Sheet material feeding device
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023569398
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Priority Date
- 2022-12-16
- Filing Date
- 2022-12-16
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-03
Abstract
Description
Plate feeding device
[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece feeding device that can achieve low power consumption, improve durability, and transport workpieces with high precision to processing devices such as presses.
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a roll-type material feeder having a frame, a first driven feed roll, a second feed roll, a first drive motor that rotates in driving engagement with the first driven feed roll, and a second drive motor that rotates in driving engagement with the first driven feed roll. The roll-type material feeder is also provided with a speed change gear so that the second feed roll can be driven in cooperation with the first driven feed roll, and the speed change gear has a first drive gear attached to the first driven feed roll, a first driven gear that drives in driving engagement with the first drive gear, and an intermediate connecting member that connects the first driven gear to the second feed roll. Additionally, a second feed roll is rotatably supported within the movable roll support, and a force generating actuator disposed between the frame and the movable roll support cooperates with the movable roll support to generate a clamping force between the second feed roll and the first driven feed roll to clamp the workpiece between the second feed roll and the first driven feed roll.
[0003] Special table 2013-536086 publication
[0004] In the roll-type material feed device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a force generating actuator lifts a movable roll support that supports the second feed roll, thereby releasing the workpiece held between the second feed roll and the first driven feed roll. However, there is a problem in that a large-capacity motor or the like must be used as the force generating actuator in order to lift the movable roll support.
[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plate material feeding device that can solve the above problems, achieve low power consumption, improve durability, and transport plate materials with high precision.
[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a workpiece feeding device includes a housing, a first roll accommodated in the housing, a second roll accommodated in the housing, a first roll support member supporting the first roll, and a second roll support member supporting the second roll, and is configured to clamp a workpiece with the first roll and the second roll and transport the workpiece in accordance with the rotation of the first roll and the second roll. The workpiece feeding device further includes a release mechanism for releasing the clamped workpiece, the release mechanism including an eccentric cam, a bearing arranged along a side of the eccentric cam, a guide arranged so as to be in contact with the bearing, and a block arranged so as to be in contact with the guide and connected to one of the first roll support member and the second roll support member. The release mechanism is configured to rotate the eccentric cam to move the guide horizontally relative to the block via the bearing, thereby moving one of the roll support members connected to the block in a vertical direction.
[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the plate material feeding device further includes a first motor connected to the first roll for rotating the first roll, and a second motor connected to the second roll for rotating the second roll.
[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the plate material feeding device further comprises a first motor connected to one of the first roll and the second roll for rotating the one roll, a first gear provided on a roll shaft to which the one roll is fixed, and a second gear provided on a roll shaft to which the other of the first roll and the second roll is fixed, the first gear and the second gear engaging with each other so that the other roll rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the one roll by the first motor.
[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a workpiece feeding device, a bearing includes an inner ring portion fixed along a side surface of the eccentric cam, and an outer ring portion arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the guide.
[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the plate material feeding device further includes an elastic member disposed between the housing and one of the roll support members, and when the plate material is being released, the guide and the block are pressed against the eccentric cam and the bearing by the elastic member via the one of the roll support members.
[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the workpiece feeding device, the elastic member is an air spring or a coil spring.
[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a workpiece feeding device, a release mechanism is configured to rotate an eccentric cam to vertically extend an elastic member in order to operate one of the roll support members vertically to clamp the workpiece.
[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the workpiece feeding device is configured such that, when the release mechanism clamps the workpiece, a gap is provided between the block and the guide.
[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the workpiece feeding device further includes a third motor, the release mechanism further includes a shaft connected to the third motor for rotating the eccentric cam, and the workpiece feeding device is configured to rotate the shaft in response to rotation by the third motor to move one of the roll support members in a vertical direction.
[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the workpiece feeding device, the third motor is configured to stop the rotation of the eccentric cam while the eccentric cam is rotating in response to a signal from outside the workpiece feeding device, thereby stopping the transport of the workpiece.
[0016] According to the present invention, a large material gripping force can be obtained with a small driving force, which allows plate materials to be clamped and released with low power consumption and has improved durability compared to conventional methods.Furthermore, plate materials can be clamped and released at high speed, and plate materials can be transported intermittently in a fixed amount with high precision.
