Bar gripping device and bar feeder

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bar gripping device and a bar feeding machine. A bar gripping device capable of significantly suppressing occurrence of "two clamps" is provided. The present invention is a bar gripping device for taking out a bar housed in a bar housing portion one by one, characterized by comprising: a pair of gripping members between which a wedge-shaped space opening toward an orientation in which a bar housed in the bar housing portion can be received is formed; and a gripping rotation mechanism that rotates at least one of the pair of gripping members relative to the other, the gripping rotation mechanism operating in a manner such that the opening angle of the wedge-shaped space remains at an end portion opening posture of 5° or more in a fully closed control state.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a bar gripping device for taking out a bar one by one which has been housed in a bar housing portion. In addition, the present application relates to a bar feeder for feeding a bar to a bar processing machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a bar feeder, there is known a bar feeder having a material rack for placing a bar, a guide rail for feeding a bar to a bar processing machine, and a bar replenisher for taking out one bar from the material rack and feeding it to the guide rail, as described in, for example, Patent Literature 1.

[0003] In addition, the present applicant has obtained a patent (Patent Literature 2) for a bar feeder capable of taking out a bar one by one while preventing entanglement and damage of the bar.

[0004] In this patent, the bar housing portion and the gripping member are integrally swingable about a rotation axis parallel to the feeding axis, and are swingable between a first swing position at which a bar in the bar housing portion moves toward the side close to the pair of gripping members to cause one bar to be gripped in a wedge-shaped space, and a second swing position at which a bar in the bar housing portion moves toward the side away from the pair of gripping members to cause other bars than the one bar gripped by the pair of gripping members to be separated from the pair of gripping members.

[0005] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0006] PATENT LITERATURE

[0007] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-276102

[0008] Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 5428112 SUMMARY

[0009] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0010] However, the conventional bar gripping device for taking out a bar one by one which has been housed in a bar housing portion sometimes has a symptom of "two clamps" in which two bars are gripped at the same time. In addition, a bar thinner than 1 mm in diameter is difficult to grip, and there is a case where the bar is bent at the moment of gripping by the conventional bar gripping device.

[0011] Furthermore, in the bar feeder of Patent Document 2, the separation member (separation plate) operates to separate one bar from the other bars when the bar storage portion and the gripping member are in the second swing position. However, there is a problem in that the load applied to the bar at this time is relatively large. In particular, thinner bars with a diameter of 1 mm or less sometimes become "twill-grained" and bend during separation. In recent years, the need to process thinner bars with a diameter of 1 mm or less has been increasing, and there is a need to supply extremely thin bars, such as those with a diameter of 0.3 mm, to the bar processing machine.

[0012] The present invention was conceived based on the above background. An object of the present invention is to provide a bar holding device that can effectively prevent the occurrence of "double clamping." Another object of the present invention is to provide a bar feeding machine that can reduce the load applied to a single held bar (particularly thin bars with a diameter of 1 mm or less) when separating the held bar from other bars.

[0013] Solutions for solving problems

[0014] The present invention is a bar holding device for taking out bars accommodated in a bar accommodating portion one by one, and is characterized in that:

[0015] The bar holding device has:

[0016] a pair of holding members, wherein a wedge-shaped space opening toward the rod accommodated in the rod accommodation portion is formed between the pair of holding members; and

[0017] a grip rotation mechanism that rotates at least one of the pair of grip members relative to the other,

[0018] In the fully closed control state, the gripping and rotating mechanism operates so as to remain in an end-opening posture in which the opening angle of the wedge-shaped space is 5° or more.

[0019] According to the present invention, in the fully closed control state, the device operates so as to remain in the end-opening posture in which the opening angle of the wedge-shaped space is 5° or more, thereby effectively suppressing the occurrence of "two-wire pinching".

[0020] According to various experimental results conducted by the inventors of this case, the opening angle is preferably 8° to 10°. In addition, the opening distance of the tip is preferably about 3.2 mm to 4.0 mm.

[0021] Under such conditions, for The rods can be stably held one by one with a holding force of, for example, 0.15 MPa, without the occurrence of "two clamps". The bar material can be stably gripped one by one without "double gripping" occurring at a gripping force of, for example, 0.5 MPa.

[0022] Further, it is preferable that the gripping surface of each of the pair of gripping members for gripping the bar material be configured as a flat surface.

[0023] In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of an undesirable damage to the bar material.

[0024] Further, it is preferable that the bar material gripping device further include a stopper member disposed in a direction of the rotational axis of the pair of gripping members so as to partially overlap with a region of the base end side of the pair of gripping members, the stopper member limiting the base end side of the wedge-shaped space as viewed in the direction of the rotational axis.

[0025] In this case, it is possible to adjust the size of the wedge-shaped space as viewed in the direction of the rotational axis, and thus it is possible to more effectively suppress the occurrence of "double gripping".

[0026] Further, it is preferable that the stopper member have a function of distancing the bar material accommodated in the bar material accommodating portion from the side wall of the bar material accommodating portion.

[0027] In this case, it is possible to pull the bar material away from the side wall of the bar material accommodating portion without increasing the number of components, in the case where the bar material is in a state of being adhered to the side wall.

[0028] Further, the present application is a bar material feeding machine that feeds a bar material to a bar material processing machine along a feeding axis, characterized by

[0029] The bar material feeding machine includes:

[0030] a bar material accommodating portion for accommodating a plurality of bar materials therein;

[0031] a gripping device for taking out the bar material accommodated in the bar material accommodating portion one by one; and

[0032] a guide portion for guiding the bar material taken out one by one by the gripping device along the feeding axis,

[0033] The gripping device includes a pair of gripping members between which a wedge-shaped space that opens toward a direction in which the bar material accommodated in the bar material accommodating portion can be received is formed,

[0034] The bar material accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members are integrally swingable about a rotational axis parallel to the feeding axis by a swing mechanism, and are respectively temporarily stoppable at a first swing position, a second swing position, and a third swing position,

[0035] In the first swing position, the rod in the rod accommodating portion moves toward the side close to the pair of gripping members to cause one rod to be gripped in the wedge-shaped space,

[0036] In the second swing position, the rod in the rod accommodating portion moves toward the side away from the pair of gripping members to cause the other rods except the one rod gripped by the pair of gripping members to be separated from the pair of gripping members,

[0037] The third swing position is a swing position between the first swing position and the second swing position, in which the load applied to the one rod gripped by the pair of gripping members is reduced,

[0038] Upon separation of the gripped one rod from the other rods, the rod accommodating portion and the gripping members are temporarily stopped at the third swing position.

