Patent Application
20050193904
The present invention relates to a motor driven link press applied to a punch press or another press machine.
In mechanical punch presses, a crank mechanism is commonly used as a slide driving mechanism that converts a rotating operation of a motor into an elevating or lowering operation of a ram. Further, a flywheel is used, and a clutch is let in or released to rotate or stop the flywheel to drive or stop the ram. With the crank mechanism, curves for the elevating and lowering speeds of the ram are symmetric with respect to a bottom dead center. The lowering speed is thus the same as the elevating speed. However, for general press working including punch working, the ram preferably moves at lower speed during lowering in order to make the lowering operation silent or because of a requirement for a press load. However, the elevating operation is not particularly limited and is thus preferably faster. With a crank mechanism in which the lowering speed is the same as the elevating speed, it takes more time than required to achieve elevation. This increases a cycle time for punch working.
Recently, apparatuses have been proposed which use a servomotor as a driving source to elevate and lower the ram via a crank mechanism without using any flywheels. The servomotor can freely change the speed of the ram during its stroke and can increase its lowering speed while reducing its elevating speed. However, the capabilities of the motor depend on its rotation speed. The motor must be operated within the range of the optimum motor rotation speed according to the characteristics of the motor. If the rotation speed of the motor is controlled so that the lowering speed differs from the elevating speed, it is impossible to make full use of capabilities of the motor. A large-sized motor is required to increase the elevating speed while obtaining a required press load.
The applicant thus examined various slide mechanisms in order to select an appropriate slide mechanism that enables the ram to lower at a low speed while elevating at a high speed.
A link press has long been used as a slide mechanism used for a press device for plastic forming such as cold extrusion or upsetting of metal (for example, the Examined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkou-Hei No. 3-42159). The link press comprises a pivoting link connected to a crank pin of a crank mechanism and to which a connecting rod and a restraining link are connected. The crank shaft is driven by a motor via a flywheel. With this link press, the restraining link serves to characterize the operation of the ram so that the ram lowers at a low speed and elevates fast.
However, the conventional link press is used to improve the quality of plastic forming such as cold extrusion by utilizing its very slow lowering operation performed near a bottom dead center. Thus, no conventional link presses have been applied to a punch press for which operational characteristics different from those for plastic forming are required. Further, the conventional link press is provided with a flywheel that stores output power from the motor as inertia energy. Consequently, it is difficult to properly control the conventional link press easily.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a motor driven link press which enables working with a heavy press load and also enables a working cycle time to be improved even when a motor with a relatively low output power is used and which can be properly controlled easily.
It is another object of the present invention to freely control an operation speed to accomplish various types of working while making use of advantages of the link press.
It is yet another object of the present invention to ensure punching scraps are dropped when the link press is applied to a punch press.
A motor driven link press according to the present invention a motor, a link mechanism that converts rotating operation transmitted by the motor via a drive transmitting system, into a linear operation, and a ram installed below the link mechanism to elevate and lower for press working on the basis of this linear operation. The link mechanism comprises a crank member having a crank shaft and an eccentric shaft portion, a pivoting link having a first to third connecting portions located at vertices of a triangle and which are used for rotatable connections, the first connecting portion being connected to the eccentric shaft portion of the crank member, a connecting rod having opposite ends connected to the second connecting portion and an upper end of the ram, respectively, and a restraining link having a proximal end rotationally movably connected to a frame and a leading end connected to the third connecting portion of the pivoting link, the restraining link restraining pivoting of the pivoting link so that a lowering operation of the ram is slower than an elevating operation of the ram when the crank shaft is rotated at a fixed speed in one direction. The drive transmitting system controls rotation of the motor to transmit rotational driving effected by the motor to the crank shaft so that an elevating and lowering operations of the ram can be controlled. The drive transmitting system includes no parts such as a flywheel which are intended to apply inertia. The drive transmitting system may have a speed reducer or an output shaft of the motor and the crank shaft may be directly coupled together.
The operation of this configuration will be described. The crank shaft is rotated to cause the pivoting link to perform a composite operation including a revolving operation along a turning locus of axis of the eccentric shaft portion and rotational motion in which the pivoting link pivots back and forth because the restraining link is connected to the pivoting link. The revolving operation of the pivoting link elevates or lowers the connecting rod connected to the pivoting link. However, the rotational motion hinders an elevating and lowering speed curve for the lower end position of the connecting rod, i.e. the ram position, from being quasi-sinusoidal. The curve for a lowering operation and the curve for an elevating operation are thus asymmetric. Which of the lowering and elevating operations is faster depends on a combination of various elements such as the support point position and length of the restraining link. Thus, these elements can be properly designed to allow the restraining link to regulate the pivoting of the pivoting link so that the lowering operation of the ram is slower than its elevating operation when the crank shaft is rotated at a fixed speed in one direction. By thus reducing the lowering speed, it is possible to accomplish working with a heavy press load and increase the lowering speed even when a motor with a relatively low output power is used. This improves a working cycle time. The above speed change can be accomplished with a fixed motor speed. Thus, for example, a speed reducer with an appropriate reduction ratio can be used to operate the motor with a motor rotation speed providing the maximum motor output power according to its characteristics. This also allows a motor with lower output power to be used. Further, the motor and the crank shaft are connected together via the drive transmitting system including no inertia applying systems such as a flywheel. Thus, for example, it is easy to provide such control as a change in ram speed based on, for example, the control of rotation speed of the motor.
