Processing machine

Abstract

In the present invention, a measuring unit (30) is provided with: a first roller (32) that comes into contact with a material (W) being conveyed; a second roller (33) which is provided on the downstream side of the first roller (32) in the conveyance direction (Fd) and which is in contact with the conveyed material (W); and a sensor (35) that is provided between the first roller (32) and the second roller (33) and that measures the conveyance amount by irradiating the material (W) with detection light from a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (Fd). The sensor (35) irradiates detection light from a position separated by a predetermined distance (Ls) from a common tangent line (Ct) of the first roller (32) and the second roller (33).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a processing machine. Background Art

[0002] There are known processing machines that perform drilling, cutting, and other processing on materials such as steel sections. Such processing machines transport the material only by a predetermined amount, then stop the transport of the material to position the material, and perform necessary processing on the material. In order to perform processing with high precision, it is necessary to measure the transport amount of the material with high precision.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a length measuring device for measuring the amount of material conveyed. The length measuring device makes the outer peripheral surface of a length measuring disk contact the conveyed long material and measures the amount of rotation of the length measuring disk that rotates as the material is conveyed. The length measuring device measures the amount of material conveyed based on the amount of rotation of the length measuring disk and the circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a steel material length measuring device equipped with a laser Doppler velocimeter for measuring the length of a steel material. When the steel material is greatly bent, the meandering amount of the steel material increases, and the laser deviates from the focal position of the steel material, making it impossible to perform normal measurement. Therefore, the steel material length measuring device controls the laser irradiation position of the laser Doppler velocimeter on the steel material according to the meandering amount of the steel material.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-275037

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-150973 Summary of the invention

[0009] However, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not solve the problem of slippage between the material and the length measuring disk, and still has problems in measurement accuracy. On the other hand, the method disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be expected to improve measurement accuracy, but it is necessary to detect the bending of the material and move the probe of the laser Doppler velocimeter.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present embodiment, there is provided a processing section for processing a material transported along a transport direction, and a measuring section for measuring the transport amount of the transported material, the measuring section including: a first contact member, which is in contact with the material being transported; a second contact member, which is arranged on the downstream side of the first contact member in the transport direction and is in contact with the material being transported; and a sensor, which is arranged between the first contact member and the second contact member and measures the transport amount by irradiating a detection light to the material from a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, the sensor irradiating the detection light from a position separated by a predetermined distance from a common tangent of the first contact member and the second contact member.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present embodiment, the relative positional relationship among the first roller, the second roller, and the sensor is always maintained, thereby making it possible to irradiate the material with detection light from a position at a predetermined distance from the material without detecting bending of the material.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present embodiment, the conveyed amount of the conveyed material can be measured with high accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing the structure of the processing machine according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the measuring unit.

[0015] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing the rotational operation of the measuring unit in the horizontal direction.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing a modified example of the measuring unit included in the processing machine of the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 It is a side view showing the structure of the measuring part and the moving mechanism with which the processing machine of the second embodiment is equipped.

[0018] Figure 6 It is a plan view showing the structure of the measuring unit and the moving mechanism included in the processing machine according to the second embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing the operation of the measuring unit.

[0020] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a processing machine 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0021] Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an area where sensors can be arranged.

[0022] Fig.10It is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the measuring section included in the processing machine according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Hereinafter, a processing machine according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] (First Embodiment)

[0025] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing the structure of the processing machine according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 : is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the measuring unit. When describing the structure of the processing machine, the left-right direction, the front-back direction, and the up-down direction (directions perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure) are used as definitions of directions. The left-right direction and the front-back direction correspond to two directions orthogonal to the horizontal direction, and the up-down direction corresponds to the vertical direction. However, these directions are merely directions defined for convenience in describing the processing machine of this embodiment.

[0026] The processing machine 1 of this embodiment includes: processing units 10 and 11 that process the material W conveyed in the conveying direction Fd; and a measuring unit 30 that measures the conveyed amount of the conveyed material W. The measuring unit 30 includes: a first roller 32 that contacts the conveyed material W; a second roller 33 that is provided on the downstream side of the first roller 32 in the conveying direction Fd and contacts the conveyed material W; and a sensor 35 that measures the conveyed amount by irradiating the material W with detection light from a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction Fd. The sensor 35 irradiates the detection light from a position separated by a predetermined distance Ls from the common tangent line Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33.

[0027] The details of the processing machine 1 of the first embodiment are described below. The processing machine 1 of this embodiment is a drilling machine that carries out the conveying and positioning of a long strip of material W, and the drilling processing of the positioned material W. The conveying of the material W in the processing machine 1 is carried out from the rear side to the front side so that the long side direction of the material W is oriented along the front-to-back direction. The material W to be processed is a long strip of material with a side length in one direction, such as H-shaped steel. H-shaped steel, also known as I-beam, H-beam, W-beam, universal beam, rolled steel joint (RSJ) or double T, is a beam with an I-shaped or H-shaped cross-section.

