Patent Application
20080226438
In accordance with 35 U.S.C. §119, the applicant claims the priority of Austrian Patent Application No. A 1766/2006, filed 20 Oct. 2006.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a separating device of the type outlined in the introductory part of claim 1.
2. Prior Art
To operate a bending press on an automated basis whereby workpieces prepared in readiness for a bending operation are fed to the bending press by means of a handling device, in particular a multi-axis robot, a known approach is to place the workpieces in a stack on a carrier support, in particular a transport pallet, in the access region of the handling device.
Patent specification WO 03/095125 A2 owned by this applicant discloses a handling device with a gripping mechanism equipped with a vacuum gripping finger and an optoelectronic positioning mechanism for picking up workpieces waiting in readiness and feeding the workpieces to a bending press for a bending operation. With this design of gripping mechanism for picking up a workpiece from workpieces stored in a stack on a carrier support, the gripping mechanism is firstly positioned and then the workpiece is picked up by placing the vacuum suction finger on its surface, but in order to pick it up by means of pince grippers of the type used for specific bending operations means that the workpiece has to be deposited again to enable the gripping operation to proceed.
The objective of the invention is to propose a separating device by means of which workpieces stacked on a carrier support can be exactly pre-positioned and a separated workpiece can be selectively picked up both with a suction gripper and with pince grippers.
This objective is achieved by the invention on the basis of the features defined in the characterizing part of claim 1. The surprising advantage obtained is that by setting a unique disposition between the manipulating device and a storage position of a workpiece to be picked up from the carrier support from a storage position or a stack, the latter can be moved into a unique defined transfer position for a gripping mechanism of a feeding system, e.g. robot, and from there can be picked up without additional positioning maneuvers and saving on positioning time and the carrier support can then be exchanged on an automated basis saving on set-up time.
As a result of the advantageous embodiment defined in claims 2 and 3, an exact relative disposition is achieved between a handling device and a carrier support for workpieces stored in a stacking shaft in order to separate them.
Another possible embodiment is defined in claim 4, whereby even when workpieces have been separated from a number of stacking shafts, an exactly defined transfer position can be obtained due to an end position of the gripping mechanism and hence the separated workpiece.
Also of advantage is an embodiment defined in claim 5 because the feeding operation by the gripping mechanism can be adapted to requirements in terms of the number and design of gripping fingers.
Another possible embodiment is defined in claim 6, whereby a compact design of the gripping mechanism is achieved.
Also of advantage are embodiments defined in claims 7 and 8, whereby technically proven actuators designed for long periods of operation with a high repetition accuracy in terms of the motion sequences can be used.
Advantageous embodiments are also described in claims 9 and 10 because a stacking shaft height for stacking a specific number of workpieces is obtained.
As a result of the advantageous embodiments defined in claims 11 to 13, the feeding operation by the gripping means and the process of switching them on and off individually can be adapted to the respective application.
As a result of the advantageous embodiments defined in claims 14 to 16, an exact orientation and hold is obtained and the stacking shaft is also adapted to the workpieces to be stacked.
The advantageous embodiments described in claims 18 to 20 result in short manipulation times for making ready carrier supports carrying workpieces in the stacking shafts.
Other advantageous embodiments are defined in claims 21 to 24, whereby a transfer position of the individual workpiece can be selectively obtained, either in a plane extending parallel with the standing surface or in a plane extending perpendicular to the standing surface, which saves on a motion sequence in the downstream feeding system for speeding up the feeding operation, thereby reducing programming complexity when configuring the control system of the feeding system.
The advantageous embodiments defined in claims 25 to 27 provide a status monitoring system for the gripping mechanism and errors in the production sequence are effectively avoided because situations in which workpieces adhere to one another are effectively avoided.
Finally, the embodiment defined in claim 28 is of advantage because a workpiece that is adhered to the workpiece to be separated is separated before the workpiece is transferred by a feeding system.
To provide a clearer understanding, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples of embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. Of these:
Firstly, it should be pointed out that the same parts described in the different embodiments are denoted by the same reference numbers and the same component names and the disclosures made throughout the description can be transposed in terms of meaning to same parts bearing the same reference numbers or same component names. Furthermore, the positions chosen for the purposes of the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., relate to the drawing specifically being described and can be transposed in terms of meaning to a new position when another position is being described. Individual features or combinations of features from the different embodiments illustrated and described may be construed as independent inventive solutions or solutions proposed by the invention in their own right.
All the figures relating to ranges of values in the description should be construed as meaning that they include any and all part-ranges, in which case, for example, the range of 1 to 10 should be understood as including all part-ranges starting from the lower limit of 1 to the upper limit of 10, i.e. all part-ranges starting with a lower limit of 1 or more and ending with an upper limit of 10 or less, e.g. 1 to 1.7, or 3.2 to 8.1 or 5.5 to 10.
