JP7396565B2 - Pallet changing device and its operating method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pallet exchange device for exchanging pallets on which workpieces are placed, and an operating method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art In machine tools such as machining centers, processed workpieces and unprocessed workpieces are sometimes placed on pallets and exchanged together with the pallet by a pallet exchange device. As the pallet exchange device used here, a rotating block having a plurality of pallet holding parts (forks) rotates approximately horizontally around a rotation center to exchange a pallet at a standby position and a pallet at a delivery position. Some are known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In this pallet exchange device, a pair of forks (pallet holding parts) extending in opposite directions are provided on a rotating block, and a pallet on which a work is placed is held by each fork. The turning block rotates 180° substantially horizontally about the turning center, thereby swapping the positions of the pallet on which processed workpieces are placed and the pallet on which unprocessed workpieces are placed.

At the standby position, processed workpieces on the pallet are exchanged with unprocessed workpieces, and at the delivery position, the pallet on which the unprocessed workpieces are placed is delivered to the workpiece receiving block. When the workpiece receiving block receives the pallet on which the workpieces are placed, it moves to the position where the workpiece is processed by the machine tool, and when the workpiece has been processed, it returns from the processing position to the delivery position again. When the work receiving block returns to the delivery position, the pallet carrying the processed work is returned to the fork of the rotating block. After this, the turning block rotates 180 degrees again, the pallet in the delivery position moves to the standby position, and another pallet in the standby position moves to the delivery position.

JP2009-262260A JP2009-297821A

In the above-mentioned pallet exchange device, the rotating block rotates substantially horizontally, so that the pallet at the standby position and the pallet at the delivery position are exchanged, and the pallet moved to the delivery position is delivered to the workpiece receiving block. Therefore, if the workpiece receiving block has a protrusion that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the workpiece receiving block, the rotating block will interfere with the protrusion when turning. Therefore, in this type of pallet exchange device in which pallets are exchanged by rotating the rotation block, it is not possible to attach a protruding object such as a work holding jig that protrudes above the pallet receiving section to the work receiving block.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a pallet exchanging device and an operating method thereof that can perform a smooth pallet exchanging operation even when the work receiving block has a protrusion that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the work receiving block. This is what we are trying to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the pallet exchanging device according to the present invention employs the following configuration.
That is, the pallet exchange device according to one aspect of the present invention has a plurality of pallet holders that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and by rotating around a rotation center, the pallet exchange device holds pallets for placing workpieces. a rotating block that moves the pallet between a standby position and a delivery position; a workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet together with a workpiece at the delivery position; and a workpiece receiving block that is provided on the workpiece receiving block and protrudes above the pallet and that is attached to the pallet. a work holding jig that presses and fixes the work placed on the workpiece from above; a swing actuator that swings the swing block; and a movement actuator that moves the work receiving block between the delivery position and another position. , a control unit that controls the operation of the swing actuator and the movement actuator, and the control unit controls the movement of the workpiece by the movement actuator before the movement block is turned by the movement actuator when replacing the pallet. The receiving block is moved to the retracted position, and then the turning block is turned by the turning actuator, and after the turning of the turning block is completed, the workpiece receiving block is moved to the delivery position by the moving actuator. do.

In the pallet exchange device of this aspect, when exchanging pallets, the workpiece receiving block moves to the retreat position before the rotation block rotates. Therefore, even if there is a workpiece holding jig that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the workpiece receiving block, it is possible to prevent the turning block from interfering with the workpiece holding jig when the turning block rotates.
Further, in this case, a work holding jig that presses and fixes the work from above is provided on the work receiving block, so that it is possible to stably fix works of various shapes to the pallet using the work holding jig.

A pallet exchange device according to another aspect of the present invention has a plurality of pallet holding parts that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and the pallet held by the pallet holding part is rotated about a turning center. a rotating block that moves the pallet between a standby position and a delivery position; a workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet together with the workpiece at the delivery position; a work holding jig that presses and fixes the placed workpiece from above; a fitting part that is provided on each of the pallets and the workpiece receiving block and that fits into each other in the vertical direction; and a turning actuator that turns the turning block. a lifting actuator that raises and lowers the swing block; a movement actuator that moves the work receiving block between the delivery position and another position; and a movement actuator that moves the swing actuator, the lift actuator, and the movement actuator. and a control section for controlling, when exchanging the pallet, the control section raises the pivot block using the lift actuator before pivoting the pivot block using the pivot actuator so that the fitting section After releasing the fitting between the pallet at the transfer position and the workpiece receiving block, and then moving the workpiece receiving block to the retracted position by the movement actuator, the turning actuator turns the turning block, and the turning block After completion of the rotation, the movement actuator moves the workpiece receiving block to the transfer position, and then, the lifting actuator lowers the rotating block and the fitting portion moves the pallet at the transfer position to the transfer position. It is characterized by fitting into the work receiving block.