[0028] The processing machine 1 includes a left processing unit 10 and a right processing unit 11. The left processing unit 10 and the right processing unit 11 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction Fd. The left processing unit 10 and the right processing unit 11 are arranged to face each other with the material W interposed therebetween.

[0029] The left processing section 10 is configured to face the left side surface (the left flange) of the material W and perform drilling processing on the left side surface of the material W. The left processing section 10 can be moved in the left-right direction and the up-down direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) by a driving mechanism not shown in the figure. The left processing section 10 can also be configured to be movable relative to the front-back direction.

[0030] The right processing part 11 is configured to face the right side surface (right flange) of the material W and perform drilling processing on the right side surface of the material W. The right processing part 11 can be moved in the left-right direction and the up-down direction by a driving mechanism such as a cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder. The right processing part 11 can be configured to be movable in the front-back direction.

[0031] The left processing unit 10 and the right processing unit 11 are, for example, drill devices. A spindle (not shown) is rotatably supported by the left processing unit 10 and the right processing unit 11, and drills 10a and 11a are attached to the front ends of the spindles.

[0032] In addition, although Figure 1 Although omitted in the figure, the processing machine 1 has an upper processing part, which is arranged to face the top surface (web) of the material W and perform drilling processing on the top surface of the material W. That is, the processing machine 1 can perform drilling processing on the material W from three directions: the upper direction, the right direction, and the left direction.

[0033] The processing machine 1 includes a fixed vise 13 and a fixed vise 15 on the carry-in side, a movable vise 12 and a movable vise 14 on the carry-in side, a pinch roller 19 and a pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side, and a pressure roller 18 and a pressure roller 20 on the carry-in side.

[0034] The fixed vise 13 on the carrying-in side and the fixed vise 15 on the carrying-out side are fixedly arranged on the right side of the processing machine 1 with reference to the material W being carried. The fixed vise 13 on the carrying-in side is arranged on the upstream side of the processing section 11 on the right side in the carrying direction Fd, that is, on the carrying-in side of the material W. The fixed vise 15 on the carrying-out side is arranged on the downstream side of the processing section 11 on the right side in the carrying direction Fd, that is, on the carrying-out side of the material W.

[0035] The movable vise 12 on the loading side and the movable vise 14 on the unloading side are provided corresponding to the fixed vise 13 on the loading side and the fixed vise 15 on the unloading side. The movable vise 12 on the loading side is arranged to face the fixed vise 13 on the loading side in the left-right direction, and the movable vise 14 on the unloading side is arranged to face the fixed vise 15 on the unloading side in the left-right direction. The movable vise 12 on the loading side and the movable vise 14 on the unloading side are configured to be movable in the left-right direction by a driving device such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0036] When processing the material W, the movable vise 12 on the carry-in side is moved toward the fixed vise 13 on the carry-in side. The movable vise 12 and the fixed vise 13 on the carry-in side clamp the material W on the carry-in side relative to the processing position of the material W. Similarly, when processing the material W, the movable vise 14 on the carry-out side is moved toward the fixed vise 15 side. The movable vise 14 and the fixed vise 15 on the carry-out side clamp the material W on the carry-out side relative to the processing position of the material W.

[0037] The pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side are fixedly arranged on the right side of the processing machine 1 based on the material W to be carried. The pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side is arranged on the upstream side of the carrying direction Fd compared to the processing section 11 on the right side, and the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side is arranged on the downstream side of the carrying direction Fd compared to the processing section 11 on the right side. The pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side receive power from an actuator such as a motor and are driven to rotate.

[0038] The pressure roller 18 on the carry-in side and the pressure roller 20 on the carry-out side are arranged corresponding to the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side. The pressure roller 18 on the carry-in side is arranged to face the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side in the left-right direction, and the pressure roller 20 on the carry-out side is arranged to face the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side in the left-right direction. The pressure roller 18 on the carry-in side and the pressure roller 20 on the carry-out side are composed of a pair of rollers arranged at a distance in the conveying direction Fd. In addition, the pressure roller 18 on the carry-in side and the pressure roller 20 on the carry-out side are configured to be movable in the left-right direction by a driving device such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0039] When conveying the material W, the pressure roller 18 on the carry-in side is moved toward the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side. The pressure roller 18 and the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side clamp the material W on the carry-in side relative to the processing position of the material W. Then, by rotating and driving the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side, the material W is conveyed in the conveying direction Fd. Similarly, when conveying the material W, the pressure roller 20 on the carry-out side is moved toward the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side. The pressure roller 20 and the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side clamp the material W on the carry-out side relative to the processing position of the material W. Then, by rotating and driving the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side, the material W is conveyed in the conveying direction Fd.

