JPH1121620A - Automatic hardening apparatus with induction heating - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic hardening apparatus with an induction heating which can apply stable hardening with small number of workers. SOLUTION: A work to be treated is ejected from a work stocker 110 with a work lifter 120 and transported to a supplying position A on an index table 50 with a work transporting means 130. Then, the work is indexed and turned with the index table 50 and the height thereof is detected at a B position with a height detecting means 55 and the work is hardened at a C position with an induction heating and cooling means 6. At a D position, it is detected whether the work is normally hardened or not, with a non-hardening detecting means 56 and the work is shifted to an ejecting position E and transported to a hardened work lifter 220 with a hardened work transporting means 230 and loaded to a hardened work stocker 210. The above movement is driven under automatic control with a control means 70.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic quenching apparatus for induction heating of mass-produced products such as quenching heat treatment of automobile parts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a quenching apparatus using induction heating has been widely used for mass production quenching of automobile parts and the like, and an automatic quenching apparatus using an index table is known. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-50).

[0003]

However, in these conventional apparatuses, the transfer of the work is automatically performed, but the insertion and extraction into the induction heating coil portion is performed manually, so that one worker is completely attached to one machine. Therefore, there is a problem that a large number of humans are required for a long-time continuous operation of a heavy object, and the cost is increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic quenching apparatus by induction heating that completely automates the quenching of such mass-produced parts to reduce costs and save labor.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the present invention comprises a material work stocker for stocking material work and a material work stocker at a supply position. A material work moving means for extracting and moving the material work to a loading position on the index table, and an index table for indexing and rotating the material work from the loading position to the extraction position via the quenching position; Induction heating / cooling means provided at the quenching position of the index table, and the quenched work quenched at the quenching position and moved to the extraction position is extracted from the extraction position and moved to the quenching work stocker at the discharge position. A quenched work moving means for loading, a quenched work stocker for stocking the quenched work, the material and the quenched work stocker, Out workpieces moving means, is characterized in that a control means for controlling the operation of the index table and induction heating and cooling means.

The material work stocker of the automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the present invention includes a carrier for loading a material work and carrier moving means for moving the carrier from a stock position to a supply position. Means for moving the material work loaded on the carrier at the supply position up and down to the work gripping height of the material work transfer means; holding the material work on the material work lifter to load the work on the index table; And a material work transfer means for transferring the material to a position and loading the material work at the loading position, wherein the quenched work moving means grips the quenched work moved to the extraction position of the index table and transfers it to the quenched work lifter. A quenched work transfer means loaded on the quenched work lifter; A quenching work lifter that receives the quenched work and is driven up and down so as to be loaded on the carrier of the quenched work stocker at the discharge position, wherein the quenched work stocker includes a carrier for loading the quenched work and the carrier. A carrier moving unit that moves from the discharge position to the stock position, wherein the control unit includes a drive control unit that controls the operation of the material and the quenched work lifter, the material and the quenched work transfer unit, the index table, and the induction heating / cooling unit. It is desirable to have.

The work is piled up on the carrier, and the material and the quenched work lifter support the lower work of the stocker carrier and move up and down while the work is piled up, and drive the support member up and down. And a position detecting means for detecting a position of a work loaded on the supporting member, and are disposed at a supply position and a discharge position of the stocker carrier, and the material work transfer means and the quenched work transfer means are provided. A gripping member for gripping and extracting the workpieces stacked on the material or the quenched work lifter one by one from above, and holding the gripped member between the material work lifter and a charging position on an index table or of the index table. Gripping member transfer means for reciprocating between an extraction position and a quenched work lifter; In the means, when the gripping member grips and extracts the material work from the material work lifter, or when the gripping member grips and releases the quenched work to the quenched work lifter and the uppermost work position of the work lifter changes, the position is determined. It is preferable that a detection unit detects the work position and includes a drive control unit that moves the support member of the work lifter up and down to a predetermined position.

That is, in the automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the present invention, a carrier of a material work stocker in which a predetermined number of material works are stacked is moved to a supply position, and the material work loaded on the carrier is moved by a material work lifter. The workpieces are received while being stacked, and the position detecting means detects the uppermost work and moves the material work lifter up and down so that the work is at a predetermined position. For example, a lifter that has received a work from a carrier loaded with 10 material works first rises to a position where the uppermost work is extracted, and when one uppermost work is extracted at this position, the lifter next moves. The lifter rises by a predetermined pitch corresponding to the height of one work so that the work is at a predetermined height position to be extracted. When the work is extracted one after another by repeating this ten times and the work on the lifter becomes empty, the empty carrier is moved by the carrier moving means, and the next carrier on which the work is loaded is moved to the supply position.

