Oil throwing device used in heat treatment

Abstract

To provide an oil throwing device used in heat treatment capable of highly efficiently throwing oil off a workpiece.SOLUTION: An oil throwing device includes: an oil tank in which a workpiece is stored after heat treatment; a determination part that determines whether or not the position of the oil level of oil stored in the oil tank is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece in the direction of gravity in the oil tank and equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece in the direction of gravity; and an oil level control part that, when the determination by the determination part is affirmative, either passes the workpiece over the oil level or passes the oil level over the workpiece at a slower speed than when the determination by the determination part is negative.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil-throwing device for use in heat treatment, which is provided with an oil tank in which a workpiece after heat treatment is contained. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Oil-scraping devices used in heat treatment have been known in the past.

[0003] Regarding this oil-throwing device, Patent Document 1 discloses a heat treatment device equipped with a distiller that separates only the wash oil from a mixed oil in which a plurality of different types of quenching oils and wash oils are mixed together. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6545883 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, a distiller is used to separate the washing oil from the quenching oil, which incurs costs for operating the distiller. Also, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, after the workpiece is washed with washing oil and the washing oil is drained off, a large amount of washing oil remains on the workpiece, which causes a decrease in the quality of the heat treatment performed after the washing process.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an oil-throwing device for use in heat treatment that can highly efficiently remove oil from a workpiece. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the oil-thinning device used in the heat treatment of the present invention comprises an oil tank in which the workpiece after heat treatment is accommodated, a judgment unit that judges whether the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank is below the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece in the direction of gravity in the oil tank and whether the position of the oil level is above the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece in the direction of gravity, and an oil level control unit that, when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, either passes the workpiece over the oil level at a slower speed than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment, or passes the oil level over the workpiece.

[0008] In addition, the oil level control unit has a discharge path for discharging the oil from the oil tank, and when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the oil is discharged from the discharge path at a slower discharge speed than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

[0009] In addition, the oil level control unit has a supply path that supplies gas to the oil tank, and when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the gas is supplied to the supply path at a lower pressure than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

[0010] In addition, the oil level control unit has multiple discharge paths, and when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the oil is discharged from a fewer number of discharge paths than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

[0011] In addition, the oil level control unit has multiple drain paths with different pipeline diameters, and when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the oil is discharged from a drain path with a larger diameter than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

[0012] In addition, the oil level control unit includes a transport table that lifts the workpiece upward in the direction of gravity from the oil stored in the oil tank, and when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the transport table is lifted at a slower moving speed than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an oil-throwing device for use in heat treatment that can highly efficiently remove oil from a workpiece. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an oil-scraping device used in a heat treatment according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control device illustrated in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device shown in FIG. 1 together with other configurations of the oil thrower. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow when the oil throwing device shown in FIG. 1 throws oil off a workpiece. [Figure 5A] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the residual amount of cleaning oil and time in an oil-throwing process using a conventional oil-throwing device. [Figure 5B] 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the residual amount of washing oil and time in the oil-throwing process using the oil-throwing device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an oil-scraping device used in a heat treatment according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device shown in FIG. 6 together with other configurations of the oil thrower. FIG. [Figure 8] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow when the oil throwing device shown in FIG. 6 throws oil off a workpiece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, a number of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps in each drawing will be designated by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0016] ---First embodiment--- First, the first embodiment will be described.

[0017] <Overall composition> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an oil-throwing device 1A used for heat treatment according to the first embodiment. The oil-throwing device 1A performs a cleaning process with cleaning oil on a workpiece 2 that has been subjected to heat treatment, such as carburizing or hardening, and then drains the cleaning oil. As shown in Fig. 1, the main parts of the oil-throwing device 1A used for heat treatment include an oil tank 10, a control device 20A, a cleaning oil tank 30, a gas container 40, a pump 50, and an oil level control unit 100.

[0018] The oil tank 10 is a tank for performing a cleaning process on the workpiece 2 using cleaning oil, and stores the cleaning oil and accommodates the workpiece 2 after heat treatment. The oil tank 10 is supplied with cleaning oil from the cleaning oil tank 30 via the oil supply control valve 31 and the oil supply path 32 of the oil level control unit 100. The oil tank 10 is also supplied with nitrogen gas from the gas container 40 via the gas control valve 41 and the supply path 42 of the oil level control unit 100. The oil tank 10 also discharges the cleaning oil to the outside of the oil tank 10 through the discharge path 52 of the oil level control unit 100. The oil tank 10 is also configured to include a mounting table 11 on which the workpiece 2 is placed, a first oil detection unit 12 provided at the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the weight direction, and a second oil detection unit 13 provided at the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the weight direction.

