JP6339130B2 - Work holding jig changer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for exchanging a workpiece holding jig of a robot that conveys a workpiece between dies of a press machine.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a workpiece suction jig exchanging apparatus that detachably attaches a block fixed to a base of a workpiece suction jig of a press machine to a holder provided on the front surface of a feed bar. In this apparatus, when the block is mounted on the holder, a vacuum circuit for workpiece suction is also connected at the same time. Then, after mounting the block, the air cylinder built in the holder is operated to press the side surface of the block against the inner side surface of the holder, thereby applying seal pressure to the O-ring interposed between them and fixing the block. I am doing so. Note that FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1 describes, as a conventional technique, an exchange device that presses a block laterally against a holder with a push bolt.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-1260

  In the conventional exchange device, only one air pipe (vacuum circuit) can be connected. Therefore, when exchanging with a workpiece gripping jig that is opened and closed by an air cylinder, it is necessary to replace the vacuum circuit with a compressed air circuit or to switch the circuit, and the setup change is complicated. Moreover, even if it is going to increase air piping, since the side surface of a block and the inner side surface of a holder are narrow, it is difficult.

  Furthermore, in the conventional apparatus, it is necessary to operate the piston using air pressure or hydraulic pressure, and in order to fix firmly, it is necessary to use a large piston or a large air pressure and hydraulic pressure. Therefore, the apparatus is complicated and disadvantageous in terms of price. On the other hand, an apparatus using a push bolt has a simple structure and is advantageous in price, but it is necessary to work with a tool such as a spanner.

  The present invention provides an exchange device for a workpiece holding jig that solves the above-described problems of the conventional device and can connect / remove a plurality of air pipes used by a holder simultaneously with mounting / removing of a block. Is a technical issue.

The workpiece holding jig exchanging device according to the present invention is provided on a base of a workpiece holding jig, which is fixed to a feed bar of a workpiece conveying device and has a bottomed cylindrical hole that opens to the front surface. The hole comprises a block having a columnar insertion portion that is rotatably fitted between a mountable insertion position and a fixed position in which movement in the axial direction is restricted. A plurality of air source passages communicating with the air source are opened, and a plurality of air receivers are connected to the holding member at the distal end surface of the insertion portion of the block and communicate with the air source passage at least at the fixed position. A passage is formed, and an O-ring is interposed between the bottom surface of the hole of the holder and the front end surface of the insertion portion of the block, and seals the connection portion between the air source passage and the air receiving passage. The inner peripheral surface of the hole and bro The outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion of the click, conversion mechanism for converting the operation of pushing the rotation operation to the base side of the block to a fixed position from the insertion position of the block is provided with, on the inner circumferential surface of the hole of the holder A plurality of protrusions protrude inward in the radial direction, a plurality of vertical grooves through which the protrusions pass in the insertion direction of the block, a protrusion in the rotation direction of the block, and an inner wall on the outer peripheral surface of the block. At least one lateral groove that engages with the tip of the protrusion is formed, and the conversion mechanism engages with the tip of the protrusion riding on the side wall of the lateral groove by rotation of the block, and the block is formed as a base by the ride. And a mechanism for adjusting the position of the tip of the projection in the longitudinal groove direction .
In such an exchange device, it is preferable that the air source passage includes both a vacuum negative pressure passage and a compressed air passage.

The front Symbol conversion mechanism, it is preferable that also serves as an engaging mechanism for engaging so as not come out of the block by rotation of the block.

  Furthermore, in any of the above-described exchange devices, it is preferable that the holder is provided with a lock member that restrains / releases the rotation of the block at a fixed position.

  In the exchange device of the present invention, a plurality of air source passages and air receiving passages are opened on the bottom surface of the holder and the front end surface of the insertion portion of the block that contacts the surface. These bottom surfaces and tip surfaces can have a large area. Therefore, it is relatively easy to provide a plurality of air source passages and air receiving passage sets, in particular, three or more, or five or more sets so as not to interfere with each other.

  In addition, the block can be fixed to the holder and the air source passage can be connected or released simply by rotating the block by the engagement mechanism. Therefore, a mechanism such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder is not necessary. Further, the block is fixed to a base portion of a jig such as a suction jig or a holding jig. However, if these jigs (or jig brackets) are held, the block can be rotated relatively lightly. Therefore, the jig can be changed without using a tool.