If the above motor is a servomotor, the motor speed can be freely changed. Accordingly, the speed of the ram can be changed during its elevating and lowering stroke. This enables working according to various requirements. That is, a speed curve based on operations of a link mechanism composed of the crank mechanism, pivoting link, restraining link, and the like is used as a basic speed curve observed if the motor is rotated at a uniform speed, and the motor speed is varied. Then, for example, the speed at which the punch tool contacts with a workpiece can be reduced to make operations more silent. Alternatively, the elevating speed can be further increased.
The motor driven link press of the present invention may be a punch press. In this case, that section of elevating and lowering stroke of the ram which is used to punch a plate material workpiece is an intermediate section of lowering process of the elevating and lowering stroke. The section used for punching is determined by the relationship between the height of a table on which the plate material workpiece is placed and the ram position and the installation heights of a punch and a die tool, or the like.
If the intermediate section of elevating and lowering stroke of the ram is thus used as a punching section, a sufficient stroke can be provided below the bottom surface of the plate material workpiece. This ensures that punching scraps are dropped.
Embodiments of the present invention will de described with reference to the drawings.
The pivoting link 5 has a first to third connecting portions P1 to P3 and is connected to the eccentric shaft portion 4 of the crank member 2 via the first connecting portion P1. The connecting portions P1 to P3 allow the pivoting link 5 to be rotatably connected and are located at the respective vertices of a triangle T as schematically shown in
As shown in
The connecting rod 7 has a ram shift mechanism 20 at an intermediate position in its length direction to change its length between two levels to switch the lower end position of the ram 6 between an upper shift position and a lower shift position. The ram shift mechanism 20 has a shift driving source 21 composed of a cylinder device or the like and driven to switch the shift position. As described in detail later, the switching of the shift position is used to allow a punch tool to be replaced with a different one while keeping the top dead center of the punch tool lower than a standby punch tool on a turret, the top dead center being associated with driving with the ram 6. The top dead center of the punch tool is kept lower in order to improve the cycle time and allow the use of a crank member 2 with a small eccentricity to reduce the torque of the motor. Both link mechanism 1 and ram shift mechanism 20 serve to reduce the torque. The distance between the lower shift position and the bottom dead center, i.e. an elevating and lowering stroke of the punch tool and the ram 6, is about the triple of eccentricity of the eccentric shaft portion 4 of the crank member 2.
As shown in
The main body frame 22 has a C-shaped side having an opening portion 24 into which a plate material workpiece or a tool support is advanced. The main body frame 22 has a pair of opposite side plates.
The operation of the above configuration will be described. A description will be described later of the specific configuration and operation of the ram shift mechanism 20. The link mechanism 1 in
The operation of the link mechanism 1 is affected by the following eight elements shown in
To establish the link mechanism 1, a four-node rotation chain must be established in which the rotational center of the crank shaft 3, the connecting portion P1, the connecting portion P3, and the support shaft 12 of the restraining link 8 are established as the connecting points between the nodes. Further, when the shortest node is defined as the crank length r, the expressions shown below must be met.
When A={square root}{square root over ( )}(Ex{circumflex over ( )}2+Ey{circumflex over ( )}2)
r+a≦w+A
r+w≦a+A
r+A≦a+w
This is known as the Grashof formula. The displacement curve of the ram 8 can be freely designed by properly setting values for the above elements so as to meet these conditions.
Which of the lowering and elevating operations is faster is determined by the rotating direction of the motor and the combination of the above elements. Thus, when the motor is rotated in a fixed direction, the proper design of the elements enables an operation in which the lowering speed of the ram 6 is lower than its elevating speed when the motor 13 is rotated at a fixed speed. In this manner, a decrease in lowering speed enables working with a heavy press load and increases the elevating speed, even with the use of a relatively low output power. This improves a working cycle time.
Further, the above speed change is made with the motor speed fixed. Accordingly, the use of a speed reducer 15 (
If the motor 13 is a servomotor, the motor speed can be freely changed. Accordingly, the speed of the ram 6 can also be changed during its elevating and lowering stroke. This enables working according to various requirements. That is, a speed curve based on operations of the link mechanism 1 composed of the crank member 2, pivoting link 5, restraining link 8 and the like is used as a basic speed curve observed if the motor 13 is rotated at a uniform speed, and the motor speed is varied. Then, for example, the speed at which the punch tool 31 contacts with the plate material workpiece W can be reduced to make operations more silent. Alternatively, the elevating speed can be further increased. Further, the ram 6 can be stopped at an arbitrary height.
If this motor driven link press is used to carry out press working, a punch section M used to punch the plate material workpiece W must be an intermediate section of lowering process of a ram elevating and lowering stroke. In the intermediate section used as the punching section M, a curve H for displacement with respect to the crank angle of the ram 6 is substantially linear. A lower limit position H1 of the punching section M is located slightly above a die height DH.
