Parallel Link Type Work Processing Device

Abstract

To develop a parallel link type workpiece processing device that can achieve precise processing control while making a linkage mechanism or the like for setting of a processing unit that tends to be complicated a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A workpiece processing device M according to the present invention is a device that performs processing such as cutting on a workpiece W on a work table 2 by moving a processing unit 3 in a three-dimensional direction and is a parallel link type in which a shift setting mechanism 6 of a processing unit setting mechanism 4 is formed by arranging multiple shift cylinders 61 in parallel to each other, an action length of the shift cylinder 61 is controlled for extension and contraction, an upper end of the shift cylinder 61 is connected to an upper part of a frame 1 of the workpiece processing device M, a lower end of the shift cylinder 61 is connected to the processing unit 3 side, and which is shifted in a three-dimensional direction while maintaining the processing unit 3 in a horizontal posture by controlling the action length of each shift cylinder 61 for extension and contraction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus which is preferably applied as a woodworking router, for example.

Background Art

[0002] Commercially available woodworking routers generally include a fixed worktable approximately 1 m to 2 m in width and 2 m to 4 m in length, and a processing unit that can move in three directions: X, Y, and Z above the worktable. A drill-shaped cutting tool, which is the processing head of the processing unit, is applied to a workpiece fixedly installed on the worktable to perform appropriate decorative processing such as a relief shape.

[0003] Such an apparatus has a table with the above dimensions so as to meet the processing requirements for large-sized workpieces. In addition to requiring a large installation area, a large movement range of the processing unit must also be ensured. However, on the other hand, some users only process workpieces with relatively small dimensions, and there are many cases where a more compact apparatus is required.

[0004] As a method for meeting such a requirement for compactness, an apparatus using a so-called parallel link mechanism has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, this type of parallel link structure may have a complex link structure with respect to, for example, accurately maintaining the posture of the processing unit responsible for direct processing and accurately setting the shift movement. Although it has been proposed as an idea, few actual machines are available on the market.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and aims to develop a parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus that can achieve accurate processing control while simplifying the configuration of a linkage mechanism or the like for setting a processing unit that tends to become complicated. This is the technical problem to be solved.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0007] That is, the parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 1 includes Comprising both a frame extending in the vertical direction and a frame extending in the horizontal direction a three-dimensional frame-shaped frame, a workpiece table supported below the frame, a processing unit that performs predetermined processing on the workpiece on the workpiece table, and a processing unit setting mechanism that supports the processing unit in a suspended state from the upper part of the frame. The apparatus is configured to perform predetermined processing on the workpiece on the workpiece table by moving the processing unit in three-dimensional directions by the processing unit setting mechanism. The processing unit setting mechanism includes a parallel setting mechanism and a shift setting mechanism. The parallel setting mechanism includes an upper base plate attached to the upper part of the frame and moving only in the vertical direction while maintaining the central position and horizontal posture, a lower base plate provided below the upper base plate and moving in three-dimensional directions while taking a horizontal posture, a stabilizer column supported vertically in a universal joint manner with respect to the upper base plate and the lower base plate, and at least three parallel control rods disposed between the upper base plate and the lower base plate so as to surround the stabilizer column. On one hand, the shift setting mechanism is configured such that a plurality of shift cylinders are arranged in parallel, the working length of the shift cylinders is controlled to expand and contract, the upper ends of the shift cylinders are connected to the upper part of the frame, the lower ends of the shift cylinders are connected to the processing unit side, and by controlling the expansion and contraction of the working length of each shift cylinder, the processing unit is shifted in three-dimensional directions while maintaining a horizontal posture.

[0008] In addition, the parallel link type work processing apparatus according to claim 2, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1, the three-dimensional frame-shaped frame comprises a portal-shaped gate frame, a lower frame having a rectangular frame shape in plan view and connected to the lower part of the gate frame, an upper frame having a triangular frame shape in plan view and connected to the upper part of the gate frame, and four brace frames provided between the corner portions on the side opposite to the gate frame in the lower frame and the three corner portions of the upper frame.

[0009] In addition, the parallel link type work processing apparatus according to claim 3, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1 or 2, the lower base plate is provided to support the lower part of the stabilizer column, and a unit support is provided in a suspended state below the lower base plate, and the processing unit is mounted on this unit support.

[0010] In addition, the parallel link type work processing apparatus according to claim 4, in addition to the requirements described in claim 3, the shift cylinders in the shift setting mechanism are composed of three, the upper ends thereof are connected to three corner portions of the upper frame in the frame in a flexible joint manner, and the lower ends of the shift cylinders are connected to the unit support in a flexible joint manner.

[0011] The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 5, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1 or 2, The parallel control rod in the parallel setting mechanism is provided between the upper base plate and the lower base plate, and is ball-joint connected to the upper base plate and the lower base plate. And the parallel control rod is constantly approaching each other between the upper base plate and the lower base plate by a rod holding mechanism being constantly approaching biased in the direction of and is characterized in that it has such a configuration.

