JPH04260595A - Traveling mechanism of loader or unloader for sheeting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a simple structure and improve appearance and function, in the traveling mechanism of a loader or unloader such as punching press, by hanging a mobile carriage with a hanging frame from square pipe rails where guide rails are fixed on both sides laid in a ceiling, and installing a rack and pinion means between a carriage side driving shaft and the guide rail. CONSTITUTION:When a driving shaft 16 is rotated by an installed traveling motor 17, a carriage 8 travels by engagement of a pinion 21 with a rack 22 installed at the lower surface of a guide rail 13 on one side, by which the carriage 8 travels along one square pipe rail 10 extending on a ceiling. It is possible to detect, with an installed encoder 24, the rotation of driving shaft 16 which does nor receive slipping phenomenon between the guide rail 13 and a wheel 15 and to measure a traveling distance exactly.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a travel mechanism for a loader or unloader used for conveying materials or products in a sheet metal processing machine such as a punch press.

0002

[Prior art and its problems] A sheet metal processing machine line consists of a material trolley or stocker and a product stock conveyor or a product trolley with a lifter placed between the main body of the processing machine, such as a turret punch press or a laser processing machine. The machine is constructed by providing a loader for supplying the material taken out from a material cart or the like to the processing machine main body, and an unloader for taking out the product processed by the processing machine main body and conveying it to a stock conveyor or the like.

[0003] A loader or an unloader, which constitutes a material or product conveyance system, is constructed by movably suspending a cart equipped with a loading or unloading mechanism from a ceiling rail extending on a line. The loader/unloader traveling mechanism has advantages and disadvantages in the following points.

[0004] Two types of conventional loader/unloader examples will be introduced below, and the problems of each traveling mechanism will be explained.

Conventional Example A An existing A type loader/unloader is illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6.

A ceiling rail 50 extends along the line of a processing machine (not shown), and a loader 42 is vertically disposed on the material supply side of the ceiling rail 50, and an unloader 43 is vertically disposed on the product transport side. The loader 42 and unloader 43 are
Functionally, the former is a vacuum pad 4 that adsorbs sheet metal materials.
an unloader arm 47 with a gripper 46 for gripping the workpiece;
Although they are different in that they support the
They have a common feature in that they are suspended from the ceiling rail 50 so that they can run freely by an equivalent running mechanism.

Therefore, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the loader 42
To explain the traveling mechanism in detail, in this conventional example, two rails 50, 50 made of H-beam steel are extended parallel to each other on the ceiling, and the bogie 48 is mounted on an axis on suspension frames 51, 51 on both sides. Wheels 53, 5 provided at both ends of the drive shaft 52
3 is mounted on rails 50, 50 and suspended so that it can run freely. The trolley 48 is a self-propelled type equipped with a traveling motor 54, and a chain sprocket mechanism 55 is connected to the traveling motor 54.
, 56, 57, the wheels 53, 53 of the drive shaft 52 are directly driven and rotated.

In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral 58 indicates a lifting platform in which the loader arm 45 is supported by four hanging arms 59, and this lifting platform 58 is suspended from the cart 48 with a chain 60. A vertical motor 61 mounted on a truck 48 winds up a chain 60 via a speed reducer 62, and the chain 60 is unwound and lowered to move the elevator platform 58 up and down. Reference numeral 63 indicates a pantograph that guides the lifting and lowering operations of the lifting platform 58. Further, 64 indicates a cable carrier disposed on one side of the truck 48.

[0009] In the above-mentioned traveling mechanism, two rows of H-shaped steel rails 50, 50 are exposed on the ceiling, which gives an unsightly appearance and is not acceptable as modern factory equipment. This is raised as the first issue. Another problem in function and structure is that the traveling positioning mechanism for the trolley 48 becomes complicated. This is due to the fact that the drive shaft 52 cannot be directly connected to the encoder because slips may occur between the wheels 53, 53 and the rails 50, 50. Therefore,
In the above conventional example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a bracket 65 is provided protruding from one side of the cart 48, and an encoder 6 is mounted on the bracket 65.
At the same time, a chain 67 is laid on the upper surface of the rail on the opposite side to the wheel track of the one-side rail 50, and an encoder rotor (sprocket) 68 is engaged with the chain 67 to measure the absolute traveling distance of the bogie 48. I have to.