  Further, since a plurality of air source passages are provided, it is possible to switch between strong suction and weak suction and to switch the strength of the gripping force depending on the work to be sucked. Also, two types of suction operations or two types of gripping operations can be activated at different timings. Furthermore, gripping and reversing the gripped finger can be performed, and gripping can be performed in two stages. When the air source passage includes a vacuum negative pressure passage and a compressed air passage, suction and gripping can be selected depending on the workpiece. Furthermore, it is possible to operate the suction and the grip simultaneously.

  When the conversion mechanism is composed of a protrusion provided on one of the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the holder and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the block and a groove or protrusion provided on the other, It is possible to appropriately design the shape of the contact portion of the groove or the protrusion and the angle of inclination. Thereby, the pushing force with respect to the rotation of the suction jig or the holding jig can be set in a desired range. It is also possible to design the pushing force to be adjustable. When the conversion mechanism also serves as an engagement mechanism that engages so as not to come out of the block by the rotation of the block, there is no need to provide the conversion mechanism and the engagement mechanism separately, and the design can be made compact. .

  A plurality of protrusions project radially inwardly on the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the holder, a plurality of vertical grooves through which the protrusions pass in the insertion direction of the block, and a rotation direction of the block And at least one lateral groove is formed on the inner wall to engage with the tip of the protrusion, and the conversion mechanism causes the tip of the protrusion to ride on the side wall of the lateral groove by rotating the block. In the case where the block is configured to be pushed toward the base by riding up, the block can be pushed in a balanced manner by a plurality of protrusions. This facilitates the connection and sealing of the air source passage and the air receiving passage.

  In the exchange apparatus, when the holder is provided with a lock member that restrains / releases the rotation of the block, the safety is improved by restraining the block at a fixed position.

It is a perspective view which shows the state before the coupling | bonding of the holder and block in one Embodiment of the exchange apparatus of this invention. It is a top view which shows the state after the coupling | bonding of the exchange apparatus of FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 4a is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3, FIG. 4b is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4a, FIG. 4c is a view taken along arrow C in FIG. FIG. 5a and 5b are main part plan views showing the cooperative relationship between the groove of the block and the pin of the holder of the exchange device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5c is an enlarged view of the main part. It is the VI-VI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a side view which shows the effect | action of the lock lever of the exchange apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows other embodiment of the exchange apparatus of this invention.

  An exchange device 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a holder 12 fixed to a feed bar 11 and a block 13 detachably attached to the holder. The block is fixed to the rear end of the bracket BR of the suction jig or gripping jig, and the block 13 is replaced with a jig having an appropriate form according to the material and shape of the workpiece. The upper and lower screw holes 13a on the front surface of the block 13 are for fixing the bracket BR. A cylindrical hole 14 having a bottom surface is formed in the front surface of the holder 12, and a columnar insertion portion 15 that is detachably and rotatably fitted in the hole 14 is provided in the block 13. ing.

  The holder 12 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. In this embodiment, the holder 12 is divided into a main body 16 and a plate 17 fixed to the back surface of the main body for ease of processing and accuracy. (See FIG. 2). They are positioned by a knock pin or the like, and are coupled together by a bolt (reference numeral 17a in FIG. 3) or the like. The aforementioned hole 14 passes through the main body 16, and the front surface of the plate 17 is the bottom surface 14 a of the hole 14. Five air source passages 18a to 18e are opened on the bottom surface (see FIG. 3). Since the bottom surface 14a of the hole 14, that is, the front surface of the plate 17, is a surface on which an O-ring described later slides, it is finished smoothly, and the periphery of the opening of the air source passage is finished so as not to get caught by the O-ring. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, these air source passages are gathered and arranged in the center so as to be spaced apart from each other and to be connected to and released from the block all at once. The individual passages 18b and 18c and the two upper and lower passages 18d and 18e on the left side are arranged so as not to interfere with each other in consideration of balance. The central passage 18a and the two right passages 18b and 18c open to the right side surface through passages formed in the plate 17 (see FIG. 4). Nipples (bamboo nipples) 19 that connect the tubes are screwed into the open ends of these passages, and are connected via a tube to a vacuum generator fixed to a feed bar or the like. As the vacuum generator, for example, a device that operates with compressed air using a Venturi tube is used. Plug unnecessary passages. The symbol ST at the lower right of the holder 12 in FIG. 3 is a stopper that stops the rotation of the block 13.

