Grinding device

Abstract

This reduces the burden on the worker when setting the height of the lower surface of multiple abrasive components. [Solution] The polishing apparatus 100 comprises a conveyor 10 for transporting workpieces W, a support section 20 located above the conveyor 10, a rotation drive section 32 for rotating a rotating shaft 31 extending in the vertical direction, a polishing member 40 detachably provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 31, a lifting drive section 35 for driving the rotation drive section 32 up and down relative to the support section 20, and a movement amount detection section 26 for detecting the amount of vertical movement of the rotation drive section 32 by the lifting drive section 35, and a plurality of polishing units 30 supported on the support section 20, and a control section 70 that controls the lifting drive of the rotation drive section 32 by the lifting drive section 35 based on the detection result of the movement amount detection section 26.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a polishing device.

Background Art

[0002] When a plate-shaped workpiece is cut or punched by a punch press, burrs may occur on the processed part. Also, when a workpiece is cut by a laser processing machine, a part melted by the laser light may adhere to the workpiece and become dross. In order to remove such burrs and dross, a polishing device having a polishing member is used. As a polishing device, a configuration is known in which a plurality of disk-shaped polishing members are each rotated and brought into contact with a workpiece to remove burrs and dross from the workpiece (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to appropriately remove burrs and dross from a workpiece, it is necessary to appropriately set the lower surface height of the polishing member. In the polishing device of Patent Document 1, the setting of the lower surface height of a plurality of provided polishing members was performed by stopping the rotation of the polishing members and manually raising and lowering each polishing member by an operator. Therefore, the setting work takes time, the burden on the operator is large, and there is a problem that variations in accuracy occur even when the work is performed due to the manual setting.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a polishing device capable of reducing the burden on an operator caused by setting the lower surface height of a plurality of polishing members.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A polishing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a conveyor for transporting workpieces, a support unit located above the conveyor, a rotation drive unit for rotating a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction, a polishing member detachably provided at the lower end of the rotation shaft, a lifting drive unit for driving the rotation drive unit up and down relative to the support unit, and a movement amount detection unit for detecting the amount of vertical movement of the rotation drive unit by the lifting drive unit, a plurality of polishing units supported on the support unit, and a control unit that controls the lifting drive unit's up and down driving of the rotation drive unit based on the detection result of the movement amount detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the polishing apparatus described above, since each polishing unit can be raised and lowered, any polishing member can be moved vertically regardless of whether other polishing members are raised or lowered. Therefore, compared to the case where the polishing apparatus is stopped and an operator manually sets the height of each polishing member one by one, the burden on the operator when setting the height of multiple polishing members can be reduced, while the lower surface height of multiple polishing members can be set with high precision.

[0008] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, a first sensor may be further provided for detecting when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member reaches a reference height. When the control unit detects that the height of the lower surface of the polishing member has reached the reference height using the first sensor, the control unit may control the lifting drive unit to move the polishing unit up or down by the amount of the displacement between the reference height and a set height which is an arbitrary height for the lower surface of the polishing member. With this configuration, the first sensor can easily detect when the lower surface of the polishing member has reached the reference height. As a result, by using the height of the lower surface of the polishing member detected by the first sensor as the reference height and moving the polishing unit up or down by the difference between this height and the set height, the lower surface of the polishing member can be accurately set to the set height.

[0009] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the plurality of polishing units may include a first polishing unit to which a first polishing member is attached, and a second polishing unit to which a second polishing member is attached. The first polishing unit may be controlled by a control unit so that the lower surface height of the first polishing member is set to a first set height which is an arbitrary height, and the second polishing unit may be controlled by a control unit so that the lower surface height of the second polishing member is set to a second set height which is an arbitrary height and different from the first set height. With this configuration, the lower surface height can be set to a different height for each polishing member. As a result, each polishing member can be set to an optimal height according to the type of workpiece, the processing content, how the polishing member is used, etc.

[0010] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the position of the first polishing member may be different from that of the second polishing member in the direction in which the workpiece is transported by the conveyor. With this configuration, the workpiece is polished by the first polishing member and the second polishing member at different positions while being transported. As a result, the lower surface heights of the first and second polishing members can be set to a height suitable for the processing content of the workpiece.

[0011] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the first sensor has a contact portion that the polishing member makes contact with as it descends, and detects when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member reaches a reference height by contact with the contact portion. The control unit detects for each of the multiple polishing units that the height of the lower surface of the polishing member has reached a reference height using the first sensor, and then controls the lifting drive unit so that the polishing member rises and moves away from the contact portion. After each polishing member has risen from the contact portion, the lifting drive unit may be controlled so that the height of the lower surface of each polishing member reaches a set height based on the thickness of the workpiece and the amount of material to be removed from the workpiece, with each polishing member positioned above the conveyor. With this configuration, the detection of the lower surface height of multiple polishing members and the preparation for processing, which sets the lower surface of each polishing member to the height to be processed, can be completed without the operator's effort, thus reducing the burden on the operator.

[0012] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the first sensor has a contact portion that comes into contact with the polishing member as it descends, and detects when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member has reached a reference height by contact with the contact portion. The apparatus further includes a second sensor that detects when the polishing member descending from above a predetermined height set higher than the contact portion of the first sensor has reached a predetermined height. When the control unit detects that the polishing member has reached the predetermined height using the second sensor, it may switch the descent speed of the polishing unit to which the polishing member is attached from a first speed to a second speed lower than the first speed, and control the lifting drive unit to bring the polishing member into contact with the contact portion at the second speed. With this configuration, the height of the lower surface of the descending polishing member can be accurately determined by the second sensor, so that the polishing member can be lowered at a high first speed until it is not in contact with the first sensor, and then lowered at a low second speed when it approaches the first sensor. As a result, the detection of the height of the lower surface of the polishing member by the first sensor can be completed in a short time while avoiding high-speed contact of the polishing member with the first sensor.

[0013] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the upper surface of the polishing member is attached to the mounting surface of the polishing unit, and the control unit has a calculation unit for calculating the thickness of the polishing member. The calculation unit obtains the amount of movement detected when the polishing member reaches a reference height from a preset origin height from a reference height from a movement amount detection unit, and calculates the height of the mounting surface when the polishing member reaches the reference height based on the height of the mounting surface located at the previously acquired previous point height and the amount of movement obtained from the movement amount detection unit, and calculates the difference between the calculated mounting surface height and the reference height as the thickness of the polishing member. With this configuration, the thickness of the polishing member can be calculated while detecting the height of the lower surface of the polishing member by the first sensor. As a result, the thickness of the polishing member can be obtained without requiring a dedicated device, sensor, or time for thickness measurement to calculate the thickness of the polishing member.

