JPS6339391B2 - - Google Patents

Description

0;30';36,40 An automatic transport device comprising:

3. An automatic transport device according to claim 2, wherein one of the extension members 24 of the arm 14 is supported and guided by the other.

4. Separate drives consisting of double acting hydraulic cylinders 30, 30', pneumatic cylinders 36 and hydraulic cylinders 40 for longitudinal movement in opposite directions of each of said longitudinally movable chucks 28. 30; 30', 36, 40. The automatic transport device according to claim 2 or 3, comprising: 30; 30', 36, 40.

5 a double acting hydraulic cylinder 30 and a hydraulic cylinder 4 for driving the chuck 28 in the longitudinal direction;
4. The automatic transport device according to claim 2, further comprising a drive device 30;

6 Pneumatic cylinder 36 in series with hydraulic cylinder 40
An automatic transport device according to claim 5, comprising:

7. The extension member drive device 30' is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 3 in which the piston rod 31 is extended in both directions.
0', a chain wheel 33 attached to each end of the piston rod 31, guided on the chain wheel 33 and fixed to the arm 14 at one point and attached to the extension member 24 at another point. fixed chain 35
An automatic transport device according to claim 2, comprising:

8 for pivoting each chuck 28 via its respective arm 14, 24 about its longitudinal axis B-B;
a drive device 44, 54 consisting of a common hydraulic rotary cylinder 42, 44 and a hollow shaft 52, 54 for tilting about a tilting axis A-A at right angles to;
Claim 2 or 3 containing 2,52
Automated transport equipment as described in Section 1.

[Detailed description of the invention]

The invention supports chucks at each end that are movable radially with respect to the axis of rotation, the chuck being rotatable about a vertical axis and optionally additionally pivotable about a horizontal axis. In particular, it relates to an automatic transport device for a press, which is equipped with an arm that supports the press.

Such a "double arm" automatic transport device is described, for example, in DE 26 30 858 A1. Both chucks are longitudinally fixedly mounted on lightweight structural profiles that serve as arms. The chucks are each moved in a radial direction such that the arms are moved longitudinally together.

Compared to conventional single-arm automatic transport devices that have only one chuck, such double-arm automatic transport devices allow the device to handle workpieces transported by one chuck. after unloading a workpiece or attaching another workpiece, the chuck can be moved by another chuck without having to swing all the way back to the beginning before the chuck can grab the next workpiece. This is advantageous in that it already has the correct position and needs to come to the next workpiece to be transported by a tilting or linear movement of the entire arm. Additionally, dual arm transport devices having two chucks attached to opposite ends of the dual arms offer the advantage of relatively simple and inexpensive construction. This is because, despite the two chucks, only one rotary drive and only one tilting drive are required for the arm.

The invention is based on the problem of obtaining a double-arm automatic transport device of the type mentioned at the outset, in which a substantially shorter operating cycle is achieved.

To solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides two arms whose ends are movable radially in opposite directions at the same time.
It is proposed that the structure be formed by individual parts.

The weight inertia to be overcome in that case by a simultaneous radial retraction of the end parts of the double arms supporting both chucks before their rotation and/or at the beginning of the rotational movement. Power is minimized. However, if a lateral obstacle, for example its support column or guide column in the case of charging a press, is gripped by the chuck before the rotational movement of the arm about its vertical axis can begin, Together with the workpiece, it is first forced to move radially inward, and at the end of the transport process again the chuck moves radially outwards, and the workpiece is also brought into the predetermined position. The loss of time is great when the workpiece has to move past obstructions during its rotational movement before it can be unloaded. That is, under such conditions, in the case of the known double-arm automatic transport device mentioned above, after each rotational movement of the arms, the chuck from each always first radiates a certain distance. while the loaded chuck is moved radially outward and forward the same distance to unload the workpiece, and then
before it can grab the next workpiece.
It must move twice as far radially outward. In contrast, the double-arm automatic transport device according to the invention saves the time required for the radially outward movement of the chucks being loaded before unloading. used for radially outward movement up to the immediate vicinity of the workpiece to be transported, whereby, after unloading the previously transported workpiece, shorter and faster outwardly moving arms are used. movement and chuck movement as required to grip the next workpiece.

