JPS6263052A - Automatic machining apparatus and operation control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fully automate machining by automatizing the tool exchange of a machine tool provided with an automatic tool exchanger controllably run by a generalizing command controller, while providing an optimum operation of machines and facilities. CONSTITUTION:A carriage 200 controllably operated by a generalizing command controller 100 is provided to reciprocate along a transfer path 210. This carriage 200 mounts an on-machine controller 220 thereon and is connected to said controller 100 through an on-ground controller 230 for the carriage to be controllably operated. Further, the traveling power of the carriage 200 is supplied through said controller 230 by a power line 240 to drive a drive motor. On the side of the transfer path 210 are disposed a tool rearranging device TAM of a took keeping station and a preparatory plan station WSS together with machining centers MC1, MC2. Further, a tool presetter TPM is provided, and a tool center controller TCC is connected to said controller 100.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an automatic machining device whose operation is controlled by a general command and control device constituted by a computer, and a method for controlling the operation of the device.

[Conventional technology and problems]

The automatic machining system (so-called FA) evolved from the machining center, which highly automated a single machine tool, and automated the single machining system in a factory.

F? A typical example of such an automatic machining system is shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-23747, which has a central program supply source that supplies workpieces to multiple machine tools and transports tools. Disclosed is a method for adjusting and controlling the . Similarly, there is an earlier application by the present applicant, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 143945/1983, which uses a computer as a general command device to centralize the NC control of a plurality of machines. However, in the former known technology, when carrying workpieces and tools into and out of multiple machine tools, a workpiece transport device and a tool transport system are used to distribute the workpieces and tools to each machine tool. It is controlled from a central program supply source, and recent efforts are being made to flexibly control machining process management and tool management for the entire machine system, thereby improving productivity and adaptability to changes in production plans. A system configuration that meets these demands has not yet been adopted.

On the other hand, in the mold control system according to the latter known technology, an information line is provided for supplying NC machining information from a control command device to each of a plurality of NC machine tools, and the control device also controls the operation mode of each NC machine tool. A system configuration has been disclosed that improves operational efficiency by flexibly switching between operating modes based on an order issued by the Ministry of Finance and the operating mode of a machine alone, but it is difficult to transport processed materials, transport tools, and replace them. Furthermore, no technology has yet been disclosed for optimizing the detailed management and operation of setup and transportation of fixtures such as jigs and pallets.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a machine, a device, and a device necessary for fully automating the machining of processed materials by a machine tool, on the premise of system control by the above-mentioned general command and control device.
We provide automatic machining equipment with a system configuration that allows you to optimally operate equipment and improve productivity.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling its operation. In particular, the present invention is premised on a system configuration using a so-called machining center, which aims to advance the machining of workpieces while automatically changing tools using a machine tool equipped with an automatic tool changer.

[Means of solution and action]

In view of the above-mentioned object of the invention, the present invention provides an automatic machining device in which the loading and unloading of workpieces and the transportation of replacement tools to and from a machine tool equipped with an automatic tool changer are collectively controlled by a general command and control device. A machine tool with an automatic tool changer, which operates a single goods transport vehicle whose operation is controlled by a command control device on a reciprocating transport path and processes workpieces along the reciprocating transport path, and a variety of tools. A tool storage station for storing, a setup station for attaching and removing workpieces to and from pallets, and a pallet storage station for storing workpieces and pallets are arranged and connected to the general command and control device through communication lines, respectively. The machine tool with the automatic tool changer is controlled by the NC command data, tool change command data, workpiece change command data, etc. from the general command control device, and is controlled by the article transport vehicle. In order to provide an automatic machining device that appropriately controls the transportation of workpieces and replacement tools, and to make the progress of the automatic machining process more efficient, the present invention provides a machining device having an automatic tool change device. The automatic machining of the workpiece by the machine, the automatic tool exchange, the automatic exchange of the workpiece, etc. are controlled by the general command and control device, and the workpiece is transferred by the goods transport vehicle whose operation is managed by the general command and control device. In a method for controlling the operation of an automatic machining device that carries in and out and transports replacement tools, a tool magazine of the machine tool stores in advance a group of tools to be used according to the machining process of a workpiece, and the automatic tools are sequentially loaded. While the machine tool is being replaced, the machine tool continues automatic machining, and a tool relocation device is provided in a tool storage station connected to the general command and control device to pre-sort a plurality of tool groups according to the machining process of the workpiece. The group of tools is transferred between the tool magazine of the machine tool and the tool storage station via the article carrier under the control of the general command and control device in accordance with the machining schedule of the machine tool. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the operation of an automatic machining device, characterized in that the device is replaced and replaced. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail according to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the system configuration of an automatic machining device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a control device for the automatic machining device and the structure of the control device and other devices. In the embodiment of the automatic machining device shown in FIG. 1, there are two machine tools MCI with automatic tool changer,
It has a system configuration including MC2 (hereinafter referred to as machining center MCI, MC2), and is connected via a signal line to a general command and control device 100 formed by a computer and which collectively controls the operation of this automatic machining device. ing. Each machine tool MCI and MC2 with an automatic tool changer has a machine tool MT, an automatic tool changer ACT, a machine control device MTC, a pallet changer PC, a replacement tool transfer device TL, etc., and each machine tool MT has a main spindle. The automatic tool changer ATC, which has a column part having a head SP and a bed part on which a work table WT is mounted, is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-3573 of the present applicant.
No. 8 discloses that a plurality of tools are each loaded into a cartridge together with a tool socket, and a magazine disk equipped with a plurality of such cartridges arranged in a radial manner so as to be freely inserted and removable is provided so as to be freely indexable and rotatable. It has a structure that allows automatic tool exchange from a tool to the tool spindle in the spindle head SP of the machine tool MT.