[0040] As one of the features of the present embodiment, the processing machine 1 is provided with a measuring unit 30 for measuring the conveying amount of the conveyed material W. The measuring units 30 are respectively arranged on the upstream side of the conveying direction Fd of the pinch rollers 19 on the conveying side, and on the downstream side of the conveying direction Fd of the pinch rollers 21 on the conveying side. Each measuring unit 30 is arranged on the right side of the processing machine 1 so as to face the right side surface of the material W. In the present embodiment, the right side surface of the material W corresponds to the irradiation surface of the laser beam, that is, the measurement surface of the measuring unit 30.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the measuring unit 30 is mainly composed of a holding member 31 , a first roller 32 , a second roller 33 , and a sensor 35 .

[0042] The holding member 31 holds the first roller 32 , the second roller 33 , and the sensor 35 .

[0043] The first roller 32 and the second roller 33 are configured to freely rotate around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction, and are supported by the holding member 31. The first roller 32 is arranged on the upstream side of the conveying direction Fd relative to the second roller 33, and the second roller 33 is arranged on the downstream side of the conveying direction Fd relative to the first roller 32. In a state supported by the holding member 31, a portion of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 protrudes from the holding member 31.

[0044] The sensor 35 is a laser Doppler velocimeter. Specifically, the sensor 35 irradiates a laser beam as detection light to the transported material W from the laser projection surface 35a. The laser beam is irradiated to the right side of the material W from a direction orthogonal to the transport direction Fd of the material W. The sensor 35 is configured so that the focal position of the laser beam is located on the common tangent Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33. The sensor 35 irradiates two laser beams of a predetermined frequency to the same focal position at different angles. Using the frequency of the laser beam that changes due to the Doppler effect, the sensor 35 measures the speed of the material W based on the difference frequency signal obtained from the tiny frequency difference. The speed of the material W measured by the sensor 35 is output to the control device 100 that controls the processing machine 1. In addition, since there is a correlation between the speed of the material W and the transport amount (movement amount) of the transported material W, measuring the speed of the material W is equivalent to measuring the transport amount of the transported material W.

[0045] In the measuring section 30, the sensor 35 is arranged at a relative reference position P3 determined by the center position P1 of the first roller 32 and the center position P2 of the second roller 33. Since the first roller 32, the second roller 33, and the sensor 35 are respectively held by the holding member 31, the relative positional relationship among the first roller 32, the second roller 33, and the sensor 35 is always maintained. Since this positional relationship is maintained, the distance between the common tangent Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 and the laser projection surface 35a of the sensor 35 is also maintained at a predetermined distance Ls. That is, the sensor 35 irradiates the detection light from a position separated by a predetermined distance Ls from the common tangent Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33. When the distance between the sensor 35 (laser projection surface 35a) and the common tangent Ct is the distance Ls, the focal position of the laser beam emitted from the sensor 35 is located on the common tangent Ct. In addition, in Figure 2In the example shown, for convenience, the center of the sensor 35 is shown at the reference position P3. However, as long as the sensor 35 is configured so that the laser projection surface 35a is at a distance Ls from the common tangent line Ct, as long as such a state is satisfied, a position other than the center of the sensor 35 may be at the reference position P3.

[0046] The distance Ls is a sensor-specific distance required to measure the velocity of the material W. In addition to the laser Doppler velocimeter, the sensor 35 may also utilize an image as described later. Therefore, the distance Ls and the reference position P3 are parameters that vary depending on the type of the sensor 35. It goes without saying that when the type of the sensor 35 changes, the arrangement of the sensor 35 also changes.

[0047] The holding member 31 of the measuring unit 30 is connected to the piston rod 37 of the hydraulic cylinder or the air cylinder via the cylinder bracket 36. The holding member 31 of the measuring unit 30 receives the force from the piston rod 37 and is pressed toward the material W. Thus, the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 come into contact with the material W.

[0048] Figure 3 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the horizontal rotation of the measuring unit. The cylinder support 36 and the piston rod 37 of the measuring unit 30 are connected by a pin 38 inserted through the measuring unit 30 in the vertical direction. Thus, the measuring unit 30 can rotate horizontally around the pin 38. Therefore, even if the side of the material W is deformed, the measuring unit 30 will rotate horizontally, so that the measuring unit 30 follows the side of the material W, so that the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 can contact the material W respectively.

[0049] According to the processing machine 1 having such a structure, the operation of the processing machine 1 is controlled by the control device 100. When the material W is conveyed, the laser beam is irradiated from the measuring unit 30 under the control of the control device 100, and the conveyed amount of the material W is measured.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , since the measuring unit 30 is pressed toward the material W by the piston rod 37, the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 are in contact with the material W. Therefore, the distance Lr from the center positions P1 and P2 of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 to the material W is constant. In addition, since the total length of the material W is sufficiently long compared with the distance between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, even in the case where the material W is bent, the side of the material W can be regarded as a straight line when viewed between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33. Therefore, the common tangent line Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 substantially coincides with the side of the material W.

