JPWO2017212790A1 - Tool changer - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a tool changer capable of suppressing work by a tool when the tool plate (1) is not sufficiently connected to the master plate (4). The present invention comprises a tool plate (1) having an insertion recess, and a master plate (4) having a cylindrical portion and detachably connected to the tool plate (1), and the master plate (4), The cylinder body (10) and the plate body (7) in which the flow passage is formed, the locking part (5) provided so as to be movable in and out in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical part, and the pressure of the cylinder chamber in the cylindrical part And a piston member (8) capable of reciprocating in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion and moving the locking portion (5) back and forth, and the tool plate (1) has the cylindrical portion inserted into the insertion recess. The tool changer has a locked portion (21) that is engaged with and disengaged from the locking portion (5) when the locking portion is withdrawn and withdrawn in a state, and the master plate (4) includes the cylinder chamber (10 ) Is further provided with a detecting means (23) for detecting the pressure.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tool changer.

  The tool changer is, for example, for changing and attaching various tools to a robot arm. Such a robot arm tool changer can perform multiple tasks by exchanging tools with one robot, so it is possible to increase the functionality of the robot and shorten the setup time. Can contribute to production.

  This tool changer includes, as an example, a master plate attached to the robot side and a tool plate attached to the tool side. The master plate and the tool plate are provided so as to be detachable by operation, and the robot can be exchanged for various tools by this detachment.

  As such a tool changer, one that can be attached and detached by the withdrawal and withdrawal of a plurality of balls is known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-449). In the robot arm tool changer described in this publication, the tool plate has an insertion recess on the upper surface, and the master plate has a cylindrical portion that can be inserted into the insertion recess. In the master plate, a cylinder chamber is formed in a plate body having the cylindrical portion. Further, the plurality of balls are held by the cylindrical portion so as to be able to move in and out in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical portion. The master plate has a piston member that moves in the cylindrical portion toward the tool plate in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion by pressurizing the cylinder chamber. The plurality of balls are moved outward in the direction perpendicular to the shaft by the movement of the piston member. The said tool plate has the to-be-latched part engaged / disengaged with a some ball | bowl when a some ball withdraws / withdraws in the state which inserted the said cylindrical part in the said insertion recessed part.

  In the robot arm tool changer, when the tool plate is attached, the cylindrical portion is first inserted into the insertion recess. And by pressurizing the cylinder chamber in this state, the piston member moves to the tool plate side, and a plurality of balls are pushed outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical portion. Thus, the ball pushed out to the outside of the side surface of the cylindrical portion is locked with the locked portion of the tool plate, and thereby the tool plate is connected to the master plate. In this connected state, a desired work is performed by the tool attached to the robot arm. On the other hand, when removing the tool plate, pressurizing the chamber on the opposite side of the cylinder chamber moves the piston member toward the master plate, allowing multiple balls to move inward in the direction perpendicular to the axis. As a result, the locking with the locked portion is released.

  The pressurization to the cylinder chamber in the operation of attaching the tool plate as described above is performed by, for example, a factory air supply device or the like, and air is supplied from the air supply device to the cylinder chamber via an air supply pipe.

  However, even if sufficient air is supplied by the air supply device, there is a possibility that sufficient pressure may not be supplied to the cylinder chamber due to, for example, a failure of an air supply pipe or the like. When the work of the tool is started in such a state where the pressure to the cylinder chamber is not sufficiently applied, a plurality of balls unintentionally move inward in the direction perpendicular to the axis due to the weight of the tool. There is a fear. Such inadvertent movement of the ball in the direction perpendicular to the axis may cause inadvertent removal of the tool plate from the master plate.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-449

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool changer capable of suppressing work by a tool when the tool plate is not sufficiently connected to the master plate.

