JP7186424B2 - Steel plate extractor for press - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a press steel plate unloading apparatus for sequentially unloading each steel plate from a stacked body formed by stacking a large number of sheet-like steel plates for press to a post-process.

Conventionally, for example, a press steel plate pick-up apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a lifter that positions a pallet so that it can be exchanged. body is placed. Above the lifter, a grid-like gripping frame is arranged in a plan view, and a large number of suction pads with suction portions facing downward are attached to the outer peripheral portion of the gripping frame at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. It is Further, a guide column extending in the vertical direction is provided in the central portion of the grip frame. The guide column guides the gripping frame in the vertical direction. The gripping frame descends and sucks the steel plate on the top of the stacked stack with the suction pad, and then rises to remove the steel plate from the pallet. It is designed to be taken out from the The guide column is provided with a detection mechanism capable of detecting the amount of descent of the gripping frame. By detecting the amount of descent with the detection mechanism when taking out the steel plate, the height of the stacked body can be obtained and the gripping frame can be used. The gripping position of the steel plate to be taken out next is known.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-179374

However, in the steel plate unloading device for press disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to derive the gripping position of each steel plate by the gripping frame, the height of the stacked body is obtained using a detection mechanism every time each steel plate is unloaded from the pallet. , there is a problem of poor efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a press steel plate unloading device that eliminates wasteful operation of the device and can efficiently repeat the steel plate unloading work. That's what it is.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the gripping position of the gripping portion of the device when taking out the second and subsequent steel plates from the stacked body is determined without using a position detecting means. do.

That is, in the first invention, a pallet positioning means for exchangingly positioning a pallet on which a stacked body formed by stacking a large number of sheet-like steel plates for press can be placed, and a pallet positioned by the pallet positioning means. and a position detection unit capable of detecting the coordinate position of the gripping unit, and capable of moving the gripping unit. a steel plate moving operation means; an arrival detection means capable of detecting whether or not the gripping portion has reached the steel plates of the stacked body; and a control means connected to the steel plate moving operation means and the arrival detection means. When the pallet is positioned by the pallet positioning means, the control means controls the steel sheet moving operation so that the gripping portion descends from a predetermined position above the stacked body until detection is made by the arrival detection means. A search unit for outputting an actuation signal to the means and a plate thickness t of each steel plate in the stacked body are stored in advance, and detection is performed by the arrival detection means when the first steel plate is taken out from the stacked body. a storage unit for storing the coordinate position obtained by the position detection unit at the time as an initial gripping position P (X, Y, Z) of the gripping unit; Calculation of using the position P to calculate the gripping position P′ (X, Y, Z−(α−1)×t) of the gripping portion when taking out the steel plate α-th time (α≧2) from the stepped body and when taking out the α-th steel plate from the stacked body, an operation signal is output to the steel plate moving operation means to move the gripping portion to the gripping position P′ and move the steel plate to the gripping portion. a take-out instructing part for instructing the worker to grasp and take out from the pallet; the control means is connected to alarm means for informing the operator that it is time to replace the pallet; , the coordinate position of the upper surface position B of the pallet positioned by the pallet positioning means, and the replacement of the steel plates in the stacked body, which is a threshold for notifying the operator that it is time to replace the pallet. and the number of sheets n′ are stored in advance. the initial number of the stacks N=H/t based on t and the number of the stacks after the steel plates have been taken out a number of times n=N−α, respectively, and the take-out instruction unit When the number of sheets n becomes smaller than the number of sheets at replacement time n', an operation signal is sent to the warning means. It is characterized in that it is configured to output a signal to activate the alarm means .

In a second invention, in the first invention, the gripping portion is one or more suction pads that grip the steel plate by suction, and the arrival detecting means determines whether or not the suction pads have suctioned the steel plate. The suction sensor is configured to detect that the gripping portion has reached the steel plate when the suction sensor determines that the steel plate has been suctioned.

