US20080273948A1

US20080273948A1 - Plate Material Carry-Out Device and Plate Material Carry-Out Method

Info

Publication number: US20080273948A1
Application number: US12/043,846
Authority: US
Inventors: Hideo KOMURO
Original assignee: Murata Machinery Ltd
Current assignee: Murata Machinery Ltd
Priority date: 2007-03-16
Filing date: 2008-03-06
Publication date: 2008-11-06
Also published as: JP4935442B2; CN101264497A; CN101264497B; JP2008229634A; DE102008014050A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a plate material carry-out device that can efficiently carry out a plurality of product plate materials cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, to a plate material carry-out section located outside the plate material processing machine. The plate material carry-out device includes tracks 11, 12 installed above and between a plate material processing machine 1 and a plate material carry-out section 3, a portable tray member 15 that is able to house a plurality of product plate materials W2, and two traveling members 13, 14 each having a holding member 20 capable of selectively holding the product plate materials W2 and the tray member 15; the traveling members 13, 14 are travelable along the track independently from each other. One of the traveling members, that is, the traveling member 13, causes the holding member 20 to hold the tray member 15 so that the tray member 15 stands by at a predetermined product reception position P2. The other traveling member 14 houses the product plate material W2 cut by the plate material processing machine 1, in the tray member 15 standing by at the product reception position P2. The traveling member 13 carries out the tray member 15 with the product plate materials W2 housed therein to the plate material carry-out section 3.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a plate material carry-out device and a plate material carry-out method which carry out a plurality of product plate materials cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plate material processing machines such as punch presses perform not only processing such as perforation or shape formation but also processing such as cutting of a plurality of product plate materials from a raw plate material by means of punching or the like. The product plate materials resulting from the cutting are carried out to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine.
In a plate material carry-out device used to carry out product plate materials from the plate material processing machine, a track is installed above and between the plate material processing machine and a plate material carry-out section. A traveling member having a holding member for product plate materials travels along the track. The holding member is made up of, for example, a suction pad and can hold and release the product plate materials. A plate material carry-out device of this kind performs a series of operations shown below to carry out product plate materials. That is, the traveling member travels from a home position to a product cut position on the plate material processing machine. At the product cut position, the holding member holds the product plate material cut by the plate material processing machine. The traveling member with the holding member holding the product plate material travels to the plate material carry-out section. In the plate material carry-out section, the holding member releases and places the product plate material on a palette or the like provided in the plate material carry-out section. The traveling member subsequently returns to the home position. These operations constitute one cycle and this cycle is repeated.
For the above-described plate material carry-out device, a proposal has been made to allow a plurality of traveling members to travel on a track to prevent the carry-out of the product plate materials from being delayed, reducing a cycle time (for example, the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai) No. 2000-351032 and the Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Jikkai-Hei) No. 7-26026). Another proposal has been made to provide a temporary lay-down place between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section to allow the product plate materials from the plate material processing machine to be carried out as quickly as possible (for example, the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai) No. 2001-179373).
In all the conventional plate material carry-out devices, the product plate materials picked up at the product cut position on the plate material processing machine are carried out to the plate material carry-out section one by one. Even if the plate material carry-out device is configured to carry-out the product plate materials one by one, no problem occurs where a long time is required to process each product plate material and where the traveling member can perform the operation of carrying out the product plate material and then returning to the product cut position while the plate material processing machine is performing a processing operation. However, where, for example, a plurality of small product plate materials are cut from one raw plate material for processing, only a very short time is required for the cutting processing of each product plate material. Thus, every time one cutting processing operation is completed, the plate material processing machine needs to wait for the traveling member to return. This prevents the plate material processing machine from sufficiently exercising the processing capability thereof, increasing the cycle time.
Where a plurality of traveling members are provided as disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai) No. 2000-351032 and the Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Jikkai-Hei) No. 7-26026, the capability of carrying out the product plate materials is improved by the increase in the number of traveling members. However, each of the traveling members still carries out a single product plate material, resulting in a low carry-out efficiency. Furthermore, the provision of a temporary lay-down place as disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai) No. 2001-179373 enables the product plate material to be quickly carried out from the plate material processing machine, which can thus start the next processing earlier. However, a new problem with this configuration is how to convey the product plate material carried out to the temporary lay-down place, to the regular plate material carry-out section.
An object of the present invention is to provide a plate material carry-out device that can efficiently carry out a plurality of product plate materials cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine. Another object of the present invention is to allow the product plate materials carried out to the plate material carry-out section to be efficiently collected in a collection box. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a plate material carry-out method making it possible to efficiently carry out a plurality of product plate materials cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A plate material carry-out device according to the present invention carries out a product plate material cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine. A plate material carry-out device according to a first invention comprises a track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, a portable tray member that is able to house a plurality of the product plate materials, two traveling members each having a holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate material and the tray member, the traveling members being travelable along the track independently from each other, and conveyance control means for controlling each of the traveling members. The conveyance control means performs tray member standby control such that one of the traveling members (first traveling member) causes the holding member to hold the tray member so that the tray member stands by at a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, plural-product-plate-material housing control such that the other traveling member (second traveling member) causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and tray member carry-out control following the plural-product-plate-member housing control and causing the first traveling member to carry out the tray member standing by at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section.
With this configuration, the two traveling members perform the following operation. That is, the first traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member and stands by at the product reception position. The second traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position. The second traveling member repeats, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member. The repeated operation is performed between the product cut position and the product reception position, located in the vicinity of the product cut position, and thus requires only a short time. Subsequently, the first traveling member carries out the tray member standing by at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section. The two traveling members perform the above-described operation to enable the plurality of product plate materials cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine to be housed in the tray member and then all carried out to the plate material carry-out section at a time. This in turn enables the product plate materials to be efficiently carried out, allowing the processing capability of the plate material processing machine to be sufficiently exercised.
A plate material carry-out device according to a second invention corresponds to the above-described plate material carry-out device comprising a track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, a portable tray member that is able to house a plurality of the product plate materials, one traveling member having a holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate material and the tray member, the traveling member being travelable along the track, and conveyance control means for controlling the traveling member. The conveyance control means performs tray member carry-in control such that the traveling member causes the holding member to hold and carry in the tray member to a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, plural-product-plate-material housing control following the tray member carry-in control and performed such that the traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and tray member carry-out control following the plural-product-plate-member housing control and causing the traveling member to carry out the tray member laying at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section.
With this configuration, one traveling member performs the following operation. That is, the traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member and to carry in the tray member to the product reception position. The traveling member then causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member laying at the product reception position. The traveling member causes the holding member to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member. The repeated operation is performed between the product cut position and the product reception position, located in the vicinity of the product cut position, and thus requires only a short time. Subsequently, the traveling member carries out the tray member standing by at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section. The one traveling member performs the above-described operation to enable the plurality of product plate materials cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine to be housed in the tray member and then all carried out to the plate material carry-out section at a time, as described above. This in turn enables the product plate materials to be efficiently carried out, allowing the processing capability of the plate material processing machine to be sufficiently exercised.
In the plate material carry-out device according to the present invention, the plate material carry-out section has a collection box. The traveling member has a holding member tilting mechanism tilting the holding member so that the tray member being held by the holding member is located at such an angle as allows the product plate materials inside the tray member to fall from the tray member. For the tray member carry-out control, the conveyance control device may cause the holding member tilting mechanism to perform an operation of tilting the holding member to transfer the product plate members in the tray member to the collection box. The traveling member has the holding member tilting mechanism, and the holding member tilting mechanism can thus be used to tilt the holding member to transfer all the product plate members in the tray member to the collection box at a time. Thus, the product plate materials carried out to the plate material carry-out section can be efficiently collected in the collection box.
A plate material carry-out method according to the present invention carries out a product plate material cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine. A plate material carry-out method according to the first invention corresponds to the above-described plate material carry-out method using a plate material carry-out device comprising a track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, a portable tray member that is able to house a plurality of the product plate materials, and two traveling members each having a holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate material and the tray member, the traveling members being travelable along the track independently from each other. The plate material carry-out method includes a tray member standby process in which one of the traveling members which is a first traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member and to stand by at a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, a plural-product-plate-material housing process in which a second traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and a tray member carry-out process following the plural-product-plate-member housing process and causing the first traveling member to carry out the tray member standing by at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section.
With this method, the two traveling members perform the following operation. That is, the first traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member and to stand by at the product reception position. On the other hand, the second traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position. The second traveling member causes the holding member to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member. Subsequently, the first traveling member carries out the tray member laying at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section. The two traveling members perform the above-described operation to enable the plurality of product plate materials cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine to be housed in the tray member and then all carried out to the plate material carry-out section at a time. This in turn enables the product plate materials to be efficiently carried out.
Furthermore, a plate material carry-out method according to the second present invention corresponds to the above-described plate material carry-out method uses a plate material carry-out device comprising a track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, a portable tray member that is able to house a plurality of the product plate materials, and one traveling member having a holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate material and the tray member, the traveling member being travelable along the track. The plate material carry-out method includes a tray member carry-in process in which the traveling member causes the holding member to hold and carry in the tray member to a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, a plural-product-plate-material housing process following the tray member carry-in process and in which the traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member laying at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and a tray member carry-out process following the plural-product-plate-member housing process and in which the traveling member carries out the tray member laying at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section.
With this method, one traveling member performs the following operation. That is, the traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member and to carry in the tray member to the product reception position. The traveling member then causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member laying at the product reception position. The traveling member causes the holding member to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing the products in the tray member. Subsequently, the traveling member carries out the tray member laying at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section. The one traveling member performs the above-described operation to enable the plurality of product plate materials cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine to be housed in the tray member and then all carried out to the plate material carry-out section at a time, as described above. This in turn enables the product plate materials to be efficiently carried out, allowing the processing capability of the plate material processing machine to be sufficiently exercised.
The present invention provides the plate material carry-out device carrying out the product plate material cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine, from the product cut position on the plate material processing machine to the plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine, the device comprising the track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, the portable tray member that is able to house the plurality of the product plate materials, the two traveling members each having the holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate material and the tray member, the traveling members being travelable along the track independently from each other, and the conveyance control means for controlling each of the traveling members, and wherein the conveyance control means performs the tray member standby control such that one of the traveling members which is the first traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member so that the tray member stands by at the predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, the plural-product-plate-material housing control such that the second traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and the tray member carry-out control, after the plural-product-plate-member housing control, causing the first traveling member to carry out the tray member standing by at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section, or the device comprising the track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, the portable tray member that is able to house the plurality of the product plate materials, the one traveling member having the holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate materials and the tray member, the traveling member being travelable along the track, and the conveyance control means for controlling the traveling member, wherein the conveyance control means performs the tray member carry-in control such that the traveling member causes the holding member to hold and carry in the tray member to the predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, the plural-product-plate-material housing control following the tray member carry-in control and performed such that the traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member laying at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and the tray member carry-out control following the plural-product-plate-member housing control and causing the traveling member to carry out the tray member laying at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section. Consequently, the plurality of product plate materials cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine can be efficiently carried out from the product cut position on the plate material processing machine to the plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine.
Where in the plate material carry-out device according to the present invention, the plate material carry-out section has the collection box, the traveling member has the holding member tilting mechanism tilting the holding member so that the tray member being held by the holding member is located at such an angle as allows the product plate materials inside the tray member to fall from the tray member, and for the tray member carry-out control, the conveyance control device causes the holding member tilting mechanism to perform the operation of tilting the holding member to transfer the product plate members in the tray member to the collection box, then the product plate materials carried out to the plate material carry-out section can be efficiently collected in the collection box.
The present invention provides the plate material carry-out method of carrying out the product plate material cut from the raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from the product cut position on the plate material processing machine to the plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine, the method using the plate material carry-out device comprising the track installed above and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, the portable tray member that is able to house the plurality of the product plate materials, and the two traveling members each having the holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate materials and the tray member, the traveling members being travelable along the track independently from each other, the method comprising the tray member standby process in which one of the traveling members which is the first traveling member causes the holding member to hold the tray member so that the tray member stands by at the predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, the plural-product-plate-material housing process in which the second traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and the tray member carry-out process following the plural-product-plate-member housing process and causing the first traveling member to carry out the tray member standing by at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section, or the method using the plate material carry-out device comprising the track installed above, and between the plate material processing machine and the plate material carry-out section, the portable tray member that is able to house the plurality of the product plate materials, and the one traveling member having the holding member capable of selectively holding the product plate materials and the tray member, the traveling member being travelable along the track, and the method comprising the tray member carry-in process in which the traveling member causes the holding member to hold and carry in the tray member to the predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of the product cut position, the plural-product-plate-material housing process following the tray member carry-in process and in which the traveling member causes the holding member to hold the product plate material laying at the product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at the product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and the tray member carry-out process following the plural-product-plate-member housing process and in which the traveling member carries out the tray member laying at the product reception position to the plate material carry-out section. Consequently, the plurality of product plate materials cut from the raw plate material by the plate material processing machine can be efficiently carried out from the product cut position on the plate material processing machine to the plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine.
Other features, elements, processes, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plate material processing facility equipped with a plate material carry-out device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a first traveling member.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a second traveling member.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the conceptual configuration of a control system for the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the conceptual configuration of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the plate material carry-out device.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a product plate material transferring operation performed by a tray member of the plate material carry-out device.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a plate material processing facility equipped with a plate material carry-out device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing another different condition of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the conceptual configuration of the plate material processing facility.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the plate material carry-out device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. FIGS. 1 to 6 show a plate material processing facility comprising a plate material carry-out device according to the first embodiment. The plate material processing facility comprises a plate material processing machine 1, a plate material carry-out device 2, a plate material carry-out section 3, and a plate material stocker 4. The plate material processing facility further comprises a plate material carry-in device (not shown in the drawings) that carries a raw plate material W0 into the plate material processing machine 1. The plate material carry-in device will not be described.
The plate material processing machine 1 comprises a function of cutting a plurality of product plate materials W1, W2 from the raw plate material W0 on a surface of a table 5 by means of punching or the like. The plate material processing machine 1 is composed of a punch press, a laser processing machine, or the like. In this example, the plate material processing machine 1 is a punch press and comprises a processing section 7 that elevates and lowers a punch tool (not shown in the drawings) relative to a die tool (not shown in the drawings), and a plate material feeding mechanism 8 that moves the raw plate material W0 on the surface of the table 5 forward and backward (a Y direction), and rightward and leftward (an X direction).
The plate material carry-out section 3 is an area in which the product plate materials W1, W2 processed by the plate material processing machine 1 and carried out by the plate material carry-out device 2 are collected. The plate material carry-out section 3 comprises a palette 9 and a collection box 10. The collection box 10 has casters and is movable. The product plate materials W1, each having a relatively large size, are loaded on the palette in a stack. The plurality of product plate materials W2, cut from the raw plate material W0 and having a small size, are accommodated in the collection box 10.
The plate material stocker 4 is a device in which the product plate materials W1 loaded on the palette 9 by the plate material carry-out section 3 are stored together with the palette 9. The plate material stocker 4 has a multistage shelf 4 a on which the palette 9 is placed. On any stage of the shelf 4 a of the plate material stocker 4, the palette 9 can move forward and backward between a storage position shown frontward in the FIG. 1 and a product carry-in position to which the palette 9 moves in the Y direction.
The plate material carry-out device 2 is a device that carries out the product plate materials W1, W2 from the plate material processing machine 1 to the plate material carry-out section 3. The plate material carry-out device 2 comprises two tracks 11, 12 installed parallel to each other between the plate material processing machine 1 and the plate material carry-out section 3 and extending in the lateral direction, traveling members 13, 14 that are travelable along the tracks 11, 12 independently of each other, and a tray member 15 that can house the plurality of small product plate materials W2.
The two tracks 11, 12 are integrated together by being coupled to each other at the opposite ends thereof, and the tracks 11, 12 are supported by a pair of forward-backward moving frames 16. The forward-backward moving frames 16 are fixed to the rearward track 11 at upper ends thereof and coupled together by a lateral frame 17. The lateral pair of forward-backward moving frames 16 is movable along a forward-backward moving rail 18 and can be moved forward and backward by a forward-backward movement driving source (not shown in the drawings). The forward-backward movement driving source is composed of, for example, a servo motor and a conversion mechanism such as a ball screw which converts rotation of the servo motor into a linear operation.
The traveling members 13, 14 will be described. FIG. 7 is a simplified side view showing the first traveling member 13 traveling on the rearward track 11. FIG. 8 is a simplified side view showing the second traveling member 14 traveling on the frontward track 12. The traveling members 13, 14 are provided so as to be travelable along the tracks 11, 12, respectively, via a guide member (not shown in the drawings). The traveling members 13, 14 travel in a self-propelled manner using a traveling driving source 19 (FIG. 9) such as a servo motor. The guide member is, for example, a linear rolling bearing or a guide roller and is interposed between a base 23 of each of the traveling members 13, 14 and each the tracks 11, 12.
Each of the traveling members 13, 14 has a holding member 20 that can selectively hold the product plate materials W1, W2 and the tray member 15. The holding member 20 is composed of a pad support frame 21 and a plurality of suction pads 22 supported by the pad support frame 21. In the present embodiment, the pad support frame 21 has two frame materials arranged in the lateral direction and extending in the forward-backward direction, and four suction pads 22 are supported by each of the frame material. The pad support frame 21 thus comprises the eight suction pads 22 in total. The product plate materials W1, each having the large size, are sucked and held using all the suction pads 22. The product plate materials W2, each having the small size, are sucked and held using, for example, any one suction pad 22. Holding of the tray member 15 will be described below.
As shown in a partly enlarged view in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, each of the suction pads 22 is composed of a bundle of a plurality of unit suction pads 22 a connected to a vacuum source via individual throttling paths. The suction pad 22 can suck a suction target such as the product plate material W1, W2 even if any of the unit suction pads 22 a are out of contact with the suction target. Instead of being composed of a bundle as described above, the suction pad 22 may generally constitute one negative pressure section.
The holding member 20 can be elevated and lowered relative to the base 23 of the traveling member 13 or 14. In the present embodiment, a vertically long elevating and lowering member 24 is fitted in the base 23 so as to be able to elevate and lower. The pad support frame 21 is attached to a lower end of the elevating and lowering member 24, and the elevating and lowering member 24 is elevated and lowered by an elevating and lowering driving source 25 (FIG. 9). A lower end of the elevating and lowering member 24 of the first traveling member 13 is bent forward. The elevating and lowering driving source 25 may be provided separately from the base 23 or the base 23 itself may be the elevating and lowering driving source.
Furthermore, the first traveling member 13 has a holding member tilting mechanism 26 that tilts the holding member 20 at such an angle as allows a fall of the product plate materials W2 inside the tray member 15 held by the holding member 20. The holding member tilting mechanism 26 has a pivotal support point shaft 27 pivotably coupling the lower end of the elevating and lowering member 24 to a projecting piece 21 a projecting from a top surface of the pad support frame 21. The holding member tilting mechanism 26 uses a tilt driving source 28 such as a fluid cylinder to tilt the holding member 20 so that the front of the holding member 20 faces downward.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tray member 15 is a dustpan-shaped member having an open top surface and an open front surface, and the tray member 15 has a capacity sufficient to house a plurality of the product plate materials W2. The tray member 15 has an extending portion 15 a formed on a part of a rising edge and extending outward. The extending portion 15 a is sucked by the suction pads 22 of the holding member 20 to allow the holding member 20 to hold the tray member 15.
A control system for the plate material processing facility will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The control system for the plate material processing facility is composed of a plate material processing machine control device 30 that controls the plate material processing machine 1, and a conveyance control device 40 that controls the plate material carry-out device 2. The plate material processing machine control device 30 is composed of a computerized numerical control device and a programmable controller, and the plate material processing machine control device 30 comprises a processing program 31 and an arithmetic control section 32 that executes the processing program 31. The conveyance control device 40 is composed of a computerized numerical control device and a programmable controller, and the conveyance control device 40 comprises a conveyance control program 41 and an arithmetic control section 42 that executes the conveyance control program 41. Each of the arithmetic control sections 32, 42 includes a central processing unit, a memory, and the like as well as the programmable controller.
The arithmetic control section 42 of the conveyance control device 40 gives output instructions to each of the driving sources for the plate material carry-out device 2. The driving sources include the traveling driving source 19, the sucking driving source for the holding member 20, the holding member elevating and lowering driving source 25, and the tilt driving source 28 for the holding member tilting mechanism 26 in the first traveling member 13, the traveling driving source 19, the sucking driving source for the holding member 20, and the holding member elevating and lowering driving source 25 in the second traveling member 14, and the forward-backward movement driving source for the forward-backward moving frame 16.
In the conveyance control device 40, the arithmetic control section 42 constitutes function providing means show in FIG. 10. That is, the conveyance control device 40 has a tray member standby control section 43, a plural-product housing control section 44, and a tray member carry-out control section 45. The tray member standby control section 43 performs tray member standby control such that the first traveling member 13 causes the holding member 20 to hold the tray member 15 placed on the collection box 10, installed at a plate material carry-out position P1 (FIG. 1), and to convey the tray member 15 to a product reception position P2 (FIG. 4) located between the plate material processing machine 1 and the plate material carry-out section 3 and close to the plate material processing machine 1, and the tray member 15 then stands by at the product reception position P2. Specifically, the tray member standby control section 43 gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20 relative to the first traveling member 13 placed at the plate material carry-out position P1, which is a home position. The tray member standby control section 43 further gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to suck and hold the tray member 15 using the suction pads 22. The tray member standby control section 43 then gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate the holding member 20. The tray member standby control section 45 further gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the first traveling member 13 holding the tray member 15 to travel to a position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2. The tray member standby control section 45 then gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20 so as to place the tray member 15 at a predetermined standby height.
The plural-product housing control section 44 subjects the second traveling member 14 to plural-product housing control such that the holding member 20 holds the product plate material W2 being cut on the plate material processing machine 1, then houses the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 standing by at the product reception position P2, and repeats, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the product plate material W2 and ending with the housing of the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15. Specifically, the plural-product housing control section 44 gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the second traveling member 14 to travel from the product reception position P2, which is a home position, to a position that is horizontal to a product cut position P3 (FIG. 4) on the plate material processing machine 1. The plural-product housing control section 44 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20. The plural-product housing control section 44 then gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to suck and hold the product plate material W2 laying at the product cut position P3, using the suction pad 22. The plural-product housing control section 44 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate the holding member 20. The plural-product housing control section 44 then gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the second traveling member 14 to travel to the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2. The plural-product housing control section 44 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20. The plural-product housing control section 44 then gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to release the product plate material W2 held by the suction pad 22 and to house the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15. The plural-product housing control section 44 subsequently gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate and return the empty holding member 20 to the home position. The series of operations described above are repeated a predetermined number of times. During the plural-product housing control, the plural-product housing control section 44 gives an output instruction to the forward-backward movement driving source as required to adjust the forward-backward position of the tracks 11, 12 so as to locate the suction pad 22 used to suck the product plate materials W2, at the same forward-backward position as that of the product cut position P3. Any of the suction pads 22 may be used to suck the product plate materials W2. In the present embodiment, the frontmost suction pad 22 in a row closer to the plate material processing machine 1 is used to suck the product plate material W2 (FIG. 4). Furthermore, during the plural-product housing control, the plural-product housing control section 44 gives an output instruction to the forward-backward movement driving source for each operation of housing the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 to cause the forward-backward movement driving source to change the forward-backward position of the tracks 11, 12 or to laterally shift a position where the second traveling member 14 is stopped at the product reception position P2, so as to evenly house the product plate materials W2 in the appropriate portions of the tray member 15.
After the plural-product housing control, the tray member carry-out control section 45 performs tray member carry-out control to cause the first traveling member 13 to carry out the tray member 15 standing by at the product reception position P2, to the plate material carry-out position P1. Specifically, once a predetermined number of the product plate materials W2 are housed in the tray member 15 standing by at the product reception position P2, the tray member carry-out control section 45 gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate the holding member 20. The tray member carry-out control section 45 further gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the first traveling member 13 to travel from the product reception position P2 to the plate material carry-out position P1. The tray member carry-out control section 45 then gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20. The tray member carry-out control section 45 further gives an instruction to the tilt driving source of the holding member tilting mechanism 26 to cause the tilt driving source to tilt the holding member 20 to slide the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15, into the collection box 10. The tray member carry-out control section 45 then gives an instruction to the tilt driving source of the holding member tilting mechanism 26 to cause the tilt driving source to return the holding member 20 to a horizontal position. The tray member carry-out control section 45 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20 until a bottom surface of the tray member 15 abuts against an upper end of the collection box 10. The tray member carry-out control section 45 then gives an instruction to the suction driving source of the holding member 20 to cause the suction driving source to release the tray member 15 held by the suction pads 22 and to place the tray member 15 on the collection box 10. The tray member carry-out control section 45 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate and return the holding member 20 to the initial condition. In the present embodiment, during the tray member carry-out control, when the holding member tilting mechanism 26 tilts the holding member 20 to slide the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15, into the collection box 10, an output instruction is given to the forward-backward driving source of the forward-backward moving frame 16 to cause the forward-backward movement driving source to move the tracks 11, 12 backward simultaneously with the tilting of the holding member 20.
The control by the conveyance control device 40 allows the plate material carry-out device 2 to perform an operation shown in a flowchart in FIG. 11. FIG. 1 shows a condition prior to the start of operation. In this condition, starting the operation of the plate material processing machine 1 starts a tray member standby process S1. During the tray member standby process S1, first, the holding member 20 of the first traveling member 13 placed at the plate material carry-out position P1 lowers, and sucks and holds the tray member 15 using the suction pads 22. The holding member 20 holding the tray member 15 elevates (FIG. 2) and travels to the position that is horizontal to the product reception portion P2 while holding the tray member 15 (FIG. 3). When the first traveling member 13 reaches the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2, the holding member 20 lowers to cause the tray member 15 to stand by at the product reception position P2 (FIG. 4).
During the traveling of the first traveling member 13, a plural-product-plate-material housing process S2 is started. During the plural-product-plate-material housing process S2, the second traveling member 14 travels from the product reception position P2 to the position that is horizontal to the product cut position P3. The holding member 20 then lowers, and sucks and holds the product plate material W2 laying at the product cut position P3. The holding member 20 sucking and holding the product plate material W2 elevates, and the second traveling member 14 travels to the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2 (FIG. 4). Then, the holding member 20 lowers, and at the position where the holding member 20 has lowered, releases and houses the held product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 (FIG. 5). Subsequently, the holding member 20 elevates and returns to the initial condition. The series of operations described above are performed a predetermined number of times. Thus, a predetermined number of the product plate materials W2 are housed in the tray member 15.
When the plural-product-plate-material housing process S2 is completed, the operation shifts to a tray member carry-out process S3. During the tray member carry-out process S3, the holding member 20 of the first traveling member 13 holding the tray member 15 elevates, and the first traveling member 13 moves from the product reception position P2 to the plate material carry-out position P1. The holding member 20 then lowers to a height that is slightly higher than an upper end of the collection box 10, and at that position, tilts the holding member 20 while moving the holding member 20 backward together with the tracks 11, 12. The product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15 thus slide into the collection box 10. The holding member 20 is subsequently returned to the horizontal position and slightly lowered to place the tray member 15 on the collection box 10. The holding member 20 then releases the held tray member 15. The holding member 20 is then elevated to return to the initial position.
The plate material carry-out device 2 houses the plurality of product plate materials W2 cut from the raw plate material W0 by the plate material processing machine 1, in the tray member 15, and carries out all the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15 to the plate material carry-out section 3 at a time. The product plate materials can thus be efficiently carried out. Furthermore, the second traveling member 14 starts operation while the first traveling member 13 is moving. Thus, almost at the same time when the tray member 15 is set to a standby condition at the product reception position P2, the first traveling member 13 can house the first product plate material W2 in the tray member 15. This enables a reduction in the time for which the plate material processing machine 1 needs to stand by, allowing the plate material processing machine 1 to maximally exercise the capabilities thereof. Furthermore, the output instruction is given to the forward-backward movement driving source for each operation of housing the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 to cause the forward-backward movement driving source to change the forward-backward position of the tracks 11, 12 or to laterally shift the position where the second traveling member 14 is stopped at the product reception position P2. The product plate materials W2 can thus be evenly housed in the appropriate portions of the tray member 15. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the product plate material W2 is sucked by the frontmost suction pad 22 in the row closer to the plate material processing machine 1. This makes it possible to easily avoid the interference between the holding member 20 and the processing section 7 of the plate material processing machine 1. The present embodiment can also reduce the amount by which the tracks 11, 12 are moved in the forward-backward direction.
When the holding member tilting mechanism 26 tilts the holding member 20 to slide the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15, into the collection box 10, the tracks 11, 12 are moved backward. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12, the tray member 15 is gradually tilted with a front end thereof moving from a front edge 10 a side toward a rear edge 10 b side of the collection box 10. Consequently, the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15 are accommodated in the collection box 10 while being evenly distributed therein. Furthermore, this operation can reduce a speed at which the product plate material W2 slides down from the tray member 15. This reduces an impact applied to the product plate materials W2 to prevent the product plate materials W2 from being damaged. Moreover, the reduced slide-off speed of the product plate materials W2 ensures that the product plate materials W2 fall into the collection box 10. This enables a reduction in the size of the opening of the collection box 10.
In the present embodiment, the two traveling members 13, 14 travel along the different tracks 11, 12. However, as far as the carry-out of the small product plate material W2 concerned, since the right and left traveling strokes of the two traveling members 13, 14 do not overlap, the two traveling members 13, 14 may travel along the same track.
FIGS. 13 to 18 show a plate material processing facility comprising a plate material carry-out device according to a second embodiment. The plate material carry-out device 2 is different from that according to the first embodiment in that only one track 11 is provided and in that only one traveling member 13 is provided which can travel along the track 11. The plate material processing facility is similar to that according to the first embodiment except for the plate material carry-out device 2.
Since the plate material carry-out device 2 involves the single track 1 and the single traveling member 13, the configuration of the conveyance control device 40 is slightly different from that according to the first embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the plate material carry-out device 40 is composed of a tray member carry-in control section 53, a plural-product housing control section 54, and a tray member carry-out control section 55. A figure showing the conceptual configuration of a control system for the plate material processing facility is omitted. The control system for the plate material processing facility according to the second embodiment corresponds to the control system shown in FIG. 9 and from which the second traveling member 14 is omitted.
The tray member carry-in control section 53 subjects the traveling member 13 to tray member carry-in control such that the holding member 20 holds the tray member 15 placed on the collection box 10, installed at the plate material carry-out position P1 (FIG. 13), and carries in the tray member 15 to the product reception position P2 (FIG. 16) located between the plate material processing machine 1 and the plate material carry-out section 3, and close to the plate material processing machine 1. Specifically, the tray member carry-in control section 53 gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 for the first traveling member 13 placed at the plate member carry-out position P1, which is a home position, to lower the holding member 20. The tray member carry-in control section 53 further gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to suck and hold the tray member 15 using the suction pads 22. The tray member carry-in control section 53 then gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate the holding member 20. The tray member carry-in control section 53 further gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the first traveling member 13 holding the tray member 15 to travel to the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2. The tray member carry-in control section 45 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20 to a height sufficient to bring a bottom surface of the tray member 15 into contact with the surface of the table 5 of the plate material processing machine 1. The tray member carry-in control section 45 then gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to release the sucked and held tray member 15 to place the tray member 15 on the surface of the table 5. The table surface of the product reception position P2 constitutes a temporary lay-down place for the tray member 15.
After the tray member carry-in control, the plural-product housing control section 54 subjects the traveling member 13 to plural-product housing control such that the holding member 20 holds the product plate material W2 on the plate material processing machine 1, which have resulted from cutting, then houses the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 laying at the product reception position P2, and repeats, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the product plate material W2 and ending with the housing of the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15. Specifically, after the tray member 15 is placed at the temporary lay-down place, the plural-product housing control section 54 gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the traveling member 13 to travel from the product reception position P2 to the position that is horizontal to the product cut position P3 (FIG. 17) on the plate material processing machine 1. The plural-product housing control section 54 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20. The plural-product housing control section 54 then gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to suck and hold the product plate material W2 laying at the product cut position P3, using the suction pad 22. The plural-product housing control section 54 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate the holding member 20. The plural-product housing control section 54 then gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the traveling member 13 to travel to the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2. The plural-product housing control section 54 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20. The plural-product housing control section 54 then gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to release the product plate material W2 held by the suction pad 22 and to house the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15. The series of operations described above are repeated a predetermined number of times. During the plural-product housing control, the plural-product housing control section 54 gives an output instruction to the forward-backward movement driving source of the forward-backward moving member 16 as required to adjust the forward-backward position of the track 11 so as to locate the suction pad 22 used to suck the product plate materials W2, at the same forward-backward position as that of the product cut position P3. Also in the present embodiment, the frontmost suction pad 22 in the row closer to the plate material processing machine 1 side is used to suck the product plate material W2. Furthermore, during the plural-product housing control, the plural-product housing control section 54 gives an output instruction to the forward-backward movement driving source for each operation of housing the product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 to cause the forward-backward movement driving source to change the forward-backward position of the track 11 or to laterally shift the position where the traveling member 13 is stopped at the product reception position P2, so as to evenly house the product plate materials W2 in the appropriate portions of the tray member 15.
After the plural-product housing control, the tray member carry-out control section 55 performs tray member carry-out control to cause the traveling member 13 to carry out the tray member 15 laying on the surface of the table 5 at the product reception position P2, to the plate material carry-out position P1. Specifically, once a predetermined number of the product plate materials W2 are housed in the tray member 15 laying on the surface of the table 5 at the product reception position P2, the tray member carry-out control section 55 gives an output instruction to the holding member 20 to cause the holding member 20 to suck and hold the tray member 15 using the suction pads 22. The tray member carry-out control section 55 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate the holding member 20 holding the tray member 15. The tray member carry-out control section 55 then gives an output instruction to the traveling driving source 19 to cause the traveling member 13 to travel from the product reception position P2 to the plate material carry-out position P1. The tray member carry-out control section 55 further gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20. The tray member carry-out control section 55 then gives an instruction to the tilt driving source of the holding member tilting mechanism 26 to cause the tilt driving source to tilt the holding member 20 to slide the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15, into the collection box 10. The tray member carry-out control section 55 further gives an instruction to the tilt driving source of the holding member tilting mechanism 26 to cause the tilt driving source to return the holding member 20 to the horizontal position. The tray member carry-out control section 55 then gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to lower the holding member 20 until the bottom surface of the tray member 15 abuts against the upper end of the collection box 10. The tray member carry-out control section 55 further gives an instruction to the suction driving source of the holding member 20 to cause the suction driving source to release the tray member 15 held by the suction pads 22 and to place the tray member 15 on the collection box 10. The tray member carry-out control section 55 then gives an output instruction to the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to cause the elevating and lowering driving source 25 to elevate and return the holding member 20 to the initial condition. During the tray member carry-out control, when the holding member tilting mechanism 26 tilts the holding member 20 to slide the product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15, into the collection box 10, an output instruction is given to the forward-backward driving source of the forward-backward moving frame 16 to cause the forward-backward movement driving source to move the track 11 backward simultaneously with the tilting of the holding member 20.
The control by the conveyance control device 50 allows the plate material carry-out device 2 to perform an operation shown in a flowchart in FIG. 20. FIG. 13 shows a condition prior to the start of operation. In this condition, starting the operation of the plate material processing machine 1 starts a tray member carry-in process R1. During the tray member carry-in process R1, first, the holding member 20 of the traveling member 13 placed at the plate material carry-out position P1 lowers, and sucks and holds the tray member 15 using the suction pads 22. The holding member 20 holding the tray member 15 elevates (FIG. 14) and travels to the position that is horizontal to the product reception portion P2 while holding the tray member 15 (FIG. 15). When the traveling member 13 reaches the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2, the holding member 20 lowers to a height sufficient to bring that the bottom surface of the tray member 15 into contact with the surface of the table 5. At the position where the holding member 20 has lowered, the holding member 20 releases the sucked and held tray member 15 to place the tray member 15 at the lay-down bay on the surface of the table 5 (FIG. 16).
When the tray member 15 is placed at the temporary lay-down place, a plural-product-plate-material housing process R2 is started. During the plural-product-plate-material housing process P2, the holding member 20 elevates, and the traveling member 13 travels from the product reception position P2 to the position that is horizontal to the product cut position P3. The holding member 20 then lowers, and sucks and holds the product plate material W2 laying at the product cut position P3. The holding member 20 sucking and holding the product plate material W2 elevates, and the traveling member 13 travels to the position that is horizontal to the product reception position P2 (FIG. 16). Then, the holding member 20 lowers, and at the position where the holding member 20 has lowered, releases and house the held product plate material W2 in the tray member 15 (FIG. 17). The series of operations described above are performed a predetermined number of times. Thus, a predetermined number of the product plate materials W2 are housed in the tray member 15 laying at the product reception position P2.
When the plural-product-plate-material housing process R2 is completed, the operation shifts to a tray member carry-out process R3. During the tray member carry-out process R3, the holding member 20 sucks and holds the tray member 15 with the predetermined number of product plate materials W2 housed therein and elevates. Then, the traveling member 13 moves from the product reception position P2 to the plate material carry-out position P1. The holding member 20 then lowers to the height that is slightly higher than the upper end of the collection box 10, and at that position, tilts the holding member 20 while moving the holding member 20 backward together with the track 11. The product plate materials W2 in the tray member 15 thus slide into the collection box 10. The holding member 20 is subsequently returned to the horizontal position and slightly lowered to place the tray member 15 on the collection box 10. The holding member 20 then releases the held tray member 15. The holding member 20 is then elevated to return to the initial position.
The plate material carry-out device 2 provides operations and effects almost similar to those of the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, owing to the use of the single traveling member 13, the plural-product-plate-material housing process R2 is started after the tray member carry-in process R1 has been completed. This makes it impossible to start picking up the product plate material W2 laying at the product cut position P3 while the traveling member 13 is moving from the plate material carry-out position P1 to the product reception position P2 as is the case with the first embodiment. Consequently, the second embodiment is slightly inferior to the first embodiment in terms of working efficiency. However, advantageously, the second embodiment enables a reduction in the number of tracks and traveling members, that is, requires only the track 11 and the traveling member 13, and the configuration of the second embodiment is simpler and requires less production costs than that of the first embodiment.
In the above description of the embodiments, the plurality of small product plate materials W2 cut from the raw plate material W0 are carried out from the plate material processing machine 1 to the plate material carry-out section 3. However, both plate material carry-out devices 2 according to the first and second embodiments can be used to carry out the relatively large product plate materials W1. In this case, the product plate material W1 is sucked and held using a plurality of (for example, all of) the suction pads 22 of the holding member 20. The carried-out product plate materials W1 are loaded on the palette 9 in a stack. Moreover, with the plate material carry-out device 2 according to the first embodiment, the holding members 20 of the two traveling members 13, 14 can cooperate in holding and carrying out the product plate material W1. This operation can stably carry out larger product plate materials compared to the operation of using a single traveling member to carry out the product plate material W1.
While the present invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed invention may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than those specifically set out and described above. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications of the present invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A plate material carry-out device carrying out a product plate material cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine, the device being characterized by comprising:

a track installed above and between said plate material processing machine and said plate material carry-out section;

a portable tray member that is able to house a plurality of said product plate materials;

two traveling members each having a holding member capable of selectively holding said product plate materials and said tray member, the traveling members being travelable along said track independently from each other; and

conveyance control means for controlling each of said traveling members, and in that the conveyance control means performs:

tray member standby control such that one of the traveling members which is a first traveling member causes said holding member to hold said tray member so that said tray member stands by at a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of said product cut position,

plural-product-plate-material housing control such that a second traveling member causes said holding member to hold the product plate material laying at said product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at said product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and

tray member carry-out control, after the plural-product-plate-member housing control, causing said first traveling member to carry out the tray member standing by at said product reception position to said plate material carry-out section.

2. A plate material carry-out device carrying out a product plate material cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine, the device being characterized by comprising:

one traveling member having a holding member capable of selectively holding said product plate materials and said tray member, the traveling member being travelable along said track; and

conveyance control means for controlling said traveling member, and

in that the conveyance control means performs:

tray member carry-in control such that said traveling member causes said holding member to hold and carry in said tray member to a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of said product cut position,

plural-product-plate-material housing control, after the tray member carry-in control, performed such that said traveling member causes said holding member to hold the product plate material laying at said product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member laying at said product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and

tray member carry-out control, after the plural-product-plate-member housing control, causing said traveling member to carry out the tray member laying at said product reception position to said plate material carry-out section.

3. A plate material carry-out device according to claim 2, characterized in that said plate material carry-out section has a collection box,

said traveling member has a holding member tilting mechanism tilting said holding member so that the tray member being held by the holding member is located at such an angle as allows the product plate materials inside the tray member to fall from the tray member, and

for said tray member carry-out control, said conveyance control device causes said holding member tilting mechanism to perform an operation of tilting the holding member to transfer the product plate members in the tray member to the collection box.

4. A plate material carry-out method of carrying out a product plate material cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine, the method being characterized by using a plate material carry-out device comprising:

a portable tray member that is able to house a plurality of said product plate materials; and

two traveling members each having a holding member capable of selectively holding said product plate materials and said tray member, the traveling members being travelable along said track independently from each other,

the method comprising:

a tray member standby process in which one of the traveling members which is a first traveling member causes said holding member to hold said tray member so that said tray member stands by at a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of said product cut position,

a plural-product-plate-material housing process in which a second traveling member causes said holding member to hold the product plate material laying at said product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member standing by at said product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and

a tray member carry-out process, after the plural-product-plate-member housing process, causing said first traveling member to carry out the tray member standing by at said product reception position to said plate material carry-out section.

5. A plate material carry-out method of carrying out a product plate material cut from a raw plate material by a plate material processing machine, from a product cut position on the plate material processing machine to a plate material carry-out section outside the plate material processing machine, the method being characterized by using a plate material carry-out device comprising:

one traveling member having a holding member capable of selectively holding said product plate materials and said tray member, the traveling member being travelable along said track, and

the method comprising:

a tray member carry-in process in which said traveling member causes said holding member to hold and carry in said tray member to a predetermined product reception position in the vicinity of said product cut position,

a plural-product-plate-material housing process, after the tray member carry-in process, in which said traveling member causes said holding member to hold the product plate material laying at said product cut position and to house the product plate material in the tray member laying at said product reception position and then to repeat, plural times, the operation starting with the holding of the products and ending with the housing of the products in the tray member, and

a tray member carry-out process, after the plural-product-plate-member housing process, in which said traveling member carries out the tray member laying at said product reception position to said plate material carry-out section.