With the link press, when the motor speed is fixed, the curve is gentle near the top dead center TDC, linear during the intermediate section, and gentle again near the bottom dead center BDC. The speed is lowest near the bottom dead center BDC so that the heaviest press load is obtained near the bottom dead center BDC. With a conventional link press for forming, a heavy press load near the bottom dead center BDC is used for forming. However, with punch working, a stroke must be provided below the bottom surface of the plate material workpiece W to ensure that punching scraps are dropped. In contrast, if the intermediate section of the stroke is the punching section M, a sufficient stroke can be provided below the bottom surface of the plate material workpiece W to ensure that punching scraps are dropped. Thus, an inherently light press load in the intermediate section can be compensated for by the link mechanism 1. In other words, the neighborhood of the bottom dead center BDC, in which a heavy press load is obtained, can thus not be used but the link mechanism 1 can be used more efficiently than the conventional crank mechanism with symmetrical operations. Press working requires not only a heavy press load but also an increased working speed. Further, for punch working, a higher punching speed improves working quality. Further, the use of the intermediate section as the punching section M efficiently provides the punching speed required to achieve the desired working quality. In this manner, if this embodiment is applied to a punch press, the operation of the link mechanism 1 can be effectively used in a manner different from the one in which the conventional link press for forming is used.
Now, with reference to
In this embodiment, the ram 6 is adapted to engage with the neck of the punch tool 31 carried to the press working position Q to forcibly pull this tool 31 up. The punch tools 31 at the other positions are supported by the guide rings. The neck is engaged with the ram 6 by fitting a T-shaped head of the punch tool 31 into a groove formed in the lower end of the ram 6 and having a T-shaped cross section and suspending the neck of the punch tool 31, corresponding to a constricted portion of the T-shaped head.
To use the ram 6 to drive elevating or lowering of the punch tool 31 at the press working position Q, the punch tool 31 at the top dead center position of elevating and lowering stroke of the ram 6 is positioned below the other punch tools 31 on the turret 28a as shown in
Thus, the ram shift mechanism 20 is used to switch the lower end position of the ram 6 between the upper shift position and the lower shift position. In this case, after the ram 6 has been set at the top dead center position using the link mechanism 1 and at the upper shift portion using the ram shift mechanism 20, the punch tool 31 supported by the ram 6 is placed at the same height as the other punch tools 31 on the turret 28a as shown in
Punch working is carried out by using the ram shift mechanism 20 to set the ram 6 at the lower shift position as described above. This enables the top dead center of elevating and lowering stroke of the punch tool 31 to be lowered to minimize the distance between the punch tool 31 and the surface of the plate material workpiece W. This allows the ram stroke to be designed to be shorter.
It is thus possible to reduce the time elapsed after the punch tool 31 has left the top dead center and before it comes into contact with the surface of the plate material workpiece W or the time required for the punch tool 31 to elevate and retreat. Therefore, the cycle time for working can be improved. While the top dead center of the punch tool 31 is lowered to improve the cycle time, the tool can be easily changed for the ram 6.
The ram shift mechanism 20 will be described in detail with reference to
In the divided portion of the connecting rod 7, the upper part of the lower rod 7b is removably coupled to the lower part of the upper rod 7a. Specifically, the bottom of the upper rod 7a is formed to be hollow so that the upper part of the lower rod 7b is fitted into this hollow hole so as to be slidable in a longitudinal direction of the rod 7.
The interlocking mechanism 53 is a cam mechanism composed of guide plates 54 each having a guide slot 55 and active rods 56 that engage slidably with the respective guide slots 55 in the guide plate 54. The two guide plates 54 are provided on the respective sides of the slider 52 and fixed to the slider 52 at their front and rear ends. The guide plate 54 has the guide hole 55 formed in its portion protruding below the slider 52. The pair of active rods 56 is provided at the upper end of the lower rod 7a so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the rod 7a. The active rods 56 engage with the respective guide slots 55, located on the corresponding sides of guide plate 54. A slot 57 out of which the active rods 56 of the lower rod 7b are protruded is formed in the lower part of the upper rod 7a, which is formed into a hollow shaft, along its longitudinal direction.
The guide slots 55 in the respective guide plates 54 are shaped so that their front half extends in a substantially horizontal direction, while their rear half is inclined upward. When the guide plates 54 are advanced together with the slider 52 as shown in
The slider 52 is releasably inserted into a horizontal hole 64 formed in the upper rod 7a, and is advanced and retreated by a shift driving source 21 attached to the upper-rod 7a and composed of an air cylinder or the like. Specifically, the horizontal hole 64 is formed along the upper bottom surface of hollow shaft portion of the upper rod 47a. Further, a fitting concave 52a into which an upper end 7bb of the lower rod 7b is fitted is formed in the bottom surface of the slider 52, which is opposite the upper end 7bb of the lower rod 7b. The upper end 7bb of the lower rod 7b can be fitted into the fitting concave 52a after the slider 52 has moved to a predetermined releasing position with respect to the upper rod 7a. Since the fitting concave 52a is formed, the thickness of the slider 52 varies depending on its releasing position. That is, a portion of the slider 52 in which the fitting concave 52a is formed is thinner. On the other hand, a portion of the slider 52 in which the fitting concave 52a is not formed is thicker. The upper end 7bb of the lower rod 7b is formed as a boss protruding from the upper end surface of the lower rod 7b.