  The tool changer of the present invention has a tool plate having an insertion recess on the upper surface, a surface in contact with the upper surface in a connected state, and a cylindrical portion that can be inserted into the insertion recess, and the tool plate can be attached and detached. A master plate to be connected, the master plate having the cylindrical portion, a plate body in which a cylinder chamber and a flow passage for supplying fluid to the cylinder chamber are formed, and held by the cylindrical portion And is attached to the plate body so as to be able to reciprocate in the cylindrical portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the one surface by the pressure of the cylinder chamber, and at least one locking portion provided so as to be able to be withdrawn / retracted from a side surface of the cylindrical portion. And a piston member that reciprocates the locking portion by reciprocating movement, and the engagement of the tool plate with the cylindrical portion inserted into the insertion recess. A tool changer having a locked portion that is engaged with and disengaged from the locking portion when the portion moves out and out, wherein the master plate further includes detection means for detecting pressure in the cylinder chamber. To do.

  In the tool changer, the cylindrical portion of the master plate is inserted into the insertion recess of the tool plate, and the piston member is moved downward by controlling the pressure in the cylinder chamber in this state, whereby the locking portion is The locking portion and the locked portion of the tool plate are locked, and the tool plate is attached, so that a connection state between the master plate and the tool plate is obtained. In the tool changer, since the master plate further includes a detecting means for detecting the pressure in the cylinder chamber, it is possible to determine whether the pressure in the cylinder chamber has reached a pressure necessary for the operation of attaching the tool plate. If the pressure has not been reached, for example, it is possible to notify an error or not to perform a work with a tool. For this reason, the said tool change apparatus can suppress performing the operation | work in the insufficient connection state of the tool plate to the master plate.

  The detection means may detect the pressure in the cylinder chamber by being connected to the flow passage. Since the detection means is connected to the flow passage, the pressure in the cylinder chamber communicating with the flow passage can be detected.

  Preferably, the detection means is provided on a pressure detection member, and the pressure detection member is attached to the plate body. In other words, the tool changer has been conventionally used by adopting a configuration in which a pressure detection member having the detection means is provided separately from the plate body, and the pressure detection member is attached to the plate body. By attaching the pressure detection member to the plate main body, work in an insufficiently connected state can be suppressed, and existing devices and members can be used efficiently.

  The locking portion is composed of a plurality of balls which are held so as to be retractable from the side surface of the cylindrical portion by reciprocating movement of the piston member, and the locked portion has the cylindrical portion as an insertion recess. It is preferable to be locked by the ball that has advanced in the inserted state. Thus, the cylindrical portion of the master plate is inserted into the insertion recess of the tool plate, and the piston member moves downward by controlling the pressure in the cylinder chamber in this state, so that the ball is aligned with the axis of the cylindrical portion. It moves to the outside in the vertical direction, the ball and the locked portion of the tool plate are locked, the tool plate is attached, and the master plate and the tool plate are connected.

  The tool changer further includes a control unit that controls at least the supply of fluid to the cylinder chamber, and the detection means transmits the detected pressure information to the control unit, and the transmitted pressure information is When the pressure is equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure, the control unit preferably performs a predetermined process. Accordingly, by performing a desired process such as stopping the work by the tool in the control unit, it is possible to suppress the work in an insufficiently connected state of the tool plate to the master plate.

  As described above, the tool changer of the present invention can suppress the work by the tool when the tool plate is not sufficiently connected to the master plate.

It is a schematic sectional side view of the detachment state of the tool plate of the tool changer of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the tool changer of FIG. It is a schematic sectional side view of the connection state of the tool plate of the tool exchange apparatus of FIG. It is a whole block diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the tool exchange apparatus of FIG.

<Tool changer>
1-3, which is an embodiment of the present invention, has a tool plate 1 having an insertion recess 2 on the upper surface, and a cylindrical portion 6 that can be inserted into the insertion recess 2. And a master plate 4 for detachably connecting the tool plate 1.

