JP7031091B2 - Supply device and its control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a supply device for supplying a billet to a heating device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a supply device capable of supplying the billet to the heating device without damaging the billet and a control method thereof.

Various supply devices for supplying billets to the heating device have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Generally, a conventional supply device is composed of a hopper that receives billets of bulk cargo and a discharge unit that aligns and discharges billets introduced from the hopper while stirring.

When the container was put into the hopper, the billets sometimes collided with each other, and the billets sometimes collided with the hopper. In addition, when the billets were aligned at the discharge portion, the billets were agitated and the billets sometimes collided with each other. Damage such as scratches and dents could occur on the billet, especially when the billet was made of a soft material. In addition, noise may be generated.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-238647

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a supply device capable of supplying the heating device without damaging the billet and a control method thereof.

The supply device for achieving the above object is a container in which columnar billets are placed side by side in the axial direction and in the width direction and the vertical direction crossing the axial direction at right angles, from the center to both ends in the width direction. A supply device that supplies the billets to the heating device from the container whose bottom surface is formed by a pair of inclined surfaces that are inclined upward toward the heating device, and a grip portion that grips a plurality of the billets arranged in the axial direction at one time. A sensor unit that acquires the position information of the billet and a control unit that controls the operation of the grip unit based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit are provided, and the sensor unit is placed in the container. It has a configuration in which a plurality of heights of the billets are acquired along the width direction, and the control unit has a position information acquired by the sensor unit, a diameter of the billet given in advance, and a predetermined diameter. It has a configuration in which the coordinates of the billet are calculated based on the angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces, and the operation of the grip portion is controlled based on the coordinates so that the billet is supplied from the container to the heating device. It is characterized by that.

The control method for achieving the above object is a container in which columnar billets are placed side by side in the axial direction and in the width direction and the vertical direction crossing the axial direction at right angles, from the center to both ends in the width direction. It is a control method of a supply device that supplies the billet from the container whose bottom surface is formed by a pair of inclined surfaces that are inclined upward toward the heating device, and is a method of controlling a grip portion that grips the billet and position information of the billet. A sensor unit for acquiring the above and a control unit for controlling the operation of the grip portion based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit are installed in the supply device, and the billet mounted on the container. After acquiring a plurality of heights along the width direction by the sensor unit, the billet diameter and the angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces given in advance to the control unit and the information acquired by the sensor unit are used. The control unit calculates the coordinates of the billets, and based on the coordinates, the grip portions grip the plurality of billets arranged in the axial direction at one time and supply the billets from the container to the heating device.

According to the present invention, since the billets are gripped by the grip portion and supplied to the heating device, the billets do not collide with each other. It is advantageous to prevent damage to the billet.

It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the supply device. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the container from the perspective. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state at the time of acquiring the position information of a billet in a plan view. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the AA arrow view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the modification of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state of the billet placed on the container in a plan view. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the modification of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the modification of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the modification of FIG.

Hereinafter, the supply device and its control method will be described based on the embodiment shown in the figure. In the figure, the axial direction of the billet placed on the container is indicated by an arrow x, the width direction crossing the axial direction x at a right angle is indicated by an arrow y, and the vertical direction is indicated by an arrow z.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the supply device 1 can be configured by an industrial robot. An industrial robot is a manipulator that has multiple degrees of freedom and can be automatically controlled. The supply device 1 includes a grip portion 3 that grips a cylindrical billet 2, a sensor unit 4 that acquires position information of the billet 2, and a control unit 5 that controls the operation of the grip portion 3.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gripping portion 3 is configured to be able to grip a plurality of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x at a time. The plurality of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x are separated from each other. The grip portion 3 grips the billet 2 placed on the container C and supplies it to the heating device in the next step.

The grip portion 3 is provided with, for example, an electromagnet, and the billet 2 can be attracted and gripped by magnetic force. The configuration of the grip portion 3 is not limited to this, and it may be sufficient to have a configuration in which a plurality of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x can be gripped at once without being separated and supplied to the heating device in the next step. .. The grip portion 3 is provided with, for example, a blower that sucks air in the space between the billet 2 and the billet 2, and has a configuration in which the billet 2 is sucked and gripped by generating a negative pressure between the grip portion 3 and the billet 2. You may.

In this embodiment, the grip portion 3 is installed at the tip of the manipulator. The supply device 1 is not limited to the configuration including the manipulator. It suffices to have a structure in which the grip portion 3 can be moved between the container C and the heating device.

The sensor unit 4 is composed of a laser range finder that measures the distance to the billet 2 by irradiating the billet 2 located below with a laser beam. The sensor unit 4 may be configured by a 2D laser sensor that scans the laser beam in a predetermined range. The configuration of the sensor unit 4 is not limited to this, and any configuration may be sufficient as long as it has a configuration capable of acquiring the position information of the billet 2. The sensor unit 4 may be composed of, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a contact-type displacement sensor, or another sensor.