In the pallet exchange device of this aspect, when exchanging a pallet, the rotating block moves up to release the engagement between the pallet at the transfer position and the workpiece receiving block, and the workpiece receiving block is moved to the retracted position before the rotating block rotates. Move to. Therefore, even if a workpiece holding jig that protrudes above the pallet receiving part of the workpiece receiving block is installed on the workpiece receiving block, interference between the rotating block and the workpiece holding jig during rotation can be avoided. .
In addition, before the work receiving block moves to the retracted position, the rotating block is raised by the operation of the lifting actuator, and the fitting between the pallet held by the rotating block at the delivery position and the moving block is released. Ru. Therefore, when the movable block is moved to the retreat position, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the pallet held by the rotation block and the generation of unnecessary stress in each part.
Further, when the workpiece receiving block returns from the retracted position to the delivery position, the rotating block is lowered by the operation of the lifting actuator, so that the pallet held by the rotating block at the delivery position is fitted into the workpiece receiving block. Therefore, the pallet is supported in a stable state by the work receiving block.
Further, in this case, a work holding jig that presses and fixes the work from above is provided on the work receiving block, so that it is possible to stably fix works of various shapes to the pallet using the work holding jig.

It is preferable that the retracted position is located on an extension of a straight line connecting the rotation center and the center of the pallet at the delivery position.

In this case, the moving distance of the workpiece receiving block between the delivery position and the retreat position becomes the shortest distance, so that pallets can be exchanged more quickly.

An operating method of a pallet changing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of pallet holders that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and by rotating around a rotation center, the pallet changing device is held by the pallet holder. a rotating block for moving the pallet between a standby position and a delivery position; a work receiving block for receiving the pallet together with a workpiece at the delivery position; A method for operating a pallet exchange device comprising: a work holding jig that presses and fixes the work placed on a pallet from above; The invention is characterized in that the turning block is turned, and after the turning of the turning block is completed, the work receiving block is moved to the delivery position.

A method of operating a pallet changing device according to another aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of pallet holders that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and by rotating around a rotation center, the pallet changing device is held by the pallet holder. a rotating block for moving the pallet between a standby position and a delivery position; a work receiving block for receiving the pallet together with a workpiece at the delivery position; A pallet exchange comprising a work holding jig that presses and fixes the work placed on a pallet from above, and a fitting part provided on each of the pallets and the work receiving block and fitting to each other in the vertical direction. The method of operating the apparatus includes lifting the swing block to release the fitting between the pallet at the transfer position and the workpiece receiving block by the fitting part, and then moving the workpiece receiving block from the transfer position. After moving to the retracted position, the rotating block is rotated, and after the rotation of the rotating block is completed, the workpiece receiving block is moved to the delivery position, and further thereafter, the rotating block is lowered so that the fitting part The present invention is characterized in that the pallet at the delivery position is fitted into the work receiving block.

The pallet exchanging device and its operating method of the present invention are such that even if the workpiece receiving block has a workpiece holding jig that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the workpiece receiving block, when the rotating block rotates, the workpiece holding jig Since interference with the pallet can be avoided, the pallet can be exchanged smoothly.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pallet exchange device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pallet exchanging device according to the embodiment taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pallet exchange device of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view sequentially showing the operation of the pallet exchanging device of the embodiment in (a), (b), and (c). FIG. 5 is a side view showing successive operations of the pallet exchanging device according to the embodiment in (d), (e), and (f).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view of the pallet exchange device 1 of the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the pallet exchange device 1 taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pallet exchange device 1.
The pallet exchange device 1 is used, for example, in a machine tool such as a machining center. The pallet exchange device 1 includes an installation base 10 that is long in one direction (one direction perpendicular to the vertical direction) that is installed on a floor surface F, and a rotating lifting mechanism that is installed on the upper part of the installation base 10 near one end in the longitudinal direction. It includes a base 11 and a turning block 12 arranged on the upper part of the turning lift base 11 so as to be able to turn and move up and down. The turning block 12 is capable of holding two pallets 50 on which workpieces w are placed, as will be described in detail later.
Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the installation base 10 will be referred to as the "z direction", and the vertical direction (vertical direction) and the direction perpendicular to the "z direction" will be referred to as the "x direction". An arrow z indicating the z-direction, an arrow x indicating the x-direction, and an arrow y indicating the up-down direction are written at appropriate locations in the drawing.

