Workpiece carrying-in / out device and method for controlling the workpiece carrying-in / out device

Abstract

To provide a work-piece carry-in / out device, which can narrow a region where a robot operates near a pallet.SOLUTION: A work-piece carry-in / out device 100 comprises: an arrangement part 301 in which two pallets 310 storing work-pieces 10 are arranged; a pallet movement part 302 that moves the pallets 310; an arm part 120 that moves between automatic lathes 200 that machine the work-pieces 10; a hand part 120 that gives and receives the work-pieces 10 between the pallets 310 and the automatic lathes 200; and a control part 130. The control part 130 controls the arm part 110 so that the arm part moves in a range in which a first range S1 in which the hand part 120 reaches the whole area of the first pallet 310 is combined with a second range S2 in which the hand part 120 reaches only a portion of the second pallet 310, and controls the pallet movement part 302 so that the part carries out the first pallet 310 and moves the second pallet 310 to a first position P1, in a period of time during which the arm part 120 separates from the second pallet 310.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece carrying-in / out device and a method for controlling the workpiece carrying-in / out device. [Background technology]

[0002] A workpiece carrying-in / out device is known that carries workpieces from a pallet that stores a large number of workpieces lined up in a row to a machine tool and carries workpieces from the machine tool to the pallet. One such workpiece carrying-in / out device is a robot having a hand unit at the tip of an arm. The robot's hand unit grips one of the unmachined workpieces stored on the pallet, and by rotating the arm unit, passes the gripped workpiece to the machine tool. The robot also receives and grips one of the workpieces that has been machined by the machine tool, and returns the gripped workpiece to its original position (the same position) on the pallet where it was stored before machining (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Also known is a device in which a robot moves a workpiece between a pallet on which unprocessed workpieces are arranged and a pallet on which processed workpieces are placed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3362656 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-043866 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, some robots have a first hand unit that grabs the unmachined workpiece from the pallet and hands it over to the machine tool, and a second hand unit that receives the machined workpiece from the machine tool, grabs it, and returns it to the pallet.

[0006] Also, two pallets may be placed side by side on the pallet side. A configuration with two pallets has the following advantages: In other words, with a configuration with only one pallet, in order to return the machined workpiece to its original position on the pallet, it is necessary to store the machined workpiece on the pallet and then exchange it for the pallet that stores the unmachined workpiece.

[0007] In contrast, with a configuration in which two pallets are arranged, the first pallet can be replaced while workpieces are being transferred between the first and second pallets. Therefore, there is no need to stop the robot's operation to replace the pallet, which improves the operational efficiency of the robot.

[0008] However, the robot needs to be able to reach all of the workpieces stored on each of the two pallets, so the robot's reachable range on the pallet side needs to be set wide. In order to widen the robot's reach on the pallet side, the arm length needs to be increased, and the weight of the robot increases in order to increase the rigidity of the part that supports the longer arm, which increases the size of the robot and increases costs.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a workpiece loading / unloading device and a control method for the workpiece loading / unloading device that can narrow the operating area of ​​the robot on the pallet side, thereby preventing an increase in the cost of the robot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The first aspect of the present invention is a device for arranging a workpiece in a placement section in which two pallets are arranged, each pallet containing a plurality of workpieces, and a device for arranging a workpiece in the placement section. The above pathe arrangement unit arranges a first pallet arranged at a first position and a second pallet arranged at a second position adjacent to the first position, side by side in a plan view; the control unit controls the arm unit to move within a range that combines a first range in which the hand unit can reach all of the workpieces arranged on the first pallet and a second range in which the hand unit can reach only some of the workpieces arranged on the second pallet that are arranged at a position close to the first pallet; and when all of the workpieces arranged and accommodated on the first pallet have been accommodated, the hand unit grips the workpieces arranged at a position close to the first pallet on the second pallet, and the arm unit moves forward. Part 2 The control unit controls the pallet moving unit to move the second pallet toward the first position while the second pallet is away from the first position.

[0011] The second aspect of the present invention is a device for arranging a workpiece in a placement section where two pallets are arranged, each pallet containing a plurality of workpieces, and a device for arranging a workpiece in the placement section. The above paa pallet moving unit that moves a pallet, an arm unit that moves between the pallet and a machine tool that processes the workpiece, and a hand unit that grips the workpiece and delivers the workpiece between the pallet and the machine tool, wherein the placement unit controls the arm unit to move within a range that combines a first range in which the hand unit can reach all of the workpieces arranged on the first pallet and a second range in which the hand unit can reach only some of the workpieces arranged on the second pallet that are arranged in a position close to the first pallet, and when all of the workpieces arranged and stored on the first pallet have been stored, the hand unit grips the workpieces arranged in a position close to the first pallet on the second pallet, and the arm unit moves forward Part 2 a control method for a workpiece carrying-in / out device, the method controlling the pallet moving unit so as to move the second pallet toward the first position while the second pallet is away from the first position; [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the workpiece carrying-in / out device and the method for controlling the workpiece carrying-in / out device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an increase in the cost of the robot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of a workpiece carrying-in / out device according to the present invention, viewed from above in the vertical direction. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view taken along an arrow A in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view taken along an arrow B in FIG. 2. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the stocker. [Figure 4B] FIG. [Figure 5]10 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between a first position where a first pallet is placed in the placement unit, a second position where a second pallet is placed, and an axis C of an arm unit of a robot. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view (part 1) corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrating the operation of the workpiece carrying-in / out device. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a plan view (part 2) corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrating the operation of the workpiece carrying-in / out device. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a plan view (part 3) corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrating the operation of the workpiece carrying-in / out device. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a plan view (part 4) corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrating the operation of the workpiece carrying-in / out device. [Figure 10] 6 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a state in which the stocker has been shifted when an obstacle is present in the area where the stocker is desired to be placed. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a workpiece carrying-in / out device and a method for controlling the workpiece carrying-in / out device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] <Configuration> Fig. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a workpiece carrying-in / out device according to the present invention as seen from above in the vertical direction, Fig. 2 is a front view taken along arrow A in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a left side view taken along arrow B in Fig. 2. Robot 100 and stocker 300 are one embodiment of the workpiece carrying-in / out device according to the present invention, and the operations of robot 100 and stocker 300 are one embodiment of a method of controlling the workpiece carrying-in / out device according to the present invention.