[0051] In addition, the relative positional relationship among the first roller 32, the second roller 33, and the sensor 35 is always maintained. Therefore, the distance Ls from the sensor 35 to the common tangent Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, that is, to the material W is maintained constant. In addition, the direction of the laser beam irradiated from the sensor 35 is maintained to be orthogonal to the conveying direction of the material W. Therefore, it is ensured that the sensor 35 irradiates the laser beam at a right angle to the material W from a position separated from the material W by a predetermined distance Ls. Moreover, even if the material W deviates from the common tangent Ct due to bending of the material W, etc., the material W falls within the range of the focal depth of the laser beam irradiated from the sensor 35. The range of distance Ls±(focal depth / 2) can be used as the focal position range. Thus, the measuring unit 30 can measure the conveying amount of the conveyed material W with high precision.

[0052] When the control device 100 determines that the conveyed amount of the material W has reached the target distance based on the conveyed amount measured by the measuring unit 30, it stops conveying the material W. Next, the control device 100 operates the processing units 10 and 11 to perform a predetermined drilling process on the material W. Then, when the processing of the material W is completed, the control device 100 resumes conveying the material W.

[0053] According to the processing machine 1 having the measuring unit 30 of such a structure, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the distance to the material W changes or the laser beam is not irradiated at right angles to the conveying direction Fd of the material W, the sensor 35 as a laser Doppler velocimeter will produce a measurement error. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the first roller 32, the second roller 33 and the sensor 35 is always maintained. Thus, it is ensured that the laser beam is irradiated at right angles to the material W from a position separated from the material W by a predetermined distance Ls. Therefore, although the measuring unit 30 has a simple structure, it can accurately measure the conveying amount of the conveyed material W.

[0054] In this embodiment, the measuring unit 30 also includes: a holding component 31, which holds the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 and keeps the sensor 35 at the reference position P3; and a piston rod 37, which presses the holding component 31 toward the material W side so that the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 contact the material W.

[0055] According to this structure, the distance Lr from the center positions P1 and P2 of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 to the material W is always constant. In addition, the common tangent line Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 coincides with the side surface of the material W. Therefore, regardless of the bending of the material W, the distance Ls from the sensor 35 to the material W is always maintained constant. Therefore, the measuring unit 30 can measure the conveyed amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy.

[0056] In the present embodiment, the holding member 31 of the measuring unit 30 is rotatably connected to the piston rod 37 .

[0057] According to this structure, the holding member 31 can be rotated to follow the curvature of the material W. Thus, the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 can be maintained in a state of always being in contact with the material W. Regardless of the curvature of the material W, the distance Ls from the sensor 35 to the material W is always kept constant. Therefore, the measuring unit 30 can measure the conveyed amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy.

[0058] In addition, although the piston rod 37 is exemplified as the pressing member for pressing the holding member 31, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a ball screw mechanism or the like may be used.

[0059] In addition, in this embodiment, the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 supported by the holding member 31 in a freely rotatable manner are exemplified as the first contact member and the second contact member that come into contact with the material W, however, any contact member that comes into contact with the transported material is not limited to rollers. However, if the structure includes the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, they can rotate following the transport of the material W, thereby reducing frictional resistance or preventing the material W from being damaged.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the measuring section 30 is provided on the upstream side of the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side in the conveying direction Fd and on the downstream side of the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side in the conveying direction Fd.

[0061] According to this structure, since the material W is pressed by the pinch rollers 19, 21 and the pressure rollers 18, 20, the material W is held between the pinch rollers 19 and the pressure rollers 18 on the carry-in side and the pinch rollers 21 and the pressure rollers 20 on the carry-out side, thereby correcting the curvature of the material W. However, such a correction function does not work on the upstream side of the pinch rollers 19 on the carry-in side or the downstream side of the pinch rollers 21 on the carry-out side. Therefore, as shown in this embodiment, by making the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 contact with the material W, the distance Ls between the sensor 35 and the material W is maintained constant, and the laser beam can be irradiated to the material W at right angles.

[0062] For example, there is a known method of transporting the material W by holding the material W with the gripping portion of the carriage and moving the carriage. However, since the carriage must be moved parallel to the transport direction Fd, it is difficult to carry the material W from the side where the travel axis of the carriage is located, and there is an inconvenience in that the mechanical line layout is limited. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the material W is transported by rotating and driving the pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side, so that such inconvenience can be eliminated.

[0063] Furthermore, the measuring unit 30 may be provided only on one of the upstream side of the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side in the conveying direction Fd and the downstream side of the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side in the conveying direction Fd.