[0017] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0018] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a workpiece feeding device according to one embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the front. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along dashed line II in FIG. 1, as seen from the side, of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1 in which the workpiece is being released. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1 in which the workpiece is being clamped, as seen from the front. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a release mechanism according to one embodiment of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1 in which the workpiece is being released. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a release mechanism according to one embodiment of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1 in which the workpiece is being shifted from being released to being clamped. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a release mechanism according to one embodiment of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1 in which the workpiece is being shifted from being released to being clamped. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a release mechanism according to one embodiment of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1 in which the workpiece is being clamped. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the relationship between a roll shaft, a coupling device, and a gear shaft according to one embodiment of the workpiece feeding device of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a workpiece feeding device according to another embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the front.
[0019] Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
[0020] 1 to 6, a workpiece feeding device 101 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The workpiece feeding device 101 includes a main body housing 102, a first roll (lower roll) 103 housed in the main body housing 102, and a second roll (upper roll) 104 housed in the main body housing 102 and positioned vertically above the lower roll 103. The workpiece feeding device 101 also includes a first roll support member (lower roll support member) 109 housed in the main body housing 102 and rotatably supporting the lower roll 103, and a second roll support member (upper roll support member) 110 housed in the main body housing 102 and rotatably supporting the upper roll 104. The lower roll 103 is fixed to a first roll shaft (lower roll shaft) 107 and can rotate around a first roll axis (lower roll axis) 105, and the upper roll 104 is fixed to a second roll shaft (upper roll shaft) 108 and can rotate around a second roll axis (upper roll axis) 106. The lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104 come into contact with and clamp (hold) a plate guided by a plate guide 117, and the clamped plate is transported by the rotation of the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104. The plate feeding device 101 is connected to one of the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104 and includes a roll motor 114 for rotating the one roll. In Figures 1, 3, and 4, the roll motor 114 is connected to the main body housing 102 so as to directly rotate the lower roll 103, but the roll motor 114 may also be connected to the main body housing 102 so as to directly rotate the upper roll 104.
[0021] The roll motor 114 may include a hollow, substantially cylindrical stator and a hollow, substantially cylindrical rotor disposed in the hollow of the stator. In FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the rotor of the roll motor 114 is connected to the lower roll 103 via the lower roll shaft 107. The lower roll 103 rotates relative to the lower roll support member 109 as the rotor of the roll motor 114 rotates. The roll motor 114 may include a motor housing that houses the stator, but the motor housing may not house the entire stator, so that at least a portion of the stator is in direct contact with the outside air. Having a portion of the stator in direct contact with the outside air in this manner can improve the efficiency of air-cooling the roll motor 114. The roll motor 114 may also include a roll rotation angle sensor 116 at the end opposite to the end connected to the workpiece feed device 101 to measure the rotor's rotation angle and detect the rotation speed. The roll rotation angle sensor 116 may be, for example, a magnetic resolver or an optical encoder.
[0022] The lower roll support member 109 may include a lower roll bearing 111, and the lower roll bearing 111 may rotatably support both ends of the lower roll shaft 107, thereby rotatably supporting the lower roll 103 fixed to the lower roll shaft 107. The upper roll support member 110 may include an upper roll bearing (not shown), and the upper roll bearing may rotatably support both ends of the upper roll shaft 108, thereby rotatably supporting the upper roll 104 fixed to the upper roll shaft 108.
[0023] The workpiece feeding device 101 includes a release mechanism 112 for releasing a clamped workpiece. The release mechanism 112 is adjusted according to the thickness of the workpiece to be clamped. The release mechanism 112 includes an eccentric cam 201, an eccentric cam bearing 202 arranged along the side of the eccentric cam 201, a guide 203 arranged so as to be in contact with the eccentric cam bearing 202, and a block 204 arranged so as to be in contact with the guide 203 and connected to one of the lower roll support member 109 and the upper roll support member 110. In FIGS. 1 to 4 , the release mechanism 112 is connected to the upper roll support member 110 via the block 204 to enable the upper roll support member 110 to move in the vertical direction. However, if the lower roll support member 109 is to be able to move in the vertical direction, the release mechanism 112 may be connected to the lower roll support member 109 via the block 204. Note that the following description will be given on the assumption that the release mechanism 112 is connected to the upper roll support member 110 via the block 204, but the same applies when the release mechanism 112 is connected to the lower roll support member 109 via the block 204. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped bore is provided in the block 204, and the eccentric cam 201, eccentric cam bearing 202, and guide 203 are disposed in the bore so that at least a portion of them is housed in the bore. Note that the block 204 may be integral with the upper roll support member 110. The release mechanism 112 rotates the eccentric cam 201 to move the guide 203 horizontally relative to the block 204 via the eccentric cam bearing 202, thereby moving the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 in the vertical direction.