In the first invention, since the gripping position of the gripping portion during the second and subsequent steel strip picking operations is calculated by the control means, the gripping position of the gripped portion is determined by the detection mechanism every time the steel plate is taken out as in Patent Document 1. It becomes unnecessary to perform an operation such as detection. Therefore, the operation of the apparatus is efficient, and the steel sheet can be removed efficiently. Further, in the first invention, when the number of stacked steel sheets placed on the pallet becomes equal to or less than a predetermined number, the operator can be notified by the alarm means that it is time to replace the pallet with a new one. can. Therefore, the operator can prepare a new pallet in an area close to the pallet positioning means before each steel plate placed on the pallet positioned by the pallet positioning means is completely exhausted. Equipment setup can be done well.

In the second invention, the position of the uppermost steel plate in the stacked body can be determined by using the suction sensor for determining whether or not the steel plate is gripped by the suction pad. There is no need to install a separate sensor or the like for checking the position of the , and the cost can be kept low.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a front view of a press steel plate extraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the steel sheet extraction device for press according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing a state immediately after starting the work of taking out the first steel plate from the stacked body after FIG. 1 ; FIG. 4 is a view after FIG. 3 showing a state in the middle of taking out the first steel plate from the stacked body; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state immediately after removing the first steel plate from the stacked body after FIG. 4 ; FIG. 6 is a view after FIG. 5 and showing a state immediately before removing a plurality of steel plates from the stacked body; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in the middle of taking out a plurality of steel plates from the stacked body after FIG. 6 ;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature.

FIG. 1 shows a press steel sheet extraction apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The press steel plate unloading apparatus 1 includes a pallet table 2 (pallet positioning means) on which a thick, substantially flat plate-shaped pallet 3 is exchangeably positioned. 2a, and a magnet floater 2b provided so as to extend upward on the outer peripheral portion of the base plate 2a.

On the pallet 3, a stacked body 10 formed by stacking a large number of sheet-like steel plates 10a for pressing can be placed.

The magnet floater 2b is movable to the center side of the pallet table 2, and when the pallet 3 is positioned on the pallet table 2, it moves to the center side of the pallet table 2 to move the stacked body placed on the pallet 3. It is adapted to contact 10 sides.

On the side of the pallet table 2, a six-axis vertical articulated robot 4 (steel plate moving operation means) having an arm portion 4a is arranged.

A gripping frame 6 capable of gripping the steel plate 10a from above is attached to the tip portion of the arm portion 4a, and the robot 4 can operate to move the gripping frame 6. As shown in FIG.

The robot 4 has encoders 5 (position detectors) connected to motors (not shown) that operate the joints of the arms 4a. It has become.

The gripping frame 6 includes a horizontally extending square bar-shaped first frame 6a and a horizontally extending square bar-shaped second frame 6b intersecting with the first frame 6a. A pair of them are provided at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the frame 6a.

An end portion of each second frame 6b is provided with a suction pad 6c (holding portion) capable of holding the steel plate 10a by suction.

The suction pad 6c is composed of an elongated guide rod 6d attached to the second frame 6b so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, a rubber umbrella-like member 6e attached to the lower end of the guide rod 6d, and a guide rod 6d wound around the guide rod 6d. It is equipped with a coil spring 6f that biases the guide rod 6d downward. When a suction device (not shown) is operated, air is sucked from the lower end opening of the umbrella-like member 6e.

Further, when a force is applied to each suction pad 6c from below, each suction pad 6c moves upward against each second frame 6b against the biasing force of each coil spring 6f, thereby absorbing the impact. It's becoming

Each suction pad 6c is attached with a suction sensor 7 (arrival detection means) for determining whether or not each suction pad 6c has suctioned the steel plate 10a, and the suction sensor 7 determines that the steel plate 10a has been suctioned. Thus, it is possible to detect that the gripping frame 6 has reached the steel plate 10a of the stack 10. As shown in FIG.

A control panel 8 (control means) capable of receiving signals from the respective adsorption sensors 7 and outputting operation signals to the robot 4 is connected to the robot 4 and the adsorption sensors 7. On the upper surface of the control panel 8, A warning light 9 (warning means) is connected to notify the operator that it is time to replace the pallet 3 .

The control panel 8 includes a search section 8a for instructing a search for the upper surface position of the stacked body 10, a storage section 8b for storing various data, a calculation section 8c for calculating various data, and a take-out instructing portion 8d for instructing.