[0019] The mounting table 11 is a table on which the workpiece 2 is placed, and is provided in the lower part of the oil vat 10. The mounting table 11 has the workpiece 2 placed on its upper surface.

[0020] The first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 are sensors that detect hydrocarbon oil such as cleaning oil. The first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 detect whether or not the installation location is covered with oil, and transmit the detection result to the control device 20A.

[0021] The oil level control section 100, in accordance with the operational control of the control device 20A, passes the oil level over the workpiece 2 at a slower speed than when the conditions are not satisfied, when the position of the oil level of the cleaning oil stored in the oil tank 10 is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 10 and the position of the oil level is equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity. The oil level control section 100 includes a gas control valve 41, a supply path 42, an oil supply control valve 31, an oil supply path 32, a discharge control valve 51, and a discharge path 52.

[0022] The wash oil tank 30 is a tank in which wash oil is stored, and is provided in a location different from the oil tank 10. In the first embodiment, the wash oil tank 30 is provided below the oil tank 10. The wash oil tank 30 sends the stored wash oil to the oil tank 10 via the oil supply control valve 31 and the oil supply path 32 while the oil supply control valve 31 is open. In addition, the wash oil tank 30 stores the wash oil so that it does not leak to the outside while the oil supply control valve 31 is closed. The wash oil stored in the wash oil tank 30 is, for example, a hydrocarbon oil.

[0023] The oil supply control valve 31 is a valve for supplying a predetermined flow rate of cleaning oil from the oil supply path 32 to the oil tank 10 in accordance with the operational control of the control device 20A. One end of the oil supply control valve 31 is connected to the cleaning oil tank 30 through a piping, and the other end is connected to the oil supply path 32.

[0024] The oil supply path 32 is a path for supplying the washing oil from the washing oil tank 30 into the oil tank 10, and is provided between the washing oil tank 30 and the oil tank 10. Specifically, the oil supply path 32 supplies the washing oil from the washing oil tank 30 into the oil tank 10 via the oil supply control valve 31.

[0025] The gas container 40 is a cylinder for storing nitrogen gas. While the gas control valve 41 is open, the gas container 40 sends the stored nitrogen gas through the gas control valve 41 and a supply path 42 into the oil tank 10. In addition, while the gas control valve 41 is closed, the gas container 40 stores the nitrogen gas so that it does not leak to the outside.

[0026] The gas control valve 41 is a valve for supplying a predetermined flow rate of nitrogen gas from a supply path 42 to the oil tank 10 in accordance with the operational control of the control device 20A. One end of the gas control valve 41 is connected to a gas container 40 through a pipe, and the other end is connected to the supply path 42.

[0027] Supply path 42 is a path for supplying nitrogen gas from outside oil vat 10 into oil vat 10, and is provided between oil vat 10 and gas control valve 41. Specifically, supply path 42 supplies nitrogen gas sent from gas container 40 via gas control valve 41 into oil vat 10.

[0028] The drain path 52 is a path for discharging the cleaning oil from inside the oil tank 10 to outside the oil tank 10. Specifically, the drain path 52 uses the pump 50 to discharge the cleaning oil in the oil tank 10 to outside the oil tank 10 via the discharge control valve 51.

[0029] The discharge control valve 51 is a valve for discharging a predetermined flow rate of cleaning oil from the discharge path 52 in accordance with the operational control of the control device 20A. One end of the discharge control valve 51 is connected to the discharge path 52 through a pipe, and the other end is connected to one end of the pump 50 through a pipe.

[0030] Pump 50 is a pump for discharging the washing oil in oil tank 10, and discharges the washing oil sent from discharge path 52 via discharge control valve 51 to the outside of oil thrower 1A. One end of pump 50 is connected to the other end of discharge control valve 51 through piping, and the other end is connected to the outside of oil thrower 1A through piping.

[0031] The control device 20A controls the cleaning process of the workpiece 2 using the cleaning oil and the oil draining process of the workpiece 2. The control device 20A acquires the oil detection results from the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13. The control device 20A also controls the opening and closing of the oil supply control valve 31 to control the inflow and stop of the inflow of the cleaning oil from the cleaning oil tank 30 into the oil tank 10. The control device 20A also controls the opening and closing of the gas control valve 41 to control the inflow, stop of the inflow, and the flow rate of the nitrogen gas when it is allowed to inflow from the gas container 40 into the oil tank 10. The control device 20A also controls the opening and closing of the discharge control valve 51 to control the exhaust and stop of the exhaust of the cleaning oil from inside the oil tank 10 to outside the oil tank 10.