The material works stacked on the material work lifter are extracted one by one from above by a material work transfer means, transferred to a loading position on an index table, and placed at a loading position on the index table. . The material work placed at the loading position is moved from the loading position to the quenching position by index rotation of the index table. Then, it is quenched by induction heating / cooling means provided at the quenching position. When quenching is completed, the index table rotates and the quenched work is moved to the extraction position. The quenched work moved to the extraction position is extracted by the quenched work transfer means, transferred to the quenched work lifter position, and stacked on the quenched work lifter. At this time, the quenched work lifter moves downward at a predetermined pitch so that the quenched works are stacked one by one, so that the quenched work transfer means can be easily loaded on the quenched work lifter. When a predetermined number of workpieces are stacked on the quenched work lifter and the quenched work is full, the quenched work is transferred to the carrier of the quenched work stocker at the discharge position while being stacked, and the full carrier is moved by the carrier moving means to the next. Empty carriers are located in the discharge position. Since the above operation is automatically controlled and driven by the control means, unmanned operation can be performed.

When the work is made of a member having a through hole, the carrier is provided with an upright pin that is inserted into the through hole of the work to stack and hold a predetermined number of works. The material or the quenched work lifter support member has a bifurcated claw portion for supporting the lowermost work loaded on the upright pin of the carrier with the upright pin interposed therebetween. The gripping means has a chuck portion which grips the workpieces one by one and is driven to move up and down, and the gripping member transfer means moves between the material work lifter and the loading position on the index table, or It is desirable to have a slider provided between the extraction position and the quenched work lifter and sliding back and forth on the beam. .

That is, when the workpiece is a disk-shaped member having a through hole at the center thereof, such as a hub part, if the workpiece is handled with reference to the through hole, the positioning of the workpiece is easy and a large number of workpieces can be obtained. Stacking of members is easy. Therefore, in the present invention, an upright pin is provided on a carrier connected to the chain conveyor, and a predetermined number of works are stacked and loaded through the through holes of the work. As a result, a large number of works can be stacked on one carrier without disturbing the stacked works. The continuous operation is facilitated by rotating the plurality of carriers on a chain conveyor and moving them to a supply position or a discharge position.

Further, the support member of the work lifter supports the lowermost work loaded on the upright pin with the bifurcated portion sandwiching the upright pin of the carrier, and lifts the work while being stacked on the carrier. Then, the uppermost work is detected by the position detecting means, and the work is moved up and down so as to be located at a predetermined height. As a result, the position at which the workpieces are extracted and gripped one by one by the workpiece transfer means has a fixed height, and the workpieces can be gripped at a fixed position, so that the operation time can be reduced.

Further, the work loaded on the work lifter at the supply position or the discharge position is gripped one by one from the upper work by the chuck of the gripping member of the work transfer means and picked up, or opened one by one. Be loaded. The chuck of this gripping member is held by the slider,
The work is reciprocally slid on beams provided between the supply position and the charging position and between the extraction position and the discharge position.
Transfer between these positions one by one. At this time, the chuck of the holding member is moved up and down, so that the transfer is performed without any obstacle.

Further, in the automatic quenching apparatus according to the present invention, a height detection means for a workpiece is provided at a height detection position between the charging position and the quenching position in the rotation direction of the index table, An unquenched work detection means for the quenched work is provided at an unquenched detection position between the quenching position and the extraction position, and the control means issues an alarm by a failure signal of the height detection means or the unquenched detection means. It is desirable to have a drive control to emit and / or stop all lines.

[0015] The unquenched work detecting means for the quenched work detects induction power for detecting whether the power applied to the induction heating coil is within a specified range, and detects whether the flow rate of the cooling liquid of the cooling means is within a specified value. And a light reflection type sensor for detecting reflected light from the quenched surface. When any of the detected values is outside a specified value, it is preferable that the malfunction signal is issued, and the height detection is performed. Preferably, the means is constituted by a non-contact position detection sensor for detecting a distance between the workpiece and the sensor.

That is, the workpiece height detecting means detects whether or not the heating surface of the workpiece is at a predetermined position.
By providing such a height detecting means before the quenching position, the interval between the heating surface of the workpiece and the induction heating coil is maintained at a predetermined interval. This is because when the work is placed on the index table, if the dimensions of the work are poor or the mounting method is poor, the height of the heating surface of the work will fluctuate and the work will be heated by the induction heating coil. This is intended to prevent the occurrence of an accident that the heating does not reach a predetermined temperature due to breakage due to contact with the workpiece or an excessively large distance between the heating surface of the workpiece and the induction heating coil. It is simple to use a non-contact position detecting sensor as the height detecting means. In addition, if the work is rotated, it is possible to prevent an accident due to the inclination of the work.

Further, the means for detecting unquenched work to be processed is
This is to prevent work that is not quenched from being mixed into the product. By providing this after the heating position, quenching failures such as when the high-frequency power supply does not operate for some reason or when the heating temperature is too low due to too large a gap between the coil and the workpiece and the predetermined quenching has not been performed are eliminated. Is done.