[0024] The release mechanism 112 will be described in more detail. The worksheet feeding device 101 includes a release motor 118 connected to the main body housing 102. The release mechanism 112 includes a shaft 209 for rotating the eccentric cam 201. The release motor 118 may include a hollow, substantially cylindrical stator and a hollow, substantially cylindrical rotor disposed in the hollow of the stator. The shaft 209 is coupled to the rotor of the release motor 118, and the substantially cylindrical eccentric cam 201 is connected to the shaft 209 such that its rotation axis is offset from a shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209. Note that the eccentric cam 201 may be integral with the shaft 209. When the rotor of the release motor 118 rotates, the shaft 209 rotates about the shaft axis 211, and the eccentric cam 201 connected to the shaft 209 also rotates in accordance with the rotation of the shaft 209. The release mechanism 112 may include shaft bearings 210 that may rotatably support both ends of the shaft 209 .
[0025] The eccentric cam bearing 202 includes an inner ring portion 205 fixed along the side surface of the eccentric cam 201, and an outer ring portion 206 arranged so as to be able to contact the guide 203. The inner ring portion 205 may be integral with the eccentric cam 201. The outer ring portion 206 is able to contact the guide 203 along the arc portion. The outer ring portion 206 does not have to be fixed to the arc portion of the guide 203, or may be fixed thereto. If fixed thereto, the outer ring portion 206 may be integral with the guide 203. The eccentric cam bearing 202 may be a plain bearing in which the inner ring portion 205 slides against the outer ring portion 206, or may be a rolling bearing in which a plurality of rollers (needles) 207 are inserted between the inner ring portion 205 and the outer ring portion 206. By incorporating the eccentric cam bearing 202, the sliding speed of the eccentric cam 201 relative to the guide 203 can be reduced, and the surface pressure of the portion receiving the load can be reduced.
[0026] The guide 203 has a sliding portion on the opposite side of the arc portion of the guide 203, and the sliding portion of the guide 203 is arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the upper surface of the hole in the block 204. When the sliding portion of the guide 203 is in contact with the upper surface of the hole in the block 204, it can slide horizontally relative to the upper surface of the hole in the block 204. The sliding portion of the guide 203 does not have to be in constant contact with the upper surface of the hole in the block 204, and a gap 208 may be provided between the sliding portion of the guide 203 and the upper surface of the hole in the block 204, particularly when a plate material is clamped.
[0027] 5A shows the release mechanism 112 in a state in which the plate material is being released, and shows a state in which the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 move vertically upward, thereby lifting the upper roll 104 supported by the upper roll support member 110 vertically upward to release the plate material. In this case, the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 201 is disposed vertically above the shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209.
[0028] When the rotor of the release motor 118 starts to rotate, as shown in Fig. 5B , the shaft 209 connected to the rotor of the release motor 118 rotates about the shaft axis 211, and the eccentric cam 201 connected to the shaft 209 also rotates in accordance with the rotation of the shaft 209. When the eccentric cam 201 rotates, the guide 203 slides horizontally relative to the block 204 by the eccentric cam bearing 202. In Fig. 5B , the shaft 209 and the eccentric cam 201 rotate counterclockwise, and the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 201 rotates less than 90° from the vertically upper side about the shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209 when viewed from the side of the workpiece feeding device 101, and is positioned vertically upper and to the horizontally left of the shaft axis 211, and the guide 203 slides horizontally left relative to the block 204. As a result, the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 move downward in the vertical direction.