The replacement tool transport device TL is used to transport tools that are no longer needed from among the tools arranged and equipped on the magazine disc of the automatic tool changer ATC, and to transport newly required tools. At this time, a cartridge stand C8, which has a storage shelf for storing a plurality of cartridges at once, is used to pull a plurality of tool groups together and carry them in and out. The structure and operation are disclosed, for example, in "Tool Conveying Device J" (filed on September 14, 1985) by the present applicant.

Now, this automatic machining apparatus is further provided with a conveyance vehicle 200 whose operation is managed by the above-mentioned general command and control device 100 so as to be able to travel back and forth along a conveyance path 210. This guided vehicle 200 is an automated guided vehicle (AGV) that has recently been significantly developed.
Similarly, an on-board control device 220 is mounted on the guided vehicle 200, and this on-board control device 220 is connected to the guided vehicle ground control device 23.
It has a configuration in which operation is managed by being connected to the general command and control device 100 via 0. In addition, transport vehicle 2
The running power of 00 is supplied via a power line 240 via a transport vehicle ground control device 230, and is configured to operate the drive morph of the transport vehicle 200. The above transport vehicle 2
00 is used in this automatic machining equipment to carry tools attached to the spindle head SP of the machine tool MT for processing materials (including both unprocessed and processed materials), and to carry fixtures (including jigs, pallets, etc.). It is provided to collectively carry out the transportation of a cartridge (used for conveying a cartridge containing processing materials and tools) as well as the transportation of processing H, which will be described later.In the present invention, a single conveyance vehicle 200 is used for multi-purpose transport as an article transport vehicle, therefore, the transport path 21 of this transport vehicle 200
The machining centers MCI, MC mentioned above along
2 are installed in an array. Along with the two machining centers MCI and MC2, a tool relocation device TAM of a tool storage station and a setup station WSS for attaching and detaching workpieces are arranged on the side of this conveyance path 210. The tool storage station further includes the tool puri-natsuta TPM and the tool relocation device TAM.
The tool relocation device TAM is provided with a tool center control device TCC, which is connected to the general command control device 100 via a signal line. In addition, as described later, this tool relocation device TAM stores tools required for machining in machining centers MCI and MC2, and also classifies machining processes from the viewpoint of function to identify machining processes that have the same type of function. The device is configured as a device that can prepare a group of tools required for a cartridge in advance in units of cartridges (this is called tool relocation), and cooperates with the cartridge stand base 80 to Perform rearrangement. In addition,
From the tool relocation device TAM to each machining center MCI,
Of course, the transport vehicle 200 is used to carry the replacement tool of MC2 into the transport device TL and vice versa from the transport device TL to the tool relocation device TAM, and at this time, the fork device of the transport vehicle 200 The specific structure and operation of 200a are described in the applicant's patent application “Fork Mechanism of Transport Vehicle”
(filed on September 3, 1985), the key point is that the fork device 200a is capable of extending, expanding and contracting the article when delivering the article, and also has a feed screw mechanism. The fork device 20 can also be moved downward through the vehicle body, making it possible to lift and lower objects.
0a has a configuration that allows the direction to be changed by turning.

