Conveying device

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a conveying device 100 that can reduce the number of workers required when transporting a relatively large and heavy workpiece 50 to a processing machine 60. [Solution] The conveying device 100 of the present invention comprises a support column 11 installed on a processing machine 60, a boom 10 with one end rotatably supported on the support column 11, a crane 20 slidably supported on the boom 10 and equipped with a hoist 22 having a suspension device 24, and a suction device 30 supported on the suspension device 24. The suction device 30 comprises a box 31 as the suction device body, a plurality of arms 33 with one end rotatably supported on the box 31, rubber cups 46 attached to the other ends of the arms 33 as suction members capable of suctioning a workpiece 50, and a negative pressure source 43 as a means for applying suction force to the rubber cups 46.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying a workpiece to a processing machine.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when conveying a workpiece to a processing machine, a device that adsorbs the workpiece by magnetic force or vacuum adsorption and conveys it to the processing machine is known.

[0003] The workpiece holding device of the conventional workpiece conveying device described in Patent Document 1 adsorbs the workpiece with an adsorption device and is configured to be able to hold and release the workpiece. This conventional workpiece conveying device uses a scalar robot, and an engagement device driven by an actuator is provided at the tip of the arm of this scalar robot, and a workpiece holding member is detachably provided on this engagement device. The workpiece holding member has a plurality of workpiece adsorption devices, and this adsorption device can change the attachment position with respect to the workpiece holding member, and the attachment position can be preset corresponding to various workpiece shapes.

[0004] When conveying a workpiece using this conventional workpiece conveying device, a workpiece holding member whose attachment position is set in advance corresponding to the shape of the workpiece is used, and this workpiece holding member is attached to the arm of the scalar robot via the engagement device, and the scalar robot is driven in conjunction with the movement of the processing machine, so that the supply of the workpiece to the processing machine can be smoothly performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The workpiece holding device of the workpiece transfer device described in Patent Document 1 is suitable when supplying workpieces to a processing machine that processes a large volume of various types of workpieces. However, the workpiece transfer device described in Patent Document 1 is extremely large and requires a large capital investment. For this reason, when supplying a relatively small volume of workpieces to a processing machine, it is not necessarily effective in terms of reducing the labor required to supply workpieces to the processing machine compared to the capital investment.

[0007] On the other hand, when transporting relatively large and heavy workpieces in small quantities and of various types to a processing machine, four workers are required, for example, to hold the four corners of the workpiece due to its size and weight. Therefore, when transporting relatively large and heavy workpieces in small quantities and of various types to a processing machine, there is a need for a transport device that can be manufactured inexpensively with a relatively simple configuration and reduces the number of workers required.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a conveying device that can be manufactured inexpensively with a relatively simple configuration, thereby reducing the number of workers required, when transporting relatively large and heavy workpieces to a processing machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention provides a conveying device comprising: a support column installed in or near a processing machine; a boom rotatably supported at one end on the support column; a crane slidably supported on the boom and equipped with a hoist having a suspension device; and a suction device supported by the suspension device of the hoist, wherein the suction device comprises a suction device body; a plurality of arms rotatably supported at one end on the suction device body; suction members attached to the other ends of the arms and capable of suctioning a workpiece; and means for applying suction force to the suction members.

[0010] In the present invention, it is preferable that the adsorption member is made of a rubber cup and the means for applying adsorption force is made of a negative pressure source.

[0011] In the present invention, it is preferable that the adsorption member is composed of an electromagnet, and the means for applying the adsorption force is composed of a power supply.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the suction member is rotatably attached to the arm and configured to allow the mounting angle of the suction member relative to the arm to be changed.

