JPH04343644A - Automatic tool setting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically set multiple kinds of tools fitted to the main spindle of a machine tool to the preset lengths while they are fitted to tool holders respectively. CONSTITUTION:Tools are held by a tool magazine system 2 horizontally rotatably installed on a main body base section 1, and the tools are positioned at preset positions by a constant-size system 3. A tool fastening nut driving means 5 constituted of a sliding base 48 vertically movably provided on a base pillar section 4 erected on the main body base section 1, a rotary actuator 49 rotatable around the vertical axis, and a spanner system 51 is provided, and the adjustment setting of the tools is automatically performed by a control device 6.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic tool setting device for automatically setting a tool mounted on a main spindle of a machine tool to a predetermined set length.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, various types of tool setting devices have been known as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 47-12215 or Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-15928. ing.

In these conventional examples, the tip position of the tool is measured by mechanical or optical means with the tool attached to a tool holding member such as a tool holder, and whether or not it is at a predetermined position is determined. is checked, and if it is not within a predetermined tolerance range, the chuck part of the tool holder is loosened, adjusted to a predetermined tolerance range, and then the chuck part is tightened again. In this conventional case, these operations are mainly performed manually by an operator.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional technology as described above, even if the measurement part can be automated, it is difficult to automate the tool length adjustment work, the loosening work or tightening work of the chuck part, etc., so the efficiency of the work is low. It has a problem of bad sex.

[0005] Furthermore, in machining systems such as transfer lines that combine a large number of machine tools, presetting of the tools used is done manually for each machine tool, which requires a great deal of labor and time. There is a problem with doing so.

An object of the present invention is to automatically and accurately perform operations ranging from loosening the tool holder to adjusting the tool length and tightening the tool holder while a plurality of types of tools are attached to the tool holder. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic tool setting device with high productivity.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] An automatic tool setting device according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object has a lower disk body installed horizontally rotatably on a main body base and equipped with a tool length adjustment mechanism. a tool magazine mechanism configured of an upper disk body that is removably attached to the lower disk body and has a plurality of attachment parts for receiving tool holding materials; and a tool magazine mechanism that engages with the tool length adjustment mechanism to adjust the tool length. and a lever disposed near the tool magazine mechanism and having a contactor attached to the tip of a sliding table that can freely move up and down. A sizing mechanism that adjusts the height of the tool by horizontally rotating between the axis center position and the outside of the tool magazine mechanism, and a sizing mechanism that can freely move up and down with respect to a column erected on the main body base. a sliding stand attached to the sliding stand, a rotating means attached to the sliding stand and attached to the tool magazine mechanism and capable of rotating freely on a tool center line; The present invention is characterized by comprising a tool tightening nut driving means having a spanner mechanism that can engage with the tool tightening nut of the attached tool holder.

[0008]

[Operation] The automatic tool setting device having the above-mentioned configuration loosens the tool tightening nuts of multiple types of tool holders attached to the tool magazine mechanism using a spanner mechanism provided at the tip of the rotating means, and then the sizing mechanism is operated. Turn the lever and set it on top of the tool. When the tool length adjusting mechanism is driven by the tool tightening nut driving means, the tool rises, contacts the sizing mechanism, and stops at a predetermined position. After returning the lever, the rotating means is rotated in the opposite direction to tighten the tool tightening nut of the tool holding member to fix the tool.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be explained in detail based on the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an automatic tool setting device according to the present invention, in which a tool magazine mechanism 2 is roughly installed on a main body base 1, and a sizing mechanism 3 is installed on the side of this tool magazine mechanism 2. , a base column part 4 erected on the main body base part 1
It is comprised of a tool tightening nut drive means 5 which is vertically movable, and a control device 6 which connects these devices to perform automatic presetting.

The tool magazine mechanism 2 includes drills, taps,
Multiple types of tool holding materials H for holding tools such as end mills
(H1, H2, H3, . . . ) are attached around a rotating disk body to be described later.