Now, along the transport path 210 of the transport vehicle 200, pallet stockers Psi and PS2, a chip bucket reversing device 260 and a processing waste dumping container 270, which constitute the processing waste accumulation station 250, are provided one after another. The pallet stockers Psi and PS2 are devices that have a warehouse function for storing pallets, such as empty pallets, pallets with processing materials attached using jigs, or pallets with cartridge stands attached for conveying tools. We store pallets and throats in various states, and when it comes to attaching processing materials, we attach the materials before processing and process them.
Alternatively, it is possible to arbitrarily store items that have been processed by the machining center MCI or MC2, or even items that have been temporarily removed from the machining center MCI or MC2 depending on the convenience of the machining process. In addition,
In the illustrated example, two pallet stockers Psi and PS2 are arranged separately, but a series of pallet stockers may be provided.

On the other hand, the processing waste accumulation station 250 is provided as a station for collecting and discarding processing waste generated in the machining centers MCI and MC2, and is a well-known chip conveyor and lift-up station provided attached to the machining centers MCI and MC2. The chip bucket is transported by a conveyor to the side of the transport path 210, where it is transferred to a transport vehicle 200 using a chip packet, and the chip bucket is transferred by the transport vehicle 200 to the chip bucket reversing device 260 of the processing waste accumulation station 250, and the chips are The chip packet reversing device 260 is designed to tilt and reverse the packets and dump them in a concentrated manner into the processed waste dumping container 270.The specific structure and operation of the chip packet reversing device 260 are disclosed in the patent of the present applicant. 1 for "Chip packet inversion device" (filed on September 14, 1985)
An example is detailed below.

On the other hand, the general command and control device 100 is a system console D.
, central operation terminal E, central control terminal F, system support software group operation terminal G, tool Bricent terminal I
, the setup station terminal J, the workpiece loading/unloading terminal, etc., through signal lines. Further, the guided vehicle ground control device 230 is connected to a guided vehicle ground control terminal M, and from this guided vehicle ground control terminal M, an operator can start and stop the guided vehicle ground control device 230 itself. It looks like this.

Now, in the signal line shown in FIG. 1, from the general command control device 100 to the machine control device MTC, NC machining information in machining of workpiece materials, tool information such as tool change commands, pallet change commands, etc. Send exchange commands, etc.

In response, each machine control device MTC sends machine tool MT status information to the supervisory command and control device 100, including alarm information including tool breakage alarms, machining process completion information, tool exchange and pallet exchange information. Send information on completion reports, elapsed tool use time, etc.

In addition, between the general command and control device 1'OO and the tool center control device TCC, a tool storage/unloading command signal is sent from the general command and control device 100 side, that is, a new tool is sent to the tool relocation device TAM of the tool storage station. A signal instructing to store the tool or take out the tool from the device TAM, and a signal instructing the replacement of the cartridge containing the tool,
The automatic tool changer ATC of each machining center MCI, MC2 sends both signals instructing the exchange with the conveyed tool cartridge, and on the other hand, the tool center control device TCC reports the completion of the above-mentioned tool loading/unloading operation. and a report of the completion of the tool cartridge exchange operation are transmitted.

Furthermore, between the system console D and the system console D, signals are sent from the general command control device 100 to the system console D to record machining results, tool exchange results, etc. It is possible to input operation signals for both starting and stopping the computer itself forming the command control device 100.

Between the general command and control device 100 and the central operation terminal E,
In this automatic machining device, for example, when one machining center MCI or MC2 is operated separately from the system configuration, or when one machining center breaks down, a command signal is used to reduce the system function, such as to perform a disconnection operation. and their return signals, or mutual transmission of maintenance signals of the automatic machining apparatus and operation signals for performing tuning operations for optimizing system operation.

Furthermore, between the central control terminal F and the central control terminal F, the command and control device 10
Signals indicating the status of each component of the automatic machining device from the 0 side, for example, each machining center MCI, l'lc2
processing status, alarm status of the machining centers MCI and MC2, status of other conveyance vehicles 200, each terminal device, etc., status of whether each software described below is running, and information for workers involved in this automatic machining equipment. unidirectionally transmits a signal that displays a message, etc. on a display.

In addition, between the general command and control device 100 and the system support software group operation terminal G, NC processing information is first created by the NC automatic programming device, and this information is transferred to the terminal G.
At the same time, a signal is transmitted to be input into the integrated command and control device 100. Similarly, basic data regarding the machining process is created using the NC automatic programming device, and the data is displayed on the terminal G, and the supervising command control device 100
It also transmits signals that are input into the system.

