JP7519166B2 - Transfer Feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer feeder that is used in a transfer press device, is easy to maintain, has a simple structure, and can transport workpieces even when the pitch between the placement positions of the dies is not constant.

A transfer press machine is a machine in which multiple dies are installed and it is possible to carry out press working with each die while sequentially transporting a workpiece.
A so-called transfer feeder is used to transport the workpieces. That is, the transfer feeder has a function of holding the workpiece on each die and transporting it to the adjacent die when one press working cycle is completed.

A known example of such a transfer feeder is a work transport device for a press machine which includes frames arranged on both sides of the moving bolster in the work transport direction, a pair of bars arranged parallel to the work transport direction, a feed carrier supported on the bars, a feed drive mechanism provided on the bars and driving the feed carrier in the work transport direction, a lift drive mechanism provided on the frame and driving the pair of bars in a lift direction to move them up and down, a clamp drive mechanism provided on the frame and driving the pair of bars in a clamp direction perpendicular to the work transport direction, and a work holder detachably attached to the feed carrier and holding the work (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In such a workpiece transport device, the bar is driven in a lift direction and a clamp direction, and a feed carrier supported by the bar is driven in the feed direction.

Also known is a work transport device for use in a press machine, which includes a pair of bars arranged parallel to the work transport direction and to which work holders that hold the work are removably attached, a feed drive mechanism that moves the attached work holders in the work transport direction, a box arranged on both sides of the bolster in the work transport direction, a lift drive mechanism provided on the box that moves the pair of bars in the vertical direction, and a lifting section that moves the box in the vertical direction (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
In such a workpiece transport device, the bar is driven in a lift direction and a clamp direction, and the workpiece holder attached to the bar is driven in a feed direction.

JP 2005-153016 A International Publication No. 2016/063642

However, in the workpiece transport device described in Patent Document 1 above, a feed drive device for driving the feed carrier in the feed direction is provided throughout the bar, so if there is a problem with the drive of the feed carrier, the bar must be completely disassembled.
Similarly, in the work transport device described in Patent Document 2, since guide rails and magnetic plates need to be provided at specified positions on the bar body, if there is a problem with the drive of the work holder, the bar body needs to be completely disassembled.
For this reason, the workpiece transport devices described in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the disadvantage that maintenance such as replacement is time-consuming.
Furthermore, the feed carrier in the work transport device described in Patent Document 1 and the work holder described in Patent Document 2 require a relatively large travel distance, and furthermore, they must move at high speed and be moved in a timely manner to hold the work, resulting in a disadvantage that the overall structure is complex.

On the other hand, in recent press working, the increasingly complex shapes of dies and workpieces have led to cases where the pitch (distance) between the positions of the dies is not constant, and there is a demand for transfer feeders that can transport the workpiece even in such cases.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a transfer feeder that is easy to maintain, has a simple structure, and can transport workpieces even when the pitch between the placement positions of the dies is not constant.

After extensive research to solve the above problems, the inventors discovered that the above problems could be solved by having the feed bar perform the basic drive in the feed direction, with the shift section handling the adjustment, and by making the shift section detachable from the feed bar, thus completing the present invention.

The present invention relates to a transfer feeder used in a transfer press device, which includes a pair of feed bars extending in the feed direction, a feed drive unit for driving the feed bars in the feed direction, a lift drive unit for driving the feed bars in the lift direction, a clamp drive unit for driving the feed bars in the clamp direction, a shift unit attached to a plurality of mounting units provided at regular intervals on the feed bars, and a holding unit for holding the work, in which the shift unit has a base unit attached so as to be detachable from the mounting unit, a linear motion mechanism provided on the base unit, a table unit attached to the linear motion mechanism, and a shift drive source for driving the linear motion mechanism, in which the holding unit is detachably attached to the table unit, and the table unit is reciprocally movable in the feed direction relative to the base unit based on the drive of the linear motion mechanism.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the machine has a plurality of shift sections, and each of the plurality of shift sections is independently operable to reciprocate the table section in the feed direction relative to the base section based on the drive of the linear motion mechanism.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the linear motion mechanism is a ball screw having a screw shaft extending in the feed direction and a nut portion attached to the screw shaft via a ball, the table is attached to the nut portion, and the shift drive source is a servo motor.
In this case, it is preferable that a guide rail portion extending in the feed direction is provided on the base, a slide portion attached to the guide rail and movable back and forth along the guide rail is attached and fixed to the table, and the guide rail portions are provided on both sides of the screw shaft.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the shift section further comprises a cable bear (registered trademark) having one end connected to the base section and the other end connected to the table section, an air coupler is provided on the table section, and the wiring section passes through the cable bear from inside the feed bar and is connected to the holding section via the air coupler.

