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 of the stack 12 decreases and reaches the set remaining amount, the time for which the aluminum sheet 11 of one sheet is moved upward to the position for adsorbing to the conveyor 100 is long Change the control to

After the sheet separating operation for separating one aluminum sheet 11 from the stack 12 is described, the operation in the entire stack 12 will be described.
<2-1. Sheet separation operation>
First, an operation at the time of separating one aluminum sheet 11 from the stack 12 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the separation operation of the aluminum sheet. FIG. 4 is a view showing the motion of the suction pad 411, and shows the change of the position and the moving speed of the suction pad 411 in the separation operation of the aluminum sheet.
In step S <b> 10, the control unit 10 drives the mounting table driving unit 22 to raise the mounting table 21. Next, in step S20, when it is detected by the position detection unit 6 that the upper end of the stack 12 has reached the sheet separation position, the control unit 10 stops the lifting of the mounting table 21 in step S30.

  Next, in step S40, the control unit 10 turns on the valve 33 of the blow unit 3 to eject air from the nozzle 31. By this operation, the aluminum sheet 11 on the top surface of the stack 12 and several aluminum sheets 11 below the top surface float. In the material separation device 1 of the present embodiment, the nozzles 31 are provided on the left and right, and the entire aluminum sheet 11 floats.

Next, in step S <b> 50, the control unit 10 turns on the valve 42 to start suction of air inside the suction pad 411.
Next, in step S60, the control unit 10 drives the servomotor 50 to lower the suction pad 411 to the suction position, and presses the suction pad 411 against the uppermost aluminum sheet 11 in a floating state. The descent of the suction pad 411 corresponds to the section A of time t0 to t1 in FIG. Also, the suction position is shown as h0 in FIG.

Next, in step S70, in order to suck the aluminum sheet 11, the suction pad 411 is held until time t2 in a state of being pressed against the aluminum sheet 11 (position of time t1). The holding of the state of the suction pad 411 is shown as a section B at time t1 to t2 in FIG.
Next, in step S80, the control unit 10 drives the suction pad driving unit 5 to raise the suction pad 411 to the temporary stop position. The rise of the suction pad 411 corresponds to the section C of time t2 to t3 in FIG. The pause position is indicated as h1 in FIG.

Next, when the suction pad 411 reaches the temporary stop position in step S90, the control unit 10 turns off the valve 33 and stops the air blow in step S100.
Subsequently, in step S110, the control unit 10 stops the suction pad 411 at the temporary stop position for a predetermined time. As a result, the aluminum sheet 11 suspended by the air blow other than the aluminum sheet 11 on the uppermost surface falls. The temporary stop of the suction pad 411 corresponds to the section D of time t3 to t4 in FIG.

  Next, in step S120, the control unit 10 raises the suction pad 411 to the transport position. When the transfer position (indicated as h2 in FIG. 4) is reached, the control unit 10 stops the movement of the suction pad 411 (step S130). Then, the aluminum sheet 11 sucked by the suction pad 411 is sucked by the conveyor 100. The rising time of the suction pad 411 corresponds to the section E of time t4 to t5 in FIG.

After step S140, in step S140, the control unit 10 turns off the valve 42 to release the suction of the aluminum sheet 11 by the suction pad 411. The aluminum sheet 11 whose suction has been released is conveyed by the conveyor 100.
As described above, only one aluminum sheet 11 is separated and conveyed from the plurality of aluminum sheets 11 stacked.

2-2. Overall operation>
Next, the operation of the entire stack 12 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of separating all the aluminum sheets of the stack.
In the material separation device 1 of the present embodiment, an example will be described in which control is performed such that the rise time becomes long when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 in the stack 12 reaches a preset remaining amount. That is, the remaining amount becomes 0 sheet from the set remaining amount than the rise time of the aluminum sheet 11 from the initial number (after the first state before performing the sheet separation operation) to the remaining amount one sheet before the set amount. Control is performed so that the rise time of the aluminum sheet 11 up to the end is long. The setting remaining amount is set in advance.

