Multi-axis control mechanism

Abstract

To provide a multiple spindle control mechanism capable of automation of polishing work and the like by controlling a relative position to a processing surface of a mold of a polishing tool.SOLUTION: A multiple spindle control mechanism 1 is interposed between a processing device body 2 and a polishing tool 3 and capable of controlling a relative position of the polishing tool 3 to a processing surface F of a metal mold along an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, and comprises: a tool installation part 4; an X axis sliding mechanism part 5 capable of reciprocatively sliding the polishing tool 3 installed in the tool installation part 4 along an X axis direction x; a Y axis sliding mechanism part 6 reciprocatively slidable along a Y axis direction y; a Z axis sliding mechanism part 7 reciprocatively slidable along a Z axis direction z; a fluctuation mechanism part 8 fluctuatable along an X axis peripheral direction and / or a Y axis peripheral direction; and a Z axis rotation mechanism part 9 for rotating along a Z axis peripheral direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-axis control mechanism. More specifically, it controls the position of the mounted processing tool to improve processing accuracy, and relates to a multi-axis control mechanism that enables automation of polishing operations in metal processing, such as polishing the processed surface of a mold, for example.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in various industrial technology fields, multi-joint robots having robot hand mechanisms have been used to automate welding operations, painting operations, etc. This has made it possible to mass-produce products such as automobiles efficiently and with high precision.

[0003] On the other hand, mold processing technologies using pre-fabricated molds have also been known conventionally, and products and parts of the same shape have been manufactured efficiently and inexpensively. These molds include, for example, "plastic molds" for pouring molten resin into a mold by injection molding, compression molding, or vacuum molding, etc.; "press molds" for deforming a plate-like member such as a steel plate by placing it between molds and sandwiching it at high pressure; "casting molds" for pouring molten metal, which has been heated to a molten state, into a mold and cooling and solidifying it; "die-cast molds", which are a type of casting mold, for press-fitting an aluminum alloy, zinc alloy, or magnesium alloy into a mold at high temperature; and "forging molds" for manufacturing mechanical parts such as pistons and gears by hot forging or cold forging, etc. are known.

[0004] Molds are generally manufactured by setting a metal block as a raw material on a machining center and performing electrical discharge machining or cutting machining under NC control so as to have a processed surface (cavity surface) that is engraved into a desired shape programmed according to the design drawing. At this time, it is known that the surface roughness of the processed surface into which resin, molten metal, etc. are poured in injection molding, etc., that is, the processing accuracy of the processed surface, has a great influence on the quality of products and parts formed by the mold.

[0005] Therefore, in the process of manufacturing a mold, a final finishing process (final polishing process) is performed on the machined surface rough-machined by the above-described electrical discharge machining or the like, and a polishing operation is carried out to smooth the machined surface to a state close to a mirror surface. Thereby, the machining accuracy of the mold can be further improved, and the quality of the finally molded product or the like can be improved.

[0006] However, in the polishing operation of the machined surface in the final finishing process, since the machined surface is formed with complex unevenness and there is a slight solid difference in each mold, mainly skilled workers have carried out the polishing operation manually.

[0007] As a result, the working time required for the final finishing process tends to be long, and there is a risk that the working efficiency and the manufacturing efficiency of the mold may decrease. Furthermore, since a lot of time and experience are required to become a skilled worker who can perform the polishing operation, there is also a problem that it takes time to train such a worker.

[0008] Therefore, as an alternative to the final finishing process performed manually, an attempt has also been proposed to automate such a polishing operation using an articulated robot having the above-described robot hand mechanism.

[0009] For example, a tool head is attached to the working end of the arm of a vertical articulated robot, a polishing member holder is attached to the tip of this tool head, the polishing member is held by the polishing member holder via a flexible joint, and the tool head is provided with a motor device for rotating the polishing member and a pressing device for pressing the polishing member against the surface to be polished with a substantially constant pressure. Further, an operation control device is provided for causing the polishing member to perform at least two polishing steps having different polishing directions a desired number of times. In the first polishing step by this operation control device, the polishing member is sequentially moved along the planned direction from the planned start point to the planned end point of the surface to be polished. In the next polishing step, with the planned end point as the start point, the polishing member is moved along a direction different from the planned direction toward the planned start point in the first step. An automatic die polishing device characterized by "such a configuration" has already been proposed (see Patent Document 1). This enables shortening of the working time and high-precision machining.