FIG. 2 shows the basic structure of these tool holders H. The holder main body 11 has a cylindrical portion 11a into which the tool T is inserted at the front end, and a main shaft hole of a machine tool or a tool magazine mechanism 2 at the rear end. It has a cylindrical part 11b that is inserted into the mounting part 12 of
As a tool chuck means, a collet 13 is fitted into the front end so as to be movable only in the axial direction, and a tool tightening nut 15 rotatably fitted to the outer periphery of the front end of the holder body 11 via a steel ball 14 is attached to the collet 13. are screwed together. That is, the tool tightening nut 15 is threadedly engaged with the collet 13, but can only rotate relative to the holder body 11. Therefore, when the tool tightening nut 15 is rotated with respect to the holder body 11, the collet 13 screwed therewith moves back and forth, allowing the tool T to be loosened or tightened.

Further, a tool support member 16 is housed within the holder body 11 and is slidable in the axial direction and has a shape such that a tool end engages with the upper end thereof. A female thread is provided at the rear end of the holder body 11, and an adjustment nut 18 having, for example, a hexagonal spanner hole 18a is screwed into this female thread. Therefore, the protruding length of the tool T can be adjusted by loosening the tool tightening nut 15 and turning the adjusting nut 18 with a spanner member to move the tool supporting member 16 forward or backward, and then tightening the tool tightening nut 15 to fix it. By doing so, the tool can be preset. In addition, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 19 indicates a rotation stopper, and reference numeral 20 indicates a rotation stopper pin for the tool support member 16. Further, although the drawing does not clearly show the fixing means to the mounting part, this is the method known in the art, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-105133, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-42230, or Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-370.
A quick change mechanism described in Publication No. 3 or the like may be adopted.

In the tool magazine mechanism 2 in which a plurality of such tool holding members H are mounted, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,
A rotating disc body 23 is attached via a clutch mechanism 22 to a drive motor 21 provided on the main body pedestal 1 and an output shaft 21a protruding upward from the drive motor 21 . This rotating disk body 23
is divided into an upper disk body 23a and a lower disk body 23b, and mounting holes 24 are provided at, for example, six equally divided positions around the lower disk body 23b, and a tool length adjustment mechanism is provided below each. 25 have been installed. Also, Figure 4
As shown in the figure, cylindrical mounting portions 12 having different diameters are provided around the upper disc body 23a at positions corresponding to the mounting holes 24, and these mounting portions 12 receive different types of tool holding materials H, respectively. It is adapted to be mounted on the lower disc body 23b. A pulse motor or the like is used as the drive motor 21 for driving the rotary disc body 23, and the rotary disc body 23 is intermittently rotated by a predetermined angle, for example, 60 degrees.

The reason why the rotary disc body 23 is divided into an upper disc body 23a and a lower disc body 23b, and the upper disc body 23a is configured to be detachable, is because the rotary disc body 23 is constructed so that the upper disc body 23a can be removed. When presetting the tools to be used each time, the upper disk body 23a
This is to enable one presetting device to be used by replacing the presetting device each time.

The tool length adjustment mechanism 25, as shown in FIG.
The mounting tool 2 is inserted into the mounting hole 24 provided around the lower disc body 23b.
6 is fixed, and a rotating body 28 is rotatably attached to the fixture 26 via a bearing 27, and a spur gear 28a is carved around the rotating body 28. This rotating body 2
A cylindrical member 29 is coupled to the lower part of the cylindrical member 8, and a spanner member 30 having a hexagonal cross-section, for example, is inserted into the cylindrical member 29. The spanner member 30 is connected to the rotating body 28 and the fixture 2
6, and its upper end is an adjustment nut 18.
is engaged with the wrench hole. FIG. 6 shows a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 5, and the spanner member 30, which has a polygonal cross-sectional shape, and the rotating body 28 are fixed in the rotation direction. Further, the spanner member 30 having a polygonal head 30a at its lower end is exposed to the outside from the cylindrical member 29, and is constantly urged toward the adjustment nut 18 by a spring 31 compressed within the cylindrical member 29. ing.