[0016] (automatic lathe) The automatic lathe 200 is an example of a machine tool in the workpiece loading / unloading device according to the present invention. The automatic lathe 200 is an NC lathe whose operation is controlled by a computer that loads and operates a predetermined program. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the automatic lathe 200 of this embodiment has a front spindle 210 and a rear spindle 220 inside a main body case 230, and has an operation panel 240 outside the main body case 230. The operation panel 240 is equipped with a display screen 251, a keyboard 252, and a control unit that controls the operations of tools and the like (not shown).

[0017] The front main shaft 210 can rotate around the Z axis. The back main shaft 220 can rotate around the Z axis and also move linearly along the Z axis. The front main shaft 210 and the back main shaft 220 are arranged coaxially.

[0018] The automatic lathe 200 receives, processes and processes the workpiece 10 by controlling the chucking and release of the workpiece 10, which will be described later, the rotation of the front spindle 210 around the Z axis while the workpiece 10 is chucked by the front spindle 210, the movement of the tool, the delivery of the workpiece 10 to the back spindle 220, the rotation of the back spindle 220 around the Z axis and the movement along the Z axis while the workpiece 10 is chucked by the back spindle 220, the movement of the tool, etc., using a control unit on the operation panel 240.

[0019] (stocker) 4A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the stocker 300, and FIG. 4B is a view of the stocker 300 as seen from the left side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stocker 300 is disposed close to the automatic lathe 200 on the left side of the automatic lathe 200. The stocker 300 stores workpieces before they are machined by the automatic lathe 200. Q10 It stores a plurality of pallets 311 on which a large number of workpieces 12 are arranged, and a plurality of pallets 312 on which a large number of workpieces 12 after being machined by the automatic lathe 200 are arranged.

[0020] In the following explanation, the work before processing Q10 and When there is no need to distinguish between the workpiece 12 after machining, it is simply called the workpiece 10. Q10There is no physical difference between the pallet 311 containing the workpiece 12 and the pallet 312 containing the processed workpiece 12 as the pallet 310, and the workpiece 10 contained therein is the workpiece before processing. Q10 The only difference is whether the pallet 311 is a workpiece 12 or a machined workpiece 12. Therefore, when there is no need to distinguish between the pallet 311 and the pallet 312, they are simply referred to as the pallet 310.

[0021] One pallet 310 accommodates, for example, 30 workpieces 10. The pallet 310 accommodates the 30 workpieces 10, arranged one by one at predetermined positions, for example, 5 vertical by 6 horizontal in plan view, as shown in FIG.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, stocker 300 has an arrangement section 301 on the top level. Arrangement section 301 arranges two pallets 310 side by side in width direction N in a plan view. The positions where the two pallets 310 are arranged are referred to as first position P1 and second position P2, and first position P1 and second position P2 are adjacent to each other.

[0023] The stocker 300 has a storage space 321 below the first position P1, which can store a plurality of pallets 312 containing the processed workpieces 12 stacked along the height direction H. , below the second position P2, It has a storage space 322 in which a plurality of pallets 311 containing unmachined workpieces 11 can be stored in a stacked state along the height direction H.

[0024] The stocker 300 is located at the first position P1 , each of the second positions P2 Multiple pallets stacked below To 310 , and openings 331 and 332 are formed so that the stacked products can be taken in and out of the stocker 300 in the direction M.

[0025] 4B, the stocker 300 has a pallet moving unit 302 and a stocker control unit 340. The stocker control unit 340 controls the operation of the pallet moving unit 302. As will be described later, the stocker control unit 340 controls the pallet moving unit 302 in response to commands from the control unit 130 of the robot 100. Note that the stocker control unit 340 can also control the pallet moving unit 302 by the stocker 300 alone, independently of the control unit 130 of the robot 100 and without being controlled by the control unit 130.

[0026] The pallet moving unit 302 includes two mounting tables 302a, a lifter 302b, a lateral guide rail 302c, a conveying holder 302d, and a placement holder 302e. One mounting table 302a is provided in a storage space 321 below the first position P1, and the other mounting table 302a is provided in a storage space 322 below the second position P2.

[0027] The conveying and holding unit 302d is connected to the lifter 302b, which will be described later. The conveying and holding unit 302d is equipped with two clamping members 302d1 and 302d2. The two clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 are arranged so that their positions in the height direction are always the same. The two clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 are arranged at positions away from the pallet 310 on both outer sides in the width direction N.

[0028] The conveying and holding section 302d operates to switch between a non-holding state in which the clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 are separated from the pallet 310, and a holding state in which the clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 move toward the center in the width direction N and clamp the pallet 310 from the outside in the width direction N and hold it.

[0029] The lifter 302b raises and lowers the transfer holder 302d in the height direction H. The lifter 302b is movable in the lateral direction along the lateral guide rails 302c.

