Cutter including protection plate

Abstract

To provide a cutter including a protection plate which can prevent entry of humans into a cutting area from the outside, avoid cutting stop caused by unwanted entry, and detect the entry without fail to stop operation of the cutter and achieve safety when a human enters the cutting area.SOLUTION: A protection plate 3 is erected at one side of a cutting table 10 provided with at least an operation part 12 to be in a protecting state where the protection plate 3 prevents entry of humans into a cutting area 10a from the outside during cutting. In the protection state, a border can be easily viewed, and thus the entry into the cutting area 10a from the outside is prevented to avoid stop of the cutting. When a human enters the cutting area, the entry is detected without fail by movement of the protection plate 3 to achieve safety by stopping the cutting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting machine provided with a protective plate for preventing and detecting intrusion into a cutting area of the cutting machine.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a cutting machine, a material to be cut is placed on a cutting table, and while moving a cutting blade along the surface of the cutting table, the cutting is performed so as to cut out a target part from the material to be cut. During cutting, it is dangerous if a human body or the like enters the cutting area where the cutting is performed. There is also known a cutting machine that avoids danger by stopping the cutting when such an intrusion is detected (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this cutting machine, a light curtain is used to optically detect the intrusion. In an embodiment of Patent Document 1, there is also one that uses a light curtain in combination with a protective plate that moves up and down around the cutting table. In this embodiment, the light curtain is formed so as to extend above the protective plate, the protective plate prevents intrusion, and the light curtain stops the cutting of the cutting machine from intrusion detection.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Optical intrusion detection such as that in Patent Document 1 is performed at the boundary of the cutting area where intrusion is prohibited, and when a part of the human body or the like crosses the boundary, it is detected. However, even for a light curtain that uses visible light, for example, it is difficult to visually recognize in the middle of the optical path. Even for an unnecessary intrusion act due to carelessness or the like, if the boundary is not actually crossed, it is not known whether the optical path is blocked, and once the optical path is blocked, even if there is no further intrusion, the cutting is stopped as an intrusion detection, resulting in a decrease in cutting efficiency.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a cutting machine provided with a protection plate that prevents intrusion from the outside into the cutting area, avoids stopping the cutting due to unnecessary entry actions, surely detects intrusion when it occurs, stops the operation of the cutting machine, and enables safety to be achieved.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a cutting machine provided with a protection plate for preventing intrusion from the outside into a cutting area where a material to be cut placed on a substantially rectangular cutting table is cut by a cutting blade moving along the surface of the cutting table. The protection plate is arranged on at least one side of the cutting table on the operation side. , The protection plate is set in a protection state that stands up to prevent intrusion into the cutting area, at least during cutting. , a switching mechanism that can be switched to an open state that allows intrusion into the cutting area, detection means for detecting an external action on the protection plate, and protection means for performing a protection operation including stopping the cutting or reducing the cutting speed in response to detection of an external action by the detection means. , A cutting machine provided with a protection plate, characterized by including the above.

[0007] Further, in the present invention, the external action detected by the detection means is the movement of the protection plate. , The protection means performs the protection operation according to the state of movement of the protection plate detected by the detection means. , Characterized by this. .

[0008] Further, in the present invention, the detection means detects the movement of the protection plate as the swing of the protection plate around the swing axis. When the detection means detects the swing in the direction of intrusion into the cutting area, the protection means performs a protection operation including stopping the cutting. It is characterized by the following.

[0009] Also, in the present invention, the switching mechanism raises and lowers the protection plate, raises it to the protected state, lowers it to the open state, and is characterized by switching to the above.

[0010] Also, in the present invention, the switching mechanism swings the protection plate around a swing axis, when the protection plate stands above the swing axis, it is in the protected state, when the protection plate drops below the swing axis, it is in the open state, and is characterized by switching to the above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, during cutting, the protection plate stands on at least one side of the cutting table on the side where the operation is performed, and enters the protected state of preventing intrusion from the outside into the cutting area. Since the boundary of the protected state can be easily visually recognized, intrusion from the outside into the cutting area is prevented and cutting stop is avoided, and when intrusion occurs, it can be surely detected as an external action on the protection plate, and safety can be achieved by cutting stop.