[0029] 5C , when the rotor of the release motor 118 rotates further, the shaft 209 connected to the rotor of the release motor 118 rotates further about the shaft axis 211, and the eccentric cam 201 connected to the shaft 209 also rotates further in accordance with the rotation of the shaft 209. When the eccentric cam 201 rotates further, the guide 203 slides horizontally backward relative to the block 204 by the eccentric cam bearing 202. In FIG. 5C , the shaft 209 and the eccentric cam 201 rotate further counterclockwise, and the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 201 rotates more than 90° from the vertically upper side about the shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209 when viewed from the side of the workpiece feeding device 101, and is now positioned horizontally to the left and vertically lower side of the shaft axis 211, and the guide 203 slides horizontally to the right relative to the block 204. This causes the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 to move further downward in the vertical direction. In this way, the upper roll 104 supported by the upper roll support member 110 moves downward in the vertical direction, transitioning from a state in which the plate material is released to a state in which the plate material is clamped.
[0030] 5D shows the release mechanism 112 in a state in which a plate material is being clamped, and when the rotor of the release motor 118 rotates 180° or more from the start of rotation, the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 move vertically downward to their lower limits, causing the upper roll 104 supported by the upper roll support member 110 to move vertically downward and clamp the plate material. In this case, the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 201 is disposed vertically below the shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209.
[0031] Conversely, by rotating the rotor of the release motor 118 and moving the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 vertically upward to their upper limits, the upper roll 104 supported by the upper roll support member 110 is lifted vertically upward, thereby transitioning from a state in which the plate material is clamped to a state in which the plate material is released. In this way, the release mechanism 112 rotates the shaft 209 in response to the rotation by the release motor 118, thereby moving the upper roll support member 110 vertically. Note that the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 do not have to move vertically upward to their upper limits and / or vertically downward to their lower limits, and may move within any range between the upper and lower limits depending on the thickness of the plate material.
[0032] The worksheet feeding device 101 may further include an elastic member 113 disposed between the main housing 102 and the upper roll support member 110. When the worksheet is being released, the guide 203 and the block 204 are pressed against the eccentric cam 201 and the eccentric cam bearing 202 via the upper roll support member 110 by the elastic force of the elastic member 113. The elastic member 113 may be an air spring or a coil spring. The air spring can adjust the pressing force by adjusting the elastic force externally, for example, and can also absorb vibrations generated when the worksheet feeding device 101 is operating. The elastic member 113 is not limited to these and may be another elastic member. The outer ring portion 206 of the eccentric cam bearing 202 may be pressed by the elastic force of the elastic member 113 so as to contact the arc portion of the guide 203.
[0033] As shown in Fig. 3, when the worksheet feeding device 101 is releasing a worksheet, the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 201 is positioned vertically above the shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209. When the eccentric cam 201 rotates, the elastic members 113 extend vertically downward based on the restoring force of the elastic members 113, and the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 are pressed vertically downward. The worksheet is clamped between the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104 based on the restoring force of the elastic members 113. As shown in Fig. 4, when the worksheet feeding device 101 is clamping a worksheet, the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 201 is positioned vertically below the shaft axis 211 of the shaft 209. When the eccentric cam 201 rotates in the reverse direction, the block 204 and the upper roll support member 110 connected to the block 204 are lifted vertically upward by the eccentric cam 201, and the elastic member 113 is shortened vertically upward. In this way, the release mechanism 112 can rotate the eccentric cam 201 to extend the elastic member 113 vertically in order to move the upper roll support member 110 vertically downward to clamp the plate material, and can also rotate the eccentric cam 201 to shorten the elastic member 113 vertically in order to move the upper roll support member 110 vertically upward to release the plate material.
[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, in the release mechanism 112, when a plate material is clamped, a gap 208 that functions as a play between the guide 203 and the block 204 may be provided. The height of the gap 208 may be 1 mm or less, preferably 0.5 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm. When a plate material is clamped, the elastic member 113 presses the upper roll support member 110 vertically downward based on its restoring force, thereby clamping the plate material between the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104. However, by ensuring the gap 208, the restoring force of the elastic member 113 can sufficiently act on the upper roll support member 110 to clamp the plate material.
[0035] The release motor 118 may be provided with a release rotation angle sensor 119 at the end opposite to the end where the shaft 209 is connected to the rotor in order to measure the rotation angle of the rotor. The release rotation angle sensor 119 may be, for example, a magnetic resolver or an optical encoder. By adjusting the rotation angle of the rotor of the release motor 118 based on the rotation angle of the rotor measured by the release rotation angle sensor 119, the eccentric cam 201 can be rotated to any angle, and the upper roll support member 110 can be adjusted to any height. This allows the worksheet feeding device 101 to adjust the upper roll 104 to any height and release the worksheet.
