Suction pad, processing device and processing method

Abstract

To achieve further position stabilization of a work-piece in a processing device composing a position stabilization part with a suction pad.SOLUTION: In an inner peripheral region 22 in a planar view of a suction pad, when intersections between a straight line L connecting middle points 26A, 26B of sides 25A, 25B and border lines 27Ab, 27Bb defining extension regions 24A, 24B outside respectively are defined as outside reference points 28A, 28B, the extension area 24A has a next semicircle region 29A and a bulging region 30A. That is, the semicircle region 29A is divided by a semicircle 31A passing the outside reference point 28A with the middle point 26A as a center, and the side 25A as a diameter. Also, the bulging region 30A bulges outside from the semicircle 31A between end points 25A1, 25A2 of the side 25A and the outside reference point 28A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a suction pad used for stabilizing the position of a workpiece in a processing apparatus that performs hemming, for example.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, a processing apparatus that performs hemming on a workpiece using a roller rotatably held at the tip of a robot is well known. By the way, in such a processing apparatus, a position stabilizing portion is provided so that the position of the workpiece does not shift due to hemming by the roller. Specifically, a plurality of stabilizing devices such as clamps are arranged along the orbit of the roller to constitute the position stabilizing portion. And the control portion of the processing apparatus is configured to perform retraction and return from the vicinity of the movement locus of the roller according to the approach and separation of the roller in order to avoid that each stabilizing device hinders the progress of the roller.

[0003] In recent years, in the above-described processing apparatus, in order to simplify the configuration of the control portion, a suction pad has been proposed as a stabilizing device that does not require retraction and return associated with the approach and separation of the roller (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to Patent Document 1, a plurality of suction pads having an oval skirt portion are arranged along the workpiece processing portion, that is, in the vicinity of the movement locus of the roller.

[0004] Then, the workpiece is placed on the placement portion and the suction pad, and the suction machine is operated to bring the skirt portion into close contact with the surface of the workpiece to stabilize the position of the workpiece. Subsequently, the roller is moved along the movement locus to perform hemming on the workpiece processing portion. According to such an aspect, it is said that displacement of the workpiece can be suppressed and the finished quality after processing can be improved.

[0005] However, in hemming and other various processes, the pressing force applied to the workpiece when processing the workpiece is bound to increase, and it is assumed that the possibility of displacement also increases. For this reason, even in a processing apparatus in which the position stabilizing portion is constituted by a suction pad, a structure capable of further stabilizing the position of the workpiece is required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to achieve further stabilization of the position of a workpiece in a processing apparatus in which a position stabilizing portion is constituted by a suction pad.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The suction pad of the present disclosure adheres to the surface of an object and includes the following base portion and skirt portion. That is, the base portion has a suction path penetrating therethrough at the center in plan view. Further, the skirt portion rises upward from the entire peripheral edge of the base portion to form a suction space to be depressurized through the suction path together with the base portion and the surface of the object, and adheres to the surface of the object by depressurization through the suction path.

[0009] And when the skirt portion is viewed in plan view, the inner peripheral region partitioned by the edge existing in a ring shape on the opposite side of the base portion of the skirt portion has the following rectangular region and two extended regions. First, the rectangular region appears rectangular, and the two extended regions extend to the outside of both of a set of two sides parallel to each other that partition the rectangular region.

[0010] Also, if the intersection points of the straight line connecting the midpoints of a set of two sides and the two boundary lines that respectively partition the two outer extension regions on the outside are defined as outer reference points, then, within the two outer extension regions, one of the outer extension regions has the following semi-circular region and bulging region. That is, the semi-circular region is partitioned by a semi-circle centered at the midpoint of one side of the set of two sides, with the length of that one side as the diameter, and passing through the outer reference point on that one side. Also, the bulging region bulges outward from the semi-circle between the end point of one side and the outer reference point on that one side.

[0011] Thus, according to the present disclosure, potentially, in a processing apparatus that constitutes a position stabilizing portion by a suction pad, further stabilization of the position of the workpiece can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The suction pad, processing apparatus, and processing method according to the embodiment will be described based on the following examples.

