FR2504503A1 - Ferromagnetic parts aligning feed - has magnet pair around non-magnetic frame above tray - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for the properly aligned feed of ferromagnetic parts, e.g. to the pickup station of an industrial robot, consists of a guide tray (1) and a magnetic system (2) above it. A non-magnetic frame (6) of the same shape as the parts (7) to be aligned is placed over the tray. The magnetic system with the windings (5) consists of at least one pair of magnets on different sides of the frame relative to the movement of the parts. Like poles of the magnet system are arranged to face each other across the frame. This is a simple design of high functional reliability and produces a continuous flow of aligned articles.

Description

 The present invention relates to the automation of manufacturing processes and particularly relates to a device for the oriented feeding of parts made of ferromagnetic material.

 The device according to the invention can be used, for example, for assembling, forming assemblies and transporting parts in different areas of the workpiece, in particular for feeding the workpieces to the gripping member of an industrial robot. .

 A device is known for the oriented feeding of ferromagnetic material parts, comprising a guiding trough and a magnetic system in the form of a permanent magnet placed above the trough (B. A. Ioffé, R.K.

Kalnyn, "Orientirovanié detaley ferromagnitnym polem", published in 1972, editions "Zinatné" Riga, p. 32, Figures 2.2.3, 2.2.4).

 This known device does not make it possible to form a stack of pieces oriented from a stream of moving parts.

 Another known feed device for ferromagnetic material parts (from blanks in tale) is known (German Patent No. 1266687 published on April 18, 1968), comprising a guide trough and a magnetic system disposed above the trough. and consisting of a plurality of magnets arranged one above the other. In the known device, a stack previously formed of flat ferromagnetic parts is brought by the guide trough into the interpolar interval of the lower magnet of the system, then, by successively switching on the windings of the electromagnets arranged above. , one of the parts is transported successively in the interpolar interval of the next electromagnet until it reaches the upper level of the magnetic system. The following parts are placed in the interpolar intervals of the electromagnets arranged lower down, and when the next piece is taken in the trough, they move one step, replacing the previous piece.

 This device requires prior stacking of the parts and their orientation with the aid of additional devices before bringing them to the guide trough, and does not make it possible to achieve the oriented feeding of the continuously moving parts on the guide trough. . The device is characterized by a complicated design of the magnetic system and requires a special switching block for controlling this magnetic system. The continuous supply of parts using this device is limited to the number of parts forming the stack.

 The invention therefore relates to a device for the oriented feeding of parts of ferromagnetic material, to ensure the orientation and stacking of the parts, without interrupting their continuous disengagement on the trough, and characterized by a simplicity of construction and high operational safety.

 This object is achieved by the fact that the device for the oriented feeding of ferromagnetic material parts of the type comprising a guide trough and a magnetic system disposed above the trough, is characterized, according to the invention, in that it comprises a template or similar non-magnetic disposed above the guide trough and whose configuration corresponds to that of the parts to be oriented, while the magnetic system comprises at least one pair of magnets arranged on either side of the template with respect to the direction of movement of the parts on the trough, the two poles of the magnets being turned towards the jig and arranged so that the poles of the same name are opposite each other.

To increase the efficiency of the device, it is preferable that the dimensions of the template are increased
and cue its shape corresponds to that of two pieces artiellement loStaposées iongitudinalement and arranged
mirror or specularly, and that the magnetic system
be completed by at least one pair of additional magnets
each adjacent to one of the magnets of the first pair,
analogous to these and arranged on either side of the added portion of the template, the joining lines of the magnets with each other being arranged opposite the part of the template which corresponds to the juxtaposition zone of the parts.

 To avoid magnetic adhesion between the parts, it is preferable that the length of the magnetic system slightly exceeds the length of the template.

