Tool magazine for a manipulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189128-B2
Application number	US-201113820190-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2011
Priority date	Sep 2, 2010
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a tool magazine (1) for a manipulator (4) comprising a plurality of tool holding fixtures (2) which are distributed in a preparation area (7), especially in a substantially vertical preparation plane (11). The tool magazine (1), on one side (9) of the preparation area (7), comprises a first access opening (10) facing the manipulator (4) and, on the other side (15) of the preparation area (7), a second access opening (16) facing an operator (13) and the first access opening (10) is associated with a first protective device (17) and the second access opening (16) is associated with a second protective device (18).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bending cell comprising:
a bending machine,
a manipulator,
a bending tool magazine,
a first protection device,
a second protection device, and
a control device for safety, the control device being operatively coupled to the first protection device and to the second protection device, wherein
the manipulator is configured at least for handling a workpiece and for performing bending tool exchange,
the manipulator is configured for removing bending tools from the bending tool magazine and for inserting the bending tools into the bending machine,
the bending tool magazine comprises a plurality of bending tool holding fixtures arranged distributed in a preparation area,
the bending tool magazine further comprises a first side facing the manipulator, a first access opening in the first side, a second side opposite to the first side and facing away from the manipulator and away from the bending machine, and a second access opening in the second side,
the manipulator is positioned to remove the bending tools from the bending tool magazine via the first access opening in the first side of the bending tool magazine,
the manipulator is operable within the workspace, which is determined by an extension of the manipulator, between the bending tool holding fixtures arranged in the preparation area and the bending machine,
the workspace comprises a first part comprising more than fifty percent of the workspace, said first part of the workspace comprising the bending machine,
the first access opening is assigned the first protection device for separating the preparation area from the first part of the workspace of the manipulator, and the second access opening is assigned the second protection device for separating the preparation area from an area occupied by an operator, and via the control device, the first and the second protection devices are activated and deactivated alternately,
such that only one of the first access opening and the second access opening is open at each time to allow access into the tool magazine, and in order to provide access through the first access opening, the first protection device is moved vertically in a first direction with respect to said first access opening, and in order to provide access through the second access opening, the second protection device is moved vertically in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, with respect to said second access opening, and
such that when the preparation area is separated from the first part of the workspace by the first protection device, the first part of the workspace is available for:
movements of the manipulator,
supplying the workpiece to the bending machine,
guiding the workpiece during a bending process, and
removing the workpiece from the bending machine after the workpiece has been bent by a bending tool.

2. The bending cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second protection devices have protective dimensions greater than respectively associated internal widths of the access openings.

3. The bending cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first protection device and the second protection device is formed by at least one movably mounted mechanically separating protective wall element.

4. The bending cell as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the at least one protective wall element works together with a position sensor connected with the control device.

5. The bending cell as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first protection device is formed by the at least one movably mounted mechanically separating protective wall element wherein the at least one protective wall element is provided with a locking device, which is coupled by control technology to the second protection device and/or the control device.

6. The bending cell as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the at least one protective wall element is made from a see-through material.

7. The bending cell as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first and second protection devices are formed by respective movably mounted and mechanically coupled protective wall elements.

8. The bending cell as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the respective protective wall elements are rigidly connected to one another, are arranged to be parallel and offset to one another, and are displaceable along a corresponding guide running parallel to the preparation area.

9. The bending cell as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the respective protective wall elements are rigidly connected to one another via a coupling element, and displacement of the first protective element causes displacement of the second protective element.

10. The bending cell as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the second protection device is formed by the at least one movably mounted mechanically separating protective wall element wherein the at least one protective wall element is provided with a locking device, which is coupled by control technology to the first protection device and/or the control device.

11. The bending cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a signal device is provided, the signal device being connected to the control device, which acts on the manipulator.

12. The bending cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bending tool holding fixtures are provided with respective sensor elements for detecting a bending tool position and/or bending tool information contained on an information carrier.

Assignees

• Denkmeier Thomas
• Trumpf Maschinen Austria Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Denkmeier Thomas

Classifications

• Y10T483/18

  Tool transfer to or from matrix · CPC title

• Y10T483/1731

  including matrix · CPC title

• Y10T483/16

  with means to transfer work · CPC title

• Y10T483/134

  Identifying information on tool or tool holder · CPC title

• Y10T483/115

  Guard · CPC title