JPS60263637A - Tool stocker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To construct a small-sized magazine for moving many tool cartridges having plural tool sockets to the outercircumference of the stocker frame. CONSTITUTION:It is comprised of a stocker frame 10 to be installed in the storage area, a tool magazine 16 formed by sequentially coupling the cartridges 14 having plural tool sockets 30a-30c through coupling means, rail means to be fixed around the stocker frame 10 for guiding circumferential carrying of the tool magazine 16 and tool magazine drive means 18 for driving the tool magazine 16 such that the cartridge 14 selected from plural cartridges 14 forming the tool magazine 16 is indexed to the fixed position along the rail means. Consequently, the compactness of tool containment is improved and the efficiency of tool indexing operation can be improved sufficiently.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention allows a large number of tools to be centrally stored in a machine processing factory, and a desired tool can be taken out and used from the large number of tools as needed. Regarding tool stockers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the high degree of automation in machining factories, tool storage magazines or tool stockers have been provided which function as tool storage warehouses in addition to machining centers equipped with tool magazines. The garden tool storage magazine disclosed in the above issue connects a plurality of tool sockets for storing tools between an upper chain and a lower chain driven by sprockets, and allows the tool socket to be adjusted to its index position by horizontal rotation of the upper and lower chains. It is configured to be positioned to. In a tool storage magazine or tool stocker that functions as a tool storage warehouse, as many different types of tools as possible are centrally stored in a limited area of the machining factory, and the desired tools are stored in a designated location. It is possible to easily and accurately index the tool removal position.

Problems to be Solved However, conventional tool storage magazines or tool stockers lack the compactness to store as many tools as possible in a given limited storage space, and are insufficiently efficient in tool indexing operations. Therefore, improvements are needed, and the present invention seeks to provide a tool stocker that meets these needs.

Means for Solving Problems and Their Effects According to the present invention, in a tool stocker that centrally stores a large number of tools so that all of them can be selected and taken out, there is provided a stocker frame installed in a storage area, a cartridge having a plurality of tool sockets; a tool magazine formed by sequentially connecting a plurality of carts in an annular manner by a chain means, a track means attached around the stocker frame and guiding circular conveyance of the tool magazine, and a plurality of cartries forming the tool magazine. and a tool magazine drive means for driving the tool magazine so as to index a desired cartridge selected from the above to a fixed position along the track means. As the tool magazine circulates, a cartridge having a plurality of tool sockets is indexed to a predetermined position for removing or storing tools.

Furthermore, if a plurality of tool magazines, track means, and tool magazine drive means are provided, and the tool magazines are arranged in multiple stages on the stocker frame, the tool magazines in each stage can be independently conveyed in a circular motion, and a plurality of The cartridge can also be indexed into position for tool removal.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a tool stocker according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the same tool stocker as seen from the direction of the arrows --- in FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the tool station and car are equipped with a frame 10 installed in a predetermined area of a machining shop, and this frame 10 has internal structural members such as columns 10a and cross beams 10b. It is usually designed as a skeletal load support that is rigidly installed on the floor. The frame 0 of this embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is provided with a tool magazine 16 around its outer periphery, which has a plurality of tool cartridges 14 interconnected by a linking means 12, which will be described later. That is, in this embodiment, as is clear from FIG. It has a configuration in which it is rotated by a tool magazine drive means 18 held in one corner of the interior, and in this embodiment, as is clear from FIG. done 3
By having two tool sockets (described later), three tools 20 can be stored in a removable manner, and three tool magazines 16 are provided around the outer periphery of the frame 10 in a three-stage structure. Each of the tool magazines 16 can move independently around the seven frames 10.