[0039] According to the present application, the one rod gripped by the pair of gripping members can be separated from the other rods (for example, a separation member (separation plate) is operated to be separated from the other rods) in a state where the rod accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members are located at the third swing position, whereby the load applied to the one rod gripped by the pair of gripping members can be effectively reduced. Preferably, the third swing position is set to a position at which the load of the rod can be effectively reduced, in accordance with, for example, the diameter of the rod and the like, and / or in accordance with the output of various sensors for detecting the state of the rod.

[0040] Further, preferably, the rod supply machine further has a limiting plate that limits the end surface of the rod accommodated in the rod accommodating portion toward the gripping device, the limiting plate being supported to the swing mechanism in a manner movable in a direction parallel to the feeding axis.

[0041] In this case, the limiting plate can retreat in a direction away from the rod upon swinging of the rod accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members. Thereby, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the limiting plate swings together with the end surface of the rod upon swinging of the rod accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members, and an undesirable load is applied to the rod.

[0042] Effects of the Invention

[0043] The rod gripping device according to the present application operates in a manner in which the end portion opening posture in which the opening angle of the wedge-shaped space is 5° or more is maintained in the fully closed control state, whereby it is possible to effectively suppress occurrence of "two clamps".

[0044] In addition, according to the bar feeder of the present application, the one bar held by the pair of holding members can be separated from the other bars in a state where the bar housing portion and the holding members are located at the third swing position (by operating, for example, a separating member (a separating plate) to separate from the other bars), and thus, the load applied to the one bar held by the pair of holding members can be effectively reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0045] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the bar feeder of the embodiment of the present application as a whole.

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic explanatory view of a transfer operation of a bar from a V-shaped track to a guide rail.

[0047] Figure 3 is a plan view of a bar housing portion.

[0048] Figure 4 is an explanatory view of an operation of a movable restriction plate.

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a bar holding device that holds a bar.

[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic view of a bar holding device that holds a bar.

[0051] Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing a main part of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0052] Figure 8 is a schematic front view showing a main part of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0053] Figure 9 is a schematic view showing an operation state of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0054] Figure 10 is a schematic view showing an operation state of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0055] Figure 11 is a schematic view showing an operation state of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0056] Figure 12 is a schematic view showing an operation state of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0057] Figure 13 is a schematic view showing an operation state of the bar feeder of the embodiment.

[0058] Figure 14is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0059] Figure 15 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0060] Figure 16 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0061] Figure 17 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0062] Figure 18 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0063] Figure 19 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0064] Figure 20 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0065] Figure 21 is a schematic view showing the action state of the bar feeder of the present embodiment.

[0066] Figure 22 is a schematic view showing the swing mechanism of the present embodiment.

[0067] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0068] 1, bar feeder; 2, support frame; 4, guide rail; 6, conveying rod; 7, V-shaped rail; 7a, inclined portion; 7b, locking portion; 7c, notch portion; 7s, bar detection sensor; 8, bar housing portion; 8b, slide rod; 8c, notch portion; 9, supply guide arm; 9a, inclined guide surface; 9b, hook portion; 10, bar gripping device; 11, gripping member; 11h, gripping surface; 11p, abutting protrusion; 12, gripping member; 12h, gripping surface; 12p, abutting protrusion; 13, gripping rotation mechanism; 15, stop member; 15e, extension portion; 16, gripping device lifting mechanism (drive cylinder A); 17, gripping device forward and backward moving mechanism (drive cylinder B); 18, gripping device swinging mechanism (drive cylinder C); 20, servo motor; 22, endless chain or belt; 26, movable restriction plate; 27, movable restriction plate moving mechanism; 28, fixed restriction plate; 31, vertical guide; 32, horizontal guide; 36, support table; 38, swinging mechanism; 40, rotation shaft; 64, wing member; 66, conveying rod driving mechanism; 85, separation plate moving mechanism; 86, separation plate; 200, bar processing machine; 201, spindle table; 300, bar processing system; W, bar; WS, wedge-shaped space; st, moving stroke. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] (Overall structure)

[0070] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a bar feeder 1 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] The bar feeder 1 is disposed adjacent to a bar processing machine 200, and a bar processing system 300 is configured to include the bar feeder 1 and the bar processing machine 200. The bar processing machine 200 is, for example, an NC lathe of a spindle fixed type, and includes a spindle table 201 having a spindle A, and a processing portion (not shown) that processes a bar supported to the spindle table 201. The bar feeder 1 supplies the bar W to the bar processing machine 200 one by one along a supply axis B coinciding with the spindle A.

[0072] The bar W is supplied toward the bar processing machine 200 within the bar feeder 1. With respect to the bar feeder 1, the side away from the bar processing machine 200 is sometimes referred to as an upstream side, and the side close to the bar processing machine 200 is sometimes referred to as a downstream side.

[0073] The bar feeder 1 includes a support frame 2 extending in parallel to the feeding axis B, a guide rail 4 supported by the support frame 2 and guiding the bar W along the feeding axis B, a conveying rod 6 feeding the bar W on the guide rail 4 toward a bar processing machine 200 along the feeding axis B, a bar storage portion 8 storing the bar W to be fed to the guide rail 4, a bar gripping device 10 gripping the bar W stored in the bar storage portion 8 one by one and feeding to the guide rail 4, and a controller (not shown) controlling the operation of the bar feeder 1.