[0010] Note that the polishing operation on the processed surface of the above die is just an example, and many other general metal surface grindings are also carried out. Even in such a case, high-precision machining of the metal surface and shortening of the working time are required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0011]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0012] However, as described above, the mold and other machined surfaces (surfaces) of metals are configured to have a complex uneven shape, and it has been difficult to automate the polishing work by an articulated robot. In particular, in the case of the automatic mold polishing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the control of the position of the tool head provided with the polishing tool for polishing the mold is performed by an articulated robot hand mechanism in which a plurality of robot arms are connected, and the distance between the polishing tool and the joint (axis) where the arms are connected may be greatly separated.

[0013] Therefore, for a slight displacement amount (displacement angle) of the axis (joint) connecting the robot arms, the displacement amount (movement amount) of the polishing tool attached to the tip tends to become large in a list, and it may be difficult to accurately control the position of the polishing tool. In particular, in the polishing of the machined surface of the mold, it is necessary to control and change the position of the polishing tool with a machining accuracy of 1 mm or less, and in some cases, several hundred μm or less. With the existing articulated robots described above, it has been difficult to control the polishing tool with such high accuracy. Therefore, the polishing work was still being performed manually by an operator.

[0014] That is, it has not been possible to completely reproduce the polishing work by a skilled worker using a conventional articulated robot. In addition to the polishing work on the machined surface of the above mold, it may not be possible to reproduce fine movements and automate using a combination of an articulated robot and a force sensor or other robots. Therefore, the development of a multi-axis control mechanism capable of moving or changing the relative position with respect to the object to be processed on a minute scale has been expected.

[0015] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a multi-axis control mechanism that controls the relative position of a processing tool such as a polishing tool with respect to an object to be processed on a minute scale, enables processing that enables high-precision position control such as polishing work on the machined surface of a mold or the surface of a metal, and enables automation of polishing work and the like.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0016] [1] Are respectively arranged on the Z-axis that coincides with the vertical direction Interposed between the processing apparatus main body and the processing tool, the relative position of the processing tool with respect to the object to be processed on which the processing operation is performed by the processing tool Coincide in the horizontal direction in the X-axis Orthogonal to the X-axis direction and coincide in the horizontal direction the Y-axis, and , orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and coincide with the vertical direction, said along the Z-axis , controlling the air pressure to expand and contract the cylinder shaft of the driving air cylinder to cause displacement a multi-axis control mechanism capable of moving, including a tool mounting portion on which the processing tool can be mounted, an X-axis sliding mechanism portion capable of reciprocally sliding the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the X-axis direction, and the X-axis sliding mechanism portion along the Z-axis direction on stacked, a Y-axis sliding mechanism portion capable of reciprocally sliding the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the Y-axis direction, and the X-axis sliding mechanism portion and the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion along the Z-axis direction on stacked, Connected to the processing device main body a Z-axis sliding mechanism portion capable of reciprocally sliding the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the Z-axis direction, and interposed between the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion and the Z-axis sliding mechanism portion, the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion can swing along the X-axis circumferential direction and / or the Y-axis circumferential direction , and has a Z-axis rotation mechanism part that rotates the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting part according to the direction around the Z-axis a swing mechanism portion and A multi-axis control mechanism comprising.

[0017] [2] The X-axis sliding mechanism portion includes a flat X-axis sliding plate having the tool mounting portion formed on one surface thereof, and a pair of X-axis linear guide portions disposed on the other surface of the X-axis sliding plate facing the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion and arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction, and a pair of X-axis rail portions formed to be respectively abutted against the pair of X-axis linear guide portions and arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis sliding mechanism portion includes a flat Y-axis sliding plate having the X-axis rail portion mounted on one surface thereof, and a pair of Y-axis linear guide portions disposed on the other surface of the Y-axis sliding plate and arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction and orthogonally to the X-axis linear guide portion and the X-axis rail portion respectively, and a pair of Y-axis linear guide portions formed to be respectively abutted against the pair of linear guide portions and arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction. The multi-axis control mechanism according to [1] further includes a pair of Y-axis rail portions.

