Tool transfer device

Abstract

The tool carrying device is provided with a robot (50) having a tool insertion portion (52b) opened in a first direction (A1) in which a tool (T) is inserted, and a shank (54) provided on the robot in a manner movable between a standby position protruding into the tool insertion portion of the robot and a retreat position withdrawn from the tool insertion portion, the shank (54) being pushed out from the tool insertion portion toward the retreat position in contact with an outer peripheral surface (204a) of the tool at an inclined angle when the tool is inserted in the robot at a correct phase, and being contacted with a side surface (210a) of a recess (210) in the first direction to hinder the insertion of the tool when the tool is inserted in reverse.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tool transport device that prevents a rotating tool from being inserted at a phase that is 180 degrees off from the correct phase around a central axis. Background Technology

[0002] In machine tools that perform machining by inserting a rotary cutting tool into the spindle and moving the worktable and spindle relative to each other, tools such as center milling cutters or back milling cutters must be inserted into the spindle at a predetermined rotational phase. For this purpose, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a tool magazine with a protrusion that prevents the tool from being reversed and placed on the robot arm of the tool preparation device, thus preventing the tool from being inserted in the wrong phase when inserted at a phase offset by 180 degrees from the correct phase around the central axis of the rotary cutting tool.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-177318 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] While the tool magazine described in Patent Document 1 effectively prevents reverse insertion of tools, there is still room for improvement. For example, the anti-reverse insertion mechanism of the tool magazine in Patent Document 1 has a relatively complex structure, which increases manufacturing costs. Furthermore, in cases where the anti-reverse insertion mechanism has many components and a complex structure, the area occupied by the mechanism increases, limiting the size of tools that can be inserted to prevent accidental interference between the anti-reverse insertion mechanism and the tool.

[0008] The present invention addresses the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide a tool conveying device with a simple structure and a more convenient anti-reverse insertion mechanism.

[0009] Solution for solving the problem

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, according to the present invention, a tool conveying device is provided, which conveys tools to a tool magazine, the tool magazine having a plurality of tool holding portions for holding the tools, the tools having a recess for identifying the rotation phase, characterized in that the tool conveying device comprises: a robotic arm having a tool insertion portion that opens in a first direction in which the tool is inserted, and engaging with a peripheral groove of the tool inserted in the tool insertion portion to hold the tool; and an obstacle provided on the robotic arm in a manner movable between a standby position protruding into the tool insertion portion of the robotic arm and a retracted position withdrawing from the tool insertion portion, the obstacle contacting the outer peripheral surface of the tool at an angle inclined relative to the first direction when the tool is inserted into the robotic arm with the non-recessed orientation, and being pushed out of the tool insertion portion towards the retracted position by the tool, and contacting the side of the recess in the first direction to obstruct the insertion of the tool when the tool is inserted into the robotic arm with the recessed orientation.

[0011] The effects of the invention

[0012] According to the present invention, a tool transport device can be provided that prevents the tool from being inserted incorrectly into the tool transport device with a simple structure, and is low in cost and highly reliable. Furthermore, due to its simple structure, the space required for installation is reduced, allowing for the mounting of larger rotary tools. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a general top view of a machine tool equipped with a tool magazine.

[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The front view of the machine tool.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a partial perspective view of the tool magazine, showing the tool preparation device along with the tool storage unit.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a partial perspective view of the tool magazine, showing it together with the tool preparation device in a prominent position.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing an example of a tool holder.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a schematic front view of the robotic arm according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 This is an enlarged view of the rod acting as an obstacle.

[0020] Figure 8 It is shown together with the tool inserted at the correct rotational phase. Figure 6The front view of the robotic arm.

[0021] Figure 9 It is shown together with the tool fully inserted at the correct rotational phase. Figure 6 The front view of the robotic arm.

[0022] Figure 10 It is shown together with the tool inserted with the rotational phase reversed. Figure 6 The front view of the robotic arm.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a schematic front view of a robot arm according to a variation of the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a schematic front view of the robotic arm according to the second embodiment.

[0025] Figure 13 It is shown together with the tool inserted at the correct rotational phase. Figure 12 The front view of the robotic arm.

[0026] Figure 14 It is shown together with the tool fully inserted at the correct rotational phase. Figure 12 The front view of the robotic arm.