As shown in FIG. 1, a swing actuator 13 that swings the swing block 12 and a lift actuator 14 that moves the swing block 12 up and down are built into the swing lift base 11. The swing actuator 13 is configured by, for example, a hydraulic cylinder or a servo motor, and the lifting actuator 14 is configured by, for example, an actuator that is a combination of a hydraulic cylinder or a servo motor and a ball screw. Each operation of the swing actuator 13 and the elevation actuator 14 is controlled by a controller 100 (control unit).

A standby table 16 is installed on one side of the pivoting/elevating base 11 in the z direction via a support stay 15 . The standby table 16 supports a pallet 50 held by the turning block 12 from below at a standby position P1 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of guide rails 17 are arranged on the other side in the z direction of the swinging and lifting base 11 on the installation base 10. As shown in FIG. The guide rail 17 extends along the z-axis direction so as to connect the turning lift base 11 and the main body 90 of the machine tool (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The pair of guide rails 17 are spaced apart from each other in the x direction. A table base 19 that supports a rotary table 18 on the upper surface side is slidably supported on the guide rail 17. The table base 19 is movable along the guide rail 17 in the z direction.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, a ball screw 20 extending along the z direction is arranged between the pair of guide rails 17. A screwing block 21 screwed onto a ball screw 20 is provided on the lower surface of the table base 19. One end of the ball screw 20 in the axial direction is connected to a driving servo motor 22 shown in FIG. 1 . The table base 19 is moved in the z direction together with the rotary table 18 while being guided by the guide rail 17 by the rotation of the ball screw 20 by the servo motor 22 . The operation of the servo motor 22 is controlled by a controller 100 (control unit).

The table base 19 has a built-in rotary actuator 23 (see FIG. 1) that rotates the rotary table 18 around an axis C2 extending in the vertical direction. The rotation actuator 23 is configured by, for example, a servo motor. The operation of the rotation actuator 23 is controlled by a controller 100 (control unit). The upper part of the rotary table 18 serves as a pallet receiving section that receives the pallet 50 from the rotating block 12. A plurality of (for example, four) tapered cone-shaped protrusions 24 are provided on the upper surface of the rotary table 18 so as to protrude around the axis C2 of the rotary table 18. The lower surface of each pallet 50 is formed with a recess (not shown) into which each protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18 is fitted in the vertical direction. The protrusion 24 and the recess constitute a fitting portion for locking the pallet 50 onto the rotary table 18.

Furthermore, a locking mechanism (not shown) is provided at the tip of each protrusion 24 to maintain the fitted state when the protrusion 24 is fitted into the corresponding recess. For example, the locking mechanism is such that a locking ball is held movably in the radial direction on the outer periphery of the tip side of the protrusion 24, and by pressing the locking ball radially outward, the protrusion from inside the recess is prevented. A structure or the like that prevents the portion 24 from coming off may be adopted. In this case, the locking sphere is operated, for example, hydraulically.
In this embodiment, the table base 19 and the rotary table 18 constitute a work receiving block (table base 19 and rotary table 18) that receives the pallet 50 together with the work w from the turning block 12. In addition, the ball screw 20 and the servo motor 22 move the workpiece receiving block between a pallet 50 delivery position P2 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, and another position (a workpiece processing position near the main body 90 of the machine tool). It constitutes a movement actuator that allows