In the present invention, a cable bear tray for supporting the cable bear is attached to the base, and it is preferable that the cable bear tray is L-shaped in side view, consisting of a vertical surface portion whose upper end is attached to the side surface of the base, and a horizontal surface portion that is continuous with the lower end of the vertical surface portion.

In the transfer feeder of the present invention, the table part of the shift part is reciprocable in the feed direction relative to the base part, so that the conveying position of the workpiece can be adjusted by the shift part. In other words, the feed bar performs the basic drive in the feed direction, and the shift part can adjust the precise conveying position according to the arrangement position of the mold. This allows the stroke of the shift part in the feed bar direction to be reduced, so that the shift part itself can be made smaller.
Therefore, the transfer feeder has a simple structure and is capable of transporting workpieces without interference between the holding parts, even when the pitch between the arrangement positions of the dies is not constant.
Incidentally, if the pitch between the mold placement positions is not constant, the work transporting device described in Patent Document 2 above cannot transport the work, and although the work transporting device described in Patent Document 1 above is capable of controlling the individual movement of each feed carrier, there is a risk of interference between adjacent feed carriers due to errors, etc.

Furthermore, since the transfer feeder does not move the shift section itself significantly, high speed transport is possible and the control for holding the workpiece can be simplified.
In addition, because the shift section is detachable from the feed bar, maintenance is easy: for example, if there is a problem with the drive of the shift section in the feed direction, only the defective shift section can be replaced without disassembling the entire feed bar.
In addition, when there is no need to adjust the workpiece transport position using the shift section, the weight load applied to the feed bar can be reduced by removing the shift section and using a general holding section.

In the transfer feeder of the present invention, when multiple shift sections are independently driven by a linear motion mechanism such that the table section can reciprocate in the feed direction relative to the base section, each shift section can adjust the conveying position according to the pitch between the positions of the dies, which greatly relaxes restrictions on the shapes of dies that can be used. In other words, the freedom of design of dies can be further improved.

In the transfer feeder of the present invention, a ball screw is used as the linear motion mechanism and a servo motor is used as the shift drive source, so that the position of the table portion can be controlled with high precision while having a relatively light and simple structure.
In this case, by providing guide rails on both sides of the screw shaft and guiding the table section on these via the slide section, even if a holding section is attached to the table section, it is possible to suppress shaking due to the weight of the holding section and to move the table section smoothly.

In the transfer feeder of the present invention, the wiring section is passed from inside the feed bar through a cable bearer and connected to the holding section via an air coupler, so that the wiring is bundled for each shift section, thereby preventing the wiring section from getting in the way when transporting the workpiece.
Furthermore, it is possible to prevent errors caused by congestion in the wiring portion.
In this case, by attaching a cable bear tray which is L-shaped in side view and consists of a vertical surface portion and a horizontal surface portion to the base, the cable bear can be supported by storing the cable bear in the cable bear tray, and the cable bear can be prevented from getting in the way when transporting the workpiece.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a transfer press device to which a transfer feeder according to this embodiment is attached. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the transfer feeder according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3A is a view of the drive unit in the transfer feeder shown in FIG. 2 as seen from the arrow A1. FIG. 3B is a view of the drive unit in the transfer feeder shown in FIG. 2 as seen from the arrow B1. FIG. 4A is a view of the drive unit shown in FIG. 3A as seen from an arrow A2. FIG. 4B is a view of the drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a shift portion of the feed bar according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the relationship between the shift section, the feed bar, and the wiring section shown in FIG. FIG. 7A is a top view illustrating the positional relationship with the mold before feeding when the pitch between the mold placement positions is not constant in the transfer feeder of this embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a top view illustrating the positional relationship with the mold after feeding when the pitch between the mold placement positions is not constant in the transfer feeder of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as necessary.
In the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations are omitted.
In addition, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships such as up, down, left, right, etc. are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to the ratios shown in the drawings.

The transfer feeder according to the present invention is a so-called three-dimensional transfer feeder that is used in a transfer press device and is movable in three dimensions, that is, in a feed direction, a lift direction, and a clamp direction.
In this specification, the direction in which the workpiece is transported is referred to as the "feed direction", the vertical direction is referred to as the "lift direction", and the width direction perpendicular to the feed direction and lift direction is referred to as the "clamp direction".
Additionally, the term "upstream side" refers to the upstream side in the workpiece transport direction (feed direction), and the term "downstream side" refers to the downstream side in the workpiece transport direction (feed direction).