In this embodiment, the sensor unit 4 is installed in the vicinity of the grip unit 3 and has a configuration that moves together with the grip unit 3. The installation position of the sensor unit 4 is not limited to this. The sensor unit 4 may be installed at a position where the position information of the billet 2 mounted on the container C can be acquired, and may be fixed to, for example, a structure above the container C.

The control unit 5 is connected to the grip unit 3 and the sensor unit 4 by a signal line (not shown). The control unit 5 is also connected by a signal line to a control device that controls the operation of the manipulator. The control unit 5 has a configuration that controls the operation of the grip unit 3 and the manipulator based on the information acquired by the sensor unit 4.

The container C is formed in a box shape having a quadrangular opening on the upper surface. The bottom surface of the container C is formed of a pair of inclined surfaces 6 that are inclined upward from the central portion toward both ends in the width direction y. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces 6 is indicated by θ. Cylindrical billets 2 are placed side by side in the container C in the axial direction x, the width direction y, and the vertical direction z.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, when the billet 2 is supplied from the container C to the heating device by the supply device 1, the container C is first arranged in the vicinity of the supply device 1. A stopper 7 is installed in the vicinity of the supply device 1, and the container C is arranged in a state of being in contact with the stopper 7. Therefore, the stopper 7 determines the placement position of the container C. In FIG. 3, only the billet 2 placed on the uppermost stage is shown for explanation.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the supply device 1 measures the height of the billet 2 while moving the sensor unit 4 along the width direction y. In the figure, the moving direction of the sensor unit 4 is indicated by a white arrow for explanation. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the sensor unit 4 can acquire a plurality of heights of the upper surface of the billet 2 mounted on the uppermost stage of the container C along the width direction y. In the present specification, the height of the upper surface of the billet 2 means the height of the position where the laser beam emitted from the sensor unit 4 is reflected. Since the distance between the sensor unit 4 and the billet 2 can be acquired by the sensor unit 4, the height of the upper surface of the billet 2 can be calculated with the position of the sensor unit 4 as a reference position.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plurality of billets 2 placed on the container C are stable in a substantially aligned state due to the influence of the inclined surface 6. As for the size of the container C, for example, the length in the axial direction x and the length in the width direction y can be 1000 mm, the height can be 400 mm, and the angle θ formed by the pair of inclined surfaces 6 can be 110 °. Assuming that the diameter d of the billet 2 is, for example, 50 mm, 12 stages of billet 2 are placed in the container C in the vertical direction z as illustrated in FIG. Twelve rows of billets 2 are placed on the uppermost stage in the width direction y.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, when looking in the axial direction x, the billets 2 are 1 in the 1st stage, 2 in the 2nd stage, 3 in the 3rd stage, and 12 in the 12th stage from the bottom. Align. Therefore, if the angle θ formed by the pair of inclined surfaces 6 and the diameter d of the billet 2 are known in advance, the position where the billet 2 is placed in the container C is uniquely determined. That is, the coordinates of each billet 2 are predetermined based on the angle θ formed and the diameter d. Here, the coordinates of the billet 2 mean the position of the billet 2 in the container C, for example, the position coordinates of the center of each billet 2 illustrated in FIG. 4 and the position coordinates of the upper end surface of the billet 2. do.

The control unit 5 is given in advance the values of the angle θ and the diameter d. This value can be stored in a storage device of the control unit 5 or the like. The control unit 5 can acquire the number of stages and the number of columns of the billet 2 mounted on the container C from the angle θ formed, the diameter d, and the position information of the billet 2 obtained by the sensor unit 4.

Assuming that the diameter d of the billet 2 is, for example, 70 mm as illustrated in FIG. 5, eight billet 2s are placed in the container C in the vertical direction z. Eight rows of billets 2 are placed on the uppermost row in the width direction y. The control unit 5 can calculate the coordinates of the billet 2 mounted on the container C from the angle θ formed by the formed angle θ, the diameter d, and the position information of the billet 2 obtained by the sensor unit 4. That is, the control unit 5 can acquire the number of stages and the number of columns of the billet 2 mounted on the container C.

The number of billets 2 placed in the container C may be insufficient. For the sake of explanation, the billet 2 not placed in FIG. 5 is shown by a broken line. In this case, the sensor unit 4 can obtain the reflected light from the billet 2 in the 8th stage and the reflected light from the billet 2 in the 7th stage. That is, from the height of the billet 2 acquired by the sensor unit 4, the control unit 5 can acquire that the billet 2 in the third row is placed in the eighth stage.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the range in which the billet 2 should be detected may be preset as the detection area P. In the figure, the detection area P is shown by diagonal lines for explanation. The detection area P can be preset for all stages and rows for each combination of the angle θ and the diameter d. Although not shown in FIG. 5, for example, the detection area P is preset in each column of the third row.