Further, as described at the beginning of the present embodiment, the inventor of the present application has found that the smaller the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11, the more the occurrence frequency of double blanks. Therefore, when the number of materials left in the stack 12 is two, double blanking is most likely to occur, so the setting remaining amount is set to a value of two or more.
First, in step S210, the stack 12 is mounted on the mounting table 21. For example, the number of stacked aluminum sheets 11 in the stack 12 is 600. Further, the setting remaining amount is set to, for example, 50 sheets.

Next, in step S220, the control unit 10 performs a sheet separation operation. The sheet separation operation is the operation of steps S10 to S150 described above. The rising speed of the suction pad 411 in the first step S80 when the new stack 12 is placed is set as the initial speed, and the stop time in step S110 is set as the initial stop time.
The initial speed and the initial stop time are set so that double blanking does not occur when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is the set remaining amount + 1 sheet (for example, 51 sheets). This is because double blanking is most likely to occur when the remaining amount is the smallest remaining amount + 1 sheet until the setting remaining amount is reached.

  Next, in step S230, it is detected whether all the aluminum sheets 11 have been moved to the conveyor 100 or not. Since the number of stacked aluminum sheets 11 initially placed on the placement table 21 is set in advance, the control unit 10 counts the number of aluminum sheets 11 separated from the stack 12 so that the aluminum on the placement table 21 can be reduced. The remaining amount (number of sheets) of the sheet 11 can be detected.

When the movement of all the aluminum sheets 11 is not completed, in step S240, the control unit 10 detects whether or not the remaining amount of the aluminum sheets 11 has reached the set remaining amount.
If the control unit 10 detects NO in steps S230 and S240, the control returns to step S220, and the sheet separation operation is performed.
That is, steps S220 to S240 are repeated until the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 reaches the set remaining amount (for example, 50 sheets). Then, when the remaining amount of aluminum sheet 11 reaches the set remaining amount, in step S250, control unit 10 sets the rising speed in section C to a first predetermined speed that is slower than the initial speed, and the stop time in section D Is set to a first predetermined stop time longer than the initial stop time.

  When the setting is changed in step S250, the control returns to step S220, and the sheet separation operation is performed with the changed setting (the first predetermined speed and the first predetermined stop time). FIG. 6 is a view showing temporal change of the position of the suction pad 411 in the sheet separation operation after setting the rising speed in the section C to a low speed and setting the stop time in the section D to a long time. In FIG. 6, a graph of the time change of the position of the suction pad 411 before the setting change is shown by a two-dot chain line. As shown in FIG. 6, the time t2 to t3 'is set longer than the time t2 to t3, and the time t3' to t4 'is set longer than the time t3 to t4. There is.

Further, the rising speed in section C and the stop time in section D are values set in advance so that double blanking does not occur when the remaining amount is two. This is because double blanking is most likely to occur when the upper aluminum sheet 11 is taken with the remaining amount of two in the separation operation of the aluminum sheet 11 from the stack 12.
Then, in step S230, when the control unit 10 detects that all the aluminum sheets 11 have been moved, the control ends (step S260).

  As described above, the double blank can be reduced and the processing speed can be increased by increasing the separation speed when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is large and decreasing the separation speed when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 decreases. . That is, conventionally, the tendency found by the inventor of the present invention (the fact that the frequency at which the double blank is generated when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet decreases even at the same speed is not recognized) does not occur. All aluminum sheets in the stack were being moved upward at such a low processing speed (for example, the rising speed with two sheets). However, in the present embodiment, the processing speed of the entire stack 12 is improved because the rate of increase is slowed only at the remaining amount of occurrence of double blanks.