  On the other hand, the central passage 18a is connected to the vacuum detection switch SW via the main body 16 and the tee 20 of the holder. The opening on the right side surface of the central passage 18a is sealed with, for example, a plug if unnecessary. The upper and lower passages 18d and 18e on the left side open to the left side surface through passages formed in the plate 17 (see FIG. 7). These are connected to a compressed air tube via a nipple 19, and the compressed air passes through an air receiving passage of the block 13 to drive a gripping mechanism, an air cylinder of a reversing mechanism, and the like. The air cylinder or the like is normally reciprocated by one passage and a return spring, but two passages may be used. Plug in if compressed air is not needed.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the block 13 includes a rectangular parallelepiped body portion 13 b and the above-described columnar insertion portion 15 projecting from the back side thereof. The corner of the main body 13b is formed with a notch surface 13c that is notched at 45 degrees. Air receiving passages 21a to 21e corresponding to the air source passages 18a to 18e of the plate 17 when mounted are formed on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 15 (see FIG. 4b). These air receiving passages extend along the insertion portion 15 toward the main body portion 13b, and communicate with the lateral holes from the middle and open laterally (see FIG. 6).

  In the present embodiment, O-ring grooves or recesses 22 are formed in the distal end surface 15a of the insertion portion 15 of the block 13 so as to surround the air receiving passages 21a to 21e. These recesses 22 are deep enough to allow the O-ring 23 to slightly protrude from the tip surface 15a in a natural state so that an appropriate sealing pressure can be obtained by pressing and deforming the O-ring (reference numeral 23 in FIG. 4). Is formed. The O-ring is bonded to the groove or recess 22 with an adhesive capable of maintaining elasticity.

  Of the air receiving passages 21a to 21e of the block 13, the central air receiving passage 21a extends in parallel with the axis from the front end surface 15a of the block 13, as shown by a broken line in FIG. And is open to the side surface of the main body 13b. The other air receiving passages 21b to 21e also extend in parallel to the shaft from the tip of the block 13, communicate with the oblique passage in the middle, and open to the notch surface 13c of the main body 13b (see FIG. 4c). .

  Next, a mechanism for pushing and engaging the block 13 with the holder 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a longitudinal groove 24 extending in the axial direction and an annular lateral groove 25 extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 15 of the block 13. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 b, the longitudinal grooves 24 are provided at two locations, upper and lower, symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the insertion portion 15. These vertical grooves 24 are formed at positions slightly displaced in the circumferential direction from the upper and lower ends when the block 13 is fixed. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, the holder 12 has projections 26 that pass through the longitudinal grooves 24 and engage with the lateral grooves 25 project inward in the radial direction from two upper and lower portions of the hole 14.

  In this embodiment, the protrusion 26 is constituted by a pair of upper and lower guide members 27 attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 16 of the holder. The guide member 27 includes a substantially disc-shaped attachment plate 28 and a shaft 29 protruding from the center of the attachment plate. A thin cylindrical eccentric pin 29 a that is eccentric from the center of the shaft 29 is formed at the tip of the shaft 29. The eccentric pin 29 a, particularly the portion protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the hole 14 is the above-described protrusion 26.

  In order to attach the block 13 configured as described above to the holder 12, first, as shown in an imaginary line in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4d, the block 13 is slightly tilted so that the vertical groove 24 is positioned up and down. The protrusions 26 are brought into a combined state (insertion position). Then, the block 13 is pushed in the axial direction from this state. As a result, the protrusion 26 passes through the vertical groove 24 and reaches the position of the horizontal groove 25. When the block 13 is rotated clockwise in this state, the protrusion 26 enters the lateral groove 25 and engages with the wall surface 25a of the lateral groove (fixed position). The interaction between the vertical grooves 24 and the horizontal grooves 25 of the blocks 13 and the protrusions 26 is simultaneously performed between the upper and lower protrusions 26 and the corresponding vertical and horizontal grooves. Therefore, the upper and lower balance is achieved, and the insertion portion 15 enters the hole 14 smoothly.

