JPH02167644A - Transfer device for lens - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the dislocation of a lens while under transfer by holding a pallet placed on a transfer line freely detachably by two checks and linearly moving in the space with a working machine by an actuator. CONSTITUTION:A pallet 12 holding the unworked lens placed on a transfer line 13 is held by the other part of a chuck 19 or 18 by descending the chuck by the actuator 22 for moving vertically as well as holding an empty pallet 12 by one part of chucks 18, 19 provided in a line. Then, the chucks 18, 19 are ascended and moved to a work machine 14 by the actuator 23 for linear movement, the worked lens 11 held by sucking to the suction chuck 34 of the work machine 14 inside the empty pallet 12, the unworking lens 11 is sucked to the suction chuck 34 and restored on the transfer line 13 by the operation of both actuators 22, 23. Thus, the dislocation of the lens during transfer is eliminated and the delivery can be surely performed in the space with the work machine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a lens conveying device for conveying a lens to a lens grinding and polishing machine.

[Prior art] Conventionally, as a device for conveying unprocessed lenses to a processing machine,
This is fully disclosed in the glass handling method and apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-10157E1.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 1O are a plan view and a side view showing the above device.

In the figure, l indicates a single arm that is rotated in the horizontal direction by a cam drive by an autohand device 2, and a lens in a moving jig 4 on a jig line 3 is attached to the tip of the single arm 1. A pair of fingers for vacuum chuck 5.
6 is provided.

The finger 5.6 is rotatable by means of a motor 7 arranged at the other end of the single arm l in order to change its vertical position. Then, by changing the vertical position of the finger 5.6, moving it up and down, and rotating the single arm 1, the lens of the workpiece is vacuum chucked from within the transfer jig 4 and transferred to the jig line 3 and the processing axis 9 of the processing machine 8. It is now possible to perform sequential transfer operations between the two.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-mentioned conventional device, only the lens is held by itself and transferred between the jig line 3 and the processing axis 9, so the lens may become misaligned with the finger that sucks and holds the lens during transfer. In addition, if the positioning of the transfer jig and the clearance between the lens and the lens within the transfer jig are not made equal, when the lens is sucked up from the transfer jig, it will shift due to the difference in suction force, causing problems in supplying the lens to the processing machine. was there.

Furthermore, invert a to invert the finger that adsorbs the lens.
Since the lateral side is provided, the mechanism of the device itself becomes complicated, and in addition, since the transfer from the jig line to the processing machine uses a rotating mechanism, there is a problem that positioning accuracy is poor. That is, in general, the stopper position of the N-swivel structure is closer to the rotational fulcrum due to the miniaturization of the swing device, and errors are likely to occur at the end of the long conveyance arm.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and includes:
The objective is to provide a mechanically simple lens conveying device that prevents lenses from shifting during conveyance, enables secure number transfer to and from processing machines, allows lenses to be moved in a short time, and is mechanically simple. do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the lens transport device of the present invention includes a transport line for transporting lenses, and a processing machine for processing unprocessed lenses at a position away from the tunnel line. In the lens transport device for transferring lenses between
It is equipped with a pallet throat for holding unprocessed lenses or processed lenses and transporting them on the conveyance line, and two chucks for detachably holding the above-mentioned bullets, as well as an actuator for moving the chucks up and down. and,
The chuck is comprised of an actuator for linearly moving the chuck between the transport line and the processing machine.

In addition, the above-mentioned bullet that holds the lens has a locking part on its outer surface that engages with the chuck jaw of the chunk, and a stepped part on its inner surface that fits with the outer peripheral surface of the lens for positioning, and also has a lens adsorption part on the processing machine. It has a tapered portion that engages with the outer peripheral surface of the chuck.

[Function] According to the lens conveyance device having the above configuration, one side of the attached chuck grips an empty pallet, and the chuck is lowered by the vertical movement actuator to transfer the bullet holding the unprocessed lens on the conveyance line to the other side. Keep it in chunks. After that, the chuck is raised and moved to the processing machine using the linear movement actuator, and the processed lenses held by the suction chuck of the processing machine are held in the empty pallet, and the unprocessed lenses are placed in the vacuum pallet. Attach it to the chuck. Then, the processed lens is placed on the conveyance line by operating the actuator for linear movement and the actuator for vertical movement.