[0014] Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the control unit may include a storage unit that stores the type of polishing member attached to each polishing unit and data relating to the amount of wear for each polishing member, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the polishing member has reached a specified thickness. The determination unit calculates the thickness of the polishing member based on the type of polishing member stored in the storage unit, the data relating to the amount of wear corresponding to the polishing member, and the thickness of the polishing member calculated in advance by the calculation unit, and determines whether or not the polishing member has reached a specified thickness based on the calculation result. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the polishing member has reached a thickness that requires replacement (the thickness at which the polishing member reaches the end of its lifespan) using the calculation result of the thickness of the polishing member. As a result, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the polishing member needs to be replaced without requiring a dedicated measuring device to determine whether or not replacement is necessary. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing an example of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing an example of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a side view showing an example of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a polishing unit. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an example of the first sensor viewed from the Y direction. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing an example of the first sensor viewed from the Z direction. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a second sensor. [Figure 8] This figure shows the state when the second sensor detects the lower surface of the polishing material. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the process of setting the height of the lower surface of the polishing member. [Figure 10] This diagram shows the polishing unit being moved in the Y direction. [Figure 11] This diagram shows the state where the lower surface of the polishing member has reached the second sensor. [Figure 12]It is a diagram showing the state where the lower surface of the polishing member has reached the first sensor. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing the state where the height of the lower surface of the polishing member is set to the set height. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing the state where another polishing unit is moved in the Y direction. [Figure 15] It is a side view showing the state where the set heights of the upstream polishing member and the downstream polishing member are changed.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the content described below. Also, in the drawings, for the purpose of explaining the embodiments, the scale is appropriately changed such as enlarging or emphasizing a part, and the shape, dimensions, etc. may be different from those of the actual product. In the drawings, the directions in the figure may be explained using the XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as the XY plane. The direction perpendicular to the XY plane is denoted as the Z direction. Each of the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction will be described assuming that the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure is the + direction and the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow is the - direction.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a polishing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the polishing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of the polishing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the polishing apparatus 100 includes a conveyor 10, a support portion 20, a polishing unit 30, a first sensor 50, a second sensor 60, and a control unit 70. The conveyor 10 conveys the workpiece W in the conveying direction P. The workpiece W is, for example, a flat plate-like plate material such as metal.

[0018] The workpiece W has been partially cut or punched using a machine tool such as a laser processing machine or punch press, and burrs have formed on the cut or punched portions. In addition, the laser processing machine has been partially cut or drilled on the workpiece W, and dross has formed on the cut or drilled portions, consisting of molten workpiece W that has adhered to them. The polishing device 100 in this embodiment is used to remove burrs, dross, etc. that have formed on the workpiece W.

[0019] The conveyor 10 is, for example, a belt conveyor mechanism. As shown in Figure 1, the conveyor 10 has a conveyor frame 11, a pair of rollers 12, and an endless conveyor belt 13. The conveyor frame 11 is fixed on a support frame 81 of a main frame 80. The main frame 80 is installed, for example, on the floor of a building. The support frame 81 is provided horizontally on the lower inside side of the main frame 80. The pair of rollers 12 are arranged on the +X side and -X side in the X direction of the conveyor frame 11, respectively, and are supported so as to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the Y direction. At least one of the pair of rollers 12 is rotationally driven by a roller drive unit (not shown). For example, an electric rotary motor is used as the roller drive unit, and rotational driving and stopping are controlled by a control unit 70.

[0020] An endless conveyor belt 13 is arranged by being stretched over a pair of rollers 12. The conveyor belt 13 moves in a circular motion as the rollers 12 are driven to rotate. The upper surface (+Z side) of the conveyor belt 13 is the transport surface 13a on which the workpiece W is placed, and the workpiece W can be moved in the +X direction as the conveyor belt 13 moves in a circular motion. Belt guides 12A (see Figure 3) are arranged inside each of the pair of rollers 12.

[0021] The belt guide 12A shown in Figure 3 is a sheet metal guide that contacts the inner surface (back side) of the conveyor belt 13. The belt guide 12A is provided with a length approximately equal to the width (length in the Y direction) of the conveyor belt 13 and is supported by the conveyor frame 11. The conveyor belt 13 slides on the upper surface of the belt guide 12A while being lifted upward by the belt guide 12A. That is, the belt guide 12A applies a predetermined tension to the conveyor belt 13 while defining the height of the conveying surface 13a. Note that the belt guide 12A is not limited to a sheet metal guide; an auxiliary roller (driven roller) that is rotatably supported around an axis parallel to the Y direction may also be used.

[0022] The dimensions of the conveyor belt 13 in the X direction and its width (dimension in the Y direction) are arbitrary and are determined by the dimensions and number of workpieces W to be placed on it. With the workpieces W placed on the conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13, the rollers 12 are rotated, causing the conveying surface 13a to move in the +X direction as the conveyor belt 13 moves circumferentially, and the workpieces W placed on the conveying surface 13a are conveyed in the conveying direction P (+X direction). The conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13 may be treated with a surface treatment such as anti-slip processing to increase the coefficient of friction with respect to the workpieces W in order to prevent the placed workpieces W from shifting.

[0023] The conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13 is set to lie along the horizontal plane (XY plane) by the belt guide 12A. Therefore, the workpiece W is conveyed in the +X direction while maintaining its position on the horizontal plane. The conveyor belt 13 may also have a configuration in which multiple through holes (not shown) are provided that penetrate through both sides. In this case, the conveyor 10 may be provided with a suction device that attracts (applies) the workpiece W to the conveying surface 13a. This suction device is positioned, for example, between a pair of rollers 12 and between the upper and lower parts of the conveyor belt 13. The suction device attracts the workpiece W to the conveying surface 13a by sucking it through the through holes in the conveyor belt 13. The workpiece W is conveyed while being attracted to the conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13 by the suction device.

[0024] In this embodiment, a belt conveyor mechanism having an endless conveyor belt 13 is used as the conveyor 10, but the embodiment is not limited to this configuration. For example, a roller conveyor mechanism may be used as the conveyor 10. When this roller conveyor mechanism is used, a plurality of rollers may be arranged in parallel in the transport direction P (X direction), and some of the plurality of rollers may be made into rotational drive rollers, so that the workpiece W is transported in the transport direction P on these rollers. In addition to the belt conveyor mechanism and the roller conveyor mechanism, any mechanism capable of transporting the workpiece W in the transport direction P may be applied as the conveyor 10.

[0025] The support section 20 is positioned above the conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13, spaced apart. The support section 20 is fixed to two support columns 82, which are part of the main frame 80. The two support columns 82 are provided extending upward from both sides of the width Q of the conveyor belt 13. In this embodiment, the support section 20 is described using as an example the support section 20 is fixed by the support columns 82 of the main frame 80 that supports the conveyor 10, but the embodiment is not limited to this form. For example, the support section 20 may be fixed by support columns (or frames) installed on the floor separately from the main frame 80. The support section 20 includes a slider 21, a guide section 22, and a frame 23.

[0026] The slider 21 is, for example, a plate-shaped body and supports the polishing unit 30. The slider 21 is movable in the width direction Q (Y direction) along the guide portion 22. The guide portion 22 is provided on both the +X side and the -X side of the frame 23. The guide portion 22 is provided at two locations, upper and lower, on the frame 23, extending in the width direction Q, and guides the slider 21 in the width direction Q. The slider 21 is provided on both the +X side and the -X side of the frame 23, and moves in the width direction Q by being driven by the slide drive unit 25. That is, by driving the slide drive unit 25 (see Figure 1), it is possible to move the slider 21 (polishing unit 30) back and forth in the width direction Q. In this configuration, the slider 21 on the +X side and the slider 21 on the -X side are moved synchronously in the Y direction by the slide drive unit 25. However, instead of this configuration, the slider 21 on the +X side and the slider 21 on the -X side may be moved at different timings, directions, speeds, etc.