[0036] The workpiece feeding device 101 intermittently transports a constant amount of workpieces to a processing device such as a press, and the release motor 118 may receive a signal from outside the workpiece feeding device 101, such as a processing device. The release motor 118 may rotate the rotor to a predetermined first rotation angle in response to an external signal in order to move the upper roll support member 110 vertically downward to clamp and transport the workpiece. The release motor 118 may also reversely rotate the rotor to a predetermined second rotation angle in response to an external signal in order to move the upper roll support member 110 vertically upward to stop the transport of the workpiece while the workpiece is being clamped and transported. In this way, the release motor 118 may rotate the rotor so as to intermittently transport a constant amount of workpieces to the processing device in synchronization with the operation of the processing device. In addition, in order to stop the intermittent transport of a fixed amount of plate material to a processing device or the like, the release motor 118 may stop the rotation of the rotor and stop the rotation of the eccentric cam 201 while the rotor is rotating between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle in response to an external signal.
[0037] The worksheet feeding device 101 may also include a second roll motor. The second roll motor may have the same structure as the roll motor 114, including a hollow, substantially cylindrical stator and a hollow, substantially cylindrical rotor disposed in the hollow of the stator. The rotor of the second roll motor is connected to the upper roll 104 via the upper roll shaft 108. The upper roll 104 rotates relative to the upper roll support member 110 in accordance with the rotation of the rotor of the second roll motor. In this way, by connecting each motor to its respective roll and rotating each roll, it is possible to transport heavy worksheets even if the rotation capacity of each motor is reduced, and a worksheet feeding device 101 with high transport capacity can be provided.
[0038] When the workpiece feeding device 101 includes a second roll motor, the workpiece feeding device 101 may include a control device that receives a signal of the rotor rotation speed detected by a roll rotation angle sensor 116 provided in the roll motor 114 and a signal of the rotor rotation speed detected by a roll rotation angle sensor provided in the second roll motor. The control device determines whether or not these detected rotation speeds correspond to a predetermined rotation speed, and controls the rotation speed of the rotor of each motor, thereby allowing the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104 to rotate synchronously at the predetermined rotation speed.
[0039] The workpiece feeding device 101 may include a transmission mechanism 115 that transmits the rotation of the rotor of the roll motor 114 to the upper roll 104. The transmission mechanism 115 includes a first gear (lower roll gear) provided on the lower roll shaft 107 to which the lower roll 103 is fixed, and a second gear (upper roll gear) provided on the upper roll shaft 108 to which the upper roll 104 is fixed. The lower roll gear and the upper roll gear mesh and engage with each other, transmitting the rotation of the lower roll gear to the upper roll gear. As a result, the upper roll 104 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the lower roll 103 caused by the rotation of the rotor of the roll motor 114. 1, the transmission mechanism 115 is provided at the end of the lower roll shaft 107 and the end of the upper roll shaft 108 on the opposite side to the roll motor 114, but may be provided at the end of the lower roll shaft 107 and the end of the upper roll shaft 108 on the same side as the roll motor 114. By transmitting rotation by the transmission mechanism 115, the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104 can be rotated synchronously.
[0040] In the workpiece feeding device 101, a coupling device 121 may be provided on a roll shaft to which at least one of the lower roll 103 and the upper roll 104 is fixed, and at least one roll may be movable in a vertical direction relative to the main body housing 102 via the coupling device 121. In Figures 1, 3, 4, and 6, the coupling device 121 is provided on the upper roll shaft 108 to which the upper roll 104 is fixed, and via the coupling device 121, rotation of the upper roll gear caused by rotation of the lower roll gear is transmitted to the upper roll shaft 108, allowing the upper roll 104 to rotate. Also, via the coupling device 121, the upper roll 104 and the upper roll support member 110 supporting the upper roll 104 are movable in a vertical direction relative to the main body housing 102, thereby enabling the workpiece guided by the workpiece guide 117 to be clamped and released. In addition, by using a second roll motor instead of the transmission mechanism 115, the rotation of the rotor of the second roll motor can be transmitted to the upper roll shaft 108 via the coupling device 121, causing the upper roll 104 to rotate, and also, via the coupling device 121, the upper roll 104 and the upper roll support member 110 supporting the upper roll 104 can be made to move vertically relative to the second roll motor and the main body housing 102.