In the present invention, attention is paid to the fact that a normally quenched work has an oxide film on the quenched surface and the light reflectance is lower than that of a metal luster surface of a machined work. A light reflection type sensor was used. As the unquenching detection means, there is another method such as a method using an induced current, but there is no example using a method based on the reflectance of light, and the apparatus of the present invention makes it easier and cheaper to determine unquenching than other methods. The feature is that it is possible. At this time, if the work is rotated and detected over the entire circumference, unevenness in burning can be found. In addition, as the unquenching detection means, the induction power detection and the cooling liquid both detection are performed to detect whether the power of the additional power of the induction heating coil is within a specified value, or whether the flow rate of the cooling liquid of the cooling means is within a specified value. By combining the above, the mixing of the unquenched work can be more reliably prevented. Since the quenched product work is usually handled in a stacked manner, if the end face is quenched, the quenched surface cannot be seen, so it is required to be surely removed at the previous stage, and the unquenched detection means of the present invention can be adapted to this. .

When a defect is detected by the height detecting means and the unquenching detecting means, all the lines can be stopped by the control means, or if an alarm is issued, the operation can be carried out with no human beings. .

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view as viewed in the direction K in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing details of the lifter, and FIG.
Is a conceptual diagram showing the revolving and rotating mechanisms of the index table, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a work used in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the material work before the heat treatment and the quenched work after the heat treatment are collectively simply referred to as work 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the work 1 of the present embodiment
Is a member having a flange 4 and bosses 2 and 3 above and below and having a through hole 5 at the center and an enlarged diameter portion 6 provided at the lower part. The end face 2a of the upper boss is induction heated and quenched. The dimensions of the members are shown in the figure. Of course, workpieces having other shapes and dimensions can be quenched by the quenching apparatus of the present invention.

The material work stocker 110 includes a frame 1
A chain conveyor (carrier moving means) provided with twelve carriers 12 running on the
Is driven by a chain 17 suspended between a driving sprocket 15 driven by a motor 18 and a driven sprocket 16, and travels on a frame 111. Each carrier 12 is connected to a link of the chain 17, and a roller 14 is provided below the chain 17 so that the carrier 12 can run on the frame 111 smoothly. Upright pins 13 are vertically implanted in each carrier 12, and through-holes 5 of the work 1 are inserted through the upright pins 13 so that ten works 1 can be stacked on one carrier in ten stages. As a result, a maximum of 120 works 1 can be loaded on the material work stocker 110.

The material work stocker 110 and the quenching work stocker 210 are arranged symmetrically with the index table 50 interposed therebetween, and have the same structure, so that the same symbols are used for each component.

The material work lifter 120 is disposed at a position where the work 1 can be extracted from the carrier 12 at the supply position G, and is composed of a fork 21 (support member) and a lift section 22, as shown in detail in FIG. The fork 21 (support member) has a bifurcated claw for supporting the lower portion of the work 1 with the upright pin 13 interposed therebetween, and is a slide bar 26 driven forward and backward in the X direction by an air cylinder (not shown) in the lift 22. It is fixed to the tip of. The lift unit 22
With the guide bar 25 standing upright as a guide, the screw 24 driven by the motor 23 reciprocates in the vertical Z direction. Thus, the lowermost work 1 stacked on the upright pin 13 is supported by the claw portion of the fork 21 and is driven to move up and down. The fork 21 is moved by the lifter photoelectric tube 28 (position detecting means) provided above the material work lifter 120.
The uppermost work position of the work 1 loaded thereon is detected, and the lift unit 2 is driven via the drive control unit 77 of the control unit 70.
2 is driven up and down, and the work on the fork 21 is
When each piece is extracted, the next work is set to a predetermined uppermost extraction height.

The quenched work lifter 220 is completely the same as the material work lifter 110 except that it is disposed at a position where the work is loaded on the carrier 12 at the discharge position H. Therefore, the same symbols are used for the respective components.

The gripping member of the workpiece transfer means 130 is as follows:
It comprises a three-jaw air chuck 33 supported by a slider 32 traveling on a guide beam 131. The guide beam 131 is disposed above a position between the supply position G of the material work lifter 120 and the loading position A of the index table 50, and is fixed on the frame 36 by the support columns 35. The slider 32 is driven by an air cylinder (not shown) to reciprocate between a supply position G on the guide beam 131 and a loading position A. The air chuck 33 includes a slider (gripping member moving means) 32.
Is fixed to the tip of a rod 34a of an air cylinder 34 provided on the workpiece 1. The three claws grip the outer diameter portion of the upper boss 2 of the work 1 and move up and down. It is transferred from the G position to the A position in FIG.