  The master plate 4 is mounted on, for example, a robot arm (not shown), a tool (not shown) is mounted on the tool plate 1, and the master plate 4 and the tool plate 1 are attached to and detached from the robot plate by operation. Various tools (tool plate 1) can be exchanged and mounted.

  The master plate 4 includes a plate main body 7 having the cylindrical portion 6, a plurality of locking portions held by the plate main body 7, and a piston member 8 attached to the plate main body 7 so as to be able to reciprocate. Yes. A ball 5 is used as the locking portion.

  Inside the plate body 7, a cylinder chamber 10 and a flow passage 11 through which fluid enters and exits the cylinder chamber 10 are formed. Specifically, the plate body 7 includes a first cylindrical body 12 formed with a recess that constitutes an inner peripheral wall of the cylinder chamber 10, and a second cylinder fixed to the lower portion of the first cylindrical body 12. And a body 13. That is, in this embodiment, the plate main body 7 is composed of the first cylindrical body 12 and the second cylindrical body 13. In addition, the 1st cylindrical body 12 and the 2nd cylindrical body 13 are provided in the substantially cylindrical shape.

  The said flow path 11 is formed in the said 1st cylindrical body 12, and is distribute | arranged to the upper cylinder chamber 10a located in the cylinder chamber 10 above the piston member 8 mentioned later. The flow passage 11 is connected to an air supply device (not shown) in the factory via a solenoid valve 14 (see FIG. 4).

  In addition, a second flow passage 15 is provided inside the plate body 7 to allow the fluid in the lower cylinder chamber 10b on the opposite side of the upper cylinder chamber 10a and the piston member 8 to enter and exit. The second flow passage 15 is formed in the lower cylinder chamber 10b when the piston member 8 moves to the locking state side of the ball 5 (when the piston member 8 is in the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 and FIGS. 2 to 3). Drain the fluid. When the piston member 8 is moved to the side where the ball 5 is locked and released (when the piston member 8 is in the state shown in FIGS. 3 to 2 and 2 to 1), the lower part is interposed via the second flow passage 15. A fluid flows into the cylinder chamber 10b. For this reason, the second flow passage 15 is also connected to the electromagnetic valve 14 (not shown). 1 to 3, the flow passage 11 and the second flow passage 15 are illustrated so as to be opposed to each other (formed on different walls on the left and right sides). The flow passage 11 and the second flow passage 15 may be formed adjacent to each other (formed on the same side wall) or may be formed at an arbitrary location.

  On the lower surface of the first cylindrical body 12, a step portion to which the second cylindrical body 13 is attached is provided. The second cylindrical body 13 is fixed to the stepped portion. The second cylindrical body 13 has a flange portion 16 fitted to the stepped portion and the cylindrical portion 6 protruding downward from the flange portion 16. For this reason, the cylindrical part 6 is provided so as to protrude downward from the first cylindrical body 12. Further, the second cylindrical body 13 is formed with an insertion hole through which a rod 17 of the piston member 8 described later is inserted. The first cylindrical body 12 is attached to a robot arm or the like.

  The plate body 7 and the tool plate 1 have contact surfaces 7a and 1a that contact each other in the connected state. Specifically, the lower surface of the first cylindrical body 12 and the lower surface of the flange portion 16 are provided flush with each other, and in contact with the contact surface 1a that is the upper surface of the tool plate 1 (see FIG. 3). ). That is, in this embodiment, a flush surface formed by the lower surface of the first cylindrical body 12 and the lower surface of the flange portion 16 of the second cylindrical body 13 becomes the contact surface 7a of the master plate 4, and the master plate In the coupled state of 4 and the tool plate 1, the contact surface 7 a of the master plate 4 is in contact with the contact surface 1 a of the tool plate 1.

  The master plate 4 further includes a plate 18 constituting the upper wall (piston facing wall) of the cylinder chamber 10. The plate 18 is fixed to the upper surface of the plate body 7 (the first cylindrical body 12). Thereby, the cylinder chamber 10 is provided airtight.