[0012] The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 6, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1 or 2, The shift cylinder in the shift setting mechanism is an electric cylinder equipped with a ball screw mechanism. Also, the outer cylinder in the shift setting mechanism is provided with a torque stop mechanism between it and the frame, and the outer cylinder is also characterized in that it is provided with a torque stop mechanism between it and the cylinder rod.

[0013] The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 7, in addition to the requirements described in the above Item 2 claims, the above lower frame On the opposite side of the gate frame with respect to the above, there is provided a tool stocker for storing a plurality of tools to be attached to the processing head of the processing unit, and enabling appropriate tools to be selectively attached to the processing head.

[0014] The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 8, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1 or 2, The upper base plate is connected to the upper frame by three bendable upper base plate support links arranged at equal angular intervals when viewed from a plane. By these upper base plate support links, the upper base plate is configured to be vertically movable with respect to the upper frame while maintaining a horizontal state. And, by using the configurations described in each of these claims as means, the above problems are solved.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] First, according to the invention described in claim 1, a plurality of shift cylinders serving as drive units are arranged in parallel, and these are simultaneously actuated (extended and contracted) on the processing unit side to control the position of the processing unit (a so-called parallel mechanism). Thus, since the present invention controls the position of the processing unit from multiple directions, compared with a conventional mechanism (a so-called serial mechanism) that moves the processing unit in three directions of XYZ (three mutually perpendicular directions), the error per shift cylinder is averaged, and the processing unit can be controlled with high precision. Also, the control for operating the processing unit can be structured simply, and the operating output per shift cylinder can be reduced. Furthermore, it can be made more compact and lightweight, and space saving during installation can also be achieved.

[0016] Also, according to the invention described in claim 2, since the three-dimensional frame-shaped frame is composed of a rectangular frame-shaped lower frame, a triangular frame-shaped upper frame, and four brace frames that connect the corner portions of both these frames vertically, it becomes a truss frame with a polyhedral structure, and strong frame rigidity can be ensured.

[0017] Also, according to the invention described in claim 3, the mounting form of the processing unit is made specific.

[0018] Also, according to the invention described in claim 4, the number of shift cylinders and the connection forms at both the upper and lower ends thereof are made specific.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 5, the parallel control rod has both ends ball-joint connected to the upper base plate and the lower base plate, and during processing, this ball-joint connection will not be released. That is, during processing, since the processing unit moves to various positions, accordingly the parallel control rod may be greatly inclined (tilted). However, in the present invention, because of the rod holding mechanism, the connection state of the upper and lower ball joints is always maintained.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 6, since the outer cylinder is provided with a torque stop mechanism between the frame and the cylinder rod, the extension and contraction control of the shift cylinder can be carried out reliably and accurately.

[0021] According to the invention described in claim 7, since a tool stocker for storing a plurality of tools is provided, even when the tool needs to be changed during the processing of one workpiece, such tool replacement work can be automatically carried out by setting a prior program.

[0022] According to the invention described in claim 8, the support structure of the upper base plate is made specific.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023]

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Figure 16

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] The present invention is as shown in the following examples, but appropriate changes can also be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention with respect to these examples.

Examples

[0025] Hereinafter, the parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus M of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as the workpiece processing apparatus M) will be specifically described based on the illustrated embodiments. As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the workpiece processing apparatus M includes a three-dimensional frame-shaped frame 1 as a basic component, a workpiece table 2 disposed below the frame 1, a processing unit 3 that performs predetermined processing such as cutting on the workpiece W on the workpiece table 2, and a processing unit setting mechanism 4 that supports the processing unit 3 in a suspended state from the upper part of the frame 1. The processing unit 3 is moved in three-dimensional directions by the processing unit setting mechanism 4 to perform predetermined processing on the workpiece W on the workpiece table 2.

[0026] Hereinafter, each of the above members will be described. First, the three-dimensional frame-shaped frame 1 will be described. As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the frame 1 includes a gate frame 11 formed in a gate shape, a lower frame 12 that projects rearward (in the horizontal direction) of the gate frame 11 below it, and an upper frame 13 that also projects rearward above it. For convenience, in this specification, the side facing the gate frame 11 is referred to as the front or near side in the workpiece processing apparatus M, and the opposite side, that is, the side where the lower frame 12 and the upper frame 13 are provided to project (the side opposite to the gate frame 11) is referred to as the rear or back side.

[0027] As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the lower frame 12 is formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the plane, while the upper frame 13 is formed in a triangular frame shape when viewed from the plane. The upper frame 13 having a triangular shape includes upper sub-frames 14 that connect the middle positions of its three sides respectively. And between the lower frame 12 and the upper frame 13, a columnar brace frame 15 is provided so as to be inclined, and substantially supports the upper frame 13.