Example

[0014] 〔Configuration of Example 1〕 The configuration of the suction pad 1 and the processing apparatus M of Example 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the processing apparatus M is used, for example, to manufacture a vehicle panel composed of an outer panel and an inner panel. More specifically, the processing apparatus M stacks, for example, a metal plate corresponding to the outer panel (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the outer 2a) and a metal plate corresponding to the inner panel (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the inner 2b), and uses as the workpiece 2 a structure in which the peripheral edge of the outer 2a is bent at approximately 90°, and the bent portion at approximately 90° is used as the portion to be processed 2c and is hemmed by the roller 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0015] In addition, the processing apparatus M includes the following mounting portion 4, position stabilizing portion 5, processing portion 6, control portion 7, etc., and the suction pad 1 constitutes the position stabilizing portion 5. Hereinafter, the mounting portion 4, position stabilizing portion 5, processing portion 6, and control portion 7 will be described in sequence.

[0016] First, the mounting portion 4 is a mold called a hemming die on which the workpiece 2 is placed (hereinafter, the mounting portion 4 may sometimes be referred to as the hemming die 4). The workpiece 2 is placed on the hemming die 4 such that the portion to be processed 2c protrudes upward. The workpiece 2 placed on the hemming die 4 is positioned in the vertical direction together with the hemming die 4 by the upper pad 9, and is further positioned from the outside by the locator 10 assembled to the side surface of the hemming die 4.

[0017] Next, the position stabilizing portion 5 stabilizes the position of the workpiece 2 placed on the placing portion 4. For example, a plurality of the above-described suction pads 1 are arranged inside the hemming die 4 along the vicinity of the movement locus of the roller 3, that is, along the vicinity of the processed portion 2c (see FIG. 3). Then, the suction pad 1 is sucked by a well-known suction machine 11 and adheres to the surface of the workpiece 2, more specifically, the surface of the outer 2a, thereby stabilizing the position of the workpiece 2 (see FIG. 2). Note that the suction pad 1 will be described in detail later.

[0018] Next, the processing portion 6 processes the workpiece 2 in a state where the position of the workpiece 2 is stabilized by the position stabilizing portion 5. For example, the processing portion 6 includes a well-known articulated robot 12 and various end effectors attached to the tip of the robot 12. Here, the roller 3 is an end effector of the robot 12 and is rotatably held at the tip of the robot 12. Furthermore, the control portion 7 controls the operations of the suction machine 11, the robot 12, etc., and is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer and various storage devices.

[0019] Subsequently, the configuration of the suction pad 1 will be described in detail (see FIGS. 4 to 8, etc.). The suction pad 1 adheres to the surface of the outer 2a and includes the following base portion 14 and skirt portion 15. That is, in a plan view, the suction path 16 penetrates through the center of the base portion 14. Further, the skirt portion 15 rises from the entire peripheral edge of the base portion 14 to one side, and forms a suction space to be decompressed through the suction path 16 together with the surfaces of the base portion 14 and the outer 2a, and adheres to the surface of the workpiece 2 by decompression through the suction path 16.

[0020] Also, the skirt portion 15 is detachable from the base portion 14. Further, the base portion 14 is composed of a main body 17 and a pipe member 18. Here, the main body 17 is provided mainly with rubber as a material, and has the following body portion 19 and protruding ring 20, and looks like an ellipse as a whole in a plan view.

[0021] First, the body portion 19 is a plate body presenting an oblong shape with a certain thickness. Also, the protruding ring 20 is a portion that engages with the inner circumference of the skirt portion 15, and is provided so as to protrude outward and toward one side from the entire peripheral edge of one end in the thickness direction of the body portion 19. Note that the inner circumferential side of the protruding ring 20 is provided in a tapered shape so as to expand toward the outside as it goes to one side.