[0041] 6 shows the relationship between the upper roll shaft 108 to which the upper roll 104 is fixed, the coupling device 121, and the upper roll gear shaft 120 to which the upper roll gear is fixed. In the workpiece feeding device 101, the coupling device 121 is provided on the upper roll shaft 108 to which the upper roll 104 is fixed, and the upper roll shaft 108 and the upper roll gear shaft 120 are connected via the coupling device 121. By operating the upper roll support member 110 in the vertical direction, the upper roll 104 can be operated in the vertical direction relative to the main body housing 102 via the coupling device 121 without operating the transmission mechanism 115 in the vertical direction relative to the main body housing 102. In Fig. 3, the upper roll support member 110 and the upper roll 104 are moved vertically upward relative to the main body housing 102 via the coupling device 121 so that the upper roll axis 106 of the upper roll shaft 108 is offset from the axis of the upper roll gear shaft 120, thereby releasing the plate material. In Fig. 4, the upper roll support member 110 and the upper roll 104 are moved vertically downward relative to the main body housing 102 via the coupling device 121 so that the upper roll axis 106 of the upper roll shaft 108 coincides with the axis of the upper roll gear shaft 120, thereby clamping the plate material. The coupling device 121 may be any device that can move the upper roll 104 vertically downward via the upper roll shaft 108 when clamping the plate material, and can move the upper roll 104 vertically upward via the upper roll shaft 108 when releasing the plate material. An Oldham coupling, for example, is an example of such a coupling device. The coupling device 121 allows the upper roll 104 to operate in the vertical direction to clamp or release the plate material without changing the vertical position of the transmission mechanism 115. Note that in Fig. 6, the upper roll support member 110 is operated in the vertical direction, so the upper roll shaft 108 and the upper roll gear shaft 120 are connected via the coupling device 121, but when the lower roll support member 109 is operated in the vertical direction, the lower roll shaft 107 and the gear shaft of the lower roll gear may be connected via the coupling device 121, so that the lower roll 103 can operate in the vertical direction to clamp or release the plate material without changing the vertical position of the transmission mechanism 115.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 7 , a workpiece feeding device 101 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes an additional roll motor 122 connected to the lower roll 103 at one end thereof opposite to the end to which the roll motor 114 is connected, for rotating the lower roll 103. The additional roll motor 122 may include a hollow, substantially cylindrical stator and a hollow, substantially cylindrical rotor disposed in the hollow of the stator. The rotor of the additional roll motor 122 is connected to the lower roll 103 via the lower roll shaft 107. The lower roll 103 rotates relative to the lower roll support member 109 in accordance with the rotation of the rotor of the roll motor 114 and the additional roll motor 122. The roll motor 114 is provided with a roll rotation angle sensor 116 at the end opposite to the end connected to the worksheet feed device 101 to measure the rotation angle of the rotor and detect the rotation speed, while the additional roll motor 122 is not provided with a roll rotation angle sensor. The additional roll motor 122 is preset so that its rotor rotates at the same rotation speed as the rotor of the roll motor 114. For example, by using the roll motor 114 and the additional roll motor 122 as the same motor and passing equal amounts of current through the roll motor 114 and the additional roll motor 122, the rotor of the additional roll motor 122 can rotate at the same rotation speed as the rotor of the roll motor 114. In this way, by connecting motors at both ends of the lower roll 103 and rotating the rotors of the motors at both ends at the same rotation speed, the lower roll 103 can be prevented from twisting, and the worksheet can be transported at the same speed at both ends.
[0043] The workpiece feeding device 101 may include a second transmission mechanism 123 having the same configuration as the transmission mechanism 115, which transmits rotation of the rotor of the additional roll motor 122 to the upper roll 104. The second transmission mechanism 123 is provided at an end of the lower roll shaft 107 and an end of the upper roll shaft 108 on the opposite side of the transmission mechanism 115. This allows the upper roll 104 to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the lower roll 103 caused by the rotation of the rotor of the roll motor 114 and the rotor of the additional roll motor 122. Furthermore, a second coupling device 125 having the same configuration as the coupling device 121 may be provided on the opposite side of the side on which the coupling device 121 is provided on the upper roll shaft 108. The upper roll shaft 108 and a second upper roll gear shaft 124 to which the upper roll gear of the second transmission mechanism 123 is fixed are connected via the second coupling device 125. By operating the upper roll support member 110 in the vertical direction, the upper roll 104 can operate in the vertical direction relative to the main body housing 102 via the coupling device 121 and the second coupling device 125 without operating the transmission mechanism 115 and the second transmission mechanism 123 in the vertical direction relative to the main body housing 102.
