JPS6048235A - Automatic tool changer for machining center - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make accurate positioning attainable without entailing and shock during operation, by turning an arm shaft fitted with an arm round with a rotary air cylinder, while making a block being locked to the arm shaft slide inside a cushion ring groove. CONSTITUTION:The turning-round of an arm shaft 4 takes place via a shaft 2 rotated by operation of a rotary air cylinder 1. An up-and-down motion in the shaft 4 takes place with a direct-acting air cylinder 3. Each of tool holder parts 7 and 7' is installed in each tip of arms 6 and 6' at the lower end of the arm shaft. With these arms turned round, each tool holder selectively holds a tool inside a tool magazine and transfers it onto a spindle. A block 13 being locked to the arm shaft slides in a groove made up in a guide case 9 and another groove made up in upper and lower cushion rings 11 and 12 being superposed on the former.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic tool changer for a machining center that takes out a required tool from a magazine containing a large number of tools and automatically replaces it with a tool on a spindle.

Conventionally, this type of device rotates an arm with a tool gripping portion at its tip against a magazine containing a large number of tools, grips the required tool with the gripping portion, and then moves the arm. The tool is automatically attached to the spindle by rotating it again, transferring it to just below the spindle, and raising it as it is. At the same time, an arm provided on the opposite side of the arm grasps and transfers a tool (2) attached to the spindle and stores it in a magazine, thereby achieving automatic tool exchange.

It uses an air cylinder. Although this air cylinder has such good points, it is impossible to stop the air cylinder quickly and accurately at an intermediate position between the starting end and the ending end.

In a machining center, in order to automatically exchange tools between the magazine and the spindle, it is necessary to quickly and accurately stop the tool at the arm's gripping position, the insertion position, and the arm's normal waiting position. This is absolutely necessary, and if this is not sufficient, the arm and magazine or main shaft will collide, and we do our best to prevent such a situation from occurring.

The present invention was developed based on the above fC situation, and is designed to avoid the above-mentioned failure and to enable accurate operation without causing the above-mentioned shortage with one rotary air cylinder. It was designed to simplify its mechanism and operation, using one rotating air cylinder to rotate the arm shaft.
A guide case is fitted, and this guide case is provided with an upper horizontal groove, a lower horizontal groove, and a vertical groove that connects these to the earthworks, and a cushion ring having a cushioning force in the circumferential direction is fitted to this guide case to provide a guide. The upper and lower horizontal grooves of the case and the ring groove provided on the cushion 1j are aligned, and both grooves are overlapped, and a piece protruding from the arm shaft is slidably fitted into each of these grooves 1. When the piece collides with the overlapping part, the cushioning force absorbs the inertia energy of the arm and the held tool, and then it is positioned by gently hitting the end of the horizontal groove of the guide case. It is something.

This will be explained with reference to the diagram.

(1) is a rotating air cylinder, which can rotate a rotation shaft (2) left and right.

(3) is a direct-acting air cylinder installed in parallel with the rotary air cylinder (1), which can move the arm shaft (4) up and down.

A spline structure (5) is formed between the rotation axis (1tCz) and the arm shaft (4), so that the rotation of the rotation axis (2) is transmitted to the arm shaft (4), and the shaft (
4"') vertically moving air cylinder (3).

Arms (6) (61) are attached to the lower end of the arm shaft (4).
are attached horizontally, and a grip part (7) (+71) for gripping the tool (8) is formed at each tip of the arm (6) (61).

The arms (6) and (61) rotate the magazine (
It is possible to selectively grip a tool (8) (not shown) and transfer it to the main shaft of the machine, or vice versa, or to perform both operations at the same time.

(9) is located below the arm shaft (4),
This guide case (9
) is fixed to the machine frame (lO) with bolts (20) (20'). An upper cushion ring (11) is placed above the guide case (9), and a lower cushion ring (11) is placed below the guide case (9).
12). (21) (2J') is the machine frame (lO) on the outside of each cushion ring (11) (12).
With the cushion device fixed to the
Details of the walls that provide cushioning force to the rings (11) and (12) will be explained later.

(13) is fixed to the T-arm shaft (4), and this proboscis (13) B-arm shaft (4) rotates and moves up and down and operates integrally with it. The guide case (9) slides in the groove cut in the VC (described next) and the groove cut in the upper and lower cushion 11 rings (11) and (12) that overlap with this (described next). .

In the guide case (9), as shown in Fig. 2 (a),
Upper horizontal groove (14) (14), lower horizontal groove (141) on front and back
, the front side vertical groove (t15) and the back side vertical groove (151) are cut.