[0064] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a modified example of the measuring unit provided in the processing machine of the first embodiment. In the above embodiment, in order to ensure the distance between the sensor 35 and the material W, the dedicated first roller 32 and the second roller 33 are used. Figure 4 In the illustrated modification, the first roller 40a and the second roller 40b constituting the pressure roller 40 constitute a pair of rollers for ensuring the distance Ls between the sensor 40c and the material W. Specifically, the sensor 40c is arranged at a relative reference position determined by the position of the first roller 40a and the position of the second roller 40b, and is held by a holding member 40d that holds the first roller 40a and the second roller 40b.

[0065] According to this structure, the first and second rollers of the measuring unit are composed of a pair of rollers 40a and 40b constituting the pressure roller 40 on the carrying side. While achieving the same effects as the above embodiment, the sensor 40c can be mounted on the pressure roller 40, thereby reducing the number of components.

[0066] The pressure roller 42 on the carry-out side may have the same structure as the pressure roller 40 on the carry-in side. That is, the first and second rollers of the measuring section may be constituted by a pair of rollers 42a and 42b constituting the pressure roller 42 on the carry-out side.

[0067] (Second Embodiment)

[0068] Refer to the following Figure 5 and Figure 6 A processing machine 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is characterized in that a measuring unit 30 for measuring the conveyed amount of a material W, which is common to the first embodiment, is configured to be movable up and down. Figure 5 It is a side view showing the structure of the measuring part and the moving mechanism with which the processing machine of the second embodiment is equipped. Figure 6 1 is a plan view showing the structure of the measuring part and the moving mechanism of the processing machine of the second embodiment. The description of the structure common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the differences.

[0069] The processing machine 1 of this embodiment includes a moving mechanism 60 that moves the measuring unit 30 in the up-down direction. The moving mechanism 60 mainly includes a sensor bracket 61, a servo motor 65, a holding cylinder 68, and a column 70.

[0070] The sensor bracket 61 holds the measuring unit 30 . In the present embodiment, the cylinder 39 including the piston rod 37 is fixed to the sensor bracket 61 , and the measuring unit 30 is held by the sensor bracket 61 via the cylinder 39 and the cylinder holder 36 .

[0071] The sensor bracket 61 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction along a guide member 71 extending in the vertical direction and attached to a column 70. The rack 62 is provided at the right end portion of the sensor bracket 61 in the vertical direction.

[0072] The servo motor 65 is an actuator that moves the sensor bracket 61 in the vertical direction. The servo motor 65 is mounted on the column 70. A pinion 66 is provided at the front end of the motor shaft of the servo motor 65. The pinion 66 meshes with a rack 62 provided at the end of the sensor bracket 61. When the pinion 66 of the servo motor 65 rotates, the sensor bracket 61 having the rack 62 moves in the vertical direction. In a manner linked to the movement of the sensor bracket 61, the measuring unit 30 moves in the vertical direction.

[0073] The holding cylinder 68 is fixed to the column 70. The holding cylinder 68 is a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. When the piston rod 68a of the holding cylinder 68 is extended, the sensor bracket 61 is clamped between the piston rod 68a and the fixing plate 69. Thus, the sensor bracket 61 can be fixed. The fixing plate 69 is fixed to the column 70.

[0074] Although the sensor bracket 61 receives a downward force due to its own weight, the downward movement can be restricted by the brake function built into the servo motor 65. However, since there is a gap corresponding to the backlash, the sensor bracket 61 vibrates in the vertical direction due to the vibration when the material W is conveyed. Therefore, in the measuring unit 30 that performs measurement by irradiating a laser beam, there is a possibility that the measurement accuracy is reduced due to the vibration.

[0075] Therefore, the moving mechanism 60 is provided with a holding cylinder 68 for fixing the sensor bracket 61 to suppress the vibration of the sensor bracket 61. Since the sensor 35 of the measuring unit 30 is light, it is easy to vibrate, and a small vibration sometimes causes a measurement error. By keeping the position of the sensor bracket 61 in a positioned state by the holding cylinder 68, the measuring unit 30 can be made stationary. Thus, the occurrence of a measurement error due to vibration can be suppressed.

[0076] The column 70 is mounted on the base 2 of the processing machine 1. The lower end of the column 70 is formed in a plate shape and is arranged in a state of surface contact with the base 2 of the processing machine 1. The column 70 has a flat surface portion 70a extending linearly in the vertical direction. The guide member 71 is arranged on the flat surface portion 70a.

[0077] The column 70 is a component on which the measuring unit 30 is mounted via the sensor bracket 61. Therefore, in order to suppress the transmission of vibration generated in the base 2 of the processing machine 1 to the measuring unit 30, the column 70 is preferably installed via a vibration-damping material 73. The vibration-damping material 73 is a component that absorbs vibration and is formed of, for example, resin. The vibration-damping material 73 is made of, for example, polyurethane foam.