As is clear, in the automatic transport device according to the invention, despite the large number of chucks, only one
It has the advantage that it can be accommodated by several rotary joints and, if necessary, only one tilting joint. Moreover, in a preferred embodiment of the invention:
A common drive for rotation relative to the arms of both chucks and/or a common drive for tilting relative to the arms of both chucks is provided, thereby supporting both chucks. Not only the drive for the rotation and tilting of the end of the arm in which the chuck is located, but also the drive for the rotation and tilting of the chuck arm must simply be provided, instead of a double. Suppose that
There is a possibility. The control of the movements of both chucks is therefore also quite substantially simplified.

In a preferred practical embodiment of the invention, the arm has a central portion and two extension portions guided by it that are movable radially outwardly toward the opposite side. It is established from in this case,
The extension with the guide and the chuck can be formed symmetrically with respect to a transverse plane intersecting the axis of rotation of the arm. However, there is also the possibility of arranging the guides of the extensions offset relative to each other. This is because in that case even when the chucks are also slightly displaced from each other, this can hardly be recognized in time during the transport process, and on the other hand there are many structural advantages. This is because it can occur. This applies, in particular, when assembling the automatic transport device of the invention onto an already existing single-arm automatic transport device, in which one central part of the single-arm automatic transport device is An arm consisting of one extension that can move outwardly to one side is completed by another extension that can move towards the opposite side.

Furthermore, it is also possible to design the automatic transport device according to the invention in such a way that a radially movable part is guided in another radially movable part.

According to the above structure of the guidance of both parts of the arm moving radially in opposite directions, the best adapted drive is selected. I learned that hydraulic cylinders are good. This is because the stroke and speed can be controlled very precisely. If necessary, for radially inward and outward movements of the end of the arm supporting the chuck, they may be provided by forced guidance between the two radially movable parts. Only one controllable hydraulic cylinder is sufficient when it is ensured that the cylinders are always displaced by the same amount in opposite directions. This means, for example, that the two radially movable parts are connected by a rack which cannot be moved radially but is diametrically supported by a rotatably mounted gear. This can be achieved by engaging on sides lying opposite each other.

In another preferred practical embodiment of the invention, for radial drive of the ends of the arm:
A separate controllable hydraulic cylinder is provided,
In a simpler embodiment, these are controlled by control mechanisms arranged in parallel. However, if desired, both separate radial drives can be controlled independently of each other so that they can carry out simultaneous movements with different speeds.

A further acceleration of the transport process is achieved by the automatic transport device according to the invention, in which the hydraulic cylinders for the radial outward and inward movement movements of the ends of the arms are mechanically connected to the pneumatic cylinders. This can also be achieved by arranging them in series. In this proposal it is taken into account that in many cases relatively long radial strokes must be progressed as quickly as possible; however, precise control over certain short parts of the stroke is only necessary. A rapidly advancing radial stroke extension of a given length is
It then proceeds with the aid of a high-pressure cylinder, while a controllable hydraulic cylinder provides precise control of the movement in the end region.

Finally, the speed of operation of the automatic transport device according to the invention is such that at least a portion of the movement of the chuck relative to the arms actuated by a common drive mechanism is carried out in opposite directions, such that e.g. This is improved by allowing the chuck to perform a tilting movement outwards, while simultaneously causing the other chuck to tilt downwards. This results in a certain speed balance in the drive systems of both chucks, which allows lower drive forces or higher accelerations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings showing embodiments thereof.

The automatic transport device, of which only the essential parts for the invention are shown in FIG. 1, has a supporting column or frame 10, which
is pivotable about a vertical axis 12.
An arm 14 is rotatably supported on the pedestal 10 around a horizontal tilting shaft 16. A preferably controlled hydraulic drive is provided for the rotation of the cradle 10 about the vertical axis 12, although not shown, for the tilting of the arm 14 about the horizontal tilting axis 16. A similarly controlled hydraulic drive is shown in the form of an actuating cylinder 18.

Arm 14 is formed as a double arm. This arm 14 consists of a central part 20 which has guides 22 for support tubes 24 which can run radially in the opposite direction with respect to the axis of rotation 12.
Contains. Support tube 24 forms an extension of arm 14 . The support tubes 24 each have a chuck drive 26 at their free end, by means of which a chuck 28 flanged in a known manner is connected to a radially extending longitudinal axis. It is rotatable around the axis and tiltable around the horizontal axis. for example,
two adjacently arranged support tubes 24 each;
is supported by the chuck drive device 26 (second
and Figure 5).