  A plurality of holding holes for holding the balls 5 are formed in the cylindrical portion 6 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical portion 6. The holding hole holds the ball 5 so that it can be withdrawn from the side surface of the cylindrical portion 6. In addition, the diameter of the holding hole on the outer side of the cylindrical part 6 is provided smaller than the diameter of the ball 5, and the ball 5 is restricted from being detached to the outer side of the cylindrical part 6.

  The plate member 8 is capable of reciprocating in the cylindrical portion 6 along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 6, that is, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the contact surface, by the pressure of the cylinder chamber 10. 7 is attached. By the reciprocating motion of the piston member 8, the plurality of balls 5 are moved out of the side surface of the cylindrical portion 6.

  Specifically, the piston member 8 includes a rod 17 that is inserted into the insertion hole of the second cylindrical body 13 and a cam that is fixed to the tip of the rod 17 protruding from the cylindrical portion 6 (lower end in the figure). Part 20. The side surface of the cam portion 20 abuts on the ball 5 and the movement of the ball 5 to the inside of the cylindrical portion 6 is restricted.

  The cam portion 20 allows the outer surface of the ball 5 to move inward from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 6 when the piston member 8 is positioned at the upper end, and prevents the ball 5 from dropping out to the inner side of the cylindrical portion 6. (See FIG. 1).

  Further, the side surface of the cam portion 20 is an inclined surface that is inclined inwardly in accordance with the lower side of the figure, and the ball 5 is pushed out of the cylindrical portion 6 by the downward movement of the piston member 8, so A locked state with the locking portion 21 is obtained. Here, the cam part 20 has two inclined surfaces with different inclination angles. The angle between the two inclined surfaces and the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 6 is larger in the lower inclined surface in the drawing and smaller in the subsequent upper inclined surface. When the piston member 8 moves downward from the state where the piston member 8 is positioned at the upper end (see FIG. 1), the large inclined surface pushes the ball 5 outward, and then the piston member 8 reaches the lower end. The surface with a small inclination regulates the movement of the ball 5 to the inside of the cylindrical portion 6 (see FIG. 3).

  The tool plate 1 is engaged with the plurality of balls 5 when the plurality of balls 5 are pushed out in the vertical direction from the central axis of the rod 17 with the cylindrical portion 6 inserted into the insertion recess 2. A stop 21 is provided. That is, in the present embodiment, the locking portion is composed of a plurality of balls 5 that are held so as to be retractable from the side surface of the cylindrical portion 6 by the reciprocating motion of the piston member 8. The shape portion 6 is configured to be locked by the ball 5 that has advanced with the insertion portion 2 inserted into the insertion recess 2.

  The plurality of balls 5 advance to the outside of the cylindrical portion 6 in a state where the contact surface 7a of the plate body 7 and the contact surface 1a of the tool plate 1 face each other with a gap. And has a top surface 21a that comes into contact with at least one ball 5, and the contact surfaces 7a and 1a come into contact with each other when the ball 5 that comes into contact with the top surface 21a is further advanced outward. It has been. Specifically, the top surface 21a is formed so that the diameter of the insertion recess 2 is larger in the downward direction than in the upper part of the figure. More specifically, the ball 5 is moved outward by the movement of the piston member 8 in a state where the cylindrical portion 6 is inserted into the insertion recess 2 and the contact surfaces 7a and 1a are arranged with a predetermined gap. 2, the top surface 21a and the ball 5 come into contact with each other as shown in FIG. 2, and the ball 5 further moves outward from this state, so that the ball 5 moves along the top surface 21a, and the relative The tool plate 1 is pulled toward the master plate 4 side, and the connected state of the tool plate 1 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained.