[0027] Figure 15 It is shown together with the tool inserted with the rotational phase reversed. Figure 12 The front view of the robotic arm. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] exist Figure 1 , 2 In the middle, the tool magazine 120 and the machine tool 100 are arranged side by side. The machine tool 100 includes: a bed 102 fixed to the factory floor as a base; and a front portion of the bed 102 ( Figure 1 The worktable 108, which is set and fixed on the upper surface of the lower side of the bed 102, can reciprocate along the Z-axis guide rail 110; the worktable 108 is set and fixed on the rear end side of the bed 102. Figure 1 The upper side of the bed 102 is provided with a column 104 that can reciprocate along the X-axis guide rail 106 on the upper surface of the bed 102; a headstock 112 that can reciprocate along the Y-axis guide rail 116 on the front surface of the column 104; and a spindle head 114 that is mounted on the headstock 112 and rotatably supports the spindle 118.

[0030] The tool magazine 120 includes an annular member 122 that houses and holds multiple tool holders 124 into which tools T are inserted. The annular member 122 is rotatable via a servo motor 126 along an axis O parallel to the Z-axis of the machine tool 100. tm It is supported for rotation around the center. In addition, an automatic tool changer 140 is provided between the machine tool 100 and the tool magazine 120.

[0031] The machine tool 100 and tool magazine 120 are housed within an outer casing 130. A partition 132 is provided within the outer casing 130 between the machine tool 100 and the automatic tool changer 140. Through the partition 132, the outer casing 130 is divided into a machining chamber for the machine tool 100 and a tool storage chamber for the tool magazine 120. A sliding door 134 is provided on the partition 132; this door is opened during tool change to facilitate tool exchange between the automatic tool changer 140 and the spindle 118 of the machine tool 100.

[0032] exist Figure 5 An example of the tool holder used in this invention is shown in the figure. Figure 5 The tool holder 200 is a two-sided constrained tool holder according to the HSK specification, and has: a taper shank 202 inserted into a tapered hole formed at the end of the spindle 118; a flange 204; a peripheral groove 206 formed on the outer peripheral surface 204a of the flange 204; a U-shaped groove 208 formed on the outer peripheral surface 204a of the flange 204; and a V-shaped notch 210 as a concave portion for identifying the rotation phase.

[0033] exist Figure 5 The diagram shows one U-shaped groove 208, but two U-shaped grooves 208 are formed on the outer peripheral surface 204a of the tool holder 200. The two U-shaped grooves 208 are parallel to each other with their bottom surfaces 208a relative to the central axis O. th The arrangement is symmetrical. The V-shaped cut 210 has an abutment surface 210a that extends perpendicularly to the bottom surface 208a of the U-shaped groove 208. As will be described later, the abutment surface 210a is a plane perpendicular to the tool insertion direction in which the tool is inserted into the robot arm 50, 60 when it is mounted on the tool preparation device 10, which is a tool transport device.

[0034] On one side of the outer casing 130, a tool preparation device 10 is provided as a tool conveying device for inserting tools into and removing tools from the tool magazine 120. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the tool transport device of the tool magazine 120 can be positioned on the left (solid line) or the right (dashed line) when viewed from the operator's side facing the tool magazine 120. In such cases, depending on the configuration of the tool transport device relative to the tool magazine 120, the rotation phase of the tool will change by 180°.

[0035] The tool preparation device 10, which is a tool transport device, includes: frames 12, 14, 16, and 18 fixed to the side of the outer cover 130; a support plate 20 that can be slidably mounted relative to the frames 12, 14, 16, and 18 in the front-rear direction; a hollow shaft 22 that slides together with the support plate 20 in the front-rear direction; a door 24 connected to the hollow shaft 22; and a rod 28 that is coupled to the hollow shaft 22 and can be rotatably mounted relative to the door 24 together with the hollow shaft 22. A robotic arm 50 or 60 that engages with the peripheral groove 206 of the tool holder 200 is mounted on the hollow shaft 22.

[0036] The support plate 20, hollow shaft 22, and door 24 serve to enable the robotic arm 50 or 60 to... Figure 3 The location shown is the reservoir side and Figure 4 The conveyor table, which moves between the operator-side positions shown, functions as such. The frames 12-16 rotate relative to the axis of rotation O of the annular member 122. tm Extending parallel to the surface, it functions as a guide for the conveyor. The conveyor can be moved by the operator holding and operating the handle 26 mounted on the upper end of the door 24. Figure 3 The storage location shown is within the outer cover 130 and Figure 4 The protruding position shown is pulled out of the outer cover 130 and moves together with the robotic arm 50 or 60.