[0032] The control device 20A also controls the oil supply control valve 31, the gas control valve 41, and the discharge control valve 51 according to control commands based on programs stored in advance in the control device 20A, inputs from the operator of the control device 20A, and control signals transmitted from an external device different from the control device 20A. In this way, the control device 20A controls the cleaning process and the oil draining process for the workpiece 2 accommodated in the oil tank 10.

[0033] <Hardware configuration> Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 20A shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 20A includes, for example, a storage device 21 that stores various programs and various information required for the execution of processing in the CPU 22, information on the processing results, etc., a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 that functions as various functional means by executing a predetermined program stored in the memory 23 or the storage device 21, a memory 23 that temporarily stores the predetermined program and data required when the CPU 22 executes the predetermined program, a communication device 24 for communicating with an external device, and an input / output device 25 that receives operations from the operator of the oil thrower 1A and outputs screen display, voice, etc. to the operator.

[0034] The control device 20A can be realized by using an information processing device such as a dedicated or general-purpose computer. The control device 20A may be configured by a single information processing device or by multiple information processing devices. Fig. 2 shows only a part of the main hardware configuration of the control device 20A, and the control device 20A may be configured by other components that a computer generally has.

[0035] <Functional configuration> Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20A shown in Fig. 1 together with other configurations in the oil thrower 1A. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 20A is configured to include, as functional configurations, for example, an oil supply adjustment unit 210, a determination unit 220, an oil thrower adjustment unit 230, a storage unit 240, and an input / output unit 250. The functional configurations other than the storage unit 240 are realized by the CPU 22 expanding and executing a program on the memory 23. The storage unit 240 is realized by the storage device 21 and / or the memory 23.

[0036] The oil supply adjustment unit 210 controls the opening and closing operation of the oil supply control valve 31 according to a program stored in the memory unit 240 or a control command received from the input / output unit 250, thereby supplying a predetermined flow rate of cleaning oil from the cleaning oil tank 30 to the oil vat 10 and cleaning the workpiece 2 in the oil vat 10 with the cleaning oil. In the cleaning process, the oil supply adjustment unit 210 closes the oil supply control valve 31 after causing a predetermined amount of cleaning oil to flow into the oil vat 10 and waits until a predetermined time has elapsed. After completing the cleaning process for the workpiece 2, the oil supply adjustment unit 210 communicates to the determination unit 220 that the cleaning process has been completed.

[0037] The determination unit 220 determines whether the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank 10 is equal to or lower than the height of the top position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 10 and equal to or higher than the height of the bottom position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity. Specifically, when the determination unit 220 is notified from the oil supply adjustment unit 210 that the cleaning process for the work 2 has been completed, the determination unit 220 obtains the detection results from the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 as to whether or not the installation locations of the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 are covered with oil. When the detection result of the first oil detection unit 12 indicates that the installation location of the first oil detection unit 12 is not covered with oil and the detection result of the second oil detection unit 13 indicates that the installation location of the second oil detection unit 13 is covered with oil, the determination unit 220 determines that the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank 10 is equal to or lower than the height of the top position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 10 and equal to or higher than the height of the bottom position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity. The determination unit 220 transmits the result of the determination to the oil throwing adjustment unit 230 .

[0038] When the detection results of the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 indicate that the installation locations of the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 are both covered with oil, the determination unit 220 determines that the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil vat 10 is above the height of the uppermost position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil vat 10. When the detection results of the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 indicate that the installation locations of the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 are both not covered with oil, the determination unit 220 determines that the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil vat 10 is below the height of the lowermost position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil vat 10. Furthermore, if the detection result of the first oil detection unit 12 indicates that the installation location of the first oil detection unit 12 is covered with oil and the detection result of the second oil detection unit 13 indicates that the installation location of the second oil detection unit 13 is not covered with oil, the judgment unit 220 judges that either or both of the detection results of the first oil detection unit 12 and the second oil detection unit 13 are not operating normally.

[0039] The oil-throwing adjustment unit 230 adjusts the draining of the cleaning oil on the workpiece 2 by controlling the opening and closing of the gas control valve 41 and the opening and closing of the discharge control valve 51 according to the program stored in the memory unit 240 or the control command received from the input / output unit 250. Specifically, the oil-throwing adjustment unit 230 causes nitrogen gas to flow from the gas container 40 into the oil tank 10 at a pressure according to the judgment result of the judgment unit 220, and drains the cleaning oil from the discharge path 52. Here, when the judgment unit 220 judges that the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank 10 is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the gravitational direction in the oil tank 10 and that the position of the oil level is equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the gravitational direction, the oil-throwing adjustment unit 230 causes nitrogen gas to flow from the gas container 40 into the oil tank 10 at a pressure lower than that when the judgment is a negative judgment. Furthermore, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the discharge of the washing oil, the oil-slinger adjusting unit 230 transmits to the input / output unit 250 a signal indicating that the discharge of the washing oil has ended.

