JP4889763B2 - Tool magazine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tool magazine for storing tools such as a milling machine and a machining center and a tool electrode magazine for storing tool electrodes of an electric discharge machine. Hereinafter, in this specification, the tool electrode is referred to as a tool, and the tool electrode magazine is referred to as a tool magazine.

  A tool magazine for a machining center or an electric discharge machine includes a disk-shaped tool magazine (see Patent Document 1) in which a plurality of grippers for gripping a tool are arranged on the outer periphery of a disk, and a chain shape in which a plurality of grippers are connected in an endless chain shape. A tool magazine (see Patent Document 2) has been proposed. The technique described in Patent Document 1 (first prior art) is a disk-shaped tool magazine, which is a multistage tool magazine in order to increase the number of tools stored without expanding the installation space. The technique described in Patent Document 2 (second prior art) is a tool changer using a chain-like tool magazine, and the tool magazine has an endless chain-like gripper with an open / close-type gripping claw. Concatenated.

  An example of a conventional gripper used in the tool magazine is a gripper having a so-called laundry pin type opening / closing claw. In this gripper, when the opening / closing claw is opened / closed, the gripper must be disposed so as not to contact the adjacent gripper.

JP-A-6-114666 JP 2003-80429 A

  The first prior art described above has a multi-stage tool magazine in order to increase the number of stored tools, so that the apparatus for tool change must access a plurality of stages, and the apparatus is complicated and expensive. was there. The second prior art described above is a tool magazine in which a plurality of grippers are connected in a chain, and the gripper is a so-called laundry pinch type that opens and closes by a spring. Therefore, when the gripper claw is opened and closed, In order to prevent the claw from coming into contact with the adjacent gripper, a gap between the grippers must be widened, and there is a problem that the tool magazine becomes large when the number of stored tools is increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is a tool magazine that can store a large number of tools in a small installation space, and that is simple and inexpensive. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a plurality of grippers having U-shaped fixed claw members are provided, and the flange portion of the tool is disposed in the fixed claw member from the horizontal direction so that the center axis of the tool moves along the tool detachment axis. A tool magazine that is stored in the gripper in a suspended state by entering the tool, wherein the gripper further includes a pair of holding members, and the pair of holding members are respectively provided on both sides of the tool detachment axis. An arm portion extending above the flange portion of the tool from the base end portion of the gripper to a position exceeding the flange portion with a space narrower than the outer diameter of the flange portion, and the fixing pawl extending downward from the tip end of the arm portion A lock portion that comes into contact with the outer periphery of the flange portion when the tool flange portion enters the member, and the tool flange portion enters the fixed claw member. A tool magazine adapted to the interval of the lock portion is expanded by the turning or bending of the arm portion is provided.

  Since the gripping claw of the gripper is formed of a U-shaped fixed claw member, a space for opening and closing the gripping claw is unnecessary, and the outside dimension of the gripper can be reduced. Can be reduced. In addition, since the lock portion extends downward from the tip of a pair of arm portions extending at a distance narrower than the outer diameter of the flange portion to a position beyond the flange portion on both sides across the tool attachment / detachment axis, the lock portion is usually The space between them becomes narrower than the outer diameter of the flange portion, and the flange portion of the tool can be prevented from sliding out from the inside of the fixed claw member due to being blocked by the lock portion. Even if the gripper is a horizontal type in which the outer side (outer side of the tool magazine) is not inclined in the direction of lifting with respect to the horizontal plane, the pair of holding members hold the flange part of the tool, so that the tool by centrifugal force is Never jump out. Further, when the tool is attached to or detached from the fixed claw member, the lock portion expands along the outer peripheral surface of the tool flange portion, so that the lock portion protrudes to the outside of the tool flange portion by the thickness of the arm portion or the lock portion. Only. Moreover, since the arm portion is located above the tool flange portion, the arm portion does not interfere with the adjacent tool flange portion. Accordingly, since less installation space is required as compared with the conventional gripper, more tools can be accommodated in the tool magazine.