Therefore, when the upper disc body 23a is placed on the lower disc body 23b and locked in a predetermined position, the spanner hole of the adjustment nut 18 located on the rear end side of the tool holding member H and the spanner member Since the upper end portions of the spanner members 30 are in opposing positions, if the positions match, the upper end portions of the spanner members 30 will enter the spanner holes 18a of the adjustment nuts 18 and become engaged. Even if the positions do not match, since the rotating body 28 rotates during tool length adjustment, the two will naturally engage.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, a nut driving means 32 is installed on the main body base portion 1. The nut driving means 32 includes a fluid-operated cylinder 33 fixed on the main body base 1, a sliding base 34 connected to the piston rod 33a, a drive motor 35 attached to the lower side of the sliding base, and a sliding base 34 connected to the piston rod 33a. 34 and a gear 36 attached to an output shaft 35a of a drive motor 35 that protrudes upward. Note that G is a guide member and J is a bearing. As is clear from FIG. 1, the fluid actuated cylinder 33
The slide table 34 can be moved horizontally by the fluid pressure flowing in and out of the piston chamber, and the gear 36 can be meshed with the spur gear 28a of the tool length adjustment mechanism 25.

Therefore, when the rotating body 28 meshing with the gear 36 is driven by the drive motor 35 during tool length adjustment,
The spanner member 30 shown in FIG. 5 is rotated, the adjustment nut 18 is screwed in, and the tool T is moved in the axial direction to adjust the tool length. The tool length can be adjusted by the same operation for each of, for example, six tool holding members H1, H2, . . . attached to such a tool magazine mechanism 2.

The sizing mechanism 3 serves to position the tool at a predetermined position. This sizing mechanism 3 is also installed on the main body base 1, and as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a sizing mechanism main body 37 installed on the main body base 1 on the side of the tool magazine mechanism 2, The drive motor 3 consists of a screw shaft 38 rotatably attached in the vertical direction between the supporting parts attached to the side wall thereof, and a pulse motor connected to one end of the screw shaft 38 with an output shaft 39a.
9, and the drive motor 39 is fixed to the sizing mechanism main body 37 side. A nut 40 is screwed onto the screw shaft 38, and the nut 40 is integrated with a sliding base 41 connected to the sizing mechanism main body 37 side. Therefore, the screw shaft 38 is rotated by the rotation of the drive motor 39, and as a result, the nut 40 and the slide table 41 can be moved in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the sliding table 41 is provided with a fluid-operated cylinder 42, and the nut 4
A lever 43 is horizontally rotatably mounted on the outer periphery of the cylinder 0, and is connected to a piston rod of a fluid-operated cylinder 42 via a link mechanism 44. Therefore, the lever 43
is rotatable from the solid line position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown by the two-dot chain line 43'.

At the tip of this lever 43, as shown in FIG. 8, there is a contact 45 that comes into contact with the tip of the tool T, and a fixed size sensor 4 that detects when this contact 45 comes into contact with the tool T.
6 is installed. Therefore, if the drive motor 39 is rotated in advance to set the end of the contact 45 at a predetermined tool length position, the tool length adjustment mechanism 25 will adjust the tip of the tool T to the contact 45.
The tool T can be positioned at a predetermined position by contacting the end of the tool T.

As shown in FIG. 9, a notch K is provided around the rotating disc body 23 to ensure positioning, and a stopper S is provided on the main body base 1 side to engage with the notch K.
1, S2 is provided.

Tool tightening nut driving means 5 shown in FIG.
is a sliding slide that is attached to the base column 4 erected on the main body pedestal 1, is connected to the piston rod 47a of the fluid-operated cylinder 47 that operates in the vertical direction, and moves up and down in the vertical direction along the base column 4. A rotating actuator 49 is attached to the sliding table 48 so that its axis of rotation is vertical, a cylindrical body 50 is integrally attached to the end of the output shaft 49a facing downward, and a cylinder 50 is provided. A spanner mechanism 51 provided at the lower end of the body 50
have. Further, a rotation block 53 is attached to the support block 52 so as to be horizontally rotatable about the same center as the rotation actuator 49 and the cylindrical body 50 . The spanner mechanism 51 includes a rotation block 53 and a support block 52.
The support block 52 is configured to move up and down along the base portion 4 together with the sliding table 48. A first spanner body 54 is attached to the lower end side of the rotary block 53 which is rotatable with respect to the support block 52 via a dovetail groove so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction. fluid actuated cylinders 55, 5 for pushing the bodies 54 through the rotating block 53 to their respective ends;
6 is attached to the support block 52.