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the swing block 12 has a pair of pallet holding parts 12b that are substantially U-shaped in plan view and are connected to each other on both sides of a central, substantially rectangular connection base 12a. ing. The pair of pallet holders 12b are connected to the connecting base 12a so that substantially U-shaped openings face opposite directions in the horizontal direction. A pallet mounting surface 12bs (see FIG. 3), which is lower than the outer edge, is formed at the inner edge of the upper opening of each pallet holding part 12b. The outer edge of the pallet 50, which has a substantially square shape in plan view, can be placed on the pallet placement surface 12bs. In addition, each pallet 50 has a lower surface block (numerical omitted) that protrudes downward on the lower surface of a pallet base wall (numerical omitted) whose outer edge is placed on the pallet mounting surface 12bs. The lower surface block is exposed to the lower side through the opening of the pallet holding part 12b in a state where the pallet base wall is placed on the pallet mounting surface 12bs. The above-mentioned recessed portion, which is fitted with the protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18, is formed on the lower surface of the lower surface block exposed below.
When the pallet 50 is held by the pair of pallet holding parts 12b, the pallet 50 and the turning block 12 have a substantially rectangular planar shape that is long in one direction, as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, regarding the turning block 12, the direction in which the long sides of the substantially rectangular shape face will be referred to as the longitudinal direction.

The connection base 12a is connected to the rotation shaft 13a of the rotation actuator 13 at the center position of the rotation block 12 in a plan view. A pivot shaft 13a of the pivot actuator 13 projects upward along the vertical direction. The turning block 12 can be turned horizontally about a turning center C1 which is the axis of the turning shaft 13a. Further, the pivot shaft 13a of the pivot actuator 13 can be raised and lowered by the raising and lowering operation of the raising and lowering actuator 14. The turning block 12 turns by the turning operation of the turning actuator 13, and is raised and lowered by the raising and lowering operation of the raising and lowering actuator 14.

A partition is provided on the upper surface of the connection base 12a of the swing block 12 to separate a processing area A1 where the workpiece w is processed by the main body 90 of the machine tool and a standby area A2 where the workpiece w to be processed and the pallet 50 are prepared. A wall 70 is attached. The partition wall 70 is fixed to the upper surface of the connection base 12a via a pedestal 71. The partition wall 70 is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape and extends above the connection base 12a so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the turning block 12. The partition wall 70 blocks the processing area A1 and the standby area A2 in a state where the longitudinal direction of the turning block 12 faces the z direction. Further, when the swing block 12 swings around the swing center C1 by driving the swing actuator 13, the partition wall 70 swings together with the swing block 12. At this time, when the turning block 12 turns 180 degrees, the partition wall 70 turns 180 degrees together with the turning block 12, and the front and back facing the processing area A1 and the standby area A2 are reversed.

When the rotation block 12 is in a state in which the longitudinal direction is along the z direction, the pallet 50 held by one pallet holding part 12b is located at the standby position P1, and the pallet 50 held by the other pallet holding part 12b is positioned. It will be located at the delivery position P2. At the standby position P1, the lower surface of the pallet 50 held by one of the pallet holding parts 12b is supported by the protrusion 25 (see FIG. 1) on the standby table 16. Thereby, the pallet 50 held by one of the pallet holding parts 12b is stably supported by the standby table 16 in the standby position.
Note that the protrusion 25 on the standby table 16 may be formed into a tapered cone shape similarly to the protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18, and may be fitted in the recess on the lower surface of the pallet 50 in the vertical direction. .

Further, at the delivery position P2, a recess on the lower surface (lower surface of the lower block) of the pallet 50 held by the other pallet holding part 12b is fitted into the protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18. At this time, the protrusion 24 can be locked in the recess on the pallet 50 side by the locking mechanism as described above. When the protrusion 24 is locked into the recess on the pallet 50 side by the locking mechanism, the pallet 50 held by the other pallet holding part 12b is fixed to the rotary table 18 at the delivery position P2.

From this state, when the ball screw 20 is rotated in a predetermined direction by the drive of the servo motor 22, the table base 19 moves in a direction closer to the main body 90 of the machine tool. As a result, the pallet 50 fixed on the rotary table 18 moves together with the workpiece w on the pallet 50 from the delivery position P2 to the processing position of the workpiece w.

On the other hand, when the locking mechanism of the concave portion of the pallet 50 and the protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18 at the delivery position P2 is released, and in this state the swing block 12 is raised by driving the lift actuator 14, the pallet at the delivery position P2 50 and the protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18 are disengaged from each other. This allows relative movement of the rotating block 12 that holds the pallet 50 and the table base 19 that supports the rotary table 18.