The ram shift mechanism 20 is set at the lower shift position in order to carry out press working. In
Operations of the ram shift mechanism 20 will be described. To set the ram 6 at the upper shift position, the external length of the connecting rod 7 is reduced as described below. That is, the shift driving source 21 effects driving such that the slider 52 advances from the regular position shown in
The ram shift mechanism 29 configured as described above thus expands and contracts the connecting rod 7. Consequently, compared to vertical shifting of the entire link mechanism 1 including the crank shaft 3 and the links 5, 8, it is unnecessary to have a large-scale mechanism or use a large-sized driving source for shifting. Further, the ram shift mechanism 20 has only to have a simple configuration. Furthermore, the connecting rod 7 is expanded and contracted by the operation of the interlocking mechanism 53, composed of the guide slots 55 and active rods 56, as the slider 42 is advanced and retreated. Consequently, no separate driving sources for expansion and contraction need be provided, thus further simplifying the configuration. This reduces costs. Further, the connecting rod 7 can be expanded or contracted before the slider 52 is completely moved. This reduces the operation time required for expansion and contraction.
If an attempt is made to use the motor 13 to drive the ram 6 with the ram shift mechanism 20 placed at the upper shift position, then the function of the ram axis control means 61 hinders the driving to prevent errors.
In the above described embodiment, the ram shift mechanism 20 expands and contracts the connecting rod 7. However, the ram shift mechanism 20 has only to be able to switch the lower end position of the ram 6 between the upper shift position and the lower shift position. For example, the ram shift mechanism 20 may shift the entire link mechanism 1 in a vertical direction.
Further, in the above descried embodiment, a servomotor is used as the motor 13. The servomotor need not necessarily be used. Furthermore, in the above description, the embodiment is applied to a punch press. However, the motor driven link press of the present invention is applicable not only to punch working but also to various other types of press working such as forming and bending.
Another embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
The restraining link 8 is shaped to have a bent portion 8a bent upward as shown in
In this link press, the pivoting center E and third connecting point P3 of the restraining link 8 are arranged at the respective sides of the crank shaft 3. Further, the restraining link 8 is arranged so that when the eccentric shaft portion 4 of the crank member 2 is at the top dead center, the part 4a of the eccentric shaft portion 4 is located above the virtual straight line A (
It has been confirmed that this arrangement relationship results in the operational characteristics indicated in
As can be seen in
For a lowering operation, the ram displacement curve H exhibits linearity in a long section AH extending from the neighborhood of the top dead center TDC to the neighborhood of the bottom dead center BDC. The lowering speed of the ram 6 remains substantially fixed within the section AH. Further, the torque remains almost fixed in a long section AT of the section AH which is longer than half of the section AH. The section AT with the substantially fixed torque can be effectively used for punch working as described later. Further, the ram displacement curve H is not angular but relatively gentle on sections ATT located near the top dead center TDC, specifically at the respective sides of the top dead center TDC. This indicates that the ram 6 is not significantly accelerated, i.e. the ram 6 does not markedly change its speed, when turning around at the top dead center TDC. Therefore, when the ram 6 changes its operating direction at the top dead center TDC, only a small impact is applied to the machine. This is advantageous in the design of strength of the machine and its durability.
In this manner, if this embodiment is applied to a punch press, the operation of the link mechanism 1 can be effectively used in a manner different from the one in which the conventional link press for forming is used. In particular, the operational characteristics shown in
Moreover, in the link mechanism 1, the pivoting center E and third connecting point P3 of the restraining link 8 are arranged at the respective sides of the crank shaft 3 as shown in
Yet another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
Lock means 540 is provided to fix the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 at each position set by the link rotational-movement center changing means 510. The lock means 540 is composed of engaged portions 550 formed in the rotational moving member 520, a lock member 560 that engages with the engaged portion 550, and a disengagement driving source 570 that engages and disengages the lock means 560. The engaged portions 550 are each composed of a concave formed in the outer peripheral surface of the rotational moving member 520. The lock member 560 is composed of a pin-like member that can be freely advanced and retreated. The disengagement driving source 570 is composed of a fluid pressure cylinder or an electromagnetic solenoid and is installed on the frame 9. The two engaged portions 550 of the rotational moving member 520 are formed at the respective circumferentially separate positions. The lock member 560 can be engaged with the opposite engaged portion 550 by rotationally moving the rotational moving member 520. Accordingly, the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 can be fixed at the two positions. Three or more engaged portions 550 may be formed so that the rotational-movement center E can be fixed at three or more positions.
This embodiment is characterized in that the link rotational-movement center changing means 51 in
Description will be given of changes in link characteristics observed when the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 is changed. With the positional and dimensional relationships established among the components of the link mechanism 1 shown in
In contrast, when the rotational-movement center E is moved downward and leftward relative to its original position as shown in
The link rotational-movement changing means 510 changes the rotational-movement center E to enable the free selection of one of the two ram displacement curves HA, HB.
The ram displacement curve HA, corresponding to a lower lowering speed, advantageously allows working to be accomplished using a motor 13 with low output power if working with a heavy load is carried out, e.g. if the plate material workpiece W has a large board thickness, if it is composed of a hard material, or if a punch tool with a large outer diameter is used for working.
The ram displacement curve HB, corresponding to a higher lowering speed, advantageously enables high-speed punching and thus high-quality working with few burrs if working is possible with a light load, e.g. if the plate material workpiece W has a small board thickness.
In this manner, the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 can be used to change the characteristics of the link mechanism 1 in order to select the optimum characteristics according to the type of working.