In addition, the lens is held in the bullet without looseness by the step portion into which the lens is positioned and fitted, and the lens is engaged with the suction chuck via the tapered surface, so that the lens can be transferred reliably.

Therefore, it is no longer necessary to hold only the lens in the chuck, which eliminates problems during transportation.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a lens feeding device according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a loading device that transports a pallet 12 for holding lenses 11 between the Seido line 13 and the processing machine 14.

The loading device 10 includes a chuck section 15 for gripping the valent 12, a vertical moving section 16 for moving the chuck section 15 in the vertical direction, and a moving section 17 for moving the chunk section 15 in the horizontal direction. +R+ has been pierced.

In the chuck part 15, two chunks 18 and 19 are arranged in parallel, each having chuck claws 18a and 19a that can be opened and closed separately to grip the pallet 12. The chucks 18 and 19 are attached to the vertical movement unit 21 of the vertical movement section 16 via the L-shaped member 20, and are configured to be vertically moved in the direction of arrow A on the conveyance line 13.

The vertical movement unit 16 is provided with the vertical movement unit 21 and a cylinder 22 for vertically moving the vertical movement unit 21. This vertically moving section 16 is mounted on a moving frame 24 of an actuator 23 of a moving section 17, and is adapted to be horizontally moved in the direction of the arrow along with the chuck section 15.

The actuator 23 driven by a servo motor 25 or the like is fixed to the moving unit 17 via a support member 26, such as a base of the lens transport device. The actuator 23 is composed of a single-axis actuator that can perform multi-point positioning in a linear direction (in the direction of the arrow).
8.19 to acid feed line 13 and Kaloe l! 14, the pallet 12 on the transport line 13 is gripped, the unprocessed lens is supplied to the processing a 14, and the processed lens can be placed on the transport line 13. In the figure, 27 indicates the chuck part 15 and the vertical movement part 1.
6 and the movement section 17.

The conveyance line 13 is disposed below the loading device 10 and includes a conveyor 2 for arranging a plurality of barrels 12 and transporting them in the direction of arrow C. Furthermore, on the conveyance line 13, a pallet 12 placed on a container 728 is placed.
A positioning unit (not shown) is installed to stop the chuck section 15 near the center of the chuck claws 18a, 19a and turn it on and off.

Processing [14 is rotatably held by a spindle 29,
A work head 31 is arranged on the axis of the polishing wheel 30 that is rotationally driven and above the polishing wheel 29 . The work head 31 is supported by a column 32, and the column 32 is moved up and down in the two directions of the arrows by a drive motor 33.

A suction chuck portion 34 for suctioning and holding the lens 11 is formed at the tip of the work head 31 . As shown in FIG. 3, the suction chuck part 34 has a tapered surface 34a formed on the outer periphery of its tip, and a recessed part 35 for holding the lens 11 fgL therein. An elastic member 36 is attached to the bottom surface of the recess 35, which acts as a cushioning material when the lens 11 is held by suction. In the figure, 37 indicates a suction hole.

Figures 2 and 3 show the unprocessed lens 1 on the conveyor 2B.
1 to the processing machine 14, and the processed lens is sent to the processing machine 2.
8 shows the pallet 12 to be conveyed, and FIG.
The chuck claw 18a (1
9a), FIG. 3 shows the state in which the lens 11 (unprocessed lens or processed lens) is transferred by the work head 31.

The barrel 1-12 is for transporting the lens 11 while holding the lens 11 therein. On the inner surface of the pallet 12, there is a stepped portion 40 on which the lens 11 is placed and positioned by fitting with the outer peripheral surface of the lens. is formed, and a tapered surface 4 that can freely engage with the tapered surface 34a of the suction chuck section 34 is formed above the step section 40.
1 is formed. On the other hand, a flange portion 42 is formed on the upper outer periphery of the pallet 12, and is engaged with the chuck claw 18a (19a) that grips the outer surface of the pallet 12, thereby preventing the pallet 12 from falling off from the chuck claw 18a (19a). At the same time, vertical positioning can be performed accurately when transferring to and from the suction chuck section 34. In the figure, 43 indicates a lens 11 on the stepped portion 40.
When fitted, the lens surface 11a and the pallet bottom 123
This is a hole 43 for excluding air interposed therebetween to the outside and preventing the lens 11 from tilting within the stepped portion 40.