  The tool changer includes detection means that is connected to the flow passage 11 and detects the pressure in the cylinder chamber. In this embodiment, the tool changer includes a pressure detection member 23 provided separately from the plate main body 7 and attached to the plate main body 7 as detection means. The pressure detection member 23 detects the pressure in the cylinder chamber 10 by detecting the pressure in the flow passage 11. In addition, as the pressure detection member 23, various conventionally known members can be employed. For example, a pressure sensor capable of detecting a predetermined pressure band, such as PS-20 manufactured by Wako Electronics Co., Ltd., SE600LP manufactured by Temtec Laboratories Co., Ltd., can be suitably used.

  The tool changer further includes a control unit 25 that controls the supply of fluid to the cylinder chamber 10. When the tool changer is attached to the robot arm, the control unit 25 also controls the operation of the robot. Pressure information detected by the detection means is transmitted to the control unit 25. When the control unit 25 determines that the pressure in the cylinder chamber 10 is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure by the detection unit, the control unit 25 instructs to start the work by the tool.

  Moreover, the transmission of the pressure information from the detection means to the control unit 25 is also performed during work by the tool. The control unit 25 performs a predetermined process when the pressure information transmitted from the detection unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure. Here, as the predetermined process, for example, there is a process at the time of abnormality, and as the process at the time of abnormality, an abnormality is displayed on a display unit (not shown) and an emergency stop process is performed, or the control unit 25 is an air supply device. If the output can be constantly controlled, the output is adjusted to maintain the pressure in the cylinder chamber 10 at a predetermined pressure or higher.

<Operation method>
Next, an operation method of the tool changer will be described.

  The tool changer supplies air to the upper cylinder chamber 10a with the contact surface 7a of the plate body 7 and the contact surface 1a of the tool plate 1 facing each other with a gap.

  When air is supplied to the upper cylinder chamber 10a, the ball 5 moves to the outside of the cylindrical portion 6, and the tool plate 1 is drawn toward the master plate 4 side by pressing the top surface 21a, and the contact surface 7a, 1a contacts, and the connection state of the tool plate 1 and the master plate 4 is obtained.

  In this connected state, if the pressure in the cylinder chamber 10 is sufficient, the detection means transmits information to the control unit 25, and the work by the tool is started. On the other hand, when the detection unit determines that the pressure in the cylinder chamber 10 is insufficient, the control unit 25 does not start the operation using the tool. For this reason, the said tool change apparatus can suppress performing the operation | work in the insufficient connection state of the tool plate 1 to the master plate 4. FIG.

  The detection means transmits the pressure information to the control unit 25 even when working with the tool, and performs the abnormal process as described above when the pressure in the cylinder chamber 10 becomes less than a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure is appropriately determined depending on the loadable weight of the master plate 4 and the tool plate 1, and is, for example, 0.4 MPa.

<advantage>
As described above, the tool changer includes the detection unit, thereby preventing the tool plate 1 from being inadvertently detached during the work of the tool and using the tool in a state where the contact surfaces are not in contact with each other. Incorrect work can be suppressed.

  Further, in the tool changer, since the detection means is provided in the pressure detection member 23 which is separate from the plate body 7 of the master plate 4, the pressure detection member 23 is attached to the plate body 7 which has been used conventionally. By doing so, work in an insufficiently connected state can be suppressed, and existing devices and members can be used efficiently.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in a mode in which various changes and improvements are made in addition to the above-described mode.

  That is, in the above embodiment, the pressure detection means is provided separately from the plate body 7 of the master plate 4, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pressure detection means is built in the master plate. It may be what has been done.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the piston member 8 reciprocated by pressurization of air was demonstrated, it is also possible to use another fluid. Furthermore, although what has obtained the connection state of the tool plate 1 by pressurization of the cylinder chamber 10 was described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the connection state of the tool plate 1 is obtained by the cylinder chamber 10 becoming negative pressure. It is also possible to change the design so that