[0027] The guide section 22 is set to a length that allows the polishing member 40, described later, to reciprocate within the width Q range of the conveyor belt 13. In other words, the length of the guide section 22 is set to a length that allows the polishing unit 30 to move so that the polishing member 40 reciprocates within the width Q range of the conveyor belt 13. This configuration makes it possible to bring the polishing member 40 into contact with a workpiece W placed at any position on the conveying surface 13a. Furthermore, the guide section 22 is set to a length that allows the polishing unit 30 to move to a position where a part of the polishing member 40 reaches above the first sensor 50, described later.

[0028] The slider 21 supports multiple polishing units 30. The slider 21 is provided with a lifting guide 27 that guides the raising and lowering of the rotational drive unit 32 of the polishing unit 30. A lifting guide 27 is provided for each polishing unit 30. The lifting guide 27 extends along the Z direction. In this embodiment, two polishing units 30 are arranged on the -X side slider 21 and two are arranged on the +X side slider 21. The two polishing units 30 supported on the -X side slider 21 and the two polishing units 30 supported on the +X side slider 21 are arranged side by side in the width direction Q (Y direction).

[0029] The polishing unit 30 is movable in the Y direction (Q direction) by moving the slider 21 in the Y direction relative to the frame 23. In addition, each of the polishing units 30 can be raised and lowered individually by the lifting guide 27. When distinguishing between the four polishing units 30 below, the polishing unit 30 on the +Y side of the frame 23 will be denoted as polishing unit 30A, and the polishing unit 30 on the -Y side will be denoted as polishing unit 30B. Also, the polishing unit 30 on the +Y side of the frame 23 will be denoted as polishing unit 30C, and the polishing unit 30 on the -Y side will be denoted as polishing unit 30D.

[0030] The polishing unit 30 includes a rotating shaft 31, a rotary drive unit 32, a power transmission unit 34, and a lifting drive unit 35. The rotating shaft 31 extends in the vertical direction and is rotatable by the rotary drive unit 32 around the axis AX, which is parallel to the vertical direction (Z direction). In the four polishing units 30, each axis AX (AXA, AXB, AXC, AXD) is parallel to each other and perpendicular to the conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13. The rotating shaft 31 rotates around the axis AX by driving the rotary drive unit 32. The rotary drive unit 32 is composed of, for example, a rotary electric motor and a reduction gear. The rotary drive unit 32 is provided to be able to move up and down along the lifting guide 27. The rotating shaft 31 moves up and down together with the rotary drive unit 32.

[0031] The power transmission unit 34 raises and lowers the rotary drive unit 32 along the lifting guide 27 using the driving force of the lifting drive unit 35. The power transmission unit 34 uses, for example, a ball screw mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism to convert the rotational drive of the lifting drive unit 35 into linear drive and transmit it to the rotary drive unit 32. The lifting drive unit 35 uses, for example, a rotary electric motor. By driving the lifting drive unit 35, the driving force is transmitted to the rotary drive unit 32 by the power transmission unit 34, and the rotary drive unit 32 (rotating shaft 31 and polishing member 40) rises and falls along the lifting guide 27. By raising and lowering the rotary drive unit 32, it becomes possible to raise and lower the polishing member 40 attached to the rotating shaft 31.

[0032] The lifting drive unit 35 is controlled by the control unit 70. The amount of movement (lifting / lowering amount) of the rotary drive unit 32, which moves up and down by the lifting drive unit 35, is detected by the movement amount detection unit 26. The movement amount detection unit 26 individually detects the amount of movement of the rotary drive unit 32 for each lifting drive unit 35 in the four polishing units 30. The movement amount detection unit 26 may be an encoder device, for example, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, if a pulse motor is used as the lifting drive unit 35, the amount of movement of the rotary drive unit 32 may be detected by the number of pulses. In addition, a cylinder device may be used instead of the lifting drive unit 35 and the power transmission unit 34.

[0033] Figure 4 shows an example of a polishing unit 30, illustrating an example of a rotating shaft 31 and a polishing member 40. As shown in Figure 4, the rotating shaft 31 protrudes downward from the rotation drive unit 32 and rotates around the axis of shaft AX (AXA to AXD). The lower end of the rotating shaft 31 is provided with a mounting portion 31a. The mounting portion 31a is disc-shaped, and its lower surface becomes the mounting surface 31b of the polishing member 40. The center of the mounting portion 31a coincides with the axis AX, and as the rotating shaft 31 rotates, the mounting portion 31a rotates together with the axis of shaft AX.

[0034] The polishing member 40 is held by the mounting portion 31a of the rotating shaft 31. The upper surface 40u of the polishing member 40 is attached to the mounting surface 31b of the mounting portion 31a. The polishing member 40 is detachably attached to the mounting portion 31a. In plan view, the polishing member 40 is, for example, circular in shape. To align the center of the polishing member 40 with the shaft AX, the upper surface 40u of the polishing member 40 and the mounting surface 31b of the mounting portion 31a may be provided with irregularities or other features to position the polishing member 40 horizontally. The polishing member 40 rotates integrally with the mounting portion 31a around an axis such as shaft AXA. The lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is the contact surface with the workpiece W, and for example, sandpaper is used. Alternatively, a metal brush may be used as the polishing member 40. In this case, the lower end portion of the metal brush becomes the lower surface 40s.

[0035] By rotating the polishing member 40 and bringing its lower surface 40s into contact with the workpiece W, the surface of the workpiece W can be polished. Furthermore, since the polishing unit 30 can reciprocate in the width direction Q as described above, the surface of the workpiece W can be polished by rotating the polishing member 40 and bringing it into contact with the workpiece W while reciprocating in the width direction Q. In addition, by moving the polishing unit 30 to the +Y side end or the -Y side end of the width direction Q, the polishing member 40 can be positioned above the first sensor 50.

[0036] The first sensor 50 detects when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member 40 reaches a reference height H1, which will be described later, by contacting the rotating polishing member 40. The first sensors 50 are positioned on both sides of the conveyor belt 13, sandwiching it in the width direction Q. The first sensor 50 positioned on the +Y side of the conveyor belt 13 and the first sensor 50 positioned on the -Y side of the conveyor belt 13 are symmetrically configured with respect to the conveyor belt 13 and are made of the same material. The first sensors 50 are provided in four locations, corresponding to each of the polishing units 30A to 30D (see Figure 2). In other words, a first sensor 50 is provided for each polishing unit 30. However, it is not limited to providing a first sensor 50 for each polishing unit 30. A single first sensor 50 may be used to detect the height of the polishing members 40 of multiple polishing units 30. For example, the guide section 22 may be lengthened in the +Y direction to expand the range of movement of the polishing unit 30 in the width direction Q in the +Y direction, and the first sensor 50 on the +Y side may be used to detect the height of the polishing member 40 for polishing unit 30B in addition to polishing unit 30A.

[0037] Based on the output from the first sensor 50, the height of the polishing member 40 can be obtained. Using the height of the polishing member 40 obtained by the first sensor 50 as a reference, the lifting drive unit 35 can be driven to set the polishing member 40 to a desired height. Furthermore, by driving the slide drive unit 25 while holding the polishing member 40 at the desired height, the polishing member 40 can be moved back and forth in the width direction Q relative to the workpiece W.