An example of improvement in processing speed will be described. Incidentally, assuming that the aluminum sheet 11 is transported from the material separation device 1 to the press device, the processing speed of the material separation device is represented by the number of times of molding per minute (shot per minute or less).
For example, assuming that the number of stacked aluminum sheets 11 in the stack 12 is 610, the initial processing speed is set to 16 spm, and the processing speed is changed from 16 spm to 15 spm when the remaining amount reaches 10 sheets, As compared with the case where all the aluminum sheets 11 of the stack 12 are processed at 15 spm, 600/60 = 10 hours can be shortened.

As described above, in the material separation apparatus 1 and the material separation method of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the generation of double blanks and to increase the processing speed.
<3. Main features>
(3-1)
The material separation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a placement unit 2, a blow unit 3, an adsorption unit 4, an adsorption pad drive unit 5 (an example of a drive unit), and a control unit 10. In the placement unit 2, a plurality of aluminum sheets 11 (an example of a sheet-like material) stacked are disposed. The blow unit 3 blows air on the plurality of aluminum sheets 11 placed on the placement unit 2 to float at least a part of the uppermost aluminum sheet 11. The suction unit 4 has a plurality of suction pads 411, and sucks and holds the aluminum sheet 11 on the uppermost surface in a state where air is blown by the suction pad 411 from above. The suction pad drive unit 5 drives the suction unit 4 in the vertical direction. The control unit 10 controls the suction pad 411 having suctioned the aluminum sheet 11 to move upward to a conveyance position (an example of a first predetermined position). The control unit 10 is between the initial number and the set remaining amount + 1 sheet (the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount) than the rising time set in the remaining amount (an example of the predetermined remaining amount) of the two aluminum sheets 11 Control is performed so as to shorten the rise time in at least a part of the range).

The inventor of the present application has found a tendency that the frequency of occurrence of double blanks increases when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 decreases even at the same speed, and based on the tendency, the rising time set at the predetermined remaining amount In comparison, control is performed to shorten the rising time in at least a part of the range where the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount.
That is, conventionally, since the above tendency was not found, the materials are separated with the same rise time for all the stacked materials, but the rise speed can be shortened at least in part as in the above embodiment. , Can increase the processing speed as a whole.

Further, since the rising speed at the predetermined remaining amount is made longer than the rising time at the part, the occurrence of double blanking can be suppressed.
(3-2)
In the material separation device 1 of the present embodiment, the predetermined remaining amount is the remaining amount that is most likely to generate double blanks of the aluminum sheet 11 in the plurality of laminated aluminum sheets 11.

  In the past, the above tendency was not found, so it was necessary to separate the aluminum sheet 11 at the slowest rising speed at which double blanks do not occur for all the aluminum sheets 11 stacked, as in the above embodiment. Since the rising speed can be increased in at least a part of the range other than the predetermined remaining amount where the occurrence of double blanks increases, the processing speed can be increased.

In addition, in the case of a predetermined remaining amount in which double blanks are likely to occur, occurrence of double blanks can be reduced because the rise time is lengthened.
(3-3)
In the material separation device 1 of the present embodiment, the predetermined remaining amount is two.
That is, when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 decreases, double blanks are easily generated. Therefore, when the remaining aluminum sheet 11 is raised when the remaining amount is two, the lower aluminum sheet 11 is picked up and raised. It is easy to do.

For this reason, in the rise time which can reduce the occurrence of double blanks when the remaining amount is two, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of double blanks in the entire range of the laminated aluminum sheet 11.
(3-4)
In material separation device 1 of the present embodiment, when control unit 10 determines that the remaining amount of aluminum sheet 11 is equal to or more than the predetermined remaining amount and reaches the set remaining amount set in advance, the subsequent rise time is set remaining amount The suction pad driving unit 5 is controlled to be longer than the rise time in the case of more than the above.

As a result, it is possible to change the rise time separately in the case where the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is equal to or less than the predetermined remaining amount. That is, the rise time can be made longer in the case of less than the set remaining amount, and the processing speed can be increased.
Further, when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is larger than the set remaining amount, the rising time can be shortened, so that the processing speed can be increased.

