System to accumulate mechanical parts coming out from a machine tool DESCRIPTION

Field of Invention _The present invention refers to the sector of accessories for machine tools.

_More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of industrial automation systems, in order, for example, to implement and/or increase and/or improve operational autonomy in the execution of unmanned mechanical processes, such as, again for example, in the execution of mechanical processes carried out using bar lathes.

_ Again the present invention also refers to other processes and/or systems and/or automatic and/or semi-automatic production machinery for carrying out mechanical processes. Background of the Invention

_At the present containers or baskets are known for collecting and accumulating the workpieces machined at the outlet of a machine tool, in which said pieces are accumulated on a horizontal accumulation plane or inserted into cavities formed by support grids. ..Turning plate systems are also currently known on the basis of the prior documents CH.0.379.884 and DE.0.569.053.

_Said known containers or baskets or systems include a series of drawbacks.

_A first drawback is due to the fact that they do not allow to operate safely and autonomously in industrial automation systems. _ A second drawback is due to the fact that they do not allow the storage surface to be kept clean.

__A third drawback is due to the fact that they do not allow to adapt easily and quickly with respect to different types of machines and/or machine tools having, for example, the outlet mouth of the machined piece outlet chute positioned at different heights with respect to the ground.

_A fourth drawback is due to the fact that they do not allow to implement and/or operate and/or interact in an ”lndustry_4.0" type production plant. _A fifth drawback is due to the fact that they do not allow the machined pieces to be accumulated on an accumulation plane and, furthermore, to accumulate them avoiding collisions between them which could cause damage to them,

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Exhibition of the Invention

__The object of the present invention is therefore to solve the aforementioned drawbacks.

_The invention, which is characterized by the claims, solves the problem of creating an accumulation system for mechanical pieces coming out of a machine tool, in which said system extends along a respective vertical axis; wherein said system extends along a respective transverse axis: wherein said system is characterized by the fact that it comprises: a container, having the shape of a circular cup, in which said container extends axially along its own vertical axis; and a disc, having the shape of a circular plate, which extends axially along its own vertical axis; by the fact that said container comprises a bottom wall and a vertical side wall; by the fact that said disc comprises an upper accumulation surface and a circumferential perimeter; by the fact that said disc is positioned into said container with its vertical axis lying coaxial with respect to the vertical axis of the container; by the fact that said disc has an outer diameter having a smaller width than the inner diameter defined by the annular wall of the container, in order to form, between said outer diameter and said inner diameter, a drop opening having the shape of a crown circular and having a certain radial width; by the fact that said disc is driven to rotate with respect to its own vertical axis and with respect to the container

Brief description of the Drawings

-Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more evident from the following description of some of its preferred practical embodiments, given here by way of purely non-limiting example, made with reference to the figures of the attached drawings in which:

>_Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the system object of the present invention;

>_Figure 2 illustrates the system object of the present invention as a sectional view with respect to a central vertical plane; 10, in the particular case illustrated smaller than the internal diameter 10J31 defined by a portion 12a of th© upper wall 12a, in which said wall 12a is positioned and extends radially spaaed apart 14JD1 in the vicinity of the circular radial end profile 22 defined by the disc 20, in order to form, with reference to said external diameter 20„D1 and to said internal diameter 10....D1 , a drop opening 14 (a light), having the shape of a circular crown and having a given radial width 14J31.

...During operation, as will be understood below, through said circumferential opening 14, liquids and/or swarf/shavings and/or other undesirable similar elements, which can reach the plate 10 together with the worked pieces, can freely pass through said opening 14 and, therefore, fail downwards (preferably until it reaches the bottom 11 of the container 10) and, in this context, preferably, said opening 14 has a radial width 14JD1 smaller than th© minimum size of the machined pieces to be accumulated, in order to obviat© that said pieces can pass through said opening 14 or fit into said opening 14 and, at the same time, in order to allow the free passage of liquids, swarf/shavings and other similar elements having smaller dimensions than those of the machined pieces.

_With reference to the description described above, during use, the disc 10 is rotated (in a continuously manner or in a programmed manner or in a other manner) with respect to its vertical axis 20... Y and with respect to the container 10, such as, for example, in counter clockwise rotation, as arrow Fl of fig. 1 , while the container 20 remains stationary (not rotating), so that the worked pieces, for example a worked piece positioned (manually or by falling) in the area Z1 , by means of a chute and/or hopper and/or other similar device, will be, by friction, transported and pushed by the upper surface 21 of the plate 20, first towards and against a fixed limit stop pallet 16 and, subsequently, the pieces are accumulated one against the other, and in this manner accumulated on the plate 20.

