JPS582027B2 - Workpiece conveyance device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer device for loading and unloading a workpiece into and out of a machine tool.

An object of the present invention is to provide a manipulator device that carries in and out of workpieces and stocks the workpieces using a single conveyor that straddles a machine tool, reduces the space required for installing the conveyor, and efficiently transfers and transfers workpieces. In addition, the wiring and piping of the manipulator device were made easier.

There are various types of workpiece transport devices for automatically loading and unloading workpieces into and out of machine tools, but generally a manipulator device is movably mounted on a rail supported on a support. The device grips the workpiece on the carry-in conveyor and carries it into the machine tool, and the processed workpiece is carried out from the machine tool to the carry-out conveyor.

In other words, an input conveyor is installed on the same floor on one side of the machine tool, an output conveyor is installed on the other side,
A manipulator device was mounted on a strut component that straddled the machine tool between both conveyors so as to be able to move left and right.

In devices where the manipulator device moves left and right in this way, caterpillars are required for wiring, piping, etc. to the manipulator device, which increases the size of the device and shortens the machining time of the machine tool. There is a waiting time for the movement of the machine, which results in lost time in machining with the machine tool, and the operating rate of the machine tool decreases.

In addition, when multiple machine tools are installed side by side and their takt times differ, a work pool is required, and this work pool requires a large conveyor, which has the problem of requiring a large installation space for the conveyor. .

The present invention solves these conventional problems and features a three-dimensional system in which the conveyor is installed on the top of the machine tool and also serves as a stock conveyor, and the manipulator device is installed in a fixed position to connect the conveyor and the machine tool. This improvement enables workpieces to be transferred by lifting and lowering, and the transfer is carried out in a rational manner so that there is no loss time for loading and unloading.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a machine tool.

2 is the table, 3 is the headstock, 4 is the tailstock, 5 is the headstock 3
This is a V-shaped workpiece temporary holder provided on the table 2 between the tailstock 4 and the tailstock 4.

A workpiece before processing is carried into this temporary workpiece holder 5, and a processed workpiece supported by the temporary workpiece holder 5 is carried out.

Reference numeral 6 denotes columns erected on both sides of the floor of the machine tool 1.

A cross beam 7 is mounted on this support 6 so as to extend parallel to the upper surface of the machine tool 1.

Sprockets 8 and 9 are rotatably supported at both left and right ends of the cross beam T, and an endless roller conveyor 12 is mounted between the sprockets 8 and 9.

A driving sprocket 10 is fixed on the support shaft of one sprocket 9, and is linked to a deceleration motor 11 installed on the cross beam 7 by a chain.

16 is a manipulator device installed on the cross beam 7 directly above the machine tool 1.

As is clear from FIGS. 2 and 4, this manipulator device 16 has the following structure.

That is, a mounting member 22 is fixed to the lower end of a manipulator arm 23 that is supported by a support plate 29 so as to be movable up and down, and a work holding box 20 is fixed to this mounting member 22.

The work holding box 20 has work holding parts 2 at two places on the left and right sides.
0a, 20b, and in the center there is an opening 2 for entering and exiting the workpiece.
1.

A pawl 24 supported by a shaft 25 on the mounting member 22 is provided between the work holding parts 20a and 20b so as to be rotatable left and right.

The actuation mechanism for left and right rotation of the pawl 24 includes a pawl actuating cylinder 19 provided at the upper end of the manipulator arm 23, and an actuating rod 1 connected to the piston rod of this cylinder 19.
9a extends vertically through the shaft of the manipulator arm 23, and the lower end of the actuating rod 19a and the shaft 25 supporting the pawl 24 are connected by a link 26.

Further, the lifting device of the manipulator device 16 includes an arm lifting cylinder 17 installed on the support plate 29 with an axis parallel to the manipulator arm 23, and a piston rod 17a of the arm lifting cylinder 17.
is connected to the mounting member 22.

The lifting and lowering stroke of the manipulator arm 23 by the arm lifting cylinder 17 is set to the distance between the roller conveyor 12 and the workpiece temporary holder 5 provided in the machine tool 1.