Between the general command and control device 100 and the tool presetter TPM of the tool storage station, the dimensional data of new tools or modified tools, that is, the tool diameter and tool length, are measured in advance and these data are stored in the general command and control device 100. Since it is necessary to control the machining using the tool, the command and control device 100 sends a signal for setting a reference value during measurement, and conversely, the tool presetter TPM sends a signal to set a reference value for measurement. The measurement data of the tool is input. At this time, a new tool or a modified tool is registered between the tool presetter terminal I and the general command control device 100. In addition, this tool precenter terminal device■
and the supervisory command and control device 100, registration deletion when removing unnecessary tools from the tool storage station,
Instructions and displays on how to change the data when the tool data is re-measured after registration and presetting operations using the tool presetter TPM are also provided.

General command control device 100 and setup station terminal J
Between the command and control device 100, data necessary for setup operations, ie, instructions and display of contents such as the number and number of workpieces and work instructions, are performed unidirectionally. In other words, this setup station terminal J is provided as a data display.

In addition, between the general command and control device 100 and the workpiece loading/unloading terminal, there is communication between pallets for attaching workpiece materials, pallets for attaching tools using cartridge stands, and terminals for loading/unloading operations of fixtures, etc. In other words, operations such as inputting and changing data regarding these pallets and their attached items are performed, and these data are also displayed. Furthermore,
It also displays the status of the storage shelves for processed materials. The loading and unloading here refers to the loading and unloading of workpiece materials, etc., into and out of the storage for the automatic machining apparatus, and therefore, a storage (not shown) is provided with a large number of storage shelves.

Next, the general command control device 100 and the guided vehicle ground control device 23
0, a command to execute transport by the transport vehicle is transmitted from the general command and control device 100, and a command to execute the setup work to the setup station WSS is also transmitted.

In other words, since the setup work requires the operation of the transport vehicle 200 to transport the pallet, etc., the transport vehicle ground control device 2 is required for the setup station WSS.
Command transmission takes place via 30.

Note that the conveyance vehicle ground control device 230 reports the completion of the conveyance operation by the conveyance vehicle 200 and the completion report of the operation of the setup station. Furthermore, the general command and control device 10 issues alarm signals due to malfunctions, abnormalities, etc. of the transport vehicle 200.
A transfer for 0 also takes place.

Furthermore, a signal is sent from the transport vehicle ground control device 230 to the setup station WSS to instruct the setup start, and in response, the 8-car station WSS reports the setup completion.

From the guided vehicle ground control device terminal M to the guided vehicle ground control device 2
30 allows an operator to start and stop the device 230. Then, between the guided vehicle ground control device 230 and the guided vehicle 200, the former sends a transportation command to the latter, and conversely, the latter sends a transportation status report, that is, an operation completion report, to the former, and also sends an alarm. A signal is transmitted.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, referring to the configuration of the general command and control device 100, the device 100 includes a central processing unit 11
0, a memory 120, an operating system 130, and a software storage section 140 consisting of, for example, a storage drum, in which a group of system configuration software unique to this automatic machining apparatus is stored. The central processing unit 110 and the memory 120 may be implemented by a normal computer, and the operating system 130 is also provided in order to efficiently process a large number of programs, and is of the type included in a normal computer. In addition, the software storage unit 140 is equipped with two basic software, process management and tool management, as control core software. management, machining center MCLMC2, transport vehicle 200,
We manage fixtures, etc., optimally combine them to complete the many machining processes of the workpiece material, analyze the group of tools used, and use those machining centers MCI, M
Processing that flexibly determines production priorities based on allocation to C2, management of setup station WSS, processing schedule in automatic machining equipment, length of delivery date of workpiece, number of workpieces, length of machining time, etc. Work material This is software that controls overall production operations.

On the other hand, tool management software controls the overall operation of tools, including managing the location and condition of tools in automatic machining equipment, managing tool replacement due to tool breakage and wear, and managing the replacement of tools used as described above. It is software that

In addition to the above-mentioned control core software, the software storage unit 140 has a database as a center and individual software such as central control software, central operation control software, loading/unloading station control software, setup station control software, transport management software, and machine communication software. , tool presetting control software, tool center control software, system support software, etc., are installed in each of the previously mentioned control devices (machine control device MTC1 tool center control device TC).
It is coupled to the C, wL vehicle sending ground control device 230, the R main sending machine on-board control device 220) and each terminal device.

In the above-mentioned individual software group, the central control software is software for constantly monitoring the status of the entire automatic machining apparatus and transmitting information, such as displaying it on a terminal device, as described above. Further, the central operation control software is software for the above-mentioned reduction operation and recovery, tuning operation, maintenance, etc. of the automatic machining device.