Next, the operation of the lens conveying device of this embodiment will be explained using FIG.

FIG. 4 diagrammatically represents the steps of the operation of the apparatus. First, each symbol in the figure will be explained.

A-D indicates loading points where the uniaxial actuator 23 linearly drives and stops, A and B are on the conveyance line 13 side, and C and D are on the processing machine 14 side. E
is the center of the conveying line 13 in the flow direction, and the valent 12
F is the line through which F is the point on the axis of the work head 31 of the processing machine 14. G, H, and I are diagrams showing the states of the pallet 12 and the lens 11, where G shows the pallet holding processed lenses, H shows the pallet holding unprocessed lenses, and ■ shows the pallet holding no lenses. ing. a to h indicate operation steps.

(Step a) The right chuck 19 grips the empty pallet ■, and the left chuck 1
B opens the chuck jaws 18a and waits on the center E of the conveyance line. At this time, the vertical movement unit 21 is moved by the cylinder 22.
The position point of the single-axis actuator 23 is B.

(Step b) When the pallet H containing the unprocessed lenses is fed by the conhair 28 and stopped, the vertical movement unit 7 21 descends, grips the pallet 11 with the left chuck 18, and raises the vertical movement unit 21. . Note that the lens waits until the processing of the lens that has already been delivered to the processing machine is completed, and after the processing is completed, the process moves to the next step.

(C step → The single-axis actuator 23 moves to C at high speed and in a high degree by the drive of the servo motor 33. This point C
The empty pallet (2) held by the right chuck 19 is located directly below the work head 31. (Step d) The work piece 1j31 holding the processed lens is lowered by the drive of the servo motor 33, and stops after fitting the lens into the empty pallet (see FIG. 3).

At this time, since the suction chuck part 34 has a tapered surface 34a on its outer periphery that corresponds to the tapered surface 41 on the inner surface of the pallet 12, accurate positioning is possible and reliable delivery is possible. Note that since the work head 31 holds the lens by suction, the suction is cut off at this point and the lens is detached and then raised.

(Step e) The loading point is moved to D by driving the l-axis actuator 23, and the pallet H held by the left chuck 18 is positioned directly below the work head 31. After the loading movement, the work head 31 again slightly descends to the first surface of the bullet (see FIG. 3). At this time, Barrett I has
Although a force may be applied in the vertical direction and the pallet I moves downward, the flange portion 42 hits the chuck claw 18a and the pallet I is prevented from descending, ensuring that the unprocessed lens is inserted into the suction chuck portion 34a and is suctioned. Retained.

(r step) The work head 31 rises, and the unprocessed lens is delivered to the work head 31.

(G step) The loading point moves to A, and the right chuck 19
The pallet G containing processed lenses held by is positioned at the top of the conveyance line. Then, the vertical movement unit 21 is lowered, only the right chuck 19 is opened, and the pallet G is placed on the conveyor 28.
Place R. Valent G is then transported by the conveyor 28 in the direction of the arrow. During this time, the work head 31
descends, and the grinding wheel 30 and the spindle 29 that rotates it
The lens is processed by

(H Stenbu) When the pallet G is removed from the right chuck 19, raise the vertical movement unit.

(l step) Move the loading point to B and turn the vertical movement unit y l
- 21 descends and the left chuck 18 grips the barrel l
It rises after releasing -1. At this time, since the barrel hI is temporarily held by the positioning unit in the conveyance line 13, the barrel hI is not sent to the next process.

(j step) Move the loading point to A and move the vertical movement unit 2
1 descends, grips the pallet (2) with the right chuck 19, and then ascends.

(k steps) Move the loading point to B.