In the search unit 8a, when the pallet 3 is positioned on the pallet table 2, the grasping frame 6 moves from the original position X1 to the search start position X2 above the stacked body 10, and each suction sensor 7 detects. An actuation signal is output to the robot 4 so as to descend from the search start position X2 to the bottom.

Note that the search start position X2 is set at a position above the maximum height of the stack 10 that may be placed on the pallet 3 .

The storage unit 8b preliminarily stores the plate thickness t of each steel plate 10a in the stacked body 10, and upon acquiring the suction signal from the suction sensor 7, stores the coordinate position of the suction pad 6c obtained based on the value of the encoder 5. It is stored as the initial gripping position P (X, Y, Z).

In addition, the storage unit 8b stores the coordinate position of the upper surface position B of the pallet 3 positioned on the pallet table 2, and the threshold value of whether or not to inform the operator that it is time to replace the pallet 3. 10 and the replacement timing number n' of the steel plates 10a in 10 are stored in advance.

The calculation unit 8c uses the plate thickness t and the initial gripping position P stored in the storage unit 8b to determine the gripping position P of the gripping frame 6 when the steel plate 10a is taken out from the stack 10 for the α-th time (α≧2). '(X, Y, Z-(α-1)×t) is calculated.

Further, the calculation unit 8c calculates the initial height H of the stacked body 10 based on the upper surface position B and the initial gripping position P, and the initial number N=of the stacked body 10 based on the initial height H and plate thickness t. H/t and the number n=N−α of the stacked bodies 10 after the steel plates 10a have been taken out α times are calculated respectively.

When taking out the steel plate 10a for the α-th time from the stacked body 10, the take-out instruction unit 8d outputs an operation signal to the robot 4 to move the gripping frame 6 to the gripping position P′ and move the steel plate 10a to the gripping frame 6. It is designed to give an instruction to be gripped and taken out from the pallet 3 .

Further, when the number n of the stacks 10 after the steel plates 10a have been taken out α times becomes smaller than the number n′ at the time of replacement, the removal instruction unit 8d outputs an operation signal to the alarm light 9 to turn on the alarm light 9. It's supposed to work.

Specifically, when the alarm light 9 receives an operation signal from the take-out instructing section 8d, the light lights up or flashes to inform the operator that it is time to replace the pallet 3. FIG.

Then, when the gripping frame 6 is moved from the original position X1 to the search start position X2 above the pallet table 2 and lowered from the search start position X2, it is placed on the pallet 3 as shown in FIGS. The lower end of the umbrella-shaped member 6e of each suction pad 6c contacts the upper surface of the stacked body 10, and each second frame 6b moves downward against each suction pad 6c against the biasing force of each coil spring 6f. It is designed to

Further, when a suction device (not shown) is operated in a state where the lower end of the umbrella-shaped member 6e of each suction pad 6c of the gripping frame 6 is in contact with the upper surface of the stacked body 10, the umbrella-shaped member 6e is drawn from the lower end opening of the umbrella-shaped member 6e. Air is sucked into the member 6e, and the steel plate 10a positioned at the top of the stacked body 10 is attracted to the lower end of the umbrella-like member 6e, and the gripping frame 6 grips the steel plate 10a.

Further, when the gripping frame 6 is lifted while gripping the steel plate 10a, the uppermost steel plate 10a in the stack 10 is taken out from the pallet 3, as shown in FIG.

Further, when taking out the steel plate 10a for the α-th time from the stacked body 10 of the pallet 3 positioned on the pallet table 2, as shown in FIGS. The steel plate 10a is directly moved to the obtained gripping position P', and the gripping frame 6 grips the steel plate 10a to take it out from the pallet 3.

In the arm portion 4a of the robot 4, the grasping frame 6 moves from the original position X1 to a predetermined position immediately before the grasping position P' at high speed, and decelerates at a predetermined position immediately before the grasping position P' to reach the grasping position P'. is controlled to reach

In this manner, the gripping frame 6 grips and takes out the steel plates 10a of the stack 10 placed on the pallet 3 in order from the top.

Next, a specific control operation in the press steel plate unloading apparatus 1 will be described based on the flow chart shown in FIG.