Furthermore, the tool stocker of this embodiment has a fixed position (hereinafter referred to as ATC position) 22 in a pre-selected corner of the frame 10 for automatically taking out and storing tools. The desired tool cartridge 14 is moved by performing an indexing operation to position the desired tool cartridge 14 at the above-mentioned ATC position by carrying the tool cartridge 16 around.
It is possible to take out a desired tool 20 from the tool socket, or to insert and store a used tool into an empty tool socket. The above-mentioned ATC position 22 is used to smoothly take out or store the tool 20, so that when a desired tool cartridge 14 is indexed to this ATC position 22, the preceding tool cartridge 14 is inserted into the tool 2 at the ATC position 22.
A configuration must be adopted that does not interfere with the removal and storage of zeros.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
In the tool magazine 16 that rotates in the direction shown,
In order for the tool cartridge 14 preceding the tool cartridge 14 indexed to the ATC position 22 to rotate in advance to a position sufficiently distant from the ATC position 22, a synchronization space fI: 1 packet 24 with a relatively small radius, which will be described later, is used. The ATC position 22 is located at the corner of the frame where the tool magazine 16 moves with a small turning radius. Further, when a desired tool cartridge 14 is indexed to the ATC position 22, the desired tool cartridge 14 is placed at an inner position of the frame 10 corresponding to the ATC position 22 for a tool removal operation or a tool storage operation. Cartridge fixing means 26 is provided to stably hold and stop the cartridge over a period of time. The cartridge fixing means 26 can be configured, for example, as means for immovably cylindricalizing the desired tool cartridge 14 relative to the frame 10 under the action of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder when the desired tool cartridge 14 reaches the ATC position 22. Good. The circular transportation of the tool magazine 16 is driven by the tool magazine driving means 18 as described above, but at this time, the tool magazine 16 is smoothly guided by a track means provided around the outer periphery of the frame 10, which will be described later. It is provided with a traveling means, and as this traveling means, for example, a transfer roller may be used as explained below.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a side view and a plan view showing detailed structural examples of the above-mentioned tool magazine 16 and the tool cartridge 14 constituting it. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tool car 11 socket 14 has three tool sockets 30 in the vertical direction.
The tool sockets 30a, 30b, and 30c each have a tapered tool storage hole 32 to accommodate all of the same or different types of machining tools as required. ing. Also,
Each tool socket 30a * 30b - 30c is provided with a key member 34 for storing the tool in a constant posture at all times. The three tools mentioned above y) 30a.

Are 30b and 30c inside the tool cartridge 14? The upper support plate 36m and the lower support plate 36b of the tool cartridge 14 are mounted and fixed at approximately equal intervals by suitable fixing means such as bolt means, and an upper bracket 38m and a lower plate 38b are attached to the ends of the upper support plate 36m and the lower support plate 36b of the tool cartridge 14, respectively. A set of transferred rollers 4
0 is attached, this transfer roller 40 has a vertical axis of rotation, and the frame 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2)
The vehicle is assembled so as to run along an upper track 42 and a lower track 44 that are fixed to the sides of the vehicle. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, these rolling rollers 40 are provided two each on the upper and lower sides of each tool cartridge and tool 14, forming a set of four. By being held in the upper track 42 and lower track 44 as described above, the heavy machining tool 20 (FIG. 1) is held in the tool cartridge 14 even when stored in the tool cartridges 30a to 30c. This prevents the frame 10 from collapsing on the sides. Further, in each tool cartridge 14, a transfer roller 48 having a horizontal rotation axis is pivotally attached to a bracket 46 attached to the lower surface of the lower support plate 36b.
This rolling roller 48 is provided so as to run on the upper surface of a horizontal track 50 attached to the side of the lower track 44 mentioned above, and is adapted to be received by the horizontal track 50. The tool cartridge 140 is designed to run smoothly and also has a fall prevention function.

On the other hand, on the lower surface of the lower support plate 36b of each cartridge 14, an appropriate cartridge such as electrical detection means, photoelectric detection means, electromagnetic detection means, etc. A detection dog 52 is provided which cooperates with the detection means to enable the detection of the desired tool cartridge 14; 54 schematically represents the cartridge detection means fixedly arranged at a predetermined position near the ATC position. It is something that

Now, as shown in FIG. 4, each tool cartridge 14 is provided with the above-mentioned transfer rollers 40 on the upper and lower sides and is formed to be movable along the upper and lower tracks 42, 44. The rolling rollers 40 of adjacent tool cartridges 14 are all connected to each other to form a tool magazine 16 that moves together along the upper and lower tracks 42, 44. In this case, an intermediate roller 58ft is inserted between two adjacent tool cartridges 14, and a structure is provided in which the two tool cartridges 14 are connected to each other by two links 56. The structure is such that a constant interval is ensured, and as a result, when the corner of the frame 10 is reached during circular movement, the direction can be changed smoothly. Note that the plurality of tool cartridges 14 are sequentially interconnected by the upper and lower chain means formed by the link 56 and the upper and lower plaques 38a and 38b provided on each tool cartridge and the tool cartridge 14. Although it is clear from the above description that one tool magazine 16 is formed by the above-mentioned links, a structure using a well-known toothed flexible belt truck may be adopted instead of the above-mentioned links as the linking means.