[0012] Also, according to the present invention, detection of an external action on the protection plate is detected by the movement of the protection plate, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in cutting efficiency due to cutting stop or the like that occurs when performing a protection operation only by detecting contact.

[0013] Also, according to the present invention, the movement of the protection plate is detected as swinging, and it is possible to distinguish intrusion into the cutting area from other movements in the direction of swinging. For intrusion into the cutting area, safety can be surely achieved by performing a protection operation including cutting stop.

[0014] Also, according to the present invention, since the switching between the protected state and the open state of the protection plate is performed by raising and lowering, the space required for switching between the protected state and the open state can be reduced.

[0015] Further, according to the present invention, since the switching between the protected state and the open state of the protection plate is performed by swinging, it becomes easy to detect the movement of the protection plate by swinging.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

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Figure 10

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] The following, FIGS. 1 to 5 show the configurations and operations related to the cutting machine 1 provided with the protection plate 3 which is Example 1 of the present invention. FIGS. 6 to 10 show the configurations and operations related to the cutting machine 5 provided with the protection plate 7 which is Example 2 of the present invention. Also, for the sake of convenience in explanation, when referring to parts not described in the figure to be explained, reference numerals described in other figures may be attached.

Example

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the cutting machine 1 provided with the protection plate 3 which is Example 1 of the present invention. The cutting machine 1 is provided with a cutting table 10 that is roughly rectangular in plan view. On the cutting table 10, a material to be cut 2 such as a fabric or industrial material is placed and cut with a cutting blade provided in the cutting head 11. Since the cutting head 11 moves along the surface of the cutting table 10, the area on the cutting table 10 becomes the cutting area 10a. One of the long sides of the cutting table 10 is on the front side, one of the short sides is on the loading side, and the other short side is on the unloading side. The cutting table 10 may be configured to function as a conveyor for conveying the material to be cut 2 in the long side direction, loading the material to be cut 2 from the loading side and unloading the material to be cut 2 from the unloading side after cutting. The operation unit 12 for operating the cutting machine 1 is often installed on the front side and the unloading side. The operation of the cutting machine 1 in response to the operation on the operation unit 12 is controlled by the control unit 13.

[0019] In the first embodiment, protective plates 3 for preventing the intrusion of a human body from the outside into the cutting area 10a are provided on the front side where the operation by the operation unit 12 is performed and on the back side facing the front side. The protective plate 3 is preferably made of a transparent material such as acrylic resin and may be provided at least on the operation side. The protective plate 3 has guards 3a at both side ends to prevent intrusion from this direction. An operation bar 3b is provided at the upper part of the protective plate 3, and by swinging by the switching mechanism 30, the switching between the protective state and the open state of the protective plate 3 can be manually performed. This swinging is detected by the detection unit 31 which is a detection means, and the detection result is input to the protection means 32. The protection means 32 may be provided in a part of the operation unit 12 or the control unit 13. The detection unit 31 detects the swinging around the center line 33a of the swing axis 33 of the protective plate 3. The swing axis 33 is provided at a height close to the surface of the cutting table 10 and in a direction parallel to the long side of the cutting table 10. The height of the protective plate 3 in the protective state is preferably higher than the height of the operator's chest.

[0020] Figure 2 shows the operation of the protective plate 3 in Figure 1. Figure 2(a) shows the protective state where it is erected so as to prevent intrusion into the cutting area 10a at least during cutting. The switching mechanism 30 has a function of fixing the protective plate 3 in the protective state so that the protective plate 3 can continue to be in the protective state. Figure 2(b) shows that the protective plate 3 swings counterclockwise with respect to the swing axis 33 from the protective state shown by the solid line to the open state shown by the dashed-dotted line and swings clockwise to the intrusion detection state shown by the broken line. In the intrusion detection state, when an intrusion occurs from above the protective plate 3, by contacting the upper part of the protective plate 3, the protective plate 3 swings in the direction of the cutting area 10a.

