WORKPIECE SUPPORT DEVICE

Abstract

Workpiece support device, comprising: a base; a guiding rotary table that supports a workpiece and is supported by the base in such a way that it can be rotated about a horizontal axis of rotation; a motor that is arranged parallel to and offset from the axis of rotation and that drives the turntable to rotate; a removal brush which is arranged on the rear side of the base in such a way that it is displaceable on the outer circumferential surface of a guiding shaft fixed to the rotary table and extending along the axis of rotation; a connection terminal which is electrically connected to the removal brush via a conductive link and to which an external cable connected to an external welding power supply is connected; and a liquid-tight cover that surrounds the removal brush and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft in a liquid-tight condition, wherein the liquid-tight cover comprises an upper backplate portion located substantially in the same position as the rear end of the engine, and a lower backplate portion located beneath the upper backplate portion, forming a recess extruded towards the front, and The connecting connection penetrates the lower back plate part in the thickness direction and protrudes into the recess.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a workpiece support device. [State of the art]

[0002] A known workpiece support device has a rotary table that rotates a workpiece supported on it, for example, when the workpiece is to be arc-welded by an arc welding robot (see, for example, patent literature 1). In the workpiece support device described in patent literature 1, a connection point, via which an external cable is connected to a current collector electrically connected to the rotary table, is arranged such that it is oriented either to the left or to the right perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotary table. [List of quotations][Patent literature] [PTL 1] Unexamined Japanese patent application, publication no. JP 2012-250241 A [PTL 2] Chinese patent application CN 1 07 263 011 A [PTL 3] Disclosure Notice pursuant to the PCT Treaty WO 2020 / 024 647 A1 [Brief description of the invention][Technical problem]

[0003] In the workpiece support device described in patent literature 1, when the external cable is connected to the connection terminal, the external cable protrudes a considerable distance from the side of the workpiece support device, either to the left or to the right. If the workpiece support device is to be positioned close to another workpiece support device, the devices cannot be placed close together due to the obstructing external cable. Changing the connection direction of the external cable requires modifications to parts. Changing the connection direction of the external cable at the work site requires disassembling a connection plate and the connection terminal, which is a laborious process.

[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the extent to which the external cable protrudes from the outer surface of the workpiece support device and to allow for a slight change in the exit direction of the external cable without requiring disassembly / assembly work.

[0005] Further state of the art concerning horizontally alignable workpiece rotary tables with a grounded rotary plate can be found in the publications listed above as PTL 2 and PTL 3. [Solution to the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a workpiece support device comprising: a base; a guiding rotary table supporting a workpiece and supported by the base so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation; a motor arranged parallel to and offset from the axis of rotation and driving the rotary table to rotate; a removal brush arranged on the rear side of the base so as to be displaceable along the outer circumferential surface of a guiding shaft fixed to the rotary table and extending along the axis of rotation; a connecting terminal electrically connected to the removal brush by a conductive element and to which an external cable connected to an external welding power supply is connected; and a liquid-tight cover surrounding the removal brush and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft in a liquid-tight condition.The liquid-tight cover comprises an upper backplate section, positioned essentially at the same location as the rear end of the motor, and a lower backplate section, located beneath the upper backplate section and forming a recess facing forward. The connecting fitting penetrates the lower backplate section in the thickness direction and projects into the recess. [Brief description of the drawings] [ Fig. 1] Fig. Figure 1 is a front view of a workpiece support device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a side view of the workpiece support device in Fig. 1. [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a top view of the workpiece support device in Fig. 1. [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the workpiece support device in Fig. 1 along a horizontal plane containing the axis of rotation. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the workpiece support device in Fig. 1 along a vertical plane containing the axis of rotation. [ Fig. 6] Fig. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the workpiece support device in Fig. 1, viewed from the rear. [ Fig. 7] Fig. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing an example where an external cable and an external motor cable are connected to the workpiece support device in Fig. 1 are connected and led to the right side. [ Fig. 8] Fig. Figure 8 is a side view showing the connection port and the external cable located in the recess in the workpiece support device. Fig. The number 1 is arranged as shown. [ Fig. 9] Fig. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing an example where the external cable and the external motor cable are shown in contrast to those in Fig. 7 are led to the left side. [ Fig. 10] Fig. Figure 10 is a side view showing a modification of a liquid-tight cover with a different shape than the one shown in Fig. 8 shows. [ Fig. 11] Fig. Figure 11 is a side view showing a modification where the connection port is on the vertical surface in Fig. The fact that 10 is planned shows. [Description of the embodiments]

[0007] A workpiece support device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to the drawings.

