JPH07290378A - Linear motor type carrier device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To correctly and easily set the reference positions of carriers driven by a linear motor to the desired positions. CONSTITUTION:When the reference positions of a lower carrier 10 and an upper carrier 11 are to be set to the desired positions, a linear motor 14 is stopped, set screws 25, 32 are loosened, and the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are manually moved to the desired positions. The set screws 35, 32 are fastened, a slider 21 is hooked on a support base 8, and the slider 21 is hooked on the lower carrier 10. When knobs 24, 31 are rotated, the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are slightly moved in the moving direction, and the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 can be correctly positioned at the desired positions by this movement.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a linear motor type carrier device in which a linear motor is disposed between a carrier and a support base on which the carrier is slidably mounted, and the linear motor drives the carrier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of carrier device, the carrier is manually aligned to a desired position while the linear motor is stopped, and the position of the carrier is detected by position detecting means such as a sensor in that state, and the detected information is detected. The reference position of the carrier can be set to a desired position based on the above.

[0003]

However, when the reference position of the carrier is set to the desired position, the carrier is moved by a slight moving force due to the stop of the linear motor, and therefore the carrier is moved to the desired position. Cannot be accurately aligned, and after aligning the carrier to the desired position, it is necessary to set the reference position while holding the carrier so that it does not move carelessly. There was a problem that it could not be set accurately and easily.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a linear motor type carrier device capable of accurately and easily setting a reference position of a carrier to a desired position.

[0005]

The present invention is a linear motor type carrier device in which a linear motor is arranged between a carrier and a support base on which the carrier is slidably mounted, and the carrier is driven by the linear motor. The carrier has a slider attached to the carrier via a manual feed screw so as to be relatively movable in the driving direction, and a locking means capable of locking the slider to the support base at an arbitrary moving position. It is characterized by that.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when the reference position of the carrier is set to a desired position, the linear motor is stopped and the locked state between the slider and the support base is released to allow the carrier to move freely. If the carrier is manually moved to a desired position and then the slider is locked to the support base by the locking means, and the feed screw is manually operated in this locked state, the carrier moves a minute amount in the driving direction,
This movement allows the carrier to be accurately aligned with the desired position, and the movement of the carrier is restrained via the slider by the locking of the slider to the support base, while holding the carrier from being inadvertently moved. There is no need to perform the reference position setting operation.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A linear motor type carrier device to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this carrier device, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a carrier 2 having a work robot 1 such as a manipulator is provided, and when the work robot 1 is driven, the carrier 2 is driven in association with the operation of the work robot 1. It is like this.

The work robot 1 is provided with an arm 3 horizontally positioned above the carrier 2, and a head 4 is provided at one end of the arm 3. The other end of the arm 3 is rotatably attached to the upper part of the carrier 2 via a column 5, and is driven to rotate around the column 5 by a driving means (not shown) to move the head 4 to an arbitrary rotational position around the column 5. You can do it. The head 4 is provided with a pair of gripping claws (chucks) 6, 7 so that each gripping claw 6, 7 can be used for carrying a predetermined article by driving in association with the arm 3 and the carrier 2. It has become. That is, the holding claws 6 and 7 are provided so as to be able to move up and down and be opened and closed by a driving means (not shown). Then, the arm 3 and the carrier 2 are driven to move the head 4 to a predetermined location, and at that location, the holding claws 6 and 7 are lowered with the open state (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1), and the lowered position thereof. Then, the gripping claws 6 and 7 are closed to grip a predetermined article (not shown) with the gripping claws 6 and 7, and then the gripping claws 6 and 7 are kept closed (state shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1). , The arm 3 and the carrier 2 are driven to move the head 4 to another predetermined position,
By opening the gripping claws 6 and 7 at that location and dropping the article, the article can be carried to another location.

The carrier 2 is composed of a lower carrier 10 having a fixed base 8 as a support base and an upper carrier 11 having this lower carrier 10 as a support base. The arm 3 of the work robot 1 is attached to the upper carrier 11 by the support column 5. Is attached through.