[0038] Figure 5 is a view of an example of the first sensor 50 from the Y direction. Figure 6 is a view of an example of the first sensor 50 from the Z direction. The first sensor 50 is installed, for example, on the conveyor frame 11. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first sensor 50 has a rotating body 51 and a movement detection unit 52. The rotating body 51 rotates when the rotation drive unit 32 (rotating shaft 31) descends while the polishing member 40 is rotating, causing the contact part V to come into contact with the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40, and the rotating body 51 rotates due to the rotation of the polishing member 40. The rotating body 51 is disc-shaped and rotatable about an axis AX1 parallel to the width direction Q.

[0039] The upper end portion 51a of the rotating body 51 becomes the contact portion that the polishing member 40 contacts. As shown in Figure 5, the upper end portion 51a of the rotating body 51 is positioned above the conveying surface 13a of the workpiece W on the conveyor 10, with a gap L between them, and higher than the conveying surface 13a. The height of the upper end portion 51a becomes the reference height H1 at the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40. The reference height H1 is a known height that is set in advance with respect to the conveying surface 13a.

[0040] A rotating plate 56 is attached to the rotating body 51 by a connecting member 57. The rotating plate 56 is positioned on the +Y side of the rotating body 51, spaced apart from it. The rotating plate 56 is, for example, a disc shape having the same or approximately the same diameter as the rotating body 51, and is positioned so that its center coincides with the axis AX1. In other words, the rotating plate 56 rotates together with the rotating body 51 around the axis AX2. Therefore, it can be said that the rotating plate 56 constitutes a part of the rotating body 51, or is included in the rotating body 51. The rotating plate 56 has a plurality of through holes 56a that penetrate in the Y direction and are arranged in a circumferential direction around the axis AX1. The inner diameter of the through holes 56a is set to be larger than, for example, the diameter of the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 52a, which will be described later. The plurality of through holes 56a are arranged at equal pitches in the circumferential direction around the axis AX1.

[0041] The light-emitting unit 52a emits detection light toward the rotating plate 56. The light-receiving unit 52b receives the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 52a when it passes through the through hole 56a and transmits the reception of the light to the control unit 70. Therefore, if the rotating plate 56 is not rotating (i.e., the rotating body 51 is not rotating), the state of not receiving the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 52a or the state of receiving the detection light will continue. Based on the detection result from the light-receiving unit 52b over a predetermined time, the control unit 70 determines that the rotating plate 56 (rotating body 51) is not rotating if the state of not receiving the detection light or the state of receiving the detection light continues for a predetermined time.

[0042] Furthermore, when the rotating plate 56 is rotating (i.e., when the rotating body 51 is rotating), the light receiving unit 52b intermittently receives detection light. The light receiving unit 52b outputs to the control unit 70 at the time it receives detection light. The control unit 70 determines, based on the detection results from the light receiving unit 52b, whether the number of times detection light has been received exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time period. The control unit 70 determines that the rotating plate 56 (rotating body 51) has rotated if the number of times detection light has been received exceeds the predetermined number. The predetermined time and predetermined number of times described above can be set arbitrarily.

[0043] Figure 7 shows an example of the second sensor 60. Figure 8 shows the state in which the second sensor 60 detects the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40. As shown in Figure 7, the second sensor 60 is positioned above the first sensor 50 and detects when the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a predetermined height H2, which is above the reference height H1. The second sensor 60 is used as a set of light-emitting part 61 and light-receiving part 62. A total of two sets of the second sensor 60 are provided: one set used for polishing units 30A and 30B, and one set used for polishing units 30C and 30D (see Figure 2). In other words, unlike the first sensor 50, the second sensor 60 is used interchangeably for multiple polishing units 30 (polishing units 30A and 30B).

[0044] The light-emitting unit 61 emits detection light horizontally or nearly horizontally toward the light-receiving unit 62. For example, a laser light source can be used as the light-emitting unit 61. The direction of the detection light may be parallel to the Y direction, or it may be inclined with respect to the Y direction within the XY plane. The height of the detection light is set at a predetermined height H2 that is above the reference height H1. That is, the predetermined height H2 is set to a position higher than the upper end portion 51a of the rotating body 51 of the first sensor 50. The predetermined height H2 (i.e., the distance between the reference height H1 and the predetermined height H2) can be set arbitrarily as long as it is above the reference height H1. In this embodiment, the detection light is set to pass directly above the first sensor 50 (see Figure 2), but it is not limited to this form, and the detection light may be set to pass outside the direct overhead of the first sensor 50 as long as it is within the range in which the polishing member 40 moves up and down.

[0045] The light-receiving unit 62 is positioned at a predetermined height H2 and receives light emitted from the light-emitting unit 61. When the light-receiving unit 62 receives detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 61, it outputs to the control unit 70 that it has received the light. If the polishing member 40 is not in the optical path of the detection light, the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 61 reaches the light-receiving unit 62. However, if the polishing member 40 is in the optical path of the detection light, that is, if the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches the predetermined height H2, the detection light is blocked by the polishing member 40 and does not reach the light-receiving unit 62, and the light-receiving unit 62 does not receive the detection light. Therefore, the control unit 70 does not output that it has received the light.

[0046] The control unit 70 confirms that it is receiving detection light from the light receiving unit 62 at a preset sampling interval. The control unit 70 determines that the lower surface 40s of the descending polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2 at the moment when the light receiving unit 62 switches from receiving detection light to not receiving detection light.

[0047] As shown in Figure 7, when the polishing member 40 is lowered at, for example, a first speed from a position where the height of the mounting surface 31b of the mounting part 31a (the upper surface 40u of the polishing member 40) is at the origin height (retraction height) H0, as shown in Figure 8, the control unit 70 acquires that the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2 when the polishing member 40 blocks the detection light and the light receiving unit 62 no longer receives the detection light. Therefore, the control unit 70 determines that the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is approaching the first sensor 50 and can, for example, switch the lowering speed of the polishing member 40 to a second speed that is slower than the first speed. After the control unit 70 acquires that the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2, the timing for switching the lowering speed of the polishing member 40 from the first speed to the second speed can be arbitrarily set. The origin height H0 is set for each of the multiple polishing units 30. Furthermore, it is optional whether or not to provide a second sensor 60 in the polishing device 100, and the device may be configured without a second sensor 60.

[0048] The control unit 70 comprehensively controls the operation of the polishing device 100. As described above, the control unit 70 also obtains from the first sensor 50 that the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a reference height H1, and from the second sensor 60 that the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2. Based on the detection result of the movement amount detection unit 26, the control unit 70 controls the amount of lifting and lowering of the rotation drive unit 32 by the lifting drive unit 35. As shown in Figure 1, the control unit 70 has a calculation unit 71, a storage unit 72, and a determination unit 73.

[0049] The calculation unit 71 calculates, for example, the thickness of the polishing member 40. The calculation unit 71 obtains from the movement amount detection unit 26 the amount of movement of the polishing member 40 (the amount of descent of the rotation drive unit 32) from the origin height H0 to the reference height H1. The calculation unit 71 has previously obtained the height of the mounting surface 31b (see Figure 4) of the mounting part 31a located at the origin height H0 and the value of the reference height H1. Based on the height of the mounting surface 31b located at the origin height H0 and the amount of movement obtained from the movement amount detection unit 26, the calculation unit 71 calculates the height of the mounting surface 31b when the polishing member 40 reaches the reference height H1. Subsequently, the calculation unit 71 calculates the difference between the calculated height of the mounting surface 31b and the reference height H1 as the thickness of the polishing member 40. Alternatively, the calculation unit 71 may pre-acquire the distance from the mounting surface 31b of the mounting part 31a located at the origin height H0 to the reference height H1 as the reference distance, and calculate the difference between the amount of movement acquired from the movement amount detection unit 26 and the reference distance as the thickness of the polishing member 40.