[0037] Hollow shaft 22 is aligned with the axis of rotation O of annular member 122 tm Parallel axis of rotation O tls It is rotatably mounted on the support plate 20 and the door 24, centered on the rod 28. Figure 3 The release position shown is the same as Figure 4 The shown engagement positions are rotatable relative to the door 24 and the support plate 20 together with the hollow shaft 22. By rotating the operating lever 28 between the engagement and disengagement positions, the robot arm 50 or 60 moves toward and away from the tool sleeve 124 mounted on the annular member 122, engaging with or disengaging from the circumferential groove 206 of the tool inserted in the tool sleeve 124.

[0038] The robotic arm 50 according to the first embodiment includes: a main body 52 formed of a thin plate; and a pair of fingers 52a extending parallel to the main body 52. ​​A U-shaped tool insertion portion 52b is formed between the pair of fingers 52a to hold a tool T (hereinafter simply referred to as a tool) mounted on a tool holder 200. The tool... Figure 6 As shown by the middle arrow A1, on the rotation axis O relative to the hollow axis 22 tls and the axis of rotation O of the annular member 122 tm It is inserted vertically between a pair of fingers 52a. Thus, the tool is positioned about the central axis O of the tool holder 200.th The axis of rotation O of the hollow shaft 22 and the annular member 122 tm The parallel position is maintained by the robotic arm 50.

[0039] The tool preparation device 10 acts as a barrier to insert the tool in the opposite direction to the robot arm 50 (that is, around the central axis O of the tool holder 200). th A rod 54 is provided to block the tool (which is inserted in a 180-degree opposite phase). The rod 54 is mounted on the side of the main body 52 such that its end portion protrudes into the tool insertion part 52b. The rod 54 is connected to the rotation axis O of the hollow shaft 22. tls A rotating shaft 56, extending parallel to the pin, is rotatably mounted to the main body 52. ​​The rod 54 can... Figure 7 The standby position shown is Figure 9 The rod 54 rotates between the indicated retraction positions. In this embodiment, the rod 54 is mounted on the outer side of the main body 52 by the rotation axis 56, that is, on the side facing the door 24, but it can also be mounted on the opposite side, that is, on the side facing the annular member 122.

[0040] like Figure 7 As shown, the lever 54 has a stop surface 54a and a sliding surface 54b. The stop surface 54a and the sliding surface 54b are formed at the end portion that protrudes into the tool insertion portion 52b when the lever 54 is in the standby position. The stop surface 54a is oriented relative to the axis of rotation O of the hollow shaft 22 when the lever 54 is in the standby position. tls The stop surface 54a and the sliding surface 54b are preferably connected by a connecting surface 54c formed by a smooth curved surface. The sliding surface 54b can be formed by a plane or curved surface that generates a torque that rotates the rod 54 toward the retracted position when the rod 54 is in the standby position and contacts the outer peripheral surface 204a of the flange 204 of the tool holder 200 of the inserted tool.

[0041] In this embodiment, a force-applying member is provided to apply force to the rod 54 in a standby position so that the end portion of the rod 54 can protrude into the tool insertion portion 52b when the tool is not inserted into the tool insertion portion 52b. The force-applying member is composed of an elastic member connected to the rear end portion of the rod 54 opposite to the end portion having the stop surface 54a and the sliding surface 54b. One end 58a of the elastic member is mounted on the main body portion 52, and the opposite end 58b is mounted on the rear end portion of the rod 54. As an example, the elastic member can be a helical spring. The elastic member can also be a helical spring (not shown) arranged around the rotation axis 56.

[0042] If the operator inserts the cutting tool between the pair of fingers 52a in the cutting tool insertion direction (first direction) indicated by arrow A1, the edge of the cutting tool insertion part 52b engages with the peripheral groove 206 of the cutting tool holder 200, and the cutting tool holder 200 and the cutting tool inserted in the cutting tool holder rotate relative to the axis of rotation O of the annular member 122. tm They are held parallel to each other. At this time, if the tool is positioned about the central axis O of the tool holder 200... th If inserted into the robot arm 50 with the correct rotational phase, then as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the sliding surface 54b or the connecting surface 54c between the stop surface 54a and the sliding surface 54b of the rod 54 contacts the outer peripheral surface 204a of the tool holder 200 at an angle inclined relative to the first direction A1, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the end portion of the rod 54 faces the direction of retraction from the tool insertion part 52b. Figure 9 Arrow A in r Rotating counterclockwise (as shown) allows the tool insertion part 52b to engage with the peripheral groove 206, and the tool is fully inserted into the robot arm 50 and held in place.