[0078] Next, refer to Figure 7 , the operation of the measuring unit 30 is described. Figure 7 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the measuring unit. The processing shown in this flowchart is executed by the control device 100.

[0079] First, in step S10, the control device 100 reads the information of the material W. The information of the material W is information for determining the position of the measuring unit 30 in the vertical direction when measuring the material W, and includes shape and size. In addition, when the material W has been processed in advance, the information of the material W includes information on the processing position. The information of the material W is pre-set in a memory or the like.

[0080] The information of the material W may include information of the processing positions of the processing units 10 and 11. The information of the processing positions of the processing units 10 and 11 may be used as information for vertical positioning of the measuring unit 30 disposed downstream of the pinch rollers 21 on the carrying direction Fd.

[0081] In step S11, the control device 100 calculates the target coordinates based on the material information. The target coordinates represent the optimal vertical position for the measuring unit 30 to measure the material W. For example, the control device 100 retains a map or a calculation formula in which the material information and the target coordinates are associated with each other in advance, and calculates the target coordinates from the material information.

[0082] In step S12 , the control device 100 drives the servo motor 65 to position the measuring unit 30 at the target coordinates.

[0083] In step S13 , the control device 100 operates the holding cylinder 68 to fix the sensor bracket 61 .

[0084] In step S14 , the control device 100 operates the cylinder 39 so that the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 of the measuring unit 30 come into contact with the material W.

[0085] When the material W is conveyed through the above-described process, the control device 100 irradiates the laser beam from the measuring unit 30 to measure the conveyed amount of the material W.

[0086] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the processing machine 1 includes a moving mechanism 60 that moves the sensor 35 in the up-down direction along the measuring surface of the material W irradiated with the laser beam. There are many kinds of materials W processed by the processing machine 1. For example, in the case of a square steel pipe called a column, there is an R shape at the upper and lower ends of the material W. In addition, there are sometimes holes caused by processing on the measuring surface of the material W. Therefore, in order to enable the sensor 35 of the measuring part 30 to measure with high precision, it is necessary to irradiate the laser beam to an appropriate position on the material W. In this regard, according to the processing machine 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the sensor 35 in the up-down direction can be adjusted by the moving mechanism 60. Thus, the position of the measuring part 30 can be switched to a position suitable for measurement for each material, so that the measurement of the measuring part 30 can be performed with high precision.

[0087] In the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 60 is provided on the base 2 of the processing machine 1 via the vibration-damping material 73. According to this structure, the vibration transmitted from the processing machine 1 to the measuring unit 30 can be suppressed, and thus the measurement error caused by the minute vibration can be suppressed.

[0088] In addition, in the present embodiment, the processing machine 1 further includes a control device 100, and the control device 100 controls the moving mechanism 60 based on the information of the material W to adjust the position of the sensor 35 in the vertical direction. According to this structure, the position of the sensor 35 in the vertical direction can be adjusted in consideration of the information about the material W. Thus, the sensor 35 can be arranged at an appropriate position for the material W, so that the sensor 35 can perform measurement with high accuracy.

[0089] (Third Embodiment)

[0090] Refer to the following Figure 8 A processing machine 1 according to a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is characterized in that a measuring unit 50 measures the conveying amount of a material W. Figure 8 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a processing machine 1 according to a third embodiment. The description of the structure common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the differences.

[0091] In the third embodiment, the measuring unit 50 includes a sensor 51 that radiates laser light as detection light to measure the conveyed amount of the material W, but does not include dedicated first and second rollers for ensuring the distance Ls between the sensor 51 and the material W. Therefore, the measuring unit 50 uses the pinch rollers 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch rollers 21 on the carry-out side to ensure the distance Ls between the sensor 51 and the material W. That is, the first and second contact members that come into contact with the material W are composed of the pinch rollers 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch rollers 21 on the carry-out side.

[0092] The sensor 51 is arranged between the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side. At this time, the sensor 51 is arranged at a relative reference position P3 determined by the center position P1 of the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side and the center position P2 of the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side, the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side, and the sensor 51 is also maintained. Since such a positional relationship is maintained, the distance Ls between the sensor 51 and the common tangent Ct of the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side is kept constant.

[0093] The carrying-in side of the material W is pressed by the pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the pressure roller 18 on the carrying-in side. Similarly, the carrying-out side of the material W is pressed by the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side and the pressure roller 20 on the carrying-out side. Thus, the bending of the material W is corrected between the pinch roller 19 and the pressure roller 18 on the carrying-in side and the pinch roller 21 and the pressure roller 20 on the carrying-out side. Therefore, the side surface of the material W extends in a straight line along the common tangent Ct of the pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side.

[0094] According to this structure, the relative positional relationship between the pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side, the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side, and the sensor 51 is always maintained. Thus, the sensor 51 can irradiate the material W with a laser beam at a right angle from a position separated by a predetermined distance Ls from the material W. Therefore, although the measuring unit 50 has a simple structure, it can measure the conveyed amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy.