[0008] As in the Fig. 1, Fig. 2 to Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the workpiece support device 1 according to this embodiment comprises the following: a base 2 arranged on the floor or the like; a rotary table 3, which is supported so that it is rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation A with respect to the base 2; and a drive mechanism 4 that drives the rotary table 3 to rotate. The rotary table 3 is arranged on the front of the workpiece support device 1. A cylindrical shaft 5 extending along the axis of rotation A is fixed to the rotary table 3.

[0009] The rotary table 3 and the shaft 5 are made of an electrically conductive material.

[0010] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the drive mechanism 4 includes a motor 7 with a motor shaft 6 which is arranged parallel to the axis of rotation A of the rotary table 3 and offset from it in the horizontal direction, and a reduction mechanism 8 which reduces the speed of the motor 7 and transmits the rotation to the rotary table 3.

[0011] The reduction mechanism 8 includes a hollow reduction gear 9 and a pair of gears 10a and 10b, which reduce the speed of the motor 7 by one step and input the rotation into the reduction gear 9. The reduction gear 9 includes: an external housing 11 fixed to the base 2; an output shaft 12, which is supported so that it is rotatable about the axis of rotation A with respect to the external housing 11 and which has a hollow section 9a; and an input shaft 13, which inputs the rotation of the motor 7 reduced by the gears 10a and 10b.

[0012] As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the shaft 5 penetrates the hollow part 9a in the reduction gear 9, and an outer circumferential surface 5a of this surface is exposed at the rear of the workpiece support device 1, which is located on the opposite side from the rotary table 3. Two removal brushes 14 are pressed against the exposed outer circumferential surface 5a at different points in the circumferential direction from the radially outer side and are thus movable in contact with it.

[0013] In the Fig. 4 and Fig. In the example shown in Figure 5, the motor 7 is arranged directly next to the axis of rotation A, and the removal brushes 14 are arranged at two points on the shaft 5, that is, above and below the shaft 5. The removal brushes 14 are pressed against the outer circumferential surface 5a of the shaft 5 by springs (not shown) and are held in contact with it.

[0014] As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the workpiece support device 1 includes a liquid-tight cover 15 that surrounds the removal brushes 14 and the outer circumferential surface 5a of the shaft 5, which is exposed on the rear side, in a liquid-tight condition, and a motor cover 16 that surrounds the motor 7 in a liquid-tight condition.

[0015] The liquid-tight cover 15 and the motor cover 16 are formed from metal plates which are attached separately and removable to the rear of the base 2.

[0016] As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the liquid-tight cover 15 includes an upper backplate part 17, which is located substantially at the same rearward position as the rear end of the motor 7, and a lower backplate part (recess) 18, which is located below the upper backplate part 17 at a position closer to the front than the upper backplate part 17. The lower backplate part 18 includes an inclined backplate part (sloping portion) 19, which is inclined downwards from the upper backplate part 17 towards the front.

[0017] In this configuration, the lower backplate part 18 forms a recess beneath the upper backplate part 17, which extends further towards the front than the upper backplate part 17. In this embodiment, a connecting port 20 is provided such that it penetrates a metal plate forming the inclined backplate part 19 in its thickness direction and extends from the inside out through the liquid-tight cover 15.

[0018] Within the liquid-tight cover 15, the connecting port 20 is connected to the removal brushes 14 by means of connecting cables (conductive links) 21. The connecting port 20, which is exposed on the outside of the liquid-tight cover 15, projects obliquely downwards into the recess formed by the lower backplate part 18.

[0019] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the motor cover 16 is shaped to be fitted onto the motor 7 from the rear and includes a backplate cover part 22, positioned at a location covering the rear end of the motor 7, and a recess cover part 23, forming a recess that extends further towards the front than the backplate cover part 22. Motor connectors 24, which are connected to a connector of the motor 7 via relay cables (not shown), are fixed to the recess cover part 23 so that they face rearward.