[0043] If the tool is reversed (that is, with respect to the central axis O of the tool holder 200) th If inserted into the robotic arm 50 with a 180-degree opposite rotation phase, then as follows: Figure 10 As shown, the stop surface 54a of the rod 54 abuts against the contact surface 210a of the V-shaped cut 210 of the tool holder 200 in the first direction A1, preventing the tool from further entering in the first direction A1 and thus preventing the tool from being installed on the robot arm 50.

[0044] In the described embodiments, it is explained that the lever 54 is forced to the standby position by the force-applying member 58. However, the present invention is not limited to this; the lever 54 may be able to initiate the insertion of the tool in the standby position without the use of a force-applying member. For example, referring to a variation of the first embodiment... Figure 11 The tool preparation device 10 according to the modified example includes a rod 54'. Like the rod 54 in the previously described embodiment, the rod 54' is rotatably mounted on the main body 52 between the standby position and the retracted position by a rotating shaft 56 such as a pin.

[0045] The lever 54′, like the lever 54 in the described embodiment, has a stop surface 54a′ and a sliding surface 54b′. The stop surface 54a′ and the sliding surface 54b′ are formed at the end portion protruding into the tool insertion portion 52b when the lever 54′ is in the standby position. The stop surface 54a′ and the sliding surface 54b′ are preferably connected by a connecting surface 54c′ formed by a smooth curved surface. The tool preparation device 10 according to the modified example does not have a force-applying member for applying force to the lever 54′ in the standby position, but the lever 54′ is positioned in the standby position. More specifically, the lever 54′ is positioned in the standby position by gravity when the tool is not inserted into the robot arm 50, particularly just before the tool is about to be inserted into the robot arm 50. Therefore, the lever 54′ is mounted to the main body 52 by the rotation shaft 56 at a position closer to the rear end portion than the end portion. To allow the lever 54′ to move in the retraction direction A... r It can be rotated to maintain the standby position, or a protrusion or stop portion 55 can be provided protruding from the surface of the main body 52.

[0046] The robot arm 60 according to the second embodiment, like the robot arm 50 of the first embodiment, has: a main body 62 formed of a thin plate; and a pair of fingers 62a extending parallel to the main body 62 and forming a tool insertion portion 62b that engages with the peripheral groove 206 of the tool holder 200 to hold the tool holder. In the second embodiment, as a barrier to the reverse insertion of the tool into the robot arm 60 (that is, around the central axis O of the tool holder 200) th The obstacle (with the tool inserted in a 180-degree opposite phase) is equipped with key 64.

[0047] Key 64 is mounted on the side of the main body 62 with its end portion protruding into the tool insertion portion 62b. Key 64 can reciprocate along the surface of the main body 62 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction (first direction A1) in which the tool is inserted into the tool insertion portion 62b. Figure 12 The standby position shown is Figure 14 The key 64 moves back and forth between the indicated retraction positions. More specifically, a bracket 70 is mounted on the main body 62, and a pair of guide rods 66 extending along the surface of the main body 62 in a direction perpendicular to the first direction A1 are mounted on the bracket 70. The key 64 is mounted on the guide rods 66 in a linear direction so that it can move along the guide rods 66. In order to hold the key 64 in a standby position so that it can move in the retraction direction, i.e., the second direction A2, a stop portion 66a, such as a retaining ring protruding from the surface of the guide rod 66, may also be provided on the guide rods 66. In this embodiment, the key 64 is mounted on the outer side of the main body 62, that is, on the side facing the door 24, but it may also be mounted on the opposite side, that is, on the side facing the annular member 122.

[0048] Like the lever 54 in the first embodiment, key 64 has a stop surface 64a and a sliding surface 64b. The stop surface 64a and the sliding surface 64b are formed on the end portion that protrudes into the tool insertion portion 62b when key 64 is in the standby position. The stop surface 64a is oriented relative to the axis of rotation O of the hollow shaft 22 when key 64 is in the standby position. tls The plane is formed perpendicular to both the insertion direction A1 of the tool. The stop surface 64a and the sliding surface 64b are preferably connected by a connecting surface 64c formed by a smooth curved surface. The sliding surface 64b can be formed by a plane or curved surface that generates a force that moves the key 64 toward the retraction position when the key 64 is in the standby position and contacts the outer peripheral surface 204a of the flange 204 of the tool holder 200 of the inserted tool.

[0049] In this embodiment, a force-applying member is provided to apply force to the key 64 toward the standby position in such a way that the end portion of the key 64 can protrude into the tool insertion portion 62b when the tool is not inserted into the tool insertion portion 62b. The force-applying member may be an elastic member disposed between the bracket 70 and the key 64, particularly a coil spring 68.