The pieces (13) slide in these grooves (14), (14'), (15'), and (15'') as shown above, but the upper horizontal grooves (
14) (14) and the lower lateral groove (141),
As shown in Figure 2 (b) and (C), the guide case (9)
The ring grooves (16) (16) of the upper cushion ring (11) fitted to the
The ring grooves (17) of 2) are exactly shaped.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the upper horizontal groove (1
4) and the ring groove (16), and the lower lateral groove (14+) and the ring/groove (1, 7) do not exactly match in lateral length, and even if they do, they form an overlapping groove t.

This overlap t has important significance.

For example, in Hani 3, the piece (13) is Dobe Yokomizo (14).
) and the ring groove (16) are rotated clockwise in the same figure, this piece (13) abuts the overlap t and moves until the overlap t disappears. An impact force cushioning effect is obtained, which will be discussed in more detail below.

(21'M21), as explained earlier, is a cushion device, which includes (4 bullet bottles (18) (18-)
is set up, and this bullet bottle (1B) (1B") (Kano,
Each roller (19) (191) integrally attached to the outer periphery of the upper and lower cushion rings (11) (12) abuts.

That is, in FIG. 3, as mentioned above, piece (13)
When collides with the overlap t, the proboscis (13) first
Push the two-part cushion ring (11) clockwise and push the roller (19) with it into the cushioning device (21), and then push the roller (19) into the cushioning device (21).
Pushed by a bullet bottle (18') and ended up in an o-klap
There is no f, c, and the matching groove (16) between the side of the piece (13), the Dobe cushion ring (11), and the guide case (9).
The sides of (14) coincide with exactly one line.

(This state is the left 1 of the piece (13) described in the same figure.
Rule A of 1: This is the same as the state in which the sword, the guide case (9), and each groove side of the upper cushion ring (11) match. ) When the overlap t of the lever disappears and this E 11 side crab becomes exactly one line, - just r, (the opposite of the H cushion 11 ring (11) and the node case (9) - t tc. An overlap t is formed at a portion indicated by an arrow m in the figure.

Explain its action.

Arm (6) (6')ld, as explained and explained earlier, the magazine f1. (8) can be selectively grasped and transferred to the machine's ]E @l, or vice versa. They are shown in figures (a) to (f).

Figure (A) shows the basic position of the arms (6) (6').

1"l Figure (o) shows Arno, C6) (6I) rotates 76 degrees as an example), and one grip part (wa) rotates the tool (8).
) is being held. Next, as shown in () to () of the same figure, the arms (6) and (61) descend downward, separate from the magazine and spindle 7, and rotate in the direction of the arrow in the same figure (=). (180 degrees as an example) Next, as shown in the same figure (e), the -L tool (8) is automatically inserted into the main shaft of the machine. After this is done, move the arm (6) as shown in the same figure.
)(6') rotates in the opposite direction from 76 degrees and assumes the basic position again. However, in this case, the position of the grip part (7) (tsuI) is upside down from the initial position, but this does not have any special meaning.

The above operations are performed by the arm shaft (4) to which the arms (6) and (61) are attached rotated by the rotating air cylinder (1) and vertically driven by the direct-acting air cylinder (3). However, at that time, the arm shaft (
The piece (13) fixed to
(141) (15) (15') (16) By sliding inside (17), accurate positioning is achieved without giving any impact during operation, and this is explained in detail. Describe.

In FIG. 2(C), 1lirill (13) occupies the basic position I. (This basic position I is a position corresponding to that in Figure 5 (A), and is shown with the same symbol A with a dash added. The rest are the same. -1 is shown in Figure 6 (A)
is 1liilIl when the piece (13) is in the basic position A1
(13) and guide case (9) cushion ring (11)
)(12). This is also the same below.) Next, the basic position A1, the upper horizontal groove (14) and the ring groove (
16), it rotates 76 degrees and reaches fish eye I (Fig. 5 (
(b) and Figure 6 (C))) 0 Then, from fish eye 1, point C descends at I4. and reached point 211')(
(See Figure 5 (d) and Figure 6 (d)), it rises to point Ho 1 (see Figure 5 (e) and Figure 6 (e)), and completes the tool transfer. CP reaching point 1 and occupying the basic position, see Figures 5 (f) and 6 (f)).