[0040] The memory unit 240 stores the state of supply of cleaning oil to the oil vat 10 by the oil supply adjustment unit 210, the result of the judgment by the judgment unit 220, the state of cleaning oil draining from the workpiece 2 by the oil drain adjustment unit 230, etc. The memory unit 240 also stores information on the pressure when nitrogen gas is caused to flow from the gas container 40 into the oil vat 10, the flow rate of cleaning oil when cleaning oil is caused to flow from the cleaning oil tank 30 into the oil vat 10, the flow rate of cleaning oil when cleaning oil is discharged from the discharge path 52, etc.

[0041] The input / output unit 250 receives various commands to the oil thrower 1A from an operator of the oil thrower 1A, and transmits the received commands to the oil supply adjustment unit 210, the determination unit 220, and the oil thrower adjustment unit 230.

[0042] <An example of a process flow> The functional configuration of the control device 20A has been described above, along with other configurations of the oil thrower 1A. Next, a series of process flows of the oil thrower 1A will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the process flow when the oil thrower 1A shown in Fig. 1 throws oil on the workpiece 2.

[0043] (Step SP10) The oil thrower 1A starts a cleaning process with cleaning oil for the workpiece 2 placed on the mounting table 11 in the oil vat 10 by the control device 20A. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A opens the oil supply control valve 31 by the control device 20A, and causes a predetermined flow rate of cleaning oil to flow from the cleaning oil tank 30 through the oil supply path 32 into the oil vat 10. Then, the process proceeds to step SP12.

[0044] (Step SP12) The oil thrower 1A performs a washing process with washing oil on the workpiece 2 by the control device 20A. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A closes the oil supply control valve 31 after causing a predetermined amount of washing oil to flow into the oil tank 10 by the control device 20A. The oil thrower 1A also waits until a predetermined time has elapsed by the control device 20A. Then, the process proceeds to step SP14.

[0045] (Step SP14) The oil thrower 1A starts the process of throwing the cleaning oil off the workpiece 2 in the oil tank 10 by the control device 20A. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A opens the gas control valve 41 and the discharge control valve 51 by the control device 20A. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP16.

[0046] (Step SP16) The oil thrower 1A determines, by the control device 20A, whether or not the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil vat 10 is within a predetermined height range. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A determines, by the control device 20A, whether or not the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil vat 10 is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil vat 10 and equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step SP18, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP20.

[0047] (Step SP18) The oil thrower 1A causes the control device 20A to discharge the washing oil from the discharge path 52 to the outside of the oil tank 10 at a first speed. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A controls the operation of the gas control valve 41 so that nitrogen gas flows from the gas container 40 into the oil tank 10 at a first pressure, and discharges the washing oil from the discharge path 52 to the outside of the oil tank 10 at the first speed by the pressure of the nitrogen gas that flows in. Here, the first speed is slower than a second speed different from the first speed, and is at least half or less than the second speed, and preferably 20% or less. In addition, the first pressure is lower than the second pressure different from the first pressure. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP22.

[0048] (Step SP20) The oil thrower 1A causes the control device 20A to discharge the washing oil from the drain path 52 to the outside of the oil tank 10 at the second speed. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A controls the operation of the gas control valve 41 so that nitrogen gas flows from the gas container 40 into the oil tank 10 at the second pressure, and discharges the washing oil from the drain path 52 to the outside of the oil tank 10 at the second speed by the pressure of the flowing nitrogen gas. Then, the process proceeds to step SP22.

[0049] (Step SP22) The oil thrower 1A determines, by the control device 20A, whether or not the oil stored in the oil tank 10 has been completely drained. Specifically, the oil thrower 1A determines, by the control device 20A, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the oil throwing process of the washing oil. If the determination is positive, the process returns to the process of step SP16, and if the determination is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 4 ends.

[0050] <Effects> Fig. 5A is a graph showing the relationship between the residual amount of cleaning oil and time in the oil-throwing process by the conventional oil-throwing device. Also, Fig. 5B is a graph showing the relationship between the residual amount of cleaning oil and time in the oil-throwing process by the oil-throwing device 1A shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B, in the oil-throwing process by the conventional oil-throwing device and the oil-throwing device 1A shown in Fig. 1, the oil-throwing process starts at time t50, and at time t51, the oil level drops to the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity.