[0050] The storage unit 72 stores the type of polishing member 40 attached to each polishing unit 30, and data related to the amount of wear for each polishing member 40. The type of polishing member 40 can be determined by, for example, reading an indicator mark such as a barcode or 2D code attached to the polishing member 40 when the polishing member 40 is installed and storing the type information in the storage unit 72, or by manually inputting it into the storage unit 72 by the operator. The data related to the amount of wear includes, for example, the operating time of the polishing member 40 and the amount of wear (thickness reduction) of the polishing member 40. The determination unit 73 determines whether the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined thickness (specified thickness) based on the type of polishing member 40 stored in the storage unit 72, the data related to the amount of wear corresponding to this polishing member 40, and the thickness of the polishing member 40 calculated in advance by the calculation unit 71. Furthermore, the determination unit 73 may determine whether or not the polishing member 40 needs to be replaced. For example, the determination unit 73 may calculate the remaining number of uses, usable time, etc., for the abrasive member 40 based on the type of abrasive member 40, data on the amount of wear corresponding to the abrasive member 40, and the thickness of the abrasive member 40 calculated in advance by the calculation unit 71, or it may determine whether or not the abrasive member 40 needs to be replaced based on this calculation result.

[0051] Next, the operation of the polishing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be explained. After a portion of the workpiece W is cut or punched by a machine tool such as a laser processing machine or a punch press, it is placed on the -X side of the conveyor belt 13 of the conveyor 10 by a conveying device or by manual operation by an operator. The polishing apparatus 100 needs to appropriately bring the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 into contact with the upper surface of the workpiece W, depending on the thickness of the workpiece W and the amount of material to be removed from the workpiece W. For this reason, prior to processing the workpiece W, it is necessary to perform height detection of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 of the multiple polishing units 30.

[0052] The control unit 70 may, for example, perform height detection of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 in the multiple polishing units 30 at the timing when the polishing member 40 is replaced, when the number of workpieces W processed by the polishing member 40 reaches a predetermined number, or when the processing time of the workpiece W by the polishing member 40 reaches a predetermined time. The control unit 70 may also perform height detection of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 at the timing when the polishing device 100 starts operation, or when the operator instructs the execution of height detection.

[0053] In the polishing apparatus 100, the operation for setting the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 will be explained with reference to Figures 9 to 14. Figures 9 to 14 illustrate the operation of polishing units 30A and 30B. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the process of setting the lower surface height of the polishing member 40. In this embodiment, the lower surface height of the polishing member 40 can be set individually for multiple polishing units 30.

[0054] As shown in Figure 9, first, the polishing unit 30A is moved above the first sensor 50 (step S1). Figure 10 shows the state in which the polishing unit 30A is moved in the Y direction. In step S1, the control unit 70 drives the lifting drive unit 35 to raise the polishing member 40 so that the position of the mounting surface 31b (upper surface 40u of the polishing member 40) of the mounting portion 31a of the polishing unit 30A is at the origin height H0 (see Figure 7). Next, the control unit 70 drives the slide drive unit 25 to move the slider 21 in the +Y direction so that the polishing member 40 of the polishing unit 30A is positioned above the first sensor 50 on the +Y side. The control unit 70 specifies the Y position of the slider 21 by controlling the slide drive unit 25 while acquiring the Y position of the slider 21 using, for example, an encoder.

[0055] Next, the polishing member 40 of the polishing unit 30A is lowered at a first speed V1 (step S2). In step S2, the control unit 70 rotates the rotating shaft 31 around the axis AXA using the rotary drive unit 32. The control unit 70 also controls the lifting drive unit 35 to lower the polishing member 40 (rotating drive unit 32) at the first speed V1 while the rotating shaft 31 is rotating. The adjacent polishing unit 30B is in a standby state with the mounting surface 31b of the mounting part 31a at the origin height H0. The first speed V1 is set to be as high as is achievable by the lifting drive unit 35.

[0056] Furthermore, in step S2, the timing of rotating the rotating shaft 31 may be before lowering the polishing member 40, at the same time as lowering the polishing member 40, or after the lowering of the polishing member 40 has begun. Also, the rotational speed (rpm) of the rotating shaft 31 is controlled by the control unit 70 to a preset rotational speed. In this case, the control unit 70 may, for example, rotate the rotating shaft 31 at the same rotational speed as when polishing the workpiece W, or rotate the rotating shaft 31 at a lower rotational speed than when polishing the workpiece W. The polishing member 40 may shrink in the thickness direction due to centrifugal force generated during rotation. By detecting while rotating the polishing member 40, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 can be detected under the same or nearly the same conditions as during actual polishing.

[0057] Next, it is determined whether the second sensor 60 has detected the polishing member 40 (step S3). In step S3, the control unit 70 determines whether the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2 by detecting the polishing member 40 with the second sensor 60. If the second sensor 60 does not detect the polishing member 40 (NO in step S3), the control unit 70 repeats the determination in step S3. That is, the control unit 70 controls the lifting drive unit 35 so that the polishing member 40 continues to descend at the first speed V1.

[0058] When the second sensor 60 detects the polishing member 40 (YES in step S3), the polishing member 40 of the first polishing unit 30A is lowered at a second speed V2 which is lower than the first speed V1 (step S4). Figure 11 shows the state when the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached the second sensor 60. As shown in Figure 11, when the control unit 70 detects that the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2 using the second sensor 60, it controls the lifting drive unit 35 to switch the lowering speed of the polishing member 40 from the first speed V1 to a second speed V2 which is lower (slower, lower) than the first speed V1 (see Figure 12). The control unit 70 controls the lifting drive unit 35 to bring the polishing member 40 into contact with the rotating body 51 at the low second speed V2.

[0059] Next, it is determined whether the first sensor 50 has detected the polishing member 40 (step S5). In step S5, the control unit 70 determines whether the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached the reference height H1 by detecting the polishing member 40 with the first sensor 50. If the first sensor 50 does not detect the polishing member 40 (NO in step S5), the control unit 70 repeats the determination in step S5. That is, the control unit 70 controls the lifting drive unit 35 to continue the descent of the polishing member 40 at the second speed V2.

[0060] When the first sensor 50 detects the polishing member 40 (YES in step S5), the descent of the polishing member 40 of the first polishing unit 30A is stopped (step S6). Figure 12 shows the state when the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached the first sensor 50. As shown in Figure 12, when the control unit 70 detects that the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a reference height H1 using the first sensor 50, it controls the lifting drive unit 35 to stop the descent of the polishing member 40. In this way, by lowering the polishing member 40 at a high first speed V1 from the position where the mounting surface 31b is at the origin height H0 to a predetermined height H2, and then lowering the polishing member 40 at a low second speed V2 from the predetermined height H2 to the reference height H1, the process related to detecting the height of the polishing member 40 can be sped up (shortened in time), while preventing the polishing member 40 from forcefully hitting the first sensor 50 and damaging the first sensor 50 or the polishing unit 30 (for example, the polishing member 40).