Specifically, in this state, when the ball screw 20 is rotated in a predetermined direction by the drive of the servo motor 22, the table base 19 can be moved in the direction of the main body 90 of the machine tool. Further, after the table base 19 moves to a retracted position which will be described later, the swing block 12 becomes able to swing around the swing center C1 while holding the two pallets 50. In this state, when the swing block 12 turns 180 degrees around the swing center C1 by driving the swing actuator 13, the pallet 50 held by one pallet holding part 12b at the standby position P1 moves to the delivery position P2, The pallet 50 held by the other pallet holding section 12b at the delivery position P2 moves to the standby position P1. After this, when the swing block 12 is lowered by driving the lift actuator 14, the recess of the pallet 50 that has moved to the delivery position P2 is fitted into the protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18, and the pallet 50 that has moved to the standby position P1 is moved to the standby table. It is supported by a protrusion 25 on 16. As a result, the two pallets 50 are exchanged by the pallet exchanging device 1.

A work holding jig 60 for pressing and fixing the work w on the pallet 50 from above is attached to the table base 19. As shown in FIG. 2, the work holding jig 60 includes a pair of side stays 30s that stand upward from both sides of the table base 19 in the x direction, and a top that is built over the upper ends of the pair of side stays 30s. A gate-shaped fixed frame 30 having a stay 30t is provided. The work holding jig 60 further includes a pressing actuator 31 fixed to the top stay 30t, and a support block 32 connected to a movable part of the pressing actuator 31 below the top stay 30t.

In the fixed frame 30, a pair of side stays 30s extend above the pallet 50 supported on the rotary table 18 and the work w placed on the pallet 50. The top stay 30t supported by the upper portions of the pair of side stays 30s is positioned above the work w placed on the pallet 50. Specifically, the top stay 30t is configured such that when the table base 19 and the rotary table 18 are in the delivery position as shown in FIG. In this case, the workpiece w on the pallet 50 is placed at a height that does not interfere with the support block 32.

The pressing actuator 31 is configured by, for example, a hydraulic cylinder. The support block 32 connected to the movable part of the press actuator 31 is moved up and down below the top stay 30t by the drive of the press actuator 31. Further, the support block 32 receives a pressing force from the pressing actuator 31 and presses the upper surface of the workpiece w on the pallet 50 from above. The work w is thereby pressed and fixed onto the pallet 50.

Furthermore, the fixed frame 30 fixed to the table base 19 via the side stays 30s is in a non-contact state with respect to the rotary table 18 or the pallet 50 on the rotary table 18. When the rotary table 18 and the pallet 50 rotate around the axis C2 by driving the rotation actuator 23, the rotary table 18 and the pallet 50 do not interfere with the fixed frame 30. When machining a workpiece w with a machine tool, the direction of the workpiece w to be machined can be adjusted by releasing the pressure fixation of the workpiece w by the press actuator 31 and the support block 32, and rotating the rotary table 18 in this state. It can be turned in any direction. Thereafter, when processing the workpiece w that has been turned in an arbitrary direction, the workpiece w is again pressed and fixed onto the pallet 50 by the press actuator 31 and the support block 32.

Next, the control of each part by the controller 100 (control unit) when replacing the pallet 50 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 4 is a side view sequentially showing the operation of the pallet exchange device 1 in (a), (b), and (c) when exchanging the pallet 50, and FIG. ), (e), and (f) are side views shown sequentially. Note that in FIGS. 4 and 5, illustration of the work w placed on the pallet 50 is omitted.

FIG. 4(a) shows the state of the pallet 50 before replacement. In this state, a pallet 50 on which an unprocessed workpiece w is placed and a pallet 50 on which a processed workpiece w is placed are placed on the pair of pallet holding parts 12b of the turning block 12, and the pallet 50 on which an unprocessed workpiece w is placed is placed. The pallet 50 on which the processed work w is placed is located at the standby position P1, and the pallet 50 on which the processed workpiece w is placed is located at the delivery position P2. In FIGS. 4 and 5, in the initial state shown in FIG. 4A, the pallet 50 in the standby position P1 is designated by the reference numeral 50B, and the pallet 50 in the delivery position P2 is designated by the reference numeral 50B for ease of understanding. 50A is attached.

First, as shown in FIG. 4(b), before turning the turning block 12 by the turning actuator 13, the controller 100 operates the lifting actuator 14 to raise the turning block 12 to a predetermined height. At this time, the lock between the recess of the pallet 50A at the delivery position P2 and the protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18 is released in advance. When the swing block 12 is raised to a predetermined height by the operation of the lift actuator 14, the vertical fit between the recess of the pallet 50A at the delivery position P2 and the protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18 is disengaged.