[0021] Figures 3 and 4 show the configuration of the portion that detects the protected state from the swinging of the protection plate 3 as the detection unit 31 in FIG. 1. The proximity sensors 31a and 31b are attached to the attachment member 31c and arranged on the side of the cutting table 10 to detect the detection members 34a and 34b provided on the swing shaft 33. In the illustrated state, corresponding to the protected state, both proximity sensors 31a and 31b are in the OFF state where they do not detect the detection members 34a and 34b. When the protection plate 3 swings around the swing shaft 33 further toward the cutting area 10a side, the proximity sensor 31a becomes ON, the proximity sensor 31b continues to be in the OFF state, and an intrusion detection state is entered. When swinging to the side away from the cutting area 10a compared to the state in the figure, the proximity sensor 31a continues to be in the OFF state, the proximity sensor 31b becomes ON, and it is no longer detected as the protected state.

[0022] Figure 5 shows the protection operation by the protection means 32 in Figure 1. When the power is turned on at step a1, at step a2, it is determined whether there is a cutting start command, and waiting is continued until a cutting start command is given. When a cutting start command is given from the operation unit 12, it moves to step a3, and it is determined based on the output of the detection unit 31 whether the protection plate 3 is in a protected state. If it is not in a protected state, it returns to step a2 and waits for a cutting start command again. If it is determined in step a3 that it is in a protected state, cutting is started at step a4. During cutting, it is determined at step a5 whether there is intrusion detection. If it is determined that there is intrusion detection, cutting is stopped at step a6, and the power is turned off at step a7 to stop the cutting machine 1. Instead of stopping the cutting, the cutting speed may be reduced. If it is determined in step a5 that there is no intrusion detection, it is determined at step a8 whether it is in a protected state. If it is determined that it is in a protected state, it returns to step a5 and continues cutting. If it is determined in step a8 that it is not in a protected state, cutting is interrupted at step a9. Instead of interrupting the cutting, the cutting speed may be reduced. Next, it is determined at step a10 whether there is intrusion detection. If there is intrusion detection, it moves to step a6. If there is no intrusion detection, it moves to step a11. At step a11, it is determined whether it is in a protected state. If it is not in a protected state, it returns to step a10. If it is in a protected state, it is determined at step a12 whether to resume cutting. If it is determined in step a12 to resume cutting, it returns to step a5. If it is not determined to resume cutting, it returns to step a10.

[0023] As described above, in the first embodiment, although the intrusion into the cutting area 10a is detected by the swing of the protection plate 3, the contact with the upper end portion of the protection plate 3 may be detected as an external action on the protection plate 3 and regarded as intrusion detection. The contact can be detected, for example, by attaching a resistance film to the surface of the protection plate 3 and detecting it from the change in the resistance value, or by an electrostatic capacitance method or the like. Also, although the manual switching switching mechanism 30 is used, it can also be automatically switched by motor drive or the like.

Embodiment

[0024] FIG. 6 partially shows a schematic configuration of a cutting machine 5 provided with a protection plate 7 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The configuration of the cutting machine 5 in this Embodiment 2 is basically the same as that of the cutting machine 1 in Embodiment 1, including components corresponding to an operation unit 12, a control unit 13, and a protection means 32, which are not shown in the figure. A cutting table 50 that is roughly rectangular in plan view is provided, and the material to be cut 2 is placed on the cutting table 50 and cut by a cutting head 51. The area above the cutting table 50 becomes a cutting area 50a. The protection plate 7 is provided to prevent intrusion into the cutting area 50a from the outside, similar to the protection plate 3 in Embodiment 1. However, since the opening and closing by the switching mechanism 70 is of a lifting type, the space required for switching between the protection state and the open state of the protection plate 7 can be reduced. The cutting machine 5 also has an operation unit similar to that of the cutting machine 1 in Embodiment 1 on the front side, and the protection plate 7 is provided at least on the front side. Guards 7a are provided on both sides of the protection plate 7, and a cover 7b is provided below.