In addition, in FIG. 4, reference numeral 60 cooperates with the previously described cartridge fixing means 26 provided at the inside position of the frame 10 corresponding to the ATC position 22 (FIG. 1) to stably hold each tool at the ATC position 22. There are multiple positioning plates provided at the top and bottom to stop the cartridge and the tray 14, and a bottle hole 6 formed in the positioning plate 60.
The tool cartridge 14 is stably held and stopped at the ATC position 22 by inserting a tapered cone-shaped pin (not shown) provided in the cartridge fixing means 26 into the tool cartridge 2 by cylinder operation. ing.

Of course, at the time when the cartridge fixing means 26 operates, the tool magazine drive means 18 (FIG. 1) is in a stop mode for rotating the tool magazine 16, and the tapered cone-shaped bin of the cartridge fixing means 26 is in the ATC position 22.
When inserting a desired tool cartridge 14 indexed into the bin hole 62 of the positioning plate 60, the tool magazine 1
The circular movement of No. 6 is completely stopped.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged plan view of the tool stocker of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, showing in detail the construction of the tool magazine drive means 18, synchronized stripe rocket 24, and cartridge fixing means 26. Further, FIG. 6 is a partial side view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG.
It shows that

Now, in FIG. 5, the tool magazine driving means 18 is
A drive motor 66 consisting of a well-known electric serve motor, a reduction gear 68 provided on the output shaft of this drive motor 66,
Two output shaft ends 7 protrude above and below this reducer 68
Sprocket wheels each mounted on a 0.72 74.
76, and the tool magazine driving means 18 is disposed at one corner of the frame 10, so that the sprocket wheels 74, 76 can be connected to each of the aforementioned tool cartridges at the corner of the frame 10. upper and lower transfer rollers 4
0, and the rotational driving force of the drive motor 66 is transferred to the reduction gear 6.
8. Tool magazine 1 configured to be integrally movable by chain means via sprocket wheels 74, 76 and rolling rollers 40
6, and the upper and lower orbits 42.44 (3rd
The tool magazine 16 is moved around the tool cartridge 14 along the path shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, three tool magazines 16 are arranged around the outer periphery of the frame 10 in three stages. 74
．． 76'e, therefore, by independently controlling the operation of the drive motor 66, the tool magazines 16 in each stage are individually driven to rotate, and ultimately the tool magazines 16 in each stage are Desired tool cartridges 14 in 16 can be independently indexed to the ATC position 22. Note that each of the tool magazine drive means 18 is firmly mounted inside the frame 10 using a suitable support member. Therefore, the reaction force caused by the rotational drive of each heavy tool magazine 16 is reliably supported by the frame 10.

In FIG. 5, the synchronous sprocket 24 is formed by a pair of upper and lower sprocket wheels 78, 80 similar to the sprocket wheels 74, 76 of the tool magazine drive means 18 described above, and is located at the corner of the frame 10 where the ATC position 22 is located. It is arranged with a vertical axis of rotation near the center. Here, the feature of the synchronous sprocket 24 is that it is configured as a sprocket wheel with a relatively small turning radius, thereby ensuring that the tool cartridge 14 that precedes the tool cartridge 14 indexed to the ATC position 22 as described above is The direction change is completed and a large space can be secured at the ATC position 22 to facilitate taking out or storing the tool 20.