The hardened work transfer means 230 is arranged symmetrically with the material work transfer means 130 so that the slider 32 reciprocates on the guide beam 231 between the extraction position E and the discharge position H in FIG. (The guide beam 231 is cut away in the figure), and the same reference numerals are used because both components are completely the same.

On the rotary table 51 of the index table 50, six work mounting shafts 53 are rotatably supported at six equally-spaced positions on the circumference. Are rotated by the rotation drive unit 52 at every rotation angle of 60 degrees so as to stop at the positions of A, B, C, D, E and F shown in FIG. And the work mounting shaft 53
Are driven to rotate when they reach the positions B, C and D. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the rotation mechanism of the work mounting shaft 53 as viewed from the back side of the turntable 51. The shaft of the work mounting shaft 53 is rotatably supported by the rotary table 51, the head is exposed on the upper surface of the table, and the gear 41 is fixed to the back of the shaft. At positions B, C, and D of the frame 36, a gear 42 integrated on the same shaft as the pulley 45 of the motor 44 and the pulley 43 driven to rotate by the belt 46 is rotatably supported. As a result, the gear 41 of the work mounting shaft 53 that has reached the positions B, C, and D is engaged with the gear 42 at the positions B, C, and D, and the motor 44 is engaged.
It is driven to rotate.

When the work 1 is placed at the position A on the rotary table 51, the lower enlarged portion 6 of the work 1 is moved to the work mounting shaft 53.
, The work 1 is positioned, and the driving force for rotating at positions B, C, and D is transmitted. That is, when the work 1 is placed on the work mounting shaft 53 stopped at the loading position A and the rotary table 51 revolves, B, C,
At the position D, the work 1 is rotated while the height detection, induction heating / cooling and unquenching are detected. When the work 1 revolves to the position E, the work 1 stops rotating and the work 1 is extracted in a stopped state.

The induction heating coil 61 is provided at a quenching position C so as to have a predetermined distance from the quenching surface of the work 1, and receives electric power from the induction power supply 60. A cooling means 64 for rapidly cooling the induction-heated work 1 with a cooling liquid is provided at the same position as the induction heating coil 61. In addition, an induction power force detection 62 and a cooling fluid amount detection 65 which constitute an unquenched detection means described later in the circuit of the induction power supply 60 and the cooling means 64 are described.
Are provided respectively.

A work height detecting means 55 is provided at a first detection position B between a charging position A and a quenching position C in the rotation direction of the index table. As the height detecting means 55, an eddy current displacement sensor is used for the work 1 at the first detection position B.
Although it is arranged at a position where a certain interval is obtained from the upper surface of the sensor, it is also possible to use another type of detecting means. Since the work 1 rotates at the first detection position B as described above, the height is detected over the entire circumference while rotating the work.
This prevents induction heating failure due to the inclination of the work. The failure signal of the height detecting means 55 is output to the detecting part 76 of the control means 70.

An unquenching detecting means 56 is provided to prevent the work from entering the extraction position E without being quenched for some reason such as malfunction of the high frequency power supply. As shown in FIG. 6, the unquenched detecting means 56 includes a light reflection type sensor 57, an induction power detection 62 for detecting electric power applied to the induction heating coil 61, and a cooling for detecting a flow rate of the cooling liquid of the cooling means. And a liquid amount detection 65.

The light reflection type sensor 57 is provided at a second detection position D between the quenching position C and the extraction position E, and detects the light reflectance of the quenched surface of the work to check whether or not quenching is possible. is there. That is, when the machined metallic glossy surface of the workpiece before the heat treatment is normally quenched at the quenching position C, an oxide film is formed and the light reflectance changes. Is what you do. The light reflection type sensor 57 is
It was arranged at a fixed interval from the upper surface of the work 1 at the second detection position D. Other detection methods can be used as a method for detecting unquenched work.However, there is no example of a method for detecting a change in light reflectance as in the present invention, and the present invention uses another method in that it is inexpensive and efficient. Excellent. Since the work 1 rotates at the second detection position D as described above, the quenched surface is detected over the entire circumference while the work is rotating, and the mixing of the quenched work is prevented. If the reflectance of the light reflection type sensor 57 is out of the specified range, a failure signal is output.

In addition, the induction power detection 62 in FIG. 6 is performed when the power applied to the induction heating coil 61 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the cooling fluid amount detection 65 is performed when the flow rate of the cooling fluid of the cooling unit is reduced to a specified value or less. A failure signal is output. That is, in the unquenched detecting means 56, the light reflection type sensor 57, the induced power detection 6
2. If a failure occurs in any of the coolant amount detections 65, a signal is output to the detection unit 76 of the control means 70 and the apparatus is stopped, so that the entry of unquenched work is completely prevented. Is prevented.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the structure of the control means 70. In the figure, a cycle time setting 72 is for setting the induction heating time of the work 1, the cooling liquid ejection time, and the like. The set cycle time is stored in the timer 74 of the control unit 71 and output to the drive control unit 77 to drive the induction heating coil 61 and the cooling means 64.