1 is a schematic front view showing a transfer press device to which a transfer feeder according to the present embodiment is attached, in which the left side of the drawing is the upstream side and the right side of the drawing is the downstream side.
That is, the workpiece (not shown) is transported in the direction of arrow A.
The transfer press apparatus 100 has a bed 3, a bolster 3a attached to the upper surface of the bed 3, uprights 4 erected at the four corners of the bed 3, a crown 5 supported by the uprights 4, a drive mechanism (not shown) built into the crown 5, a slide 6 suspended from the drive mechanism, a plurality of upper dies 7a attached to the underside of the slide 6, a plurality of lower dies 7b attached to the upper surface of the bolster 3a so as to correspond to the upper dies 7a, and a transfer feeder 1 for transporting a workpiece (not shown).
The combination of the upper die 7a and the corresponding lower die 7b is also simply called a "die."
Here, the driving mechanism is not particularly limited, but for example, a mechanical type using a crank mechanism, a hydraulic type that operates by applying pressure to a liquid, a servo motor type that uses a servo motor, or other driving mechanisms can be used.
Since the structure of the transfer press device 100 is publicly known, detailed description of each component will be omitted.

In the transfer press device 100, the drive mechanism moves the slide 6, which is at the top dead center, downward to the bottom dead center, whereby the workpiece is pressed between the upper die 7a and the lower die 7b.
After the press working, the drive mechanism moves the slide 6, which is at the bottom dead point, upward to the top dead point.
In the transfer press apparatus 100, this cycle is repeated.

At this time, after the press working, before the next press working is performed, the transfer feeder 1 simultaneously transports the workpieces on each lower die 7b that has been subjected to the press working to the adjacent lower die 7b located downstream. As a result, the workpieces are press worked in sequence at each die.
In addition, the loading of a new workpiece into the lower die 7b located at the most upstream side, and the unloading of the workpiece on the lower die 7b located at the most downstream side out of the transfer device 100 are performed separately by a known transport robot (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the transfer feeder according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 2 shows a part of the transfer press apparatus shown in Fig. 1, specifically, a part of the bed 3, the bolster 3a, the transfer feeder 1 and the upright 4. Note that illustration of the slide 6, the upper die 7a, the lower die 7b, the upright 4 on the front side, the holding portion of the transfer feeder 1, etc. is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer feeder 1 has a pair of feed bars 1a extending in a feed direction F, a feed drive unit 11 for driving the feed bars 1a in the feed direction F, a lift drive unit for driving the feed bars 1a in a lift direction L, a clamp drive unit for driving the feed bars 1a in a clamp direction C, a shift unit 2 attached to a plurality of mounting units provided at regular intervals on the feed bars 1a, and a holding unit for holding a workpiece (see FIG. 6).

Each of the pair of feed bars 1a has a hollow rectangular prism shape and incorporates wiring portions, which will be described later.
Each of the pair of feed bars has an attachment portion on the upper surface thereof for attaching the shift unit 2 described later. The attachment portion is a position where the shift unit 2 can be attached, and specifically, for example, the periphery of a position where an attachment hole for attaching the shift unit 2 with a fixture such as a bolt is provided is the attachment portion 1b (see FIG. 6).
Such attachment portion 1b can be provided at any desired position on the feed bar 1a.
For example, it is preferable to arrange them at predetermined intervals so as to correspond to the position of the mold.
When the shift portion is removed for use, a screw hole for attaching the holding portion directly to the feed bar 1a may be provided at an arbitrary position on the feed bar 1a.

The feed drive unit 11 has a feed main body portion 11a, a feed guide portion 11c provided at the lower end of the feed main body portion 11a, a feed rail portion 11b attached and fixed to the tip portion of the feed bar 1a and extending in the feed direction F, and a feed servo motor 11d attached to the feed main body portion 11a.
In the feed drive unit 11, a feed guide unit 11c is attached to the feed rail unit 11b, and when driven by a feed servo motor 11d, the feed rail unit 11b moves integrally with the feed bar 1a in the feed direction F relative to the feed guide unit 11c.
That is, the feed drive unit 11 moves the feed bar 1 a in the feed direction F.