In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the manipulating device 5 comprises a 2-axis manipulator. Secured to the standing surface 6 is a base plate 7, on which a linear guide mechanism 8 is disposed, comprising a housing 9 in which a displacement drive 10 is disposed or integrated, for example a cylinder which can be pressurized by a pressurizing medium or an electrically operated spindle drive, cable or belt drive, etc.
The linear guide mechanism 8 provides a displaceable mount for a housing 11 extending in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 6, forming another linear guide mechanism 13 on a side wall 12 in which a gripping mechanism 14 comprising a panel 16 projecting out from the housing 9 in a displacement direction—indicated by double arrow 15—with gripping fingers 17 disposed on it is disposed and which is mounted so as to be displaceable in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 6—as indicated by double arrow 18.
Another displacement drive 19 is disposed in the housing 11, for example an actuator cylinder 20, for the panel 16.
In the embodiment illustrated, the manipulating device 5 is configured so that the gripping mechanism 14 can be moved in two axial directions extending perpendicular to one another, for example an X-axis—as indicated by double arrow 15—and a Y-axis—as indicated by double arrow 18.
The gripping fingers 17 disposed on the panel 16 comprise support arms 21 mounted on the panel 16, extending more or less parallel with the standing surface 6, which can be displaced on the panel 16 in an extension length 22 and positioned relative to one another, e.g. the support arms 21 are provided with elongate slots and are releasably secured to the panel 16 by means of capstan-headed screws.
Disposed on a projecting end region 23 of the support arm 21 is a spacing element, e.g. a pressure pipe 24, projecting in the direction of the standing surface 6, which is provided with a vacuum sucker 26 at an end 25 facing the standing surface 6.
As illustrated, it would naturally also be possible to provide several such gripping fingers 17 on the panel 16 and adjust them to an appropriate position for picking up the stacked workpiece 4 using an appropriate adjustment. It is therefore manually possible to provide one of the gripping fingers 17 or alternatively several of the gripping fingers 17 for picking up the workpiece 4 depending on its size or shape.
Disposed in the gripping area of the gripping mechanism 14 is at least one positioning space 27 for the carrier support 2 on the standing surface 6, and the carrier support 2 preferably comprises a supporting board 28 with stacking shafts 3 disposed on a top face and the supporting board 28 is supported on the standing surface 6 or the base plate 7 by means of spacer elements 30, preferably in corner regions 29.
The spacer elements 30 are provided in the form of positioning projections 31 in the standing area, e.g. conical end regions of which at least two adjacent positioning projections 31 locate in centering recesses 32, which are preferably disposed in the base plate 7 of the manipulating device 5, so that the positioning space 27 respectively the carrier support 2 respectively a stacking shaft 3 assumes a defined reference position—as will be explained in more detail below—by reference to the manipulating device 5. The design of the spacer elements 30 with the positioning projections 31 and the centering recesses 32 ensures that the reference position is always assumed when carrier supports 2 are replaced without the need for complex positioning maneuvers.
Due to the layout of the positioning projections 31 on the spacer elements 30 in the corner regions of the carrier support 2 and two centering recesses 32 in the base plate 7, a carrier support 2 is turned by 180° about a center axis oriented at a right-angle to the standing surface 6 through a surface center point 33 of the carrier support 2 in the case of a carrier support with a rectangular format, for example, or, in the case of a carrier support 2 of a square format, by 90°. This also enables several stacking shafts 3 to be provided on the supporting board 28, for example two stacking shafts 3 if using carrier supports 2 of rectangular format or four if using a square format, without having to undertake changes in the control program to activate the manipulating device 5.
As may be seen from the embodiment illustrated as an example, it is naturally also possible to provide several positioning spaces 27 in the direction of displacement—indicated by double arrow 15—aligned in rows if the displacement path of the tower-shaped housing 11 in the linear guide mechanism 8 is correspondingly long.
In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the stacking shaft 3 comprises flat shaft dividers 35 oriented perpendicular to a surface 34, for example sheet metal wall parts 36. In order to position the shaft dividers 35, receiving grooves 37 are provided in a lattice pattern in the top face 34 of the carrier supports 2, which preferably extend at a right-angle with respect to one another and are disposed parallel with side faces 38 of the supporting board 28 and receiving grooves 37 respectively lying opposite one another at a same normal distance from the surface center point 33.
The right-angled disposition of the receiving grooves 37 offers a simple way of ensuring that two adjoining wall parts 36 inserted in two adjacent receiving grooves 37 form contact planes oriented exactly at a right-angle with one another for workpieces 4 with a rectangular corner region without the need for complex positioning.
One or more other wall parts 36 may also be used to position the workpieces 4 in the stacking shaft 3 by mutual positioning, which are positioned in alignment on the top face 34 of the supporting board 28 and held in position by means of standard permanent magnets 39.
Naturally, it would also be possible to dispose the supporting board 28 in a lattice system with clamping grooves in which blocks with threaded bores can be displaceably inserted and the wall parts 36 secured in the vertical position and relevant layout by means of screws matching the configuration of the workpieces 4 on the top face 34 of the supporting board 28.