[0018] [3] The Z-axis sliding mechanism unit further includes a Z-axis base unit disposed at a distance from the processing apparatus main body along the Z-axis direction, a Z-axis connecting unit connecting between the processing apparatus main body and the Z-axis base unit, and a Z-axis expansion and contraction mechanism unit that expands and contracts the distance between the processing apparatus main body and the Z-axis base unit connected by the Z-axis connecting unit. [2 The multi-axis control mechanism according to the above.

[0019] [4] The swing mechanism unit is interposed between a Y-axis base unit on which the Y-axis rail unit is installed and the Z-axis base unit, and is installed on either the Y-axis base unit or the Z-axis base unit, and has a concave curved surface portion. a bearing portion, a ball roller portion that is installed on the other of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion and abuts against the curved surface portion, and is disposed around the bearing portion and the ball roller portion, from either the Y-axis base portion or the Z-axis base portion. extending toward the other of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion, having a spherical ball pin portion at one end, and a swing cylinder portion that can expand and contract according to a cylinder axis, and formed on the other of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion, The multi-axis control mechanism according to [3] above, further comprising a pin receiving portion having an inverted conical shape capable of abutting against the ball pin portion of the swing cylinder portion.

[0020] [5] The multi-axis control mechanism according to any one of [1] to [4] above, further comprising a driving air cylinder that generates a driving force for sliding or rotating by the X-axis sliding mechanism unit, the Y-axis sliding mechanism unit, the Z-axis sliding mechanism unit, the swing mechanism unit, and the Z-axis rotation mechanism unit.

[0021] [6] The processing apparatus main body is a part of a multi-axis controllable robot hand mechanism formed by combining a plurality of arm parts, and the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting part is a polishing tool for polishing the processing surface of a mold as the processing object. The multi-axis control mechanism according to any one of [1] to [5] above.

[0022] [7] The grinding tool is selected from any one of a reciprocating sander, a belt sander, a spindle, and a precision polisher, and the tool mounting portion is the multi-axis control mechanism according to [6] that detachably mounts the selected grinding tool.

Advantages of the Invention

[0023] The multi-axis control mechanism of the present invention controls the relative position of the processing tool along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and controls the swing around the axes of the X-axis and Y-axis and the rotation around the axis of the Z-axis, thereby enabling precise position control of the processing tool and automating even precision processing such as the polishing operation of the processed surface of the mold.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the multi-axis control mechanism of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the multi-axis control mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the following, and various design changes, modifications, improvements, etc. can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0026] 1. Multi-axis control mechanism As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11, the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of an embodiment of the present invention is interposed between the processing apparatus main body 2 and the polishing tool 3, and is for automating the polishing operation on the processed surface F of the mold performed using the polishing tool 3. The relative position of the polishing tool with respect to the processed surface F of the mold can be controlled along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other.

[0027] The processing apparatus main body 2 on which the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment is mounted is formed by combining a plurality of arm portions (not shown) and is a part of a robot hand mechanism (multi-joint robot) capable of multi-axis control. The polishing tool 3 mounted on the multi-axis control mechanism 1 on the side opposite to the processing apparatus main body 2 corresponds to the processing tool in the present invention, and the processed surface F of the mold corresponds to the object to be processed in the present invention. Note that the multi-axis control mechanism of the present invention is not limited to use for the polishing operation of the processed surface F of the mold, and can be used for processing operations such as surface polishing of metal or other various materials.

[0028] That is, by using a multi-joint robot having an existing robot hand mechanism, the polishing tool 3 is controlled in a state of being close to the processed surface F of the mold, and further, the polishing operation (corresponding to the processing operation in the present invention) by the polishing tool 3 is precisely controlled using the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment. Thereby, a large movement of the movement amount with respect to the processed surface F of the mold is performed by the multi-joint robot, and further, the precise relative position, angle, etc. in the polishing operation can be performed by the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment. Here, the configurations and controls of the robot hand mechanism, multi-joint robot, etc. are already well-known, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0029] By adopting the multi-axis control mechanism 1 having the above configuration, the uneven shape of the machined surface F of the mold in the mold manufacturing process can be adjusted, and the automation of the most labor-intensive manual leveling operation of the machining marks can be achieved. In particular, compared with the conventional automatic polishing of the mold using an articulated robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1), the multi-axis control for controlling the relative position of the polishing tool 3 can be performed at a position close to the polishing tool 3, and the possibility of generating position deviations, blurs, vibrations, etc. associated with the multi-axis control is reduced, and more precise control becomes possible. Therefore, even in the polishing operation for the machined surface F of the mold that requires precise control of 100 μm or less, high-precision machining can be achieved.

