Workpiece lock
AssigneeLiebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH
InventorsDavid HÄNSCHKE, Michael APPEL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure shows a workpiece lock for an apparatus for handling and/or machining workpieces, which includes a robot for handling and/or machining the workpieces and a safety fence, wherein the work-piece lock has at least one closed position in which the workpiece lock closes an opening in the safety fence, wherein on moving a workpiece from the area within the safety fence to the area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa the workpiece lock has at least one open position in which it at least partly clears the opening in the safety fence. The present disclosure includes a safety function that prevents a movement of the robot into a safety area extending around the workpiece lock within the safety fence, when the lock is in the at least one open position.
Claims20
A workpiece lock for an apparatus for handling and/or machining workpieces, which includes a robot for handling and/or machining the workpieces and a safety fence,
- wherein the workpiece lock is arranged in the safety fence and allows to move at least one workpiece from an area within the safety fence to an area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa,
- wherein the workpiece lock has at least one closed position in which the workpiece lock closes an opening in the safety fence, wherein the robot includes a controller which in the closed position of the workpiece lock allows loading and/or unloading of the workpiece lock with at least one workpiece and/or machining of a workpiece moved through the workpiece lock into the area within the safety fence,
- wherein on moving of a workpiece from the area within the safety fence to the area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa the workpiece lock has at least one open position in which it at least partly clears the opening in the safety fence, wherein the controller has a safety function which prevents a movement of the robot into a safety area extending around the workpiece lock within the safety fence, when the lock is in the at least one open position.
A workpiece lock for an apparatus for handling and/or machining workpieces, which includes a robot for handling and/or machining the workpieces and a safety fence,
- wherein the workpiece lock is arranged in the safety fence and allows to move at least one workpiece from an area within the safety fence to an area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa,
- wherein the workpiece lock has at least one closed position in which the workpiece lock closes an opening in the safety fence, wherein the robot includes a controller which in the closed position of the workpiece lock allows loading and/or unloading of the workpiece lock with at least one workpiece and/or machining of a workpiece moved through the workpiece lock into the area within the safety fence,
- wherein on moving a workpiece from the area within the safety fence to the area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa the workpiece lock has at least one open position in which it at least partly clears the opening in the safety fence, a safety function is provided, which monitors a safety area extending around the workpiece lock within and/our outside the safety fence via at least one sensor and performs a switch-off of the robot when an operator and/or the robot penetrates into the safety area while the lock is in the at least one open position.
A method for operating an apparatus for handling a workpiece with a safety fence,
- handling or machining workpieces using an apparatus including a workpiece lock, a robot and a safety fence, the robot and the workpiece lock positioned within the safety fence
- moving at least one workpiece from an area within the safety fence to an area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa,
- loading and/or unloading of the workpiece lock with at least one workpiece while the work-piece lock is in the closed position, and
- moving the workpiece from the area within the safety fence to the area outside the safety fence and/or vice versa by actuation of the workpiece lock, the workpiece lock having at least one open position in which it at least partly clears the opening in the safety fence,
- preventing a movement of the robot into a safety area extending around the workpiece lock within the safety fence using the controller of the robot when the lock is in the at least one open position,
- and/or monitoring a safety area extending around the workpiece lock within and/or outside the safety fence via at least one sensor and switching off the robot when an operator and/or the robot penetrates into the safety area while the lock is in the at least one open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.