[0051] In the oil-throwing process using the conventional oil-throwing device, the oil level drops to the lowest position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity at time t52, and the oil level drops to the height of the bottom surface of the oil tank at time t52, and the washing oil is drained, as shown in Fig. 5A. Then, at time t54, which is approximately the same time as has passed from time t51 to time t53, the amount of remaining washing oil adhering to the workpiece 2 finally becomes approximately zero.

[0052] In contrast, in the oil throwing process by the oil throwing device 1A shown in Fig. 1, as shown in Fig. 5B, at time t55, which is later than time t52, the oil level drops to the lowest position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity, and at time t56, which is after time t55, the oil level drops to the height of the bottom surface of the oil tank 10, and the washing oil is drained. Then, at time t57, which is earlier than time t54, the amount of remaining washing oil adhering to the workpiece 2 finally becomes almost zero. In this way, it can be seen that the oil throwing device 1A can quickly throw off the oil by slowing down the draining speed of the washing oil while the height of the oil level is between the uppermost and lowermost positions of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity, so that the amount of remaining washing oil adhering to the workpiece 2 becomes almost zero sooner than with the conventional oil throwing device.

[0053] As described above, in the first embodiment, when the oil level is within the range from the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 to the height of the lowermost position in the gravity direction, the oil level passes over the workpiece 2 at a slower speed than when it is outside the range. Therefore, the oil leveling device 1A can highly efficiently throw oil off the workpiece 2.

[0054] Furthermore, when the judgment by the judgment unit 220 is a positive judgment, the oil thrower 1A drains the oil from the oil vat 10 at a slower draining speed than when the judgment is a negative judgment. Therefore, even when draining oil from the oil vat 10, the oil thrower 1A can drain the oil from the workpiece 2 with high efficiency.

[0055] In addition, the oil level control unit 100 has a supply path 42 that supplies gas to the oil tank 10, and when the judgment by the judgment unit 220 is a positive judgment, gas is supplied to the supply path 42 at a lower pressure than when the judgment by the judgment unit 220 is a negative judgment.

[0056] Therefore, the oil thrower 1A can throw oil off the workpiece 2 with high efficiency even when the oil discharge speed is controlled by supplying gas to the supply path 42.

[0057] --- Second embodiment --- Next, a second embodiment will be described.

[0058] <Overall composition> 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an oil-throwing device 1B used for heat treatment according to the second embodiment. The oil-throwing device 1B performs quenching treatment with quenching oil on a workpiece 2 that has been subjected to heat treatment such as carburizing, and then drains the quenching oil. As shown in FIG. 6, the main parts of the oil-throwing device 1B used for heat treatment include, for example, a control device 20B, an oil tank 60, a furnace 80, and an oil level control unit 700.

[0059] The oil tank 60 is a tank for transporting the workpiece 2 and performing quenching treatment on the workpiece 2 with quenching oil, and contains the workpiece 2 and stores the quenching oil in the lower part. The oil tank 60 is provided with a transport chamber 61 in the upper part and a quenching chamber 62 in the lower part. The oil tank 60 is also provided with an oil level control unit 700 that passes the workpiece 2 over the oil level of the quenching oil from the transport chamber 61 to the quenching chamber 62.

[0060] The transfer chamber 61 is a room that serves as a relay point when the workpiece 2 is transferred to various locations in the oil-throwing device 1B. The lower part of the transfer chamber 61 is connected to the quenching chamber 62, and an outer door 64 is provided on one side for transferring the workpiece 2 between the outside of the oil-throwing device 1B and the oil tank 60, and an inner door 63 is provided on the other side for transferring the workpiece 2 between the oil tank 60 and the furnace 80. The transfer chamber 61 also has a mechanism (not shown) for moving the workpiece 2 between the furnace 80 and the transfer chamber 61, and a mechanism (not shown) for transferring the workpiece 2 between the outside of the oil-throwing device 1B and the transfer chamber 61.

[0061] The quenching chamber 62 is a chamber in the oil thrower 1B for performing quenching treatment with quenching oil on the workpiece 2 that has been carburized in the furnace 80. The quenching chamber 62 stores quenching oil, and is connected at its top to the transfer chamber 61.

[0062] The oil level control section 700, in accordance with the operational control of the control device 20B, passes the workpiece 2 over the oil level at a slower speed than when the conditions are not satisfied, when the position of the oil level of the quenching oil stored in the oil tank 60 is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 60 and the position of the oil level is equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity. The oil level control section 700 is configured to include, for example, a transport platform 71, a rail section 72, a third oil detection section 73, and a fourth oil detection section 74.