[0030] Hereinafter, each component in the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment will be specifically described. Also, in FIGS. 1 to 11 (particularly FIGS. 2 to 7), for the sake of simplifying the drawings and the description, the illustration of some components of the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment is omitted, and a schematic representation is shown. The multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment will be described below as an example for performing a polishing operation on the machined surface F of the mold 3 (corresponding to the object to be processed in the present invention). The multi-axis control mechanism of the present application is not limited to this, and it may be used for the automation of the polishing operation (grinding operation) of the surface of other members made of metal with such metal members as the object to be processed.

[0031] The multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment is capable of controlling the relative position of the mold processing surface F of the polishing tool 3 along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other. A tool mounting portion 4 on which the polishing tool 3 can be mounted is provided on one end side of the multi-axis control mechanism 1 (the side opposite to the connection side of the processing apparatus main body 2). In the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment, the X-axis direction corresponds to the depth direction from the front of the paper surface in FIG. 1 into the paper surface, the Y-axis direction is orthogonal to the X-axis direction and corresponds to the left and right directions of the paper surface in FIG. 1, and the Z-axis direction is orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and corresponds to the vertical direction of the paper surface in FIG. 1 (the same applies to FIGS. 2, 5 to 7). The X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction are appropriately shown in the drawing with the signs of x, y, and z respectively.

[0032] In addition, as a specific configuration of the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment, an X-axis sliding mechanism portion 5 that can reciprocally slide the polishing tool 3 mounted on the tool mounting portion 4 along the X-axis direction x, a Y-axis sliding mechanism portion 6 that can reciprocally slide along the Y-axis direction y, a Z-axis sliding mechanism portion 7 that can reciprocally slide along the Z-axis direction z, a swing mechanism portion 8 that can swing along the X-axis circumferential direction rx and / or the Y-axis circumferential direction ry, and a Z-axis rotation mechanism portion 9 that rotates according to the Z-axis circumferential direction rz are mainly configured.

[0033]

[0034] 2. Tool mounting portion In the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of this embodiment, the tool mounting portion 4 can mount a processing tool such as a polishing tool 3, and fastening by bolts and nuts, or fixing screws, etc., or well-known locking mechanisms and fixing means can be adopted. Further, according to the polishing state of the processing surface F of the mold and the progress of the polishing work, a mechanism such as an auto tool changer that can easily replace the polishing tool 3 etc. mounted on the tool mounting portion 4 may be provided. For example, as the polishing tool 3, a reciprocating sander is shown mounted in FIG. 1.

[0035] Furthermore, as other polishing tools, for example, a belt sander 3a as shown in FIG. 9, a spindle 3b as shown in FIG. 10, and a precision polisher 3c as shown in FIG. 11 etc. can be appropriately exchanged according to the polishing situation.

[0036] 3. X-axis sliding mechanism part In the X-axis sliding mechanism part 5 of the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of this embodiment, the above-mentioned tool mounting portion 4 is provided on one surface 10a, and a flat plate-shaped X-axis sliding plate 10 that can slide (slide) along the X-axis direction x (corresponding to the left-right direction of the paper surface in FIG. 2), and a Y-axis base portion 32 which is a part of the Y-axis sliding mechanism part 6 (details will be described later) are disposed on the other surface 10b of the X-axis slide 10 facing each other, and a pair of X-axis linear guide portions 11a, 11b arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction x, and a pair of X-axis rail portions 12a, 12b formed to be respectively in contact with the pair of X-axis linear guide portions 11a, 11b and arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction x are provided.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 2, the X-axis linear guide parts 11a and 11b have guide groove parts 13 with a concave cross-section, and are formed such that the width of the guide groove parts 13 matches the width of the X-axis rail parts 12a and 12b. As a result, the flat X-axis sliding plate 10 can slide (slide) along the linear (linear) X-axis rail parts 12a and 12b. Note that the driving force for sliding the X-axis sliding plate 10 can be generated by X-axis driving air cylinders 14a and 14b respectively installed in the left-right direction of the paper surface of the X-axis sliding plate 10 as shown in Fig. 3 and the like.