The spanner mechanism 51 is also provided with a spanner size switching mechanism that can accommodate a plurality of types of tool tightening nuts 15 for the tool holding member H. That is, D in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, which is an arrow view in the -D direction, two types of hexagonal holes of different sizes, that is, a large spanner hole 57 and a small spanner hole 58, are formed through the first spanner body 54. In addition, the distance between the center of the large spanner hole 57 and the center of the small spanner hole 58 is set to be approximately equal to the horizontal movement distance of the first spanner body 54. On the other hand, this first spanner body 54
On the back side, that is, at the center position on the back side of the rotation block 53, there is a 2
A medium spanner hole 59 having a size intermediate between the two hexagonal holes 57 and 58 is provided, and this medium spanner hole 59 constitutes a second spanner body 60. In addition, the hole 5 for the middle spanner
A tool relief hole 61 is provided concentrically with 9 and communicating with the cylinder body 50. Note that the second spanner body 60 is connected to the rotating block 53.
It may be separate from or may be integrated with it.

The center of the output shaft 49a of the rotary actuator 49 shown in FIG. 1 and the center of the large spanner hole 57 are in a coincident positional relationship. Therefore, in FIG. 1, for example, the tool tightening nut 15 of the tool holding member H1 is preset.
If the size of the tool tightening nut 15 is large, if the fluid operating cylinder 47 is moved downward in this state, the large spanner hole 57 and the tool tightening nut 15 will engage, and the rotary actuator 49 will be driven to tighten the tool tightening nut 15. can be loosened. It is also possible to tighten the tool tightening nut 15 in the same way.

Furthermore, even when the tool tightening nut 15 is of medium size, the tool tightening nut 15 can be operated in the same state because only the vertical movement distance is changed. On the other hand, when the size of the tool tightening nut 15 is small, such as the tool tightening nut 15 of the tool holding member H4 shown in FIG. After moving the first spanner body 54 and aligning the center position of the small spanner hole 58 with the center of the output shaft of the rotary actuator 49, the fluid-operated cylinder 47 is moved downward as before to tighten the tool tightening nut 15. operations can be performed.

After the fluid actuating cylinders 55 and 56 push the first spanner body 54, they return to their original positions by their own spring force. When the size of the tool tightening nut 15 is changed, the fluid actuated cylinder 55 is operated and the first spanner body 5 is changed.
Just push 4 back. Note that the two set positions of the first spanner body 54 can be determined by a positioning means using a steel ball and a spring, for example, and various other positioning means can be used instead.

The above-described elements are organically combined with each other, and the control device 6 automatically controls the sequence from the setting of tools in the tool magazine mechanism 2 to the completion of adjustment and setting of each tool. The automatic tool presetting operation will be explained below.

First, the upper disk body 2 of the tool magazine mechanism 2
3a, multiple types of tool holding materials H with predetermined tools attached
1, H2, H3,..., and this upper disk body 23
A is stacked and assembled onto the lower disc body 23b. At this time,
The lengths of the tools T attached to the tool holding members H1, H2, H3, . . . are set and input into the control device 6. Each element device moves by a predetermined amount based on the input setting value. Its operation order is as follows.

The settings to be made on the control device 6 side include setting the tool length, that is, the position of the sizing sensor 46 shown in FIG. Set. When starting from the position shown in FIG. 1, the setting operation of the tool holding member H1 is first started.

(a) Loosen the tool tightening nut 15. That is, the fluid actuating cylinder 47 is moved downward to engage the large spanner hole 57 with the tool tightening nut 15, and the rotary actuator 49 is driven to loosen the tool tightening nut 15. Thereafter, the fluid actuated cylinder 47 is raised. Subsequently, the tool holding members H2 to H6 are loosened in the same manner.

(b) The upper disc body 23a is removed from the machine manually or by a manipulator (not shown), each tool is replaced, and then the upper disc body 23a is reassembled onto the lower disc body 23b.

(c) Rotate the lever 43 of the sizing mechanism 3 to set it above the tool. At this time, the lower end surface of the contact 45 at the tip of the lever is set in the sizing mechanism 3.

(d) Adjust the tool length. That is, when the tool length adjustment mechanism 25 is operated after the fluid-operated cylinder 33 of the nut driving means 32 is moved to mesh the gear 36 and the spur gear 28a of the rotating body 28, the spanner member 30
screws in the adjustment nut 18 of the tool holding member H and moves upward, so the tool rises and the contact 4 of the sizing mechanism 3
5 and stops at the fixed position.