Next, the controller 100 operates the servo motor 22 to rotate the ball screw 20 in a predetermined direction, and moves the table base 19 together with the rotary table 18 from the delivery position P2 to the retreat position, as shown in FIG. 4(c). let

Here, the retracted position means that when the turning block 12 turns around the turning center C1 due to the operation of the turning actuator 13, a member that turns together with the turning block 12 interferes with a member on the table base 19 side. This is a position where you can avoid this. In the case of this embodiment, when the turning block 12 turns around the turning center C1, the turning trajectory of the outer end of the partition wall 70 passes through the position farthest from the turning center C1, as shown in FIG. The retracted position is set at a position where the orbit of the outer end of the partition wall 70 and the work holding jig 60 on the table base 19 do not interfere with each other.

Thereafter, the controller 100 operates the swing actuator 13 to turn the swing block 12 by 180 degrees around the swing center C1, as shown in FIG. 5(d). As a result, the pallet 50B that was located above the standby position P1 moves above the delivery position P2, and the pallet 50A that was located above the delivery position P2 moves above the standby position P1.
At this time, the work holding jig 60 (projection) is located at a retracted position outside the orbit of the turning block 12 (partition wall 70) together with the table base 19, so that the turning block 12 including the partition wall 70 Interference with the work holding jig 60 is avoided.

Thereafter, the controller 100 operates the servo motor 22, which is a moving actuator, to move the table base 19 and rotary table 18 (work receiving block) that are in the retracted position to the transfer position P2, as shown in FIG. 5(e). move it.

Further thereafter, the controller 100 operates the lifting actuator 14 to lower the turning block 12 as shown in FIG. 5(f). As a result, the recessed portion on the lower surface of the pallet 50B that has been lowered at the delivery position P2 fits into the corresponding protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18. Thereafter, the concave portion corresponding to the protrusion 24 is locked by the locking mechanism, and the pallet 50B is fixed to the rotary table 18.

As described above, in the pallet exchanging device 1 of this embodiment, when exchanging the pallet 50, the controller 100, which is a control section, controls each section as follows.
That is, before the controller 100 causes the rotation actuator 13 to rotate the rotation block 12, the controller 100 moves the table base 19 and the rotary table 18 to the retracted position using the servo motor 22 and the ball screw 20, which are movement actuators. Thereafter, the controller 100 rotates the rotation block 12 using the rotation actuator 13 to exchange the positions of the two pallets 50, and after the rotation of the rotation block 12 is completed, the controller 100 rotates the table base 19 using the servo motor 22, which is a movement actuator, and the ball screw 20. And the rotary table 18 is returned to the delivery position P2.

Therefore, when the pallet changing device 1 and its operating method of the present embodiment are adopted, a work holding jig 60 that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the rotary table 18 is installed on the table base 19 (work receiving block). Even if such a protrusion is installed, the rotation block 12 (including the partition wall 70) can be prevented from interfering with the protrusion when the rotation block 12 rotates. Therefore, when the pallet exchange device 1 and its operating method of this embodiment are adopted, even if there is a protrusion on the table base 19 (work receiving block), the pallet 50 can be exchanged smoothly. I can do it.

Further, in more detail, in the pallet exchanging device 1 of this embodiment, the controller 100 controls each part as follows when exchanging the pallet 50.
That is, before the turning block 12 is turned by the turning actuator 13, the controller 100 first raises the turning block 12 by the lifting actuator 14 so that the recess of the pallet 50 and the protrusion 24 of the rotary table 18 at the delivery position P2 are aligned. Remove the mating. The controller 100 then moves the table base 19 and rotary table 18 to the retracted position using the servo motor 22 and the ball screw 20, which are movement actuators. Next, the controller 100 rotates the swing block 12 using the swing actuator 13 to exchange the positions of the two pallets 50, and after the swing block 12 completes the swing, the controller 100 rotates the table base 19 using the servo motor 22, which is a movement actuator, and the ball screw 20. And the rotary table 18 is returned to the delivery position P2. Finally, the controller 100 lowers the turning block 12 using the lift actuator 14 to fit the protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18 into the recess of the pallet 50 at the delivery position P2.