[0063] The transport table 71 is a table for transporting the workpiece 2, and the workpiece 2 is placed on the upper surface. The transport table 71 is movably connected to a rail section 72, and moves between the transport chamber 61 and the quenching chamber 62 along the track of the rail section 72 in accordance with the operational control of the control device 20B. In addition, a third oil detection unit 73 and a fourth oil detection unit 74 are connected to the side surface of the transport table 71.

[0064] The rail section 72 is a track for moving the transport platform 71 between the transport chamber 61 and the quenching chamber 62. The rail sections 72 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the transport platform 71, and extend between the transport chamber 61 and the quenching chamber 62 in the vertical direction in the direction of gravity.

[0065] The third oil detection unit 73 and the fourth oil detection unit 74 are sensors that detect quenching oil. The third oil detection unit 73 and the fourth oil detection unit 74 detect whether the installation location is covered with oil or not, and transmit the detection result to the control device 20B. The third oil detection unit 73 is connected to the conveying platform 71 so that the installation location is at the height of the uppermost position in the weight direction of the workpiece 2 placed on the conveying platform 71 in the oil vat 60. The fourth oil detection unit 74 is connected to the conveying platform 71 so that the installation location is at the height of the lowermost position in the weight direction of the workpiece 2 placed on the conveying platform 71 in the oil vat 60.

[0066] The furnace 80 is a chamber for carrying out heat treatment such as carburizing on the workpiece 2, and accommodates the workpiece 2. The furnace 80 is connected to the transfer chamber 61 via a middle door 63 provided on the side.

[0067] The control device 20B controls the quenching process using quenching oil for the workpiece 2, and the oil-thinning process for the workpiece 2. The control device 20B acquires the oil detection results from the third oil detection unit 73 and the fourth oil detection unit 74. The control device 20B also controls the above-mentioned conveyance table 71 according to control commands based on a program previously stored in the control device 20B, input from an operator of the control device 20B, and a control signal transmitted from an external device different from the control device 20B. In this way, the control device 20B controls the quenching process and the oil-thinning process for the workpiece 2 by controlling the movement of the conveyance table 71.

[0068] <Functional configuration> Next, the functional configuration of the control device 20B will be described. The hardware configuration of the control device 20B is almost the same as that of the control device 20A, so the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20B shown in FIG. 6 together with other configurations in the oil-slinger 1B. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 20B is configured to include, as functional configurations, for example, a transport adjustment unit 260, a determination unit 220, a storage unit 240, and an input / output unit 250. The functional configurations other than the storage unit 240 are realized by the CPU 22 expanding and executing a program on the memory 23. The storage unit 240 is realized by the storage device 21 and / or the memory 23.

[0069] The transport adjustment unit 260 performs a quenching process on the workpiece 2 using quenching oil and a draining process of the quenching oil on the workpiece 2 by controlling the operation of the transport table 71 of the oil level control unit 700 according to the program stored in the storage unit 240 or the control command received from the input / output unit 250. Specifically, the transport adjustment unit 260 moves the transport table 71 on which the workpiece 2 is placed from the transport chamber 61 to the quenching chamber 62, and immerses the workpiece 2 in the quenching oil to perform a quenching process on the workpiece 2. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the transport adjustment unit 260 moved the transport table 71 to the quenching chamber 62, the transport adjustment unit 260 transmits a signal indicating that the time for quenching the workpiece 2 has elapsed to the judgment unit 220.

[0070] Furthermore, the transport adjustment unit 260 moves the transport platform 71 from the quenching chamber 62 to the transport chamber 61 at a speed according to the judgment result of the judgment unit 220. Here, when the judgment unit 220 judges that the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank 60 is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 60 and equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity, the transport adjustment unit 260 moves the transport platform 71 toward the transport chamber 61 at a speed slower than when the judgment is a negative judgment. Furthermore, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the transport platform 71 arrived at the transport chamber 61, the transport adjustment unit 260 transmits a signal indicating that the oil-thinning process of the quenching oil has been completed to the input / output unit 250.