(3-5)
In the material separation apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment, the control unit 10 causes the suction pad 411 to adsorb the aluminum sheet 11 in a state where at least a part of the aluminum sheet 11 is suspended by blowing air by the blow unit 3. The remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is set by setting the speed for raising the aluminum sheet 11 to a temporary stop position (an example of a second predetermined position) lower than the transport position (an example of the first predetermined position). The rise time after reaching the time is made longer than the rise time when it is larger than the set remaining amount.

As a result, in the remaining amount in which double blanks are easily generated, the top aluminum sheet 11 is easily separated from the lower aluminum sheet 11 by reducing the rising speed in section C, and the double blanks of the aluminum sheet 11 are suppressed it can.
On the other hand, it is possible to shorten the rising time and increase the processing speed by increasing the rising speed in the section C shown in FIG.

(3-6)
In the material separation apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the control unit 10 causes the suction pad 411 to adsorb the aluminum sheet 11 in a state where at least a part of the aluminum sheet 11 is suspended by blowing air by the blow unit 3. After raising the suction pad 411 to a temporary stop position (an example of a second predetermined position) lower than (an example of the first predetermined position), the suction pad 411 is set to the temporary stop position in a state where air is stopped. Control to stop for a while. The control unit 10 makes the rising time after the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 reaches the set remaining amount longer than the rising time in the case where the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is larger than the set remaining amount by lengthening the predetermined time.

As a result, in the remaining amount in which double blanks are easily generated, the time for which the aluminum sheet 11 other than the uppermost aluminum sheet 11 falls after air is stopped by lengthening the stop time in the section D shown in FIG. Since sufficient securing can be performed, double blanking of the aluminum sheet 11 can be suppressed.
On the other hand, by shortening the stop time in section D shown in FIG. 4 within the range of the remaining amount in which double blanks are unlikely to occur, the rise time can be shortened and the processing speed can be increased.

(3-7)
In the material separation device 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit 10 causes the suction pad 411 to adsorb the aluminum sheet 11 while air is blown by the blow unit 3 to float at least a part of the aluminum sheet 11, The suction pad drive unit 5 raises the suction pad 411 to a temporary stop position lower than the height of the transfer position, and stops the suction pad 411 at the temporary stop position for a predetermined time after stopping the air and then suctions the suction pad 411. The pad drive unit 5 controls to raise to the transport position.

Thus, by controlling, it is possible to increase the processing speed while reducing double blanks.
(3-8)
In the material separation device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the suction pad drive unit 5 has a servomotor 50 as a drive source.

As described above, by using the servomotor 50 as a drive source of the suction pad drive unit 5 that drives each suction pad 411 up and down, the drive of the suction pad 411 can be controlled with high accuracy.
(3-9)
The material separation method according to the present embodiment includes step S40 (an example of a blowing process), steps S50 and S60 (an example of an adsorption process), steps S70 to S120 (an example of an ascending process), and steps S240 to S270. (An example of a control process).

  In step S40 (an example of a blowing process), at least a part of the uppermost aluminum sheet 11 is floated by blowing air on the stacked plurality of aluminum sheets 11 (an example of a sheet-like material). In step S50 and step S60 (an example of an adsorption process), the aluminum sheet 11 in a state where air is blown is adsorbed and held from above. In step S70 to step S120 (an example of the raising process), the adsorbed aluminum sheet 11 is raised to the transport position (first predetermined position). In steps S240 to S270 (an example of the control process), the rising time for moving the adsorbed aluminum sheet 11 upward to the transport position is controlled. In steps S240 to S270 (an example of the control process), control is performed to shorten the rising time in at least a part of the range in which the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount than the rising time set in the predetermined remaining amount.