[0074] The guide rail 4 extends in parallel to the feeding axis B in the entire length direction of the bar feeder 1, is formed in a cross-sectional circular arc shape open upward, and is capable of guiding the bar W in a state of holding the bar W on the inner surface. With the circular arc shape of the guide rail 4, the center of the bar W is always stabilized at the same position in the width direction regardless of the diameter size of the bar W when the bar W is fed to the guide rail 4.

[0075] The end portion of the conveying rod 6 on the upstream side is fixed to a wing member 64, so that the conveying rod 6 is supported in a cantilevered manner. The wing member 64 is linked to a conveying rod drive mechanism 66 that moves the conveying rod 6 in the length direction. The conveying rod drive mechanism 66 has a servo motor 20 and a ring chain or belt 22, and the wing member 64 is linked to the ring chain 22.

[0076] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a transfer operation in which the bar W is transferred from the V-shaped track 7 to the guide rail 4. With the operation of the bar feeder 1 described later, one bar W is separated on the V-shaped track 7. As shown in Figure 2 , the V-shaped track 7 has an inclined portion 7a inclined downward from the bar storage portion 8 toward the guide rail 4 and a locking portion 7b provided at the top end portion of the inclined portion 7a on the guide rail 4 side. The end portion of the inclined portion 7a on the bar storage portion 8 side is located at about the height of the bottom surface of the bar storage portion 8 and is located at a position lower than the lower position of a separation member (separation plate) 86 described later. A plurality of bar-shaped slide rods extending from the bar storage portion 8 toward the guide rail 4 are installed at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the inclined portion 7a. With these slide rods, the bar W placed on the V-shaped track 7 is easily moved on the inclined portion 7a.

[0077] The locking portion 7b is formed with a plurality of portions extending upward at predetermined intervals in a manner substantially perpendicular to the inclined portion 7a. A notch portion 7c (see Figure 7 ) is formed in the region on the lower end side between the inclined portion 7a and the locking portion 7b. The inclination angle of the inclined portion 7a is set to such an angle that the bar W does not get damaged when the bar W is rolled on the inclined portion 7a and is locked by the locking portion 7b.

[0078] Further, the feeding guide arm 9 is formed in a manner capable of passing through each of the locking portions 7b and the notch portion 7c of the inclined portion 7a (seeFigure 2 (c)), thereby picking up the bar W on the V-shaped rail 7. In addition, a bar detection sensor 7s is provided in a part of the notch portion 7c that does not interfere with the supply guide arm 9 (see Figure 7 and Figure 9 ).

[0079] Figure 2 The state of (a) Figure 9 and Figure 21 The same state is shown) in which one bar W is separated onto the V-shaped rail 7 by the operation of the bar feeder 1 described later. The separation of the bar W is performed before the bar processing machine 200 completes processing of the previous bar.

[0080] When the processing of the bar processing machine 200 is completed, the bar replacement operation begins. In this bar replacement operation, the conveyor rod 6 takes back the scrap and discharges it, thereby supplying a new bar W. Specifically, after the conveyor rod 6 starts to move backward, the V-shaped rail 7 tilts to the first swing position (details will be discussed later), and then to the second swing position (see FIG. Figure 10 and Figure 11 ) and then reaches the first swing position (refer to Figure 12 )). Its status is Figure 2 (b) status.

[0081] from Figure 2 From the state (b), the supply guide arm 9 works to pick up the rod W on the V-shaped track 7. The upper surface of the supply guide arm 9 becomes an inclined guide surface 9a, and a hook portion 9b is provided at the lower end of the inclined guide surface 9a. The rod W on the V-shaped track 7 utilizes the upward movement of the supply guide arm 9 to roll on the inclined guide surface 9a of the supply guide arm 9 while passing over the locking portion 7b of the V-shaped track 7 and moving toward the hook portion 9b of the supply guide arm 9. Its state is Figure 2 (c) status.

[0082] from Figure 2 From the state (c), the supply guide arm 9 returns to its original position, so that the bar W of the hook portion 9b is delivered to the guide rail 4. Due to this delivery action, an appropriate notch is also provided on the guide rail 4 so that it does not interfere with the supply guide arm 9. The state in which the bar is delivered to the guide rail 4 is Figure 2 (d) status.

[0083] Thereafter, for the bar gripping operation, etc., the V-shaped rail 7 located at the first swing position is tilted in the order of the first swing position → the second swing position → the first swing position → the third swing position (described in detail later).

[0084] (Outline of the rod gripping action)

[0085] Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the bar storage section 8. The bar storage section 8 is formed in a box shape having a substantially rectangular cross section with an upper opening by a bottom surface of a rectangular flat plate shape, an inner side (a side close to the guide rail 4) wall surface and an outer side (a side away from the guide rail 4) wall surface each of which is provided perpendicularly to the bottom surface at both sides in the length direction of the bottom surface, and a pair of wall surfaces each of which is provided perpendicularly to the bottom surface at both sides in the short side direction of the bottom surface. However, a notch section 8c is provided at a portion of the bottom surface on the bar gripping device 10 side and a portion of the outer side wall surface on the bar gripping device 10 side so as not to interfere with the operation of the bar gripping device 10 which will be discussed later.

[0086] The bottom surface of the bar storage section 8 and the inner side and outer side wall surfaces are arranged in parallel to the feeding axis B. In addition, a plurality of slide bars 8b are arranged at predetermined intervals on the bottom surface so as to make the bar W housed in the bar storage section 8 easily move on the bottom surface. These slide bars 8b are formed in a bar shape bent in an L shape having an arbitrary shape such as a substantially circular, elliptical, rectangular cross section or the like. In addition, the longer side of the L shape of the slide bar 8b is arranged on the bottom surface and the shorter side of the L shape is arranged on the outer side wall surface of the bar storage section 8.