[0022] Next, the pipe member 18 has a suction passage 16, and is fixed to the body portion 19 so that the suction passage 16 penetrates the body portion 19. Note that the pipe member 18 is, for example, a nipple, and is fixed so as to protrude from the body portion 19 toward the other side in the thickness direction. And a pipe leading to the suction machine 11 is connected to the other end of the pipe member 18. Note that a number of convex portions 19a are regularly provided on one end face of the body portion 19 (see FIG. 4). When the suction pad 1 adheres to the work 2, the top of the convex portion 19a abuts against the surface of the work 2, thereby preventing the base portion 14 from excessively adhering to the work 2.

[0023] Subsequently, the skirt portion 15 will be described in detail. The skirt portion 15 is provided with a groove 15a into which the protruding ring 20 fits over the entire circumference. By fitting the protruding ring 20 into the groove 15a, it is integrated with the base portion 14 (see FIG. 7). Also, the skirt portion 15 is made of rubber and has appropriate elasticity so that the fitting into the protruding ring 20 can be easily performed. Note that the inner circumferential shape of the skirt portion 15 is an ellipse in plan view.

[0024] And in a state where the skirt portion 15 is integrated with the base portion 14, when the skirt portion 15 is viewed in plan view, the inner circumferential region 22 partitioned by the edge that forms a ring at one end of the skirt portion 15, that is, on the side opposite to the base portion 14 of the skirt portion 15, is specified as follows (see FIG. 8).

[0025] That is, the inner circumferential region 22 has the following rectangular region 23 and two extended regions 24A and 24B. First, the rectangular region 23 appears rectangular, and the opening of the suction path 16 exists at the center of the rectangular region 23. The ratio of the length in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular region 23 to the length in the short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is preferably 1.1 or more and 3.5 or less, more preferably 1.5 or more and 3.0 or less, and still more preferably 2.0 or more and 2.5 or less. Next, the outer extension regions 24A and 24B extend outside of each of a pair of sides 25A and 25B that are parallel to each other and partition the rectangular region 23 and are parallel to the short side direction.

[0026] Also, when the intersection points of the straight line L connecting the midpoints 26A and 26B of the sides 25A and 25B with the boundary lines 27Ab and 27Bb that respectively partition the two outer extension regions 24A and 24B on the outside are defined as the outer reference points 28A and 28B, the outer extension region 24A on one side in the longitudinal direction among the outer extension regions 24A and 24B has the following semi-circular region 29A and bulging region 30A. That is, the semi-circular region 29A is partitioned by a semi-circle 31A centered at the midpoint 26A and having the length of the side 25A as the diameter and passing through the outer reference point 28A. The bulging region 30A is a region that bulges outward from the semi-circle 31A between the end points 25A1 and 25A2 of the side 25A and the outer reference point 28A.

[0027] Also, the outer extension region 24B on the other side in the longitudinal direction has another semi-circular region 29B and another bulging region 30B. That is, the semi-circular region 29B is partitioned by a semi-circle 31B centered at the midpoint 26B and having the length of the side 25B as the diameter and passing through the outer reference point 28B. The bulging region 30B is a region that bulges outward from the semi-circle 31B between the end points 25B1 and 25B2 of the side 25B and the outer reference point 28B.

[0028] Here, the boundary line 27Ab is composed of, for example, the following sections 27Ab1, 27Ab2, 27Ab3, and sections 27Abc1, 27Abc2, and partitions the outside of the bulging region 30A. That is, the sections 27Ab1 and 27Ab2 are line segments that extend outward perpendicular to the side 25A from the end points 25A1 and 25A2, respectively, and the section 27Ab3 is a line segment perpendicular to the straight line L with the outer reference point 28A as the midpoint.

[0029] Further, the section 27Abc1 is an arc with a central angle of π / 2 drawn between the outer end point of the section 27Ab1 and the end point on the side of the section 27Ab1 among the two end points of the section 27Ab3. Also, the section 27Abc2 is an arc with a central angle of π / 2 drawn between the outer end point of the section 27Ab2 and the end point on the side of the section 27Ab2 among the two end points of the section 27Abc3.