 The device for the oriented feeding of parts of ferromagnetic material, produced according to the invention, although simple of construction, makes it possible to carry out the orientation and the stacking of the ferromagnetic material parts without interrupting their continuous movement on the trough thus ensuring high efficiency and automatic filling of the magnetic system as parts are removed for machining or assembly. In addition, the device is characterized by a high operating safety and is universal, because it is sufficient to change the template to achieve the oriented supply of parts of various configurations and dimensions, provided they are part of the interval interpolar of the magnetic system considered.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, details and advantages thereof will appear better in the light of the explanatory description which follows of various embodiments given solely by way of non-limiting examples, with references to the drawings not in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device for the oriented feeding of symmetrical ferromagnetic material parts at their ends.
FIG. 2 represents a device for the oriented feeding of oblong pieces of asymmetrical ferromagnetic material at their ends from one of the positions on the guide trough (seen from above);
FIG. 3 is a sectional view III - III of FIG. 2
FIG. 4 shows a device for the oriented feeding of asymmetric ferromagnetic material parts to their ends from the two positions on the guide trough (seen from above)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an automatic feeding system provided with an oriented feed device for pieces of ferromagnetic material such as that represented in FIG. 4
- Figure 6 shows a device for the oriented supply of parts and the gripping member of the feed system shown in Figure 5 (in perspective, in section and on an enlarged scale).

The device for the oriented feeding of parts made of ferromagnetic material with symmetrical ends comprises a guide trough 1 (FIG. 1) and a magnetic system 2 disposed above this trough and consisting of a pair of electromagnets made of C 3 and 4 whose windings are supplied with direct current. The device further comprises a jig or the like 6 of shape corresponding to that of the parts 7 and made of non-magnetic material in the form of lateral limiting plates. The electromagnets 3 and 4 are arranged on either side of the jig 6 with respect to direction of movement (indicated by the arrow A) of the parts 7 on the trough 1, and their poles N, S are turned towards the jig 6 so that the poles of the same name
NN and SS are opposite each other and their midpoints are approximately at the corners of the template 6 (or part 7).

 The device for the oriented feeding of oblong end ferromagnetic material parts with asymmetrical ends comprises a guide trough 1 (FIGS. 2, 3), for example a vibrating trough, and a magnetic system 2 consisting of two pairs of magnets 3 and 4. .

 Above the guide trough 1 is a template 6 'made in the form of a plate 4 of non-magnetic material provided with a window 8 of configuration corresponding to that of the part to be oriented 7'.

The distance between the trough 1 and the lower surface of the plate (of the jig 6 ') is determined by the relation H <h 2H, where h is the distance between the trough 1 and the lower surface
of the plate
H is the height of the piece 7 '.

 The pairs of magnets 3 and 4 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry of the window 8, on either side of it. In each pair of magnets, the magnets 3 or 4 are oriented towards each other by their poles of opposite names, while the magnets 3, 4 arranged facing each other, on the other hand, other of the window 8 are oriented towards one another by their poles of the same name.

 The magnets 3, as well as the magnets 4, are fixed to one another by stirrups or the like 9, whereas downstream (in the direction of movement of the parts 7 ') of the window 8 is provided a limiting stop preventing parts? oriented in the magnetic system 2 to continue their course.

 The device for the oriented feeding of ferromagnetic material parts with asymmetric ends from any of the positions on the trough (FIG. 4) is similar to the device shown in FIG. 1, except that the dimensions of the template 6 " are increased and its shape corresponds to that of two pieces 7 "partially juxtaposed longitudinally and arranged in mirror or speculatively. The template 6 "thus formed is constituted, as that shown in FIG. 1, of lateral limitation plates whose height is equal to the height of the stack of parts 7" formed by the magnetic system 2.The magnetic system 2 comprises a pair of magnets 3, 4 and a pair of additional magnets 3 ', 4' each adjacent to one of magnets 3, 4 similar to them and arranged on either side of the added portion of the template 9 The lines 11 of junction-eo magnets 3, 3 'and 4, 4' are located opposite the portion 12 of the jig 6 "corresponding to the zone of juxtaposition of the pieces.