[0087] In addition, the bottom surface of the bar storage section 8 is mounted to a support table 36 (refer to Figure 2 and the like). The support table 36 is swingable about a rotation axis 40 (refer to Figure 2 and the like) parallel to the feeding axis B by a swing mechanism 38 (specifically, a drive cylinder: refer to Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 22 fixed to the support frame 2. Thus, the support table 36 and the bar storage section 8 are swingable about a rotation axis parallel to the feeding axis B.

[0088] In the present embodiment, the bar W housed inside the bar storage section 8 is swingable between a second swing position in which the bar W housed inside the bar storage section 8 moves away from the bar gripping device 10 and a first swing position in which the bar W housed inside the bar storage section 8 moves close to the bar gripping device 10.

[0089] The second swing position is an inclined position in which the outer end of the bottom surface of the bar storage section 8 is located lower than the inner end. At this position, the bar W moves on the bottom surface and converges at a corner portion of the bar storage section 8 as an intersection between the bottom surface and the outer side wall surface.

[0090] The first swing position is an inclined position where the outer end of the bottom surface of the bar receiving portion 8 is located above the inner end. At this position, the bars W move on the bottom surface and gather at the corner of the inner side of the bar receiving portion 8, which is the intersection between the bottom surface and the inner wall surface.

[0091] In this embodiment, a third swing position is set between the first and second swing positions. The third swing position is a standby position where the bottom surface of the bar storage portion 8 is substantially horizontal. At this position, the bar W hardly moves but remains there.

[0092] The inclination angles of the bottom surface at the second swing position, the first swing position, and the third swing position (standby position) can be appropriately set in consideration of the diameter and material of the rod W, the friction coefficient with the bottom surface, and the like.

[0093] Figure 3 (a) shows the state after the bar storage section 8 is swung from the third swing position (standby position) to the second swing position when there is only the last bar W in the bar storage section 8. Figure 3 The upper part in the middle moves as the corner of the intersection between the bottom surface and the outer wall surface.

[0094] In this embodiment, the movable limiting plate 26 is provided to limit the end surface of the bar W accommodated in the bar accommodating portion 8 on the side of the bar holding device 10. The movable limiting plate 26 is supported on the support table 36 (swing mechanism 38) so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the feed axis B. The movable limiting plate 26 of this embodiment is moved by the movable limiting plate moving mechanism 27 (specifically, a drive cylinder: see Figure 7 and Figure 8 ) movable.

[0095] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the fixed restricting plate 28 is provided to restrict the end surface on the front side (the bar processing machine 200 side) of the bar W accommodated in the bar accommodation portion 8 .

[0096] And, in Figure 3 In the state (a), the positions of both ends of the rod W are restricted by both the movable restricting plate 26 and the fixed restricting plate 28 .

[0097] In from Figure 3 Before the state (a) of the swing mechanism 38 is activated, the movable limiting plate 26 is retracted. In this embodiment, the moving stroke st of the movable limiting plate 26 is about 15 mm. Thus, the following situations can be avoided (see Figure 4(a)) When the rod accommodating portion 8 and the rod holding device 10 swing, the movable limiting plate 26 swings along with the end face of the rod W and applies an undesirable load to the rod (refer to Figure 4 (b)).

[0098] then, Figure 3 (b) shows the rod receiving portion 8 from Figure 3 The state after the second swing position of (a) is swung to the first swing position. The rod W is moved to the inner side of the rod receiving portion 8 (at Figure 3 The bottom (in the middle) moves as the corner of the intersection between the bottom surface and the outer wall surface.

[0099] In from Figure 3 Before the bar-holding device 10 is activated in state (b), the movable restricting plate 26 is activated again, and the positions of the ends of the bar W are again restricted by both the movable restricting plate 26 and the fixed restricting plate 28. Next, the bar-holding device 10 is activated, and the bar W is grasped by it. Thereafter, the movable restricting plate 26 is retracted again.

[0100] Then, the rod storage portion 8 is swung from the first swing position to the second swing position. The front side of the rod W held by the rod holding device 10 moves toward the outside of the rod storage portion 8 (the top end position of the rod W is also shifted backward: refer to Figure 3 (c)). If there are other bars in the bar receiving portion 8, they are moved to the outside of the bar receiving portion 8 (in Figure 3 The upper part of the middle part is moved as the corner of the intersection between the bottom surface and the outer wall surface (refer to Figure 3 (a)). Thus, the rod W gripped by the rod gripping device 10 can be separated from other rods (using the separation plate 86 discussed later, etc.).

[0101] If the normal rod separation operation is not achieved due to failure of the rod gripping operation by the rod gripping device 10, the rod gripping device 10 releases the grip of the rod W in order to try again. Figure 3 At this time, the top position of the rod W being held is offset to the rear (refer to Figure 3 (c)), the position of the released rod W is shifted toward the rear side (toward the rod holding device 10) as a whole. In addition, when the normal rod separation operation is continuously obtained, the rod W remaining in the rod storage portion 8 after the separation of one rod W is shifted toward the rear side (toward the rod holding device 10) although it is slightly shifted toward the rear side (toward the rod holding device 10).

[0102] Therefore, the movable restriction plate 26 is operated again, and the positions of both ends of the bar W are restricted again by both the movable restriction plate 26 and the fixed restriction plate 28. Thus, the state of (a) is returned Figure 3 .

[0103] (bar gripping device 10)

[0104] Next, the details of the bar gripping device 10 will be described with reference to Figure 5 and Figure 6 . Figure 5 is a bar gripping device that grips a bar, is a bar gripping device that grips a bar. Figure 6 is a bar gripping device that grips a bar. is a bar gripping device that grips a bar.

[0105] As shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the bar gripping device 10 of the present embodiment is a bar gripping device for taking out the bars W, which have been housed in the bar housing portion 8, one by one, and is provided with a pair of gripping members 11, 12, between which a wedge-shaped space WS that opens toward a direction in which the bars W housed in the bar housing portion 8 can be received is formed.

[0106] The pair of gripping members 11, 12 are symmetrically rotated to each other by a common gripping rotation mechanism 13 (specifically, a drive cylinder; refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 ).