[0020] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, in this configuration, connectors 26 of external motor cables 25, which are connected to the motor connectors 24 from back to front, are located in the recess formed by the recess cover part 23 at a point closer to the front than the back plate cover part 22.

[0021] In the Fig. 4 and Fig. Reference numeral 27 denotes a swivel joint via which a pipe 28 and signal cables 30 are connected to the rotary table 3 from the outside, reference numeral 28 denotes the pipe, reference numeral 29 denotes a pipe connection point, reference numeral 30 denotes the signal cables and reference numeral 31 denotes signal cable connectors.

[0022] By removing screws 40 which are fastened from the side of the rotary table 3, the swivel joint 27 can be pulled out to the rear of the base 2 and thus removed from inside the shaft 5.

[0023] In Fig. Reference numeral 5 32 designates a connection part cover that covers the connection part between the connection port 20 and the external cable 33.

[0024] The advantages of the workpiece support device 1 configured in this embodiment are described below.

[0025] In the workpiece support device 1 according to this embodiment, as described in the Fig. 7 and Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the external cable 33 is connected to the connection terminal 20, which is exposed on the inclined backplate portion 19 of the rear of the liquid-tight cover 15. The connection is made, for example, by attaching a crimp contact 34, which is attached to the external cable 33, to the connection terminal 20 with a screw 35 and a nut. As a result, the pickup brushes 14 are connected via the external cable 33 to the anode of an external welding power supply (not shown).

[0026] In particular, the workpiece fixed to the rotary table 3 is connected to the anode of the external welding power supply via the rotary table 3, the shaft 5, the removal brushes 14, the power cables 21, the connection terminal 20, the crimp contact 34, and the external cable 33. A welding torch fixed to the end of the wrist of a welding robot (not shown) is connected to the cathode of the external welding power supply.

[0027] The connectors 26 of the external motor cables 25 are connected to the motor connectors 24 provided on the motor cover 16.

[0028] By rotating the rotary table 3 around the axis of rotation A in this state by actuating the motor 7, it is possible to generate an arc between the workpiece and the welding torch in order to weld them together while changing the orientation of the workpiece.

[0029] Since the removal brushes 14 are in contact with the outer circumferential surface 5a of the shaft 5, the rotary table 3 can be kept connected to the anode of the external welding power supply even when the rotary table 3 is rotated by one revolution or more.

[0030] In this case, particularly when carbon brushes are used as the removal brushes 14, the ingress of dust between the removal brushes 14 and the outer circumferential surface 5a of the shaft 5 must be prevented. Since the removal brushes 14 and the outer circumferential surface 5a of the shaft 5 are surrounded by the liquid-tight cover 5 in a liquid-tight state, this embodiment makes it possible to prevent the ingress of dust into the sliding plane from the outside and thus maintain good conductivity.

[0031] In this embodiment, the connecting terminal 20, through which the removal brushes 14 are connected to the external welding power supply via the power cables 21, projects obliquely downwards into the recess formed in the inclined backplate part 19 of the lower backplate part 18 below the upper backplate part 17. In this configuration, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the connecting terminal 20 and the external cable 33 are connected to the connecting terminal in the recess formed under the upper back plate part 17 and are thus prevented from protruding rearward from the rear position of the workpiece support device 1, which is defined by the rear end of the motor 7.

[0032] As in the Fig. 7 or Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the external cable 33, connected to the terminal 20, is routed downwards and, as required, bent to the right or left side of the workpiece support device 1. The wiring direction of the external cable 33 can be selected from either the left or right side. Since the workpiece support device 1 does not need to be disassembled at this stage, there is no need to modify parts or perform tedious disassembly / assembly work. Even after the workpiece support device 1 is installed, the wiring direction can be changed simply by altering the bending direction of the external cable 33, which is advantageous.

[0033] Since the connection port 20 is located in the recess formed under the back plate part 17, dust accumulation on the connection port 20 is prevented in this embodiment. Because the connection port 20 is provided on the inclined back plate part 19, the task of connecting the external cable 33 to the connection port 20 can be carried out from the rear of the workpiece support device 1 with a view of the connection port 20, which is advantageous.