In the case of the illustrated example, the support plate 29 that supports the manipulator device 16 is provided on the cross beam 7 so as to be able to rotate in a plane by 90 degrees.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a pivot shaft rotatably supported in a vertical axis direction by a bearing member fixed to the cross beam 7.

One end of the support plate 29 is fixed to the upper end of the pivot shaft 27 with a key.

A pinion 28 is carved on the pivot shaft 27, and a rack shaft 31 is movable back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the pivot shaft 27.
It meshes with the rack (see Figure 3).

The rack shaft 31 is connected to the arm rotation cylinder 18 and is driven forward and backward.

The support plate 29 is rotated by 90 degrees in a horizontal plane by the arm rotation cylinder 18, and the manipulator arm 23
are positioned on the roller conveyor 12, on the roller conveyor 12, and on the workpiece temporary holder 5 of the machine tool 1 avoiding the roller conveyor 12. ing.

On the other hand, 13 is a cylinder for opening and closing the shutter, which is installed immediately before the manipulator device 16.

This shirt opening/closing cylinder 13 is connected to a roller conveyor 12.
At a predetermined time, the conveyance of the workpieces W is regulated one by one directly below the manipulator device 16, but the shutter stopper 30, which engages and disengages from the workpieces W in the front row that are conveyed side by side on the roller conveyor 12, is rotated. It opens and closes.

Further, directly below the manipulator device 16, a work stopper 14a and a lifter 15a are provided.

The stopper 14a is used to stop one workpiece W being conveyed by opening and closing the shutter 30 at a position directly below the manipulator device 16, and moves it forward and backward to the area where it comes into contact with the workpiece W on the roller conveyor 12 by the cylinder 14 for advancing and retracting the stopper. It is now working.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the lifter 15a is moved by a lifter lifting cylinder 15 installed on a bracket fixed to the side of the cross beam 7 to adjust the position of the workpiece W stopped at the stopper 14a and the workpiece holding box. 20 and the workpiece entrance/exit opening 21 is used as a stroke to move up and down.

In the figure, reference numeral 32 indicates a guide bar of the lifter 15a, 33 indicates a guide plate for the workpiece W, and 34 indicates a guide rail for the port-ra conveyor 12.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

The roller conveyor 12 is driven by the deceleration motor 11 to
In the figure, the workpiece W is constantly rotated to be transported from left to right.

Therefore, unprocessed workpieces are supplied onto the roller conveyor 12 from the left end in FIG. 1 via a chute or the like, and processed workpieces are carried out from the right end of the roller conveyor 12.

Workpieces W that are continuously supplied from one end of the roller conveyor 12 are sequentially transferred onto the roller conveyor 12 in parallel, and the workpieces W in the front row engage with the closed shirt shutter 30 and are transferred onto the roller conveyor 12 in parallel. The parallel works W are pooled as stock work.

When the workpiece W is to be carried into the machine tool 1, the shutter opening/closing cylinder 13 is operated in response to the command, and the shirt shutter 30 is opened and closed.

As a result, the workpieces W pooled in the front row are transferred by the roller conveyor 12, and are brought into contact with the stopper 14a directly below the manipulator device 16 and stopped.

Next, the lifter elevating cylinder 15 is activated, and the lifter 15a, which was located at the lower end, is moved to the upper end.

This lifting lifter 15a supports the workpiece W stopped at the stopper 14a and lifts it up to the workpiece entry/exit opening 21 of the workpiece holding box 20.

The pawl actuating cylinder 19 is actuated based on the detection signal of the rising end position of the lifter 15a, and the pawl 24, which had been pivoting to the left in FIG. 2, is pivoted to the right and the workpiece W on the lifter 15a is is stored in the right work holding section 20b.

When the storage of the workpiece W is completed, the arm rotation cylinder 18 operates, and the manipulator arm 23 is moved to the third position via the support plate 29.
It rotates to the 90° rotation position shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure.