....With reference to the above specification, according to a preferred embodiment, see figure 3A, said disc 20 has an upper accumulation surface 21 which, from the center 20..Y towards the perimeter 23, configures a surface inclined from fop to bottom, which, with respect to a vertical section, can configure a straight and/or curvilinear (as in fig. 3A) profile and/or of another type, such as for example an upper surface having the shape of a dome (as in fig. 3A) or in the form of a cone, or in the form of a 'roof ’ inclined from top to bottom from the center towards the end 22.

..Figure 3A shows an upper surface 21 having the shape of a dome, but it is specified that other embodiments intended to perform ths seme function are protected by the present invention.

_With reference to the above specification, according to a further preferred embodiment, see figure 3, said disc 20 has a completely flat upper accumulation surface 21 , ie a fiat and coplanar surface 21 .

_With reference to Figure 3, the bottom 11 or bottom wall 11 of the container 10 preferably comprises a collection (drain) channel 15, which extends circumferentially on the bottom 11 in the form of a closed ring channel, which preferably has a cross section in the shape of a ’V' with a flat bottom, formed, for example, by means of an inclined wall 15a, a wall with a horizontal bottom 15b and a side wall 15c formed by the same container 10, in which said channel 15 is able to collect and channeling the liquids that wilt be collected within said container 10, as well as collect fragments of swarf/shavings and other elements that have passed through the above mentioned opening 14.

„Said channel 15 could also include at the bottom a filter (not shown) for the swarf/shavings positioned upstream of a discharge neck (not shown) for liquids outlet, in which this neck can be connected by means of a pipe to a hydraulic pump, in order to withdraw the liquids collected in the channel 15 and transfer said liquid where desired.

„Still with reference to Figure 3, the disk 20 is supported axially in a rotating manner with respect to its axis Y.20 and with respect to the container 10 by means of first support means 30, in which, preferably, said support means 30 are fixed to and supported by the container 10, in such a way that the axial load of said disk 20 and of the pieces lying on said disk 20 will be supported by said support means 30 and, therefore, by the first container 10.

Jn this context, as a preferred non-limiting practical embodiment, the first support means 30 can comprise a plurality of ball supports 31 a, 31b. etc. (so-called ball transfer units), having their socket (or flange) fixed to the container 10, i.e. supported by the container 10 and, preferably, arranged circumferentially equidistant, which are able to engage and support in a sliding manner the lower face of the peripheral edge 23 of disc 20.

In this context, preferably, the container 10 comprises a circumferential support portion 12b for fixing said support means 30, in which said support portion 12b has a flat shape which defines a circular crown, in which on said portion 12b is preferably slightly inclined radially from the outside to the inside from top to bottom, in order to determ ine the flow of any liquids and other elements that passing through the opening 14 have fallen into the container 10

__Still with reference to Figure 3, said disc 20 is rotated with respect to its own axis 20„Y and with respect to the container 10 by means of a transmission unit 40, in which said transmission unit 40 is preferably fixed to and supported by said container 10, as far example constrained against the tower face of the bottom wail 11 of the container 10, in order to transmit the rotary motion to the disk 20 by means of a vertical transmission shaft 41 which is mounted passing axially through said bottom wall 11 of the container 10 and positioned coaxially with respect to the axis I IO of the container 10 and to the axis Y_20 of the disk 20.

-Always with reference to figure 3, substantially, the transmission unit 40 comprises said transmission shaft 41, passing axially and rotatably free through the bottom wall 11 of the first container 10, in which said transmission shaft 41 has an upper portion thereof, 41a, connected to the disk 20 by means of a key 42 and a flange 43 fixed to the same disk 20, and a tower portion thereof, 41b, extending downwards, beyond the bottom wall 11 of said container 10, in which said lower portion 41b is connected to first actuator means 44, which can be of various types, in which said first actuator means 44 are able to rotate said transmission shaft 41.