Therefore, even if a protruding object such as a work holding jig 60 that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the rotary table 18 is installed on the table base 19 (work receiving block), when the rotating block 12 rotates, the rotating block 12 (including the partition wall 70) from interfering with protrusions, and in a series of operations, the pallet 50 at the delivery position P2 can be engaged with the rotary table 18 at an appropriate timing. You can join and leave. Furthermore, after the swing block 12 is lowered by the lifting actuator 14, the pallet 50 at the delivery position P2 is fitted into the protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18, so that the pallet 50 delivered to the rotary table 18 is It becomes possible to support stably.

In particular, in this embodiment, after the pallet 50 at the delivery position P2 is fitted into the protrusion 24 on the rotary table 18, the locking mechanism locks the fitted state. The pallet 50 can be more stably fixed on the rotary table 18.

Here, the direction in which the table base 19 and rotary table 18 are retracted before turning the turning block 12 by the turning actuator 13 does not necessarily have to be along the z direction, but may be a direction perpendicular to the z direction or a direction perpendicular to the z direction. It may also be in a direction that is inclined to the opposite direction. However, as in this embodiment, the direction in which the table base 19 and the rotary table 18 are retracted is along the z direction, and the retracted position is an extension of a straight line connecting the center of the pallet 50 at the rotation center C1 and the delivery position P2. In the case where the pallet 50 is positioned above, the moving distance of the table base 19 and the rotary table 18 between the delivery position P2 and the retreat position becomes the shortest distance, so that the pallet 50 can be exchanged more quickly. becomes possible.

Furthermore, when the direction in which the table base 19 and rotary table 18 are retracted is along the z direction as in this embodiment, the ball screw 20 and the workpiece w can be moved to the processing position without adding a special actuator. The table base 19 and rotary table 18 can be moved to the retracted position using the servo motor 22. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the structure of the pallet exchanging device 1 can be simplified and the entire device can be made more compact.

Further, in the pallet exchange device 1 of this embodiment, a work holding jig 60 is installed on the table base 19 as a protrusion that protrudes above the pallet receiving portion of the rotary table 18. Therefore, workpieces w of various shapes can be stably fixed on the pallet 50 by the workpiece holding jig 60, and the rotation block 12 will not interfere with the workpiece holding jig 60 when replacing the pallet 50. can be avoided as described above.

In particular, in the case of this embodiment, since the workpiece holding jig 60 is installed on the table base 19 so as not to interfere with the rotary table 18 or the pallet 50, the holding of the workpiece w by the workpiece holding jig 60 is temporarily released. By rotating the rotary table 18, the direction of the workpiece w to be processed can be easily changed to any angle. Therefore, when the configuration of this embodiment is adopted, the degree of freedom in machining the workpiece w can be increased.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist thereof.
For example, in the above embodiment, the work holding jig 60 is cited as an example of a protrusion that protrudes above the pallet receiving part of the work receiving block (rotary table 18 and table base 19), but the pallet receiving part The protrusion that protrudes upward is not limited to the work holding jig 60. The protrusion may be, for example, a sensor support bracket that supports a measuring device using a laser beam, a camera support bracket that supports an imaging device, or the like. In this case as well, when replacing the pallet 50, the work receiving block (rotary table 18 and table base 19) moves to the retracted position before the rotating block 12 rotates, thereby preventing the rotating block 12 from interfering with the protruding object. can be avoided.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when replacing the pallet 50, the lifting actuator 14 lifts the turning block to release the engagement between the pallet 50 and the work receiving block (rotary table 18). Alternatively, the pallet 50 and the workpiece receiving block may be disengaged by lowering the workpiece receiving block side using an actuator.
Furthermore, the pallet 50 and the workpiece receiving block at the delivery position P2 may be engaged by means other than vertical fitting. The locking direction is not particularly limited as long as the pallet 50 can be locked to the work receiving block at the delivery position P2.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet 50 at the delivery position P2 is configured to include the rotary table 18 and the table base 19, but it is necessary to change the orientation of the pallet 50 when processing the workpiece w. If there is no rotary table 18, the rotary table 18 can be omitted.
Furthermore, the workpiece receiving block can be moved by any actuator other than the ball screw 20 and the servo motor 22, as long as it can be moved between the pallet delivery position P2 on which the workpiece w is placed and the processing position of the workpiece w. It is also possible to do this by means.