The loading/unloading station control software is software for loading/unloading workpiece materials, pallets, and fixtures, and displaying shelf configuration and other information.

The setup station control software is software for displaying setup-related information on the setup station WSS.

The transport management software is operational software that issues a transport command to the transport vehicle ground control device 230 and receives a completion report and transport vehicle status information from the device 230.

The machine communication control software is software that controls communication between the control core software described above and the machining centers MCI and MC2. The tool presetting control software is software for controlling tool registration, deletion, tool data change, etc. between the tool presetter TPM and the tool presetter terminal I. Furthermore, the tool center control software is control software for communicating such as tool preparation commands, tool preparation completion reports, and tool data information exchange between the control core software and the tool center control device.

System support software includes NC program creation,
Input, registration, deletion, and modification of tools, registration, deletion, and modification of workpiece materials and machining data, analysis of tool groups used according to the machining process, creation of graphic data, creation of production management data, and storage of materials in storage. It performs operational control such as enumeration of input/output information of processing materials, fixtures, etc., enumeration of processing information, etc. The system support software group operation terminal G is equipped with an automatic programming device to operate the above-mentioned NC program creation and input. is equipped.

Now, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 showing the operation of the automatic machining apparatus according to the present invention whose configuration is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above will be explained below.

First, referring to FIG. 3, this flowchart shows the process operation of this automatic machining equipment controlled by the process control software shown in FIG. It is the operation of the entire process in which the process of installing, warehousing, warehousing, processing, cleaning, warehousing, warehousing, removal from fixtures, and warehousing is repeated until all of the collection of workpiece materials completes processing. As shown in Figure 3, the operation begins with the storage of workpiece materials, and flags are sequentially set for the entire collection of workpiece materials according to the processing loft, and as a judgment process, the workpieces are checked. A decision is made as to whether the processing process for gathering the materials has been completed, and if yes, the finished product will be ready for shipment. Note that the "Secure tools" flag in Figure 3 is to secure tools on the machining center MCI or MC2 (Figure 1), that is, to secure the tools necessary for machining. The flow process of determining the replacement of the used tool group shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a characteristic flow executed in the present invention as part of the process control controlled by the process control software shown in FIG. We determine the tools to be used as a collection of tools necessary to process the workpiece material, optimally combine each tool to process as many functional processes as possible, and collectively decide on the group of tools to be used. A group of tools used like this is machining center MCI.
, The tools are stored in the tool magazine on the MC2 machine for machining, and the tool relocation device TAM is also prepared with such a group of tools in advance, so that when the workpiece material is changed, the tools are The tools used to process the material are the tool relocation device TAM and the machining centers MCI and M.
This is carried out using a transport vehicle 200 between C2 and C2.
Such an analysis of the group of tools used is performed in advance with the participation of the operator using the terminal G under the control of the system support software.

Now, the flow of determining the used tool groups to be stored in the machining centers MCI and MC2 is shown in Fig. 4. First, each analyzed and relocated tool group stored in the tool relocation device TAM is determined. , the load and priority are calculated, and then the load and priority are similarly calculated for the tool groups on each machining center MCI and MC2. This priority is a degree of comparison in which the tool group used for machining workpieces with a large number of machining times and the number of items to be machined, and the tool group used for machining items whose delivery dates are close are determined to have a high priority. . Then, the used tool group with the highest priority in the tool relocation device T'AM is determined as the newly used tool group. next,
The priority of the used tool group stored in the tool magazines of machining centers MCI and MC2 is compared with the priority of the newly used tool group described above, and from the comparison result, the priority of the newly used tool group is determined to be the priority of the currently used tool group of machining centers MC1 and MC2. When the priority is higher than the priority of the tool group stored in the tool, the tool is secured, data for replacing the tool group is created, and finally the tool management software side controls the data for replacing the tool group. It forces the command to be sent out. When the comparison result shows that the priority of the tools in use on the machining centers MCI and MC2 is high, no decision is made to exchange the tools in use with the tool relocation device TAM. The flow explained above is the flow for determining the replacement of the tool groups used, as shown in Fig. 4, and since the replacement is determined for each tool group, this automatic machining device can Machining center MCI with just the right amount of tools.

It can be stored on MC2.