[0038] That is, by controlling the air pressure to expand and contract the cylinder shafts 15a and 15b of the X-axis driving air cylinders 14a and 14b, the X-axis sliding plate 10 can be pushed out from the left and right by the cylinder shafts 15a and 15b to displace the position of the X-axis sliding plate 10. The control of such X-axis driving air cylinders 14a and 14b is pre-programmed, and the relative position in the X-axis direction x of the X-axis sliding plate 10 and the polishing tool 3 attached thereto can be changed according to the progress of the polishing operation.

[0039] Note that Fig. 3 shows a view of the multi-axis control mechanism 1 in Fig. 2 from the side direction (left direction of the paper surface) orthogonal thereto. Therefore, the X-axis direction corresponds to the left-right direction of the paper surface in Fig. 3, the Y-axis direction is orthogonal to the X-axis direction and corresponds to the depth direction from the front of the paper surface to the back of the paper surface in Fig. 3, and the Z-axis direction is orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and corresponds to the up-down direction of the paper surface in Fig. 1 (the same also applies in Fig. 4). Here, Fig. 4 shows a state where the X-axis driving cylinders 14a and 14b are used and the X-axis sliding plate 10 is controlled to move in the left direction of the paper surface.

[0040] In this way, by using a pair of X-axis driving air cylinders 14a and 14b, the X-axis sliding plate 10 can be accurately and quickly moved to a desired position using air pressure. As a result, the relative position of the X-axis with respect to the metal processing surface of the polishing tool 3 connected via the X-axis sliding plate 10 and the tool mounting part 4 can be controlled with high precision.

[0041] 4. Y-axis sliding mechanism part In the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion 6 of the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment, the above-described X-axis rail portion is provided on one surface 16a, and a flat plate-shaped Y-axis sliding plate 16 that is slidable along the Y-axis direction y, and the other surface 16b of the Y-axis sliding plate 16. A pair of Y-axis linear guide portions 17a, 17b that are disposed along the Y-axis direction y and are respectively orthogonal to the X-axis linear guide portions 11a, 11b and the X-axis rail portions 12a, 12b, and a pair of Y-axis linear guide portions 17a, 17b are respectively formed so as to be in contact with each other, and a pair of Y-axis rail portions 18a, 18b that are arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction y are provided.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the Y-axis linear guide portions 17a, 17b have a guide groove portion 19 having a concave cross section, and are formed such that the width of the guide groove portion 19 matches the width of the Y-axis rail portions 18a, 18b. Thereby, the flat plate-shaped Y-axis sliding plate 16 can slide (slide) along the linear (linear) Y-axis rail portions 18a, 18b.

[0043] Note that the driving force for sliding the Y-axis sliding plate 16 can be generated by Y-axis driving air cylinders 20a, 20b respectively arranged in the left-right direction of the paper surface of the Y-axis sliding plate 16 as shown in FIG. 2 and the like. That is, by expanding and contracting the cylinder shafts 21a, 21b of the Y-axis driving air cylinders 20a, 20b, the position of the Y-axis sliding plate 16 can be displaced. Here, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the Y-axis sliding plate 16 is moved to the left in the paper surface using the Y-axis driving air cylinders 20a, 20b. Since the sliding of the Y-axis sliding plate 16 using the Y-axis driving air cylinders 20a, 20bb is substantially the same as the sliding of the X-axis sliding plate 10 using the X-axis driving air cylinders 14a, 14b, detailed description is omitted here.

[0044] By using the pair of Y-axis driving air cylinders 20a, 20b, the Y-axis sliding plate 16 can be accurately and quickly moved to a desired position. Thereby, the relative position of the Y-axis with respect to the metal processing surface of the polishing tool 3 connected via the Y-axis sliding plate 16, the tool mounting portion 4, and the X-axis sliding plate 10 can be controlled with high precision.

[0045] In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the like, in the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment, both the X-axis sliding mechanism portion 5 and the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion 6 have a low height in the Z-axis direction z and are configured to be substantially flat. That is, the X-axis sliding mechanism portion 5 and the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion 6 are mainly composed of a flat X-axis sliding plate 10 and a Y-axis sliding plate 16, and are formed so as to be stacked on each other along the Z-axis direction z.

