PLATE MATERIAL CARRY-OUT DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention provides a plate material carry-out device that can prevent a possible delay in carrying out a plate material even if the plate material requires only a short processing time, improving cycle time, the plate material carry-out device also requiring only a simple configuration. A plate material carry-out device carries out a processed plate material W from a plate material processing machine 1 to a plate material carry out section 3. The plate material carry-out device includes a plurality of tracks 11, 12 installed parallel to one another between the plate material processing machine 1 and the plate material carry-out section 3, and traveling members 13, 14 independently provided on the respective tracks to reciprocate between the plate material processing machine 1 and the plate material carry-out section 3. Each of the traveling members 13, 14 has plate material holding means 16 holding a plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1. Further, while one of the traveling members 13, 14 is traveling from the plate material processing machine 1 toward the plate material carry-out section 3, the other of the traveling members 13, 14 allows the plate material holding means 16 to hold the plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an entire plate material processing facility comprising a plate material carry-out device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an operational state in which one of two traveling members in the plate material carry-out device holds a product plate material.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an operational state in which the other traveling member in the plate material carry-out device holds the product plate material.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an operation in which the two traveling members pass each other.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an operational state in which the two traveling members carry out one product plate material together.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the traveling member of the plate material carry-out device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of carrying out a hidden product plate material which operation is performed by the plate material carry-out device.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the conceptual configuration of a transfer control device for the plate material carry-out device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control operation performed by a pullout and cooperative transfer control section of the transfer control device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9. FIG. 1 shows a plate material processing facility comprising a plate material carry-out device in accordance with the present invention. The plate material processing facility comprises a plate material processing machine 1, a plate material carry-out device 2, a plate material carry-out section 3, and a plate material stocker 4. The plate material processing facility further comprises a plate material carry-in device (not shown in the drawings) that carries a raw plate material W0 into the plate material processing machine 1. The description of the plate material carry-in device is omitted.

The plate material processing machine 1 comprises a function of cutting a plurality of product plate materials W out of the raw plate material W0 on a table 5 by means of punching or the like. The plate material processing machine 1 is made of a punch press, a laser processing machine, or the like. In this example, the plate material carry-out device 1 is made of a turret punch press or the like.

The plate material carry-out device 1 comprises an upper turret and a lower turret 6 on which punch tools and die tools, respectively, are mounted, a processing section 7 made of a punch driving mechanism (not shown in the drawings) or the like which drivingly elevates and lowers any of the punch tools on the turret 6 at a processing center P, and a plate material feeding mechanism 8 that moves the raw plate material W0 on the table 5 in a forward-backward direction (Y direction) and a lateral direction (X direction).

The plate material carry-out section 3 is a device on which the product plate materials W processed by the plate material processing machine 1 and carried out by the plate material carry-out device 2 are stacked. The plate material carry-out section 3 is installed on one side of the plate material processing machine 1. The plate material carry-out section 3 comprises a pallet 9 on which plural types of product plate materials W can be stacked in respective stacks, and a pallet moving mechanism 10 that moves the pallet 9 forward and backward on a pallet guiding rail 10a as shown by arrow A.

The plate material stocker 4 is a device in which the product plate materials W stacked by the plate material carry-out section 3 are stored together with the pallet 9. The plate material stocker 4 has a stocker main body 4a having a large number of shelves and an elevator 4b that loads and unloads the product plate materials W onto and from any shelf.

The plate material carry-out device 2 carries out the product plate materials W, the processed plate materials W, out of the plate material processing machine 1 to the plate material carry-out section 3. The plate material carry-out device 2 comprises a plurality of (in the illustrated example, two) tracks 11, 12 installed parallel to each other between the plate material processing machine 1 and the plate material carry-out section 3, and a plurality of (in the illustrated example, two) traveling members 13, 14 installed on the tracks 11, 12, respectively, so as to be independently travelable. The tracks 11, 12 are installed on a common frame 15 at the opposite ends thereof.

Each of the traveling members 13, 14 has a plate material holding means 16 for holding the product plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1. While one of the traveling members 13, 14 is traveling from the plate material processing machine 1 toward the plate material carry-out section 3, the other of the traveling members 13, 14 can perform an operation of holding the product plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the rear side traveling member 14. The configuration of the front side traveling member 13 is similar to that of the rear side traveling member 13. The traveling members 13, 14 are installed on the tracks 11, 12, respectively, so as to be travelable via guide rollers (not shown in the drawings). Each of the traveling members 13, 14 comprises a traveling driving source (not shown in the drawings) such as a self-traveling electric motor.

The plate material holding means 16 has a movable frame 17 installed on the traveling member 13, 14 so as to be movable forward and backward (in a Y direction) and a plurality of suction pads 18 installed on the movable frame 17. The movable frame 17 is made of an arm-like member extending in a forward-backward direction.