[0107] Further, in the fully closed control state, the gripping rotation mechanism 13 is operated in such a manner that the opening angle of the wedge-shaped space WS is 8° to 10° at the end portion opening posture. Specifically, the pair of gripping members 11, 12 are rotated in such a manner that further closing action does not occur at the stage at which the abutting protrusions 11p, 12p provided to the pair of gripping members 11, 12 abut each other (or, instead of the abutting protrusions 11p, 12p, such action can be realized by the control system of the gripping rotation mechanism 13). Thus, in the fully closed control state for bar gripping, occurrence of “two-clip” can be significantly suppressed. Further, in the present embodiment, the opening distance of the tip end in the end portion opening posture becomes 3.2 mm to 4.0 mm.

[0108] In fact, for the bar of , the bar can be stably gripped one by one by the trial machine according to the present embodiment with a gripping force of 0.15 MPa. Also, for the bar of , the bar can be stably gripped one by one with a gripping force of 0.5 MPa.

[0109] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the gripping surfaces 11h and 12h of the pair of gripping members 11 and 12 for gripping the rod W are respectively formed as flat surfaces. This effectively prevents the rod W from being damaged unintentionally.

[0110] In addition, in the direction of the rotation axis of the pair of gripping members 11, 12, the base end side ( Figure 5 and Figure 6 The area on the left side of the partially overlapped manner (on Figure 5 and Figure 6 The stopper member 15 is arranged in a manner overlapping the front side of the paper. The stopper member 15 restricts the base end side of the wedge-shaped space WS when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis to adjust the size of the wedge-shaped space WS.

[0111] In addition, the stopper member 15 is Figure 5 and Figure 6 The lower side has an extension portion 15e, which has the function of keeping the rod W accommodated in the rod accommodating portion 8 away from the side wall of the rod accommodating portion 8 (see Figure 21 and discussed later).

[0112] The bar material holding device 10 of this embodiment can be moved by using the holding device lifting mechanism 16 (specifically, the drive cylinder A: see Figure 7 and Figure 8 ) along the longitudinal guide 31 in the A direction (refer to Figure 7 and Figure 9 ) is raised and lowered relative to the support platform 36 (relative to the rod storage portion 8).

[0113] In addition, the bar material holding device 10 of this embodiment can utilize the holding device forward and backward moving mechanism 17 (specifically, the driving cylinder B: see Figure 7 and Figure 8 ) along the transverse guide 32 in the B direction (refer to Figure 7 and Figure 9 ) moves forward and backward relative to the support platform 36 (relative to the rod storage portion 8).

[0114] Furthermore, the bar material holding device 10 of this embodiment can utilize the holding device swing mechanism 18 (specifically, the drive cylinder C: see Figure 7 and Figure 8 ) about a rotation axis parallel to the feed axis B (refer to Figure 15 ) swings relative to the support platform 36 (relative to the rod accommodating portion 8).

[0115] (Operation of the bar feeder 1)

[0116] Figures 9-21is a schematic view showing the operation state of the bar feeder 1 of the embodiment. Each drive element (the swing mechanism 38, the gripping rotation mechanism 13, the gripping device lifting mechanism 16, the gripping device forward / backward movement mechanism 17, the gripping device swing mechanism 18, the movable restriction plate movement mechanism 27, the separation plate movement mechanism 85) of the bar feeder 1 of the embodiment is controlled in coordination by a controller (not shown), thereby realizing their operations.

[0117] As described above, in the embodiment, the third swing position is the standby position (basic posture), and is a position in which the bottom surface of the bar housing portion 8 is substantially horizontal. The state thereof corresponds to the state of (a) of Figure 9 Figure 2 The stop member 15 (the extension portion 15e) has already been positioned at the advanced position, and the bar W housed in the bar housing portion 8 is distanced from the side wall of the bar housing portion 8.

[0118] From the state of Figure 9 , the swing mechanism 38 is operated, and the bar housing portion 8 and the like fixed to the support table 36 are swung from the third swing position (standby position) to the second swing position. The state thereof is the state of Figure 10 . The bar W is moved in a manner that the bottom surface is the corner portion of the intersection between the bottom surface and the outer side wall surface (the right side in Figure 9 ).

[0119] In the state of Figure 10 , as described above, the movable restriction plate 26 is operated to restrict the positions of both ends of the bar W by both the movable restriction plate 26 and the fixed restriction plate 28. (The state thereof is the state of (a) of Figure 3 .)

[0120] From the state of Figure 10 (the state of (a) of Figure 3 ), the gripping device lifting mechanism 16 (the drive cylinder A) is operated to lower the bar gripping device 10 (the jig), and the wedge-shaped space WS of the bar gripping device 10 is opened to the orientation capable of receiving the bar W already housed in the bar housing portion 8. The state thereof is the state of Figure 11 . (When the number of bars W housed in the bar housing portion 8 is large, or the like, it is also possible to operate the gripping device forward / backward movement mechanism 17 (the drive cylinder B) to retreat the bar gripping device 10 (the jig) before the operation of the gripping device lifting mechanism 16 (the drive cylinder A), and to operate the gripping device forward / backward movement mechanism 17 (the drive cylinder B) again to return the bar gripping device 10 (the jig) to the advanced position after the operation of the gripping device lifting mechanism 16 (the drive cylinder A) (after the lowering of the bar gripping device 10).)

[0121] In the state of Figure 11 ​In the state, as described above, the movable restricting plate 26 retreats. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the movable restricting plate 26 from swinging along with the end surface of the rod W and applying an undesirable load to the rod.

[0122] from Figure 11 (the movable limiting plate 26 is in the retreated state), the swing mechanism 38 works, and the bar material receiving portion 8 fixed to the support table 36 swings from the second swing position to the first swing position. Figure 12 The rod W is facing the inner side of the rod receiving portion 8 (at Figure 3 The bar W moves at the corner of the intersection between the bottom surface and the inner wall (the left side in the figure). As a result, the bar W moves into the wedge-shaped space WS of the bar holding device 10. (Since the bar holding device 10 only needs to be moved to the receiving position before reaching the first swing position, the holding device lifting mechanism 16 and the holding device forward and backward movement mechanism 17 can also be driven simultaneously.)