First, in step S1, the control panel 8 operates the robot 4 to move the gripping frame 6 to the original position X1, and then proceeds to step S2 (see FIG. 1).

Next, in step S2, it is determined whether the pallet 3 has just been positioned on the pallet table 2 or not. For example, it is determined whether or not the pallet 3 has just been positioned on the pallet table 2 depending on whether or not the control panel 8 detects a replacement confirmation signal generated when the operator presses a replacement confirmation button (not shown). .

When the determination in step S2 is YES, that is, when the pallet 3 has just been positioned on the pallet table 2, the process proceeds to step S3, where the search unit 8a outputs an operation signal to the robot 4, and the grasping frame 6 is moved to the search start position X2 (see FIG. 3).

When the search unit 8a moves the grasping frame 6 to the search start position X2, the process proceeds to step S4, where the searching unit 8a moves the grasping frame 6 downward and moves the suction pads 6c to the uppermost steel plate in the stack 10. 10a (see FIG. 4).

When each suction pad 6c comes into contact with the uppermost steel plate 10a in the stacked body 10, the process proceeds to step S5, where the removal instructing section 8d activates a suction device (not shown). Then, the suction operation of each suction pad 6c is started, the steel plate 10a is suctioned to each suction pad 6c, the grip frame 6 grips the steel plate 10a, and the storage unit 8b stores the suction pad 6c value obtained from the value of the encoder 5. The coordinate position is stored as the initial gripping position P.

Thereafter, the take-out instructing unit 8d raises the gripping frame 6 to take out the steel plate 10a gripped by the gripping frame 6 from the pallet 3, and then proceeds to step S8.

On the other hand, when the determination in step S2 is NO, i.e., when the pallet 3 is not immediately after being positioned on the pallet table 2, the process proceeds to step S6, where the calculation unit 8c calculates the plate thickness t and the plate thickness t stored in the storage unit 8b. Using the initial gripping position P, the gripping position P′ (X, Y, Z−(α−1)×t) of the gripping frame 6 when the steel plate 10a is taken out from the stack 10 for the α-th time is calculated, and then Go to step S7.

In step S7, the take-out instructing part 8d moves the grasping frame 6 to the grasping position P' and operates a suction device (not shown). Then, the suction operation of each suction pad 6c is started, the steel plate 10a is suctioned to each suction pad 6c, and the gripping frame 6 grips the steel plate 10a.

Thereafter, the take-out instructing unit 8d raises the gripping frame 6 to take out the steel plate 10a gripped by the gripping frame 6 from the pallet 3, and then proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the calculator 8c calculates the initial height H of the stack 10 based on the upper surface position B of the pallet 3 and the initial gripping position P, and the initial height H of the stack 10 based on the initial height H and plate thickness t. After calculating the number N=H/t and the number n=N−α of the stack 10 after taking out the steel plates 10a α times, whether or not the number n is less than the number n′ at the time of replacement. The takeout instructing unit 8d determines whether or not.

If the determination in step S8 is NO, the process proceeds to step S10, and the take-out instructing section 8d determines whether or not the number of sheets n has become zero.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S8 is YES, the process proceeds to step S9, and after the removal instructing section 8d activates the warning light 9, the process proceeds to step S10.

If the determination in step S10 is NO, that is, if the steel plate 10a remains on the pallet 3, the process returns to step S1 and the take-out instructing section 8d moves the gripping frame 6 to the original position X1.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S10 is YES, that is, if the steel plate 10a does not remain on the pallet 3, the operation of the steel plate unloading device 1 for press ends.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the gripping position P' of the gripping frame 6 during the second and subsequent extraction operations of the steel plate 10a is obtained by calculation in the control panel 8, so that the steel plate 10a as in Patent Document 1 is extracted. This eliminates the need to detect the gripped position of the gripped portion by the detection mechanism each time. Therefore, the operation of the apparatus is efficient, so that the steel sheet 10a can be removed efficiently.

In addition, since the position of the uppermost steel plate 10a in the stacked body 10 can be detected by using the suction sensor 7 for determining whether or not the steel plate 10a is gripped by the suction pad 6c, There is no need to install a separate sensor or the like for checking the position of the uppermost stage, and the cost can be kept low.