As a result, since the rising speed can be shortened at least in part, the processing speed can be increased as a whole.
Further, based on the tendency found by the inventor of the present application, since the rising speed at the predetermined remaining amount is made longer than the rising time at the part, the occurrence of double blank can be suppressed.
[Other embodiments]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of invention.

(A)
In the above embodiment, when one set remaining amount is reached, the rising time of the suction pad 411 is controlled to be long, but the set remaining amount is not limited to one, and may be two or more. . For example, the case where the first set remaining amount and the second set remaining amount are provided will be described below.
That is, the control is performed so that the rising time of the aluminum sheet 11 becomes longer in three steps as the number of the aluminum sheets 11 decreases. The first set remaining amount and the second set remaining amount are set in advance.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an operation of separating all the aluminum sheets of the stack when two set remaining amounts are determined.
First, in step S310, the stack 12 is mounted on the mounting table 21. For example, the number of stacked aluminum sheets 11 in the stack 12 is 600. Further, the first setting remaining amount is set to, for example, 100 sheets, and the second setting remaining amount is set to, for example, 50 sheets.

Next, in step S320, the control unit 10 performs a sheet separation operation. The sheet separation operation is the operation of steps S10 to S150 described above. The rising speed of the suction pad 411 in the first step S80 when the new stack 12 is placed is set as the initial speed, and the stop time in step S110 is set as the initial stop time.
The initial speed and the initial stop time are set so that double blanking does not occur when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is the first setting remaining amount + 1 sheet (for example, 101 sheets). This is because double blanking is most likely to occur at the time of the first set remaining amount + 1 sheet, which has the smallest remaining amount until the first set remaining amount is reached. In addition, since the first setting remaining amount in this modification is larger than the setting remaining amount in the embodiment, the initial speed in the modification can be set faster than the initial speed in the embodiment, and the initial speed in the modification can be set. The stop time can be set shorter than the initial stop time of the above embodiment.

  Next, in step S330, it is detected whether all the aluminum sheets 11 have been moved to the conveyor 100 or not. Since the number of stacked aluminum sheets 11 initially placed on the placement table 21 is set in advance, the control unit 10 counts the number of aluminum sheets 11 separated from the stack 12 so that the aluminum on the placement table 21 can be reduced. The remaining amount (number of sheets) of the sheet 11 can be detected.

When the movement of all the aluminum sheets 11 is not completed, in step S340, the control unit 10 detects whether the remaining amount of the aluminum sheets 11 has reached the second set remaining amount.
Next, when the remaining amount of aluminum sheet 11 has not reached the second set remaining amount, at step S350, control unit 10 determines whether the remaining amount of aluminum sheet 11 has reached the first set remaining amount. To detect

When the control unit 10 determines NO in each of steps S330 to S350, the control returns to step S320, and the sheet separation operation is performed.
That is, steps S320 to S340 are repeated until the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 reaches the first set remaining amount (for example, 100 sheets). Then, when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 reaches the first set remaining amount, in step S360, the control unit 10 sets the rising speed in the section C to a first predetermined speed that is slower than the initial speed. The stop time at is set to a first predetermined stop time longer than the initial stop time.

Here, the first predetermined speed and the first predetermined stop time are set so that double blanking does not occur when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is the second setting remaining amount + 1 sheet (for example, 51 sheets). ing.
When the setting is changed in step S360, the control returns to step S320, and the sheet separation operation is performed with the changed setting (the first predetermined speed and the first predetermined stop time).

Steps S320 to S340 are repeated again, and when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 reaches the second set remaining amount (for example, 50 sheets), the control unit 10 increases the rate of increase in the section C in step S370. The second predetermined speed which is lower than the predetermined speed 1 is set, and the stop time in the section D is set to a second predetermined stop time which is longer than the first predetermined stop time.
The sheet separation operation of step S320 is performed at the second predetermined speed and the second predetermined stop time.