[0123] exist Figure 12 In the state, as described above, the movable restricting plate 26 is operated again, and the positions of the two ends of the rod W are restricted again by both the movable restricting plate 26 and the fixed restricting plate 28. Then, the movable restricting plate 26 is retracted again.

[0124] After that, the gripping and rotating mechanism 13 of the bar gripping device 10 is activated, and one bar W is gripped by a pair of gripping members 11 and 12. Figure 13 status, and Figure 3 The state corresponds to (b).

[0125] from Figure 13 The swing mechanism 38 is activated, and the bar storage portion 8 fixed to the support 36 is swung from the first swing position to the second swing position. The front side of the bar W held by the bar holding device 10 (clamp) is moved toward the outside of the bar storage portion 8 (at Figure 14 The rear side is held by the bar holding device 10 and stays on the inner side (in the Figure 14 On the other hand, the other rods in the rod receiving portion 8 are moved to the outside of the rod receiving portion 8 (in the left side). Figure 14 The right side in the middle) moves as the corner of the intersection between the bottom surface and the outer wall surface.

[0126] After that, the holding device lifting mechanism 16 (driving cylinder A) works and the bar holding device 10 (clamp) rises. Figure 14 status.

[0127] from Figure 14In this embodiment, various sensors known in the art are used to determine whether a bar W is being held normally. If normal holding is not confirmed, the holding device swing mechanism 18 (drive cylinder C) is activated to swing the bar holding device 10 relative to the support table 36 around a rotation axis parallel to the feed axis B (clamp swing). Figure 15 In order to shake off the undesired adhesion of the rod, the swinging action is performed an appropriate number of times (5 times) (preferably the number of times can be changed according to the diameter of the rod W). Sometimes the rod is adhered to a portion other than the gripping surface 11h, 12h of the rod gripping device 10 due to oil or the like (in the Figure 15 An example is shown in FIG), and such a rod can be thrown off by utilizing this swinging action (clamp swing).

[0128] exist Figure 15 Even after the swinging action in the middle, if the normal gripping of one bar W is not confirmed (an appropriate sensor is used for this judgment), the gripping rotation mechanism 13 of the bar gripping device 10 is activated, the gripping of the bar W is released, and the bar W is rotated. Figure 10 Try again from the state (from the operation of the movable limiting plate 26).

[0129] exist Figure 14 in the state or in Figure 15 After the swinging action in the middle, if the normal gripping of one bar W is confirmed (an appropriate sensor is used for this judgment), the gripping device forward and backward moving mechanism 17 (drive cylinder B) is activated, and the bar gripping device 10 is moved along the transverse guide 32 in the B direction (refer to FIG. Figure 7 and Figure 9 ) retreats relative to the support platform 36 (relative to the bar storage portion 8). Figure 16 Thus, the rod holding device 10 (clamp) moves with the rear end of the held rod W toward the inner side of the inner wall surface of the rod storage portion 8 ( Figure 16 to the left of the .

[0130] Furthermore, from Figure 16 The swing mechanism 38 is activated, and the bar storage portion 8 fixed to the support platform 36 is swung from the second swing position to the first swing position. Figure 17 By adding this swinging action, the rod W gripped by the rod gripping device 10 (clamp) is effectively separated from other rods.

[0131] exist Figure 17In this state, the bar W held by the bar holding device 10 becomes strongly bent. Therefore, in this embodiment, to prevent this state from persisting for a long time, the separator 86 is not operated in this state. (However, if the bar diameter is sufficiently large, the separator 86 can also be operated in this state.)

[0132] That is, from Figure 17 The swing mechanism 38 is activated, and the bar storage portion 8 fixed to the support platform 36 is swung from the first swing position to the third swing position. Figure 18 In this state, the bar W held by the bar holding device 10 is in a relatively gently bent state.

[0133] exist Figure 18 The separation plate 86 is operated by the separation plate moving mechanism 85 (specifically, the drive cylinder: see Figure 7 and Figure 8 ) in a direction parallel to the feed axis B (in Figure 18 The separating plate 86 moves from the rear end side (the bar holding device 10 side) to the front end side in the area above the bar receiving portion 8 (in the direction from the back side to the front side of the drawing). Due to the movement of the separating plate 86, the front side of the bar W held by the bar holding device 10 passes over the inner wall surface of the bar receiving portion 8 and comes out of the bar receiving portion 8 to reach the outside of the bar receiving portion 8 and onto the V-shaped rail 7.

[0134] After that, the holding device swing mechanism 18 (drive cylinder C) works, and the holding members 11 and 12 of the bar holding device 10 move toward the V-shaped rail 7 side. Then, the holding rotation mechanism 13 of the bar holding device 10 works, and the holding of the pair of holding members 11 and 12 on one bar W is released. Figure 19 As a result, the bar W gripped by the bar gripping device 10 falls onto the V-shaped rail 7.

[0135] After that, the holding device swing mechanism 18 (driving cylinder C) works, and the holding members 11 and 12 of the bar holding device 10 return to their original positions. Figure 20 status.

[0136] from Figure 20 From the state, the holding device forward and backward moving mechanism 17 (driving cylinder B) works, and the bar holding device 10 moves along the horizontal guide 32 in the B direction (refer to Figure 7 and Figure 9 ) moves forward relative to the support platform 36 (relative to the rod storage portion 8). Its state is Figure 21 status.

[0137] At this advancing operation, the extension portion 15e of the stopper member 15 moves the rod W housed in the rod housing portion 8 away from the inner side wall surface of the rod housing portion 8. Thus, without increasing the number of components, it is possible to pull the rod in the state of being adhered to the side wall of the rod housing portion 8 away from the side wall.