The processing number count 73 is for counting the number of heat-treated works. When the number of workpieces to be loaded into one carrier is input, when the heat treatment of the workpiece of one carrier is completed, the chain conveyor of the stocker can be rotated so as to move the next carrier to the standby position.

The lifter photoelectric tube 28 is a photoelectric tube provided at the height of the uppermost work loaded on the carrier as described above, and extracts the uppermost work loaded on the forks 21 of the work lifters 120 and 220. Or when it is loaded on the top, it is detected and output to the detection unit 76, and the next work is extracted or loaded by the chuck 33 of the work transfer means 130 or 230 via the drive control unit 77. The fork 21 is driven up and down to the position. When the fork 21 reaches the top dead center or the bottom dead center and the work of the material work lifter 120 becomes empty, or when it is detected that the quenched work lifter 220 is full, the material work stocker 110 or the quenching work The work stocker 210 is driven to move the material work carrier 12 loaded with the next work to the supply position G or the next empty hardened work carrier 12 to the discharge position H.

The detecting unit 76 receives the position signal of the lifter photoelectric tube 28 of the work lifter, drives the work lifter, and detects the work height detecting means 55 or the unhardened detecting means 5.
The alarm signal 58 is output to the drive control unit 77 in response to the signal of the trouble 6 to stop each device of the apparatus and activate the alarm 58. The unquenched detecting means 56 includes the light reflection type sensor 57, the induced power detection 62, and the coolant amount detection 65 as described above.
When a failure is detected in any one of them, the drive control unit 77 is stopped via the detection unit 76 and an alarm signal is output.

The drive control unit 77 drives and stops each stocker, lifter, transfer means, index table, induction heating coil, cooling means, and the like in accordance with signals from the timer, counter, and detection means.

The operation of the above-structured automatic quenching apparatus of the present invention will be described below. Explaining the whole movement, the work 1 loaded on the material work stocker 110 is picked up by the material work lifter 120, and the material work transfer means 1
It is transferred from the G position to the A position by 31 and rotated by the index table 50, and the height is detected at the B position.
It is quenched at the C position, unquenched at the D position, extracted at the E position by the quenched work transfer means 231, transferred to the H position, received by the quenched work lifter 220 and loaded on the quenched work stocker 210. Is done.

The above operation will be described in more detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, prior to the heat treatment operation, a predetermined number of workpieces 1 are placed in a material work stocker 11.
The carrier 12 is stacked on the upright pins 13 of the carrier 12 ((a) ST1). In this embodiment, ten works shown in FIG. 3 can be loaded on the upright pins 13 of each carrier.

Next, numerical values are set in the control means 70 ((a) ST
2) Do it. The cycle time of heating and cooling is input to the cycle time setting 72, and the number of workpieces to be processed is input to the processing number count 73. For example, in this embodiment, the cycle time is 12
sec, the number of workpieces was set to 120. Then, the chain conveyor of the material work stocker 110 is indexed and rotated so that the carrier 12 loaded with the work 1 comes to the supply position G in FIG. 1 ((a) ST3).

Here, the work is started ((a) ST
4). At this time, the fork 21 of the material work lifter 120
Is located at the retreat position below the lowermost work loaded on the carrier 12 ((b) ST1). When started, the fork 21 moves forward to the position of the work ((b)
ST2) The lower part of the work 1 at the bottom of the carrier 12 is supported by the claws to ascend ((b) ST3). At this time,
The fork 21 is lifted and lifted while the ten workpieces 1 are stacked, and the loaded top workpiece 1 is detected by the lifter photoelectric tube 28 in FIG. 3 ((b) ST4) and stops at a predetermined position (( b) ST5). The predetermined position is set to a height at which the air chuck 33 of the material workpiece transfer means 130 descends and grips the workpiece 1.

When the fork 21 reaches this height, the slider 32 at the supply position G of the workpiece transfer means 130
The air chuck 33 ((c) ST1) at the top dead center is lowered by the air cylinder 34 ((c) ST2) to chuck the outer diameter of the upper boss 2 of the work 1 ((c) S
T3), rises when chucking ((c) ST
4). When the air chuck 33 moves up and reaches the top dead center ((c) ST5), the slider 32 moves the guide beam 131.
The upper part is slid to move from the supply position G to the loading position A on the rotary table 51 ((c) ST6).