By the way, when Sue (13) reached 1 fish instead of 1 point, what happened? The states shown in Figures P, 5 (b) and 6 (b) are when the gripping portion (7) of the arm (6) has just automatically gripped the tool (8) in the magazine. Therefore, if this gripping part goes too far or collides strongly with the tool (8), the device will be damaged, and if it cannot reach the tool (8) yet, the tool (8)
) cannot be gripped sufficiently, it becomes impossible to transfer the tool (8), and its operation is still inaccurate. Therefore, in this fish eye j, it is absolutely necessary to stop the gripping part (7) at an accurate position and not to apply a strong impact to the tool (8) at this time.

In addition, the conditions shown in Fig. 5 (d) and Fig. 6 (d) will occur if the tool (8) held by the grip part (7) of the arm (6) is not positioned exactly below the main axis of the machine. Automatic tool transfer becomes impossible. Moreover, when it stops, the piece (1
3) and the guide case (9), the device itself will be damaged, and it will also be impossible to completely stop it at an accurate position.

In addition, the states shown in FIGS. 5 (f) and 6 (f) are when the normal position has been occupied again, but even at this point, in the present invention, each lateral groove (14) (141) and the ring groove Since there is an overlap t between (16) and (1'7), 11 (13) is first applied to cushion ring (1'7).
1) (12) and cushion ring (1, 1) (
, 1sa) R By being integrated with the cushion device (21) (21'), the arm (6) (6') is gradually stopped in a cushioning manner.

Therefore, there is no possibility of a collision between the arm (6) (6I) and the tool (8), and the device itself is not damaged, and the arm (6) (6I) is always positioned at the desired exact position.
61) can be stopped.

Of course, this operation is carried out reliably at the five points mentioned above, and when the arm (6) (6') operates in the opposite direction, as explained earlier, it is oats (wrap).

Each cushion ring (11) (
12) and the automatic wrap t formed on the opposite side of the guide case (9) provide a similar damping effect at three points.

According to the present invention, even if an air cylinder is used, which makes it impossible to make accurate intermediate stops, the arm and tool will collide. Since it can be stopped at the mouth position, there is no need to use multiple air cylinders as in the past.

Furthermore, since the device itself has a relatively simple mechanism, its manufacturing cost is low, and tools can be transferred and replaced automatically and accurately, increasing the work efficiency of the machine.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a longitudinal side view of the entire device, Figure 2 (a) is a perspective view of the guide case, Figure 2 (b) is a perspective view of the cushion ring, and Figure 2 (C) is a perspective view of the two fitted together. , 3rd
The figure is a cross-sectional view on line A and -A of Figure 1 of Hani, and the figure of Chiku4 is also B-
B-line cross-sectional view, Figures 5 (a) to (f) are diagrams sequentially explaining the operation of the arm, and Figures 6 (a) to (f) show that the arm is located in Figures 5 (a) to (f). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the bridge, the guide case, and the cushion ring. l, 11 rotation air cylinder 311 direct acting air cylinder
4...-Arm shaft 661・O fist・Arm 1
...0.Gripping part 9...Guide case 10...
Machine frame 11,112-@・Koma cushion ring 14-
...Top lateral groove 14'...0I section lateral groove 15----
Front side vertical groove l 5' e * * * Back side vertical groove 16
．． 17--...Ring groove 21...I+11 Cushion device 1B, 1B'@Book/Bullet bottle 19, l 9'
m s... Roller 8 # Applicant Segensha Shizuoka Sankosho

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) An arm with a tool grip formed at the tip is attached to the lower end of the arm shaft, which is rotated by a rotary air cylinder and moved up and down by another direct-acting air cylinder, and the arm shaft is attached to the machine frame. A fixed guide case is fitted, an upper horizontal groove and a lower horizontal groove are cut into the guide case, and both grooves are connected by a vertical groove, and a cushion ring is placed above and below the guide case to provide cushioning force in the circumferential direction. The ring grooves provided on both cushion rings are aligned with the upper and lower lateral grooves of the guide case, and each lateral groove and each ring groove form an overlap in the lateral length, and each lateral groove and ring An automatic tool changer for a machining center in which a piece protruding from an arm shaft is slidably fitted into a groove and a vertical groove. (2) An automatic tool changer for a machining center according to claim 1, wherein upper lateral grooves are provided on the front and back of the guide case, and each of the upper lateral grooves and the lower lateral groove are connected by a front side vertical groove and a back side vertical groove. (3) Automatic tool change 1L for a machining center according to claim 1, wherein two rollers are provided protruding from the outer periphery of the cushion ring, and these rollers are engaged with the resilient pins of the cushion device. (4) Automatic tool change 11 for a machining center according to claim 2, in which ring grooves are cut on the front and back surfaces of the upper cushion ring.