Drives for radially outward feeding and inward retraction of support tubes 24 are provided in three different locations on the right and left sides in FIG. 2 and on the left side in FIG. Illustrated in the embodiment. Above the right side of FIG. 2 is shown a controlled double-acting hydraulic cylinder 30 whose cylinder housing is secured to the central portion 20 of the support arm 14 and whose cylinder housing is indicated at 32. With its free end, the piston rod that has been rotated is attached to the pivot pin 34, as shown in FIG.
The chuck drive device 26 is secured to the housing at the bearing eye. In the embodiment shown on the left side of FIG. 2, the support tube 2
The radial movement drive of 4 consists of a pneumatic cylinder 36 fixed to the central part 20 of the arm 14, the piston rod 38 of which is connected to the housing of a controlled hydraulic cylinder 40. ,
The piston rod 32 of the cylinder 40 is also
As shown in FIG. 5, it is connected to the housing of chuck drive 26.

In the embodiment shown on the top left side of FIG. 1, a double-acting hydraulically actuated cylinder 30' is secured to the central portion 20 by its housing. This cylinder 30' has a piston rod 31 projecting from the housing towards both sides, at the end of which a chain wheel 33 is journalled, through which a chain 35 is guided. The lower channel section is fixed to the cylinder housing, while a rod 32' is connected to one of the chain sections of the upper channel section, and this rod 32' is connected to the piston. Like rod 32, it is pivotally connected by its end to the housing of chuck drive 26.

Also shown in FIG. 2 are the drives for the rotational and tilting movements of the chuck relative to the arm 14. Both rotary drives and tilting drives are
It consists of controlled hydraulic rotary cylinders 42-44. These commercially available drive assemblies consist of hydraulic cylinders whose linear piston motion is converted by racks and gears into rotational motion of the drive shaft. The driven shafts of hydraulic rotary cylinders 42 and 44 are non-rotatably coupled to input shafts of bevel gear drives 46-48, respectively. These drives, as well as the rotating cylinders 42, 44,
It also has two opposing drive outputs perpendicular to the input shaft, each of which is non-rotatably connected to a splined shaft 50. Although the spline shaft 50 is rotatable, it is fixed in the axial direction and is connected to the support tube 24.
It is engaged non-rotatably, but movably longitudinally, with a hollow drive shaft which is journalled in the shaft. A hollow shaft driven from the rotary cylinder 42 via a bevel gear drive 46 is indicated at 52 in FIG.
A hollow shaft driven via bevel gear drive 48 is indicated at 54. Hollow shafts 52 and 5
4 have a cross-sectional contour adapted to the cross-section of the splined shaft 50, at least at their radially inner ends.

The chuck drive 26 shown in FIG. 5 does not need to be described in detail. Because it is located in Danbury, Connecticut, USA.
This is because it is used in automatic transport devices produced and sold by the Unimation company and is therefore known per se. Of course, as can be easily seen from FIG. 5, the rotational movement of the hollow shaft 52 is
The rotation of the hollow drive shaft 54 causes a tilting movement of the chuck connected to the drive 26 about a tilting axis A-A lying transversely to the hollow shafts 52, 54, while the rotation of the hollow drive shaft 54 The hollow shafts 52, 54
is rotated about an axis B-B lying axis-parallel to.

Figures 3 to 8 show how the automatic transport device according to the invention can be developed from the already existing single-arm type. In this case we start from the equipment of the Unimation company mentioned above. The device has an arm, generally designated 56, which is journalled on a cradle 58 and which is mounted around a vertical axis (not shown) and additionally around a horizontal axis 60. It is possible to turn around. A controlled hydraulic cylinder 61 serves as a swivel drive for the movement about the swivel axis 60.

Two support tubes 62 are journalled in the arm 56 at a laterally spaced distance and are guided so as to be able to slide in the axial direction. As a linear drive for the movement of the support tube 62, a hydraulic cylinder (not shown), which corresponds to the hydraulic cylinder 30 shown in FIG. 2, serves, the piston rod of which, as shown in FIG. It is secured to the housing of the chuck drive 26, which housing
Support tube 62 led from arm 56 to the right with respect to the figure
is strongly connected to.

