JPWO2020017011A1 - Traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

It is a traveling device that eliminates the influence of chips, and slides by engaging with a rack whose tooth surface is fixed downward to a support member and a guide rail fixed in parallel with the rack. A traveling table provided with a slide member, a traveling motor attached to the traveling table to rotate a pinion gear that meshes with the rack, and a length fixed to the side surface of the rack and protruding downward from the tooth surface of the rack. Has a protective cover.

Description

The present invention relates to a traveling device that moves under a working machine such as a machine tool and is designed to eliminate the influence of chips generated by processing the work.

In a processing machine line consisting of a plurality of working machines such as machine tools, an autoloader for delivering and delivering work to each working machine is provided. The following Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional example thereof. This autoloader is provided with a traveling device that moves in front of the arranged work machines, and is configured to deliver the work to a machine tool or the like by a transfer robot mounted on the traveling device. In the traveling device, racks and guide rails arranged in parallel are fixed in the horizontal direction, the traveling table slides while grasping the guide rail, and the traveling motor rotates the pinion gear meshed with the rack along the rail. The railing platform can be moved. Further, Patent Document 2 below also discloses a traveling device that moves a traveling table by combining a rack and a pinion gear to rotate a traveling motor.

International Publication WO2015 / 145576 Gazette Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-220535

In the autoloader of Patent Document 1, when chips of a work generated in a processing chamber of a machine tool are scattered, a part of the work is dropped on a traveling device arranged at a position lower than that of the machine tool. At that time, since grease is applied to the rack for the purpose of lubrication, the fallen chips adhere to the rack. Then, the chips adhering to the rack accumulate with the passage of time, which deteriorates the engagement with the pinion gear and lowers the stopping accuracy of the traveling table. A decrease in the stopping accuracy of the traveling table also reduces the accuracy of delivery of the work by the transfer robot mounted on the traveling table. On the other hand, since the traveling device of Patent Document 2 is provided in the gantry type automatic workpiece transfer machine in which the loader head is suspended, there is no problem due to the adhesion of chips, but the automatic workpiece transfer machine However, the entire processing machine line cannot be made compact due to the increase in size.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a traveling device that eliminates the influence of chips in order to solve such a problem.

The traveling device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a rack in which the tooth surface is fixed downward to the support member, a guide rail fixed in parallel with the rack, and a slide member that slides by engaging with the guide rail. A traveling table provided, a traveling motor attached to the traveling table to rotate a pinion gear that meshes with the rack, and a protective cover fixed to the side surface of the rack and having a length protruding below the tooth surface of the rack. Has.

According to the above configuration, the rack is fixed to the support member with the tooth surface facing downward, and a protective cover having a length protruding below the tooth surface is fixed to the side surface of the rack, so that the rack can be placed inside. By allowing the chips to fall through the outside of the protected protective cover, it is possible to prevent the chips from adhering to the greased rack.

It is a perspective view which showed one Embodiment of the traveling device incorporated in the work automatic transfer machine. It is a perspective view which showed one Embodiment of a traveling device. It is a perspective sectional view which showed a part of a traveling device. It is a perspective view which showed an example of the work automatic transfer machine. It is a front view which showed the processing machine line in which an automatic workpiece transfer machine is used.

Next, an embodiment of the traveling device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a traveling device which is a work automatic transfer machine of a processing machine line and is a part thereof will be described as an example. In the processing machine line, a plurality of modularized work machines such as a lathe, a machining center, or a surveying instrument are lined up, and an automatic work transfer machine transfers a work to each of the plurality of work modules in order. is there. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a processing machine line in which an automatic workpiece transfer machine is used.

In this processing machine line 100, various work modules 102 such as a lathe are installed side by side between the work carry-in module 101 at the right end of the drawing, which is the work carry-in part, and the work discharge module 103 at the left end of the drawing, which is the work carry-out part. ing. The work loading / unloading modules 101, 103 and the work modules 102 of the seven machines are covered with an exterior cover 107 having the same shape. A front cover 108 that can be opened and closed is formed in the front portion of the exterior cover 107, and a transport space that extends in the lateral direction of the line is created. In the processing machine line 100, the work automatic transfer machine 105 is incorporated in the transfer space including the front cover 108.