In addition, regarding the A-type loader 42, a vertical motor 61 and a speed reducer 62 are installed as an up-down mechanism for the lifting platform 58 that supports the loader arm 45, and as the frame becomes heavier, the trolley 48 Problems have been pointed out such as the inability to increase running speed and the complicated structure with many parts, resulting in high costs.

Conventional Example B FIGS. 7 to 9 show an existing B type loader/unloader. This B type has an improved running mechanism mainly from the viewpoint of improving the appearance defects of the A type.

As shown in FIG. 7, a ceiling rail 80 is extended along the line of a processing machine (not shown), and as described above,
A loader 72 supporting a loader arm 75 having a vacuum pad 74 is provided on the material supply side of the ceiling rail 80, and an unloader 73 supporting an unloader arm 77 having a gripper 76 is provided on the product transfer side. loader 7
2 and unloader 73, carts 78 and 79 on which loading or unloading mechanisms are mounted are mounted on ceiling rails 80.
It is suspended so that it can run freely using a common running mechanism.

The traveling mechanism of the loader 72 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In this conventional example, two rails 80, 80 formed of square pipes are connected to each other and extended in parallel on the ceiling. Then, the trolley 78 is attached to the suspension frames 81 and 8 on both sides.
Guide rails 83, 8 in which wheels 82, 82, which are pivotally supported by
3 and suspended so that it can travel freely. The trolley 78 is not equipped with a running motor and is towed by a chain 85 stretched between rails 80, 80. Specifically, sprockets 86 and 87 are arranged between the rails 80 and 80 at the ends and the center in the longitudinal direction, and a long chain 85 is stretched between the sprockets 86 and 87 and passed between the rails 80 and 80. However, this chain 85 and the traction frame 88 of the truck 78, which is suspended horizontally on the suspension frames 81 and 81, are connected by a chain joint 89. In this mechanism, when a drive-side sprocket 86 is driven and rotated by a travel motor 90 mounted on one rail 80, a chain 85 travels, and a truck 78 is driven by the chain 85. The travel distance of the truck 78 can be accurately measured by connecting an encoder (not shown) to the drive-side sprocket 86.

In addition, in FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 91 indicates a lifting platform in which the loader arm 75 is supported by four hanging arms 92, and this lifting platform 91 is suspended from a cart 78 with a chain 93. There is. However, in the B type, instead of driving by a motor, a mechanism is adopted in which the chain 93 is hoisted up and down by the telescopic operation of an air cylinder 96 via guide sprockets 94 and 95. In addition,
Reference numeral 97 indicates a pantograph that guides the ascending and descending movement of the lifting platform 91, and 98 indicates a cable carrier disposed on one side of the cart 78.

[0015] In the above-mentioned improved traveling mechanism, rails 80, 80 formed of square pipes appear on the ceiling, resulting in a clean and good-looking appearance, the ability to simplify the traveling positioning mechanism of the truck, and the ability to move the truck. Although it has advantages such as reduced weight and high speed running, on the other hand, the following problems have been pointed out.

In this B type traveling mechanism, the rail 80
, 80, it is necessary to construct a long chain 85 for towing the trolley 78 over almost the entire length of the vehicle.
Along with providing this chain 85, the rails 80, 8
0 must be arranged in two rows of square pipes in order to pass the chain 85 between them, and on the rails 80, 80,
A motor and encoder mounting mechanism must be installed together with a support mechanism for the sprockets 86 and 87, a chain tension 99 must be installed together with an idler as a running guide mechanism for the chain 85, and a chain guide for supporting the chain 85 must be installed. 100 must be provided over the entire length. Furthermore, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, it is necessary to individually fix a guide rail 83 to the side surface of each rail 80 via a mounting plate 84 whose mounting surface 84a is finished by machining. For this reason, the ceiling structure including the rails 80, 80 has a very complex structure with a large number of parts, processing, and assembly man-hours, resulting in a high cost.

In addition, in the B type loader 72,
An air cylinder 96 is used to raise and lower the lifting platform 91, but with this method, it is difficult to balance the lifting and lowering of the lifting platform 91, and the mechanism, including the middle lock, has the disadvantage of having a large number of parts and high cost. There is.