3A is a view taken along the line A1 of the drive unit in the transfer feeder shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a view taken along the line B1 of the drive unit in the transfer feeder shown in FIG.
In addition, in Fig. 3(a) and Fig. 3(b), an outer frame and the like are shown transparently as necessary.
The clamp drive section 13 comprises an upstream clamp drive section 131 attached near the upstream end of the feed bar 1a, and a downstream clamp drive section 132 attached near the downstream end of the feed bar 1a.
That is, the feed bar 1a is driven in the clamping direction C on both sides.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the upstream clamp drive unit 131 includes a structure having a first upstream clamp support unit 131a attached to the feed bar 1a on one side, a first upstream clamp guide unit 131c attached to the first upstream clamp support unit 131a, a first upstream clamp belt unit 131b built into the bed 3 and extending in the clamping direction C, and a first upstream clamp drive pulley 131d for driving the first upstream clamp belt unit 131b, and a structure having a second upstream clamp support unit 131a attached to the feed bar 1a on the other side, a second upstream clamp guide unit 131c attached to the second upstream clamp support unit 131a, a second upstream clamp belt unit 131b built into the bed 3 and extending in the clamping direction C, and a second upstream clamp drive pulley 131d for driving the second upstream clamp belt unit 131b.
The structure attached to the feed bar 1a on one side and the structure attached to the feed bar 1a on the other side have the same structure except that they are symmetrical.
In the upstream clamp driving section 131, the first upstream clamp belt section 131b and the second upstream clamp belt section 131b are synchronously driven in opposite directions, so that the first upstream clamp guide section 131c and the second upstream clamp guide section 131c move in the clamp direction C integrally with the corresponding feed bar 1a.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the downstream clamp drive portion 132 includes a structure having a first downstream clamp support portion 132a attached to the feed bar 1a on one side, a first downstream clamp guide portion 132c attached to the first downstream clamp support portion 132a, a first downstream clamp belt portion 132b extending in the clamping direction C, and a first downstream clamp drive pulley 132d for driving the first downstream clamp belt portion 132b, and a structure having a second downstream clamp support portion 132a attached to the feed bar 1a on the other side, a second downstream clamp guide portion 132c attached to the second downstream clamp support portion 132a, the second downstream clamp belt portion 132b extending in the clamping direction C, and a second downstream clamp drive pulley 132d for driving the second downstream clamp belt portion 132b. The structure attached to the feed bar 1a on one side and the structure attached to the feed bar 1a on the other side have the same structure except that they are symmetrical.
In the downstream clamp driving portion 132, the first downstream clamp belt portion 132b and the second downstream clamp belt portion 132b are synchronously driven in the opposite directions, so that the first downstream clamp guide portion 132c and the second downstream clamp guide portion 132c move in the clamp direction C integrally with the corresponding feed bar 1a.
Therefore, in the clamp driving section 13, the upstream clamp driving section 131 and the downstream clamp driving section 132 are capable of reciprocating the feed bar 1a in the clamp direction C in synchronization with each other.

Fig. 4(a) is a view of the drive unit shown in Fig. 3(a) as seen from the arrow A2, and Fig. 4(b) is a view of the drive unit shown in Fig. 3(b) as seen from the arrow B2. In Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b), an outer frame and the like are shown in a see-through manner as necessary.
The lift drive unit 12 comprises an upstream lift drive unit 121 attached near the upstream end of the feed bar 1a, and a downstream lift drive unit 122 attached near the downstream end of the feed bar 1a.
That is, the feed bar 1a is driven in the lift direction L on both sides.

As shown in Figure 4(a), the upstream lift drive unit 121 has a pair of upstream racks 121a extending in the lift direction L and arranged to support the upstream clamp drive unit 131 from below, upstream pinions 121b each attached to the upstream racks 121a, and an upstream lift drive motor 121d (see Figure 3(a)) for rotating the upstream pinions 121b.
The pair of upstream pinions 121b each have a non-rotating portion fixed inside the bed 3, and a gear portion is freely rotatable by the upstream lift drive motor 121d. The gear portions of the pair of upstream pinions 121b are meshed with each other. As a result, when the upstream lift drive motor 121d rotates the upstream pinion 121b, the pair of upstream pinions 121b rotate in opposite directions, so that the pair of upstream racks 121a move integrally with the upstream clamp drive unit 131 in the same direction in the lift direction L.