In this embodiment, reflected light is obtained from the detection regions P from the first row to the third row in the eighth row. Reflected light cannot be obtained from the detection regions P from the 4th row to the 8th row in the 8th row. On the other hand, reflected light is obtained from the detection region P from the third row to the seventh row in the seventh row.

From the above information acquired by the sensor unit 4, the control unit 5 can acquire that the billet 2 in the third row is placed in the eighth stage.

Since the control unit 5 can acquire the coordinates (number of stages, number of columns) of the billet 2 placed in the container C, for example, the billet 2 is supplied to the heating device from the third row of the eighth stage based on these coordinates. You can start working. The grip portion 3 takes out the billet 2 up to the first row of the eighth step, and then takes out the billet 2 of the seventh step in order.

For example, the operator may input the diameter d of the billet 2 and the angle θ formed by the bottom surface of the container C to the control unit 5 in advance. The control unit 5 calculates the coordinates of the billet 2 based on this information and the position information acquired by the sensor unit 4, and the grip unit 3 is controlled based on these coordinates to automatically supply the billet 2 to the heating device. You may do it.

Since the billet 2 is gripped by the grip portion 3 and supplied to the heating device, it is possible that the billet 2 collides with each other. It is advantageous to prevent damage to the billet 2.

Further, since the grip portion 3 can grip a plurality of billets 2 arranged side by side in the axial direction x at a time, it is advantageous for improving the supply speed when supplying the billets 2 to the heating device.

The state of the billet 2 placed in the container C can be grasped by the sensor unit 4 and the supply of the billet 2 can be automatically started. It is advantageous to efficiently supply the billet 2. As illustrated in FIG. 5, even when the number of billets 2 is insufficient, the supply device 1 can confirm the coordinates of the billets 2 and automatically start supplying the billets 2.

When measuring the height of the billet 2 while moving the sensor unit 4 along the width direction y, the position may be changed in the axial direction x and the measurement may be performed at least twice. As illustrated in FIG. 6, even when the billets 2 placed on the container C are separated from each other in the axial direction x and a gap is generated, the control unit 5 obtains the coordinates of the billet 2 with high accuracy. be able to. When the laser beam emitted from the sensor unit 4 irradiates the gap of the billet 2 in the axial direction x, for example, whether or not the gap is measured from the difference between the first and second measurement results. Can be determined. The sensor unit 4 can accurately grasp the number of stages and the number of columns of the billet 2.

It is also conceivable that the sensor unit 4 is composed of an image sensor. When the row of billet 2 is recognized by pattern matching using an image sensor, the billet 2 may not be recognized if a gap is opened in the axial direction x. Further, the appearance of the billet 2 from the image sensor may change depending on the type of material. When the sensor unit 4 uses a laser beam, the above problem is unlikely to occur, which is advantageous.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the sensor unit 4 may detect the edge of the side wall 8 of the container C. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 4 is moved in the width direction y, and at least two points of the inner edges of the side wall 8 extending in the width direction y are detected by the sensor unit 4. In FIG. 7, the detection points Q are indicated by circles for explanation.

The side wall 8 detected by the sensor unit 4 may be a side wall 8 extending in the axial direction x. Further, the sensor unit 4 may detect both the side wall 8 extending in the width direction y and the side wall 8 extending in the axial direction x.

The control unit 5 calculates the slope α of the straight line L connecting the detection points Q with respect to the width direction y. This inclination α indicates the inclination of the container C about the vertical direction z as the central axis. The control unit 5 corrects the coordinates of the billet 2 based on this inclination α. Since the inclination of the grip portion 3 is corrected according to the inclination of the billet 2, the grip portion 3 can accurately grip a plurality of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x.

The supply device 1 can efficiently supply the billet 2 to the heating device even when the container C is not installed at an accurate position with respect to the stopper 7.

Further, since the position of the side wall 8 extending in the axial direction x can be grasped, it is advantageous to avoid the problem that the grip portion 3 collides with the side wall 8.

The control unit 5 may store the planar shape of the container C in advance. By acquiring the position information of the side wall 8 extending in the axial direction x and the side wall 8 extending in the width direction y by the sensor unit 4, the position of the container C can be accurately grasped. It is advantageous to grasp the coordinates of the billet 2 with high accuracy.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the sensor unit 4 may detect the billets 2 arranged along the axial direction x. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 4 is moved in the axial direction x, and at least two points among the upper surfaces of the plurality of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x are detected by the sensor unit 4. In FIG. 8, the detection points Q are indicated by circles for explanation.