[0028] That is, the brace frame 15 is composed of four brace frames 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. For the brace frame 15a, the lower end is connected to the inner corner of the lower frame 12, while the upper end is connected to the corner near the gate frame 11 in the upper frame 13, that is, the front corner. Also, for the brace frame 15b, the lower end is similarly connected to the inner corner of the lower frame 12, while the upper end is connected to the inner vertex corner of the upper frame 13.

[0029] For the brace frame 15c, the lower end is connected to the other corner of the lower frame 12, while the upper end is connected to the inner vertex corner of the upper frame 13. Further, for the brace frame 15d, the lower end is connected at approximately the same position as the brace frame 15c, while the upper end is connected to the corner on the gate frame 11 side of the upper frame 13. In this way, the frame 1 adopts a configuration in which the triangular upper frame 13 and the rectangular lower frame 12 are vertically connected by the gate frame 11 in a gate shape (connected so that one side of the triangle and the rectangle overlap when viewed from the plane), and further, each vertex of the structure connected in this way is connected by four brace frames 15 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the frame 1 is formed as a truss frame with a polyhedron structure and is configured to have strong rigidity. Incidentally, the entire frame 1 configured in this way presents a deformed pentagon (so-called home base shape) in plan view (see Fig. 4).

[0030] Note that the lower frame 12 is not provided at the lowermost end (on the installation surface) of the device, but is provided at a position slightly lifted from the device installation surface by the leg frames 16. This leg frame 16 is substantially composed of the lower part of the gate frame 11 and the leg frames 16 provided at two rear corners of the lower frame 12. Furthermore, the frame 1 is provided with a tool stocker frame 17 for storing several types of tools (cutting tools), and this is provided at the rear outer edge of the lower frame 12 (see Fig. 2).

[0031] And, such a frame 1 is provided with a work table 2 on the lower frame 12. As an example shown in FIG. 5, a traverse gantry 23 is movably mounted on a traverse rail 21 provided on the lower frame 12 via a linear bearing 22 on this work table 2. Further, a longitudinal rail 24 is provided on this traverse gantry 23 in the front - rear direction of the apparatus, and a rectangular parallelepiped - shaped table body 26 is provided on this longitudinal rail 24 via a linear bearing 25. As a result, the table body 26 is configured to be movable in the front - rear direction on the traverse gantry 23. Here, reference numeral 23h in the figure is a gripping portion held by an operator when moving the traverse gantry 23 horizontally, that is, in the left - right direction. Also, in this embodiment, for example, two traverse gantries 23 are provided, and two table bodies 26 (four in total) that move in the front - rear direction on one traverse gantry 23 are provided. This is to correspond to various different sizes of the work W. That is, when the work W is large, the traverse gantries 23 are separated widely, and the interval between the table bodies 26 on one traverse gantry 23 is also ensured to be wide. Conversely, when the work W is small, it is not always necessary to use all four table bodies 26. Also, the table body 26 is configured to be able to adsorb, hold, and fix the work W, for example, and suction holes for this purpose are formed on the work holding surface. Also, a suction passage for this purpose is formed on the traverse gantry 23 on which the table body 26 is slidably placed. Note that the work table 2 is not necessarily limited to such a form. For example, a form in which the work W is clamped and fixed on a flat - plate - shaped mounting table is also possible, and various forms can be adopted.

[0032] Next, the processing unit 3 will be described. The processing unit 3 is a unit that performs appropriate processing such as cutting on the workpiece W. The processing unit 3 itself has, for example, a conical tool T such as a router as the processing head 31, and a drive unit 32 above it. Incidentally, the support form of the processing unit 3 will be described together with the processing unit setting mechanism 4. By the way, the processing unit 3 is not limited to cutting and relief processing on the workpiece W, and for example, a painting nozzle or the like can be applied as the processing head 31 to perform processing such as painting on the workpiece W. Also, in this embodiment, since cutting is assumed as the actual processing to be performed on the workpiece W, as an example, as shown in FIG. 15, the processing head 31 is provided with a rectangular cylindrical dust collection cover 33 that surrounds the periphery thereof. This dust collection cover 33 functions to prevent chips generated during processing from scattering around and to efficiently collect the chips. Incidentally, the chips generated during processing pass through a dust collection port 34 opened from inside the dust collection cover 33 toward the upper front side of the processing head 31, and are collected through a flexible duct or the like appropriately connected here. Also, the dust collection cover 33 itself can be formed by attaching hairs in multiple rows or in a multilayer state almost all around the lower end of a plate-like member having a rectangular cylindrical shape. Further, the dust collection cover 33 is configured to be openable on the back side, that is, facing the tool stocker 7, so as not to interfere with the tool replacement operation during tool replacement. In the figure, reference numeral 33M is a drive motor for opening and closing the dust collection cover 33.

[0033] Next, the processing unit setting mechanism 4 will be described. The processing unit setting mechanism 4 moves the processing unit 3 to an appropriate three-dimensional position, that is, an arbitrary position in the X, Y, and Z directions while maintaining the horizontal posture of the processing unit 3, and is composed of a parallel setting mechanism 5 and a shift setting mechanism 6. Of course, since the workpiece processing apparatus M of the present invention employs parallel link processing, its movable range is subject to certain restrictions. Incidentally, the hatching in FIGS. 3 to 5 (so-called three-view drawings) indicates the movement range of the processing head 31.