Further, in the above embodiment, the swing block 12 has a structure having a pair of pallet holding parts 12b facing in opposite directions, but the structure of the swing block 12 is not limited to this structure. The turning block 12 may have a structure having three or more pallet holding parts as long as it turns substantially horizontally about the turning center C1.

1...Pallet exchange device 12...Swivel block 12b...Pallet holder 13...Swivel actuator 14...Elevating actuator 18...Rotary table 18 (work receiving block)
19...Table base (work receiving block)
20...Ball screw (moving actuator)
22...Servo motor (moving actuator)
24...Protrusion (fitting part)
50...Pallet 60...Work holding jig (protruding object)
100...Controller (control unit)
C1...Turning center P1...Standby position P2...Delivery position w...Workpiece

Claims (5)

A turning system that has a plurality of pallet holding parts that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and moves the pallet held by the pallet holding parts between a standby position and a delivery position by turning around a turning center. block and
a workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet together with the workpiece at the delivery position;
a work holding jig provided on the work receiving block and protruding above the pallet to press and fix the work placed on the pallet from above;
a swing actuator that swings the swing block;
a movement actuator that moves the work receiving block between the delivery position and another position;
A control unit that controls the operation of the swing actuator and the movement actuator,
When exchanging the pallet, the control unit moves the work receiving block to a retracted position by the movement actuator before rotating the rotation block by the rotation actuator, and then causes the rotation actuator to rotate the rotation block. The pallet exchange device is characterized in that the work receiving block is moved to the delivery position by the movement actuator after the rotation of the rotation block is completed. A turning system that has a plurality of pallet holding parts that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and moves the pallet held by the pallet holding parts between a standby position and a delivery position by turning around a turning center. block and
a workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet together with the workpiece at the delivery position;
a work holding jig provided on the work receiving block and protruding above the pallet to press and fix the work placed on the pallet from above;
a fitting portion provided on each of the pallets and the work receiving block and fitting into each other in the vertical direction;
a swing actuator that swings the swing block;
a lifting actuator that lifts and lowers the turning block;
a movement actuator that moves the work receiving block between the delivery position and another position;
A control unit that controls the operation of the swing actuator, the elevation actuator, and the movement actuator,
When exchanging the pallet, the control section may raise the swing block using the lifting actuator and move the pallet and the workpiece to the delivery position by the fitting section before the swing actuator turns the swing block. After releasing the fitting of the blocks and then moving the work receiving block to the retracted position by the movement actuator, the turning block is turned by the turning actuator, and after the turning of the turning block is completed, the moving actuator to move the workpiece receiving block to the delivery position, and then lowering the rotating block by the lifting actuator and fitting the pallet at the delivery position to the workpiece receiving block by the fitting portion. Features a pallet exchange device. 3. The pallet exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the retracted position is located on an extension of a straight line connecting the center of rotation and the center of the pallet at the delivery position. A turning system that has a plurality of pallet holding parts that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and moves the pallet held by the pallet holding parts between a standby position and a delivery position by turning around a turning center. block and
a workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet together with the workpiece at the delivery position;
A method for operating a pallet changing device , comprising: a work holding jig provided on the work receiving block, protruding above the pallet, and pressing and fixing the work placed on the pallet from above;
The pallet is characterized in that the rotating block is rotated after the workpiece receiving block is moved from the delivery position to the retreat position, and the workpiece receiving block is moved to the transfer position after the rotation of the rotating block is completed. How the exchange device works. A turning system that has a plurality of pallet holding parts that hold pallets for placing workpieces, and moves the pallet held by the pallet holding parts between a standby position and a delivery position by turning around a turning center. block and
a workpiece receiving block that receives the pallet together with the workpiece at the delivery position;
a work holding jig provided on the work receiving block and protruding above the pallet to press and fix the work placed on the pallet from above;
A method for operating a pallet exchange device comprising a fitting portion provided on each of the pallets and the work receiving block and fitting into each other in the vertical direction,
The rotation block is raised to release the fitting between the pallet at the delivery position and the workpiece receiving block by the fitting portion, and then the workpiece receiving block is moved from the delivery position to the retracted position, and then the The rotating block is rotated, and after the rotation of the rotating block is completed, the workpiece receiving block is moved to the delivery position, and then the rotating block is lowered and the pallet at the delivery position is moved to the delivery position by the fitting portion. A method of operating a pallet changing device, characterized by fitting the pallet changing device to a work receiving block.

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