FIG. 5 shows the flow of tool management controlled by the tool management software shown in FIG. Machining center MCI,
When information about the occurrence of a broken tool is received from the machine control device MTC of MC2, and when information about the total time used for machining the workpiece regarding the tool usage time is also received from the machine control device MTC, the tool relocation device TAM This function is activated when a new tool storage completion notification is received on the machine, and it secures the tools in the tool storage station and, on the other hand, relocates the tools on the machining center MCIJCZ to remove unnecessary tools. At the same time, the necessary tools are rearranged on the tool relocation device TAM. In this way, when the relocation is completed in each tool storage section, the tools are transported between them by the transport vehicle 200, and then transferred to the machining centers MCI, M
This is to perform tool replacement on C2.

Here, an embodiment of the tool relocation device TAM will be described.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing an embodiment of a tool relocating device used in an automatic machining device according to the present invention. In FIG. 6, the tool relocating device has a tool magazine 10. The tool magazine 10 is mounted on a pedestal 1 installed on the floor.
2. Magazine base 14 placed and fixed on this base 12
, the magazine base 14 is provided with a magazine disk 16 etc. rotatably attached to the center thereof. This magazine disk 16 is provided with a plurality of cartridge storage grooves 18 (eight cartridge storage grooves in the figure) formed radially from the center of the disk, and a cartridge 20 is stored in each of the cartridge storage grooves 18. Each cartridge 2
0 are received movably in the radial direction of the magazine disk 16 along the cartridge storage grooves 18 in which they are stored.

The magazine disk 16 has an internal gear 22 at the innermost edge of its annular portion, and this internal gear 22 is connected to a pinion attached to the output shaft of a magazine indexing motor 24 fixedly arranged in the center of the magazine base 14. 26, and is indexed and rotated. Further, the magazine disk 16 has a cylindrical inner wall 28 slightly outward in the radial direction from the innermost edge where the internal gear 22 is provided, and the magazine base 14 is rotatably attached to the cylindrical inner wall 28. A plurality of rollers 30 (four rollers in the figure) are in contact with each other to smoothly guide and support the rotation of the magazine disk 16. Also, a plurality of presser rollers 32 attached to the magazine base 14
(four in the figure) engage with the annular plate surface near the innermost edge of the magazine disk 16 to stably support the magazine disk 16 in the axial direction, thereby also allowing the magazine disk 16 to rotate smoothly. It's becoming a sea urchin.

The rotation operating mechanism of the magazine disk 16 in which the magazine indexing motor 24 described above is rotationally driven is a mechanism for rotating the magazine disk 16.
It is configured as a cartridge indexing means for positioning each cartridge 20 housed in a magazine base 14 at a cartridge indexing position 34 provided at the top of the magazine base 14, and this cartridge indexing means itself is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-1983.
It is formed to have approximately the same mechanism as the cartridge indexing mechanism of a tool magazine in an automatic tool changer for a machine tool disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 35738.

When one cartridge 20 in the magazine disk 16 is positioned at the cartridge indexing position 34 by the above-mentioned cartridge indexing means, that cartridge 20 is rotated by a cartridge ejecting motor 36 provided on the magazine base 14. A retaining portion such as a hook provided at the tip of a cartridge ejecting rod 40 having a feed nut (not shown) screwed into the threaded rod 38 and a retaining portion such as a groove formed correspondingly in the cartridge 20 are connected. The magazine disk 16 is pushed radially outward from the magazine disk 16 by engagement with the magazine disk 16. In this case, the cartridge extrusion rod 4
0 and the cartridge 20 is continuously maintained, when the operation of the cartridge ejecting motor 36 is controlled, the amount of movement of the cartridge ejecting rod 40 is controlled via a feeding mechanism consisting of a screw rod 38 and a feed nut. Therefore, the amount of extrusion of the cartridge 20 can also be controlled. Furthermore, it goes without saying that by reversing the rotational direction of the cartridge extrusion motor 36, the once extruded cartridge 20 can be pulled back into the car h'J nozzle storage groove 18 of the magazine disc 16. The cartridge 20 pushed out from the magazine disk 16 is placed at the cartridge indexing position 34 at the top of the magazine base 14.
a cartridge guide device 42 arranged in alignment with the cartridge guide device 42;
The receiver is adapted to be taken in the vertical guide groove 44 of. In other words, it is received into the cartridge guide device 42 while being guided upward along the cough vertical guide groove 44 . This cartridge guide device 42 is provided with a laterally described tool socket delivery port 46 at a fixed position, which is opened laterally.