Extending through the support tube 62 are hollow drive shafts 52, 54 shown in FIG. One of these hollow drive shafts serves the rotation, corresponding to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, and the other serves for the rotation of the chuck 28.
It is useful against tilting. However, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
The piston with its piston rod 66 is restrained in a chain 68 which is guided in circulation. This chain 68 runs to the right with respect to FIG. 3 via a tension wheel 70 and to the left via a chain wheel mounted on an axle 72, which chain wheel is not shown. 1 and 2 through a right-angle drive, which acts on a spline shaft corresponding to the spline shaft 50 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and which itself is not rotatable, but is It is movably engaged with a matching splined inner diameter of a hollow shaft 52-54 which is rotatably journalled within the support tube 62.

In particular, as already mentioned, the automatic transport device shown in FIG. 3 is known. The other chuck drive 26' on the left side of arm 56 with respect to FIG. 3 is new (see FIGS. 4a and 4c). For bearing this additional drive mounting 26' for the second chuck 28, a bearing plate 74 is screwed upwardly onto the arm 56, for example.
supports a bearing 76 for an additional support tube 62' which is juxtaposed on the left side with respect to FIG.
This support tube 62' is similar to the support tube 62 mentioned above.
, and is fixed to the drive device 26' in the same way as this support tube 62 is connected to the drive device 26. Additionally, as shown in Figures 4a and 4b, extending through the support tube 62' are drive shafts 52', 54' which correspond to the drive shafts 52, 54 described above. .

Furthermore, a controlled hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is fixed to the bearing plate 74 in correspondence with the hydraulic cylinder 30 shown in FIG. 2, the piston rod of which is connected to the housing of the chuck drive 26'. It is fixed.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a drive connection between both drives 26 and 26'. This drive connection can, of course, also be implemented in different ways, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3-8 are therefore to be considered only as examples; they Examples can help.

As shown in FIGS. 4a and 6, the rotational and tilting movements of the drive 26 are tapped off via two additional bevel gears 78 which are engaged with corresponding bevel gears of the chuck drive. It leads upwardly from the drive 26 via a shaft 80 . The driving moment is transmitted via a pair of bevel gears 82, 84 forming an angular drive and a pair of spur gears 86, 88 forming a reversing drive, respectively, to one of the two parallel vertical axes 50'. These spline shafts 50', as shown in FIG.
Although each is non-rotatable, however,
Hollow drive shafts 52', 5 are movable in the axial direction.
4' is connected.

If a change in direction of rotation is not necessary, then step 4b.
As shown in the figure, the reversing drives 86, 88 can also be omitted.

A suitable holding element 90 can be fastened to the end of the support tube 62 for bearing the intermediate shaft 80, the angular drives 82, 84 and, if appropriate, the reversing drives 86, 88.

In order to transmit the rotational moment from the drive device 26 to the drive device 26', as shown in FIGS. 4c and 7 and 8, instead of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a and b, a chain drive device 92 is provided. Also good. In this case both chuck drives 26 and 26'
meshes with a bevel gear 78, and this bevel gear 78 is non-rotatably connected to a chain wheel 96 via an intermediate shaft 94. The arrangement of the drives 26 and 26' is selected such that the intermediate shaft 94 is guided upwardly and the other downwardly, as shown in FIG. 4c. For the bearing of the intermediate shaft 94, suitable support elements 98 and 100 are in this case also attached to the ends of the support tubes 62 and 62'.

Within the chain drive device 92, drawbars 102, 104 are preferably provided. This bending of the drawbars gives rise to the possibility of crossing them in order to achieve a reversal of the direction of rotation. The draw rods 102, 104 can be guided into the bearings.

One or more chain tensioning wheels (not shown) ensure a uniform actual tension despite the different spacings of the drives 26 and 26'.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-8 is such that the longitudinal axis of the additional chuck drive 26' is connected to the chuck drive 26.
It shows a configuration lying in transition with respect to that of .

The height displacement of the longitudinal axis of the drive can be balanced by the control device in a simple manner, giving the advantage of a simpler mechanical connection between both drives. Of course, in addition,
There is also the possibility of arranging both drives coaxially, in which case the drive connection between them is twice angular or extends through the arm 56.