[0034] The following describes the parallel setting mechanism 5 that constitutes the processing unit setting mechanism 4. The parallel setting mechanism 5 is responsible for maintaining the horizontal posture of the processing unit 3 and is supported in a suspended state from the upper frame 13 of the frame 1. As an example, as shown in FIG. 8, the parallel setting mechanism 5 includes an upper base plate 50 at the upper part. This upper base plate 50 has a general shape that is called a deformed hexagonal shape when viewed from the plane, and is formed as a plate-like member with an opening in the center. And, as shown in FIG. 14 as an example, this upper base plate 50 is attached to the upper sub-frame 14 so that its central position is secured by the upper base plate support link 51 and it can move in the vertical direction. That is, the upper base plate support link 51 forms a two-link structure in which the base link piece 51a is pin-connected to the upper sub-frame 14, and further, the plate-side link piece 51b is similarly pin-connected to the other end side of the base link piece 51a. The plate-side link piece 51b is pin-connected to the upper base plate 50 at its free end side. And the upper base plate support link 51 is provided in a state of being equally distributed at three locations in a plan view (so-called three equal distributions).

[0035] Also, as another example, as shown in FIG. 8 above, the upper part of the stabilizer column 52 is supported by the upper base plate 50. Specifically, the stabilizer column 52 is, for example, a pipe-shaped member that ensures sufficient rigidity, and its upper end is supported in a flexible joint manner with respect to the upper base plate 50 by the upper universal joint 53a of the universal joint 53. More specifically, as the upper universal joint 53a, an elongated doughnut-shaped relay member 521 is provided between the upper base plate 50 and the stabilizer column 52. And this relay member 521 is first rotatably connected to the outer upper base plate 50 in an appropriate direction (for example, the left-right direction), and further rotatably connected to the inner stabilizer column 52 in a direction 90 degrees different (for example, the front-back direction) (see FIG. 9(b)). With such a configuration, the stabilizer column 52 is configured to be able to move freely in three-dimensional directions downward while moving up and down by the upper universal joint 53a while ensuring the upper center position.

[0036] On the other hand, the lower end of the stabilizer column 52 supports the lower base plate 54. In the claims, the stabilizer column 52 is expressed as being provided between the upper base plate 50 and the lower base plate 54, but the lower base plate 54 itself is substantially attached to the lower end of the stabilizer column 52. Also, between the lower end of the stabilizer column 52 and the lower base plate 54, as an example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is connected in a flexible joint manner by the lower universal joint 53b of the universal joint 53 in the same way as the upper part. That is, the reference numeral 522 in the figure is an elongated doughnut-shaped relay member provided between the lower base plate 54 and the stabilizer column 52, and this substantially constitutes the lower universal joint 53b.

[0037] And between such an upper base plate 50 and a lower base plate 54, three parallel control rods 55 are provided at equal angular intervals so as to surround a stabilizer column 52 as an example. The upper and lower ends of these parallel control rods 55 are ball-joint connected between the upper base plate 50 and the lower base plate 54. And the connection between the parallel control rod 55 and the upper base plate 50, and the connection between the parallel control rod 55 and the lower base plate 54 are maintained by a rod holding mechanism 56. Hereinafter, this rod holding mechanism 56 will be described.

[0038] Here, in the present invention, the processing unit 3 can be moved to an appropriate position by a parallel link mechanism. To increase this degree of freedom, it is necessary to be able to greatly incline the parallel control rod 55. That is, in order to widely obtain the movement range of the processing unit 3, it is necessary to tilt (incline) the parallel control rod 55 at an angle larger than that of a normal ball-joint connection (see FIG. 10). For this purpose, it is desirable to reduce the engagement allowance (fitting allowance) between the ball portion and the ball catch portion that receives it, compared with a normal ball-joint connection, so as to widely obtain the above-described movable range. However, it cannot be denied that when such a structure is simply adopted, the fitted ball portion is likely to come out of the ball catch portion. That is, in this embodiment, when the parallel control rod 55 is tilted to a certain extent, the ball joint portion is likely to come out. Therefore, in this embodiment, a measure to prevent this is taken, and this is the rod holding mechanism 56.