[0030] The positioning and holding units 302e are provided at the first position P1 and the second position P2 of the positioning unit 301. Each positioning and holding unit 302e includes two clamping members 302e1 and 302e2. The two clamping members 302e1 and 302e2 are disposed at positions away from the pallet 310 on both outer sides in the loading / unloading direction M (see FIG. 4A).

[0031] The positioning and holding unit 302e operates to switch between a non-holding state in which the clamping members 302e1, 302e2 are separated from the pallet 310, and a holding state in which the clamping members 302e1, 302e2 move toward the center in the insertion / removal direction M and the clamping members 302e1, 302e2 hold the pallet 310 by clamping it from the outside in the insertion / removal direction M. Note that the positioning and holding unit 302e provided at the first position P1 and the positioning and holding unit 302e provided at the second position P2 can switch between the non-holding state and the holding state described above independently of each other.

[0032] The pallet moving unit 302, with the above-described configuration, moves the pallet 310 as follows: First, the conveying and holding unit 302d is moved by the lifter 302b to the height position of the uppermost pallet 310 among the pallets 310 stacked on the mounting table 302a in the storage space 322 below the second position P2. Then, at that position, the clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 clamp the uppermost pallet 310 from the outside in the width direction N and hold the uppermost pallet 310.

[0033] Next, the lifter 302b lifts the transport holder 302d upward, causing the topmost pallet 310 to rise to the horizontal movement space 323 formed directly below the placement unit 301. The lifter 302b moves laterally along the lateral guide rails 302c, causing the pallet 310, which has risen to directly below the second position P2 in the horizontal movement space 323, to move in the horizontal movement space 323 from directly below the second position P2 to directly below the first position P1.

[0034] Next, the lifter 302b rises to the first position P1 of the placement unit 301 and places the pallet 310 held by the conveying and holding unit 302d at the first position P1. Here, the clamping members 302e1 and 302e2 of the placement and holding unit 302e provided at the first position P1 clamp the pallet 310 placed at the first position P1 from the outside in the insertion / removal direction M, and hold the pallet 310 placed at the first position P1.

[0035] After the pallet 310 placed at the first position P1 is held by the placement and holding unit 302e, the clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 of the transporting and holding unit 302d move to an unheld state and move away from the pallet 310. Then, the lifter 302b lowers the transporting and holding unit 302d to the horizontal movement space 323 directly below the first position P1, and the lifter 302b moves laterally along the lateral guide rail 302c until it reaches directly below the second position P2 in the horizontal movement space 323. Then, the transporting and holding unit 302d descends into the storage space 322 below the second position P2 and moves to the height position of the uppermost pallet 310 at that time among the pallets 310 stacked on the loading platform 302a in the storage space 322 below the second position P2.

[0036] Clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 of conveying and holding unit 302d clamp the topmost pallet 310 from the outside in the width direction N and hold the topmost pallet 310, and lifter 302b lifts conveying and holding unit 302d upward to move pallet 310 to second position P2 of placement unit 301, and places pallet 310 clamped by conveying and holding unit 302d at second position P2. Here, clamping members 302e1 and 302e2 of placement and holding unit 302e provided at second position P2 clamp pallet 310 placed at second position P2 from the outside in the insertion / removal direction M and hold pallet 310 placed at second position P2.

[0037] After the pallet 310 placed at the second position P2 is held by the placement and holding unit 302e, the clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 of the transport and holding unit 302d move to an unheld state and move away from the pallet 310. Then, the lifter 302b lowers the transport and holding unit 302d into the storage space 322 below the second position P2 and stops it. Through the above operations, the pallet moving unit 302 sets the pallets 310 on which the unmachined workpieces 10 are arranged at the first position P1 and the second position P2, respectively.

[0038] Next, the operation of moving and replacing pallet 310 placed in placement unit 301 will be described. Through the above-mentioned operations of transporting and holding unit 302d and lifter 302b, transporting and holding unit 302d moves to first position P1, and first pallet 310, which has been placed at first position P1 and on which machined workpieces 10 are arranged, is clamped and held by clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 of transporting and holding unit 302d. Clamping members 302e1 and 302e2 of placement and holding unit 302e, which had been holding first pallet 310, are released from their holding states.

[0039] Next, the lifter 302b lowers the transfer holder 302d into the storage space 321 below the first position P1, and places the first pallet 310 held by the transfer holder 302d on the placement table 302a located below the first position P1. The first pallet 310 is Holding state year, The transfer holder 302d moves away from the first pallet 310.

[0040] Next, lifter 302b raises transport holder 302d to horizontal movement space 323 directly below first position P1, and after lifter 302b moves laterally along lateral guide rail 302c and reaches directly below second position P2 in horizontal movement space 323, transport holder 302d is raised to second position P2. Then, clamping members 302d1 and 302d2 of transport holder 302d clamp and hold second pallet 310 held by placement holder 302e at second position P2. Thereafter, placement holder 302e becomes in a non-holding state and releases second pallet 310.

[0041] Next, the lifter 302b lowers the conveying and holding unit 302d to the horizontal movement space 323 directly below the second position P2, and the lifter 302b moves laterally along the lateral guide rail 302c until it reaches the horizontal movement space 323 directly below the first position P1. Then, the lifter 302b raises the conveying and holding unit 302d to the first position P1. This moves the second pallet 310 from the second position P2 to the first position P1. The second pallet 310 becomes the first pallet 310 by moving to the first position P1. The reed 310 is held by the arrangement holder 302e at the first position P1. After that, The transfer holder 302d is 1st Pa Let 310 be in the non-holding state 1st Pa Leave Let 310.