The panel 16 is mounted in an end plate 47 of the carriage 40 so that it can pivot in a pivot arrangement 48—as indicated by double arrow 49—for which purpose a pivot drive 50 is provided, for example an electrically driven servomotor 52, connected via a line 51 to the control system, although the latter is not illustrated.
In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the servomotor 52 is flange-mounted on a leg 53 of the panel 16 extending parallel with the end plate 47, thereby resulting in a non-rotating connection of a motor housing to the panel 16. A drive stub 54 of the servomotor 52 extends through the leg 53 in a releasing bore 55 and is non-rotatingly coupled with the end plate 47 of the carriage 40. Consequently, activating the servomotor 52 via the line 51 causes the pivoting movement of the panel 16 with the gripping fingers 17. It appears to be sufficient to set a pivoting movement of +/−90° starting from a horizontal position of the support arms 21. The embodiment illustrated in
As may also be seen from
However, it would also be possible to use a capacitive measuring system or to measure the vibration behavior of the picked-up workpiece in a manner known from the prior art as a means of detecting a “double pick-up”.
It should also be pointed out that an electrically operated spindle drive of this type, described in connection with
It should also be pointed out that it would also be possible to use a separating device of the type known from the prior art. Such a device may be positioned alongside the manipulating device 5 in the area in which the gripping mechanism 14 moves, thereby enabling an adhered workpiece to be separated due to a magnetic effect or on a mechanical basis.
In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the manipulating device 5 with the gripping mechanism 14 is assigned two positioning spaces 27 for a respective carrier support 2 with rectangular dimensions, preferably in a half format of a Euro-pallet. As illustrated, due to the receiving grooves 37 disposed in a lattice pattern, a stacking shaft 3 is disposed on each of the carrier supports 3 in a defined position by reference to the side faces 37 adjoining one another at a right-angle. Naturally, it would also possible to provide other stacking shafts 3 on the carrier support 2.
The linear guide mechanism 8 with the linear drive 10 of the manipulating device 5 is secured to the standing surface 6, thereby predefining an X-axis 60 for the displacement of the gripping mechanism 14, and a displacement path—indicated by double arrow 15—in the direction of the X-axis 60 is predefined by the linear guide mechanism 8 and by a distance 61 between oppositely lying, adjustable end stops 62, 63.
In connection with the X-axis 60 in the embodiment illustrated as an example, positioning means 65 are provided on the standing surface 6 oriented parallel with a mid-axis 64, which serve as centering recesses 32 in which the positioning projections 31 of two adjacent spacer elements 30 for each carrier support 2 locate, preferably in the corner regions 29. Consequently, the carrier supports 2 are oriented in a position in which one of the side faces 38 extends parallel with and at a predefined distance 66 from the X-axis 60 and the other side face 38 extends at a right-angle to it.
The disposition of the positioning means 65 needed to obtain a reference position of the stacking shaft 3, in which a gripping finger 17 adjusted to a neutral central position on the panel 16 drops down more or less centrally into the stacking shaft 3 by reference to the manipulating device 5, is achieved due to the disposition of the positioning means 65 relative to the position of the X-axis 60 of the linear guide mechanism 8 as well as an end position 67 in the direction of the X-axis 60 of the gripping finger 17 and the predefined distance 66, making allowance for the dimensional design of the carrier support 2, such as a length 68, width 69 and a side distance 70 of the receiving grooves 37 and the disposition of the spacer elements 30 in the corner regions 39.
Since the size dimensions are known, the positioning means 65 can be positioned as a function of the position of the handling device 5 and linear guide mechanism 8 using a calculated X-co-ordinate of the surface center point 33 of the carrier support 2 or an intersection point 71 of the adjacent side faces 38 by reference to the end position 67 of the gripping mechanism 14.
It has been found that another advantageous embodiment is one whereby, if the separating device 1 is assigned two positioning spaces 27, a displacement path of the linear guide mechanism 8 between the end position 67 of the gripping mechanism 14 and an end position spaced apart from it is approximately the width 69 of the carrier support 2 plus a minimal distance between the carrier supports 2.
Consequently, as may be seen again from
The embodiments illustrated as examples represent possible design variants of the separating device 1, and it should be pointed out at this stage that the invention is not specifically limited to the design variants specifically illustrated, and instead the individual design variants may be used in different combinations with one another and these possible variations lie within the reach of the person skilled in this technical field given the disclosed technical teaching. Accordingly, all conceivable design variants which can be obtained by combining individual details of the design variants described and illustrated are possible and fall within the scope of the invention.
For the sake of good order, finally, it should be pointed out that, in order to provide a clearer understanding of the structure of the separating device, it and its constituent parts are illustrated to a certain extent out of scale and/or on an enlarged scale and/or on a reduced scale. The objective underlying the independent inventive solutions may be found in the description.
Above all, the individual embodiments of the subject matter illustrated in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 1766/2006 | Oct 2006 | AU | national |