In the embodiment, a plurality of (in the illustrated example, two) movable frames 17 are provided parallel to each other. Each movable frame 17 is driven forward and backward by a forward and backward movement driving source (not shown in the drawings) mounted on each of the traveling members 13, 14. The forward and backward movement driving source may individually independently moves each movable frame 17 forward and backward or move both movable frames 17 forward and backward together. The forward and backward movement driving source is made of an electric motor or the like. Rotation of the forward and backward movement driving source is converted into a linear operation via a rotation-rectilinear propagation converting mechanism such as a rack and pinion mechanism or a ball screw. The forward and backward movement driving source may also be a cylinder device. For the front side traveling member 13, the plate material holding means 16 need not necessarily be movable forward and backward.

In the present embodiment, each of the suction pads 18 is made of a bundle of a plurality of unit suction pads 18a each connected to a vacuum source via a throttling path. Even if any of the suction pads 18 are not in contact with an object to be sucked such as the product plate material W, the suction pads 18 can suck the object. Instead of being formed into a bundle as described above, each suction pad 18 as a whole may constitute a single negative pressure section.

The plate material holding means 16 is composed that the suction pads 18 can be elevated and lowered with respect to the traveling member 13, 14. In the present embodiment, as means for elevating and lowering the suction pads 18, the individual suction pads 18 are installed on the movable frame 17 via respective elevating and lowering devices 19. Each of the elevating and lowering devices 19 is made of, for example, an air cylinder. Instead of the elevating and lowering device 19 individually elevating and lowering the suction pads 18, the movable frame 17 may be installed so as to be able to elevate and lower relative to the traveling member 13, 14, with an elevating and lowering driving source (not shown in the drawings) provided.

The positional relationship and so on between the two traveling members 13, 14 and the like will be described. The two tracks 11, 12 extending in the forward and backward direction are installed at the same height. The plate material processing machine 1 always processes a final cutaway portion of the product plate material W at a predetermined position (for example, a punch position P). Accordingly, the product plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1 waiting to be carried out is always located at the same position. However, the same position where the product plate material W is always located is one point on the outer periphery of the product plate material W. The center position of the product plate material W varies depending on the size or shape of the product plate material W.

The front side traveling member 13 having its plate material holding means 16 located at a reference position in a forward-backward moving direction can suck the product plate material W standing by at the predetermined position. The rear side traveling member 14 having its plate material holding means 16 moved forward to a forward end can suck the product plate material W standing by at the predetermined position in the plate material processing machine 1. Further, when the rear side traveling member 14 having its plate material holding means 16 moved forward passes the front side traveling member 13 in the traveling direction, the plate material holding means 16 interferes with the front side traveling member 13. However, with the plate material holding means 16 of the rear side traveling member 14 moved backward to the rearward end, the front side and rear side traveling members 13, 14 can pass each other with the plate material holding means 16 prevented from interfering with the traveling member 13. The dimensions of the front side and rear side traveling members 13, 14 and the positional relationship between the traveling members 13, 14 are designed so as to enable the above operations.

A control system will be described with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.

The plate material carry-out device 2 is controlled by a transfer control device 21. The transfer control device 21 comprises a computer and a transfer program that is executed by the computer. An independent carry-out control means 22 and a plural traveling member-cooperation control means 23 described below are configured on the basis of the program contents or the transfer program.

The independent carry-out control means 22 independently controls the traveling members 13, 14 including their plate material holding means 16. In a normal carry-out operation, the traveling members 13, 14 are controlled by the independent carry-out control means 22. The independent carry-out control means 22 comprises a function of performing control such that while one of the traveling members 13, 14 is traveling, the other of the traveling members 13, 14 allows the plate material holding means 16 thereof to hold the plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1.

The plural traveling member-cooperation control means 23 controls the traveling members 13, 14 and the plate material holding means 16 thereof so that the plate material holding means 16 of the plurality of (two) traveling members 13, 14 can hold the single product plate material W and so that the plurality of traveling members 13, 14 carry out the plate material W.

The plural traveling member-cooperation control means 23 has a pullout and cooperative transfer control section 24. The pullout and cooperative transfer control section 24 performs control shown in the flowchart in FIG. 9 (the control will be described later in detail also with reference to FIG. 7), that is, the control for the following steps. That is, the pullout and cooperative transfer control section 24 performs a series of control operations including the step (step S1 in FIG. 9) in which the plate material holding means 16 of the traveling member 13 holds and pulls out the product plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1 in a track direction (X direction), the step (S2) in which the other traveling member 14 allows the plate member holding means 16 thereof to hold the pulled-out product plate material W, and the step (S3) in which both traveling members 13, 14 travel to convey the product plate material W held by the plate material holding means 16 of both traveling means 13, 14.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, when the front side traveling member 13 sucks the product plate material W on the plate material processing machine 1, the rear side traveling member 14 stands by near the front side traveling member 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the front side traveling member 13 gripping the product plate material W travels to the plate material carry-out section 3 to place the product plate material W on the pallet 9 of the plate material carry-out section 3. After placing the product plate material W on the pal let 9, the front side traveling member 13 returns to the plate material processing machine 1. While the front side traveling member 13 is carrying out the product plate material W and returning to the plate material processing machine 1, the rear side traveling member 14 moves the frame 17 of the plate material holding means 16 forward and allows the suction pad 18 to hold and raise the product plate material W as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear side traveling member 14 holding the product plate material W moves the frame 17 backward and travels toward the plate material carry-out section 3. This allows the front side traveling member 13 returning from the plate material holding means 3 to the plate material processing machine 1 and the rear side traveling member 14 traveling to the plate material holding means 3 to pass each other without interfering with each other. The plate material carry out section 3 moves the pallet 9 backward so as to be able to receive the product plate material W conveyed by the rear side traveling member 14.