Link characteristic control means 670 (
The control system will be described. The working control means 610 is a device that controls the whole motor driven link press. It is composed of a computerized numerical control device and a programmable controller both controlled by the working program 650. The working control means 610 is provided with a control function of confirming, if the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 has been changed, that the changed position has been fixed and then starting to drive the motor 13. This and other functions will be described.
The working control means 610 has link characteristic control means 670, change commanding means 620, change corresponding motor angle control means 630, and lock confirming and working permitting means 640. The change commanding means 620 may be a part or the whole of the link characteristic control means 670.
In response to a predetermined command from the working program 650, the change commanding means 620 recognizes the type of working to control the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 to change the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 according to the type of working. The change commanding means 620 classifies working into two types including heavy load working and light load working. For the heavy load working, the rotational-movement center E is set at a position corresponding to a heavy load (the position shown in
To cause the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 to perform the changing operation, the change corresponding motor angle control means 630 provides such control as drives the motor 13 to rotate the crank shaft 3 through a predetermined angle. This predetermined angle is such that the crank shaft 3 is rotated so that the position of the ram 6 is not markedly changed after an operation of changing the position of the rotational-movement center E to cause the pivoting link 5 to pivot to elevate or lower the ram 6.
The lock confirming and working permitting means 640 inhibits the motor 13 from being driven before the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 changes the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8. The lock confirming and working permitting means 640 then permits the motor 13 to be driven after confirming that the changed position has been fixed. Specifically, the lock confirming and working permitting means 640 permits the motor 13 to be driven after confirming that the lock member 560 of the lock means 540 has engaged with the engaged portion 550 of the rotational moving member 520. The lock confirming and working permitting means 640 recognizes that the lock member 560 has engaged with the engaged portion, on the basis of a signal from detecting means 580 indicating the detection of movement of the lock driving means 570 to a predetermined position. The detecting means 580 may be omitted so that the driving of the motor 13 may be permitted a predetermined time after the change commanding means 620 has outputted a command for a lock operation to the lock driving means 570. The lock confirming and working permitting means 640 inhibits the motor 13 from being driven when, for example, the change commanding means 620 outputs an unlock command to the lock means 540.
A description will be given of a control operation performed by the working control means 610 to change the position of the rotational-movement center. For heavy load working, in response to a predetermined command from the working program 650 or a signal from the switch 660, the change commanding means 620 commands the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 to set the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 at the heavy load corresponding position (shown in
For light load working, in response to a predetermined command from the working program 650 or a signal from the switch 660, the change commanding means 620 commands the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 to set the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 at the light load corresponding position (shown in
To use the change commanding means 620 to cause the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 to perform a changing operation, the lock means 540 unlocks the rotational moving member 520 and then the actuator 530 rotationally moves the rotational moving member 520 through a predetermined angle. This rotational movement causes the different engaged portion 550 of the rotational moving member 520 to face the lock member 560. Subsequently, the lock means 540 engages the lock member 560 with the engaged portion 550 to lock the rotational moving member 520 so that the member 520 cannot be rotated. By thus using the lock means 540 to lock the rotational moving member 520, the rotational-movement center E of the restraining link 8 is prevented from being moved by a load or the like during working. The lock confirming and working permitting means 640 inhibits the working control means 610 from driving the motor 13 when the rotational moving member 520 is unlocked. It permits the motor 13 to be driven when the detecting means 580 detects that the lock means 540 has been brought into a locking condition. In this manner, the motor 13 is permitted to be driven for punch working after the position of the rotational-movement center E has been fixed. This prevents punch working from being carried out when the locking effect is insufficient or the rotational-movement center E is incompletely positioned. Therefore, safety is ensured. In connection with the above the changing operation, a description has been given only of a change from heavy load position to light load position. The same operations as those described above are performed to change the light load position to the heavy load position except that the rotational moving direction of the rotational moving member 52 is reversed.
Further, when the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 rotationally moves the rotational moving means 520, the change corresponding control means 630 causes the motor 13 to rotate the crank shaft 3 through a predetermined angle. That is, when the position of the rotational-movement center E at the proximal end of the restraining link 8 is changed, it must be changed on an arc around the third connecting portion P3 in order to change the position of proximal end of the restraining link 8 without elevating or lowering the ram 6. This is because the leading end of the restraining link 8 is connected to the third connecting portion P3 of the pivoting link 5. When the position is to be changed on such an arc, the configuration of the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 is limited. Consequently, this operation cannot be handled by the configuration according to this embodiment in which the support shaft 12 is eccentrically provided on the rotational moving member 520. The provision of the change corresponding motor angle control means 630 enables the position of the rotational-movement center E at the proximal end of the restraining link 8 to be changed by rotating the crank shaft 3 by an amount corresponding to the pivoting of the pivoting link 5 or the elevation or lowering of the ram 6 associated with the change, i.e. causing the motor 13 to rotate the crank shaft 3 through a predetermined angle, in spite of use of an arbitrary path for changing the position of the pivoting center E. Consequently, the operation of the link rotational-movement center changing means 510 is not limited, thus increasing the degree of freedom of design of the link rotational-movement center changing means 510. This results in the simple configuration in which the support point shaft 12 is eccentrically provided on the rotational moving member 520.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in
In
The control device 152 comprises plate material movement control means 157 that controls the plate material moving means 29, ram axis control means 158 that controls the motor 13 for the ram driving means 153, parallel synchronization control means 159 that synchronously controls both control means 157, 158, sequence control means (not shown in the drawings) that controls various types of sequence control of the link press main body 151, and decode executing means 156 that decodes the working program 155 and provides commands from the working program 155 to the control means 157, 158, 159, - - - .