Each of the aforementioned embodiments was an automatic transport device, the arms of which consisted of a rotatable and tiltable intermediate part and an extension part journalled and guided by them and movable towards the opposite side. . Both for the radial conveying movement of the extension and for the movement of the chuck relative to the arm, in all embodiments an actuating drive is provided on both chucks, respectively, for simplicity. It was getting worse. The arm can also consist of only two longitudinally movable parts relative to each other,
In this case, one part is not only rotatably and tiltably mounted on the frame, but is also movable in its longitudinal direction, while the other part is not only rotatably and tiltably mounted on the frame, but also in the longitudinal direction of the first-mentioned part. Please understand that it is also possible to make it movable. Similarly, in the case of the embodiment described in detail, also in the case of the last-mentioned construction, a common drive or individual drives can optionally be used in the radial direction of both chucks. and/or for rotational and/or tilting movements.

In a further complement to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the housings of the drives 26 and 26' are interconnected by a rod, and the chuck drive 26 is connected by a hydraulic cylinder controlled in the manner described above. radial movement, but without securing the drive cylinders to the bearing plate 74, which is required for simultaneous radial movement of the opposing chuck drives 26'. There is also the possibility of integrating it into the connecting rod between the two.

When the speed of movement of this last-mentioned working cylinder is greater than the speed of the movement drive acting on the chuck drive 26, both chucks are moved radially outwards simultaneously, or It can also be pulled inward. There is also the possibility that the operation of the drive alone in the normal radial direction for the chucks connected to the drive 26 causes the chucks facing it to follow in the same direction via the above-mentioned connecting rods. be.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, 4a
Instead of the reversing drives 86, 88 shown in the figures, bevel gear drives 46 and/or 48 can also be used, the drive balance shafts of which rotate with opposite rotational directions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway simplified side view of a double-arm automatic transport device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an example of another embodiment of the present invention. 4a, 4b and 4c show different embodiments of the drive connection between the two chucks of the embodiment of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 shows the chuck of the embodiment of FIG. 7; 6 is a partially cutaway enlarged side view of the drive device of FIG. 4a, FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway enlarged side view of the drive device of FIG. 4c, and FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway enlarged side view of the drive device of FIG. 4c. FIG. 8 is a detailed plan view of the drawbar restrained in the chain drive of the drive shown in FIG. 7; 14, 56...Arm; 24, 62, 62'...One end; 28...Chuck; 30, 30', 36,
40... Drive device; 31... Piston rod; 33...
...Chain wheel; 44, 64...Common drive device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic transport device, an arm 14 rotatable around a vertical axis 12 and a chuck 28 at each end of the arm 14, respectively,
extending from the vertical axis 12 and extending from the vertical axis 1
a pair of extension members 24 for movably supporting the arm 14 in the longitudinal direction so as to be retractable toward the arm 2; each of the extension members 24 is symmetrical about a centerline; The extension members 24 are mounted such that their center lines lie in a vertical plane common to the vertical axis 12, and the extension members 24 are attached to each chuck 28 of
The automatic transport device also moves the arm 14 and therefore also the extension member 24 and the chuck 18 about a common central horizontal axis. an actuating cylinder 18 for tilting about 16 and separate drive means 30' for driving each of said extension members 24 into said longitudinal movement, said drive means 30' a double acting hydraulic cylinder 30' mounted on said arm 14 and including a piston rod 31 extending in opposite directions; a pair of chain wheels 33 connected to opposite ends of the piston rod 31; a chain 35 disposed around both of the chain wheels 33 and fixed to the arm 14 at one point; and a rod 32' connecting each of the extension members 24. 2, in particular in an automatic transport device for a press, comprising: an arm 14 mounted for rotation about a vertical axis 12; and a chuck drive 26 for supporting a chuck 28 at each end of said arm 14. each of the chucks 28 is operable independently of the others to grip an object; the chucks 28 and the vertical axis 12 are disposed in a common vertical plane; and , the automatic transport device comprises: an actuating cylinder 18 for tilting the arm 14 and therefore also the chuck 28 about a common horizontal axis 16; and an extension member at each end of the arm 14. 24, the extension member 24 is symmetrical about a centerline, and the centerline of the extension member 24 is also located in the plane containing the vertical axis 12. each of the extension members 24 has a chuck 28 attached to its end; the extension member 24 is longitudinally movable to extend the chuck 28 in the longitudinal direction of the arm 14; The transport device includes double-acting hydraulic cylinders 30, 30', pneumatic cylinders 36,
Extension member drive means 3 consisting of a hydraulic cylinder 40