[0025] FIG. 7 shows the operation of the protection plate 7 by the switching mechanism 70 in FIG. 6. FIG. 7(a) shows the protection state with the protection plate 7 lifted, FIG. 7(b) shows the open state with the protection plate 7 lowered, and FIG. 7(c) shows the intrusion detection state from the protection state. The switching mechanism 70 includes a cylinder 70a that drives the lifting of the protection plate 7. The movement of the protection plate 7 is detected as a swing, similar to the protection plate 3 in Embodiment 1. However, the detection unit 71 does not directly detect the swing of the protection plate 7, but detects the swing with respect to a guide rail 72 driven by the cylinder 70a. The guide rail 72 is attached to the side of the cutting table 50 so as to be swingable around a swing shaft 73 via a swing member 73a. In the intrusion detection state, the protection plate 7 swings in the direction of the cutting area 50a side more than in the protection state close to the upright position. Such detection of the swing is performed by the detection unit 71 in the same manner as the detection unit 31 in Embodiment 1. Note that, for example, when the descending protection plate 7 is pushed down, it may be detected as the movement of the protection plate 7, and a protection operation may be performed.

[0026] Figures 8 and 9 show the configuration for raising and lowering the protective plate 7 in Fig. 6, and Fig. 9 is a cross-section taken along the cutting line A-A in Fig. 8. The cylinder 70a is attached to the side of the cutting table 50 via the mounting plate 72a. The guide rail 72 can swing around the swing axis 73 via the swing member 73a together with the mounting plate 72a. A roller 74 fixed to the mounting plate 72a with a screw 74a is provided between the guide rail 72 and the mounting plate 72a. The direction of the swing axis 73 is the long side direction of the cutting table 50.

[0027] Figure 10 shows a modification of Example 2. In this modification, the swing accompanying the entry into the cutting area 50a is detected by the detection unit 75 provided at the upper part of the protective plate 7. The detection unit 75 includes a detection plate 75a and a swing axis 75b. The intrusion detection is detected as the swing of the swing axis 75b toward the cutting area 50a side, similar to Example 2. Note that the protection operation in Example 2 is performed in the same manner as in Example 1, including this modification. The contact with the protective plate 7 may be detected by a resistive film.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1,5 Cutting machine 2 Material to be cut 3,7 Protective plate 10,50 Cutting table 10a,50a Cutting area 11,51 Cutting head 12 Operation unit 13 Control unit 30,70 Switching mechanism 31,71,75 Detection unit 32 Protection means 33,73 Swing axis 70a Cylinder 72 Guide rail

Claims

1. In a cutting machine provided with a protection plate for preventing entry from the outside into a cutting area where a material to be cut, which is placed roughly on a rectangular cutting table, is cut with a cutting blade that moves along the surface of the cutting table, the protection plate is arranged on at least one side of the cutting table on the operation side, the protection plate is put in a protection state of standing up so as to prevent entry into the cutting area, at least during cutting, provided with a switching mechanism that can be switched to an open state allowing entry into the cutting area, detection means for detecting an external action on the protection plate, and protection means for performing a protection operation including cutting stop or cutting speed reduction in response to detection of an external action by the detection means. A cutting machine provided with a protection plate, characterized by including the above.

2. The external action detected by the detection means is the movement of the protection plate, and the protection means performs the protection operation according to the state of movement of the protection plate detected by the detection means. A cutting machine provided with a protection plate according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The detection means detects the movement of the protection plate as the swing of the protection plate around a swing axis, and the protection means performs the protection operation when the detection means detects the swing in the direction of entering the cutting area. A cutting machine provided with a protection plate according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The switching mechanism raises and lowers the protection plate, raises it to the protection state, lowers it to the open state, and switches. A cutting machine provided with a protection plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the above.

5. The switching mechanism swings the protection plate around a swing axis, When the protection plate stands above the swing axis, the protection state, When the protection plate drops below the swing axis, the open state, A cutting machine provided with the protection plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it switches to.

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