The working program 155 is stored in a program memory (not shown in the drawings) of the control device 152 or is externally loaded into the decode executing means 156. The working program 155 is described in terms of NC codes or the like. It contains the descriptions of X- and Y-axis movement commands that are plate material movement commands to cause the plate material moving means 29 to move the plate material in the directions of the X- and Y-axes, respectively, punch commands to elevate or lower the ram driving means 153, sequence commands (not shown in the drawings) to control the sequence operation of each portion of the link press main body 151, and other commands. The movement command for each axis and the punch command are provided, for example, as one block commands. Further, the working program 155 has information on the board thickness in its attribute information storage section.
The plate material movement control means 157 controls an X- and Y-axis servomotors 141, 142 in the plate material moving means 29 via servo controllers 161, 162 for the respective axes. The plate material movement control means 157 provides trapezoidal control such that a plate material moving speed exhibits a trapezoidal speed curve VW comprising an acceleration section with a constant acceleration, a constant speed section, and a deceleration section with a constant deceleration as shown in
The plate material control means 157 gives a movement command by, for example, outputting pulses. It changes the speed by changing a pulse distribution frequency. In this case, the servo controllers 161, 162 are digital servomechanisms that control a motor current according to an input pulse train.
Specifically, the plate material movement control means 157 is composed of a speed pattern generating section 157a and a pulse distributing section 157b as shown in
In this embodiment, the plate material movement control means 157 generates a speed pattern for each of the X- and Y-axes. However, it may generate a speed pattern so as to synchronize movements along the X- and Y-axes.
In
In
Specifically, the parallel synchronization control means 159 has a table and ram synchronization interpolating section 159a and a generating section 159b that generates a ram axis motor speed pattern VP, as shown in
The ram axis motor speed pattern generating section 159b is means for generating the speed pattern VP of the motor 13 for one rotation of the crank shaft 2. The motor speed pattern VP is composed of a motor speed pattern VP1 for plate material non-contact corresponding to the operation in which the punch tool 31 driven by the ram 6 to elevate and lower moves from the height DP (
The ram axis motor speed pattern generating section 159b generates the motor speed pattern VP1 for plate material non-contact so that the operation in which the punch tool 31 moves from the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving through the top dead center RDC to the height TP close to the top surface is performed in the plate material moving time obtained by the table and ram synchronization interpolating section 159a. That is, the motor speed pattern VP1 is generated so that the plate material moving time equals the time required for a ram operation from the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving to the height TP close to the top surface. The motor speed pattern VP1 is generated so that the speed is the maximum one Vm at the height DP (
If the ram axis motor speed pattern generating section 159b generates the motor speed pattern VP1 as described above, when the plate material moving time is long, the motor speed decreases to zero. This is because the acceleration and deceleration time constants are fixed. The speed is maintained at zero and then increased. The time required for the maximum speed Vm to decrease to zero corresponds to the above set time. If the time required for the plate material movement from start till arrival at the next working point is shorter than the above set time, the parallel synchronization control means 159 provides such control as avoids zeroing the speed of the motor 13.
To start punch working when the ram is stopped at the top dead center or the like, the ram axis motor speed pattern generating section 159b generates a speed pattern in which, during the first single ram operation, the ram 6 moves from the angle of rotation of the motor set during stoppage through the height TP close to the top surface and the top dead center TDC to the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving.
Further, the parallel synchronization control means 159 provides such control as synchronizes the start of the plate material movement effected by the plate material moving means 29 with the ram operation. This synchronization is carried out by providing a signal to the plate material movement control means 157 to start the plate material movement when the punch tool 31 reaches the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving after having wrought the plate material W. This synchronization control is executed, for example, by the table and ram synchronization interpolating section 159a. An appropriate detecting means provided in the link mechanism 1, the ram 6, or the like can detect that the punch tool 31 has reached the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving.
The height DP (
A pre-reading function of the working program 155, provided in the plate material movement control means 157, parallel synchronization control means 159, or decode executing means 156 is used for the generation of a plate material moving speed pattern by the plate material movement control means 157 as well as the generation of a ram axis motor speed pattern by the parallel synchronization control means 159. For example, while the plate material movement control means 157 or the ram axis control means 158 is distributing pulses according to a block of the working program 155 being executed, a plate material moving speed pattern or a ram axis motor speed pattern is generated in response to a command in a pre-read block of the working program 155.
The plate material movement control means 157, ram axis control means 158, and parallel synchronization control means 159 of the control device 152, described with reference to
A description will n given of the relationship between the plate material movement and the ram operation, both controlled by the control device 152. It is assumed that while the plate material is being moved as shown by a speed curve VW1 at the left end of
Once the positioning speed pattern generating section 157a generates the speed curve VW2, the parallel synchronization control means 159 uses the table and ram synchronization interpolating section 159a to calculate the time required for the plate material movement. The parallel synchronization control means 159 also uses the ram axis motor speed pattern generating section 159b to generate a motor speed pattern VP for the ram axis. The motor speed pattern VP is a combination of the motor speed pattern VP1 for plate material non-contact corresponding to the operation in which the punch tool 31 moves from the height 51. DP (
The motor speed pattern VP1 for plate material non-contact is generated so that the operation from the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving to the height IP close to the top surface is performed exactly in the plate material movement time. This generation is carried out according to the preset maximum speed Vm and acceleration and deceleration time constants.