As shown in Figure 4 (b), the downstream lift drive unit 122 has a pair of downstream racks 122a extending in the lift direction L and arranged to suspend the downstream clamp drive unit 132, downstream pinions 122b each attached to the downstream racks 122a, and a downstream lift drive motor 122d (see Figure 3 (b)) for rotating the downstream pinions 122b.
The pair of downstream pinions 122b each have a non-rotating portion fixed to a frame FR that is installed between the adjacent uprights 4 (see FIG. 2), and the gear portions are rotatable by the downstream lift drive motor 122d. The gear portions of the pair of downstream pinions 122b are meshed with each other. As a result, when the downstream lift drive motor 122d rotates the downstream pinions 122b, the pair of downstream pinions 122b rotate in opposite directions, and the pair of downstream racks 122a move in the same direction in the lift direction L together with the downstream clamp drive unit 132.
Therefore, in the lift drive unit 12, the upstream lift drive unit 121 and the downstream lift drive unit 122 are synchronized to reciprocate the feed bar 1a in the lift direction L.

As a result, the transfer feeder 1 moves three-dimensionally and transports the workpieces.
Specifically, the pair of feed bars 1a first move inwardly to hold the workpiece by the clamp drive unit 13, and then hold the workpiece.
Next, the lift drive unit 12 rises to lift the workpiece, the feed drive unit 11 moves downstream to transport it to the adjacent die, and the lift drive unit 12 descends to place the workpiece in that die.
After the workpiece is released, the clamp drive unit 13 moves the clamp 11 outward to avoid the workpiece, and the feed drive unit 13 moves the clamp 11 upstream and returns to its original position. This is a series of drive cycles.

A plurality of shift sections 2 are provided at regular intervals on each feed bar 1a.
The multiple shift units 2 attached to the feed bar 1a on one side all have the same structure as the shift unit shown in FIG. 5 described below, and the multiple shift units 2 attached to the feed bar 1a on the other side all have the same structure as the shift unit shown in FIG. 5, except that they are symmetrical with respect to each other.
Further, each shift portion 2 is independent from the others, and is attached to the attachment portion 1b of the feed bar 1a so as to be detachable.

As a result, for example, if there is a problem with the drive of the shift portion 2 in the feed direction F, it is possible to replace only the defective shift portion 2 without disassembling the entire feed bar 1a, making maintenance easier.
In addition, since the shift portions 2 are independent of each other, they can be easily prevented from interfering with each other.
In addition, if there is no need to adjust the workpiece transport position using the shift unit 2, the weight load applied to the feed bar 1a can be reduced by removing the shift unit 2 and attaching a general holding unit to the mounting unit.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a shift portion of the feed bar according to this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view for explaining the relationship between the shift portion, the feed bar, and the wiring portion shown in FIG.
As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the shift unit 2 has a base 21 that is rectangular when viewed from above, a linear motion mechanism 25 provided on the base 21, a table unit 22 attached to the linear motion mechanism 25, a shift drive source 23 for driving the linear motion mechanism 25, and a cable bear 24 having one end connected to the base 21 and the other end connected to the table unit 22.

The base portion 21 is attached to the attachment portion 1b of the feed bar 1a by means of a fastener such as a bolt (see FIG. 6).
By removing the mounting fixture, the base 21 can be easily removed from the feed bar 1a.
That is, the base 21 is detachable from the feed bar 1a.
The base 21 is provided at its center with an opening 21a that is rectangular when viewed from above.
This allows the base 21 to be made as lightweight as possible, making it easier to attach and detach.

A linear motion mechanism 25 is provided on the upper surface of the base 21 .
The linear motion mechanism 25 is disposed in the opening 21a and has a screw shaft 25a extending in the feed direction F and a nut portion 25b attached to the screw shaft 25a via a ball.
That is, the linear motion mechanism 25 is a so-called ball screw in which the nut portion 25b moves along the screw shaft 25a based on the rotation of the screw shaft 25a.
In the shift portion 2, a ball screw is employed as the linear motion mechanism 25, so that the shift portion 2 can have a relatively light weight and simple structure.
A servo motor is preferably used as the shift drive source 23 for rotationally driving the screw shaft 25a of the linear motion mechanism 25. In this case, it is possible to control the rotational driving of the screw shaft 25a.

In the base 21, guide rail portions 26a extending in the feed direction F are provided on both sides of the screw shaft 25a (opening 21a). That is, the pair of guide rail portions 26a are provided so as to be parallel to the screw shaft 25a.
A slide portion 26b is attached to the guide rail 26a so as to be capable of reciprocating along the guide rail 26a.