[0138] Figure 21 the state coincides with Figure 9 the state. That is, it means that the operating state of the rod supply machine 1 of the present embodiment is restored to the standby position (basic posture).

[0139] Further, it can also be that, instead of reaching Figure 14 the state (or Figure 15 the state) via Figure 16 the state (the state in which the rod gripping device 10 is retreated) and Figure 17 the state (the state in which the rod gripping device 10 is moved to the first swing position while maintaining the state in which the rod gripping device 10 is retreated), the rod gripping device 10 is moved to the third swing position while maintaining the state in which the rod gripping device 10 is located at the advanced position, and then the rod gripping device 10 is retreated to Figure 18 the state. Figure 14 Figure 15 the state) from Figure 18 the state.

[0140] (EFFECT)

[0141] According to the rod gripping device 10 of the present embodiment, since it operates in the end opening posture in which the opening angle of the wedge-shaped space WS is 5° or more in the fully closed control state, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of "two gripping".

[0142] In particular, according to various experimental results obtained by the present inventors, by making the opening angle 8° to 10°, it is possible to significantly suppress the occurrence of "two gripping".

[0143] In addition, according to the rod gripping device 10 of the present embodiment, the gripping surfaces 11h, 12h of the pair of gripping members 11, 12 for gripping the rod W are flat surfaces. Thus, it is possible to effectively prevent the rod W from being undesirably damaged.

[0144] ​Furthermore, according to the bar gripping device 10 of this embodiment, a stopper member 15 is disposed in the direction of the rotation axis of the pair of gripping members 11 and 12 so as to partially overlap with the base end areas of the pair of gripping members 11 and 12. This stopper member 15 restricts the base end of the wedge-shaped space WS as viewed in the direction of the rotation axis. This allows the size of the wedge-shaped space WS to be adjusted as viewed along the rotation axis.

[0145] Furthermore, according to the bar holding device 10 of this embodiment, the stopper member 15 (the extended portion 15e thereof) functions to keep the bar accommodated in the bar accommodating portion 8 away from the side walls of the bar accommodating portion 8. Thus, even when there is a bar adhering to the side wall of the bar accommodating portion 8, the bar can be pulled away from the side wall without increasing the number of parts.

[0146] In addition, according to the bar feeder 1 of this embodiment, the bar holding device 10 includes a pair of holding members 11 and 12, and a wedge-shaped space WS is formed between the pair of holding members 11 and 12, which is open in a direction to receive the bars accommodated in the bar accommodating portion 8. The bar accommodating portion 8 and the pair of holding members 11 and 12 can be swung integrally around a rotation axis parallel to the feed axis B by a swing mechanism 38, and can be temporarily stopped at a first swing position, a second swing position, and a third swing position, respectively.

[0147] At the first swing position, the rods in the rod storage portion 8 move toward the pair of gripping members 11 and 12, thereby causing one rod to be gripped in the wedge-shaped space WS (see FIG. Figure 3 (b) and Figure 12 ),

[0148] At the second swing position, the rods in the rod accommodating portion 8 move away from the pair of gripping members 11, 12, thereby causing the rods other than the one gripped by the pair of gripping members 11, 12 to separate from the pair of gripping members 11, 12 (see FIG. Figure 3 (c) and Figure 14 ),

[0149] The third swing position is a swing position between the first swing position and the second swing position. At the third swing position, the load applied to the rod held by the pair of holding members 11 and 12 is reduced (see Figure 18 ),

[0150] When the one gripped rod W is separated from the other rods by the separation plate 86 , the rod storage portion 8 and the gripping members 11 and 12 are temporarily stopped at the third swing position.

[0151] Thus, the one bar W held by the pair of holding members 11, 12 can be separated from the other bars in a state where the bar storage portion 8 and the pair of holding members 11, 12 are located at the third swing position (by operating the separation plate 86 to separate from the other bars), and thus, the load applied to the one bar held by the pair of holding members 11, 12 can be effectively reduced. Thus, even a thinner bar having a diameter of 1 mm or less can be effectively prevented from being bent into a "herringbone" pattern during separation.

[0152] Further, according to the bar supply machine 1 of the present embodiment, a movable restriction plate 26 for restricting the end surface of the bar W on the bar holding device 10 side that has been stored in the bar storage portion 8 is provided, and the movable restriction plate 26 is supported to the support table 36 (swing mechanism 38) so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the feeding axis B.

[0153] Thus, the movable restriction plate 26 can retreat in a direction away from the bar W at the time of swinging of the bar storage portion 8 and the bar holding device 10. Thus, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the movable restriction plate 26 swings together with the end surface of the bar W to apply an undesirable load to the bar W at the time of swinging of the bar storage portion 8 and the bar holding device 10.

[0154] Further, the swing position (third swing position) in a state where the bar holding device 10 is located at the standby position can also be a swing position different from the standby position of the bar holding device 10. Figure 18 Figure 9 Further, the swing position in a state where the bar holding device 10 is located at the standby position can also be a swing position different from the standby position of the bar holding device 10. Figure 18 The swing position in a state where the bar holding device 10 is located at the standby position is preferably set to a position at which the load applied to the bar can be effectively reduced, in accordance with, for example, the diameter of the bar, and / or in accordance with the output of various sensors for detecting the state of the bar. However, if an effective effect can be obtained at a swing position that is the same as the standby position of the bar holding device 10, both are set to the same swing position, and thus, it is possible to suppress the complication of control. Figure 9 Further, the swing position in a state where the bar holding device 10 is located at the standby position can also be a swing position different from the standby position of the bar holding device 10.​