  The “tool attachment / detachment axis” used in the present specification is the center line of the U-shaped opening of the gripper's fixed claw member. When the tool flange portion is attached / detached to / from the fixed claw member, Means the axis through which the center of

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the gripping claw of the gripper is a fixed claw that does not open and close, a space for opening and closing the gripping claw becomes unnecessary, the gripper can be placed close to each other, and a small installation space Many tools can be stored in Since the gripper's gripping claw is a U-shaped fixed claw that does not open or close, a tool magazine that is simple and inexpensive can be obtained. In addition, since the lock part extends downward from the tip of a pair of arm parts extending at a distance narrower than the outer diameter of the flange part to a position beyond the flange part on both sides across the tool attachment / detachment axis, The gap is narrower than the outer diameter of the flange portion, and the flange portion of the tool can be prevented from sliding out from the U-shaped fixed claw member by being blocked by the lock portion. Further, when the tool is attached to or detached from the fixed claw member, the lock portion expands along the outer peripheral surface of the tool flange portion, and only to the side where it protrudes to the outside of the tool flange portion by the thickness of the arm portion or the lock portion. Since it does not move, a minimum space is required between adjacent grippers, and more tools can be accommodated in the tool magazine compared to conventional grippers. The pair of holding members composed of the arm portion and the lock portion are effective regardless of whether or not the outer side of the gripper (the outer periphery side of the tool magazine) is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the chain-shaped tool magazine of this invention. It is the side view which mounted | wore the tool with the gripper of the tool magazine of this invention. It is the top view which has arrange | positioned the gripper of the tool magazine of this invention. It is a top view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the gripper which can be used with the tool magazine of this invention. FIG. 5 is a side view of the gripper shown in FIG. 4. It is the top view which showed a mode that a tool was inserted in a gripper, when using the gripper which used a leaf | plate spring for the comparison. It is a top view which shows the opening-and-closing type gripper part of the conventional tool magazine.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a chained tool magazine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a tool is mounted on a gripper of the chained tool magazine of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of a gripper that can be used in the tool magazine of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a tool is inserted into the gripper when a gripper using a leaf spring is used for comparison, and FIG. 7 shows a conventional tool magazine open / close type gripper for comparison. FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a chain-shaped tool magazine in which a plurality of grippers for gripping tools are connected in an endless chain shape. An endless chain 5 is hung on sprockets 1 and 3 which are provided on a frame (not shown) so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis. The sprocket 1 is driven by a motor (not shown) in a driving vehicle, and the sprocket 3 is attached to the endless chain 5 by applying tension to the driven vehicle. The gripper 17 that holds the tool 7 is fixed to the connecting plate 21. The gripper 17 holding the desired tool 7 is positioned at a predetermined position by a driving device (not shown) for tool replacement. The tool magazine is provided so that the gripper 17 can be rotated around the vertical axis. In the case of a disk-shaped tool magazine, the rotation of the disk is performed around the vertical axis. In this case, the gripper 17 connected in the form of an endless chain circulates in an oval shape around the vertical axis.

  2 and 3 are a side view and a plan view showing a state in which the tool 7 is mounted on the gripper 17. The tool 7 includes a holder 11 that clamps the shaft portion 9 of the cutting edge, a flange portion 13, and a taper shank portion 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the gripper 17 is attached to the connecting plate 21. The gripper 17 is attached so that the outer side (the outer periphery side of the tool magazine) is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. The inclination angle is suitably 3 to 15 degrees. In this embodiment, the inclination angle is 5 degrees as shown in FIG. The tool 7 is held in the tool magazine in a state of spreading downward. The inclined plate 23 has a gradient, and is inclined so that the outside of the gripper 17 (the outer peripheral side of the tool magazine) is lifted, and the gripper 17 is attached to the connecting plate 21. Instead of using the inclined plate 23, the gripper 17 may be directly inclined to the connecting plate 21 and attached.