[0095] In particular, the bending of the material W is corrected between the pinch rollers 19 on the carrying-in side and the pinch rollers 21 on the carrying-out side, and the material W is maintained in a straight line. Therefore, the distance Ls from the sensor 51 to the material W is always kept constant. Therefore, the measuring unit 50 can measure the conveying amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy.

[0096] Furthermore, in order to avoid interference between the processing unit 11 on the right and the sensor 51, the sensor 51 can be freely moved by the driving device, and the respective positions can be switched in such a manner that the processing unit 11 on the right faces the material W during processing and the sensor 51 faces the material W during transportation. However, although the sensor 51 needs to be arranged at the relative reference position P3 determined by the center position P1 of the pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the center position P2 of the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side, such a relative position relationship only needs to be satisfied at least when the material W is being transported.

[0097] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a drill is exemplified as the processing machine 1. However, the processing machine 1 of this embodiment may be a band saw or a circular saw in addition to a drill, and may widely include a cutting processing machine that performs cutting processing on a conveyed material.

[0098] In addition, in the present embodiment, a Doppler laser velocimeter is exemplified as the sensor 35, 51 for measuring the conveying amount. However, the sensor 35, 51 can be widely applied to a structure that measures the conveying amount by irradiating the detection light to the material W. For example, the sensor 35, 51 can be configured to capture images at a predetermined interval and measure the distance by determining the consistency of the material W shown in the time series image. In this configuration, the distance Ls from the sensor 35, 51 to the common tangent line Ct (material W) is based on the shooting position of the camera that captures the image.

[0099] In the first and second embodiments described above, the sensor 35 is disposed between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33 in the conveying direction Fd of the material W. However, the sensor 35 need only be disposed so as to irradiate the detection light from a position separated by a predetermined distance Ls from the common tangent line Ct of the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, and need not be disposed between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33.

[0100] Fig. 9 : is an explanatory diagram showing an area where a sensor can be configured. Below, taking the first embodiment as an example, an explanation is given of an area A where a sensor 35 can be configured. As described in the first embodiment, the total length of the material W is sufficiently long compared to the distance between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33. Therefore, even in the case where the material W is bent, the side of the material W is substantially straight between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, and the side of the material W extends in a straight line along the common tangent Ct. Therefore, the distance Ls between the sensor 35 and the material W is kept constant. In addition, even in the case where a bend occurs in the material W such as a portion of the material W deviates from the common tangent Ct, the deviation width of the material W is fine when observed between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33. Therefore, even if the material W deviates from the common tangent Ct, the material W falls within the range of the focal depth Df of the laser beam irradiated from the sensor 35. Therefore, if the sensor 35 is located between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, the sensor 35 can measure the conveying amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy.

[0101] In addition, since the bending of the material W is sufficiently small compared to the total length of the material W, even outside the range between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, when the material W is not far from the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, the deviation between the material W and the common tangent line Ct is sufficiently small. If the deviation of the material W from the common tangent line Ct is within a small range, the material W will fall within the range of the focal depth Df of the laser beam. Therefore, even if the sensor 35 is located outside the range between the first roller 32 and the second roller 33, the sensor 35 can measure the conveyed amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy.

[0102] In this way, the sensor 35 only needs to be set in the area A where the measurement surface of the material W irradiated with the laser beam from the sensor 35 falls within the focal depth Df of the laser beam. Therefore, even if the material W deviates from the common tangent line Ct due to the bending of the material W, the deviation width of the material W in the area A will fall within the range of the focal depth Df of the laser beam. As a result, the sensor 35 can measure the conveyed amount of the conveyed material W with high accuracy. The area A is determined by information such as the focal depth Df of the laser beam irradiated from the sensor 35, the maximum length of the material W used in the processing machine 1, and the bending amount of the material W allowed during manufacturing.

[0103] The configuration of sensors in region A can be applied to Figure 4 That is, the sensor 40c only needs to irradiate the laser beam from a position separated by a predetermined distance Ls from the common tangent line of the first roller 40a and the second roller 40b constituting the pressure roller 40, and the sensor 40c can be located outside the first roller 40a and the second roller 40b.

[0104] Fig.10 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the measuring unit provided in the processing machine according to the third embodiment. Fig.10 As shown, the arrangement of the sensor in the area A can be applied to the third embodiment described above. That is, the sensor 51 only needs to irradiate the laser beam from a position separated by a predetermined distance Ls from the common tangent line Ct of the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side, and the sensor 51 can be located outside the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carry-out side. Fig.10 In the illustrated example, a state is shown in which the measuring unit 50 including the sensor 51 is provided on the upstream side of the pinch roller 19 on the carry-in side.