[0046] Thereby, the relative position of the polishing tool 3 along the X-axis direction x and the Y-axis direction y can be controlled on a substantially plane. Thereby, compared with a conventional multi-joint robot, the mechanism for controlling the relative position of the polishing tool 3 can be made compact. Thereby, it can be attached to a part of an existing multi-joint robot or a robot hand mechanism, and further fine control of the polishing tool 3 can be performed.

[0047] 5. Z-axis sliding mechanism portion The Z-axis sliding mechanism portion 7 in the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment further includes a flat Z-axis base portion 22 disposed at a distance from the processing apparatus main body 2 along the Z-axis direction z, a Z-axis connecting portion 23 that connects between the processing apparatus main body 2 and the Z-axis base portion 22, and a Z-axis expansion and contraction mechanism portion 24 that expands and contracts the distance between the processing apparatus main body 2 and the Z-axis base portion connected by the Z-axis connecting portion 23.

[0048] More specifically, the Z-axis connecting portion 23 connects between the processing apparatus main body 2 and the Z-axis base portion 22, and includes Z-axis portions 25a, 25b on a rod shaft extending from the processing apparatus main body 2 toward the Z-axis base portion 22, and Z-axis support portions 27a, 27b extending from the Z-axis base portion 22 toward the processing apparatus main body 2 and having shaft hole portions 26a, 26b through which the Z-axis portions 25a, 25b can be inserted. Here, the shaft diameters of the Z-axis portions 25a, 25b and the hole diameters of the shaft hole portions 26a, 26b are formed to be substantially the same, and the Z-axis portions 25a, etc. can be fitted into the shaft hole portions 26a, etc. Thereby, the sliding of the Z-axis base portion 22 with respect to the processing apparatus main body 2 along the Z-axis direction z can be guided.

[0049] Furthermore, the Z-axis telescopic mechanism unit 24 is constituted by a Z-axis drive air cylinder 28 that generates a driving force for enabling the sliding of the Z-axis base unit 22 with respect to the processing apparatus main body 2. The Z-axis drive air cylinder 28 protrudes from a cylinder main body 29 installed on the processing apparatus main body 2, and by changing the cylinder axis length of a cylinder axis 30 whose one end is connected to the Z-axis base unit 22, sliding along the Z-axis direction z described above becomes possible. Here, the Z-axis sliding mechanism unit 7 in the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment further includes balance air cylinders 31a and 31b that lift the Z-axis base unit 22 toward the processing apparatus main body 2 using pneumatic pressure. Here, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the Z-axis base unit 22 is separated from the processing apparatus main body 2 using the Z-axis drive air cylinder 28, in other words, a state in which the cylinder axis 30 protrudes from the cylinder main body 29 to the maximum extent.

[0050] 6. Swing mechanism unit As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 etc., the swing mechanism unit 8 in the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment is interposed between a Y-axis base unit 32 on which Y-axis rail units 18a and 18b are installed and the Z-axis base unit 22, and is installed on the Z-axis base unit 22. The swing mechanism unit 8 further includes a bearing unit 34 having a concave curved surface portion 33, a ball roller unit 35 installed on the Y-axis base unit 32 and in contact with the curved surface portion 33, and a swing cylinder unit 38 that is arranged around the bearing unit 34 and the ball roller unit 35, extends from the Z-axis base unit 22 toward the Y-axis base unit 32, has a spherical ball pin portion 36 at one end, and is swingable according to a cylinder axis 37, and a pin receiving portion 39 formed on the Y-axis base unit 32 and having an inverted conical shape that can come into contact with the ball pin portion 36 of the swing cylinder unit 38.

[0051] By providing a bearing portion 34 having a curved surface portion 33 and a ball roller portion 35 having a roller surface that is in surface contact with the curved surface portion 33, the Y-axis base portion 32 can swing along the X-axis circumferential direction rx and the Y-axis circumferential direction ry with respect to the Z-axis base portion 22 (see FIG. 7). As a result, at the tip side of the multi-axis control mechanism 1, in other words, at a position close to the polishing tool 3 mounted on the tool mounting portion 4, the angles of the polishing tool 3 in the X-axis circumferential direction rx and the Y-axis circumferential direction ry can be displaced. As a result, in addition to three-axis control, it is possible to reproduce the movement of a human hand, for example, a complex movement such as twisting, for the polishing tool 3. This enables the movement that was conventionally performed manually, and enables control for automating the polishing operation.