The control unit 5 calculates the slope β of the straight line L connecting the detection points Q with respect to the axial direction x. This inclination β indicates the inclination of the billet 2 about the vertical direction z as the central axis. The control unit 5 corrects the coordinates of the billet 2 based on this inclination β. Since the inclination of the grip portion 3 is corrected according to the inclination of the billet 2, the grip portion 3 can accurately grip a plurality of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x. Even when the container C is deformed as illustrated in FIG. 8, the coordinates of the billet 2 can be grasped with high accuracy. Similarly, when the billet 2 is placed in a state of being tilted with respect to the container C, the coordinates of the billet 2 can be grasped with high accuracy.

The control unit 5 may be configured to acquire both the inclination α of the side wall 8 of the container C and the inclination β of the billet 2 and correct the coordinates of the billet 2 based on the acquisition. It is advantageous to improve the accuracy of correction. In this case, it is desirable to correct the coordinates of the billet 2 based on the inclination α of the container C, and then correct the coordinates of the bullet 2 again based on the inclination β of the billet 2.

When the billets 2 arranged along the axial direction x are measured by the sensor unit 4, it is desirable to measure the billets 2 mounted on the uppermost stage except for the end portion in the width direction y. ..

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the number of billets 2 placed in the container C may be insufficient. For example, the detection point Q cannot be obtained at all in the ninth column, which is the left end portion. Further, in the eighth column, the second detection point Q cannot be obtained.

In this embodiment, when the coordinates of the billet 2 are calculated, the result that the billet 2 is placed from the first column to the eighth column of the ninth row can be obtained. As described above, the number of billets 2 arranged in the axial direction x may be insufficient in the eighth column. Therefore, in the 7th row excluding the 8th row, which is the end portion, the billets 2 arranged along the axial direction x are measured by the sensor unit 4. Any of the first to seventh rows may be measured by the sensor unit 4. For simplification of control, the sensor unit 4 may be configured to measure any of the second to seventh rows except the first and eighth rows, which are the ends in the width direction y.

Even when the number of billets 2 placed in the container C is insufficient, the slope β of the billets 2 can be obtained.

1 Supply device 2 Billet 3 Grip part 4 Sensor part 5 Control part 6 Inclined surface 7 Stopper 8 Side wall x Axial direction y Width direction z Vertical direction C Container θ (of a pair of inclined surfaces) Angle d (of billet) Diameter P Detection Region Q Detection point L Straight line α Slope β Slope

Claims (5)

A container in which cylindrical billets are placed side by side in the axial direction and in the width direction and the vertical direction that cross this axial direction at right angles. Is a supply device for supplying the billet from the container in which the billet is formed to the heating device.
A grip portion that grips a plurality of the billets arranged in the axial direction at one time, a sensor unit that acquires the position information of the billets, and a control that controls the operation of the grip portion based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit. It has a department,
The sensor unit has a configuration in which a plurality of heights of the billets mounted on the container are acquired along the width direction.
The control unit calculates the coordinates of the billet based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit, the diameter of the billet given in advance, and the angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces given in advance, and the coordinates. A supply device having a configuration in which the operation of the grip portion is controlled based on the above to supply the billet from the container to the heating device. The sensor unit has a configuration for acquiring a plurality of position information of the side wall of the container along the width direction or the axial direction.
A claim having a configuration in which the control unit calculates the inclination of the container about the vertical direction as a central axis based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit, and corrects the coordinates of the billet based on the inclination. The supply device according to 1. The sensor unit has a configuration in which a plurality of position information of the plurality of billets is acquired along the axial direction.
A claim having a configuration in which the control unit calculates the inclination of the billet about the vertical direction as a central axis based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit, and corrects the coordinates of the billet based on this inclination. The supply device according to 1 or 2. Among the billets placed on the uppermost stage in the vertical direction, the control unit has a configuration in which the sensor unit acquires the position information of a plurality of the billets along the axial direction for the billet excluding the end portion in the width direction. The supply device according to claim 3. A container in which cylindrical billets are placed side by side in the axial direction and in the width direction and the vertical direction that cross this axial direction at right angles. It is a control method of a supply device that supplies the billet from the container formed to the heating device.
A grip portion that grips the billet, a sensor unit that acquires the position information of the billet, and a control unit that controls the operation of the grip portion based on the position information acquired by the sensor unit are installed in the supply device. And
After acquiring a plurality of heights of the billets placed on the container by the sensor unit along the width direction,
The control unit calculates the coordinates of the billet based on the diameter of the billet given in advance to the control unit, the angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces, and the information acquired by the sensor unit.
A control method comprising gripping a plurality of billets in which the grip portions are arranged in the axial direction based on the coordinates at a time and supplying the container to the heating device.

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