Here, the second predetermined speed and the second predetermined stop time are set such that double blanking does not occur when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is two.
Then, in step S330, when the control unit 10 detects that all the aluminum sheets 11 have been moved, the control ends (step S380).
Note that three or more set remaining amounts may be defined, and the rise time may be further extended stepwise. In addition, the steps may be increased by changing the setting remaining amount for changing the rising time, for example, one by one, and it may be apparently changed continuously.

(B)
In the above embodiment, the speed of the section C is changed slowly and the time of the section D is changed long in the set remaining amount, but only one of the section C and the section D may be changed. In the above (A), the speed of the section C may be decreased when the first set remaining amount is reached, and the time of the section D may be extended when the second set remaining amount is reached, or vice versa. good.

(C)
In the above embodiment, the rising time when the remaining amount of the aluminum sheet 11 is less than the setting remaining amount is set longer than the setting remaining amount, but the setting remaining amount is longer than the setting remaining amount. In the following ranges, the rising speed in one range may be set faster than the rising speed in the other range.
For example, when the number of aluminum sheets 11 of the stack 12 is 600, the set remaining amount is set to 300, and when the remaining amount is more than 300, processing is performed by 16SPM, and the remaining amount reaches 300 It is assumed that it changed to 14 SPM at the time. In such a case, if double blanking is confirmed until the remaining amount reaches 200 sheets and double blanking does not occur, change the processing speed between 200 sheets to 100 sheets to 15SPM or 16SPM. You may

In addition, in the range larger than the set remaining amount, the rising speed in one range may be slower than the rising speed in the other range. That is, in the above example, processing is performed with 15 SPM or 14 SPM until the remaining amount reaches 500 sheets, and when double blank does not occur, processing is increased to 16 SPM when the remaining amount reaches 500 sheets. You may
In short, in the case where the double blank of the aluminum sheet 11 is most likely to occur in at least a part of the range in which the remaining amount is larger than two in the case where the double blank is not generated when the double blank is two. Control may be made to shorten the rise time. In addition, if the total time is shorter than in the case of moving up all the aluminum sheets 11 of the stack 12 in the rising time set so as not to generate a double blank in the case of two sheets, the processing speed as a whole You can raise

(D)
In the above embodiment, the servomotor 50 is used to drive the suction pad 411 in the vertical direction, but an air cylinder may be used.
(E)
In the above embodiment, it has been described that a hydraulic cylinder is used for the mounting table drive unit 22. However, a servomotor may be used.

(F)
In the above embodiment, the control unit 10 detects the remaining amount by counting the number of separated aluminum sheets 11. However, the remaining amount may be detected by measuring time. Alternatively, a position sensor may be provided to detect the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder of the mounting table drive unit 22, and the remaining amount may be detected from the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder. Moreover, when a servomotor is used for the mounting base drive part 22, the control part 10 may detect the residual amount from the drive amount of a servomotor.

Furthermore, the weight of the mounting table 21 on which the stack 12 is mounted may be measured to detect the remaining amount. That is, control is performed so as to lengthen the rising time when the weight of the mounting table 21 reaches a predetermined weight as the aluminum sheet 11 decreases as separation proceeds.
(G)
In the above embodiment, the rising of the suction pad 411 in the section C is stopped, and the blow is stopped. However, it is not strictly necessary, and may be stopped in the middle of the sections C and D. When stopping in the middle of the section D, it is preferable to stop the suction pad 411 for a sufficient time for the aluminum sheet 11 other than the uppermost surface to drop after stopping the blow.