The table portion 22 is plate-shaped, and the nut portion 25b of the linear motion mechanism 25 described above is attached and fixed to the approximate center of the rear surface of the table portion 22.
Moreover, the table portion 22 has the above-mentioned slide portions 26b attached and fixed to both sides of the rear surface thereof.
Therefore, in the shift section 2, the linear motion mechanism 25 enables the table section 22 and the holding section 30 described later to move back and forth in the feed direction F relative to the base 21, and the servo motor, which is the shift drive source 23, enables the positions of the table section 22 and the holding section 30 described later to be controlled with high precision.
Furthermore, since the reciprocating movement of the table portion 22 is guided by the guide rail portion 26a, even if the weight of a holding portion or the like is added to the table portion 22, shaking, etc. is suppressed, and the table portion 22 can be moved back and forth smoothly.

A holding portion 30 is attached to the table portion 22 so as to protrude inward in the clamping direction C.
The holding portion 30 is detachable from the table portion 22, and is attached to the table portion 22 by fasteners such as bolts, for example, in the same manner as the base portion 21 is attached to the mounting portion 1b described above.
As the holding unit 30, for example, a gripper that holds a workpiece is used (see FIG. 6).
The holding unit 30 may have a tilt mechanism that is rotatable about an axis in the clamping direction C. In this case, it is possible to grip a tilted workpiece by rotating the gripper to match the tilt of the workpiece.

An air coupler 27 is provided on the table portion 22. Therefore, the air coupler 27 reciprocates relative to the base portion 21 together with the table portion 22.
A cable bear 24 is attached to the table portion 22 and the base portion 21 so as to protrude on the opposite side to the holding portion 30. Specifically, one end of the cable bear 24 is connected to a cable bear tray 34 attached and fixed to the base portion 21, and the other end is connected to the table portion 22.

Here, the cable bear tray 24a is for supporting the cable bear 24, and is L-shaped when viewed from the side, consisting of a vertical surface portion 34a whose upper end is attached to the side of the base 21, and a horizontal surface portion 34b that is continuous with the lower end of the vertical surface portion 34a.
Therefore, when the base 21 of the shift unit 2 is attached to the upper surface of the feed bar 1a, the vertical surface portion 34a of the cable bear tray 24a is disposed so as to fit along the side surface of the feed bar 1a.

In the shift unit 2, the wiring unit 28 passes through the cable bear 24 from inside the feed bar 1a and is connected to the holding unit 30 via the air coupler 27. In this way, the wiring is grouped for each shift unit 2, so that the wiring unit 28 is prevented from getting in the way when the workpiece is transported.
Moreover, the occurrence of errors due to congestion in the wiring section 28 can be prevented.
In addition, since the cable bear 24 is housed in the cable bear tray 34, the cable bear 24 can be supported and the cable bear 24 can be prevented from getting in the way when transporting the workpiece. In addition, the cable bear 24 can be prevented from getting in the way when attaching or detaching the shift unit.

FIG. 7A is a top view illustrating the positional relationship with the mold before feeding when the pitch between the mold placement positions is not constant in the transfer feeder of this embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a top view illustrating the positional relationship with the mold after feeding when the pitch between the mold placement positions is not constant in the transfer feeder of this embodiment.
In addition, in (a) and (b) of FIG. 7, only the lower die 7b and the feed bar 1a on one side are shown.
Although the feed bar on the other side is not shown, it moves in the same manner as the feed bar on one side.
7(a) and 7(b), the lower molds 7b are arranged at five locations, which are conveniently referred to as the first lower mold 7b1, the second lower mold 7b2, the third lower mold 7b3, the fourth lower mold 7b4, and the fifth lower mold 7b5 from the upstream side. The pitch between the positions of the first lower mold 7b1 and the second lower mold 7b2 is 1200 mm, the pitch between the positions of the second lower mold 7b2 and the third lower mold 7b3 is 1100 mm, the pitch between the positions of the third lower mold 7b3 and the fourth lower mold 7b4 is 1000 mm, and the pitch between the positions of the fourth lower mold 7b4 and the fifth lower mold 7b5 is 700 mm.

On the other hand, the feed bar 1a has holding parts 30 directly attached to both ends, and the shift parts 2 are attached at four locations between the holding parts 30 at both ends, at regular intervals. The directly attached holding parts 30 and shift parts 2 are arranged at equal intervals (approximately 1000 mm), and for convenience, from the upstream side, they are called the first holding part 30a, the first shift part 2a, the second shift part 2b, the third shift part 2c, the fourth shift part 2d, and the second holding part 30b.