[0039] Hereinafter, the rod holding mechanism 56 will be described in more detail. The rod holding mechanism 56 that maintains the connection between the lower part of the parallel control rod 55, that is, the parallel control rod 55 and the lower base plate 54, will be described with reference to FIG. 9. First, the stabilizer column 52 is vertically divided into two parts near the lower base plate 54, and flange portions f1 and f2 that project outward on the outer peripheral side are formed at each of the divided portions. Then, between these flange portions f1 and f2, while sandwiching a plate-like intervening object (this is referred to as the object to be clamped 561), it is further connected and fixed by bolts and nuts provided with a biasing member 562 such as a spring. With such a configuration, the lower base plate 54 is biased upward, that is, pressed against the ball portion of the lower ball joint portion in the parallel control rod 55, and the removal of the ball joint portion is prevented. Note that the rod holding mechanism 56 is also provided above the parallel control rod 55, that is, between the parallel control rod 55 and the upper base plate 50 as described above. As a result, the parallel control rod 55 is also prevented from coming off at the upper and lower ball joint portions. In this embodiment, due to such a structure, even if the parallel control rod 55 is greatly inclined, the ball joint portion will not come off (the connection of the ball joint portion will not be released).

[0040] Furthermore, below the lower base plate 54, as an example, as shown in FIG. 8 above, a unit support 57 for supporting the processing unit 3 is provided in a suspended state. This unit support 57 is composed of a drive unit housing 57a and a head support 57b configured in a plate shape below it.

[0041] Next, another shift setting mechanism 6 that constitutes the processing unit setting mechanism 4 will be described. The shift setting mechanism 6 performs a shift operation to move the processing unit 3 supported by the parallel setting mechanism 5 to an arbitrary position and is responsible for the action of the drive unit. The shift setting mechanism 6 is composed of, for example, three shift cylinders 61 such as electric cylinders as shown in FIGS. 4 and 11. This shift cylinder 61 includes an outer cylinder 62 and a cylinder rod 63 and is configured to be extendable and contractible as a whole. That is, as shown in Fig. 12 for example, the shift cylinder 61 rotates the drive ring 64R by a shift motor 64 provided below the outer cylinder 62. The drive ring 64R has a cylinder rod 63 with a ball screw-shaped spiral shaft part screwed thereto. The rotation of the drive ring 64R moves the cylinder rod 63 in the axial direction (i.e., the vertical direction), ultimately achieving the extension and contraction of the cylinder rod 63. Of course, the cylinder rod 63 screwed to the drive ring 64R is configured not to rotate itself even when the drive ring 64R rotates (so that the cylinder rod 63 moves up and down), and the configuration thereof will be described later.

[0042] Also, the upper part of the outer cylinder 62 in the shift cylinder 61 is connected to the upper frame 13 via an upper joint 62J applying a ball joint. Specifically, the outer cylinders 62 in the three shift cylinders 61 are respectively connected near each vertex of the upper frame 13 forming a triangular frame shape in plan view (see Fig. 4). Also, the lower joints 63J at the lower ends of the cylinder rods 63 are connected to three locations around the head support 57b in the unit support 57 by applying a ball joint as well (see Fig. 5). Therefore, the three shift cylinders 61 are connected to the unit support 57 in the parallel setting mechanism 5 in a form that converges downward from three points above. As will be described later, by setting the expansion and contraction states of each of the shift cylinders 61, the processing head 31 is moved to an arbitrary position. Considering the moment during the shift operation, etc., in this embodiment, the lower end of the cylinder rod 63 is connected to the head support 57b. However, as long as the positioning of the processing head 31 can be achieved, for example, a form in which the lower joint 63J of the cylinder rod 63 is connected to the lower base plate 54 in the parallel setting mechanism 5 is of course acceptable.

[0043] Furthermore, in such a configuration, since the upper and lower parts of the shift cylinder 61 are ensured free movement by ball joint connection, even when attempting to drive the cylinder rod 63 by the shift motor 64 in such a state, the outer cylinder 62 may rotate as if it were idling or the cylinder rod 63 may rotate under the driving torque, resulting in the possibility that accurate expansion and contraction may not occur. Therefore, torque-limiting mechanisms are provided for both the outer cylinder 62 and the cylinder rod 63 respectively.

[0044] First, regarding the torque-limiting mechanism between the outer cylinder 62 and the frame 1, as an example, as shown in FIG. 11, a torque-limiting projection 65 is provided on the upper part of the outer cylinder 62, while a projection receiver 66 is provided on the frame 1 side, configured to prevent the rotation of the outer cylinder 62. Also, regarding the torque-limiting mechanism between the outer cylinder 62 and the cylinder rod 63, as an example, as shown in FIG. 13(c), a disk-shaped rotation stopper 67 is fixed to the upper end of the cylinder rod 63, and rectangular notches 671 are formed at two opposing positions on the diameter line on the outer peripheral side of the rotation stopper 67. Further, on the inner peripheral side of the outer cylinder 62, protrusions 68 protruding inward are formed at two positions in the axial direction (two opposing positions on the diameter line), and by engaging the notches 671 on the cylinder rod 63 side with the protrusions 68 on the outer cylinder 62 side, it is configured to prevent the rotation of the cylinder rod 63 with respect to the outer cylinder 62.

[0045] And with such a configuration, even when the drive ring 64R driven by the shift motor 64 rotates, the outer cylinder 62 and the cylinder rod 63 both do not rotate, and the expansion and contraction operation of the entire shift cylinder 61 is performed.