[0013] In the present invention, it is preferable that the suction device body is configured as a rectangular parallelepiped box, and that the arms consist of four arms, each rotatably supported at one end at each of the four corners of the box of the suction device body, with a suction member rotatably attached to the other end of each arm, and that the mounting angle of the suction member relative to the arm can be changed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, when transporting relatively large and heavy workpieces to a processing machine, it is possible to create a relatively simple and inexpensive device, and reduce the number of workers required. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a transport device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of a connection structure between a support column and reinforcing bars in a conveying device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing a suction device in a transport device which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the connection relationship between a box and an arm in a transport device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The conveying device 100 includes a boom 10, a column 11 that supports the boom 10, a crane 20 that is movably supported on the boom 10, a suction device 30 that is suspended from the crane 20, and a pipe 40 that supplies negative pressure to the suction device 30.

[0018] One end of the boom 10 is attached to the column 11 fixed to the processing machine 60 via a boom hinge 12, and the boom 10 is supported so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane about the column 11. Ribs 13 are fixed to the upper surface of the boom 10 over substantially the entire length, and the central portion of the rib 13 and the column 11 are supported by a reinforcing bar 14, thereby reinforcing the boom 10 in a cantilever state. The connecting portion of the reinforcing bar 14 to the column 11 is supported so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane by a reinforcing bar hinge 15. A turnbuckle 16 is provided in the middle of the reinforcing bar 14 so that the support tension of the reinforcing bar 14 can be adjusted.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of the connection structure between the column 11 and the reinforcing bar 14. In FIG. 2, the reinforcing bar hinge 15 constituting the connection structure includes a U-shaped bracket 17 fixed to the column 11 by bolts or the like, a rotating member 18 rotatably connected to the open end side of the U-shaped bracket 17 by bolts or the like, and an end member 19 of the reinforcing bar 14 rotatably connected to a protruding piece 18A of the rotating member 18 by bolts or the like. At this time, since the structure of the boom hinge 12 is the same as that of the reinforcing bar hinge 15, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0020] In FIG. 1, the crane 20 is movably supported on the boom 10, includes a traveling motor 21, and includes a hoist 22. A controller 23 is connected to the crane 20, enabling operations such as traveling operation of the crane 20, winding up (lifting) and winding down of the hoist 22. The controller 23 is provided with switches for moving the crane 20 along the boom 10, switches for driving the hoist 22 to move the suction device 30 up and down, and the like. This controller 23 is arranged at the operator's hand. The processing machine 60 is, for example, a bending machine for metal plates such as a bender, a bending machine, a press brake, a shearing machine such as a slitting machine, or other machines.

[0021] In front of the processing machine 60, a material placing table 61 is provided, and a plurality of large and heavy plate-shaped workpieces 50 such as iron plates and aluminum plates are stacked and placed on the material placing table 61. At this time, as an example, the workpiece 50 has longitudinal and transverse dimensions of 1500 mm × 4000 mm, a plate thickness of 3.2 mm, and a weight of about 150 kg. However, the workpiece 50 to be handled is not limited to the above dimensions and weight. On the front side of the processing machine 60, a processed product placing table 62 is provided, and a plurality of processed products 51 obtained by subjecting the workpiece 50 to a predetermined bending process or the like are stacked and placed on the processed product placing table 62. At this time, the installation positions and shapes of the material placing table 61 and the processed product placing table 62 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1, and are appropriately shaped and arranged at appropriate positions according to the shape of the material and product to be processed and the space of the factory.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the suction device 30 in the conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The suction device 30 includes a rectangular parallelepiped box 31 as the suction device body, an eye bolt 32 as a fixed engagement member at the center of the upper surface of the box 31, a plurality of, in this embodiment, four arms 33, and a plurality of, in this embodiment, four base end hinge portions 34. A hook 25 is provided at the lower end of a suspension device 24, such as a wire or chain, suspended from a hoist 22. The hook 25 engages with an eyebolt 32 fixed to the center of the upper surface of the box 31, allowing the suction device 30, that is, the box 31 which serves as the suction device body, to move up and down in accordance with the winding up and winding down of the suspension device 24.