[0050] If the operator inserts the tool between the pair of fingers 62a in the tool insertion direction (first direction) indicated by arrow A1, the edge of the tool insertion part 62b engages with the peripheral groove 206 of the tool holder 200, and the tool holder 200 and the tool inserted on the tool holder rotate relative to the axis of rotation O of the annular member 122. tm They are held parallel. At this time, if the tool is about the central axis O of the tool holder 200... th If inserted into the robot arm 60 with the correct rotational phase, then as follows: Figure 13 As shown, the sliding surface 64b or the connecting surface 64c between the key 64 and the sliding surface 64b contacts the outer peripheral surface 204a of the tool holder 200 at an angle inclined relative to the first direction A1, as shown. Figure 14 As shown, in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, in Figure 14 Move to the left as indicated by arrow A2, the end portion of key 64 exits from the tool insertion part 62b, allowing the tool insertion part 62b to engage with the peripheral groove 206, and the tool is fully inserted into the robot arm 60 and held in place.

[0051] If the tool is reversed (that is, about the central axis O of the tool holder 200) th If inserted into the robotic arm 60 with a 180-degree opposite rotation phase, then as follows: Figure 15 As shown, the stop surface 64a of the key 64 abuts against the contact surface 210a of the V-shaped cut 210 of the tool holder 200 in the first direction A1, preventing the tool from further entering in the first direction A1 and thus preventing the tool from being installed on the robot arm 60.

[0052] In the described embodiment, the tool transport device is the tool preparation device 10 of the tool magazine 120, but the tool transport device is not limited to this, and may also be a tool transport robot (not shown) that transports and loads tools to the tool magazine 120. In this case, a robotic arm 50 or 60 may be used as an end effector (not shown) provided at the end of the robotic arm (not shown) of the tool transport robot.

[0053] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0054] 10. Tool preparation device

[0055] 50 robotic arms

[0056] 52 Main body

[0057] 52a finger section

[0058] 52b Tool Insertion Section

[0059] 54 strokes

[0060] 54a Stop surface

[0061] 54b Sliding Surface

[0062] 54c Connecting surface

[0063] 55 Stop section

[0064] 56 Rotation axis

[0065] 58. Force-applying components

[0066] 58a One end

[0067] 58b end

[0068] 60 robotic arms

[0069] 62 Main body

[0070] 62a finger section

[0071] 62b Tool Insertion Section

[0072] 64 keys

[0073] 64a Stop surface

[0074] 64b Sliding Surface

[0075] 64c Connecting surface

[0076] 66 Guide rod

[0077] 66a Stop section

[0078] 70 bracket

[0079] 200 Tool Holder

[0080] 202 Tapered Shank

[0081] 204 Flange

[0082] 204a outer peripheral surface

[0083] 206 Zhou Cao

[0084] 208 U-shaped groove

[0085] 208a bottom surface

[0086] 210 V-shaped incision

[0087] 210a contact surface

Claims

1. A tool conveying device for conveying tools to a tool magazine, the tool magazine having a plurality of tool holding portions for holding the tools, the tools having recesses for identifying rotation phase, characterized in that, The aforementioned tool conveying device includes: A robotic arm having a tool insertion portion that opens in a first direction (the direction in which the tool is inserted), and a tool that engages with a peripheral groove of the tool inserted in the tool insertion portion to hold the tool; and An obstacle is provided on the robotic arm in such a way that it can move between a standby position protruding into the tool insertion part of the robotic arm and a retracted position withdrawing from the tool insertion part. When the aforementioned obstruction inserts the aforementioned cutting tool into the aforementioned robotic hand with the non-recessed orientation, it contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cutting tool at an angle inclined relative to the first direction, causing the cutting tool to be pushed out from the cutting tool insertion part to the retraction position. When the aforementioned cutting tool is inserted into the aforementioned robotic hand with the recessed orientation, it contacts the side of the recess in the first direction to obstruct the insertion of the cutting tool.

2. The tool conveying device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The aforementioned obstacle has a stop surface that is perpendicular to the first direction in the standby position when the portion protrudes into the tool insertion part. This stop surface abuts against the side of the recess of the tool to prevent the insertion of the tool.

3. The tool conveying device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The aforementioned obstacle is a rod that is rotatably mounted on the side of the aforementioned robotic arm.

4. The tool conveying device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The aforementioned obstacle is a key mounted on the side of the robotic arm in a manner that allows it to reciprocate in a straight line in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The tool conveying device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The aforementioned tool conveying device also includes a force-applying component that applies force to the aforementioned obstacle in a standby position.

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