[0046] Here, the movement range of the processing head 31 (the hatching in FIGS. 3 to 5) will be supplemented and explained based on FIG. 16. From the above mounting structure, one shift cylinder 61 moves while describing a cone-shaped (right circular cone-shaped) trajectory with the upper joint 62J as its apex and the shift cylinder 61 (the outer cylinder 62 and the cylinder rod 63) as its generating line. As described above, the three shift cylinders 61 are arranged with a phase difference of 120 degrees in a plan view, and the machining head 31 is provided below the shift cylinders 61 via the head support 57b. Therefore, the machining head 31 is restricted by the three shift cylinders 61, and the planar trajectory that the machining head 31 actually traces is like a cone traced by one shift cylinder 61 cut obliquely near the bottom, resulting in an elliptical shape. In other words, the planar trajectory that the machining head 31 actually traces is not the circular shape of the cone's bottom, but an elliptical shape cut obliquely near this area. Here, since there are three shift cylinders 61, three of these ellipses overlap. That is, as shown in FIG. 16(b) as an example, the three ellipses overlap with their centers aligned and their major axes shifted by 120 degrees (i.e., 60 degrees), similar to the planar arrangement of the shift cylinders 61. Therefore, the movement range of the machining head 31 is the area inside the overlapping of these three ellipses, which is shaped like a modified hexagon. In this way, the planar movement range of the machining head 31 is hexagonal (modified hexagonal), as shown by the hatched areas in FIGS. 4 and 16(b).

[0047] Next, the range of movement of the processing head 31 when viewed from the side or front will be described. When one shift cylinder 61 is depicted in a vertical cross section of the machining head 31, the lower end of the machining head 31 is considered to describe a circle, as shown in Figure 16(a) as an example. On the other hand, the other shift cylinder 61 is disposed with a phase difference of 120 degrees in a plan view relative to the circular shift cylinder 61, so the circular orbit described by the other shift cylinder 61 is viewed obliquely, and appears as an elliptical orbit in a side view. When viewed from the side (front), the range enclosed by this circular orbit, the elliptical orbit, and the horizontal movement portion (below) of the machining head 31 is the movement range of the machining head 31. As shown in Figure 16(a) above, this shape is a mountain shape with the central portion being higher at a slightly acute angle and the peripheral portions being lower. In this way, the movement range of the machining head 31 when viewed from the side (front) is, for example, the shape shown in the hatched areas of Figures 16(a), 3, and 5.

[0048] 2, 6, and 7, the present embodiment is further provided with a tool stocker 7 for holding and storing various tools T used in actual machining such as cutting, and an appropriate tool T is taken out from the tool stocker 7 and attached to the machining unit 3 to form the machining head 31. In the present embodiment, three tools T are stored in the tool stocker 7, but this number can be changed as needed. The tool stocker 7 is supported by the tool stocker frame 17 of the frame 1, and the tool T is essentially held by the tool holder 71. Of course, this holding is intended to allow the tool T to be transferred between the tool holder 71 and the machining unit 3. Here, reference numeral 73 in the drawing denotes a tool holder cover that covers the tool T from above when stored, and is actually formed to entirely cover the upper part of the tool holder 71 that holds multiple tools T. The tool holder 71 is configured to be able to move forward so as to supply the tool T to the machining unit 3 that has been shifted to be closest to the tool holder 71 during tool replacement. For this reason, the tool holder 71 is configured to be able to swing closer to the tool holder 71 by the shifter 72.

[0049] Hereinafter, a specific description will be given of the swing approach operation of the tool holder 71. Note that, in the description, the operation will be described as the operation when the tool holder 71, which houses several tools T required for processing, is swung (rotated) forward from the tool storage state to the time of tool replacement. When changing the tool from the tool storage state, as an example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 above, first, the slider of the shifter 72 is extended. As a result, the tool holder 71 holding the tool T rotates so as to protrude forward, that is, to approach the actual machining part. Further, along with the extension operation of the slider in the shifter 72, the tool holder cover 73 that covered the tool T in the storage state also rotates to open, and the upper part of the tool holder 71 protruding forward is exposed (see FIGS. 6(b) and 7(b)). Thus, the approach of the machining head 31 to the tool stocker 7 side and the tool change operation can be performed without any trouble. Note that when changing the tool, as described above, the dust cover 33 surrounding the machining head 31 is opened and set so as not to interfere with the tool change operation.

[0050] The workpiece processing apparatus M of the present invention has the basic structure as described above. Hereinafter, the processing mode of the workpiece W to which the apparatus is applied will be described.