[0061] Furthermore, at the time step S6 is executed, the control unit 70 calculates the thickness of the polishing member 40 using the calculation unit 71 and stores the difference from the initial thickness of the polishing member 40 as the amount of wear in the storage unit 72. In addition, the control unit 70 uses the determination unit 73 to determine whether the thickness of the polishing member 40 has reached a specified thickness. The specified thickness is, for example, the thickness at which the polishing member 40 is expected to have worn down and no longer be able to be properly polished. If the thickness of the polishing member 40 has reached the specified thickness, the control unit 70 may notify, for example, that attention is needed regarding the polishing member 40, or that it is time to replace the polishing member 40, using a notification unit (not shown) or the like. Examples of notifications by the notification unit include display on a screen or sound from a speaker. The control unit 70 may also stop the operation of the polishing device 100 if it is necessary to replace the polishing member 40. Furthermore, the control unit 70 may determine whether the thickness of the polishing member 40 has reached a specified thickness at a timing different from step S6 (i.e., a timing different from the timing at which the reference height H1 is detected). The determination unit 73 may calculate (estimate) the thickness of the polishing member 40 based on the type of polishing member 40 stored in the storage unit 72, data on the amount of wear corresponding to the polishing member 40, and the thickness of the polishing member 40 calculated in advance by the calculation unit 71, and determine whether or not the polishing member 40 has reached a specified thickness.

[0062] Next, the polishing member 40 of the polishing unit 30A is raised to a set height H3 (step S7). In step S7, the control unit 70 controls the lifting drive unit 35 to raise the polishing member 40 until the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches the set height H3. The set height H3 is a height that can be arbitrarily set according to the thickness of the workpiece W to be processed, the amount of material to be removed from the workpiece W, etc. After the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches the set height H3, or while the polishing member 40 is being raised, the control unit 70 stops the rotation of the polishing member 40. The set height H3 is set to a height at which the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 can make proper contact with the upper surface of the workpiece W, that is, a height at which the upper surface of the workpiece W can be properly polished.

[0063] Figure 13 shows the state where the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is set to the set height H3. As shown in Figure 13, the control unit 70 reads information such as the thickness of the workpiece W to be processed and the amount of material removed from the workpiece W from the storage unit 72 to determine the distance to raise the polishing member from the reference height H1 to the set height H3, and controls the lifting drive unit 35 by referring to the output of the movement amount detection unit 26 so as to raise the polishing member 40 by that distance. As a result, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is set to the set height H3.

[0064] In the flowchart shown in Figure 9, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is set to the set height H3 in step S7, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, after step S6, the control unit 70 may raise the polishing member 40 to an arbitrary height (for example, any height higher than the predetermined height H2) and stop the rotation of the polishing member 40 for all polishing units 30, and then set the polishing members 40 in all polishing units 30 together to the set height H3.

[0065] Next, it is determined whether to set the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the other polishing unit 30 (step S8). In step S8, the control unit 70 determines whether to set the height for the other polishing unit 30 (polishing unit 30B in this embodiment). If the control unit 70 does not set the height for the other polishing unit 30 (NO in step S8), it terminates the series of processes. If it determines that it will set the height for the other polishing unit 30 (YES in step S8), it repeatedly executes the processes from step S1 onwards for the unset polishing unit 30B.

[0066] Figure 14 shows the polishing unit 30B in the Y direction. As shown in Figure 14, the control unit 70 drives the lifting drive unit 35 to raise the polishing member 40 so that the mounting surface 31b of the polishing unit 30B is at the origin height H0 (see Figure 7). Subsequently, as shown in Figure 14, the control unit 70 drives the slide drive unit 25 to move the slider 21 in the -Y direction so that the polishing member 40 of the polishing unit 30B is positioned above the first sensor 50 on the -Y side (step S1 shown in Figure 9). The processing from step S2 onward is the same as that described for the polishing unit 30A and is therefore omitted. Note that when setting the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the polishing unit 30B, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the polishing unit 30A may be left at the set height H3, or it may be raised to a position higher than the set height H3 as described above.

[0067] With respect to the polishing unit 30B, by executing steps S1 to S7 of the flowchart shown in Figure 9, the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 of the polishing unit 30B is set to the set height H3. In this case, even if the thickness of the polishing member 40 is different between the polishing unit 30A and the polishing unit 30B, the height of the lower surface 40s of both polishing members 40 will be set to the same set height H3. Note that the set height H3 may be set differently between the polishing unit 30A and the polishing unit 30B.

[0068] In the above explanation, the process of setting the height of the polishing member 40 was described for polishing units 30A and 30B. However, for polishing units 30C and 30D, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is set to the set height H3 by the same process as described for polishing units 30A and 30B. Note that the process of setting the height of the polishing member 40 in polishing units 30C and 30D may be performed at the same time as the height setting process in polishing units 30A and 30B (at a time when they partially overlap), or it may be performed after the height setting is completed in polishing units 30A and 30B.

[0069] Furthermore, the timing for setting the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in each polishing unit 30A to 30D to the set height H3 can be at any time. For example, after the first sensor 50 detects the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40, the control unit 70 may raise the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 to a specific height higher than the set height H3, and after the detection of the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the other polishing units 30 is completed, control all polishing units 30 so that the height of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 becomes the set height H3.

[0070] After the height of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 of the polishing units 30A to 30D is set to the set height H3, polishing is performed on the workpiece W. The polishing process on the workpiece W will be briefly described below. In addition, although the height of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 of the polishing units 30A to 30D is set to the set height H3 by the process described above, it is also possible to change the height of the lower surface 40s of any of the polishing members 40 by driving the lifting drive unit 35 based on input from the operator after the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has been set to the set height H3.

[0071] Next, prior to the transport of the workpiece W by the conveyor 10, the rotary drive unit 32 rotates the rotating shaft 31 (polishing member 40) in the direction of the axis AX. The control unit 70 obtains information on the polishing process, which has been acquired in advance, from the storage unit 72 or an external device, and controls the rotary drive unit 32 to achieve that rotational speed (rpm). The rotational speed of the rotating shaft 31 may also be set by the operator as appropriate. The rotating shafts 31 of the polishing units 30A to 30D may be rotated in the same direction around the axis AX, or they may be rotated in different directions from each other.

[0072] When the rotation of the rotating shaft 31 stabilizes, the control unit 70 drives the slide drive unit 25 to move the slider 21 back and forth within a predetermined range in the width direction Q. The predetermined range is set so that the polishing member 40 reciprocates within the width of the conveyor belt 13. The movement speed of the slider 21 is set, for example, according to the speed at which the workpiece W is conveyed in the conveying direction P. In this state, the control unit 70 drives the conveyor 10 to move the conveyor belt 13 in a circular motion. By placing the workpiece W on the conveyor belt 13, the workpiece W is conveyed in the conveying direction P. During the conveyance of the workpiece W, the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 comes into contact with the upper surface of the workpiece W. As a result, burrs and dross on the surface of the workpiece W are scraped off and removed by the lower surface 40s.