[0042] Next, the lifter 302b lowers the conveying and holding unit 302d to the horizontal movement space 323 directly below the first position P1, and the lifter 302b moves laterally along the lateral guide rail 302c until it reaches directly below the second position P2 in the horizontal movement space 323. After that, the conveying and holding unit 302d descends into the storage space 322 below the second position P2 and holds the topmost pallet 310 at that time among the pallets 310 stacked on the loading platform 302a in the storage space 322 below the second position P2.

[0043] The lifter 302b lifts the conveying and holding unit 302d upward, moves the pallet 310 to the second position P2 of the placement unit 301, and places the pallet 310 held by the conveying and holding unit 302d at the second position P2. The pallet 310 placed at the second position P2 is , becomes the second pallet 310, and is distributed The holder 302e holds the slit 302a.

[0044] Thereafter, the transfer holder 302d moves to the non-holding state. And the second part The pallet 310 is then removed from the placement section 301, and the lifter 302b lowers the transfer holder 302d into the storage space 322 below the second position P2, where it stops. By performing the above operations, the pallet 310 placed in the placement section 301 can be replaced.

[0045] The first position P1 and the second position P2 of the placement unit 301 are positions where the robot 100, which will be described later, transfers the workpiece 10 to and from the automatic lathe 200. Specifically, the robot 100 grasps one unmachined workpiece 11 stored on a pallet 311 placed at the first position P1 and passes it to the automatic lathe 200, and the robot 100 receives and grasps the machined workpiece 12 from the automatic lathe 200, and returns the machined workpiece 12 to a predetermined position on the pallet 311 where it was placed before machining.

[0046] The placement unit 301 is set on the opposite side of the axis C, which is the rotation center of the arm unit 110 of the robot 100, from the position where the workpiece 10 is transferred to and from the automatic lathe 200. The direction in which the first position P1 and the second position P2 in the placement unit 301 are aligned is a direction that intersects with the direction connecting the axis C and the position on the automatic lathe 200 where the workpiece 10 is transferred.

[0047] The stocker 300 is at the first position P1 The first part of All of the wars contained in Let 311 Q10 This becomes workpiece 12 after machining. (First Part Let 311 The first part 312), the pallet moving unit 302 operates as described above. The first part of The pallets 312 are successively lowered into the storage space 321 below the first position P1. The pallets 312 on which the machined workpieces 12 are arranged are stored in the storage space 321 below the first position P1 of the stocker 300 in a stacked state along the height direction H.

[0048] Furthermore, the pallet moving unit 302 of the stocker 300 moves the pallet 311 from the second position P2 to the vacant first position P1 through the operation described above. Pallets 311, on which unmachined workpieces 11 are arranged, are stored in a stacked state along the height direction H in the storage space 322 below the second position P2 of the stocker 300. The pallet moving unit 302 of the stocker 300 raises the uppermost pallet 311 of the pallets 311 stacked in the storage space 322 below the second position P2 to the second position P2. As a result, the arrangement unit 301 is in a state where two pallets 311 are arranged side by side at the first position P1 and the second position P2 in a plan view.

[0049] (robot) The robot 100 has an arm unit 110, a hand unit 120, and a control unit 130. The arm unit 110 is fixed to a main body case 230 of the automatic lathe 200 so as to rotate about an axis C extending in the vertical direction. The position of the axis C at which the arm unit 110 is fixed to the main body case 230 is, in a plan view, approximately halfway between the position at which the workpiece 10 is transferred between the automatic lathe 200 and the position at which the workpiece 10 is transferred between the pallet 310 in the placement unit 301. The arm unit 110 has multiple joints, and can move in three dimensions by rotating about each joint.

[0050] The hand unit 120 is fixed to the end of the arm unit 110 opposite to the end fixed to the automatic lathe 200. The hand unit 120 has two gripping units, a first hand unit 121 and a second hand unit 122. The first hand unit 121 and the second hand unit 122 can grip the workpiece 10 by closing them, and can release the workpiece 10 by opening them.

[0051] The robot 100 rotates each joint of the arm unit 110 described above to transport the workpiece 10 held by the hand unit 120 between the placement unit 301, on which the pallet 310 is placed, and the automatic lathe 200. In the robot 100, the hand unit 120 transfers the workpiece 10 between the pallet 310 and the automatic lathe 200.

[0052] Specifically, the first hand unit 121 of the hand unit 120 grips one of the unmachined workpieces 11 arranged in each storage position on the pallet 310 and passes it to the front spindle 210 of the automatic lathe 200. Meanwhile, the second hand unit 122 of the hand unit 120 receives and grips the machined workpiece 12 from the back spindle 220 of the automatic lathe 200 and returns it to the pallet 310.

[0053] The control unit 130 controls the rotation of each joint of the arm unit 110 and the opening and closing of the hand unit 120. The control unit 130 may be configured as a part of the control unit in the operation panel 240 of the automatic lathe 200. The control unit 130 also issues a command to a stocker control unit 340 of the stocker 300, which then controls the operation of the pallet moving unit 302.

[0054] Here, the positional relationship between the first position P1 where the first pallet 310 is placed in the placement section 301, the second position P2 where the second pallet 310 is placed, and the axis C of the arm section 110 of the robot 100 will be described.

[0055] Figure 5 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the first position P1 where the first pallet 310 is placed in the placement section 301, the second position P2 where the second pallet 310 is placed, and the axis C of the arm section 110 of the robot 100.