[0030] Similarly, the boundary line 27Bb is composed of, for example, the following sections 27Bb1, 27Bb2, 27Bb3, and sections 27Bbc1, 27Bbc2, and demarcates the outside of the bulging region 30B. That is, the sections 27Bb1, 27Bb2 are line segments extending outward perpendicularly to the side 25B from the end points 25B1, 25B2 respectively, and the section 27Bb3 is a line segment perpendicular to the straight line L with the outer reference point 28B as the midpoint.

[0031] Also, the section 27Bbc1 is an arc with a central angle of π / 2 drawn between the outer end point of the section 27Bb1 and the end point on the side of the section 27Bb1 among the two end points of the section 27Bb3. Also, the section 27Bbc2 is an arc with a central angle of π / 2 drawn between the outer end point of the section 27Bb2 and the end point on the side of the section 27Bb2 among the two end points of the section 27Bb3. As described above, the inner peripheral region 22 appears to be rectangular as a whole, but the four corners are arcs protruding outward with a central angle of π / 2 and appear as a rectangle with rounded corners.

[0032] 〔Processing method of Example 1〕 The processing method of Example 1 will be described. The processing method of Example 1 includes the following stabilization step and processing step. Here, in the processing apparatus M, the plurality of suction pads 1 constituting the position stabilizing portion 5 are arranged inside the hemming die 4 along the vicinity of the movement locus of the roller 3. Also, the plurality of suction pads 1 are assembled so that the longitudinal directions of the respective suction pads 1 are parallel (see Fig. 3).

[0033] First, in the stabilization process, the workpiece 2 is placed on the placement part 4 and the suction pad 1, and the suction machine 11 is operated to bring the skirt part 15 into close contact with the surface of the workpiece 2 to stabilize the position of the workpiece 2. Here, among the surfaces of the workpiece 2, the surface of the outer part 2a that the suction pad 1 adheres to has the largest curvature in a cross-section perpendicular to a specific direction. And in the stabilization process, the workpiece 2 is placed on the placement part 4 and the suction pad 1 such that a specific direction regarding the workpiece 2 is parallel to the longitudinal direction in the suction pad 1. Then, in the next processing step, the workpiece 2 with a stable position is processed by the processing part 6.

[0034] 〔Effect of Example 1〕 According to the processing apparatus M of Example 1, the suction pad 1 adheres to the surface of the workpiece 2 and includes the following base part 14 and skirt part 15. That is, the base part 14 has a suction path 16 penetrating through the center in a plan view. Further, the skirt part 15 rises from the entire peripheral edge of the base part 14 to one side, and forms a suction space to be decompressed through the suction path 16 together with the surface of the base part 14 and the workpiece 2, and adheres to the surface of the workpiece 2 by decompression through the suction path 16.

[0035] And when the skirt part 15 is viewed in a plan view, the inner peripheral region 22 partitioned by the edge existing in a ring shape on the opposite side of the base part 14 of the skirt part 15 has the following rectangular region 23 and two extended regions 24A and 24B. First, the rectangular region 23 appears rectangular, and the extended regions 24A and 24B extend outside each of the mutually parallel sides 25A and 25B that partition the rectangular region 23.

[0036] Further, when the intersection points of the straight line L connecting the midpoints 26A and 26B of the sides 25A and 25B and the boundary lines 27Ab and 27Bb that partition the outer extension regions 24A and 24B are defined as the outer reference points 28A and 28B, one side's extension region 24A has the following semi-circular region 29A and bulging region 30A. That is, the semi-circular region 29A is partitioned by a semi-circle 31A centered at the midpoint 26A and having the length of the side 25A as the diameter and passing through the outer reference point 28A. Also, the bulging region 30A bulges outward from the semi-circle 31A between the end points 25A1 and 25A2 of the side 25A and the outer reference point 28A.

[0037] Thus, in the processing apparatus M that constitutes the position stabilizing portion 5 by the suction pad 1, further stabilization of the position of the workpiece 2 can be achieved. That is, by providing the bulging region 30A, in the skirt portion 15, the portion that adheres to the surface of the workpiece 2 can be effectively enlarged in preventing the positional displacement of the workpiece 2 during processing.