Upon returning to the plate material processing machine 1, the front side traveling member 13 carries out the next product plate material W to the plate material carry-out section 3 and then returns to a standby position near the plate material processing machine 1. Further, the rear side traveling member 14 carries out the product plate material W to the plate material carry-out section 3 and then returns to the standby position near the plate material processing machine 1. Thus, the two traveling members 13, 14 independently carry out the product plate material W. Consequently, even if only a short time is required to process the product plate material W, the plate materials can be carried out without delay, enabling the cycle time to be improved.

FIG. 5 shows an operation in which the two traveling members 13, 14, the front side and rear side traveling members 13, 14, carry out the single product plate material W. A large-sized product plate material W cannot be transferred by the single traveling member 13 or 14. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the large-sized product plate material W can be carried out by allowing both traveling members 13, 14 to travel in synchronism with the plate material holding means 16 of the two traveling members 13, 14 holding the front and rear parts, respectively, of the same product plate material W. Further, in this case, compared to the case where the size of the traveling members 13, 14 is increased to enable the large-sized product plate material W to be transferred, each of the traveling members 13, 14 has only to have a small size, allowing a reduction in the weight of the traveling members and an increase in the speed of the traveling members 13, 14. This also enables a reduction in the time required for acceleration and deceleration. The plural traveling member-cooperation control means 23, shown in FIG. 8, controls the operation in which the two traveling members 13, 14 carry out the same product plate material W together.

FIG. 7 shows an operation performed when the product plate material W is hidden. Where the product plate material W is small enough to be largely hidden under the turret 6 or the like of the processing section 7 as shown in FIG. 7A, the product plate material W cannot be held by the plate material holding means 16 in a well-balanced manner. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the plate material holding means 16 of the traveling member 13 grips a part of the product plate material W which is exposed from the processing section 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the plate material holding means 16 pulls out the product plate material W on the table 5 so as to expose the whole product plate material W (step S1 in FIG. 9).

Subsequently, the pulled-out and exposed part of the product plate material W is held by the plate material holding means 16 of the other traveling member 14 (step 2 in FIG. 9). With the whole product plate material W thus held by the two traveling members 13, 14 in a well-balanced manner, both traveling members 13, 14 are allowed to travel together to transfer the product plate material W. In this manner, even if the product plate material W is largely hidden under the processing section 7, the whole product plate material W can be held in a well-balanced manner and stably transferred.

In the above embodiment, the plate material holding means 16 of both traveling members 13, 14 can move forward and backward. However, the traveling member (in this case, the front side traveling member 13) corresponding to the reference position for product carry-out in the plate material processing machine 1 need not necessarily be movable forward and backward. However, when both traveling members 13, 14 are movable forward and backward, the following is possible. Where the product plate material W internally has a hole forming portion or a shape forming portion positioned so as to correspond to any of the suction pads 18, shifting the forward-backward position of the plate material holding means 16 allows the suction pad 18 to lie away from the hole or shape forming portion of the product plate material W, enabling stable suction.

While the present invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed invention may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than those specifically set out and described above. Accordingly, it is intented by the appended claims to cover all modifications of the present invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A plate material carry-out device that carries out a processed plate material from a plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section, the device being characterized by comprising a plurality of tracks installed parallel to one another between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, and traveling members independently provided on the respective tracks to reciprocate between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, each of the traveling members having plate material holding means holding a plate material on the plate material processing machine.

2. A plate material carry-out device according to claim 1, characterized in that said plate material holding means of at least one of said traveling members is provided so as to be movable forward and backward in a horizontal direction orthogonal to a traveling direction, and is able to hold the plate material on the plate material processing machine located off the track for said traveling member in said orthogonal horizontal direction.

3. A plate material carry-out device according to claim 1, characterized by having independent carry-out control means for performing control such that while one of the traveling members is traveling, the other traveling members allow the plate material holding means to hold the plate material on the plate material processing machine.

4. A plate material carry-out device according to claim 1, characterized by having plural traveling member-cooperation control means for controlling said traveling members and plate material holding members so that the plate material holding members of a plurality or the traveling members hold a single plate material and travel to carry out the plate material.

5. A plate material carry-out device according to claim 4, characterized in that said plural traveling member-cooperation control means has a pullout and cooperative transfer control section that executes a series of control processes including a process of allowing one of the traveling members to hold the plate material on the plate material processing machine and to pull out the plate material in a track direction, using the plate holding means, a process of allowing another traveling member to hold the pulled-out plate material using the plate material holding means, and a process of allowing both the traveling members to travel to transfer the plate material held by the plate material holding means of both the traveling members.