[0056] As shown in Figure 5, the arm unit 110 of the robot 100 is set by the control unit 130 to move within a range that combines a first range S1 in which the hand unit 120 can reach all of the workpieces 10 arranged on the first pallet 310 arranged at the first position P1, and a second range S2 in which the hand unit 120 can reach only some of the workpieces 10 arranged on the second pallet 310 arranged at the second position P2 that are arranged in positions close to the first pallet 310 (specifically, for example, the third section from the top left to the bottom and the second section from the top to the right).

[0057] The stocker 300 places a first pallet 310 at a first position P1 in the placement section 301, and a second pallet 310 at a second position P2. The robot 100 transfers the workpieces 10 between the two pallets 310 placed in the placement section 301 and the automatic lathe 200, but the order of transfer of the workpieces 10 is as follows: the workpieces 10 stored in the first pallet 310 are transferred first, and then the unmachined workpieces 10 are transferred to the first pallet 310. Q10 After the workpieces 10 are gone, the workpieces 10 stored in the second pallet 310 are transferred.

[0058] Furthermore, the robot 100 transfers workpieces 10 from the top left of each pallet 310 in Figure 5, then shifts one position from the top left to the bottom to transfer the next workpiece 10, and after transferring the bottom workpiece 10, moves to the top left to the adjacent workpiece 10 on the right, and transfers the workpiece 10 on the top left to the adjacent workpiece 10 on the right of that, and thereafter moves down one workpiece at a time in the same manner, and after transferring the bottom workpiece 10, returns to the top and moves to the adjacent workpiece 10 on the right, transferring the workpieces 10 in this order.

[0059] The upper left position of the first pallet 310 is the position farthest from the second pallet 310, and the lower right position of the first pallet 310 is the position closest to the second pallet 310. Similarly, the upper left position of the second pallet 310 is the position closest to the first pallet 310. In other words, the robot 100 transfers the workpieces 10 from the side of the first pallet 310 farthest from the second pallet 310, and after the transfer of the workpieces 10 on the side of the first pallet 310 closest to the second pallet 310 is completed, the robot 100 transfers the workpieces 10 from the side of the second pallet 310 closest to the first pallet 310. Receive cormorant.

[0060] The pallet moving section 302 of the stocker 300 is in a state where all the workpieces 10 arranged and stored on the first pallet 310 have become processed workpieces 12, and the hand section 120 is moving the unprocessed workpieces arranged on the second pallet 310 at a position close to the first pallet 310. Q10While the arm unit 110 is gripping the pallet 310 and moving away from it toward the automatic lathe 200, as described above, the control unit 130 of the robot 100 controls the arm unit 110 to carry the first pallet 310 out of the first position P1 into the lower storage space 321 and move the second pallet 310 to the first position P1. Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 130, the pallet moving unit 302 moves the pallet 310 stored in the lower storage space 322 to the now empty second position P2, as described above.

[0061] <effect> 6 to 10 are plan views illustrating the operation of the workpiece carrying-in / out device of this embodiment, corresponding to Fig. 5. The workpiece carrying-in / out device of this embodiment operates as described below with reference to Figs.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 6, the first pallet 310 and the second pallet 310 store an array of unmachined workpieces 11. In the first pallet 310, the upper left and two areas furthest from the second pallet 310 are occupied by machined workpieces 12, and the area marked with an x ​​(the area directly below the machined workpiece 12 in Fig. 6) following these two areas is empty with no workpiece 10 placed therein. In Figs. 6 to 9, the machined workpieces 12 are indicated by a circle with a line inside, and the unmachined workpieces 11 are indicated by a circle without a line inside.

[0063] The reason why the machined workpiece 12 is placed on the first pallet 310 is that the first pallet 310 was placed at the second position P2 before being moved to the first position P1, and when it was placed at the second position P2, the unmachined workpiece 11 was machined by the automatic lathe 200 and stored as the machined workpiece 12. Similarly, the reason why the portion marked with an x ​​is empty is because when the first pallet 310 was placed at the second position P2, the unmachined workpiece 11 was placed there and then handed over to the robot 100.

[0064] That is, the first pallet 310 placed at the first position P1 in Fig. 6 was the second pallet 310 placed at the second position P2 before it reached the state shown in Fig. 6. Then, the second pallet 310 placed at the second position P2 moved to the first position P1 as shown in Fig. 6, with the machined workpieces 12 returned to the two sections at the top left and below, and the unmachined workpieces 11 held and handed over by the robot 100 from the section marked with an x ​​following those two sections, to become the first pallet 310.

[0065] In addition, the state shown in Figure 6 is a state in which the second pallet 310, which was previously placed at the second position P2, has moved to the first position P1, and the next pallet 310, which was stored in the storage space 322 below the second position P2, is now placed at the second position P2.

[0066] 6, the robot 100 moves the arm unit 110 under the control of the control unit 130, and the first hand unit 121 of the hand unit 120 grips the unmachined workpiece 11 placed next to the empty portion marked with an X on the first pallet 310 (the portion directly below the portion marked with an X in FIG. 6). With the first hand unit 121 gripping the unmachined workpiece 11, the robot 100 rotates the arm unit 110 under the control of the control unit 130, thereby moving the hand unit 120 to the automatic lathe 200.

[0067] As an example, in the automatic lathe 200, when machining can be completed using only the front spindle 210, the front spindle 210 holds the machined workpiece 12. The hand unit 120 reaches the automatic lathe 200 by the rotation of the arm unit 110, and under the control of the control unit 130, the second hand unit 122 receives the machined workpiece 12 held by the front spindle 210 (the front spindle 210 is no longer holding the workpiece 10). Next, under the control of the control unit 130, the unmachined workpiece 11 held by the first hand unit 121 is handed over to the front spindle 210.