[0038] Also, according to the processing apparatus M of Example 1, the extension region 24B also has another semi-circular region 29B and another bulging region 30B, similar to the extension region 24A. Thereby, the portion that adheres to the surface of the workpiece 2 can be further enlarged. Also, according to the processing apparatus M of Example 1, the skirt portion 15 is detachable from the base portion 14. Thereby, for example, the skirt portion 15 can be exchanged according to the allowable range of positional displacement.

[0039] Furthermore, the processing method of Example 1 includes the following stabilization step and processing step. Here, the surface of the workpiece 2 that the suction pad 1 sucks is the one with the largest curvature in the cross-section perpendicular to a specific direction, and the plurality of suction pads 1 are assembled such that their longitudinal directions are parallel to each other. And in the stabilization step, the workpiece 2 is placed on the suction pad 1 and the placement portion 4 so that a specific direction of the workpiece 2 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the suction pad 1, and the skirt portion 15 is brought into close contact with the surface of the workpiece 2 to stabilize the position of the workpiece 2. Also, in the processing step, the workpiece 2 whose position has been stabilized by the stabilization step is processed by the processing portion 6. Thereby, the position of the workpiece 2 can be more reliably stabilized.

[0040] 〔Example 2〕 According to the suction pad 1 of the processing apparatus M of Example 2, the portion visible as the boundary line 27Ab within the edge of the skirt portion 15 is recessed toward the base portion 14 at the center including the position corresponding to the outer reference point 28A when viewed from the longitudinal direction (see Fig. 10). Also, the portion visible as the boundary line 27Bb is also recessed toward the base portion 14 at the center including the position corresponding to the outer reference point 28B when viewed from the longitudinal direction.

[0041] Also, according to the skirt portion 15 of Example 2, the boundary lines 27Ab and 27Bb are curves in which the central portions including the outer reference points 28A and 28B are recessed inward (see Figs. 9 and 11). That is, the sections 27Ab3 and 27Bb3 are curves that are recessed inward. For this reason, the skirt portion 15 of Example 2 appears to have its four corners bulging outwards even more than the skirt portion 15 of Example 1. And also by the skirt portion 15 of Example 2, further stabilization of the position of the workpiece 2 can be achieved.

[0042] 〔Modification〕 The examples disclose a specific example, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the examples. For example, according to the suction pad 1 of Example 1, the sections 27Ab1 to 27Ab3 and 27Bb1 to 27Bb3 are all line segments. According to the suction pad 1 of Example 2, the sections 27Ab1, 27Ab2, 27Bb1, and 27Bb2 are line segments, and the sections 27Ab3 and 27Bb3 are curves. However, it is not limited to such a mode. For example, the sections 27Ab1 and 27Ab2 may be recessed inward to such an extent that they do not enter inside the semi-circle 31A, and the sections 27Bb1 and 27Bb2 may be recessed inward to such an extent that they do not enter inside the semi-circle 31B.

[0043] Also, according to the processing device M of Example 1, the position stabilizing portion 5 is constituted only by the suction pad 1. However, for example, other stabilizing devices such as clamps may also be adopted as the position stabilizing portion 5 together. Furthermore, the suction pad 1 of the example constituted the position stabilizing portion 5 of the processing device M for hemming the workpiece 2. However, in a processing device that performs processing other than hemming, the suction pad 1 may constitute the position stabilizing portion 5.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 1 Suction pad 2 Workpiece (object) 14 Base portion 15 Skirt portion 16 Suction path 22 Inner peripheral region 23 Rectangular region 24A, 24B Outer extension region 25A, 25B Sides 25A1, 25A2, 25B1, 25B2 End points 26A, 26B Midpoints 27Ab, 27Bb Boundary lines 28A, 28B Outer reference points 29A, 29B Semi-circular regions 30A, 30B Bulging regions 31A, 31B Semi-circles L Straight line