One cycle of lens conveyance is completed in step a- above, and this cycle operation is continuously repeated thereafter.

According to this embodiment, instead of conveying only the lenses, the lenses are conveyed between the pallet 1 13 and the processing machine 14.
Since the lens is held within the pallet 1, it is ensured that the lens does not shift due to shock during transportation, and the lens is held securely within the pallet 1.
2 and the work head 31 are positioned by the tapered surfaces 41 and 34a, so the pallet 12 and the work head 3
Delivery within 1 hour is ensured.

In addition, since the conveyance between the conveyance line 13 and the processing machine 14 is carried out linearly by the l-axis actuator 23, positioning adjustment can be easily performed, and lenses are transferred by vertically driving the processing machine I4, so that the blood canal This can be done by simplifying the mechanism.

Furthermore, two chucks 18 and 19 are provided, and the processing machine 1
Since unprocessed lenses and processed lenses are delivered only on the 4th side, transportation time (processing time loss) can be shortened. In addition, by driving the single-axis actuator 23 with a servo motor, high-speed consignment is possible, and control when stopping is possible, reducing shock and friction on the lenses and preventing damage to the lenses inside the pallet 12. It can be prevented.

FIG. 5 shows another operation step of the lens of this embodiment, which is different from the above operation steps of the feeding device.

In the figure, since steps a to g are the same as the steps in FIG. 4, their explanation will be omitted, and steps after step n will be explained. Note that the symbols used in the figures are the same as the symbols in FIG. 4.

(Step n) After releasing the right chuck 19 from gripping the pallet G, the right chuck 19 grips the pallet H holding unprocessed lenses and ascends.

(l step) The vertical movement unit 21 is placed on standby in an elevated state.

(Step j) When the second lens processing is completed on the processing machine 14 side and the work head 31 is raised, it moves to the loading point D and places the empty bullet ■ held by the left chuck 18 directly below the work head 31. position.

(k step) The work head 31 holding the processed lens is a baren)l
Descend to Valent processed lenses! After handing it over to
The work head 31 rises.

(Step l) Move to the loading point C, and after moving, the throat 31 descends to the workpiece, the right chuck 19 sucks the unprocessed lens from the balent H gripped, and the workhead 31 rises.

(m step) Hand over the unprocessed lens and place pallet I on the right chuck 19.
is grasping.

(Step n) After moving to the loading point B, the vertical movement unit 21 is lowered, the left chuck 18 is opened, the pallet G is placed on the conveyor 28 of the transport line 13, and the pallet G is raised. Thereafter, the parey yl-C flows through the conhair 28 to the next step.

During this time, the unprocessed lens is processed for the third time by the Kaloe machine 14.

(0 strength) Same as step a, wait at the origin.

With the above operation step lens, one cycle of feeding is completed,
Thereafter, this cycle operation is continuously repeated.

According to the operational steps of this embodiment, one cycle ends in 10-dings in the operational steps in FIG. 4, whereas one cycle ends in 20-dings in the steps in FIG. Therefore, although the program is a little more complicated when moving the lens, it eliminates the need to change the grip of the pallet I between the left and right chuck claws 18a and 19a in steps i-k in FIG. At the same time, the frequent use of positioning units on the conveyance line is eliminated, resulting in smooth movement.

FIG. 6 shows a pallet 45 having a different shape from the barrel 12 shown in FIG.

This pallet 45 has an annular groove 47 formed on its outer surface that corresponds to the shape of the opposing surfaces of a pair of chuck claws 46 that grip the balent 45, and holds the pallet 45 by engaging the chuck claws 46 and the grooves 47. It is configured so that it can be done. For example, the shape may be a V-shape as shown in the figure. The rest of the structure is similar to the pallet 12 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, so the same parts are denoted by the same numbers and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

According to the balent 45, the pallet 45 and the chuck claws 46 are gripped exactly 611 times, so that the lens and the suction chuck part 34 can be accurately positioned.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the lens feeding device according to the present invention.