The manipulator device 16 is now positioned directly above the workpiece temporary holder 5 of the machine tool 1, and waits in this state until machining of the workpiece W in the machine tool 1 is completed.

When the machining of the workpiece W is completed, the arm lifting cylinder 1
7 is activated, and the manipulator device 16 is lowered to the position of the workpiece temporary holder 5.

At this time, the processed workpiece W is placed on the temporary holder 5, so when the claw action cylinder 19 is operated again and the claw 24 is pivoted to the left, the workpiece W stored in the workpiece holder 20b is removed. The processed work W is rolled and placed on the temporary holder 5 by its own weight, and the processed work W is stored in the left work holding part 20b by the claws 24.

That is, storing the processed workpiece W and taking out the unprocessed workpiece W are performed simultaneously by the rotational movement of the claw 24.

The manipulator device 16 that has stored the processed workpiece W moves to the rising end again, and by the operation of the arm rotation cylinder 18, the manipulator device 16 moves to the upper end.
It rotates back by 0° and is positioned on the roller conveyor 12.

Next, by rotating the claw 24 to the right, the processed workpiece W stored in the left workpiece holder 20a is placed on the lifter 15a waiting at the rising end position, and the lifter 15a is lowered and transferred to the roller conveyor. 12 Transfer to the top.

At this time, the stopper 14a is the cylinder 14 for advancing and retracting the stopper.
The processed workpiece W is carried out from the right end by the roller conveyor 12.

The stopper 14a moves forward at the same time that the processed workpiece W passes the position of the stopper 14a, and then the shirtter 30 opens and closes to move the unprocessed workpiece W to be carried in next time to the lifter 15 as described above.
It is lifted up at step a, and then stored in the left work holding section 20a, where it waits until the machining of the work carried in in the previous cycle is completed.

In this way, in the present invention, the workpiece conveyor is installed three-dimensionally directly above the machine tool and is also used as a workpiece stock conveyor, so that the workpieces can be pooled, transported, and unloaded using a single conveyor. , the installation space for the conveyor can be significantly smaller compared to the conventional one.

In addition, the manipulator device only moves up and down between the required strokes directly above the machine tool, and does not move left and right between the two conveyors installed on both the left and right sides, as in the past.
Wiring, piping, etc. to the manipulator device becomes easy, eliminating the need for caterpillars and simplifying configuration and assembly.

Furthermore, the manipulator device is configured with a work holding box having two left and right work holding parts, and a claw that rotates left and right between the work holding parts, so that two unprocessed workpieces and a processed workpiece can be delivered at the same time. Since workpieces can be carried in and out in a rational manner and in a short time, there are many advantages such as a marked improvement in the operating rate of the machine tool.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional front view showing details of the manipulator device and its surroundings, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the device of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line mV-IV in FIG. 2. 1... Machine tool, 6... Support, 7...
...Cross beam, 12...Roller conveyor, 14a...Stopper, 15a...
Lifter, 16... Manipulator device, 17...
... Cylinder for arm elevation, 18 ... Cylinder for arm rotation, 19 ... Cylinder for claw operation, 20 ... Work holding box, 21 ...・Work entry/exit opening, 23... Manipulator arm, 24... Claw, 29... Support plate, 30
······Shutter.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cross beam installed above the machine tool, a roller conveyor for transporting workpieces provided on the cross beam and moved around the cross beam by a drive device, and a roller conveyor installed on the cross beam so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane. A supported support plate, a manipulator arm supported by the support plate so as to be able to rise and fall, and the support plate placed at a position where the manipulator arm corresponds to the roller conveyor and a position where the manipulator arm corresponds to the machine tool away from the roller conveyor. a holding box that is attached to the lower end of the manipulator arm and has workpiece holding parts at two places on the left and right; A claw actuating cylinder that rotates the claws to the left and right; a lift device that moves the workpieces up and down between the roller conveyor and the workpiece holding box; A workpiece transfer device equipped with a cylinder for lifting and lowering a manipulator arm that moves up and down between.