[0068] Then, under the control of the control unit 130, the arm unit 110 rotates and the hand unit 120 moves away from the machining chamber of the automatic lathe 200, and the automatic lathe 200 starts machining the unmachined workpiece 11 that the front spindle 210 has received.

[0069] When the hand unit 120 reaches the first pallet 310 at the first position P1 due to the rotation of the arm unit 110, the control unit 130 controls the second hand unit 122 to return the processed workpiece 12 held by the second hand unit 122 to the portion marked with an x ​​in FIG. 6 (the portion where the processed workpiece 12 was placed before processing). As a result, the state in which the workpieces 10 are accommodated in the first pallet 310 placed in the placement section 301 is as shown in FIG. Then, under the control of the control unit 130, the hand unit 120 rotates, and the first hand unit 121 ,In ,Figure 7, ,× In the marked empty area next The placed workpiece 11 before machining is grasped. do.

[0070] In other words ,In Fig. 7, the th In the first pallet 310, the three sections arranged on the farthest side from the second pallet 310 are arranged with the processed workpieces 12, and the section marked with an x ​​next to the three sections is minutes , the workpiece 10 is not placed and the workpiece 10 is empty.

[0071] As described above, under the control of the control unit 130, the arm unit 110 of the robot 100 allows the hand unit 120 to reach the first range S1 that covers the workpieces 10 arranged on the first pallet 310 placed at the first position P1.

[0072] As a result, by repeating a series of carrying-in and carrying-out operations by the robot 100, including grasping the unmachined workpiece 11 on the first pallet 310, carrying it into the automatic lathe 200, carrying out the machined workpiece 12 from the automatic lathe 200, and storing the machined workpiece 12 in the first pallet 310, as shown in FIG. 8, the machined workpieces 12 reach the lower right part of the first pallet 310, and the first pallet 310 is filled with the machined workpieces 12. As a result, the upper left portion of the second pallet 310 becomes empty and marked with an X, as shown in FIG.

[0073] As described above, under the control of the control unit 130, the arm unit 110 of the robot 100 allows the hand unit 120 to reach the second range S2 that covers the workpieces 10 arranged in the second pallet 310 placed at the second position P2 at a position close to the first pallet 310 (specifically, for example, the third section from the top left to the bottom and the second section from the top to the right).

[0074] Therefore, after the first pallet 310 is filled with the processed workpieces 12, the robot 100, under the control of the control unit 130, moves the arm unit 110 to move the hand unit 120 to the second pallet 310, and then moves the first hand unit 121 to the left side of the second pallet 310. Second from the top to the bottom The workpiece 11 before machining is gripped and rotated by the arm part 110. , and the workpiece 11 before machining Load into automatic lathe 200 do.

[0075] Then, by repeating a series of loading and unloading operations in which the robot 100 grasps the unmachined workpiece 11 on the second pallet 310, loads it into the automatic lathe 200, unloads the machined workpiece 12 from the automatic lathe 200, and stores the machined workpiece 12 on the second pallet 310, as shown in Figure 9, the machined workpiece 12 is carried from the top left to the second bottom part of the second pallet 310, and the unmachined workpiece 11 that is the third from the top left has been unloaded to the automatic lathe 200 by the robot 100. During the period in which the robot 100 is away from the placement unit 301, the pallet moving unit 302 of the stocker 300 moves the pallet 310 as follows under the control of the control unit 130.

[0076] That is, the pallet moving unit 302 moves the first pallet 310 at the first position P1, which is filled with machined workpieces 12, by lowering it into the storage space 321 below the first position P1. The pallet moving unit 302 also moves the second pallet 310, which is filled with machined workpieces 12 from the top left to the second section from the bottom at the second position P2 and is now empty from the third section from the top left, to the empty first position P1. The second pallet 310 moved to the first position P1 becomes the first pallet 310 (the name of the pallet 310 has simply been changed for the sake of convenience).

[0077] Furthermore, the pallet moving section 302 raises the uppermost pallet 310 among the pallets 310 stored in the storage space 322 below the second position P2 and moves it to the now empty second position P2. The pallet 310 moved to the second position P2 is named the second pallet 310.

[0078] When each pallet 310 is moved, the state shown in FIG. 6 is reached. As described above, the robot 100 moves the pallet 310 and the automatic lathe 20. with 0 The workpiece 10 continues to be transferred between the two positions, and the states shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 are repeated to carry in and out the workpiece 10.

[0079] In the example operation described above, as shown in FIG. 9, the pallet moving unit 302 moves the second pallet 310 to the first position P1 in a state where the third workpiece 11 in the second range S2 of the second pallet 310 has been carried out from the second pallet 310. However, as shown in FIG. 8, when the first workpiece 11 in the second range S2 of the second pallet 310 has been carried out from the second pallet 310, The first pallet 310 is filled with the processed workpieces 12. In this state, or when the second work 11 in the second range S2 of the second pallet 310 has been removed from the second pallet 310, the pallet moving unit 302 may move the first pallet 310 downward to move the second pallet 310 to the first position P1.

[0080] In other words, all of the workpieces 10 accommodated in the first pallet 310 arranged at the first position P1 are processed workpieces. Q12 and When the unmachined workpieces 11 stored in the second range S2 of the second pallet 310 arranged at the second position P2 have been removed, the pallet moving unit 302 can move the second pallet 320 to the first range S1 regardless of the number of machined workpieces 12 stored in the second range S2.