  Since the gripper 17 is attached so as to be lifted so that the outer side (outer side of the tool magazine) is lifted, the tool 7 generates a centripetal force toward the center of the tool magazine by its own weight. The tool 7 is pressed against the gripper 17 toward the center of the tool magazine just by placing the tool 7 on the U-shaped claw 19a of the fixed claw member 19 described later, so that the tool 7 is gripped like a conventional gripper. There is no need to forcefully clamp with nails. Since the gripper 17 is attached with an inclination, even if the gripping force of the tool 7 is zero or very small, the tool 7 does not come off the gripper 17 and jump out when the tool magazine is rotated. For further safety, the gripper 17 of the gripper 17 may be lightly gripped using a leaf spring member or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gripper 17 is formed of a fixed claw member 19 having a U-shaped claw at the tip in order to hold the flange portion 13 of the tool 7. The gripper claw of the conventional gripper is a movable claw like a laundry nip as shown in FIG. 7, but the gripper 17 of this embodiment is a fixed claw that does not move. The U-shaped claw 19a of the fixed claw member 19 is not for gripping the tool 7, but only for placing or engaging the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 on the U-shaped claw. If the outer dimension of the U-shaped fixed claw member 19 is set to be approximately the same as the outer dimension of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7, the arrangement interval of the grippers 17 can be reduced. In particular, in a tool magazine of a machine that uses a large number of thin tools, the arrangement interval of the grippers 17 can be reduced, so that the tool magazine can be made compact.

  A leaf spring member is provided as a gripping claw (that is, a holding member) at the tip of the fixed claw member 19 of the gripper 17 so that the gripping claw can be applied with a small gripping force that allows the tool 7 to be pressed lightly. Also good. By this leaf spring member 29, the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 can be pressed and held in the U-shaped claw. The leaf spring 29 is attached so as to press the outer diameter portion of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7, but may be attached so as to press the upper surface portion of the flange portion 13. The endless chain 5 is composed of a connecting plate 21 and a link 25, and the link 25 is above and below the connecting plate 21, and the connecting plate 21 is connected in an endless chain shape by pins 27. The endless chain 5 is engaged with the pair of sprockets 1 and 3. The tool magazine is driven by a drive device (not shown), and a gripper 17 on which a desired tool 7 is mounted is positioned at a predetermined position for tool change.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional gripper, which is a gripper having a so-called laundry pin type opening / closing claw. The gripping claw 51 clamps the tool 7 by the repulsive force of the spring 55 with the pin 53 as a fulcrum. When attaching and detaching the tool 7, the gripping claw 51 is opened and a two-dot chain line 57 is entered. In this gripper, when the gripping claw 51 is opened and closed, the gripper must be attached with a wide interval so that it does not come into contact with the adjacent gripper. Therefore, there is a problem that the tool magazine cannot be made compact.

  Another embodiment of the gripper that can be used in the tool magazine of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, when it is necessary to hold the tool 7 in the U-shaped claw of the fixed claw member of the gripper by pressing the outer diameter portion of the flange portion with the holding member, the gripper 17 shown in FIG. Also, it is possible to narrow the arrangement interval.

  The gripper 31 of the tool magazine shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 includes a fixed claw member 33 having a U-shaped claw 33a at the tip and a U-shaped claw 33a by pressing the flange 13 of the tool 7. A pair of holding members 35 for holding the flange portion 13. The fixed claw member 33 is installed horizontally, and the U-shaped claw 33a enters the U-shaped claw 33a from the horizontal direction so that the center axis 37 of the tool 7 moves along the tool detachment axis 39. The neck portion of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 is engaged with the letter-shaped claw 33 a so that the tool 7 can be held by the fixed claw member 33 of the gripper 31 in a suspended state. Of course, you may install inclining with respect to a horizontal surface like the fixed nail | claw member 19 shown by FIG.2 and FIG.3. In this case, the tool attachment / detachment axis is also inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

  Each holding member 35 is formed by a torsion coil spring in which an arm portion 35b extends linearly from the coil-shaped portion 35a. The coil-shaped portion 35a is fixed to the base end portion (tool magazine) of the fixed claw member 33 by a fixing pin 41. It is fixed to the inner peripheral side end). The arm portion 35 b of the holding member 35 extends above the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 from the base end portion (end portion on the inner side of the tool magazine) of the fixed claw member 33 to a position beyond the flange portion 13 of the tool 7. Further, the arm portions 35b of the pair of holding members 35 extend with a narrower interval than the outer diameter of the flange portion 13, and a lock portion 35c extends downward in the vertical direction from the tip of each arm portion 35b. Accordingly, the pair of lock portions 35c is suspended from the opening of the U-shaped claw 33a at a narrower interval than the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 like the arm portion 35b, and is accommodated in the U-shaped claw 33a. The flange portion 13 of the tool 7 is prevented from jumping out of the U-shaped claw 33a.