[0044] By using the plate material feeding device 101 of the present invention as described above, it is possible to realize low power consumption and to feed plate materials intermittently at a constant rate with high precision. Then, the plate materials fed with high precision from the plate material feeding device 101 can be processed by a processing device such as a press machine, for example, to manufacture structures such as small parts used in information-related devices such as mobile phones and personal computers, components for automobiles and industrial motors, home appliances, etc.
[0045] Although the above description has been made with reference to particular embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto, and that various changes and modifications can be made within the principles of the present invention and the scope of the appended claims.
[0046] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 101 Plate material feeding device 102 Main body housing 103 Lower roll 104 Upper roll 105 Lower roll axis 106 Upper roll axis 107 Lower roll axis 108 Upper roll axis 109 Lower roll support member 110 Upper roll support member 111 Lower roll bearing 112 Release mechanism 113 Elastic member 114 Roll motor 115 Transmission mechanism 116 Roll rotation angle sensor 117 Plate material guide 118 Release motor 119 Release rotation angle sensor 120 Upper roll gear shaft 121 Coupling device 122 Additional roll motor 123 Second transmission mechanism 124 Second upper roll gear shaft 125 Second coupling device 201 Eccentric cam 202 Eccentric cam bearing 203 Guide 204 Block 205 Inner ring portion 206 Outer ring portion 207 Roller 208 Gap 209 Shaft 210 Shaft bearing 211 Shaft axis
Claims
1. Housing and a first roll contained within the housing; a second roll contained within the housing; a first roll support member that supports the first roll; a second roll support member that supports the second roll; Equipped with A workpiece feeding device configured to clamp a workpiece by the first roll and the second roll and transport the workpiece according to rotation of the first roll and the second roll, The workpiece feeding device further includes a release mechanism for releasing the clamped workpiece, the release mechanism includes an eccentric cam, a bearing arranged along a side surface of the eccentric cam, a guide arranged to be in contact with the bearing, and a block arranged to be in contact with the guide and connected to one of the first roll support member and the second roll support member, The release mechanism is configured to rotate the eccentric cam and move the guide horizontally relative to the block via the bearing, thereby moving the one roll support member connected to the block vertically.
2. 2. The workpiece feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first motor coupled to the first roll for rotating the first roll; and a second motor coupled to the second roll for rotating the second roll.
3. the rotational axis of the first roll and the second roll is fixed to a first motor connected to one of the first roll and the second roll for rotating the one roll, a first gear provided on a roll shaft to which the one roll is fixed, and a second gear provided on a roll shaft to which the other of the first roll and the second roll is fixed, 2. The workpiece feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first gear and the second gear are engaged with each other, and the other roll rotates in accordance with the rotation of the one roll caused by the first motor.
4. The workpiece feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bearing comprises an inner ring portion fixed along the side of the eccentric cam and an outer ring portion arranged so as to be able to contact the guide.
5. A workpiece feeding device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an elastic member arranged between the housing and one of the roll support members, and when the workpiece is released, the guide and the block are pressed against the eccentric cam and the bearing by the elastic member via the one of the roll support members.
6. The workpiece feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the elastic member is an air spring or a coil spring.
7. The workpiece feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the release mechanism is configured to rotate the eccentric cam to extend the elastic member in the vertical direction in order to operate the one roll support member in the vertical direction so as to clamp the workpiece.
8. The workpiece feeding device according to claim 5 , wherein the release mechanism is configured to provide a gap between the block and the guide when the workpiece is clamped.
9. The workpiece feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a third motor, the release mechanism further comprising a shaft connected to the third motor for rotating the eccentric cam, and the workpiece feeding device is configured to rotate the shaft in response to rotation by the third motor to move one of the roll support members in a vertical direction.
10. The workpiece feeding device according to claim 9, wherein the third motor is configured to stop the rotation of the eccentric cam while the eccentric cam is rotating in response to a signal from outside the workpiece feeding device, thereby stopping the transport of the workpiece.