Now, focusing on the cartridges 20, each cartridge 20 has a plurality of (three) loading holes 62 for inserting and loading a plurality of tool sockets 60 (three in the figure). The loading holes 62 of this tool socket 60 are arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 20 and
The center of the cartridge is provided in the magazine disc 16 so as to be loaded in a vertical position to the plate surface thereof, and each loading hole 62 has an opening 62a on one side of the cartridge 20, and the cartridge 20 is loaded through the opening 62a. The tool socket 60 is inserted and loaded. Therefore, when each cartridge 20 is pushed out from the magazine disk 16 through the cartridge indexing position 34 and into the above-mentioned cartridge guide device 42, the loading hole into which the desired tool socket 60 in the cartridge 2.0 is loaded is inserted. If the opening 62a of the cartridge 62 is aligned with the tool socket delivery port 4G of the cartridge safety device 42, the tool socket 60 can be removed from the cartridge 20 through the tool socket delivery port 46, and the empty space of the cartridge 20 can be removed. If the opening 62a of the loading hole 62 is aligned with the tool socket delivery port 46, the tool socket 60 can be inserted and loaded from the outside into the empty loading hole 62 of the cartridge 20 via the tool socket delivery port 46. Note that the desired tool socket 60 or the loading hole 6 of the tool socket in the cartridge 20 indexed and positioned at the cartridge index position 34
2 to the tool socket delivery port 46 of the cartridge guide device 42, the amount of extrusion when extruding the cartridge 20 from the cartridge extrusion motor 36 via the feed mechanism and the cartridge extrusion rod 40 is adjusted as described above. This can be achieved through coordination and control.

Further, a tool socket replacement device 64 is attached to the top of the magazine base 14 and is sunk adjacent to the tool socket delivery port 46 of the cartridge guide device 42.

That is, this tool socket replacement device 64 is disclosed in the applicant's patent application “Tool Magazine Tool Relocation Device J” (1933).
As described in more detail in the patent application (filed on September 4, 2013), the tool can be replaced by changing the tool for any one cartridge 20 (for example, the first cartridge) stored in the magazine disk 16 according to the tool type. When relocating tools, first remove the tool socket 60 containing the desired tool from the first cartridge 20 at the tool socket/throat transfer port 46 of the cartridge guide device 42 using the tool socket replacement device 64 and temporarily remove the tool from the first cartridge 20. In the meantime, the first cartridge 60 from which the held tool socket 1-60 has been removed is returned to the magazine disk 16, and another cartridge 20 (second cartridge) that requires the tool socket 60 is inserted into the cartridge. The tool socket 60 held by the tool socket replacement device 64 is inserted into the empty loading hole 62 of the second cartridge 20 to be loaded. Next, for the first cartridge 20 from which the tool socket 60 desired to be replaced has been removed, a necessary tool socket 60 is replaced from another cartridge 20 into the empty loading hole 62 by the tool socket replacement device 64 in the manner described above. Just load it. In this way, the magazine disk 1
By repeatedly replacing and loading the tool socket for each cartridge 20 housed in the cartridge 6, the tool relocation is completed. Note that even within the same cartridge, if there is an empty loading hole, replacement is possible in the same way.

Among the cartridges 20 housed in the magazine disk 16, those for which the relocation of tools has been completed are stored in the tool magazine 10.
The cartridges are delivered to a plurality of cartridge shelves 86 of a cartridge stand 84 placed via a pallet 82 on a cartridge stand base 80 provided on the side of the cartridge stand 84 . That is, a cartridge outlet 48 facing the cartridge stand 84 on the cartridge stand base 80 is formed on the side of the magazine base 14, and a cartridge outlet 48 facing the cartridge stand 84 on the cartridge stand base 80 is formed inside the magazine disk 16. Since the attached cartridge delivery cylinder device 50 is provided, the cartridge 20 that has been completely repositioned with the tool is positioned in a position aligned with the cartridge delivery port 48 by indexing rotation, and then the cartridge delivery cylinder device 50 is positioned.
If the cartridge is sent out at the empty cartridge shelf 86 of the cartridge stand 84, it can be sent out. A saddle 92 having a nut portion 90 that engages with a motor-driven feed screw 88 is provided on the cartridge stand base 80 so as to be movable up and down, and the pallet 82 is mounted on the saddle 92 from the side with a roller 94. Since the empty cartridge shelf 86 of the cartridge stand 84 placed on the pallet 82 is slidably placed on the tool magazine 1,
0 cartridge outlet 48 is easily accomplished. and cartridge stand 8
When all the carts 86 of 4 are filled with the cartridges 20 for which the tools have been rearranged, the cartridge stand 84 is moved to the transport vehicle 2 by the fork 200a that is let out from the transport vehicle 200 via the pallet 82.
00, and then transported by the transport vehicle 200 to an automatic tool changer of a machining center, and the tools in the tool magazine of the automatic tool changer can be reorganized.