Lower carrier 10 and upper carrier 11
And can be driven in different directions. That is,
A pair of guide rails 9 are provided in parallel and straight on the upper surface of the support base 8, and a lower carrier 10 is slidably fitted to each guide rail 9. The linear motor 1 is provided between the lower carrier 10 and the support base 8.
2 (shown in FIG. 2) is provided, and the linear motor 12 enables the lower carrier 10 to be linearly driven along with the upper rail 11 along the guide rail 9. On the other hand, on the upper surface of the lower carrier 10, a pair of guide rails 13 extending at right angles to the extending direction of the guide rails 9 are provided in parallel, and the upper carrier 11 is slidably fitted to each of these guide rails 13. ing. And
Between the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11,
A linear motor 14 (shown in FIG. 1) is provided, and the linear motor 14 enables the upper carrier 11 to be linearly driven along the guide rail 13 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the lower carrier 10. The linear motor 12 is fixed to the rail-shaped stator 12a provided on the upper surface of the support base 8 so as to be located between the guide rails 9 and to the bottom surface of the lower carrier 10 so as to face the stator 12a. The linear motor 14 is provided with a rail-shaped stator 14a provided on the upper surface of the lower carrier 10 so as to be located between the guide rails 13, and the linear motor 14 faces the stator 14a. As described above, the runner 14b is fixed to the bottom surface of the upper carrier 11.

The respective moving positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 can be individually detected by position detecting means composed of inductosyn or magnescale (both are trade names). That is, the linear scale 15 is fixed to the upper surface of the support base 8 along the moving direction of the lower carrier 10, and the detection head 16 is attached to the side of the lower carrier 10 so as to face the linear scale 15. The moving position of the lower carrier 10 can be detected by 15 and the detection head 16. A linear scale 17 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower carrier 10 along the moving direction of the upper carrier 11, and a detection head 18 is attached to the side of the upper carrier 11 so as to face the linear scale 17. The moving position of the upper carrier 11 can be detected by the scale 17 and the detection head 18.

The linear scale 15 and the detection head 16 and the linear scale 17 and the detection head 18 are used to set the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 when they are set to desired positions. There is. That is, when the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are set to desired positions, the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are set.
Is manually adjusted to a desired position, and when a setting switch (not shown) is operated in this position, the lower carrier 1 is moved by the linear scale 15 and the detection head 16.
The moving position of 0 is detected and the linear scale 1
The moving position of the upper carrier 11 is detected by 7 and the detection head 18, and positional information of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 is set as a reference position in a CPU (not shown).

The lower carrier 10 has leg portions 10a and 10b formed at both ends thereof in the moving direction.
0b is slidably fitted to the guide rails 9 at both ends in the width direction, and the runners 12b of the linear motor 12 are fixed to intermediate portions in the width direction of the legs 10a and 10b. A slider 21 is attached between the legs 10a and 10b via a feed screw 19 and a guide block 20.

The feed screw 19 extends in the moving direction of the lower carrier 10, and its both ends are provided with bearings 22 and 23 via the bearings 22 and 23.
It is rotatably supported by a and 10b. One end of the feed screw 19 penetrates one leg 10a and projects laterally of the lower carrier 10, and a knob 24 is fixed to the tip of the lower carrier 10 so that the knob 24 can be manually rotated. The guide block 20 extends parallel to the feed screw 19 and is fixed to the body portion 10c between the leg portions 10a and 10b.

The slider 21 is screwed to the feed screw 19 between the leg portions 10a and 10b, slidably fitted to the guide block 20 so as not to rotate around the feed screw 19, and rotated by the knob 24. It is movable relative to the lower carrier 10 in the moving direction. A projecting piece 21a projecting laterally of the lower carrier 10 is integrally formed on the slider 21, and a set screw 25 as a locking means is screwed into the projecting piece 21a.

The set screw 25 penetrates the protruding piece 21a in the vertical direction, and moves the slider 21 at an arbitrary moving position to support the support base 8.
It can be locked to. That is, when the set screw 25 is tightened, the lower end of the set screw 25 comes into contact with the upper surface of the support base 8 and the slider 21 is immovably locked to the support base 8 by the frictional force between the two. When the set screw 25 is loosened, the lower end of the set screw 25 separates from the upper surface of the support base 8, and the locked state between the slider 21 and the support base 8 is released.

On the other hand, the upper carrier 11 is formed with legs 11a and 11b at both ends in the moving direction, and slidably fitted to the guide rail 13 at both ends in the width direction of each leg 11a and 11b. Together with each leg 11a,
The runner 14 of the linear motor 14 is provided in the widthwise intermediate portion of 11b.
b is fixed. A slider 28 is attached between the legs 11a and 11b via a feed screw 26 and a guide block 27.

The feed screw 26 extends in the moving direction of the upper carrier 11, and both ends thereof are rotatably supported by the leg portions 11a and 11b via bearings 29 and 30, respectively. One end portion of the feed screw 26 penetrates one leg portion 11a and projects to the side of the upper carrier 11, and the knob 3 is attached to the tip portion thereof.
1 is fixed and can be manually rotated by a knob 31. The guide block 27 extends parallel to the feed screw 26 and is fixed to the body portion 11c between the leg portions 11a and 11b.