[0052] Here, the driving force for enabling such swinging can be obtained by the swinging cylinder portion 38. That is, by the expansion and contraction of the cylinder shaft 37 of the swinging cylinder portion 38, the contact state between the ball pin portion 36 provided at the tip of the cylinder shaft 37 and the opposing inverted conical pin receiving portion 39 changes. For example, by controlling the cylinder shaft 37 of one swinging cylinder portion 38 (located on the left side of the paper in FIG. 7) to contract and the cylinder shaft 37 of the other swinging cylinder portion 38 (located on the right side of the paper in FIG. 7) to expand, the Y-axis base portion 32 can be inclined diagonally with the right side down. As a result, the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion 6 having the Y-axis base portion 32, the X-axis sliding mechanism portion 5 stacked on the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion 6, and the polishing tool 3 connected via the X-axis sliding mechanism portion 5 and the tool mounting portion 4 are all similarly inclined.

[0053] At this time, the position of the bearing portion 34 provided on the Z-axis base portion 22 does not change, and the contact position of the ball roller portion 35 that contacts the curved surface portion 33 of the bearing portion 34 is displaced. Also, due to the expansion and contraction of the cylinder shaft 37, the contact position between the ball pin portion 36 at the tip of the cylinder shaft 37 and the conical pin receiving portion 39 changes. Furthermore, by returning the expansion and contraction of the cylinder shaft 37 to the original state, the Z-axis base portion 22 and the Y-axis base portion 32 return to the original state where they are parallel.

[0054] In addition to creating the inclined state of the Y-axis base portion 32 by combining the movement of the rocking cylinder portion 38 by the rocking mechanism portion 8 described above, the Y-axis base portion 32 can also be rotated around the Z-axis in the direction rz around the Z-axis with respect to the Z-axis base portion 22. As shown in FIG. 8, the Y-axis base portion 32 is provided with a Z-axis rotation guide portion 40 for guiding the rotation in the direction rz around the Z-axis.

[0055] As described above, the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment can perform control in the three axial directions x, y, and z of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, rocking in the direction rx around the X-axis and the direction ry around the Y-axis, and rotation in the direction rz around the Z-axis. Thereby, the multi-axis control mechanism 1 of the present embodiment can perform complex movements that could not be reproduced conventionally on the polishing tool 3 mounted on the tool mounting portion 4. In particular, by combining with the movement of an existing articulated robot (processing apparatus main body 2), precise relative position control with respect to a workpiece such as the machining surface F of a mold becomes possible, and an operation close to the movement of a human hand can be reproduced for the polishing tool 3. As a result, by programming these control operations in advance, the polishing operation for the machining surface F of the mold can be automated, and the efficiency of mold manufacturing and the reduction of manufacturing costs can be achieved.

Industrial Applicability

[0056] The multi-axis control mechanism of the present invention has industrial applicability in various fields of machining such as polishing operations on the machining surfaces of molds and polishing operations on the surfaces of metals in other metalworking.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0057] 1: Multi-axis control mechanism, 2: Processing apparatus main body, 3: Polishing tool (processing tool), 3a: Belt sander (processing tool), 3b: Spindle (processing tool), 3c: Precision polisher (processing tool), 4: Tool mounting portion, 5: X-axis sliding mechanism portion, 6: Y-axis sliding mechanism portion, 7: Z-axis sliding mechanism portion, 8: Rocking mechanism portion, 9: Z-axis rotation mechanism portion, 10: X-axis sliding plate, 10a, 16a: One surface, 10b, 16b: The other surface, 11a, 11b: X-axis linear guide portion 12a, 12b: X-axis rail part, 13, 19: Guide groove part, 14a, 14b: X-axis drive air cylinder, 15a, 15b, 21a, 21b, 30, 37: Cylinder shaft, 16: Y-axis sliding plate, 17a, 17b: Y-axis linear guide part, 18a, 18b: Y-axis rail part, 20a, 20b: Y-axis drive air cylinder, 22: Z-axis base part, 23: Z-axis connecting part, 24: Z-axis telescopic mechanism part, 25a, 25b: Z-axis part, 26a, 26b: Shaft hole part, 27a, 27b: Z-axis support part, 28: Z-axis drive air cylinder, 29: Cylinder body, 31a, 31b: Balance air cylinder, 32: Y-axis base part, 33: Curved surface part, 34: Bearing part, 35: Ball roller part, 36: Ball pin part, 38: Rocking cylinder part, 39: Pin receiving part, F: Mold processing surface, rx: Direction around the X-axis, ry: Direction around the Y-axis, rz: Direction around the Z-axis, x: X-axis direction, y: Y-axis direction, z: Z-axis direction.