Furthermore, when the number of steel plates 10a of the stacked body 10 placed on the pallet 3 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined number, the worker can be notified by the warning light 9 that it is time to replace the pallet 3 with a new one. can. Therefore, the operator can prepare a new pallet 3 in an area close to the pallet table 2 before the steel plates 10a placed on the pallet 3 positioned on the pallet table 2 are completely gone. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform equipment setup changes.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the 6-axis vertical articulated robot 4 is used to move the grasping frame 6. However, for example, a 3-axis orthogonal robot may be used to move the grasping frame 6. good too.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the warning light 9 is used as a warning means to notify that it is time to replace the pallet 3, but other warning means may be used, for example, a warning buzzer that emits a warning sound. There may be.

Furthermore, although a plurality of suction pads 6c are provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the number of suction pads 6c may be one.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the adsorption sensor 7 detects that the gripping frame 6 has reached the uppermost steel plate 10a of the stacked body 10, but another sensor is used to detect that the gripping frame 6 has reached the uppermost steel plate 10a. The arrival at the uppermost steel plate 10a of the stack 10 may be detected.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is suitable for a steel plate unloading apparatus for pressing which sequentially unloads each steel plate from a stacked body formed by stacking a large number of sheet-like steel plates for pressing to a post-process.

1 Steel plate extraction device for press 2 Pallet table (pallet positioning means)
3 pallet 4 robot (steel plate moving operation means)
5 Encoder (position detector)
6c Suction pad (grasping portion)
7 adsorption sensor (arrival detection means)
8 Control panel (control means)
8a search unit 8b storage unit 8c calculation unit 8d removal instruction unit 9 alarm light (alarm means)
10 stacked body 10a steel plate

Claims (2)

a pallet positioning means that replaceably positions a pallet on which a stacked body formed by stacking a large number of sheet-like steel plates for pressing can be placed;
It has a gripping portion capable of gripping the steel plates of the stacked stack placed on the pallet positioned by the pallet positioning means in order from the top, and a position detecting portion capable of detecting the coordinate position of the gripping portion. , a steel plate moving operation means capable of moving the gripping portion;
an arrival detection means capable of detecting whether or not the gripping portion has reached the steel plate of the stack;
A control means connected to the steel plate movement operation means and the arrival detection means,
When the pallet is positioned by the pallet positioning means, the control means controls the steel plate moving operation means so that the gripping portion descends from a predetermined position above the stacked body until detection is made by the arrival detection means. a search unit that outputs an actuation signal to
While pre-storing the plate thickness t of each steel plate in the stepped body,At the time of taking out the first steel plate from the stacka storage unit for storing, as an initial gripping position P (X, Y, Z) of the gripping unit, a coordinate position obtained by the position detecting unit when detection is performed by the arrival detection means;
Gripping position P′ (X, a computing unit that computes Y, Z-(α-1)×t);
When the α-th steel plate is taken out from the stacked body, an operation signal is output to the steel plate moving operation means to move the gripping portion to the gripping position P′ and grip the steel plate by the gripping portion. and a take-out instructing part for instructing take-out from the pallet.death,
An alarm means is connected to the control means to inform the operator that it is time to replace the pallet,
The storage unit stores the coordinate position of the upper surface position B of the pallet positioned by the pallet positioning means, and the stepped body as a threshold value for determining whether or not to inform the operator that it is time to replace the pallet. is stored in advance with the number of steel plates at the time of replacement n',
The calculation unit calculates an initial height H of the stacks based on the upper surface position B and the initial gripping position P, and an initial number N of the stacks based on the initial height H and the plate thickness t. =H/t and the number of stacked bodies n=N−α after taking out the steel plates α times, respectively,
The take-out instruction unit is configured to output an activation signal to the alarm means to activate the alarm means when the number of sheets n becomes less than the replacement time number of sheets n'. A press steel plate take-out device characterized by: In the press steel plate unloading apparatus according to claim 1,
The holding part is one or more suction pads that hold the steel plate by suction,
The arrival detection means is a suction sensor that determines whether or not the steel plate is suctioned by the suction pad, and when the suction sensor determines that the steel plate is suctioned, it is determined that the gripping portion has reached the steel plate. A press strip removal device configured to detect.

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