Here, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the work automatic guided vehicle 105, and particularly shows a state in which the articulated robot arm 120 delivers the work. In the automatic guided vehicle 105, a traveling device 110 is assembled on the front surface of a base 109 on which a working module 102 such as a lathe is mounted, and an articulated robot arm 120 is mounted on the traveling device 110. The articulated robot arm 120 penetrates into the work module 102 (see FIG. 5) in an extended posture as shown, while moving in the transport space in a folded and compact state.

In the traveling device 110 for moving the articulated robot arm 120, the rack 112 parallel to the vertical support plate 111 and the two guide rails 113 are fixed in the horizontal direction, and the sliding member of the traveling table 115 is fixed to the guide rail 113 in the horizontal direction. It is assembled so that it can be slidable. A traveling motor 116 provided with a pinion gear 117 is attached to the traveling table 115, and the traveling pedestal 115 can be moved in the horizontal direction by rotation of the pinion gear 117 meshed with the rack 112.

In the articulated robot arm 120, the upper arm member 121 is connected to the support base 127 fixed to the swivel table 118 via the first joint mechanism 123, and the forearm member 122 is further connected to the upper arm member 121 by the second joint mechanism. It is connected via 124. Further, a robot hand 125 is rotatably attached to the end of the forearm member 122 via a bearing member. The automatic guided vehicle 105 is provided with a control device for controlling the motors and hydraulic devices of the traveling device 110 and the articulated robot arm 120.

In the processing machine line 100, as described above, the workpieces are sequentially conveyed to various work modules 102 such as a lathe by the automatic workpiece transfer machine 105. In the traveling device 110, the pinion gear 117 rolls on the rack 112 by being driven by the traveling motor 116, and moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Then, the work is stopped in front of the corresponding work module 102, and then the work is delivered by the articulated robot arm 120. At that time, in lathes and the like, the spindle chuck is cleaned by air blow when the work is delivered. Therefore, chips and coolant in the processing chamber are scattered to the traveling device 110.

In the processing machine line 100, since the traveling device 110 is located at a position lower than the work module 102, scattered chips fall on the traveling device 110. Such chips adhere to and deposit on the greased rack 112. As a result, the meshing between the rack 112 and the pinion gear 117 becomes poor, and the stopping accuracy of the traveling table 120 is lowered. The traveling device of the present embodiment is configured to eliminate the influence of chips in order to deal with such a problem. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a traveling device of the present embodiment incorporated in an automatic workpiece transfer machine. Further, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a traveling device, and FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view showing a part of the traveling device.

The traveling device 1 has the same structure as that shown in FIG. 4, and the articulated robot arm 120 is mounted on the traveling table 3. The traveling device 1 has a support plate 5 fixed to the front surface of a base 109 on which the work module 102 is mounted, and the traveling table 3 is assembled there in a state in which the traveling table 3 can travel. First, a vertical surface is formed by the support plate 5, and the racks 11 arranged in parallel and the two guide rails 12 are fixed in the horizontal direction. The two guide rails 12 are arranged vertically so as to sandwich the rack 11, and a plurality of slides 13 provided on the traveling table 3 are slidably assembled. Therefore, the posture of the traveling table 3 is maintained by the plurality of slides 13 gripping the two upper and lower guide rails 12.

A traveling motor 15 having a rotating shaft protruding toward the support plate 5 is fixed to the traveling table 3, and a pinion gear 17 is fixed to the rotating shaft via a speed reducer 16. The pinion gear 17 meshes with a rack 11 whose center of rotation is orthogonal to the support plate 5 and whose tooth surface faces downward. That is, in the present embodiment, the rack 11 is attached so that the tooth surface is hidden from the chips falling from above, and the traveling motor 15 is assembled sideways accordingly. Further, a protective cover 18 is fixed to the rack 11 on a side surface opposite to the surface fixed to the support plate 5.

