A method for a robot to automatically find a bending position, including the following steps: step 1, establishing a gripper tool coordinate system (TX, TY, TZ); step 2, determining a user coordinate system (X.sub.A, Y.sub.A, Z.sub.A; X.sub.B, Y.sub.B, Z.sub.B) of rear blocking fingers (11, 21); step 3, a robot gripper moving horizontally, and detecting the state of sensors (12, 22); step 4, the robot gripper executing a rotational movement, detecting the state of the sensors (12, 22), and thereby obtaining a standard bending position. The robot automatically finds the bending position, the teaching difficulty is reduced, and the bending quality is increased. In the elevator industry, elevator door plate bending sizes are the same, but forming sizes are different. In the present invention, only one product process needs to be taught in order to satisfy elevator door plate processing with different specifications, thereby reducing maintenance costs and increasing production efficiency.

A method and an apparatus for holding down a sheet on a feed table of a sheet-processing machine include a lowerable smoothing bar which can be driven according to a speed profile in time with the sheet-processing machine, which results in a targeted deflection of the smoothing bar. The deflection is preserved for the purpose of smoothing the sheet from the middle to the side.

A deformation processing support system acquires target shape data of a work having a reference line; acquires intermediate shape data from the work in an intermediate shape having a reference line marked thereon; and overlaps the two data on each other by aligning the reference lines relative to each other, to calculate a necessary deformation amount of the work based on a difference between the two data overlapped on each other. To align the reference lines with each other, first and second alignment axes with the same length calculated for the respective reference lines are superimposed on each other. Subsequently, the intermediate shape data is relatively rotated with respect to the target shape data around the first alignment axis.

A deformation processing support system acquires target shape data of a work having a reference line; acquires intermediate shape data from the work in an intermediate shape having a reference line marked thereon; and overlaps the two data on each other by aligning the reference lines relative to each other, to calculate a necessary deformation amount of the work based on a difference between the two data overlapped on each other. To align the reference lines with each other, first and second alignment axes with the same length calculated for the respective reference lines are superimposed on each other. Subsequently, the intermediate shape data is relatively rotated with respect to the target shape data around the first alignment axis.

A method for a robot to automatically find a bending position, including the following steps: step 1, establishing a gripper tool coordinate system (TX, TY, TZ); step 2, determining a user coordinate system (X.sub.A, Y.sub.A, Z.sub.A; X.sub.B, Y.sub.B, Z.sub.B) of rear blocking fingers (11, 21); step 3, a robot gripper moving horizontally, and detecting the state of sensors (12, 22); step 4, the robot gripper executing a rotational movement, detecting the state of the sensors (12, 22), and thereby obtaining a standard bending position. The robot automatically finds the bending position, the teaching difficulty is reduced, and the bending quality is increased. In the elevator industry, elevator door plate bending sizes are the same, but forming sizes are different. In the present invention, only one product process needs to be taught in order to satisfy elevator door plate processing with different specifications, thereby reducing maintenance costs and increasing production efficiency.

A bending method includes acquiring a reference value of an original position of a punch with respect to a die for each processed part before an operation of bending of a workpiece by a bending machine including the punch and the die is started, storing each of the acquired reference values in association with each of the processed parts, reading the reference value associated with the processed part to which the bending is to be executed, acquiring a measurement value of the original position after the operation of the bending of the workpiece is started, calculating, based on the acquired measurement value, a secular change amount from the reference value or a previous measurement value as a secular change correction value for a pushing amount of the punch with respect to the die or the original position of the punch, and resetting, for each predetermined trigger condition, the pushing amount or the original position by using the secular change correction value during an automatic operation of the bending of the workpiece.

A bending robot takes out a workpiece stored on a stacker while contacting its end face with a storage reference flat plane of the stacker, and then supplies it to a bending machine. The bending robot includes a main body movable parallel to the storage reference flat plane, an arm portion supported by the main body and capable of positioning above the stacker, and a distance sensor provided in the arm portion for measuring a distance to the workpiece stored on the stacker in a contactless manner. According to the bending robot, bending can be done with high efficiency.

A bending robot takes out a workpiece stored on a stacker while contacting its end face with a storage reference flat plane of the stacker, and then supplies it to a bending machine. The bending robot includes a main body movable parallel to the storage reference flat plane, an arm portion supported by the main body and capable of positioning above the stacker, and a distance sensor provided in the arm portion for measuring a distance to the workpiece stored on the stacker in a contactless manner. According to the bending robot, bending can be done with high efficiency.

Provided are a work assistance device and a work assistance method that automatically create a projected drawing suitable for designating a work region on a target, regardless of the skill level of a worker. The work assistance device has: a projected drawing creation function for projecting a work target, which has a work target surface that includes a work target region on which work is performed by a robot, in a direction perpendicular to the work target surface, thereby creating in a virtual space a projected drawing parallel to the work target surface; a work region designation function for designating a work target region in the projected drawing; and a work region conversion function for converting the location of the work target region designated in the projected drawing to a location in the virtual space.