[0073] In the above explanation, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the polishing units 30A to 30D is set to a set height H3 as an example, but the explanation is not limited to this configuration. For example, the height of the polishing member 40 in the polishing units 30A and 30B, which are upstream in the conveying direction P of the workpiece W, may be different from the height of the polishing member 40 in the polishing units 30C and 30D, which are downstream in the conveying direction P. That is, the set height H3 of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the polishing units 30A and 30B may be set to be different from the set height H3 of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 in the polishing units 30C and 30D.

[0074] Figure 15 is a side view showing the state in which the set height H3 of the upstream polishing member 40 and the downstream polishing member 40 is changed. In the following description, the polishing units 30A and 30B on the upstream side in the transport direction P will be referred to as the first polishing units 30A and 30B, and the polishing members 40 provided in each will be referred to as the first polishing members 40A and 40B. Also, the polishing units 30C and 30D on the downstream side in the transport direction P will be referred to as the second polishing units 30C and 30D, and the polishing members 40 provided in each will be referred to as the second polishing members 40C and 40D.

[0075] As shown in Figure 15, the first polishing members 40A and 40B of the upstream first polishing units 30A and 30B are set to a first set height H3H, which is the set height H3. On the other hand, the second polishing members 40C and 40D of the downstream second polishing units 30C and 30D are set to a second set height H3L, which is the set height H3. The second set height H3L is set to a lower height than the first set height H3H. The difference D between the first set height H3H and the second set height H3L can be set arbitrarily.

[0076] In this configuration, for a workpiece W being transported in the transport direction P, rough machining is first performed by the first polishing members 40A and 40B of the first polishing units 30A and 30B, and then finish machining is performed by the second polishing members 40C and 40D of the second polishing units 30C and 30D. Note that the first polishing members 40A and 40B may be polishing members 40 for rough machining, and the second polishing members 40C and 40D may be polishing members 40 for finish machining. In this way, by setting different lower surface heights for each polishing member 40, and by using different polishing members 40, the height of each polishing member 40 can be set to the optimal height according to the type of workpiece W (thickness, material, etc.), the processing content of the workpiece W (amount to be removed, etc.), and how the polishing member 40 is used (rotation speed, travel speed, etc.).

[0077] According to the embodiment described above, since the polishing member 40 can be raised and lowered for each of the multiple polishing units 30, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 can be set to any height for each polishing member 40. Therefore, the burden on the worker can be reduced compared to when the worker manually sets the height of multiple polishing members 40. In addition, when the worker manually sets the height of the polishing members 40, there may be variations in the accuracy of the height setting for each polishing member 40. However, according to this embodiment, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 is set based on the detection result of the first sensor 50, so the height of the lower surface 40s of multiple polishing members 40 can be set efficiently and with high precision. As a result, the polishing work of the workpiece W can be performed efficiently.

[0078] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiments described above. Furthermore, such modified or improved forms are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. One or more of the requirements described in the embodiments described above may be omitted. Also, the requirements described in the embodiments described above can be combined as appropriate. In addition, the execution order of each operation shown in the embodiments can be implemented in any order, as long as the result of the previous operation is not used in the subsequent operation. Furthermore, even if the operations in the embodiments described above are described using terms such as "first," "next," and "followed by," it is not essential to perform them in this order.

[0079] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment uses a configuration with four polishing units 30 (30A to 30D) as an example, the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, a configuration using three or fewer polishing units 30 may be used, or a configuration using five or more polishing units 30 may be used. Alternatively, a configuration may be configured in which any of the multiple polishing units 30 does not move in the width direction Q.

[0080] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example is given in which the axis AX of the rotating shaft 31 is set in the vertical direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the conveying surface 13a of the conveyor belt 13, but the embodiment is not limited to this configuration. For example, the axis of the rotating shaft 31 may be set parallel to the horizontal plane (for example, parallel to the width direction Q), and the polishing member 40 may be detachably attached to the circumferential surface of the mounting portion 31a of the rotating shaft 31.

[0081] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which one slider 21 is provided on both the +X side and the -X side of the frame 23, and two polishing units 30 are provided on one slider 21, is used as an example, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a slider 21 may be provided for each polishing unit 30, and each polishing unit 30 may be able to move independently along the guide portion 22 in the width direction Q.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 was detected by the first sensor 50 and the second sensor 60, but the embodiment is not limited to this configuration. A configuration in which the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a certain height may be applied to one or both of the first sensor 50 and the second sensor 60 using any other detection method. For example, as the first sensor 50, a non-contact method may be used to detect when the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a reference height H1. Examples of non-contact detection methods include methods using light, magnetism, air, etc. Of these, when using air, for example, a method may be used in which the release of air is blocked or suppressed by the polishing member 40, etc., when the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches the reference height H1, thereby detecting that the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached the reference height H1. Also, as the second sensor 60, a method may be used in which the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a predetermined height H2 by contact with a contactor, etc.

[0083] Furthermore, this embodiment includes the configurations described below. [Configuration 1] A conveyor 10 for transporting workpiece W, A support section 20 located above the conveyor 10, The system comprises a rotation drive unit 32 that rotates a rotation shaft 31 extending in the vertical direction, a polishing member 40 detachably attached to the lower end of the rotation shaft 31, a lifting drive unit 35 for driving the rotation drive unit 32 up and down relative to the support unit 20, and a movement amount detection unit 26 for detecting the amount of vertical movement of the rotation drive unit 32 by the lifting drive unit 35, and a plurality of polishing units 30 supported on the support unit 20, A polishing apparatus comprising: a control unit 70 that controls the lifting and lowering drive of the rotational drive unit 32 by the lifting and lowering drive unit 35 based on the detection result of the movement amount detection unit 26.

[0084] [Configuration 2] The system further includes a first sensor 50 that detects when the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a reference height H1. The control unit 70 is The polishing apparatus according to Configuration 1, wherein when the first sensor 50 detects that the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a reference height H1, the lifting drive unit 35 is controlled to move the polishing unit 30 up or down by the amount of displacement between the reference height H1 and a set height H3 which is an arbitrary height of the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40.

[0085] [Configuration 3] Multiple polishing units 30 First polishing units 30A and 30B, to which the first polishing members 40A and 40B, which are polishing members 40, are attached, The device comprises a second polishing unit 30C, 30D to which the second polishing members 40C, 40D, which are polishing members 40, are attached, The first polishing units 30A and 30B are controlled by the control unit 70 so that the height of the lower surface 40s of the first polishing members 40A and 40B becomes a first set height H3H which is an arbitrary height. The polishing apparatus according to configuration 2, wherein the second polishing units 30C and 30D are controlled by the control unit 70 so that the height of the lower surface 40s of the second polishing members 40C and 40D is an arbitrary height and is a second setting height H3L that is different from the first setting height H3H.

[0086] [Structure 4] The polishing apparatus according to configuration 3, wherein in the direction P in which the workpiece W is transported by the conveyor 10, the positions of the first polishing members 40A and 40B are different from those of the second polishing members 40C and 40D.