[0024] A distributor 41 is provided on the top surface of box 31. One end of pipe 40 is connected to the input side of the distributor 41, and one end of four branch pipes 42 are connected to its output side. As a result, the four branch pipes 42 are in communication with pipe 40 inside the distributor 41. The other end of the pipe 40 is connected to a negative pressure source 43, which serves as a means for applying suction force, consisting of an exhaust pump, a vacuum pump, or other pressure reducing device.

[0025] At the four ends of the rectangular box 31, one end of each of the four arms 33 is rotatably clamped via a base hinge portion 34. At the other end of each arm 33, two rubber cups 46, which serve as suction members, are attached to the arm 33 via a tip hinge portion 44 and a bracket 45, so as to be rotatable in the horizontal plane. The rubber cup 46 is formed in a flattened hemispherical shape from synthetic rubber, polyurethane, or other soft plastics, and is designed to adhere closely to the flat surface of the workpiece 50 or processed product 51. A spherical bearing 47 is interposed between the rubber cup 46 and the bracket 45, ensuring that the workpiece 50 or processed product 51 can be reliably adsorbed even if the surface to be adsorbed has an incline or slight irregularities.

[0026] Each of the four rubber cups 46 is connected to the other end of one of the four branch pipes 42. This allows the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure source 43 to be supplied to each of the rubber cups 46 via the pipe 40 and the branch pipes 42.

[0027] A power switch 48 is attached to the front left arm 33 and the rear right arm 33 in the diagram. The power switches 48 are, for example, toggle switches, and each of these power switches 48 is connected to the power supply of the negative pressure source 43 via a power cable 49. Therefore, by switching the power switch 48 ON and OFF, the power supply to the negative pressure source 43 can be switched ON and OFF, thereby enabling the negative pressure supplied to each rubber cup 46 via the pipe 40 and each branch pipe 42 to be connected or disconnected. The power switches 48 are provided on both arms 33 so that an operator can operate either power switch 48 independently if they are near it.

[0028] Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connection relationship between the box 31 and the arm 33 in a transport device 100, which is one embodiment of the present invention. The base hinge portion 34 is composed of a flat plate 35, a bottom plate 36 of the box 31, a bolt 37, and a nut 38. One end of the arm 33, at its base, is provided with a through-hole slightly larger than the bolt 37. The bolt 37 is inserted through this through-hole, and its upper and lower ends are screwed together with nuts 38. As a result, the base end of the arm 33 is supported by the box 31 so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow. Therefore, by loosening the nuts 38 and adjusting the mounting angle of the arm 33 relative to the box 31, the position of the rubber cup 46 attached to the tip of the arm 33 can be changed, thereby changing the suction position of the rubber cup 46 on the workpiece 50. By changing this suction position, large and heavy workpieces 50 can be appropriately suctioned and transported by the suction device 30. By loosening the nut on the tip hinge portion 44 provided at the end of the arm 33, the mounting angle of the two rubber cups 46 attached to the bracket 45 at the base hinge portion 34 relative to the arm 33 can also be adjusted in the direction of the arrow. By adjusting the mounting angle of the rubber cups 46 relative to the arm 33, the suction position of the rubber cups 46 on the workpiece 50 can be changed within a small range, allowing the suction position on the workpiece 50 by the suction device 30 to be set more appropriately. In this case, the detailed structure of the tip hinge portion 44 provided at the other end, the tip of the arm 33, will not be explained, but it has a structure similar to that of the base hinge portion 34.

[0029] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the boom 10 of the conveying device 100 is rotated around the support column 11, and the crane 20 is moved on the boom 10, so that the suction device 30 is moved onto the center of the uppermost workpiece 50 of the workpieces 50 that are stacked on the material stand 61. In this case, the rotation of the boom 10 around the support column 11 can be performed manually or electrically by a motor (not shown).