[0051] (1) Installation (fixation) of workpiece First, since the table body 26 on which the workpiece W is placed is configured to be able to move freely directly or indirectly on the lower frame 12, the table body 26 is moved to an appropriate position. That is, first, the operator operates the gripping part 23h to appropriately move the lateral gantry 23 in the left-right direction, and then the table body 26 supported by the front-rear rail 24 on the lateral gantry 23 is appropriately moved in the front-rear direction. In addition, in order to actually install the workpiece W on the table body 26, for example, it is installed while abutting two orthogonal sides of the workpiece W against reference pins or partition-shaped guide plates, etc. It is common to set the workpiece W in a state where the installation reference position (which also becomes the machining reference position) is determined. Note that after setting the workpiece W, the table body 26 may be moved to the back side and made to wait at the actual machining position where the workpiece W actually undergoes machining.

[0052] (2) Supply (attachment) of tool In this way, the workpiece W set on the table body 26 is processed by the processing unit 3. At the time of processing, as described above, an appropriate tool T is taken out from the tool stocker 7 and mounted as the processing head 31. Note that the processing head 31 substantially refers to a rotary cutting tool or the like that is detachably configured with respect to the drive unit 32. After the processing head 31 corresponding to the purpose is set in this way, appropriate processing such as cutting is performed according to an appropriate program. Also, at the time of supplying the tool T, as an example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the slider of the shifter 72 extends, the tool holder 71 holding the tool T approaches forward, that is, toward the processing unit 3, and the tool holder cover 73 that covered the upper side of the tool holder 71 also comes off due to the extension operation of the shifter 72, so that the tool T is exposed. Of course, after the tool T is supplied, the slider of the shifter 72 contracts, the tool holder 71 holding the tool T retreats rearward, that is, toward the tool stocker frame 17 side, and the tool holder cover 73 also covers the upper side of the tool holder 71. Incidentally, it is natural to replace the tool T during actual processing. Also in this case, such an operation is performed, and the tool T suitable for the target processing is selected.

[0053] (3) Processing (actual processing such as cutting) During processing, the shift motor 64 in the shift setting mechanism 6 is driven by a preset processing program, and the effective lengths of the three shift cylinders 61 are set as appropriate. At this time, even if the three shift cylinders 61 expand and contract and move by appropriate dimensions, the lower base plate 54 maintains a horizontal posture. That is, in response to the upper base plate 50 being maintained in a horizontal posture by the upper base plate support link 51 (parallel setting mechanism 5), the position of the lower base plate 54 itself moves in three-dimensional directions, but is set in a parallel state only by the parallel control rod 55 (parallel setting mechanism 5) and maintains a horizontal posture.

[0054] As a result, even for the unit support 57 provided below the lower base plate 54, the head support 57b remains in a horizontal state, and the machining head 31 itself moves while maintaining its original machining posture (for example, a vertical posture in the case of a drill bit). Of course, it is also possible to incorporate a mechanism that deflects and pivots the machining head 31 itself or the drive unit 32 along with them. Also, during actual machining, tool change may be performed as described above. In that case, in accordance with the above-described procedure, the tool change operation of the tool T and the actual machining (cutting, etc.) by the machining head 31 are performed. In this way, the machining by the machining head 31 according to the target program proceeds sequentially. When this is completed, the machining unit setting mechanism 4, that is, by the action of the parallel setting mechanism 5 and the shift setting mechanism 6, the machining unit 3 retreats sufficiently above the workpiece W, allowing the workpiece W to be taken out.

[0055] At this time, in this embodiment, the holding action of the parallel control rod 55 (the holding action of the lower base plate 54) by the above-described rod holding mechanism 56 is ensured, and it is considered that the lower base plate 54 can be continuously held even if the parallel control rod 55 is greatly inclined. That is, the rod holding mechanism 56 is responsible for preventing the upper and lower ball joint portions of the parallel control rod 55 from coming off. For this reason, even if the rod holding mechanism 56 is greatly inclined, the ball joint portion does not come off (the connection of the ball joint portion is not released). Also, after the machining of the workpiece W is completed, the worktable 2 moves the table body 26 to the gate frame 11 side (front side) so that operations such as taking out the workpiece W can be performed smoothly.

