Metal deforming – By plural tool-couples – With means to feed work between plural tool stations
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-01
2001-12-04
Crane, Daniel C. (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
By plural tool-couples
With means to feed work between plural tool stations
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324885
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims priority of 19919433.5, filed on Apr. 29, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an orienting station, particularly for suction presses.
For manufacturing and machining vehicle body parts, particularly for motor vehicles, suction presses are used in practice. These are press systems which are constructed of several presses arranged in a row and optionally connected with one another. The presses are linked with one another by way of a transport system which carries out transport of the parts. In each press, a tool is arranged which continuously opens and closes. The transfer system has the task of guiding a sheet metal part situated in the tool out of this tool when the tool opens and to place a new workpiece in the tool before the tool closes again. In this case, the sheet metal parts must be placed in the tool in the correct positioning. The workpiece position (parts position) is normally not constant in all tools. This means that the orientation of the sheet metal parts during the passage through the press system may have to be changed between the individual tools. This depends on the concrete design of the sheet metal part. It may, for example, be required to swivel the sheet metal part between the individual tools about a horizontal tilting axis oriented transversely to the transport direction. Furthermore, the sheet metal part may have to be laterally displaced or otherwise reoriented.
For this purpose, a flexible multiple transfer system, which has a modular construction, is used a described in DE 19654474 A1. Transfer modules arranged between the individual presses or tools, in each case, carry out the transfer of the sheet metal parts from tool to tool. The transfer modules each have a suction bridge which is spatially guided at its ends by a steering gear. In this case, the suction bridge travels along a transfer curve. In addition, the swivelling position as well as another orientation of the suction bridge during the transfer step can be changed. The steering gear connects the suction bridge with drive units.
With large tool distances, it is frequently desirable to shorten the transfer step. For this purpose, intermediate depositing devices are arranged between the individual presses and tools. These can be used for the reorientation of the sheet metal parts. As a result, the transfer system can, in turn, be simplified. DE 1961867 A1 describes intermediate depositing devices which are constructed as orienting stations having a carrier frame with depositing devices for the sheet metal parts. The carrier frame is supported by six legs which in pairs enclose an angle with one another. The legs can each be telescoped and are provided with a servo motor. As a result of the targeted length adjustment of the legs, the position of the carrier frame can be changed and adjusted. The rods must contain the drives for the rod length adjustment as well as telescoping guides.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide orienting stations of a simple and robust construction.
This object has been achieved by an orienting station having a receiving device for the temporary receiving of the sheet metal parts, a driving device comprising several stationarily disposed drive units which each have an output, and a rod-type transmission arranged to connect the receiving device with the driving device and having several rods with fixed lengths and arranged between outputs of the drive units and the receiving device.
The orienting station according to the invention has a rod-type transmission which is arranged between a driving device and a receiving device. This transmits the movements of the driving device to and positions the receiving. The rod-type transmission is based on rods of a constant length whose low ends are moved in space. The rods are rigid, that is, their length cannot be adjusted and therefore have a high static and dynamic stiffness. In addition, they can be configured to be slender.
The driving device is spatially separated from the rods. The heat development of the driving device can therefore be kept away from the rods. No rotating parts or any type of drives are installed in the rods. They therefore have a simple construction.
Sufficient space exists for the drive units pertaining to the driving device. Standard drives, such as servo motors with spindle-type lifting gears, and a linear guide can be used. In this manner, the drive units are easily accessible. Maintenance and exchange can be carried out without any major problems.
The rod-type transmission and the driving device completely determine the spatial position of the receiving device. In this case, embodiments of the orienting station are contemplated which have two to six degrees of freedom. If individual degrees of freedom of the receiving device are blocked by an appropriate guidance, for example, by limiting the degrees of freedom in the joints by way of which the rods are connected to the drive unit and the receiving device, the only positioning of the remaining degrees of freedom must be carried out by drive units.
If six degrees of freedom are desirable, that is, the linear movement of the receiving device in three mutually rectangular directions in space and the rotation or swivelling about three mutually rectangular axes, six rods and six drive units are provided. Each rod is preferably connected directly with one drive unit respectively. If one degree of freedom is to be eliminated, for example, the movement in the vertical direction, one drive unit can also be eliminated and the corresponding rod can be fastened to a fixed linking point.
The joints which connect the rods with the receiving device and the driving device are preferably ball joints which permit swivelling in any direction.
In the preferred embodiment, adjacent rods are arranged at an acute angle with respect to one another, the angles preferably opening away from the receiving device. As a result, a spacesaving construction is obtained which, in addition, permits high positioning speeds. In this case, the arrangement of the rods can be such that no parallel pairs of rods are present. In addition, the driving units can be spaced from one another. The surface taken up by the drive units can be larger than the surface determined by the linking points of the rods on the receiving device.
The orienting station preferably interacts with a transfer system which links machining stations with one another with respect to the flow of parts. The machining stations preferably a press stations of a press system, the orienting station being arranged between the individual presses. A clear arrangement and a good utilization of the narrow space existing between the individual presses is obtained if the driving units are linear drives which preferably have a vertical or approximately vertical working direction.
It is particularly expedient for the drive units to be disposed in pairs on one support respectively and to be arranged on sides of the support which face way from one another. Twin-type drive units are therefore obtained for two rods respectively. In an orienting station which can be positioned in all directions in space and can swivel about all axes of rotation, three of such twin-type units are provided. The drive units can be mounted on the press tables. In this embodiment, the space between the bed plates is well utilized if one bedplate carries two twin-type units and the adjacent bedplate carries one twin-type unit.
While the linking points of the rods on the support device define a triangle, the linking points of the rods on the drive units are arranged to deviate therefrom, for example, according to aspects which permit a good utilization of space.
The drive units and their linear guides are preferably arranged at the corners or at the edges of a trapezoid. Four of the drive units are arranged at the corner points of the trapezoid. Two drive units are arranged on its longer edge. At the receiving
Eltze Jürgen
Hofele Hans
Klemm Peter
Crane Daniel C.
Crowell & Moring LLP
Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
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