(e) Release the lever 43 of the sizing mechanism 3 from the tool magazine side and return it to its original position.

(f) Tighten the tool tightening nut 15. That is, the fluid operating cylinder 47 is moved downward to perform the above-mentioned (a).
Similarly, engage the large spanner hole 57 and rotate the rotary actuator 49 in the opposite direction to tighten the tool tightening nut 15.
Tighten.

(g) Perform rotational indexing of the tool magazine. That is, the stoppers S1 and S2 shown in FIG. 9 are removed, and the drive motor 21 rotates a predetermined angle of 60 degrees to lock again. Next, for the next tool, perform steps (a) to (f) described above.
The presetting operation is similarly performed by repeating the operation.

In the above operation, the tool length adjustment and tightening of the tool tightening nut 15 were repeated for each of the plurality of tool holders H, but the above-mentioned steps (b) to (e) were repeated for all types of tool holders H. It is also possible to control the tightening operation to be performed all at once after repeating the operation.

Further, the structure of the tool holding member H itself, the connection structure to the tool magazine mounting portion, etc. are not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and can be modified in various ways. Furthermore, the types of tools that can be loaded on one tool magazine mechanism 2 are not limited to the embodiments, and various types can be applied.

In particular, in the tool tightening nut drive means 5, the embodiment shows a case in which the support block 52 moves up and down together with the slide table 48, but as shown in FIG. It may be constructed as a fixed frame, in which the rotary block 53 is arranged, and the first spanner body 54 is actuated by fluid-operated cylinders 55, 56 attached to the support block 52.

[0040]

As explained above, the automatic tool setting device according to the present invention can greatly improve tool setting efficiency through consistent and continuous operation. Further, in the tool tightening nut driving means, a plurality of spanner shapes can be switched by one spanner mechanism, so that the structure can be simplified. Furthermore, since the tool mounting section is of a tool magazine type, one device can be used for a large number of tool sets. Moreover, since the tool magazine mechanism is configured so that it can be removed at the top and bottom, if one unit is installed on a transfer line, etc., the tool magazine mechanism for each machine tool can be exchanged and preset, allowing for efficient use. It becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatic tool setting device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a tool holding member.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tool magazine mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the tool length adjustment mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the adjustment drive mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the sizing mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the sizing mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a spanner size switching mechanism.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a spanner size switching mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another example of the tool tightening nut driving means.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Main unit base 2 Tool magazine mechanism 3 Sizing mechanism 4 Base pillar part 5 Tool tightening nut drive means 6 Control device 11 Holder body 15 Tool tightening nut 16 Tool support member 23 Rotating disk body 23a Upper disc body 23b Lower disk body 25 Tool length adjustment mechanism 30 Wrench member 32 Nut driving means 51 Spanner mechanism 54 First spanner body 60 Second spanner body

Claims (2)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Installed horizontally rotatably on the base of the main body,
A tool magazine mechanism comprising a lower disk body equipped with a tool length adjustment mechanism and an upper disk body detachably attached to the lower disk body and equipped with a plurality of attachment parts for receiving tool holding materials; A tool adjustment driving means that engages with the length adjustment mechanism to drive the adjustment mechanism, and a lever that is disposed near the tool magazine mechanism and has a contactor attached to the tip of a slide table that can freely move up and down. a sizing mechanism that adjusts the height of the tool by horizontally rotatably moving the lever between the tool axis center position of the tool magazine mechanism and the outside of the tool magazine mechanism; a sliding stand mounted on a pillar erected on a column so as to be movable up and down; a rotating means attached to the sliding stand and attached to the tool magazine mechanism, the rotating means being rotatable on a tool center line; An automatic tool setting device comprising: a tool tightening nut drive means disposed at a tip portion and having a spanner mechanism capable of engaging with a tool tightening nut of a tool holding member mounted on the tool magazine mechanism. 2. The automatic tool setting device according to claim 1, wherein the spanner mechanism includes a spanner size switching mechanism that can accommodate a plurality of types of tool tightening nuts of the tool holder.