As described above, the two existing types of loader/unloader traveling mechanisms have advantages and disadvantages in terms of appearance, function, and cost, and at present no one has been found that satisfies all of them at the same time.

In light of the above technical background, the present invention proposes a new type of traveling mechanism for a loader or unloader for a sheet metal processing machine that can achieve improvements in appearance, function, and cost.

[0020]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the loader/unloader traveling mechanism according to the present invention, a single rail formed of a square pipe is extended from the ceiling, and guide rails fixed on both sides of the rail are provided. , the trolley is suspended so that it can travel freely by mounting wheels that are pivotally supported on the suspension frame, and the trolley is equipped with:
A drive shaft driven by an on-board travel motor is mounted on a suspension frame, and a pinion provided on the drive shaft is meshed with a rack provided on the lower surface of the guide rail.

[0021]

[Operation] In this mechanism, when the drive shaft mounted on the trolley is driven and rotated by the mounted travel motor, the pinion on the drive shaft rolls on the rack provided on the underside of the guide rail as a foothold, causing the drive shaft to rotate. The carts are driven a distance proportional to the number of carts. Therefore, if this mechanism is adopted, the trolley can be self-propelled by running along a single rectangular pipe rail extending from the ceiling, and the distance traveled can be accurately measured by detecting the rotation of the drive shaft using an encoder. It can be measured.

[0022]

[Example] Hereinafter, an example will be explained with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 illustrate a loader/unloader according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a ceiling rail 10 is extended along the line of a processing machine (not shown).
Similarly, a loader 2 supporting a loader arm 5 having a vacuum pad 4 is installed on the material supply side of the ceiling rail 10, and an unloader 3 supporting an unloader arm 7 having a gripper 6 is installed vertically on the product transfer side. There is. The loader 2 and the unloader 3 have trolleys 8 and 9 on which a loading or unloading mechanism is mounted, suspended from a ceiling rail 10 by a common traveling mechanism so as to be freely movable.

The traveling mechanism of the loader 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. A single rail 10 formed of a square pipe is extended from the ceiling, and mounting plates are installed on both sides of the rail 10. A guide rail 13 is fixed on a support plate 12 provided across the lower surface of the square pipe rail 10 with the guide rail 11 in between.

[0026] The truck 8 has suspension frames 14, 14 on both sides.
Wheels 15, 15 rotatably supported in opposite positions to
The guide rail 1 is fixed to both sides of the square pipe rail 10.
It is mounted on top of 3 and 13 and suspended so that it can travel freely. The truck 8 is equipped with a drive mechanism for self-propelling it. That is, a drive shaft 16 is mounted on the suspension frames 14, 14 in a direction perpendicular to the square pipe rail 10 at a position directly below the square pipe rail 10, and this drive shaft 16 is mounted from a traveling motor 17 to a chain sprocket mechanism 18, 19, 20. In addition, a pinion 21 provided on one side of the drive shaft 16 is engaged with a rack 22 formed on the lower surface of the guide rail 13 on one side located directly above (see FIG. 3).

A sprocket 23 is fixed to the middle of the drive shaft 16, and a rotor (sprocket) 25 of an encoder 24 mounted on the truck 8 is connected to the sprocket 23.
A chain 26 is attached to the drive shaft 16, and the rotation of the drive shaft 16 is detected by an encoder 24 to measure the travel distance of the truck 8.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 27 indicates a lifting platform in which the loader arm 5 is supported by two hanging arms 28, and this lifting platform 27 is attached to the cart 8 by a chain 2.
At the same time, a chain 29 is hoisted up from a vertical motor 30 equipped with a speed reducer mounted on the trolley 8, and the lifting table 27 is raised and lowered by winding and lowering the chain 29. 31 indicates a pantograph that guides the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting platform 27;
2 indicates a cable carrier arranged on one side of the trolley 8.

In the above traveling mechanism, the mounted traveling motor 17
When the drive shaft 16 mounted on the suspension frames 14, 14 of the truck 8 is driven and rotated, the pinion 21 provided on the drive shaft 16 and the rack 22 provided on the lower surface of the guide rail 13 on one side are engaged. Therefore, the pinion 21 rolls on the rack 22, and the truck 8 travels a distance proportional to the number of rotations of the drive shaft 16. Therefore, if this mechanism is adopted, the trolley 8 can be made self-propelled by running along a single rectangular pipe rail 10 extending on the ceiling, while being free from the influence of the slip phenomenon between the guide rail 13 and the wheels 15. It is possible to accurately measure the travel distance by detecting the rotation of the drive shaft 16 with the mounted encoder 24. Note that the traveling mechanism on the unloader 3 side is also basically the same.

