Metal deforming – With use of control means energized in response to activator... – Including use of sensor responsive to information carried by...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-01
2001-05-29
Crane, Daniel C. (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
With use of control means energized in response to activator...
Including use of sensor responsive to information carried by...
C072S306000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237380
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bending device and a bending method in which when a pipe, a bar material or another longitudinal work is bent/worked, two bending mechanisms are moved to successively bend the work from its opposite ends toward its center.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 13011/1993, a known conventional bending device is provided with a chuck mechanism for holding a pipe or a longitudinal work substantially by its center, two moving mechanisms which can move toward the center position along two tracks provided parallel on opposite sides of the work held by the chuck mechanism, and joint type robots mounted on the moving mechanisms and each having joints rotating around axes parallel with an axial direction of the work. In the bending device, attached to a tip end of each joint type robot is a bending mechanism in which the work is held by a bending die conformed to a bending shape of the work and a clamping die rotating around the bending die, and the work is bent by rotating the clamping die.
The bending process is performed by successively bending the work from its opposite ends toward its center while moving the joint type robots along the work.
In the conventional method, however, when the bending of one place is completed and the joint type robots are moved along the work, the bending mechanism is detached from the work before moving to the next bending position. After the movement, each joint of the joint type robot is rotated to move the bending mechanism in such manner that the work is placed between the bending die and the clamping die of the bending mechanism, which causes a problem that the time necessary for working is lengthened.
Another problem is as follows:
When the work is bent in accordance with design data, in most cases, the work cannot be bent as designed because of difference in hardness and elongation of the work. To solve the problem, after trial working is performed, the differences from the design data are measured, the design data is corrected, and the work is again bent in accordance with the corrected design data. In most cases, the coordinate data of an imaginary point is given as the design. For example, given as the design data are bending points as intersection points which are obtained by extending the center lines of the adjacent straight portions of the work.
Since the bending points are imaginary, the bending points of the bent work cannot directly be measured. Therefore, after the distance between bending portions and the bending angle are measured in the bent work, the bending points are calculated from the measurement data. Moreover, since there are a large number of bending points, it cannot be easily known which bending point is to be corrected when the design data differs from the measurement data. Specifically, if the data of one bending point is corrected, the correction has an influence on the other bending points, which causes a problem that the correcting operation is difficult.
The convention bending device is further provided with an unloading device for detaching the bent work form the chuck mechanism for delivery after the bending process is completed. Since the work is delivered by the unloading device, the device is disadvantageously enlarged in size because a space for installing the unloading device is necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a bending device by a joint type robot which can shorten working time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bending device in which working data can easily be corrected.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a bending device in which a work can easily be unloaded and delivered without enlarging device size.
To attain these and other objects, the present invention provides a bending device by a joint type robot in which the joint type robot having joints rotating around axes parallel with the axial direction of a longitudinal work is moved along the work, the work is held by a bending die and a clamping die rotatable around the bending die of a bending mechanism attached to a tip end of the joint type robot, and the work is bent by rotating the clamping die. The bending device is provided with a movement controller which moves the bending mechanism of the joint type robot along the work while rotating each joint to change the attitude of the bending mechanism and maintaining a state where the work remains between the bending die and the clamping die.
The bending device provides an effect that tact time can be shortened to shorten working time.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a bending device is provided with a chuck mechanism for holding a longitudinal work, first and second moving mechanisms which can move facing each other toward the chuck mechanism on two tracks provided parallel on opposite sides of the work held by the chuck mechanism, first and second joint type robots mounted on the first and second moving mechanisms and having joints rotating around axes parallel with the axial direction of the work, and bending mechanisms attached to tip ends of the first and second joint type robots for holding the work by a bending die and a clamping die rotatable around the bending die and bending the work by rotating the clamping die. The bending device is provided with a working data preparing unit for preparing working data of a feeding pitch between bending points, bending direction angle and bending angle from design data of the work of inputted orthogonal coordinate system.
The bending device is also provided with a controller for controlling the first and second moving mechanisms and each joint of the first and second joint type robots based on the working data, and a corrector for correcting the working data in response to input.
According to the bending device, the working data can easily be changed after trial working.
The bending device may be provided with a dividing point determining unit for determining a dividing point in such a manner that a bending process is shared by the first and second joint type robots at one place of a straight portion of the work which can be held by the chuck mechanism.
According to further aspect of the present invention, a bending device is provided with a chuck mechanism for holding a longitudinal work, first and second moving mechanisms which can move facing each other toward the chuck mechanism on two tracks provided parallel on opposite sides of the work held by the chuck mechanism, first and second joint type robots mounted on the first and second moving mechanisms and having joints rotating around axes parallel with the axial direction of the work, and bending mechanisms attached to tip ends of the first and second joint type robots for holding the work by a bending die and a clamping die rotatable around the bending die and bending the work by rotating the clamping die. The bending device is provided with an automatic delivery controller, by which after the bending process is completed, which the work is held by the bending mechanism of the second joint type robot, the work is moved to an unloading position in a manner that the bending mechanism of the first joint type robot does not interfere with the unloading path of the work.
Moreover, the bending device may be provided with a teaching delivery controller, by which the work is held by the bending mechanism of the first or second joint type robot and moved to the unloading position along a taught and stored moving path.
Furthermore, in addition to the teaching delivery controller, a determining unit may be provided for selecting the automatic delivery controller and the teaching delivery controller.
The bending device obviates the necessity of an optional unloading device. Therefore, the bent work can be delivered to the unloading position without enlarging the device installation space.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4604885 (1986-08-01), Lang
patent: 4613943 (1986-09-01), M
Crane Daniel C.
Davis and Bujold
Kabushiki Kaisha Opton
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