[0105] In addition, if Fig.10 As shown in the figure, the processing machine 1 may include a moving mechanism 60 for moving the measuring part 50 in the vertical direction. The moving mechanism 60 is mainly composed of a sensor bracket 61, a servo motor 65, a holding cylinder (not shown), and a column 70, and its details are the same as those of the moving mechanism 60 shown in the second embodiment. However, the moving mechanism 60 can be applied to the measuring part 50 provided between the pinch roller 19 on the carrying-in side and the pinch roller 21 on the carrying-out side.

[0106] Although the present embodiment has been described above, it should not be understood that the discussion and drawings constituting a part of the embodiment limit the embodiment. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various alternative embodiments, examples, and application techniques can be obtained from the embodiment.

[0107] The disclosure of this application relates to the subject matter described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-83132 filed with the Japan Patent Office on May 20, 2022, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-67370 filed with the Japan Patent Office on April 17, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A processing machine, characterized in that: have: a processing section for processing the material conveyed in the conveying direction, and a measuring unit for measuring the conveyed amount of the material being conveyed, The measuring unit comprises: a first contact member, which contacts the material being transported; a second contact member provided on a downstream side of the first contact member in the conveying direction and in contact with the conveyed material; and a sensor for measuring the conveyed amount by irradiating detection light to the material from a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, The sensor irradiates the detection light from a position spaced a predetermined distance from a common tangent line between the first contact member and the second contact member.

2. The processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that The measuring unit further comprises: a holding member that holds the first contact member and the second contact member and holds the sensor at a position separated by the predetermined distance; and A pressing member presses the holding member toward the material so as to bring the first contact member and the second contact member into contact with the material.

3. The processing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The holding member is rotatably connected to the pressing member.

4. The processing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first contact member is a first roller rotatably supported by the holding member. The second contact member is a second roller rotatably supported by the holding member.

5. The processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Also available: a pinch roller on the carrying-in side, which is provided on the upstream side of the processing section in the conveying direction and is rotationally driven; a pressure roller on the carrying-in side, which is disposed at a position facing the pinch roller on the carrying-in side with the material sandwiched therebetween and clamps the material between the pinch roller on the carrying-in side; a pinch roller on the carrying-out side, which is provided on the downstream side of the processing section in the conveying direction and is rotationally driven; as well as The pressure roller on the discharge side is provided at a position facing the pinch roller on the discharge side with the material interposed therebetween, and clamps the material between the pressure roller and the pinch roller on the discharge side. The measuring section is provided at least on an upstream side of the pinch roller on the carry-in side in the conveying direction and a downstream side of the pinch roller on the carry-out side in the conveying direction.

6. The processing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Also features: a pinch roller on the carrying-in side, which is provided on the upstream side of the processing section in the conveying direction and is rotationally driven; and The pressure roller on the carrying-in side is composed of a pair of rollers and is disposed at a position facing the pinch roller on the carrying-in side with the material sandwiched therebetween, and sandwiches the material between the pinch roller on the carrying-in side. The first contact member and the second contact member of the measuring section are constituted by the pair of rollers constituting the pressure rollers on the carrying-in side.

7. The processing machine according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 6, characterized in that Also features: a pinch roller on the carrying-out side, which is provided on the downstream side of the processing section in the conveying direction and is rotationally driven; and The pressure roller on the discharge side is composed of a pair of rollers and is disposed at a position facing the pinch roller on the discharge side with the material sandwiched therebetween, and sandwiches the material between the pinch roller on the discharge side. The first contact member and the second contact member of the measuring section are constituted by the pair of rollers constituting the pressure rollers on the carrying-out side.

8. The processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that Also available: The pressure roller on the carrying-in side is provided on the upstream side of the processing section in the conveying direction. The pressure roller on the carrying-out side is provided on the downstream side of the processing section in the conveying direction. a pinch roller on the carrying-in side, which is provided at a position facing the pressure roller on the carrying-in side with the material sandwiched therebetween, pinches the material between the pinch roller on the carrying-in side, and is rotationally driven; as well as The pinch roller on the discharge side is provided at a position facing the pressure roller on the discharge side with the material interposed therebetween, pinches the material between the pinch roller and the pressure roller on the discharge side, and is driven to rotate. The first contact member is composed of a pinch roller on the carrying-in side. The second contact member is constituted by a pinch roller on the carry-out side.

9. The processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The sensor is disposed between the first contact member and the second contact member.

10. The processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The sensor is arranged in a region where a measurement surface of the material irradiated with the detection light from the sensor is included in a focal depth of the detection light.

11. The processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that Also available: A moving mechanism moves the sensor in a vertical direction along a measurement surface of the material irradiated with the detection light.

12. The processing machine according to claim 11, characterized in that The moving mechanism is provided on a base of the processing machine via a vibration-damping material.

13. The processing machine according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: Also available: A control device adjusts the vertical position of the sensor by controlling the moving mechanism based on the information of the material.

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