As shown in FIG. 7A, before the transfer feeder 1 starts feeding, the holding portion 30 of each shift portion is moved to match the position of the lower die 7b.
Specifically, the holding portion 30 of the first shift portion 2a is located at the center of the first shift portion 2a in accordance with the first lower die 7b1, the holding portion 30 of the second shift portion 2b is located downstream of the center of the second shift portion 2b in accordance with the second lower die 7b2, the holding portion 30 of the third shift portion 2c is located at the most downstream side of the third shift portion 2c in accordance with the third lower die 7b3, and the holding portion 30 of the fourth shift portion 2d is located at the most downstream side of the fourth shift portion 2d in accordance with the fourth lower die 7b4. The second holding portion 30b is located in accordance with the fifth lower die 7b5.

When the transfer feeder 1 is caused to feed from this state, after feeding, the holding parts 30 of each shift part are moved to match the position of the lower die 7b.
Specifically, the holding part 30 of the first shift part 2a is moved downstream to match the second lower die 7b2, the holding part 30 of the second shift part 2b is moved to the most downstream side of the second shift part 2b to match the third lower die 7b3, the holding part 30 of the third shift part 2c is maintained at the most downstream position of the third shift part 2c to match the fourth lower die 7b4, and the holding part 30 of the fourth shift part 2d is moved to the center of the fourth shift part 2d to match the fifth lower die 7b5. The first holding part 30a is positioned to match the first die 7b1.

When returning the transfer feeder 1 to its original position, the reverse movement is performed.
In this way, in the transfer feeder 1, the holding portion 30 of the shift portion 2 is capable of moving back and forth in the feed direction relative to the feed bar 1a, so that the shift portion 2 adjusts the transport position of the work, making it possible to transport the work even if the pitch between the positions of the dies is not constant.
This makes it possible to ease restrictions on the shape and arrangement position of the mold that can be used, thereby allowing greater freedom in mold design.

In addition, in the transfer feeder 1, the feed bar 1a performs the basic drive in the feed direction, and the shift section 2 is responsible for precisely adjusting the conveying position according to the position of the lower die 7b. In other words, since the shift section 2 itself does not slide significantly, high-speed conveying is possible, and the control for holding the workpiece can be simplified.

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer feeder 1 according to this embodiment has a feed drive unit 11, a lift drive unit 12, and a clamp drive unit 13, but the structures of these drive units are not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 1.
Further, the drive sources used for the feed drive unit 11, the lift drive unit 12, and the clamp drive unit 13 are not particularly limited, and may be servo motors, DC motors, linear motors, or the like.

In the transfer feeder 1 according to the present embodiment, the shift unit 2 is attached to the attachment unit 1b by a bolt, but the attachment means is not limited to this. For example, the shift unit 2 may be attached by a clamper or the like.
Similarly, the holder 30 is attached to the table 22 by fasteners such as bolts, but the attachment means is not limited to this.
For example, it may be attached using a clamper or the like.

In the transfer feeder 1 according to this embodiment, the shift section 2 is attached directly to the feed bar 1a, but it may be attached via a slide mechanism.
That is, it is also possible to provide a rail on the feed bar 1a and to attach the shift unit 2 so that it can slide along the rail.

In the transfer feeder 1 according to this embodiment, a ball screw is used as the linear motion mechanism 25 of the shift unit 2, but a rack and pinion or the like may also be used.
In addition, a servo motor is adopted as the shift drive source 23 for rotating the screw shaft 25a to control the rotational drive of the screw shaft 25a, but this is not limited to this and a DC motor with an encoder or the like may be adopted for control.

In the transfer feeder 1 according to this embodiment, a gripper is used as the holding part 30 attached to the table part 22 of the shifting part 2, but this is not limited to this and may be a finger, a vacuum cup, etc.

In the transfer feeder 1 according to this embodiment, the feed bar 1a is provided with four shift units 2, but the number of the shift units 2 to be attached is not particularly limited.
Further, the feed bar 1a may be provided with only the shift portion 2, or may be provided with a mixture of the shift portion 2 and a normal holding portion.