By the above operation, the material work lifter 120
When one work is extracted from the fork 21 of the fork 21, the lifter photoelectric tube 28 detects the work and the fork 2 is moved by the height of the work so that the next work comes to the gripping height of the chuck.
1 rises. This work extraction operation is repeated, and the works 1 are extracted one by one. When the work 1 on the fork 21 becomes empty and the fork 21 reaches the top dead center, ((b) S
T6), the lifter photoelectric tube 28 detects and the control means 70 moves the fork 21 backward and downward ((b) ST).
7) Stand by at the lowermost position ((b) ST8). This means that the material work carrier is empty, and the material work conveyor is also driven to rotate, and the next carrier on which the work is loaded is moved to the supply position G ((a) ST6 to ST8). Then, the above operation is repeated to continue the operation.

When the slider 32 reaches the position A in the operation (c) ST6, the air chuck 3 is moved to the position A ((c) ST6).
3 descends ((c) ST7), and releases the chuck ((c) ST8). When the chuck is released, the work 1
Is mounted on the work mounting shaft 53 at the position A of the rotary table 51 ((d) ST1). As a result, the enlarged diameter portion 6 of the work 1 is fitted with the head of the work mounting shaft 53, and the rotation force of the work is transmitted at positions B, C, and D described later. If the work 1 has a dimensional defect or the like during the fitting, the fitting with the work mounting shaft 53 becomes insufficient, the height of the upper end surface fluctuates, and the gap between the work 1 and the induction coil 61 becomes a predetermined value. It may not be. The step of eliminating this will be described later. The chuck 33 is opened and the work 1a is opened.
Is placed at the position A of the rotary table 51, the air chuck 33 moves up ((c) ST9), the slider 32 moves to the original supply position G, and waits for the next work ((c) ST10). .

When the work 1a is placed at the position A on the turntable 51 by the above operation ((d) ST1), the turntable 51 is indexed and rotated by 60 degrees, and the work 1a moves to the height detection position B. Is performed ((d) ST2). Work 1
When a is moved to the position B, the gear 41 of the work mounting shaft 53 meshes with the gear 42 driven by the motor 44 as shown in FIG. 4 described above, and the work 1a is driven to rotate. A work height detecting means 55 is provided above the position B, and it is detected whether or not the upper end surface 2a of the work 1 is within a specified height range while rotating the work 1 ((d) ST).
3). If the height detection means 55 detects that the work 1 is out of dimension or the placement state is abnormal and the upper end surface 2a of the work 1 is out of the predetermined range, the control means 70 stops all the lines. An alarm 58 is issued ((d) ST4). This eliminates dimensional defects of the work, and prevents the induction heating coil from being damaged by contact with the work, or the quenching hardness being insufficient due to too large an interval.

When the work 1 is in the specified range, the rotary table 51 is indexed and rotated by 60 degrees, and the work 1a is moved to the quenching position C ((d) ST5). When the work 1 is moved to the quenching position C, power is applied to the induction heating coil 61 from the high frequency power supply 60, the upper end surface 2a of the work 1 is induction-heated to a predetermined temperature, and a cooling liquid is injected by the cooling means. It is quenched and quenched ((d) ST6). At this time, as described above, the gear 41 of the work mounting shaft 53 meshes with the gear 42 driven by the motor 44, and the work 1 is driven to rotate, so that the entire circumference is uniformly heated and cooled. The induction heating time and the coolant injection time are set by the above-described cycle time setting ((a) ST2), and whether the power applied to the induction heating coil 61 and the flow rate of the coolant are within specified values. Is detected by the induced power detection 62 and the coolant amount detection 65, and together with the light reflection type sensor described later, the unquenched work is excluded as a work unhardened detection means.

The quenched work 1 is moved to the unquenched detection position D by rotating the turntable 51 by 60 degrees ((d) ST7). At the position D, the work 1b is driven by the motor 44 to rotate by itself, similarly to the position C.
A light reflection type sensor 57 is provided above the position D, and detects the light reflectance of the upper end surface 2a of the work 1 ((d) ST8). If the quenching is not performed normally, the oxide film does not form on the surface and the metal gloss is high, so the reflectance is high, and if the quenching is performed normally, the light brown oxide film is generated and the reflectance is low. . Therefore, if the light reflectance is within the specified range, it can be determined that quenching has been performed normally.

The non-quenching detecting means 56 is composed of the light reflection type sensor 57, the above-described induced power detection 62, and the cooling fluid amount detection 65, and when any of the detected values is out of the specified value, the control means is used. 70 stops all lines and alarm 5
8 is issued ((d) ST9). This prevents a workpiece that is not normally quenched from being mixed into a product.