[0071] The determination unit 220 determines whether the position of the oil surface of the oil stored in the oil tank 60 is equal to or lower than the height of the top position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 60, and equal to or higher than the height of the bottom position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity. Specifically, when the transfer adjustment unit 260 transmits that the quenching process for the work 2 has been completed, the determination unit 220 obtains the detection results from the third oil detection unit 73 and the fourth oil detection unit 74 as to whether or not the installation locations of the third oil detection unit 73 and the fourth oil detection unit 74 are covered with oil. When the detection result of the third oil detection unit 73 indicates that the installation location of the third oil detection unit 73 is not covered with oil, and the detection result of the fourth oil detection unit 74 indicates that the installation location of the fourth oil detection unit 74 is covered with oil, the determination unit 220 determines that the position of the oil surface of the oil stored in the oil tank 60 is equal to or lower than the height of the top position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 60, and equal to or higher than the height of the bottom position of the work 2 in the direction of gravity. The determination unit 220 transmits the result of the determination to the transport adjustment unit 260. Note that the determination by the determination unit 220 in the case of other combinations of the detection results of the third oil detection unit 73 and the fourth oil detection unit 74 is similar to that in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

[0072] The storage unit 240 stores the positional state of the transport platform 71 in the oil vat 60 determined by the transport adjustment unit 260, the result of the determination by the determination unit 220, and the like. The storage unit 240 also stores information related to the moving speed when the transport platform 71 is moved.

[0073] The input / output unit 250 receives various commands for the oil thrower 1B from an operator of the oil thrower 1B, and transmits the received commands to the transport adjustment unit 260 and the determination unit 220.

[0074] <An example of a process flow> The functional configuration of the control device 20B has been described above, along with other configurations of the oil thrower 1B. Next, a series of process flows of the oil thrower 1B will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the process flow when the oil thrower 1B shown in Fig. 6 throws oil on the workpiece 2.

[0075] (Step SP50) The oil thrower 1B causes the controller 20B to move the transfer table 71 on which the workpiece 2 is placed from the transfer chamber 61 to the quenching chamber 62. Then, the process proceeds to step SP52.

[0076] (Step SP52) The oil thrower 1B starts the quenching process for the workpiece 2 placed on the transfer table 71 by the control device 20B. Specifically, the oil thrower 1B waits until a predetermined time has elapsed with the workpiece 2 placed on the transfer table 71 immersed in the quenching oil in the quenching chamber 62. Then, the process proceeds to step SP54.

[0077] (Step SP54) The oil thrower 1B starts the process of throwing the quenching oil off the workpiece 2 in the oil tank 60 by the control device 20B. Specifically, the oil thrower 1B starts the movement of the transfer table 71 from the quenching chamber 62 to the transfer chamber 61 by the control device 20B. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP56.

[0078] (Step SP56) Oil thrower 1B determines, by means of control device 20B, whether the position of the oil level of the oil stored in oil tank 60 is within a predetermined height range. Specifically, oil thrower 1B determines, by means of control device 20B, whether the position of the oil level of the oil stored in oil tank 60 is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity in oil tank 60 and equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity. If the determination is positive, processing proceeds to processing of step SP58, and if the determination is negative, processing proceeds to processing of step SP60.

[0079] (Step SP58) The oil thrower 1B moves the carrier 71 toward the carrier chamber 61 at a third speed by the control device 20B. Here, the third speed is slower than a fourth speed different from the third speed, and is at least half the fourth speed or less, and preferably 20% or less. Then, the process proceeds to step SP62.

[0080] (Step SP60) The oil thrower 1B causes the controller 20B to move the transfer platform 71 toward the transfer chamber 61 at the fourth speed. Then, the process proceeds to step SP62.

[0081] (Step SP62) The oil thrower 1B determines, by the control device 20B, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the transport platform 71 reached the transport chamber 61. If the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step SP56, and if the determination is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 8 ends.

[0082] <Effects> As described above, in the second embodiment, the oil thrower 1B passes the workpiece 2 over the oil surface at a slower speed when the oil surface is within the range from the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 to the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the gravity direction, compared to when the oil surface is outside the range. Therefore, the oil thrower 1B can throw oil on the workpiece 2 with high efficiency.

[0083] Furthermore, the oil level control unit 700 enables the oil throwing device 1B to throw oil off the workpiece 2 with high efficiency even when the transport platform 71 is moved relative to the oil stored in the oil tank 60.

[0084] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In other words, the above-described embodiment may be modified by a person skilled in the art as appropriate, and the modifications may be included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the characteristics of the present invention. In addition, the elements of the above-described embodiment and the modifications described below may be combined to the extent technically possible, and the combinations of these may be included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the characteristics of the present invention.

[0085] For example, in the first embodiment, the oil-throwing device 1A used for heat treatment discharges the washing oil from the discharge path 52 at a first speed or a second speed by flowing nitrogen gas from the gas container 40 into the oil tank 10 at a first pressure or a second pressure, but is not limited to this. The oil-throwing device 1A used for heat treatment may have an oil level control unit 100 having a plurality of discharge paths 52, and when the determination by the determination unit 220 is a positive determination, the oil may be discharged from a smaller number of discharge paths 52 than when the determination by the determination unit 220 is a negative determination.