[0030] Then, using the controller 23 located within the operator's reach, the hoist 22 is gradually lowered until the rubber cup 46 contacts the workpiece 50, at which point the hoist 22 stops descending. In this state, the power switch 48 is operated to apply negative pressure to the pipe 40 and the branch pipe 42. This causes the top layer of the workpiece 50, which is made up of eight stacked rubber cups 46, to be attracted. At this stage, the controller 23 is used to raise the suspension device 24 of the hoist 22, and then the boom 10 is moved towards the processing machine 60 manually or electrically. When the workpiece 50, which is being held by the suction device 30, reaches the processing position of the processing machine 60, the rotation of the boom 10 is stopped. Then, the controller 23 is used again to lower the suspension device 24 of the hoist 22 and set the workpiece 50 in the predetermined position of the processing machine 60.

[0031] When setting the workpiece 50 in a predetermined position on the processing machine 60, if the workpiece 50 is large and heavy, the entire weight and position setting of the workpiece 50 are not entrusted to the conveying device 100 of this embodiment, but some of the conveying is assisted by human intervention. That is, two workers assist in holding a portion of the workpiece 50's periphery, for example, the center of both ends, and drive the conveying device 100 while operating the controller 23 to carry it out. This setup process can reduce the number of workers by half compared to the conventional method, which required four workers, one at each of the four corners of the 50 pieces of material to be processed. Furthermore, unlike conventional robot-based conveying devices, the conveying device 100 of this embodiment has a simple configuration, allowing work to be performed without interference between people and the device.

[0032] After this, the processing machine 60 performs predetermined processing on the workpiece material 50, such as cutting or bending. When processing of the workpiece 50 is complete, the boom 10 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the processed workpiece 51 to a predetermined position, i.e., to the workpiece stand 62, and the power switch 48 is turned OFF to release the negative pressure on the rubber cup 46. As a result, the processed workpiece 51 is stacked in the predetermined position on the workpiece stand 62. Since the workpiece 50 is moved up and down by the crane 20, even if the workpiece 50 is considerably heavy, it can be easily moved up and down, and by rotating the boom 10, the workpiece 50 can also be easily moved horizontally.

[0033] The conveying device of this embodiment has the following advantages. In other words, when transporting the workpiece 50 to the processing machine 60, even if the workpiece 50 is considerably heavy, it is sufficient to transport and process the workpiece 50 with a small number of workers. The workpiece 50 is typically handled with a weight of around 30 to 300 kg. However, conventionally, if the weight exceeds 80 kg, four workers were required to support the weight of the workpiece 50 at its four corners. In contrast, with this embodiment, the weight of the workpiece 50 is borne by the conveying device 100, so only two workers are needed to handle the workpiece 50.

[0034] In other words, in this embodiment, one worker operates the controller 23 to perform the steps of moving the suction device 30 onto the workpiece 50 and suctioning the workpiece 50 via the rubber cup 46, while a second worker supports the workpiece 50 on the opposite side and assists in positioning the suction device 30 relative to the workpiece 50. Thus, even if the workpiece 50 is somewhat heavy, the entire processing can be performed by just two workers. Once workers become familiar with these processes, they will be able to perform all of them by themselves. Therefore, in this embodiment, when transporting a relatively large and heavy workpiece 50 to the processing machine 60, the number of workers can be reduced compared to conventional methods.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, one end of the boom 10 is attached to the support column 11, but since this support column is fixed to the processing machine 60, the installation space occupied by the processing machine 60 and the conveying device 100 can be minimized. In other words, if the support column 11 is installed in a separate space from the processing machine 60, the total space required would be the space for the support column 11 plus the space for the processing machine 60. However, in this embodiment, there is no need to consider additional space for the support column 11, so the space within the factory can be used effectively. Therefore, when installing a conveying device that transports the workpiece to the processing machine, it is possible to satisfy the requirement to minimize the total installation space, including the space required for the conveying device and the processing machine.