The motor speed pattern VP1 is generated so that the speed is the maximum one Vm at the height DP (
The ram axis motor speed pattern VP1 for plate material non-contact is basically inversely trapezoidal. If the plate material moving time is short, then the ram operation time is short. Accordingly, the speed pattern VP1 is free from the constant-speed pattern VPb and is thus V-shaped. The ram axis motor speed pattern VP2 for plate material contact indicates the fixed maximum speed Vm.
The thus generated ram axos motor speed pattern VP is outputted to the ram control means 158. After the ram axis motor speed pattern VP for the last punch operation has ended, the ram axis control means 158 drives the motor by distributing pulses according to the generated ram axis motor speed pattern VP.
The last ram axis motor speed pattern VP ends when the punch tool 31 reaches, after punch working, the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the punch tool 31 has left the plate material W. Accordingly, control based on the current ram axis motor speed pattern VP is carried out after the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving. Such control is repeated while sequentially pre-reading the blocks B of the working program 155.
Such control causes the operations described below to be performed. That is, the ram driving motor 13 is always rotated in one direction. The crank shaft 2 of the link mechanism 1 is thus always rotated in one direction as shown in
Once the punch tool 31 elevates to the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving, the plate material moving means 29 starts moving the plate material W. Once the plate material movement is completed, the punch tool 31 reaches the height TD close to the top surface. In this manner, during the plate material movement, synchronous control is provided so that a ram operation is performed so as not to bring the tool into contact with the plate material W. This eliminates useless standby time to minimize the cycle time. Further, the cycle time can be reduced without reciprocating the crank shaft 3.
Further, after the crank shaft 3 has been rotated in one direction to elevate the tool from the height DP corresponding to the time immediately after the leaving and before the tool reaches the height TD close to the top surface, the ram axis control means 158 attempts to avoid stopping the ram 6 according to the speed pattern VP provided by the parallel synchronization control means 159. That is, the parallel synchronization control means 159 provides a speed pattern VP that avoids zeroing the speed of the motor 13 if the time required for the plate material movement is shorter than the set time. This reduces an acceleration load on the punch driving servomotor 13, thus minimizing acceleration and deceleration energy. This in turn serves to accomplish a reduced cycle time, i.e. an increased hit rate and the saving of punch driving energy. For example, as shown in the comparative example in
In generating a motor speed pattern VP, the parallel synchronization control means 159 sets a constant acceleration both for acceleration and for deceleration. Consequently, the calculation of a motor speed pattern VP by the computer 152A, constituting the control device 152, constitutes a light load. The calculation can thus by promptly executed by a relatively simple computer. 152A.
Further, the motor speed pattern VP is trapezoidal and has the constant-speed pattern portion VPb. Consequently, the speed does not change rapidly, and the ram 6 can be smoothly elevated and lowered while no punch operations are performed. Therefore, vibration and impact can be weakened.
In the above embodiment, the motor speed pattern VP is trapezoidal so as to accomplish linear acceleration and deceleration. However, the motor speed pattern VP may be adapted for curved acceleration and deceleration (so-called S-shaped acceleration and deceleration).
Still another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The tools 31B to 31D and 32B to 32D are installed on the above described tool supporting means 28. For example, the tools 31B to 31D are installed on the turret 28a, and the tools 32B to 32D are installed on the turret 28b, the turrets 28a, 28b constituting the tool supporting means 28.
The control system will be described with reference to
In the lowering stop operation mode M2, while the servomotor 13 is being rotated in a rotating direction in which the ram 6 moves at a lower speed during lowering than during elevation owing to the characteristics of the link mechanism 1, the servomotor control means 261 stops the servomotor 13 while the ram 6 is lowering to stop the ram at an arbitrary position within its elevating and lowering stroke. Further, in the lowering stop operation mode M2, after the stoppage, the servomotor is rotated in the opposite direction. That is, the motor is stopped and reversely rotated before the ram reaches the bottom dead center. After this reversal, when the ram 6 reaches the top dead center TDC or a predetermined elevated position, the motor is reversely rotated again, that is, it is switched to the original rotating direction.
This servomotor driven link press uses the servomotor 13 as a driving source and can thus stop the ram 6 at an arbitrary position. Because of these characteristics of the motor and the use as motor control means of the servomotor control means 261, which controls the servomotor 13 to stop the ram 6 at an arbitrary position within its elevating and lowering stroke, this embodiment can stop the ram 6 at an arbitrary position to carry out various types of working, though it is of a link type. For example, it is possible to execute the forming in
If any of these types of working is carried out in which the ram 6 is stopped during lowering, the ram 6 lowers by only a short distance per unit rotation of the servomotor 13 because it is stopped during lowering operation in which it moves at a lower speed. Thus, the stopped position of the ram 6 can be more precisely controlled, thus enabling control within smaller ranges and thus more sophisticated working.