The feature of this embodiment is that the vertical movement unit 21 in the first embodiment is replaced with a cylinder 22, and the cylinder 22 is configured to be moved up and down by a motor 50. Other configurations are
Since this is the same as the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same numbers and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

The rotation of the motor 60 is converted into a linear drive that vertically moves the vertically moving unit 21 (not shown) using a ball screw or the like, and the chuck 18, which is fixed to the vertically moving unit 21, is controlled by a control signal. It is configured such that it can be positioned at multiple points in the vertical direction of 19.

Next, the operation of the lens conveyance device of this embodiment will be explained. Note that manually moving the chunks 18 and 19 to the loading point using the 1-axis actuator is the same as in the first embodiment, so the explanation thereof will be omitted and the explanation will be given in the 8th embodiment.
Chuck 18.19 driven by motor 60 using the figure
The vertical movement of the will be explained.

First, the conveyor of the conveyor line 13 gets stuck on the second day (the pallets 12 that have been sent multiple times) are
The vertical movement unit 21 is raised and moved by the drive of the mokuro 0. This upper M-position is the tip of the chuck part 3 lI for suctioning the gutter 31 to the workpiece and the conveyor 2
This is an intermediate position between 8 and 8.

From this position, the pallet 12 is moved directly below the work head 31 by driving the uniaxial actuator 23, and then raised to a position where the work head 31 can attach and detach the lens 11. Since this raised position changes depending on the shape of the lens 11, a point is input into the controller 27 in advance.

The attachment and detachment of the lens 11 on the processing machine 14 side is the same except that the vertical movement of the work head 31 is changed to the vertical movement of the vertical movement unit 21.

After attachment/detachment is completed n7, the chuck 18 (chuck 19) is lowered to the intermediate position, returned to the origin by the single-axis actuator 23, the pallet 12 holding the processed lens is placed on the conveyor 28, and the pallet 12 is Transfer to the next process.

According to this embodiment, the motor 60 causes the chuck portion 15 to
can be positioned at multiple points in the vertical direction, so transport line 1
3 and processing 4i! The loading device 1 moves the pallet 12 in the vertical direction for transferring the lenses 11 between the lenses 14 and 14.
It can be performed in 0 cases.

Therefore, when transferring the lens 11, the movement of the throat 31 to the workpiece can be reduced, and it can also be applied to a processing machine in which the column 32 of the processing 614 can only move up and down in a simple two-point reciprocating manner.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the lens conveyance device of the present invention, lenses can be transferred together with the pallet and delivered to the processing machine, so damage to the lenses during conveyance can be prevented and the pallet and the lenses can be delivered. Since it engages with the suction chuck part through a taper, reliable delivery is possible.

Additionally, the double chuck mechanism allows lenses to be replaced only on the processing machine side, reducing processing loss time (transport time).

Furthermore, since it is a combination of linear transport, the transport mechanism is simple and positioning adjustment can be made easily.

And the transfer pallet has an external size of 4! Since it can be standardized, positioning with the suction chuck is easy and there is no need to change the loading setup.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a lens conveying device according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 show a pallet, and FIG. 2 shows a pallet holding lenses gripped by chuck claws. 3 is a sectional view of the state in which the lens and the suction jack part are delivered, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the lens feeding device of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another shape of the pallet, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the lens transport device according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the main part of the operation of the lens transport device of the second embodiment, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are a plan view and a side view showing the conventional lens transport device. It is. 11... Lens 12... Valent 13... Conveyance line 18.19... Chuck 22... Vertical movement actuator 23... Linear movement actuator

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a lens transport device for transferring lenses between a transport line that transports lenses and a processing machine that processes unprocessed lenses at a position away from the transport line, unprocessed lenses or processed lenses are used. A pallet for holding the lens and transporting it on the transport line, two chucks for removably gripping each of the pallets, and an actuator for moving the chuck up and down, and a pallet for moving the chuck on the transport line. and an actuator for moving linearly between processing machines. (2) The above pallet has a locking part on its outer surface that engages with the chuck jaw of the chuck, and a stepped part on its inner surface that fits and positions the lens outer circumferential surface, and also has a part that engages with the chuck jaw of the chuck on the processing machine. 2. The lens conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a tapered portion that engages with the outer circumferential surface.