[0036] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and any design changes or other modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are also included. For example, in this embodiment, the support column 11 is directly installed on the processing machine 60, but the support column 11 may be installed on other components in the vicinity of the processing machine 60. However, by directly installing the support column 11 on the processing machine 60, the processing machine 60 can be used as a support structure for the support column 11 that supports the heavy conveying device 100, thereby reducing the installation cost of the device and improving space efficiency within the factory. Alternatively, the frame of the processing machine 60 may be used directly as the support column 11, and the boom 10 may be connected to the frame.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the suction device 30 is provided with four arms 33, but it is not limited to this, and multiple arms 33 may be provided, i.e., two, three, or five or more. However, providing four arms 33 by utilizing the four corners of the rectangular box 31 has the advantage of allowing for balanced lifting and lowering of the workpiece 50, which is often rectangular in shape. On the other hand, if the workpiece 50 is small, it is not necessarily required to provide four arms 33, and costs can be reduced by using three or fewer arms. In one embodiment of the present invention, two rubber cups 46 are provided on one arm 33, but one or more rubber cups 46 may be provided on one arm 33.

[0038] In this embodiment, the suction member is a pneumatic type using a rubber cup 46, but instead of a pneumatic type, an electrically operated type may be used as the suction member. If an electric system is used, an electromagnet is used instead of the rubber cup 46, and electrical wiring for energizing the electromagnet is used instead of the pipe 40. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a pneumatic system is used as the means for applying suction force, and a negative pressure source 43 such as a vacuum pump is used. However, when using an electric system, a power supply is used as the means for applying suction force.

[0039] In this embodiment, a box 31 is used as the main body of the adsorption device, but instead of the box 31, a member having a shape other than a box, such as a flat plate with a predetermined strength, may be used as the main body of the adsorption device. The eyebolt 32 used to secure the suspension device 24 in this embodiment may be replaced with other components; any engagement means other than an eyebolt may be used as long as it engages with the hook 25.

[0040] In this embodiment, the suction and release of the rubber cup 46, which serves as the suction member, are controlled by a power switch 48 provided on the arm 33, but the switch may also be incorporated into the controller 23. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 100... Conveyor device 10... Boom 11...Strut 12... Boom hinge 13… Rib 14…Reinforcement muscles 15…Reinforcement hinge 16…Turnbuckle 17... U-shaped bracket 18…Rotating member 19…End members 20... Crane 21…motor 22... Hoist 23…Controller 24… Hanging device 25... Hook 30...Adsorption device 31... Box 32… Eyebolt 33... Arm 34… Base hinge section 35...Flat plate 36…Bottom plate 37... Bolts 38... Nut 40... Pipe 41...Distributor 42... Branch pipe 43... Negative pressure source 44…Tip hinge section 45…Bracket 46... Rubber cup 47... Spherical bearings 48…Power switch 49…Power cable 50…Work material 51...Processed products 60…Processing machine 61...Material stand 62… Finished product display stand

Claims

1. A support column installed in or near the processing machine, A boom with one end rotatably supported on the aforementioned support column, A crane equipped with a hoist that is slidably supported on the boom and has a suspension device, A suction device supported by the suspension device of the hoist, It has, The adsorption device comprises an adsorption device body, a plurality of arms rotatably supported at one end by the adsorption device body, an adsorption member attached to the other end of the arms and capable of adsorbing a workpiece, and an adsorption force applying means for applying an adsorption force to the adsorption member. A conveying device equipped with the following.

2. A conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the suction member is made of a rubber cup, and the means for applying suction force is made of a negative pressure source.

3. A transport device according to claim 1, wherein the suction member is made of an electromagnet, and the means for applying suction force is made of a power supply.

4. A conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction member is rotatably attached to the arm, and the attachment angle of the suction member to the arm can be changed.

5. A conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction device body is configured as a rectangular parallelepiped box, and the arms consist of four arms, each supported at one end at the four corners of the box of the suction device body so as to be rotatable, and the suction member is rotatably attached to the other end of each arm, and the conveying device is configured such that the mounting angle of the suction member with respect to the arm can be changed.

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