If any of the detected values of the unquenched detecting means 56 are within the specified values, the turntable 51 is indexed and rotated by 60 degrees and the work 1b moves to the extraction position E ((d) ST1).
0). When the work 1b moves to the position E, the air chuck 33 of the quenched work transfer means 230 at the top dead center at the position E ((e) ST1) descends and reaches the bottom dead center ((e) S
T2) After the upper boss 2 of the work 1 is chucked by the claws ((e) ST3), the work 1 ascends ((e) ST4). When the air chuck 33 rises and reaches the top dead center, ((e) S
T5), the slider 32 slides and moves from the extraction position E to the discharge position H of the quenching work stocker 211 ((e)).
ST6) When the air chuck 33 reaches the H position, the air chuck 33 is lowered ((e) ST7), and after releasing the chuck ((e) S
T8), the slider 32 moves up to the top dead center ((e) ST9), the slider 32 moves, returns to the original extraction position E, and waits for the next work ((e) ST10).

When the air chuck 33 is released, the fork 21 of the quenched work lifter 220 is at the top dead center advance position ((f) ST1), and the work 1 is stacked on the fork 21 ((f) ST2). . When the work 1b is loaded on the fork 21, it is detected by the lift photoelectric tube 28 ((f) ST3), and the fork 21 is lowered by a height of one work to a position for receiving the next work and stopped (( f) ST4).

The above operation is repeated, and the fork 21
The workpieces 1b are stacked one after another on the lower surface of the workpiece. Since the upright pins 13 of the carrier 12 of the quenched work stocker 210 are located at the H position ((g)).
ST 1), the work 1 is loaded on the fork 21 so as to be inserted into the upright pin 13 of the carrier 12.

The works are stacked on the fork 21 one by one, and when 10 works are stacked and full is detected ((f) ST5), the fork 21 descends to the bottom dead center and retreats ((f) ST5). f) ST6). Then, the stacked works 1 are separated from the forks 21 and transferred to the upright pins 13 of the carrier 12 of the quenched work stocker 210 ((g) ST2). The retracted fork 21 rises again ((f) ST7), and advances to the forward position when reaching the top dead center from which the next work is received ((f) ST8). As a result, 10 workpieces 1 loaded on the upright pins 13
The carrier 12 at the position is driven and moved by the quenching work chain conveyor ((g) ST3), and the next empty carrier 12 is moved.
At the H position ((g) ST4).

The operation from ST1 (a) to ST5 (g) is repeated, and the line stops when the hardening of the number set in the counter 75 of the control means is completed. As described above, since the maximum loading capacity of the workpiece work stocker 110 of the work of the present embodiment is 120 pieces, the processing of the workpiece having the maximum loading capacity of the workpiece work stocker 110 is completed by setting the counter setting to 120 pieces. Although it sometimes stops, the number of settings can be set to a smaller number, or a larger number can be set by loading a new work on the material work stocker 110 during the work.

In the present embodiment in which the workpieces having the dimensions and shapes shown in FIG. 3 are continuously hardened, 300 pieces per hour can be obtained by setting the cycle time to 12 sec / piece. As a result, when 120 pieces were loaded on the work stocker 110, it could be operated unattended for 24 minutes. In the case where the work is mounted on the index table by conventional manual operation, the work weight of the work is as heavy as 1.8 kg.
It was not possible to reduce the load to less than sec / piece due to too much load. Therefore, it took two people one hour for 120 tasks.

As described above, according to the automatic quenching apparatus by induction heating according to the embodiment of the present invention, the work is completely automated from the charging of the work to the stock of the quenched work. Reduction and cost reduction can be achieved.

Further, height detecting means and unquenching detecting means are provided during the work process, and the dimensional defect or defect of the work is automatically detected, and if there is any abnormality, the apparatus is stopped. Even if the work contacts the heating coil, the work is not damaged and the work with poor heating is not mixed, so that a stable heat treatment can be performed.

[0059]

As described above, according to the automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the present invention, quenching of mass-produced products such as quenching of automobile parts can be performed at a low cost with a small number of personnel, and the quenching is highly reliable. A product is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view as viewed in the direction K in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed side view of a work lifter.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a work rotation mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the shape and dimensions of a work used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 work 2 upper boss 3 lower boss 4 flange 5 through hole 6 enlarged diameter portion 12 carrier 13 upright pin 14 roller 15 drive sprocket 16 driven sprocket 17 chain 18 motor 21 fork (support member) 22 lift portion 23 motor 24 screw 25 guide Bar 26 Slide bar 28 Lifter photoelectric tube (Position detection means) 32 Slider (Grip member transfer means) 33 Air chuck (Grip member) 34 Air cylinder 35 Support column 36 Frame 41 Gear 42 Gear 43 Pulley 44 Motor 45 Pulley 46 Belt 50 Index table Reference Signs List 51 Rotary table 52 Rotation driving means 53 Work mounting axis 55 Work height detection means 56 Unhardened detection means 57 Light reflection type sensor 58 Alarm 60 High frequency power supply 61 Induction heating coil 62 Induction power detection 64 Cooling means 65 Coolant amount detection 70 Control means 72 Cycle time setting 73 Processing count 74 Timer 75 Counter 76 Detector 77 Drive controller 110 Material work stocker 111 Frame 120 Material work lifter 130 Material work transfer means 210 Quenching work stocker 211 Frame 220 Hardened work lifter 230 Hardened work transfer means A Insertion position B Height detection position C Quenching position D Unquenching detection position E Extraction position F Empty position G Supply position H Discharge position