The transfer feeder 1 of the present invention can be used as a device for transporting workpieces in a transfer press device.
The transfer feeder of the present invention is easy to maintain and has a simple structure, yet can transport workpieces even when the pitch between the arrangement positions of the dies is not constant.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Transfer feeder 11: Feed drive section 11a: Feed main body section 11b: Feed rail section 11c: Feed guide section 11d: Feed servo motor 12: Lift drive section 121: Upstream lift drive section 121a: Upstream rack 121b: Upstream pinion 121d: Upstream lift drive motor 122: Downstream lift drive section 122a: Downstream rack 122b: Downstream pinion 122d: Downstream lift drive motor 13: Clamp drive section 131: Upstream clamp drive section 131a: First upstream clamp support section, second upstream clamp support section 131b: First upstream clamp belt section, second upstream clamp belt section 131c: First upstream clamp guide section, second upstream clamp guide section 131d: First upstream clamp drive pulley, second upstream clamp drive pulley 132: downstream clamp drive section 132a: first downstream clamp support section, second downstream clamp support section 132b: first downstream clamp belt section, second downstream clamp belt section 132c: first downstream clamp guide section, second downstream clamp guide section 132d: first downstream clamp drive pulley, second downstream clamp drive pulley 1a: feed bar 1b: mounting section 100: transfer press device 2: shift section 21: base 21a: opening 22: table section 23: shift drive source 24: cable bear 25: linear motion mechanism 25a: screw shaft 25b: nut section 26a: guide rail section 26b: slide section 27: air coupler 28: wiring section 2a: first shift section (shift section)
2b: Second shift section (shift section)
2c...Third shift section (shift section)
2d...Fourth shift section (shift section)
3: Bed 30: Holding part 30a: First holding part (holding part)
30b...Second holding part (holding part)
34: Cable bear tray 34a: Vertical surface portion 34b: Horizontal surface portion 3a: Bolster 4: Upright 5: Crown 6: Slide 7a: Upper die 7b: Lower die 7b1: First lower die (lower die)
7b2...Second lower mold (lower mold)
7b3...Third lower mold (lower mold)
7b4... Fourth lower mold (lower mold)
7b5...5th lower mold (lower mold)
C: Clamp direction F: Feed direction FR: Frame L: Lift direction

Claims (5)

In a transfer feeder used in a transfer press device,
When the workpiece conveying direction is the feed direction, the up-down direction is the lift direction, and the width direction perpendicular to the feed direction and lift direction is the clamp direction,
A pair of feed bars extending in a feed direction;
a feed drive section for driving the feed bar in the feed direction;
a lift drive unit for driving the feed bar in the lift direction;
a clamp drive unit for driving the feed bar in the clamp direction;
a shift unit attached to a plurality of attachment parts provided at regular intervals on the feed bar;
A holding portion for holding the workpiece;
having
A base portion to which the shift portion is detachably attached to the attachment portion;
A linear motion mechanism provided on the base;
A table portion attached to the linear motion mechanism;
a shift drive source for driving the linear motion mechanism;
having
the linear motion mechanism is a ball screw having a screw shaft extending in the feed direction and a nut portion attached to the screw shaft via a ball,
The table is attached to the nut portion,
the shift drive source is a servo motor,
The holding portion is detachably attached to the table portion,
The transfer feeder is configured so that the table portion is reciprocally movable in the feed direction relative to the base portion based on the drive of the linear motion mechanism. The base portion is provided with a guide rail portion extending in a feed direction,
A slide portion is attached to the table portion and is movable back and forth along the guide rail,
2. The transfer feeder according to claim 1 , wherein the guide rail portions are provided on both sides of the screw shaft. In a transfer feeder used in a transfer press device,
When the workpiece conveying direction is the feed direction, the up-down direction is the lift direction, and the width direction perpendicular to the feed direction and lift direction is the clamp direction,
A pair of feed bars extending in a feed direction;
a feed drive section for driving the feed bar in the feed direction;
a lift drive unit for driving the feed bar in the lift direction;
a clamp drive unit for driving the feed bar in the clamp direction;
a shift unit attached to a plurality of attachment parts provided at regular intervals on the feed bar;
A holding portion for holding the workpiece;
having
A base portion to which the shift portion is detachably attached to the attachment portion;
A linear motion mechanism provided on the base;
A table portion attached to the linear motion mechanism;
a shift drive source for driving the linear motion mechanism;
a cable bear having one end connected to the base portion and the other end connected to the table portion;
having
The table portion is provided with an air coupler,
a wiring portion passes through the cable bear from inside the feed bar and is connected to the holding portion via the air coupler,
The holding portion is detachably attached to the table portion,
The transfer feeder is configured so that the table portion is reciprocally movable in the feed direction relative to the base portion based on the drive of the linear motion mechanism. a cable bear tray for supporting the cable bear is attached to the base,
4. A transfer feeder according to claim 3 , wherein the cable bear tray is L-shaped in side view and comprises a vertical surface portion whose upper end is attached to the side surface of the base, and a horizontal surface portion continuous with the lower end of the vertical surface portion. The shift portion includes a plurality of shift portions,
5. The transfer feeder according to claim 1, wherein the table portion of each of the plurality of shift sections is independently reciprocable in the feed direction relative to the base section based on the drive of the linear motion mechanism.

Images