The protective cover 18 is a strip-shaped plate material having a length corresponding to the rack 11, and is attached so that the lower end side protrudes below the tooth surface of the rack 11. A chamfered portion 11a is formed on the rack 11 above the protective cover 18, so that the fallen chips can easily slide off. Further, in addition to chips, coolant falls on the front surface portion of the support plate 5 to which the rack 11 is fixed. This is because in a work module 102 such as a lathe, a coolant is used for cooling and lubricating a processed portion in a processing chamber, or for washing away chips. Then, the droplets of the coolant scattered reach the front surface of the support plate 5 and fall on the upper surface of the rack 11 in the same manner as the chips.

The chamfered portion 11a and the protective cover 18 are designed so that such coolant flows down from the rack 11. However, the coolant that drips down along the protective cover 8 also falls on the connecting portion between the pinion gear 17 and the speed reducer 16. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pinion gear 17 is configured so that the coolant is not transmitted to the speed reducer 16 side.

In the pinion gear 17, a cylindrical boss portion 171 whose central portion protrudes in the axial direction is formed, and a circumferential flange portion 172 protruding in the radial direction is formed at the end portion of the boss portion 171. Therefore, the boss portion 171 of the pinion gear 17 is provided with a circumferential groove portion 175 between the gear portion on which the teeth are formed and the flange portion 172. The lower end of the protective cover 18 is located in the groove portion 175 on the gear portion side away from the flange portion 172.

The boss portion 171 is formed with a length such that a gap is formed between the lower end of the protective cover 18 and the flange portion 172. That is, a certain amount of gap is formed between the protective cover 18 and the flange portion 172, and chips and coolant that have fallen on the boss portion 171 are configured to fall along the groove portion 175 in the circumferential direction. In particular, the coolant that has fallen on the boss portion 171 is prevented from seeping into the speed reducer 16 side by the flange portion 172.

Therefore, in the traveling device 1 of the present embodiment, the pinion gear 17 is rotated via the speed reducer 16 by the driving of the traveling motor 15, and the power in the horizontal direction is obtained along the rack 11 that meshes with the reduction gear 16. Then, the traveling table 3 moves by sliding the slide 13 that holds the two guide rails 12. At that time, the entire downward tooth surface of the rack 11 that meshes with the pinion gear 17 is inside the protective cover 18, and falling chips and coolant fall through the outside of the protective cover 18. Further, in the boss portion 171 of the gear 17, chips and coolant fall in the circumferential direction along the groove portion 175. Therefore, even if the traveling device 1 is located at a position lower than the work module 102, it is possible to prevent the scattered chips from adhering to the rack 11 coated with grease, and to avoid deterioration of the stopping accuracy of the traveling table 3. it can.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the traveling device constituting the automatic workpiece transfer machine is an example, and may be another embodiment.

1 ... Traveling device 3 ... Traveling platform 5 ... Support plate 11 ... Rack 12 ... Guide rail 13 ... Slide 15 ... Traveling motor 16 ... Reducer 17 ... Pinion gear 18 ... Protective cover 171 ... Boss part 172 ... Flange part 175 ... Groove part

Claims (3)

A rack in which the tooth surface is fixed downward to the support member, and a guide rail fixed in parallel with the rack.
A traveling table provided with a sliding member that engages with and slides on the guide rail, and
A traveling motor that is attached to the traveling table and rotates a pinion gear that meshes with the rack.
A protective cover fixed to the side surface of the rack so as to protrude below the tooth surface of the rack.
Traveling device with. The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion gear has a boss portion, and a circumferential flange portion protruding in the radial direction is formed at an end portion of the boss portion. The traveling device according to claim 2, wherein the protective cover is a plate material, and the boss portion of the pinion gear has a length such that a gap is formed between the lower end of the protective cover and the upper end of the flange portion.

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