  In a state where the protrusion 26 is engaged with the lateral groove 25, the block 13 does not come off the holder 12. In order to remove the block 13 from the holder 12, contrary to the above, the block 13 is rotated counterclockwise so that the projection 26 reaches the position of the vertical groove 24. In this state, the protrusion 26 passes through the vertical groove 24, so that the block 13 can be removed.

  Next, a configuration (conversion mechanism) that generates a seal pressure when the block 13 is mounted on the holder 12 will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 5a, a slight gap is provided between the front end surface 15a of the block 13 and the bottom surface 14a of the holder (the front surface of the plate 17) for the tightening margin of the O-ring. A dimension P corresponding to the fastening margin remains in the vertical groove 24 at a portion of the protrusion 26 that engages with the wall surface 25 a of the lateral groove 25. When the block is rotated from this state, the protrusion 26 rides on the wall surface 25 a of the lateral groove 25. That is, the convex curved surface of the columnar protrusion 26 has a cam action, and enters the lateral groove 25 while pushing the block 13 toward the axial front end side. As a result, the O-ring is elastically deformed and a seal pressure is generated. Once the projection 26 rides on the wall surface 25a of the lateral groove 25, the reaction force of the elastic deformation of the O-ring is received by the projection 26 through the wall surface 25a, so that the state is stably maintained.

  In this embodiment, when the block 13 is further rotated after the O-ring is deformed, the block main body 13b stops in a state where it abuts against the stopper ST as shown in FIG. At this position (fixed position), the openings of the five air source passages coincide with the openings of the five air receiving passages, and the passages communicate with each other. And in the connection part of a channel | path, an O-ring seals the clearance gap between the front end surface 15a of the insertion part 15, and the bottom face 14a of the hole 14. FIG.

  When the block 13 is rotated in the reverse direction, the block 13 is rotated against the frictional force based on the seal pressure. Thereby, the block 13 can be removed from the holder 12 as described above.

  As described above, the position of the protrusion 26 gives a height to ride on the wall surface of the lateral groove and defines a tightening allowance for generating a seal pressure in the O-ring. Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, a mechanism for adjusting the position of the protrusion 26 in the longitudinal groove direction is employed. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the mounting plate 28 is formed with an arc-shaped elongated hole 30, and the mounting plate 28 can be adjusted in angle by two bolts or screws 31 passed through the elongated holes. It is attached to the main body 16. The tip of the shaft 29 is an eccentric pin 29a that is somewhat eccentric with respect to the shaft center. Thereby, the position of the eccentric pin 29a in the longitudinal groove direction in FIG. 3 or 4 can be adjusted by rotating the mounting plate 28 and tightening the screw 31 at an appropriate position. When adjusting the angle of the guide member 27, the upper and lower guide members are adjusted to the same angle.

  After the block 13 is mounted on the holder 12, the state is maintained by a frictional force such as an O-ring. Therefore, even if some external force is applied, the block 13 does not rotate and is maintained safely. However, in the above-described embodiment, a locking mechanism that locks the block 13 in a fixed position is employed for further safety. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 3, a rectangular parallelepiped cut 33 is formed in the main body 16 of the holder 12, and a lock lever 34 is accommodated in the space inside thereof. The depth of the cut 33 does not reach the inner periphery of the cylindrical hole 14.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lock lever 34 is rotatably supported by a pin 34a, and has a lock piece 35 on the hole 14 side. The block 13 is formed with a recess 36 that engages with the lock piece 35. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a female screw hole 37 penetrating from the upper surface side toward the notch 33 is formed in the main body 16 of the holder 12. A ball plunger 38 is screwed into the female screw hole 37, and a ball 39 at the tip is provided so as to be able to protrude and retract, and is biased in a protruding direction. On the other hand, the lock piece 35 is formed with an engagement recess 40 that engages with the ball 39 of the ball plunger 38.