A comparison of the loader or unloader travel mechanism according to the present invention with the conventional example described above is as follows.

First, when compared with the A type conventional mechanism,
Although they are common in that they use self-propelled trolleys, it is sufficient to install one square pipe rail 10 on the ceiling instead of two rows of H-shaped steel, so the structure is simple and the appearance is beautiful. A running trajectory can be created. In addition, by adopting a rack and pinion traveling system, the encoder 24 can be connected to the drive shaft 16, which is not affected by the slip phenomenon between the wheels 15 and the guide rail 13, and the mechanism for determining the traveling position can be expanded. Can be simplified. In addition, if the rack and pinion running system is used, the braking and positioning accuracy of the truck 8 will also be improved.

Next, compared to the conventional B type mechanism,
Since there is no need to provide a complicated mechanism for tensioning the traveling chain on the square pipe rail 10, the traveling mechanism as a whole can be made much simpler. In addition, although they are common in that they use a square pipe rail and have guide rails fixedly installed on both sides of the square pipe rail, according to this organization, the square pipe rail 10 does not have a chain. In addition to the fact that there is no need to pass the guide rail 13 through it, one piece is sufficient, and in particular, the structure of the guide rail 13 is simplified as it also serves as the traveling rack 22. Also, the guide rail 13 can be fixed to the rail 10 by mounting it at right angles to the mounting plate 11. There is no need for troublesome machining to form a mounting surface, and as shown in FIG. 3, this can be easily done by passing and installing the support plate 12 on the underside of the rail, reducing the number of parts and reducing processing and assembly costs. It is possible to realize a traveling mechanism that does not require stress. Note that, of course, the rack and pinion running system has fewer causes of failure and is easier to maintain than the chain drive running system. Moreover, compared to the B type, since there is only one rail and no long cylinder is required, the cart structure can be made more compact in both the width direction and the length direction.

In addition, the following improvements have been added to the loader 2 and unloader 3 shown in the embodiment. The loader truck 8 is equipped with a motor 30 with a speed reducer for raising and lowering the lifting platform 27 to reduce the loading weight of the truck 8, and a hyponic speed reducer is used to raise and lower the lifting platform 27 more smoothly. I'm trying to get it to work. Also,
Along with the conventional A and B types, the steel wheels generate noise when they come into contact with the rails when running, but in this example, high-load urethane is lined around the wheels 15 to reduce noise when running. has achieved considerable results.

[0034]

[Effects of the Invention] By using the traveling mechanism of the present invention as described above, a new type of loader for sheet metal processing machines that overcomes the advantages and disadvantages of the conventional mechanism and is improved in all aspects of appearance, function, and cost can be obtained. Or you can build an unloader.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall front view of a loader/unloader showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an overall front view of a conventional type A loader/unloader.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an overall front view of a conventional B-type loader/unloader.

8 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Loader 3 Unloader 4 Vacuum pad 5 Loader arm 6 Gripper 7 Unloader arm 8 Loader trolley 9 Unloader trolley 10 Square pipe rail 11 Mounting plate 12 Support plate 13 Guide rail 14 Suspension frame 15 Wheels 16 Drive shaft 17 Travel motor 18 Chain 19 Sprocket 20 Sprocket 21 Pinion 22 Rack 23 Sprocket 24 Encoder 25 Rotor 26 Chain 27 Lifting platform 28 Arm 29 Chain 30 Vertical motor 31 Pantograph 32 Cable bear

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A single rail made of square pipes is extended from the ceiling, and wheels pivoted on a suspension frame are mounted on guide rails fixed on both sides of this rail to drive a trolley. In addition to being suspended so that the trolley can run freely, a drive shaft driven by an on-board travel motor is mounted on a suspension frame, and a pinion provided on this drive shaft is engaged with a rack provided on the underside of the guide rail. A traveling mechanism for a loader or unloader for a sheet metal processing machine, characterized by: