Workpiece conveyer apparatus of machine tool

A workpiece conveyer apparatus of a machine tool for carrying out a series of workpiece conveying and processing operations, in a machine tool, including delivery and discharge of workpieces outside of the machine, and loading and unloading of workpieces inside of the machine, comprising

• a processing station block having a delivery station for delivering a workpiece and a rotation phase fixing station for adjusting and determining the rotation phase of a workpiece before processing, provided outside of the machine at one side of the machine tool, an in-machine station for conveying or processing the workpiece provided in the machine of the machine tool, and an inspection and measurement station for inspecting and measuring the workpiece after processing and a discharge station for discharging the workpiece after inspection and measurement, provided outside of the machine at other end of the machine tool, and these stations being disposed straightly at specified intervals,
• moving rails stretched and provided straightly along the individual stations of the processing station block,
• four units of workpiece processing means provided movably on the moving rails, for loading or unloading workpieces on the individual stations of the processing station block, and
• control means for driving and controlling these workpiece processing means in cooperation with the actions of the machine tool,
• wherein the distances among the individual stations of the processing station block are unequal pitches, and the longitudinal dimension of the processing station block is set as small as possible, and
• two outside units, out of the four units of workpiece processing means in the longitudinal direction of the processing station block, are integrally coupled at a specified interval, and two inside units are integrally coupled at a specified interval,
• wherein in the processing station block, the layout configuration of the individual stations is determined so that the conveying pitch between the delivery station and the rotation phase fixing station and the conveying pitch between the inspection and measurement station and the discharge station are set equal to each other, and the conveying pitch between the rotation phase fixing station and the in-machine station and the conveying pitch between the in-machine station and the inspection and measurement station are set equal to each other.