On the other hand, the cartridge fixing means 26 provided at the ATC position 22 inserts a teno four-cone pin into the pin hole 62 formed in the positioning plate 60 of the tool cartridge 14 indexed at the ATC position 22, as described above. Although the cylinder 82 is provided in order to stably stop the tool cartridge 14, the main structure in this embodiment is the cylinder 82.
The outer end of the arm 84, which reciprocates between the outer side and the inner side of the frame 10, is operated by another cylinder.
A lower pair of elevating plates 86 are provided, and a tapered cone-shaped bin 88 is installed on the elevating plates 86, and as the elevating plates 86 rise and fall, the tenor and cone-shaped pin 88 are moved to the tool cartridge 1.
The tool cartridge 14 is inserted into and removed from the bottle holes 62 formed in the upper and lower positioning holes 60 of the tool cartridge 4, and the tool cartridge 14 is stably held and stopped when inserted. Of course, other embodiments may be used, for example, a configuration in which the tool cartridge 14 indexed to the ATC position 22 is gripped and fixed by a gripping arm.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a tool magazine is constructed in which a number of tool cartridges each having a plurality of tool sockets are integrally moved around the outer periphery of a stocker frame by a chaining means. However, it is preferable to move this circularly by one tool magazine driving means, and the IJ jig can be indexed to a fixed position for taking out and storing tools. Therefore, if tools that are used repeatedly are stored in the same tool cartridge in advance, it is possible to take out and store multiple tools with a single indexing operation. You will get a tool stocker. In addition, by arranging multiple tool magazines in multiple stages around the outer circumference of the stocker frame and driving each stage to rotate independently, it is possible to drive a desired tool cartridge with a relatively small drive means even in a tool stocker that stores a large number of tools. It can be indexed to the ATC position.

Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned rotary drive system in which each stage is independent, in the process of indexing a desired tool cartridge in one stage to the ATC position and performing the tool removal and tool storage operations, the desired tool cartridge in another stage is indexed to the ATC position and the desired tool cartridge in the other stage is It is possible to perform an indexing operation for indexing the tool cartridge to the ATC position, thus reducing the necessary tool cartridge indexing time and keeping the operating efficiency of the tool stocker at a high level at all times. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view that best shows the overall configuration of an embodiment of the tool stocker according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the same tool stocker taken along the line of arrow H-u in FIG. 4 is a partial side view showing the structure of each tool cartridge constituting the tool magazine, FIG. 4 is a plan view taken along the arrow ■-■ line in FIG. Figure 6 is a partially enlarged view of the tool stocker shown in Fig. , A diagram showing the configuration of a tool magazine driving means. 10... Frame, 12... Chain means, 14...
Tool cartridge, 16... Tool cartridge, 18...
・Tool magazine driving means, 20...tool, 42.44
...Upper, lower orbit, 50.=orbit, 30a, 30b, 3
0cm tool socket. Patent applicant Makino Milling Machinery Co., Ltd. Patent application agent Akira Aoki Patent attorney Kazuyuki Nishidate Patent attorney Kyosuke Nakayama Patent attorney Akira Yamaguchi Patent attorney Masaya Nishiyama Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 L

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a tool stocker that centrally stores a large number of tools so that they can be selectively retrieved, a stocker frame installed in a storage area and a cartridge having a plurality of tool sockets are sequentially connected in an annular manner by a chaining means. a tool magazine formed with
track means for guiding circular transportation of the tool magazine; and a tool magazine drive for driving the tool magazine so as to index a desired cartridge selected from a plurality of cartridges forming the tool magazine to a fixed position along the track means. A tool stocker comprising: means. 2. The track means includes a first track that guides a fall prevention roller provided at the bottom of each of the cartridges forming the tool magazine, and a pair of fall prevention rollers provided at the top and bottom of the cartridge. The tool stocker according to claim 1, wherein the tool stocker has a second guiding track. 3. The cartridge linking means is formed by a large number of link chains that connect the pair of rollers provided in each cartridge in a chain to prevent falling. Tool stocker. 4. The tool magazine driving means includes a drive motor disposed in the stocker frame, a reducer, and a chain drive attached to the output shaft of the reducer and transmitting driving force to the link chain of the tool magazine. The tool stocker according to claim 3, wherein the tool stocker is formed from a stripe rocket. 5. A plurality of the tool magazines, the track means, and the tool magazine driving means are provided, and these are arranged in multiple stages on the strike and car frame, and the tool magazines and the machine of each stage are independently operated. The tool stocker according to claim 1, wherein the tool stocker is configured to be indexable to the fixed position.