[0087] [Composition 5] The first sensor 50 has an upper end portion (contact portion) 51a that comes into contact with the polishing member 40 as it descends, and detects when the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a reference height H1 by contact with the upper end portion (contact portion) 51a. The control unit 70 controls each of the multiple polishing units 30, The first sensor 50 detects that the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 has reached a reference height H1, and thereafter controls the lifting drive unit 35 so that the polishing member 40 rises and moves away from the upper end (contact portion) 51a. The polishing apparatus according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein each polishing member 40 is raised from its upper end (contact portion) 51a, and with each polishing member 40 positioned above the conveyor 10, the lifting drive unit 35 is controlled so that the height of the lower surface 40s of each polishing member 40 becomes a set height H3, based on the thickness of the workpiece W and the amount of material removed from the workpiece W.

[0088] [Composition 6] The first sensor 50 has an upper end portion (contact portion) 51a that comes into contact with the polishing member 40 as it descends, and detects when the height of the lower surface 40s of the polishing member 40 reaches a reference height H1 by contact with the upper end portion (contact portion) 51a. The system further includes a second sensor 60 that detects when the polishing member 40, which descends from above a predetermined height H2 set to be higher than the upper end (contact portion) 51a of the first sensor 50, reaches the predetermined height H2. The polishing apparatus according to any one of configurations 2 to 5, wherein the control unit 70 detects that the polishing member 40 has reached a predetermined height H2 using the second sensor 60, switches the descent speed of the polishing unit 30 to which the polishing member 40 is attached from a first speed V1 to a second speed V2 which is lower than the first speed V1, and controls the lifting drive unit 35 to bring the polishing member 40 into contact with the upper end (contact portion) 51a at the second speed V2.

[0089] [Composition 7] The upper surface 40u of the polishing member 40 is attached to the mounting surface 31b of the polishing unit 30. The control unit 70 has a calculation unit 71 that calculates the thickness of the polishing member 40. The calculation unit 71 is, The amount of movement detected when the polishing member 40 reaches a reference height H1 from a preset origin height H0 is obtained from the movement amount detection unit 26. Based on the height of the mounting surface 31b located at the previously acquired origin height H0 and the amount of movement acquired from the movement amount detection unit 26, the height of the mounting surface 31b when the polishing member 40 reaches the reference height H1 is calculated. A polishing apparatus according to any one of configurations 2 to 6, wherein the difference between the calculated height of the mounting surface 31b and the reference height H1 is calculated as the thickness of the polishing member 40.

[0090] [Structure 8] The control unit 70 is A storage unit 72 stores data on the type of polishing member 40 attached to each polishing unit 30 and the amount of wear for each polishing member 40, It includes a determination unit 73 that determines whether or not the polishing member 40 has reached a specified thickness, The polishing apparatus according to configuration 7, wherein the determination unit 73 calculates the thickness of the polishing member 40 based on the type of polishing member 40 stored in the storage unit 72, data relating to the amount of wear corresponding to the polishing member 40, and the thickness of the polishing member 40 calculated in advance by the calculation unit 71, and determines whether or not the polishing member 40 has reached a specified thickness based on the calculation result. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] AX, AXA, AXB, AXC, AXD...axis H0... Origin height H1... Standard height H2... specified height H3...Setting height H3H...First setting height H3L...Second setting height P... Conveying direction Q...Width direction W...work 10. Conveyor 13. Conveyor belt 20...Support part 21...Slider 22... Guide Section 23...frames 25. Slide drive unit 26. Movement detection unit 30 (30A, 30B, 30C, 30D) ... Polishing Unit 30A, 30B...First polishing unit 30C, 30D... Second polishing unit 31... Rotation axis 31b...Mounting surface 32. Rotary drive unit 34. Power transmission section 35. Lifting drive unit 40... Polishing materials 40A, 40B...First polishing member 40C, 40D... Second polishing material 40u...Top surface 40s...Bottom side 50...First Sensor 51a...Top end (contact part) 60...Second sensor 70... Control Unit 71...Calculation Section 72...Storage section 73... Judgment section 100...polishing equipment

Claims

1. A conveyor that transports workpieces, A support part located above the conveyor, The polishing unit comprises a rotation drive unit for rotating a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction, a polishing member detachably provided at the lower end of the rotation shaft, a lifting drive unit for moving the rotation drive unit up and down relative to the support unit, and a movement amount detection unit for detecting the amount of vertical movement of the rotation drive unit by the lifting drive unit, and a plurality of polishing units supported by the support unit, A polishing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the lifting and lowering drive of the rotation drive unit by the lifting and lowering drive unit based on the detection result of the movement amount detection unit.

2. The system further includes a first sensor that detects when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member reaches a reference height. The control unit, The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the first sensor detects that the height of the lower surface of the polishing member has reached the reference height, the lifting drive unit is controlled to move the polishing unit up or down by an amount equal to the displacement between the reference height and a set height which is an arbitrary height of the height of the lower surface of the polishing member.

3. The aforementioned multiple polishing units are A first polishing unit to which the first polishing member, which is the polishing member, is attached, The device comprises a second polishing unit to which the second polishing member, which is the aforementioned polishing member, is attached, The first polishing unit is controlled by the control unit so that the height of the lower surface of the first polishing member becomes a first set height which is any height. The polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second polishing unit is controlled by the control unit so that the height of the lower surface of the second polishing member is an arbitrary height and is a second set height different from the first set height.

4. The polishing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the direction in which the workpiece is transported by the conveyor, the position of the first polishing member is different from that of the second polishing member.

5. The first sensor includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the polishing member as it descends, and detects when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member reaches the reference height through contact by the contact portion. The control unit controls each of the plurality of polishing units: The first sensor detects that the height of the lower surface of the polishing member has reached a reference height, and thereafter controls the lifting drive unit so that the polishing member rises and moves away from the contact portion. The polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the polishing members is raised above the contact portion, and with each of the polishing members positioned above the conveyor, the lifting drive unit is controlled based on the thickness of the workpiece and the amount of material to be removed from the workpiece so that the height of the lower surface of each of the polishing members becomes the set height.

6. The first sensor includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the polishing member as it descends, and detects when the height of the lower surface of the polishing member reaches the reference height through contact by the contact portion. The system further includes a second sensor that detects when the polishing member, which descends from above a predetermined height set higher than the contact portion of the first sensor, reaches the predetermined height. The polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the control unit detects that the polishing member has reached the predetermined height using the second sensor, it switches the downward speed of the polishing unit to which the polishing member is attached from a first speed to a second speed lower than the first speed, and controls the lifting drive unit to bring the polishing member into contact with the contact portion at the second speed.

7. The upper surface of the polishing member is attached to the mounting surface of the polishing unit. The control unit has a calculation unit for calculating the thickness of the polishing member, The calculation unit described above, The amount of movement detected when the polishing member reaches the reference height from a preset origin height is obtained from the movement amount detection unit. Based on the height of the mounting surface located at the previously acquired origin height and the amount of movement acquired from the movement detection unit, the height of the mounting surface when the polishing member reaches the reference height is calculated. The polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the difference between the calculated height of the mounting surface and the reference height is calculated as the thickness of the polishing member.

8. The control unit, A storage unit that stores the type of polishing member attached to each of the polishing units and data relating to the amount of wear for each polishing member, The polishing member has a determination unit that determines whether or not it has reached a specified thickness, The polishing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit calculates the thickness of the polishing member based on the type of polishing member stored in the storage unit, data relating to the amount of wear corresponding to the polishing member, and the thickness of the polishing member calculated in advance by the calculation unit, and determines whether or not the polishing member has reached the specified thickness based on the calculation result.

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