Claims

1. A multi-axis control mechanism interposed between a processing apparatus main body and a processing tool, each arranged on a Z-axis that coincides in the vertical direction, for controlling the relative position of the processing tool with respect to a workpiece on which a processing operation is performed by the processing tool along an X-axis that coincides in the horizontal direction, a Y-axis that is orthogonal to the X-axis direction and coincides in the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis that is orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and coincides in the vertical direction, and is displaceable by controlling air pressure to extend and contract a cylinder shaft of a driving air cylinder, comprising: a tool mounting portion on which the processing tool can be mounted; an X-axis sliding mechanism portion that reciprocally slides the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the X-axis direction; a Y-axis sliding mechanism portion that is stacked along the Z-axis direction on the X-axis sliding mechanism portion and reciprocally slides the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the Y-axis direction; a Z-axis sliding mechanism portion that is stacked along the Z-axis direction on the X-axis sliding mechanism portion and the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion, is connected to the processing apparatus main body, and reciprocally slides the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the Z-axis direction; a swing mechanism portion interposed between the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion and the Z-axis sliding mechanism portion, capable of swinging the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion along the X-axis circumferential direction and / or the Y-axis circumferential direction, and having a Z-axis rotation mechanism portion that rotates the processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion according to the Z-axis circumferential direction.

2. The X-axis sliding mechanism portion includes: a flat X-axis sliding plate having the tool mounting portion formed on one surface thereof; a pair of X-axis linear guide portions disposed on the other surface of the X-axis sliding plate facing the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion and arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction; further comprising a pair of X-axis rail portions formed to be respectively abutted against the pair of X-axis linear guide portions and arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis sliding mechanism portion includes: a flat Y-axis sliding plate having the X-axis rail portion installed on one surface thereof; a pair of Y-axis linear guide portions disposed on the other surface of the Y-axis sliding plate, arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction and orthogonal to the X-axis linear guide portions and the X-axis rail portions respectively; The multi-axis control mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of Y-axis rail portions formed to be respectively abutted against the pair of Y-axis linear guide portions and arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction.

3. The Z-axis sliding mechanism portion includes: The processing device main body and a Z-axis base portion arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the Z-axis direction, a Z-axis connecting portion that connects between the processing device main body and the Z-axis base portion, The multi-axis control mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising a Z-axis expansion and contraction mechanism portion that expands and contracts the distance between the processing device main body and the Z-axis base portion connected by the Z-axis connecting portion.

4. The swing mechanism portion, is interposed between the Y-axis base portion on which the Y-axis rail portion is installed and the Z-axis base portion, a bearing portion that is installed on either one of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion and has a concave curved surface portion, a ball roller portion that is installed on the other one of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion and abuts against the curved surface portion, is arranged around the bearing portion and the ball roller portion, extends from either one of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion toward the other one of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion, has a spherical ball pin portion at one end, and a swing cylinder portion that can expand and contract according to a cylinder shaft, The multi-axis control mechanism according to claim 3, further comprising a pin receiving portion formed on the other one of the Y-axis base portion and the Z-axis base portion and having an inverted conical shape that can abut against the ball pin portion of the swing cylinder portion.

5. The multi-axis control mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a driving air cylinder that generates a driving force for sliding or rotating by the X-axis sliding mechanism portion, the Y-axis sliding mechanism portion, the Z-axis sliding mechanism portion, the swing mechanism portion, and the Z-axis rotation mechanism portion.

6. The processing device main body, is a part of a multi-axis controllable robot hand mechanism formed by combining a plurality of arm portions, The processing tool mounted on the tool mounting portion, is a polishing tool for polishing the processing surface of a mold as the processing object. The multi-axis control mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The polishing tool, is selected from any one of a reciprocating sander, a belt sander, a spindle, and a precision polisher, The tool mounting portion, The multi-axis control mechanism according to claim 6, which mounts the selected polishing tool in a replaceable manner.

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