[0056] (4) Frame shape In addition, such a parallel setting mechanism 5 and a shift setting mechanism 6 are configured such that, particularly in the frame 1, the lower frame 12 is formed in a rectangular frame shape in plan view, the upper frame 13 is formed in a triangular frame shape in plan view, and the front surface thereof is constituted by a gate frame 11 having a rectangular opening on one side. Therefore, when arranging three shift cylinders 61, it is easy to set the reference positions at three points in the vertical direction, and the support of the upper base plate 50 in the parallel setting mechanism 5 can be reasonably performed. This frame configuration is extremely excellent in this regard. Note that the frame 1 itself can be formed by making both the upper frame 13 and the lower frame 12, which are vertically positioned, into rectangular frame shapes in plan view, and forming the entire frame 1 into a rectangular parallelepiped frame shape. However, as described above, by making the upper frame 13 into a triangular frame shape in plan view, the weight reduction and compactification of the entire apparatus can be achieved. On the other hand, by configuring the lower frame 12 into a rectangular frame shape in plan view, extremely high stability of the apparatus itself is sufficiently ensured.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0057] M Work Processing Apparatus (Parallel Link Type Work Processing Apparatus) 1 Frame 2 Work Table 3 Processing Unit 4 Processing Unit Setting Mechanism 5 Parallel Setting Mechanism 6 Shift Setting Mechanism 7 Tool Stock 11 Gate Frame 12 Lower Frame 13 Upper Frame 14 Upper Sub-Frame 15 Brace Frame 15a Brace Frame 15b Brace Frame 15c Brace Frame 15d Brace Frame 16 Leg Frame 17 Tool Stock Frame 21 Transverse Rail 22 Linear bearing 23 Cross frame 23h Gripping part 24 Front and rear rails 25 Linear bearing 26 Table body 31 Machining head 32 Driving part 33 Dust collection cover 33M Driving motor 34 Dust collection port 50 Upper base plate 51 Upper base plate support link 51a Base link piece 51b Plate side link piece 52 Stabilizer column 53 Universal joint 53a Upper universal joint 53b Lower universal joint 54 Lower base plate 55 Parallel control rod 56 Rod holding mechanism 57 Unit support 57a Driving part housing 57b Head support 61 Shift cylinder (electric cylinder) 62 Outer cylinder 62J Upper joint 63 Cylinder rod 63J Lower joint 64 Shift motor 64R Driving ring 65 Torque stop projection 66 Projection receiver 67 Rotation stopper 68 Protrusion 71 Tool holder 72 Shifter 73 Tool holder cover 521 Relay member (upper) 522 Relay member (lower) 561 Clamped body 562 Biasing body 671 Notch f1 Flange portion f2 Flange portion T tool (cutting tool) W Workpiece

Claims

1. A three-dimensional frame-shaped frame having both a vertically extending frame and a horizontally extending frame, a work table supported below this frame, a processing unit for performing predetermined processing on a work on the work table, and a processing unit setting mechanism for supporting the processing unit in a suspended state from the upper part of the frame, wherein the processing unit is moved in three-dimensional directions by the processing unit setting mechanism to perform predetermined processing on a work on the work table, the processing unit setting mechanism includes a parallel setting mechanism and a shift setting mechanism, the parallel setting mechanism has an upper base plate attached to the upper part of the frame and moving only in the vertical direction while maintaining the central position and horizontal posture, a lower base plate provided below corresponding to this upper base plate and moving in three-dimensional directions while taking a horizontal posture, a stabilizer column supported vertically in a gimbal joint manner with respect to the upper base plate and the lower base plate, and at least three parallel control rods disposed between the upper base plate and the lower base plate so as to surround the stabilizer column, while, the shift setting mechanism has a plurality of shift cylinders arranged in parallel, the operating length of the shift cylinder is controlled to expand and contract, and the upper end of the shift cylinder is connected to the upper part of the frame, and the lower end of the shift cylinder is connected to the processing unit side. By controlling the expansion and contraction of the operating length of each shift cylinder, the processing unit is shifted in three-dimensional directions while maintaining a horizontal posture. A parallel link type work processing apparatus characterized by this configuration.

2. The three-dimensional frame-shaped frame has a gate-shaped gate frame, a lower frame having a rectangular frame shape in plan view connected to the lower part of the gate frame, an upper frame having a triangular frame shape in plan view connected to the upper part of the gate frame, and four brace frames provided between the corner portions on the side opposite to the gate frame in the lower frame and the three corner portions of the upper frame. The parallel link type work processing apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized by this configuration.

3. The lower base plate is provided to support the lower part of the stabilizer column, and a unit support is provided in a suspended state below the lower base plate. The processing unit is mounted on this unit support. The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

4. The shift cylinder in the shift setting mechanism is composed of three, and its upper end is connected in a flexible joint manner to three corner portions of the upper frame in the frame, and the lower end of the shift cylinder is connected to the unit support in a flexible joint manner. The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. When the parallel control rod in the parallel setting mechanism is provided between the upper base plate and the lower base plate, it is ball-joint connected to the upper base plate and the lower base plate. Moreover, the parallel control rod is configured such that the upper base plate and the lower base plate are biased in a direction in which they always approach each other by a rod holding mechanism. The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

6. An electric cylinder having a ball screw mechanism is applied to the shift cylinder in the shift setting mechanism. In addition, the outer cylinder in the shift setting mechanism is provided with a torque stop mechanism between it and the frame. Moreover, the outer cylinder is also provided with a torque stop mechanism between it and the cylinder rod. The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

7. On the side opposite to the gate frame with respect to the lower frame, there is provided a tool stocker for storing a plurality of tools to be attached to the processing head of the processing unit, and enabling an appropriate tool to be selectively attached to the processing head. The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that.

8. The upper base plate is connected to the upper frame by three bendable upper base plate support links arranged at equal angular intervals when viewed from a plane. By this upper base plate support link, the upper base plate is configured to be vertically movable with respect to the upper frame while maintaining a horizontal state. The parallel link type workpiece processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

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