Claims

1. In a suction pad that adheres to the surface of an object, a base portion having a suction passage penetrating therethrough at the center in plan view, a skirt portion that rises from the entire peripheral edge of the base portion to one side, forms a suction space that is depressurized through the suction passage together with the base portion and the surface of the object, and adheres to the surface of the object by depressurization through the suction passage, when the skirt portion is viewed in plan view, an inner peripheral region defined by an edge that forms a ring on the opposite side of the base portion of the skirt portion has a rectangular region that appears rectangular and two outer extension regions that extend outside both of a set of two parallel sides that define the rectangular region, when an intersection point between a straight line connecting the midpoints of the set of two sides and two boundary lines that respectively demarcate the two outer extension regions on the outside is defined as an outer reference point, of the two outer extension regions, one outer extension region is demarcated by a semi-circular region centered on the midpoint of one side of the set of two sides and having a diameter equal to the length of this one side and passing through the outer reference point on one side, and has a bulging region that bulges outward from the semi-circular region between the end point of the one side and the outer reference point on one side. The suction pad is characterized by this.

2. In the suction pad according to Claim 1, the other outer extension region is demarcated by another semi-circular region centered on the midpoint of the other side and having a diameter equal to the length of this other side and passing through the outer reference point on the other side, and has another bulging region that bulges outward from the other semi-circular region between the end point of the other side and the outer reference point on the other side. The suction pad is characterized by this.

3. In the suction pad according to Claim 1, a portion that appears as a boundary line demarcating the outer extension region on one side among the edges is characterized in that when viewed from the direction of the straight line connecting the midpoints of the set of two sides, the center including the position corresponding to the outer reference point on one side is recessed toward the base portion.

4. In the suction pad according to Claim 2, a portion that appears as a boundary line demarcating the outer extension region on the other side among the edges is characterized in that when viewed from the direction of the straight line connecting the midpoints of the set of two sides, the center including the position corresponding to the outer reference point on the other side is recessed toward the base portion.

5. In the suction pad according to Claim 1, the skirt portion is detachable from the base portion. The suction pad is characterized by this.

6. In a processing apparatus including a position stabilizing unit that stabilizes the position of a workpiece placed on a predetermined placement unit and a processing unit that processes the workpiece in a state where the workpiece is stabilized by the position stabilizing unit, the position stabilizing unit is a plurality of suction pads that adsorb to the surface of the workpiece, each suction pad has a base portion through which a suction passage penetrates at the center in a plan view, rises upward from the entire peripheral edge of this base portion to one side, forms a suction space that is depressurized through the suction passage together with the base portion and the surface of the workpiece, and includes a skirt portion that adheres to the surface of the workpiece by depressurization through the suction passage, when the skirt portion is viewed in a plan view, an inner peripheral region defined by an edge that forms a ring on the opposite side of the base portion of the skirt portion has a rectangular region that appears rectangular and two outer extension regions that extend outside both outer sides of a set of two parallel sides that partition this rectangular region, when an intersection point of a straight line connecting the midpoints of the set of two sides and two boundary lines that respectively partition the two outer extension regions on the outside is defined as an outer reference point, of the two outer extension regions, one outer extension region is a semi-circular region defined by a semi-circle passing through the outer reference point on one side, with the midpoint of one side of the set of two sides as the center and the length of this one side as the diameter, and has a bulging region that bulges outward from the semi-circle between the end point of the one side and the outer reference point on one side. A processing apparatus characterized by this.

7. In the processing apparatus according to claim 6, the processing unit has an articulated robot and a roller rotatably held at the tip of this robot, and a processing apparatus characterized in that hemming processing is performed on the workpiece by this roller.

8. In a processing method using the processing apparatus according to claim 6, the surface of the workpiece adsorbed by the suction pad has the largest curvature in a cross-section perpendicular to a specific direction, the plurality of suction pads are assembled so that a straight line connecting the midpoints of each set of two sides is parallel, the processing method includes a stabilization step of placing the workpiece on the placement unit and the suction pads so that the specific direction is parallel to the direction of the straight line connecting the midpoints of the set of two sides, and bringing the skirt portion into close contact with the surface of the workpiece to stabilize the position of the workpiece, and a processing step of processing the workpiece whose position has been stabilized by this stabilization step with the processing unit. A processing method characterized by this.

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