If working is carried out in which the ram 6 is stopped during lowering, then after the stoppage, the servomotor control means 261 provides such control as reverses the rotating direction of the servomotor 13. In this case, as shown in
By switching the operation mode of the servomotor control means 261, the working switching means 262 can switch the type of working between the one in which the ram 6 is stopped during lowering and the one in which the ram 6 is not stopped during lowering. In this manner, control can be provided so as to freely switch among these types of working.
The use of the servomotor 13 enables to motor speed to be freely changed. The speed can also be changed during an elevating and lowering stroke of the ram 6, enabling working to be accomplished according to various requirements. That is, a speed curve based on operations of a link mechanism composed of the crank member 2, pivoting link 5, restraining link 8, and the like is used as a basic speed curve observed if the servomotor 13 is rotated at a uniform speed, and the motor speed is varied. Then, for example, the speed at which the punch tool 31 contacts with the plate material workpiece W is reduced to make operations more silent. Alternatively, the elevating speed can be further increased.
Further another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In
The control device 341 has working type selecting means 342. The motor rotating-direction control means 344 switches the rotation of the motor 13 between the forward and backward directions depending on the type of working selected by the working type selecting means 342. The working type selecting means 342 selects a type of punch working quality to provide information indicating that, for example, either normal working or high-quality working has been selected. In this example, it is possible to select one of three levels including the normal working and high-quality working as well as ultra-high-quality working.
The motor rotating-direction control means 344 switches the rotation of the motor 13 between the forward and backward directions depending on the type of working selected by the working type selecting means 342. If the working type selecting means 342 selects the normal working as a type of working, the motor rotating-direction control means 344 sets the rotation of the motor 13 to the forward direction, i.e. the direction in which rotation is transmitted via the link mechanism 1 to make the lowering speed of the ram 6 lower than its elevating speed. The opposite rotating direction is set for the high-quality working. The motor rotating-direction control means 344 also sets the opposite rotating direction if the working type selecting means 342 selects the ultra-high-quality working.
The motor rotation speed control means 345 is provided with a function of detecting predetermined information to increase the rotation speed of the motor so as to further increase the lowering speed of the ram 6 if the motor rotating-direction control means 344 sets the motor rotating direction in which the lowering speed of the ram 6 is higher than its elevating speed. In controlling the motor to increase its rotation speed so as to further increase the lowering speed of the ram 6, the motor rotation speed control means 345 may increase the speed in all sections corresponding to one rotation of the crank member 2 or in only the ram lowering section during one rotation of the crank member 2. The predetermined information indicates that, for example, the working type selecting means 342 has selected the ultra-high-quality working as a type of working.
Specifically, the working type selecting means 342 may be working type selection information described in the working program, information set in parameter setting means (not shown in the drawings) or the like, or information inputted from the operation panel by an operator. The working type selection information described in the working program may be provided as a command using an NC code or the like or may be attribute information. The type of punch working quality has only to allow the type of punch working quality to be identified. Alternatively, the control device 341 may recognize information on the material of the plate material, the type of surface treatment, and the like as working type selection information and may transmit this information to the motor rotating-direction control means 344.
A description will be given of operations of the control device 341 configured as described. When the working type selecting means 342 selects the normal working, the motor rotating-direction control means 344 rotates the motor 13 in the forward direction. Thus, as previously described with reference to
If the working type selecting means 342 selects the high-quality working, the motor rotating-direction control means 344 rotates the motor 13 in the opposite direction. Thus, the lowering speed of the ram 6 is increased as shown by a curve Ha in
It is thus possible to freely select either the normal working, in which a plate material workpiece with a large board thickness can be punched or a hole with a large diameter can be formed, or the high-quality working, which can accomplish high-quality working in spite of limits on the efficiency, board thickness, hole diameter, or the like.
When the working type selecting means 342 selects the ultra-high-quality working, the motor rotating-direction control means 344 rotates the motor 13 in the opposite rotating direction. The motor rotation speed control means 345 increases the rotation speed to further increase the lowering speed of the ram 6. A curve Hb in
Thus lowering the ram 6 faster enables higher-quality working. In this case, stricter limits are imposed on the board thickness and the hole diameter. However, if they are within corresponding allowable ranges, higher-quality working can be accomplished.
The motor driven link press of the present invention employs the link mechanism having the crank member, pivoting link, connecting rod, and restraining link. Consequently, even with a motor with relatively low output power, it is possible to carry out working with a heavy press load and improve the working cycle time. Further, even though the link mechanism is employed, the drive transmitting system that controls the rotation of the motor to controllably transmit the elevating and lowering operations of the ram is employed to transmit rotational driving effected by the motor to the crank shaft of the link mechanism. That is, this drive transmitting system does not include any parts such as a flywheel which are intended to apply inertia. Therefore, this motor drive link press can be properly controlled easily.
If a servomotor is used as this motor, it is possible to freely control the operation speed to accomplish various types of working while making the best of advantages of the link press.
If this motor driven link press is applied to a punch press, when the intermediate section of lowering process of a electing and lowering stroke of the ram is used as that section of elevating and lowering stroke of the ram which is used to punch the plate material workpiece, a sufficient stroke can be provided below the bottom surface of the plate material workpiece. This ensures that punching scraps are dropped.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-129562 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| 2002-129563 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| 2002-129564 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| 2002-129565 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| 2002-129566 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| 2002-129615 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| 2002-129616 | May 2002 | JP | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10426694 | May 2003 | US |
| Child | 11042188 | Jan 2005 | US |