  The material separation apparatus and the material separation method of the present invention have the effect of reducing the generation of double blanks and increasing the processing speed, and particularly when separating nonmagnetic sheet materials such as aluminum and magnesium. It is useful.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Material separating device 2 placing unit 3 blowing unit 4 suction unit 5 suction pad driving unit 6 position detection unit 8 support frame 10 control unit 11 aluminum sheet 12 stack 13 storage unit 20 aluminum sheet 21 mounting table 22 mounting table driving unit 31 nozzle 32 air compressor 41 suction pad portion 42 valve 43 vacuum pump 44 tube 50 servo motor 51 conversion portion 53 bearing 61 photoelectric tube light emitting portion 62 photoelectric tube light receiving portion 100 conveyor 411 suction pad 412 pad support member 413 tube connection portion 414 drive connection portion 501 rotation Shaft 511 Ball screw 512 Nut 513 Regulating portion 514 Cylindrical portion 515 Housing

Claims (11)

A placement unit on which a plurality of stacked sheet-like materials are placed;
A blow unit that blows air on the plurality of pieces of material placed in the placing part to float at least a part of the material on the top surface;
An adsorbing portion having a plurality of adsorbing pads and adsorbing and holding the material of the uppermost surface in a state where the air is blown from the upper side by the adsorbing pads;
A drive unit for driving each of the suction pads in the vertical direction;
A control unit configured to control a rising time for moving the suction pad, which has suctioned the material, upward to a first predetermined position;
The control unit performs control to shorten the rising time in at least a part of a range in which the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount, from the rising time set in the predetermined remaining amount of the material.
Material separation device. The predetermined remaining amount is the remaining amount that is most likely to generate double blanks of the material in the plurality of stacked materials.
The material separation device according to claim 1.   The material separation device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined remaining amount is two. The control unit
When the remaining amount of the material reaches or exceeds the predetermined remaining amount and reaches a preset setting remaining amount, the subsequent rising time is made longer than the rising time when the amount is larger than the setting remaining amount. Control the drive unit,
The material separation device according to claim 1. When the remaining amount of the material reaches each of the set remaining amounts at a plurality of different set remaining amounts, the control unit is configured to increase the subsequent rising time more than the set remaining amount. Control the drive to make it also longer,
The material separation device according to claim 4. The control unit controls the drive unit to delay the rising time step by step or continuously as the remaining amount of the material decreases.
The material separation device according to claim 5. The control unit is configured to cause the suction pad to adsorb the material in a state where at least a part of the material is floated by blowing the air by the blow unit, and then the control unit performs a second operation that is lower than the first predetermined position. By increasing the suction pad to a predetermined position by lowering the speed, the rise time after the remaining amount of the material reaches the set remaining amount is greater than the increase time when the amount is larger than the set remaining amount. Make it longer,
The material separation device according to claim 4. The control unit causes the suction pad to adsorb the material in a state where at least a part of the material is floated by blowing the air by the blow unit, and the second predetermined position lower than the first predetermined position After raising the suction pad to a maximum, the suction pad is controlled to be stopped at the second predetermined position for a predetermined time while the air is stopped,
By increasing the predetermined time, the rising time after the remaining amount of the material reaches the set remaining amount is made longer than the rising time when the amount is larger than the set remaining amount.
The material separation device according to claim 4. The control unit causes the suction pad to adsorb the material in a state in which at least a part of the material is floated by blowing the air by the blow unit, and then the driving unit causes the suction pad to become the first The suction pad is stopped at the second predetermined position for a predetermined time after raising the air to a second predetermined position lower than the height of the predetermined position and stopping the air, and then the suction pad is moved by the drive unit. Control to raise to a first predetermined position,
The material separation device according to claim 1. The drive unit has a servomotor as a drive source.
The material separation device according to claim 1. A blowing step of floating at least a part of the topmost material by blowing air on a plurality of laminated sheet materials;
An adsorption step of adsorbing and holding the material from above in a state in which the air is blown;
An ascending step of elevating the adsorbed material to a first predetermined position;
Controlling the rise time of moving the adsorbed material upward to the first predetermined position;
The control step controls so that the rising time in at least a part of the range in which the remaining amount is larger than the predetermined remaining amount is shorter than the rising time set in the predetermined remaining amount of the material.
Material separation method.

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