Claims

1. A bar feeder that feeds bars to a bar processing machine along a feed axis, characterized in that: The bar feeder has: a rod receiving portion for receiving a plurality of rods therein; a holding device for taking out the bars received in the bar receiving portion one by one; and a guide portion for guiding the bars taken out one by one by the holding device along the feed axis, The holding device includes a pair of holding members, and a wedge-shaped space is formed between the pair of holding members, which is open toward and capable of receiving the rod accommodated in the rod accommodating portion. The pair of gripping members can close the wedge-shaped space by using a gripping rotation mechanism to grip the rod. The bar storage portion and the pair of gripping members can be integrally swung about a first rotation axis parallel to the feed axis by a swing mechanism, and can be temporarily stopped at a first swing position and a second swing position, respectively. At the first swing position, the rods in the rod accommodating portion move toward the side close to the pair of gripping members, thereby causing one rod to be gripped in the wedge-shaped space. At the second swing position, the rods in the rod accommodating portion move away from the pair of gripping members, thereby causing the rods other than the one gripped by the pair of gripping members to separate from the pair of gripping members. The pair of gripping members can be raised and lowered relative to the bar storage portion by a gripping device lifting mechanism. The pair of gripping members can be swung relative to the bar storage portion about a second rotation axis parallel to the feed axis by a gripping device swing mechanism. The swing mechanism, the holding device lifting mechanism, the holding rotation mechanism, and the holding device swing mechanism are coordinated and controlled by a controller to sequentially implement the following steps: (1) The swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the second swing position, (2) After the step (1), the lifting mechanism of the holding device is operated to lower the holding device. (3) After the step (2), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the first swing position. (4) After the step (3), the gripping and rotating mechanism operates to grip one or more rods. (5) After the step (4), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the second swing position again. (6) After the step (5), the lifting mechanism of the holding device is operated to raise the holding device. (7) After the step (6), the holding device swing mechanism operates to swing the holding device so that the number of rods held becomes one.

2. The bar feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bar material feeding machine is further provided with a sensor for judging whether the bar material is normally held by the holding device after the step (6). After the step (6), if the sensor cannot determine that the bar is being held normally, the step (7) is performed.

3. The bar feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sensor also determines whether the bar is normally held by the holding device after the step (7). After the step (7), when the sensor cannot determine that the bar is being held normally, the holding and rotating mechanism operates to release the wedge-shaped space for another try.

4. The bar feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The rod accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members can also be temporarily stopped at a third swing position by the swing mechanism. The third swing position is a swing position between the first swing position and the second swing position. At the third swing position, the load applied to a rod gripped by the pair of gripping members is reduced. The pair of gripping members can also be reciprocated in a direction close to the bar accommodating portion and in a direction away from the bar accommodating portion by using a gripping device forward and backward moving mechanism. The holding device forward and backward moving mechanism is also coordinated and controlled by the controller together with the swing mechanism, the holding device lifting mechanism, the holding rotation mechanism and the holding device swing mechanism. After the step (7), the following steps are also performed in sequence: (8) After the step (7), the forward and backward movement mechanism of the holding device is operated to move the pair of holding members away from the bar storage portion. (9) After the step (8), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the first swing position again. (10) After the step (9), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the third swing position.

5. The bar feeder according to claim 4, characterized in that: After the step (1) and before the step (2), a step is performed in which the forward and backward movement mechanism of the holding device is operated to move the pair of holding members away from the bar storage portion. After the step (2) and before the step (3), a step is performed in which the front-rear moving mechanism of the gripping device is operated to move the pair of gripping members closer to the bar accommodating portion.

6. The bar feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The bar material feeding machine further comprises a limiting plate for limiting the end surface of the bar material accommodated in the bar material accommodation portion on the side close to the holding device. The restricting plate is supported by the swing mechanism so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the feed axis.

7. A bar feeder that feeds bars to a bar processing machine along a feed axis, characterized in that: The bar feeder has: a rod receiving portion for receiving a plurality of rods therein; a holding device for taking out the bars received in the bar receiving portion one by one; and a guide portion for guiding the bars taken out one by one by the holding device along the feed axis, The holding device includes a pair of holding members, and a wedge-shaped space is formed between the pair of holding members, which is open toward and capable of receiving the rod accommodated in the rod accommodating portion. The pair of gripping members can close the wedge-shaped space by using a gripping rotation mechanism to grip the rod. The bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members can be integrally swung about a first rotation axis parallel to the feed axis by a swing mechanism, and can be temporarily stopped at a first swing position, a second swing position, and a third swing position, respectively. At the first swing position, the rods in the rod accommodating portion move toward the side close to the pair of gripping members, thereby causing one rod to be gripped in the wedge-shaped space. At the second swing position, the rods in the rod accommodating portion move away from the pair of gripping members, thereby causing the rods other than the one gripped by the pair of gripping members to separate from the pair of gripping members. The third swing position is a swing position between the first swing position and the second swing position, and at the third swing position, the load applied to the rod gripped by the pair of gripping members is reduced. The pair of gripping members can be raised and lowered relative to the bar storage portion by a gripping device lifting mechanism. The swing mechanism, the holding device lifting mechanism and the holding rotation mechanism are coordinated and controlled by a controller to sequentially implement the following steps: (1) The swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the second swing position, (2) After the step (1), the lifting mechanism of the holding device is operated to lower the holding device. (3) After the step (2), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the first swing position. (4) After the step (3), the gripping and rotating mechanism operates to grip one or more rods. (5) After the step (4), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the second swing position again. (6) After the step (5), the lifting mechanism of the holding device is operated to raise the holding device. (7) After the step (6), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the first swing position again. (8) After the step (7), the swing mechanism operates to swing the bar accommodating portion and the pair of gripping members toward the third swing position.

8. The bar feeder according to claim 7, characterized in that: The third swing position is a position where the bottom surface of the bar accommodating portion is horizontal.

9. The bar feeder according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The pair of gripping members can also be reciprocated in a direction close to the bar accommodating portion and in a direction away from the bar accommodating portion by using a gripping device forward and backward moving mechanism. The holding device forward and backward movement mechanism is also coordinated and controlled by the controller together with the swing mechanism, the holding device lifting mechanism and the holding rotation mechanism. After the step (6) and before the step (7), the forward and backward movement mechanism of the holding device is operated to move the pair of holding members away from the rod accommodating portion.

Images