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A material work stocker for stocking material work, material work moving means for extracting material work one by one from a material work stocker at a supply position and moving the material work to a loading position on an index table, An index table that is indexed and rotated so as to move from the charging position to the extraction position via the quenching position, induction heating / cooling means provided at the quenching position of the index table, and quenching at the quenching position. A quenched work moving means for extracting the quenched work moved to the extraction position from the extraction position and moving and loading the quenched work to a quenched work stocker at the discharge position; a quenched work stocker for stocking the quenched work; And operation of the quenching work stocker, material and quenching work moving means, index table and induction heating / cooling means An automatic quenching apparatus using induction heating, comprising: a control unit. 2. The material work stocker includes a carrier for loading a material work, and a carrier moving means for moving the carrier from a stock position to a supply position, and the material work moving means is loaded on the carrier at the supply position. A material work lifter driven to move the material work up and down to the work holding height of the material work transfer means, a material work on the material work lifter being gripped, transferred to a loading position on the index table, and placed at the loading position The quenched work moving means is configured to hold the quenched work moved to the extraction position of the index table, transfer the quenched work to the quenched work lifter, and load the quenched work lifter. Transfer means for receiving the quenched work transferred by the quenched work transfer means; And a quenching work lifter that is driven up and down to be loaded on a carrier of the stocker.The quenching work stocker includes a carrier for loading a quenched work and carrier moving means for moving the carrier from a discharge position to a stock position. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a drive control unit that controls the operation of the material and quenched work lifter, the material and quenched work transfer unit, the index table, and the induction heating / cooling unit. Automatic quenching equipment by induction heating of 3. The work is piled up on the carrier, and the material and the quenched work lifter support the lower work of the stocker carrier and move up and down while the work is piled up, and drive the support member up and down. And a position detecting means for detecting a position of a work loaded on the supporting member, and are disposed at a supply position and a discharge position of the stocker carrier, and the material work transfer means and the quenched work transfer means are provided. A gripping member for gripping and extracting the workpieces stacked on the material or the quenched work lifter one by one from above, and holding the gripped member between the material work lifter and a charging position on an index table or of the index table. Gripping member transfer means for reciprocating between an extraction position and a quenched work lifter; When the gripping member grips and extracts a material work from the material work lifter, or when the gripping member grips and releases a quenched work to the quenched work lifter and the position of the uppermost work of the work lifter changes, the position detection is performed. 3. The automatic quenching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means includes a drive control unit for detecting a change in the work position and moving the support member of said work lifter up and down to a predetermined position. 4. The work is made of a member having a through hole, the carrier is provided with upright pins that are inserted through the through hole of the work and hold a predetermined number of works in a stacked state, and the carrier moving means is provided with a plurality of the plurality of the work moving means. It is composed of a chain conveyor connected to a carrier, and the support member of the material or the quenched work lifter has a bifurcated claw portion that supports the lowermost work loaded on the upright pin of the carrier with the upright pin interposed therebetween, The gripping means has a chuck portion which grips the workpieces one by one and is driven to move up and down, and the gripping member transferring means moves between the material work lifter and the loading position on the index table, or the extraction position of the index table. And a slider provided between the quenching work lifter and the quenching work lifter, the slider sliding back and forth on the beam. 4. The automatic quenching apparatus according to any one of 3 to 3, wherein the automatic quenching is performed by induction heating. 5. A material workpiece height detecting means is provided at a height detecting position between the loading position and the quenching position in the rotation direction of the index table, and is provided between the quenching position and the extracting position. The quenched work is provided with an unquenched work detection means at the unquenched detection position, and the control means issues an alarm by a failure signal of the height detection means or the unquenched detection means, and / or stops all the lines. The automatic quenching device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a drive control unit that performs the operation. 6. The non-quenching detection means for the quenched workpiece detects induction power for detecting whether the power applied to the induction heating coil is within a specified range, and detects whether the cooling fluid flow rate of the cooling means is within a specified value. And a light reflection type sensor for detecting light reflected from the quenched surface, and the failure signal is issued when any of the detected values is outside a specified value. The automatic quenching device by induction heating according to the above. 7. The automatic quenching by induction heating according to claim 5, wherein said height detecting means comprises a non-contact position detecting sensor for detecting a distance between a workpiece to be processed and a sensor. apparatus. 8. A rotation driving means for rotating a workpiece to be rotated at the height detection position, the quenching position, and the unquenching detection position of the index table. The automatic quenching apparatus by induction heating according to any one of the above.