[0086] According to this configuration, the oil thrower 1A controls the opening and closing of the multiple discharge control valves 51 provided for each discharge path 52 by the control device 20A in response to the judgment by the judgment unit 220. Therefore, the oil thrower 1A adjusts the discharge speed of the washing oil by controlling the opening and closing of the discharge control valves 51, so that the oil thrower can be performed on the workpiece 2 with simple control and high efficiency.

[0087] In addition, the oil level control unit 100 of the oil draining device 1A may have multiple discharge paths 52 with different pipe diameters, and when the judgment by the judgment unit 220 is a positive judgment, the oil may be discharged from a discharge path 52 with a smaller diameter than when the judgment by the judgment unit 220 is a negative judgment.

[0088] According to this configuration, the oil thrower 1A selects one of the multiple discharge paths 52 by the control device 20A in response to the determination by the determination unit 220, and opens the selected discharge control valve 51. Therefore, the oil thrower 1A adjusts the discharge speed of the washing oil by selecting the discharge control valve 51 to be opened, so that the oil thrower 1A can drain the oil from the workpiece 2 with simple control and high efficiency.

[0089] In the second embodiment, in the oil-throwing device 1B used in the heat treatment, the determining unit 220 determines the position of the oil level based on the detection results of the third oil detector 73 and the fourth oil detector 74, but this is not limited to this. In the oil-throwing device 1B, the determining unit 220 may determine the position of the oil level based on the detection results of a position sensor provided on the rail portion 72 for detecting the position of the transport platform 71 on the rail portion 72.

[0090] Specifically, the rail section 72 is provided with an upper position sensor at the oil level of the quenching oil, and a lower position sensor at a position below the oil level in the direction of gravity by the height of the workpiece 2. When the transport table 71 moves from the quenching chamber 62 to the transport chamber 61, the upper position sensor and the lower position sensor transmit a detection result indicating that the transport table 71 has been detected when the transport table 71 reaches the height at which the position sensor is installed to the determination section 220 of the control device 20B.

[0091] The judgment unit 220 judges that, from the time when a detection result indicating that the transport platform 71 has been detected is transmitted from the lower position sensor to the time when a detection result indicating that the upper position sensor has detected the transport platform 71 is transmitted, the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank 60 is below the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity in the oil tank 60, and that the position of the oil level is above the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece 2 in the direction of gravity.

[0092] According to this configuration, the oil thrower 1B does not need to provide the third oil detector 73 and the fourth oil detector 74 on the transport platform 71, and the judgment unit 220 makes judgments according to the passing status of the transport platform 71 at a predetermined position on the rail portion 72. Therefore, the oil thrower 1B can throw oil on the workpiece 2 with a simple configuration and high efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1A...oil throwing device, 1B...oil throwing device, 2...work, 10...oil tank, 42...supply path, 52...discharge path, 60...oil tank, 71...transport platform, 100...oil level control unit, 220...determination unit, 700...oil level control unit

Claims

1. an oil tank in which the workpiece after heat treatment is accommodated; a determination unit that determines whether or not the position of the oil level of the oil stored in the oil tank is equal to or lower than the height of the uppermost position of the workpiece in the direction of gravity in the oil tank and whether or not the position of the oil level is equal to or higher than the height of the lowermost position of the workpiece in the direction of gravity; an oil level control unit that, when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, either passes the workpiece over the oil level at a slower speed than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment, or passes the oil level over the workpiece; An oil-draining device for use in heat treatment, comprising:

2. The oil level control unit has a discharge path for discharging the oil from the oil tank, 2. The oil draining device for use in heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the oil is drained from the drain path at a slower drainage speed than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

3. The oil level control unit has a supply path for supplying gas to the oil tank, 3. The oil-scraping device for use in heat treatment according to claim 2, wherein when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the gas is supplied to the supply path at a lower pressure than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

4. The oil level control unit has a plurality of the discharge paths, 4. The oil draining device for use in heat treatment according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the oil is drained from a fewer number of the drain paths than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

5. The oil level control unit has a plurality of discharge paths having different pipe diameters, 4. The oil draining device for use in heat treatment according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the oil is discharged from the discharge path having a smaller diameter than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

6. The oil level control unit includes a conveyor that lifts the workpiece upward in the direction of gravity from the oil stored in the oil tank, 2. The oil-scraping device for use in heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein when the judgment by the judgment unit is a positive judgment, the transport table is lifted at a moving speed slower than when the judgment by the judgment unit is a negative judgment.

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