  Therefore, when the lock lever 34 is rotated toward the hole 14, the ball 39 of the ball plunger 38 is engaged with the engagement recess 40 of the lock piece 35. Does not move from its locked position. This increases safety. In addition, since the reaction force of the elastic deformation of the O-ring is received by the engagement between the protrusion 26 and the lateral groove 25, the force for rotating the block 13 does not occur. Therefore, a large force is not applied to the lock lever 34. Therefore, the lock lever 34 is restrained by the ball plunger 38 only enough to prevent the lock lever 34 from coming off due to vibration or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, five air source passages and air receiving passages are provided, but may be 1 to 4, or 6 or more. However, the present invention is sufficiently effective when three or more exchange devices are provided. In the embodiment, both the compressed air and the vacuum circuit for vacuum are connected, but only the vacuum circuit or only the compressed air may be used. Moreover, although the protrusions 26 are provided as a pair on the top and bottom, three or more protrusions 26 may be provided. In that case, it is preferable to provide at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vertical groove and the horizontal groove are provided in the insertion portion of the block. However, as long as it engages with the protrusion of the holder, the protrusion can be used instead of the groove. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the insertion part of a block is made into a column shape and the structure inserted in the axial direction with respect to the hole of a holder is employ | adopted, for example, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to form a substantially oval portion in which the notch groove 42 is formed and to be detachably inserted into a guide groove 43 having a T-shaped cross section provided in the holder 12. The block 13 inserts a substantially oval portion in the radial direction along the parallel plane 44 and rotates it somewhat inside. In this case as well, as in the above-described embodiment, a mechanism that presses the distal end surface of the insertion portion 15 against the bottom surface of the hole 14 by rotation is employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Exchanger 11 Feed bar 12 Holder 13 Block 13a Screw hole 13b Body part 13c Notch surface 14 Hole 14a Bottom surface 15 Insertion part 15a End surface 16 Body 17 Plate 17a Bolts 18a-18e Air source passage 19 Nipple ST Stopper SW Vacuum detection switch 20 Tee 21a to 21e Air receiving passage 22 Recess 23 O-ring 24 Vertical groove 25 Horizontal groove 25a Wall surface 26 Protrusion 27 Guide member 28 Mounting plate 29 Shaft 29a Eccentric pin 30 Long hole 31 Screw 33 Notch 34 Lock lever 34a Pin 35 Lock piece 36 Recess 37 Female screw hole 38 Ball plunger 39 Ball 40 Engaging recess 42 Notch groove 43 Guide groove 44 Parallel surface BR Bracket

Claims (6)

An apparatus for exchanging a workpiece holding jig in a workpiece transfer device,
A holder having a bottomed cylindrical hole that is fixed to the feed bar of the work transfer device and opens on the front surface;
A columnar insertion portion provided at the base of the work holding jig and fitted in the hole of the holder so as to be freely rotatable between an insertion position where mounting is possible and a fixed position where movement in the axial direction is restricted. A block with
A plurality of air source passages communicating with the air source are opened at the bottom of the hole of the holder,
A plurality of air receiving passages that are connected to a holding member and communicate with the air source passage at least at the fixed position are formed on the distal end surface of the insertion portion of the block,
Between the bottom surface of the hole of the holder and the front end surface of the insertion portion of the block, an O-ring is interposed to seal the connection portion of each air source passage and air receiving passage,
On the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the holder and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion of the block, a conversion mechanism for converting the rotation operation from the insertion position of the block to the fixed position into the pressing operation to the base side of the block is provided ,
A plurality of protrusions project radially inwardly on the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the holder, a plurality of vertical grooves through which the protrusions pass in the insertion direction of the block, and a rotation direction of the block And at least one lateral groove is formed on the inner wall to engage with the tip of the protrusion, and the conversion mechanism engages the tip of the protrusion on the side wall of the lateral groove by turning the block. And is configured to push the block to the base side by the ride,
Furthermore, a workpiece holding jig exchanging device comprising a mechanism for adjusting the position of the tip of the projection in the longitudinal groove direction . 2. The workpiece holding jig exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air source passage includes both a vacuum negative pressure passage and a compressed air passage. Mechanism for adjusting the position of the tip portion of the projection, and a mounting plate for mounting the projection angle adjustably holder, exchange of the workpiece retainer of claim 1 Symbol placement and an eccentric pin provided at the tip portion of the projection apparatus. 4. The work holder exchanging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the mounting plate has an arc-shaped elongated hole centered on the axis, and is fastened to the holder by a screw passed through the elongated hole . The conversion mechanism, exchange device of a work holding jig according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which serves as an engaging mechanism for engaging so as not come out of the block by rotation of the block. The workpiece holding jig exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder is provided with a lock member that restrains / releases the rotation of the block at a fixed position.

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