[0081] By the above-mentioned transfer of the workpiece 10 and the movement of the pallet 310, the storage space below the first position P1 is opened. Between 321When the pallet 312 containing the processed workpieces 12 is fully loaded, the worker manually opens the storage space below the first position P1. Between 321 The stacked pallets 312 are moved through the opening 331 to a carrying-out cart 420 arranged to the side of the stocker 300, leaving the storage space 321 below the first position P1 empty. Then, the cart 420 carrying the pallets 312 containing the processed workpieces 12 is moved to another location, and after the pallets 312 containing the workpieces 12 are unloaded, the pallets 311 containing the unprocessed workpieces 11 are loaded onto it.

[0082] In addition, when the pallet 311 storing the unprocessed workpieces 11 stored in the storage space 322 below the second position P2 is gone, the worker manually removes the unprocessed workpieces 11 that are loaded on the loading cart 410 arranged on the side of the stocker 300. Q11 The stored pallet 311 is moved and stored in the storage space 322 below the second position P2 through the opening 332. Then, the carriage 410 carrying the pallet 311 storing the unmachined workpieces 11 is moved to the side of the opening 331 on the carry-out side and becomes the carry-out carriage 420. There is no difference between the carry-in carriage 410 and the carry-out carriage 420, and the distinction is made merely for the purpose of explanation based on whether the same type of carriage is used for carry-in or carry-out.

[0083] As explained in detail above, the workpiece loading / unloading device (robot 100 and stocker 300) and its control method of this embodiment have the first pallet 310 and the second pallet 310 lined up in the placement section 301 on the pallet side where the workpiece 10 is transferred to and from the automatic lathe 200. Therefore, even when a loading / unloading operation is performed to grasp the unmachined workpiece 11 that was placed in a predetermined position on the pallet 310 and return the machined workpiece 12 to its original position on the pallet 310 where it was placed before machining, the waiting time of the robot 100 when replacing the pallet 310 can be eliminated compared to a configuration in which only one pallet 310 is placed in the placement section 301.

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment are configured by the control unit 130 so that the arm unit 110 of the robot 100 moves within a range that combines a first range S1 in which the hand unit 120 can reach all of the workpieces 10 arranged on the first pallet 310 arranged at the first position P1, and a second range S2 in which the hand unit 120 can reach only some of the workpieces 10 arranged in positions close to the first pallet 310 among the workpieces 10 arranged on the second pallet 310 arranged at the second position P2 (specifically, for example, the third section from the top left to the bottom and the second section from the top to the right).

[0085] Therefore, on the pallet side where the robot 100 transfers the workpieces 10 to and from the automatic lathe 200, it is sufficient if the robot 100 can move within the range of circle R1 shown by the dashed dotted line in Figure 5. In other words, the range of movement of the robot 100 can be narrower than circle R2 shown by the dashed dotted line in Figure 5, where the hand unit 120 can reach all of the workpieces 10 arranged on the first pallet 310 and all of the workpieces 10 arranged on the second pallet 310, two of which are lined up in the placement unit 301.

[0086] As a result, the workpiece carrying-in / out device and the control method thereof of this embodiment can narrow the operating area on the pallet side of the robot 100, thereby reducing the movement of the arm unit 110. Therefore, the workpiece carrying-in / out device and the control method thereof of this embodiment can shorten the length of the arm unit 110 (there is no need to lengthen it), and there is no need to increase the rigidity of the part that supports the arm unit 110, so the weight of the robot 100 can be reduced (preventing the robot 100 from becoming larger due to an increase in weight), and the cost of the robot 100 can be reduced (preventing an increase in cost).

[0087] When the time required for the automatic lathe 200 to process the workpiece 11 is shorter than the operating time of the robot 100, the operating time of the robot 100 has a large impact on the cycle time. However, the workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment can reduce the movement of the arm unit 110, thereby shortening the cycle time for the movement of the robot 100 due to the rotation of the arm unit 110 when the time required for the automatic lathe 200 to process the workpiece 11 is short.

[0088] In addition, in the workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment, under the condition that the transfer position of the workpiece 10 on the automatic lathe 200 side is set within the circle R1 of the operating range of the robot 100, the arm section 110 only needs to be formed to a length that allows the hand section 120 to reach the range of the combined first range S1 and second range S2 from the axis C, which is the center of rotation, and the arm section 110 can be shortened.

[0089] FIG. 10 is a plan view equivalent to FIG. 5, showing a state in which the stocker 300 has been shifted when an obstacle 500 is present in the area where the stocker 300 is desired to be placed.

[0090] In the workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment, the hand unit 120 of the robot 100 only needs to be able to reach the first range S1, which is the entire area of ​​the first pallet 310, and the second range S2, which is a partial area of ​​the second pallet 310, of the two pallets 310 arranged in the arrangement section 301.

[0091] 10 , even if an obstacle 500, such as a factory structure (such as a pillar) or another device, exists in the area where the stocker 300 is originally desired to be placed, the workpiece carrying-in / out device and its control method of this embodiment can shift and place the stocker 300 to a position that avoids the obstacle 500 so that the hand unit 120 of the robot 100 can reach the combined area of ​​the first area S1, which is the entire area of ​​the first pallet 310, and the second area S2, which is a partial area of ​​the second pallet 310. Therefore, the workpiece carrying-in / out device and its control method of this embodiment can improve the degree of freedom in placing the automatic lathe 200, the robot 100, and the stocker 300.

[0092] Furthermore, in the workpiece carrying-in / out device and its control method of this embodiment, the direction in which the first position P1 and the second position P2 in the placement unit 301 are arranged is set to a direction that intersects with the direction connecting the axis C and the position in the automatic lathe 200 where the workpiece 10 is transferred. This makes it possible to reduce the difference in distance between the workpiece 10 arranged farthest from the position in which the workpiece 10 is transferred to and from the automatic lathe 200 within the combined range of the first range S1 and the second range S2 and the workpiece 10 arranged closest to it, compared to when the direction in which the first position P1 and the second position P2 in the placement unit 301 are arranged to be along (substantially parallel to) the direction connecting the axis C and the position in the automatic lathe 200 where the workpiece 10 is transferred.

