Die cushion force setting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9669446-B2
Application number	US-201414304312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 14, 2013
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

The die cushion force setting apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention allows die cushion forces (component forces) acting on plural driving shafts to be set easily, makes it easy to apply strong or weak die cushion forces to a complex-shaped drawn part in a plane of a cushion pad, and provides a smooth die cushion force distribution. An operator manually enters a total die cushion force, axial component force of a left front hydraulic cylinder, and center-of-force position by operating an input device. Based on the information entered via the input device, the numerical computing device B1 calculates axial component forces of three hydraulic cylinders through numerical computations. The one axial component force thus entered and three axial component forces thus computed numerically are set as the axial component forces of four hydraulic cylinders.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A die cushion apparatus comprising:
a cushion pad supported by drive shafts;
die cushion force generators coupled to the drive shafts, respectively, and configured to generate die cushion forces at positions of the cushion pad, respectively, each position of which is supported by corresponding one of the driving shafts which is coupled to corresponding one of the die cushion force generators;
a first input device configured to receive one die cushion force;
a second input device configured to receive additional information in order to numerically compute the die cushion forces to be generated at the positions of the cushion pad, respectively;
a computing device configured to numerically compute the die cushion forces to be generated at the respective positions of the cushion pad based on the one die cushion force from the first input device and the additional information from the second input device;
a die cushion force command device configured to generate die cushion force commands for the die cushion force generators, respectively, based on the die cushion forces from the computing device; and
a die cushion force controller configured to control each of the die cushion force generators based on corresponding one of the of die cushion force commands from the die cushion force command device to cause the die cushion force generators to generate the die cushion forces, respectively.

2. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one die cushion force from the first input device is a total die cushion force, which is a sum total of the die cushion forces generated by the die cushion force generators, or one of the die cushion forces.

3. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the additional information from the second input device is information about a position (x1, y1) of a point on the cushion pad in a coordinate system whose origin is at a center of the cushion pad, whose X coordinate is a right-and-left direction, and whose Y-axis is a front-and-rear direction such that when the total die cushion force, which is the sum total of the die cushion forces generated by the die cushion force generators, is applied to the position (x1, y1) of the point, a moment around an axis X=x1 parallel to the Y-axis and a moment around an axis Y=y1 parallel to the X-axis, produced by die cushion forces at cushion pad mounting positions on the respective driving shafts of the die cushion force generators, will both be equal to 0.

4. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the additional information from the second input device is information about a position (x1, y1) of a point on the cushion pad in a coordinate system whose origin is at a center of the cushion pad, whose X coordinate is a right-and-left direction, and whose Y-axis is a front-and-rear direction such that when the total die cushion force, which is the sum total of the die cushion forces generated by the die cushion force generators of, is applied to the position (x1, y1) of the point, a moment around an axis X=x1 parallel to the Y-axis and a moment around an axis Y=y1 parallel to the X-axis, produced by die cushion forces at cushion pad mounting positions on the respective driving shafts of the die cushion force generators, will both be equal to 0.

5. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
the driving shafts are two shafts or four shafts; and
when the driving shafts are four shafts, the additional information from the second input device further contains information about one of the die cushion forces.

6. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
the driving shafts are two shafts or four shafts; and
when the driving shafts are four shafts, the additional information entered via the second input device further contains information about one of the die cushion forces.

7. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the additional information from the second input device is information concerning an inclination of an imaginary straight line or imaginary plane passing through a center of a straight line or plane which links cushion pad mounting positions on the respective driving shafts of the die cushion force generators when heights of the imaginary straight line or imaginary plane at the respective cushion pad mounting positions on the driving shafts are associated with magnitudes of the die cushion forces at the respective cushion pad mounting positions on the driving shafts.

8. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the additional information from the second input device is information concerning an inclination of an imaginary straight line or imaginary plane passing through a center of a straight line or plane which links cushion pad mounting positions on the respective driving shafts of the die cushion force generators when heights of the imaginary straight line or imaginary plane at the respective cushion pad mounting positions on the driving shafts are associated with magnitudes of the die cushion forces at the respective cushion pad mounting positions on the driving shafts.

9. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein:
the driving shafts are two shafts or four shafts; and
the information concerning the inclination of the imaginary straight line or imaginary plane entered via the second input device is information indicating a slope or inclination angle of the imaginary straight line when the driving shafts are two shafts, and is information indicating a rotational direction of the imaginary plane and a slope or inclination angle of the imaginary plane when the driving shafts are four shafts.

10. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein:
the driving shafts are two shafts or four shafts; and
the information concerning the inclination of the imaginary straight line or imaginary plane entered via the second input device is information indicating a slope or inclination angle of the imaginary straight line when the driving shafts are two shafts, and is information indicating a rotational direction of the imaginary plane and a slope or inclination angle of the imaginary plane when the driving shafts are four shafts.

11. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third input device used to manually enter each of the die cushion forces.

12. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display device which displays the die cushion forces computed by the computing device, by associating the die cushion forces with the cushion pad mounting positions on the respective driving shafts of the die cushion force generators.

13. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a die cushion force setting method selector used to select one of die cushion force setting methods for setting the die cushion forces using the die cushion force setting device.

14. The die cushion apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising a die cushion position selector used to select one of die cushion positions, wherein
the die cushion force setting method selector allows one die cushion force setting method to be selected for each die cushion position selected by the die cushion position selector.

Assignees

• Aida Eng Ltd

Inventors

• Kohno Yasuyuki
• Tsuchida Kazufumi
• Makabe Junji

Classifications

• B30B15/061

  Cushion plates · CPC title

• B21D24/10

  Devices controlling or operating blank holders independently, or in conjunction with dies · CPC title

• B30B1/26

  by cams, eccentrics, or cranks · CPC title

• B21D24/02 Primary

  Die-cushions · CPC title

• B30B15/14

  Control arrangements for mechanically-driven presses · CPC title