__The first actuator means 44 are fixed to said container 10, as for example fixed against the tower face of the wail 11 by means of a fixing unit 45 comprising elements and fixing means, in order to support said first actuator means 44 in a constrained and pendant manner.

-Moreover, preferably, fastening means 46 are also provided, such as for example a screw 46, which has a head lying against the bottom part 11 and the shank coupled axially with the upper portion 41a of the shaft 41 , in order to prevent said shaft 41 from falling downwards, as well as from remaining fixed axially to the disk 20 Jn this context it is specified that the use of other types of sensors able to perform the same detection function are protected by the present invention.

...Preferably, by way of example, the sensor 71 can detect the fall of the piece P and/or the arrival of the piece P in the Zone Z3 located downstream of the chute S and. once the descent and/or the presence of the piece P in said zone Z3 has been detected, the sensor means 70 transmit a reiative signal (an input) to a control unit (e.g. control unit 90 in Fig. 1 ), which activates the rotation of the disk 20 with direction F3, i.e. it activates the first actuator means 44, in order to push and if it is possible to transport the objects present on the disc 20 against the stop pallet 16, see arrow F4.

^Through this rotation of the disk 20, a force F4 is applied to the piece P by friction in order to translate said piece P towards and against the pallet 16, in which, starting from an empty space, the pieces will accumulate over time against each other and, then: after activation of the rotation of the disk 20, downstream of the zone Z3 with respect to the arrow F4, there are no previously accumulated pieces which hindered the translation of the piece P out of the zone Z3, this piece P. lying on the disk 20 in zone Z3 can move freely outside said zone Z3; white, after the activation of the rotation of the disk 20, downstream of the zone Z3 with respect to the arrow F4, there are previously accumulated pieces which, despite the rotation of the disk 20, continue to occupy or to lap this zone Z3, these pieces already present form a vertical abutment and prevent piece P from moving freely out of said zone Z3 and, therefore, piece P cannot get out of zone Z3.

Jn this context, for example, a control can be set in which it is expected that if the translation of the piece P outside the zone Z3 (area under the control of the sensor means 7G - sensor 71) should not take place within a pre-set time frame, as for example within 10 seconds from the start of the rotation of the disc 20 (or within 10 seconds from the beginning of the detection performed by detection means 70 - sensor 71 of the piece P in the zone Z3), the sensors means 70 send a signal (message) of full compartment to the control system and/or to the control of the plant connected to the system, for example to proceed for a stop of the production of the means 70 send a signal (message) of full compartment to the control of the system and/or to the control of the plant connected to the system, in order to be able to proceed as above mentioned.

_With reference to figure 1 , the system object of the present invention can further comprise suspended support means 80 on the top.

-Preferably said support means 80 comprise a support/work element 81 , a support frame 82, and fastening elements 83.

_The support element 81 can have various embodiments selected in relation to the function that it will have to perform, such as, for example, a lectern-like shape to be able to accommodate sheets (drawings) and/or measuring instruments and/or a computer and/or other device.

_The support frame 82 is preferably made of tubular elements is able to form a through duct, in order to be able to contain, for example, transmission and/or power supply cables for a CPU.

_The fastening elements 83 are preferably elements which can be coupled in a removable manner with the upper edge 13 of the container 10, in order to be able to remove/appiy said support means 80 in a simple and rapid manner.

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Control Unit 90 and/or other Control Units

-With reference to figure 1 and as mentioned above, the system object of the present invention can further comprise at least a first control unit 90, which can be able to control one or more operating members of the system object of the present invention, such as, for example: the first actuator means 44; the lifting/lowering/axial positioning means 50; the ejector nozzle means 60 and relative members upstream thereof, the sensor means 70; other operational devices if they are present.

^.Furthermore, if desirable, this first control unit 90 can also be able to connect the system object of the present invention with the control system of a related production plant, in order, for example, to implement a production plant of the type ''lndustry-4.0”.

-As an alternative, this last feature can also be implemented by means of a further (second) and different and separate control unit, not illustrated, positioned in the system object of the present invention and/or another place of the plant, without departing from the inventive concepts protected by the present invention.

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....By means of the system object of the present invention the above problems are solved.

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...The description of the system as indicated above is given as a purely non-limiting example and, therefore, it is evident that all those modifications or variations suggested by practice and by its use can be made to said system and, in any case, within the scope of scope of the following claims, which also form an integrative part for the present description.