[0093] This reduces the variation in the movement distance of the arm portion 110, and when the time required for the automatic lathe 200 to process the workpiece 11 is shorter than the operating time of the robot 100, the variation in the operating time of the robot 100 can be reduced.

[0094] The workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment are provided with, in addition to the placement section 301, a storage space 321 for storing a pallet 312 containing the processed workpiece 12 and a storage space 322 for storing a pallet 311 containing the unprocessed workpiece 11; however, the workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of the present invention are only required to be provided with the placement section 301 and the pallet moving section 302 in the stocker 300, and do not have to be provided with the storage spaces 321, 322 described above.

[0095] The workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment are applied to a robot 100 having an arm section 110 with multiple joints, but the workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of the present invention can also be applied to a transport mechanism that moves the hand section 120 with a link mechanism, similar to the arm section 110 of the robot 100 having the arm section 110 with multiple joints, by replacing the transport mechanism with a robot.

[0096] In the workpiece carrying-in / out device and the control method thereof of this embodiment, the robot 100 grasps the workpiece 10 in the second range S2. The second part Away from Let 310 , 2nd pa While the robot 100 is moving from the side of the pallet 310 toward the side of the automatic lathe 200, the pallet moving unit 302 moves the second pallet 310 to the first position P1 under the control of the control unit 130, but the second pallet 310 does not have to reach the first position P1 by the time the robot 100 returns to the side of the pallet 310, as long as the second pallet 310 has moved at least a little toward the first position P1. However, the amount of movement needs to be such that the unmachined workpiece 11 grasped by the hand unit 120 is positioned within the combined range of the first range S1 and the second range S2.

[0097] In the above-described embodiment, the automatic lathe 200 completes machining while holding the workpiece 10 with the front spindle 210. However, the workpiece carrying-in / out device and the control method thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the above. , work 10 is correctWhen the workpiece 10 is transferred to the back spindle 220 after being machined while being held by the front spindle 210 and the machining is completed while being held by the back spindle 220, the hand unit 121 Q12 The machine tool (automatic lathe 200) and the workpiece carrying-in / out device (robot 100, stocker 300) may be configured to receive the workpiece 11 from the back spindle 220 and transfer it to the front spindle 210 before machining.

[0098] The workpiece loading / unloading device and its control method of this embodiment are applied to an automatic lathe 200 as an example of a machine tool, but the machine tool in the loading / unloading device and its control method according to the present invention is not limited to an automatic lathe, and machine tools that perform various types of plastic processing on workpieces can be applied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 10, 11, 12 Work 100 robots 110 Arm section 120 Hand part 130 control section 200 Automatic lathe 301 Placement section 302 Pallet moving part 310 pallet, 1st pallet, 2nd pallet C-axis P1 1st position P2 2nd position S1 First range S2 Second range

Claims

1. a placement unit in which two pallets are arranged, each pallet containing a plurality of workpieces; a pallet moving unit that moves the pallet placed in the placement unit; an arm unit that moves between the arm unit and a machine tool that processes the workpiece; a hand unit that grips the workpiece and transfers the workpiece between the pallet and the machine tool; a control unit that controls the pallet moving unit, the arm unit, and the hand unit, the arrangement unit arranges a first pallet arranged at a first position and a second pallet arranged at a second position adjacent to the first position, side by side in a plan view; the control unit controls the arm unit to move within a range that is a combination of a first range in which the hand unit can reach all of the workpieces arranged on the first pallet and a second range in which the hand unit can reach only some of the workpieces arranged on the second pallet that are arranged in a position close to the first pallet, A workpiece loading / unloading device in which, when all of the workpieces arranged and stored on the first pallet have become processed workpieces, the hand unit grasps the workpieces arranged on the second pallet at a position close to the first pallet, and while the arm unit is away from the pallet, the control unit controls the pallet moving unit so that the first pallet is transported out of the first position, and then the second pallet is moved towards the first position.

2. The workpiece carrying-in / out device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes the pallet moving unit to move the new pallet to the second position after moving the second pallet to the first position.

3. The workpiece carrying-in / out device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arm portion is formed to have a length from a rotation center such that the hand portion reaches a range that is a combination of the first range and the second range.

4. a control method for controlling a workpiece carrying-in / out device having a placement unit on which two pallets, each pallet storing an array of workpieces, are placed, a pallet moving unit for moving the pallets placed on the placement unit, an arm unit that moves between the arm and a machine tool that processes the workpieces, and a hand unit that grasps the workpieces and transfers the workpieces between the pallet and the machine tool, wherein the placement unit controls a first pallet placed at a first position and a second pallet placed at a second position adjacent to the first position, the method comprising: The arm unit is controlled to move within a range that is a combination of a first range in which the hand unit can reach all of the workpieces arranged on the first pallet and a second range in which the hand unit can reach only some of the workpieces arranged on the second pallet that are arranged in a position close to the first pallet, A control method for a workpiece loading / unloading device, comprising: controlling the pallet moving unit so that, when all workpieces arranged and stored on the first pallet have become processed workpieces, the hand unit grasps the workpiece arranged on the second pallet at a position close to the first pallet, and, during a period when the arm unit is away from the pallet, the first pallet is transported out of the first position, and then the second pallet is moved towards the first position.

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