[0034] In this embodiment, the connecting port 20 is provided on the inclined backplate part 19, which extends obliquely downwards from the lower part of the upper backplate part 17 towards the front. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the liquid-tight cover 15 thus provides sufficient space for wiring the relatively thick and rigid conductor cables 21 that connect the pickup brushes 14 and the connection terminal 20. As a result, it is possible to prevent excessive force from remaining in the conductor cables 21 after wiring, and thus to maintain more reliable contact between the pickup brushes 14 and the outer circumferential surface 5a of the shaft 5.

[0035] By providing the motor connectors 24 on the motor cover 16 and by connecting the connectors 26 of the external motor cables 25 from the rear of the workpiece support device 1, the connectors 26 are thus, in this embodiment, housed in the recess that extends further towards the front than the back plate cover part 22. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, this allows the connectors 26 to be arranged at a location that does not protrude from the rear end of the motor 7. The external motor cables 25 can be routed either to the left or to the right without protruding from the rear end of the motor 7 by simply bending the external motor cables 25 to the right or left near the point where they exit the position connectors 26, as shown in Figure 7. Fig. 7 or Fig. 9 is shown.

[0036] Although the connecting port 20 is arranged on the inclined back plate part 19 in the workpiece support device 1 according to this embodiment, the configuration is not limited thereto, and the connecting port 20 only needs to be exposed in the recess formed under the upper back plate part 17. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 10, the inclined backplate section 19 can, for example, extend in the horizontal direction. The connecting connection 20 can be provided on a vertically extending section, which is provided at the other end with respect to the recess, as shown in Figure 10. Fig. 11 is shown.

[0037] Although the engine cover 16 is provided in this embodiment, the engine cover 16 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0038] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, a battery box 36 can be attached to the engine cover 16.

[0039] In this embodiment, an exemplary housing has been described in which the motor 7 is located directly next to the shaft 5, which is fixed to the rotary table 3. This configuration reduces the overall height of the workpiece support device 1. Alternatively, the motor 7 can be located vertically above the shaft 5. This configuration reduces the overall width of the workpiece support device 1.

[0040] Although the removal brushes 14 are provided at two locations on the shaft 5, i.e., above and below the shaft 5, the removal brushes 14 can instead be provided at other arbitrary locations in the circumferential direction. The number of removal brushes 14 can be one. [List of reference symbols] 1 workpiece support device 2 Basic 3 Turntable 5 wave 5a External perimeter area 7 engine 14 Collecting brush 15 liquid-tight covers 16 Engine cover 17 upper back plate part 18 lower back plate part (recess) 19 inclined backplate section (inclined part) 20 connection point 21 Conductor cables (conducting element) 22 Backplate cover part 23 Recess cover part (recess) 24 motor connectors 25 external motor cables 33 external cable A axis of rotation

Claims

[1] Workpiece support device comprising: a base; a guiding rotary table that supports a workpiece and is supported by the base in such a way that it can be rotated about a horizontal axis of rotation; a motor that is arranged parallel to and offset from the axis of rotation and that drives the turntable to rotate; a removal brush which is arranged on the rear side of the base in such a way that it is displaceable on the outer circumferential surface of a guiding shaft fixed to the rotary table and extending along the axis of rotation; a connection terminal which is electrically connected to the removal brush via a conductive link and to which an external cable connected to an external welding power supply is connected; and a liquid-tight cover that surrounds the removal brush and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft in a liquid-tight condition, wherein the liquid-tight cover comprises an upper backplate portion located substantially in the same position as the rear end of the engine, and a lower backplate portion located beneath the upper backplate portion, forming a recess extruded towards the front, and The connecting connection penetrates the lower back plate part in the thickness direction and protrudes into the recess. [2] Workpiece support device according to claim 1, wherein the lower backplate part has an inclined part which is inclined downwards from the upper backplate part towards the front, and The connection point is located on the inclined part. [3] Workpiece support device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an engine cover that surrounds the engine in a liquid-tight condition; a motor connector provided through the motor cover to which an external motor cable is connected; and a relay cable that connects the motor connector and the motor, wherein the engine cover has a backplate cover part covering the rear end of the engine and a recess cover part which extends further towards the front than the backplate cover part, and The motor connector is provided on the recess cover part.

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