  On the other hand, when the tool 7 is attached to or detached from the gripper 31, the torsion coil spring that forms the holding member 35 by pressing the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 against the lock portion 35 c while applying a horizontal force to the tool 7. The arm portion 35b pivots or bends about the fixing pin 41, the lock portion 35c spreads along the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7, and the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 is between the pair of lock portions 35c. It is possible to pass through. Since the lock portion 35c hangs vertically from the arm portion 35b and does not protrude inward from the arm portion 35b, the tip of the arm portion 35b and the lock portion 35c are directed toward the adjacent gripper 31 when passing. It expands to the side only up to a position protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 by the thickness of the tip portion of the arm portion 35b or the lock portion 35c (see the upper gripper 31 in FIG. 4). . Further, since the holding member 35 is located inside the gripper 31 from the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 13, the arm portion 35 b and the lock portion 35 c of the holding member 35 are adjacent to each other even when they are expanded laterally. There is no interference with the holding member 35. In addition, since the arm portion 35b is located above the flange portion 13, the arm portion 35b of the holding member 35 is connected to the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 accommodated in the adjacent gripper 31 even if it extends sideways. There is no interference.

  Therefore, it is possible to arrange the grippers 31 in the tool magazine at a minimum interval and make the tool magazine as compact as possible.

  In order to hold the tool 7 in the U-shaped claw of the fixed claw member of the gripper by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 13, a leaf spring 29 is attached to the grippers 17, 17 'as shown in FIGS. , 29 ′, it is necessary to bend the tip ends of the leaf springs 29, 29 ′ to the inside of the arm portion so that they wrap around the outside of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 (the outer periphery side of the tool magazine). . However, when the tip ends of the leaf springs 29 and 29 'protrude on the attachment / detachment path of the flange portion 13 as described above, when the flange portion 13 of the tool 7 passes between the tip portions of the leaf springs 29 and 29'. Further, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, it is necessary to retract the tip of the leaf spring 29 to the side of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7, and both sides of the passage path of the flange portion 13 of the tool 7. Therefore, it is necessary to secure an extra space for retreating the tip of the leaf spring 29 by an amount protruding inward from the arm portion. Therefore, the gripper 31 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 minimizes the need for this extra space, thereby enabling the gripper to be arranged at a minimum interval.

  A disc-shaped tool magazine according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Although a drawing of a disk-shaped tool magazine is not attached, a conventional disk-shaped tool magazine is disclosed in, for example, FIG. The disk-shaped tool magazine according to the present invention has a plurality of grippers 17 and 31 attached to the outer periphery of the disk. In particular, when the gripper 17 shown in FIG. 3 is used, as shown in FIG. 2, the gripper 17 on the outer periphery of the disk is lifted 3 degrees in the direction in which the outer side (the outer side of the tool magazine) is lifted with respect to the horizontal plane. Install with a 15 degree inclination. The other configuration of the disk-shaped tool magazine is the same as that described in the above-described chain-shaped tool magazine, although it differs depending on whether it is disk-shaped or chain-shaped.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sprocket 5 Endless chain 7 Tool 13 Flange part 17 Gripper 19 Fixed claw member 19a U-shaped claw 21 Connecting plate 23 Inclined plate 25 Link 29 Leaf spring 31 Gripper 33 Fixed claw member 33a U-shaped claw 35 Holding member 35a Coiled part 35b Arm part 35c Lock part 37 Center axis 39 Desorption axis

Claims (1)

A plurality of grippers having a U-shaped fixed claw member are provided, and the tool is suspended by causing the flange portion of the tool to enter the fixed claw member so that the center axis of the tool moves along the tool attachment / detachment axis. A tool magazine stored in the gripper in a state,
The gripper further includes a pair of holding members, and the pair of holding members are located above the flange portion of the tool from a base end portion of the gripper to a position beyond the flange portion on both sides of the tool attachment / detachment axis. An arm portion that extends at a narrower interval than the outer diameter of the arm portion, and a lock portion that extends downward from the tip of the arm portion and contacts the outer periphery of the flange portion when the flange portion of the tool enters the fixed claw member. The tool magazine is characterized in that when the flange portion of the tool is advanced into the fixed claw member, the interval between the lock portions is widened by turning or bending of the arm portion.

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