  Furthermore, although the said embodiment demonstrated what used the ball 5 as a locking member engaged / disengaged by the to-be-latched part 21, this invention is not limited to this. For example, a cam member (locking member) is pivotally supported on a cylindrical body as in the above-described embodiment, and the cam member moves out and out of the side surface of the cylindrical body by the reciprocating motion of the piston member. It is also possible to employ one in which the cam member and the locked portion are engaged and disengaged.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the connection state (refer FIG. 3) of the master plate 4 and the tool plate 1 was obtained when the piston member 8 was located in the tool plate 1 side, this invention showed this. It is not limited to. When the piston member is located on the tool plate side, the tool plate is disengaged (the disengaged state between the locking portion and the locked portion), and the piston member moves to the side away from the tool plate, so that the tool plate is attached. What is in the state (the locked state between the locking portion and the locked portion) is also within the intended range of the present invention. In addition, in order to comprise in this way, it is possible by making the shape of the cam part 20 of the said embodiment upside down. Specifically, by setting the side surface of the cam portion to an inclined surface that is inclined inwardly upward, the ball is pushed outward by the upward movement of the piston member, and the locking portion (ball) and the locked portion The locked state is obtained.

  In the said embodiment, although the cylindrical part demonstrated the thing of a substantially cylindrical shape, a cylindrical part etc. may be sufficient as a cylindrical part.

  In addition, the unevenness | corrugation may be partially provided in one surface of the master plate in this invention. In this case, the substantially perpendicular direction to the one surface means a direction substantially perpendicular to a portion of the surface other than the uneven portion. Further, when the entire surface of the master plate is uneven, the one surface and the substantially perpendicular direction is a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the virtual surface, assuming a surface including the vertices of a plurality of convex portions. Say.

  Since the tool changer of the present invention can suppress the work by the tool when the tool plate is not sufficiently connected to the master plate as described above, it is suitable for various work in which various tools are detachably mounted. Can be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tool plate 1a Contact surface 2 Insertion recessed part 4 Master plate 5 Ball 6 Cylindrical part 7 Plate main body 7a Contact surface 8 Piston member 10 Cylinder chamber 10a Upper cylinder chamber 10b Lower cylinder chamber 11 Flow path 12 1st cylindrical body 13 Second cylindrical body 14 Solenoid valve 15 Second flow passage 16 Eaves part 17 Rod 18 Plate 20 Cam part 21 Locked part 21a Top surface 23 Pressure detection member 25 Control part

Claims (5)

A tool plate having an insertion recess on the upper surface, a master plate that has one surface in contact with the upper surface in a connected state and a cylindrical portion that can be inserted into the insertion recess and removably connects the tool plate,
The master plate is
A plate body having the cylindrical portion and having a cylinder chamber and a flow passage for supplying fluid to the cylinder chamber formed therein,
At least one locking portion that is held by the cylindrical portion and is provided so as to be capable of withdrawing from the side surface of the cylindrical portion;
A piston member that is attached to the plate body so as to be able to reciprocate within the cylindrical portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the one surface by the pressure of the cylinder chamber, and that moves back and forth by the reciprocating motion;
The tool plate has a locked portion that is engaged with and disengaged from the locking portion when the locking portion is withdrawn and retracted in a state where the cylindrical portion is inserted into the insertion recess,
The tool changer according to claim 1, wherein the master plate further includes detection means for detecting pressure in the cylinder chamber.   The tool changer according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is connected to the flow passage to detect the pressure in the cylinder chamber.   The tool changer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection means is a pressure detection member attached to the plate body.   The locking portion is composed of a plurality of balls which are held so as to be retractable from the side surface of the cylindrical portion by reciprocating movement of the piston member, and the locked portion has the cylindrical portion as an insertion recess. The tool changer according to claim 1, wherein the tool changer is locked by the ball that has advanced in the inserted state.   A control unit that controls at least supply of fluid to the cylinder chamber, and the detection unit transmits the detected pressure information to the control unit, and the transmitted pressure information is equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure. Furthermore, the said control part is a tool change apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4 which performs a predetermined | prescribed process.

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