The slider 28 is screwed to the feed screw 26 between the leg portions 11a and 11b, slidably fitted to the guide block 27 so as not to rotate around the feed screw 26, and rotated by the knob 31. It is movable relative to the upper carrier 11 in the moving direction. The upper carrier 1 is attached to the slider 28.
A projecting piece 28a projecting laterally of 1 is integrally formed, and a set screw 32 as a locking means is screwed into the projecting piece 28a.

The set screw 32 penetrates the protruding piece 28a in the vertical direction, and can lock the slider 28 to the lower carrier 10 at an arbitrary moving position. That is, the set screw 32
When tightened, the lower end of the set screw 32 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower carrier 10, and the slider 28 is immovably locked to the lower carrier 10 by the frictional force of both, and from this locked state, the set screw 32 is locked. When loosened, the lower end of the set screw 32 separates from the upper surface of the lower carrier 10, and the locked state between the slider 28 and the lower carrier 10 is released.

Next, the operation will be described. When using the work robot 1, if the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are set to desired positions according to the work position of the work robot 1 and the like, the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are When the work robot 1 is driven, it is driven by the linear motors 12 and 14 in association with the operation of the work robot 1.

When the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are set to desired positions, the linear motors 12 and 14 are stopped and the set screw 2 is used.
5 and 32 are loosened to release the locked state between the slider 21 and the support base 8 and the locked state between the slider 28 and the lower carrier 10 so that the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 can move freely. 10 and the upper carrier 11 are manually moved to desired positions.

After the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are moved to desired positions, the set screws 25 and 32 are set.
Is tightened to lock the slider 21 to the support base 8 and the slider 28 to the lower carrier 10, and the knobs 24 and 31 are rotated in this locked state to support the support base 8.
When the slider 21 is locked to the lower carrier 10 and the slider 28 is locked to the lower carrier 10, the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are moved by a small amount in the moving direction, and this movement causes the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 1 to move.
1 can be accurately aligned to a desired position.

After the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are aligned to desired positions, the linear scale 15 and the detection head 16 detect the moving position of the lower carrier 10 by operating a setting switch (not shown). The moving position of the upper carrier 11 is detected by the linear scale 17 and the detection head 18, and the positional information of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 is set as a reference position in the CPU (not shown). At the time of this setting, the movement of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 via the sliders 21 and 28 is restricted by the engagement of the slider 21 with the support base 8 and the engagement of the slider 28 with the lower carrier 10, and the setting switch At the time of operation, it is not necessary to operate the setting switch while pressing the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 so as not to move carelessly, and the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 can be easily set to desired positions.

Therefore, the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 can be accurately and easily set to desired positions, and the work robot 1 can be set by setting the incorrect reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11.
This eliminates the work error and the workability at the time of setting the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 is improved.

After the reference positions of the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are set to desired positions,
The set screws 25 and 32 are loosened to lock the slider 21 and the support base 8 and the slider 28 and the lower carrier 10.
If the lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are made movable by releasing the locked state with
And the upper carrier 11 includes the linear motors 12 and 14
The lower carrier 10 and the upper carrier 11 are driven by the linear motors 12 and 14 in association with the operation of the work robot 1.

In the above embodiment, the set screws 25 and 32 are attached to the sliders 21 and 28, and the set screws 25 and 32 are attached.
Although the sliders 21 and 28 can be locked to the support base 8 and the lower carrier 10 via the above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a rack can be laid on the support base 8 and the lower carrier 10 and can be locked to the rack. Stop the sliders 21, 2
8 and the sliders 21 and 28 can be locked to the support base 8 and the lower carrier 10 via the locking piece and the rack. In this case, the set screw 2
The tightening work such as 5, 32 is unnecessary, and the workability is improved.

[0028]

As described above, in the linear motor type carrier device according to the present invention, the slider is movably attached to the carrier driven by the linear motor through the manual feed screw and the slider is arbitrarily moved. Since the locking means that can be locked to the support base at the moving position is provided, the reference position of the carrier can be accurately and easily set to a desired position, and the inconvenience caused by setting the incorrect reference position of the carrier is eliminated. It has an excellent effect that workability at the time of setting the reference position of the carrier is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a linear motor type carrier device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Carrier 8 Support Base 10 Lower Carrier 11 Upper Carrier 12 Linear Motor 14 Linear Motor 19 Feed Screw 21 Slider 25 Set Screw (Locking Means) 26 Feed Screw 28 Slider 32 Set Screw (Locking Means)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A linear motor type carrier device in which a linear motor is disposed between a carrier and a support base on which the carrier is slidably mounted, and the linear motor drives the carrier. A slider mounted so as to be relatively movable in the driving direction via a manual feed screw; and a locking means capable of locking the slider to the support base at an arbitrary moving position. Linear motor type carrier device.