If such a tool relocation device is applied to the automatic machining device according to the present invention, batch automatic tool exchange of a group of used tools can be easily carried out.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The above description has been made based on the embodiments of the present invention, but in short, according to the present invention, one transport vehicle is made to travel along one reciprocating transport path, and an automatic tool is attached to the side of this transport path. By arranging machine tools equipped with changing devices, as well as tool storage stations, setup stations, pallet storage stations, etc., and collectively controlling these with a single general command and control device, the machine tools can handle the workpiece material. While controlling the movement of transport vehicles according to the machining process, tool changes can be appropriately controlled, and the machining schedule can be flexibly operated to adjust the delivery date of the workpiece, the length of machining time of the workpiece material, and the amount of work to be done. It is possible to obtain an automatic machining device with extremely high operational flexibility and its operation control method, which can determine priorities for securing machine tools, tools, fixtures, etc. in accordance with the number of workpieces, etc. Moreover, this makes it possible to deal with the processing of interrupted workpieces and so-called urgent processing requests, and also to maintain the productivity of the apparatus at a high level.

In addition, the tools used can be classified and determined according to the machining process, and can be exchanged between the machine tool side and the tool storage station. The effect of this is that it can be digested with high efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automatic machining device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a general command and control device of the automatic machining device, and its relationship with other devices and a terminal group.・Block diagram showing the connection relationship of the communication lines, Part 3
5 to 5 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the automatic machining device, and FIG. 6 is a front view of an embodiment of the tool relocation device. 100... Supervisory command control device, 200... Transport vehicle, 210... Transport path, MC
I, MC2... machining center, TAM...
Tool relocation device, TPM...Tool presetter, WSS...Setup repositioning device, Psi, PS2...Bullet stocker, 230...
Transport vehicle ground control device, 220... Transport vehicle on-board control device, 250... Processing waste dumping station.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic machining device in which the loading and unloading of workpieces and the transportation of replacement tools to and from a machine tool equipped with an automatic tool changer are collectively controlled by a general command and control device, the general command and control device A machine tool equipped with an automatic tool changer that operates a managed goods transport vehicle on a reciprocating transport path and processes workpieces along the reciprocating transport path, and a tool storage that stores a variety of tools. station and
A setup station that attaches and removes workpieces to and from pallets and a pallet storage station that stores workpieces and pallets are arranged and connected to the general command and control device via communication lines, and the general command and control system In accordance with the machining process of the machine tool equipped with the automatic tool changer, which is controlled by NC command data, tool change command data, workpiece change command data, etc. from the device, the workpieces and replacement tools are changed by the article transport vehicle. Automatic machining equipment that controls transport operations as appropriate. 2. A machined waste dumping station is provided at the end of the reciprocating transport path of the article transport vehicle, and the machined waste discharged by the machine tool can be transported to the machined waste dumping station by the article transport vehicle. Automatic machining equipment as described in Section. 3. The automatic storage station according to claim 1, wherein the tool storage station is equipped with a tool relocation device that prepares a desired number of tool groups from among a large number of replacement tools according to a scheduled machining process. Machining equipment. 4. The automatic machining device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of machine tools with automatic tool changers are provided along the reciprocating conveyance path and each is connected to the general command control device. 5. Automatic machining of workpieces, automatic tool exchange, automatic exchange of workpieces, etc. using a machine tool equipped with an automatic tool changer are controlled by a general command and control device, and operations are managed by the general command and control device. In the operation control method of an automatic machining device that carries in and out of workpieces and transports replacement tools using an article transport vehicle, a tool magazine of the machine tool includes a group of tools to be used according to the machining process of the workpiece. are stored in advance, and the machine tool continues automatic machining while automatically exchanging tools in sequence, and a tool relocation device is provided in a tool storage station connected to the general command and control device to process the workpiece. A plurality of groups of tools, which are classified according to 1. A method for controlling the operation of an automatic machining device, characterized in that the tools are replaced and exchanged with each other via a vehicle. 6. The tool storage station is formed so that the tool groups stored in the tool magazines of the plurality of machine tools can be rearranged and stored in a replaceable quantity, and the tools stored in the tool magazines of the machine tools are replaced. 6. The method for controlling the operation of an automatic machining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein mutual replacement is determined by comparing the priority of use between the tool group and the tool group stored in the tool storage station.