 To avoid adhesion of the neighboring pieces 7 "on the trough 1 when they arrive in the magnetic system 2, the length of the latter slightly exceeds the length of two pieces 7" juxtaposed. The height of the magnetic system 2 corresponds to the height of the stack of parts to be oriented, taking into account the games that appear between them due to the mutual repulsion of neighboring parts in the stack and magnetized by the field. The device shown in Figure 4 increases the efficiency of the oriented supply, since the parts on the feed trough can be taken by the magnetic system from the two possible positions.

 The automatic feeding system provided with the device for the oriented feed of parts made of asymmetric ferromagnetic material, made according to FIG. 4, comprises a vibrating hopper 13 with a guide trough 1 (FIGS. 5, 6) above which is arranged the magnetic system 2 made in the form of two pairs of magnets 3, 3 '(the second pair of magnets is not shown in Figures 5, 6) arranged on the feed trough 1 in a manner symmetrical opposite each other, so that in each pair of magnets the magnets 3 and 3 ', for example, are turned towards each other by their opposite poles of names, and that the magnets facing each other are oriented toward each other by their batteries of the same name.A gripper 14 is disposed on a manipulator 15 and is in the form of a cylindrical electromagnet which can rotate around its own axis of symmetry in a bearing 16.

 The magnetic system 2 and the template t are enclosed in a casing 17 of non-magnetic material (in textolite, for example). The operation of the oriented feed device of ferromagnetic material parts, shown in Figure 1, is as follows.

The pieces of ferromagnetic material 7 are continually passed through the trough 1 to the magnetic system
2. When a piece 7 is between the magnets of pair 3, 4, while the next piece is there
engaged by its end (partially), these parts 7 repel each other, so that a part 7 is separated from the line of parts, because the ferromagnetic parts completely engaged between the pairs of magnets 3 and 4 are magnetized so that the rear end of one of them and the front end of the other constitute poles of the same name and, consequently, repel each other.

 The piece 7 separated from the line arrives under the template 6 and, attracted by the magnets 3 and 4, tends to move upwards in the space between the magnets 3 and 4 limited by the template 6.

 The next piece 7 is also separated from the coin stream and moves upwards, moving the previous piece 7 upwards. Having the magnets 3 and 4 so that their poles of opposite names are turned towards each other makes it possible to obtain a quasi-homogeneous magnetic field, that is to say a field in which the lines of force are parallel and equidistant. As a result, the pieces 7 are disposed between the magnets 3 and 4 in a spaced manner, that is to say that they are spaced from each other by a certain distance along the entire height of the magnetic system. This allows them to be taken in 7th magnetic system 2 one by one.

If the magnetic system 2 is already filled, the parts 7 moving on the trough 1 continue their movement without encumbering the trough 1, and can be stacked, for example, in another magnetic system (not shown
shown in Figure 1) or returned to the reservoir from where
they arrive again on the guide trough
1. This ensures an automatic regime of filling the magnetic system 2 by the parts 7 as and when the upper parts are removed and directed to the machining station or assembly.

 The operation of the device shown in FIGS. 2, 3 is similar to the operation of the device shown in FIG. 1, with the only difference that in this device the oriented feeding of the pieces of ferromagnetic oblong material 7 'with asymmetrical ends is possible when they are brought by the trough 1 in the action zone of the magnetic system 2 in the required position (one of two possible positions) corresponding to the shape of the window 8 made in the template b '.

 If the shapes of the between ~ 8 and the piece 7 'correspond to one another, that is to say if the piece 7' is correctly oriented (for example, oriented by its wide end to the forward following the direction of movement), the piece passes through the window 8 and is placed between the pairs of magnets 3 and 4.

 A piece 7 'transported with its narrow end forward advances on the trough 1 passing next to the window 8, because this end can not reengage in the window 8 because the game between the bottom of the trough 1 and the plate (the template C, '), not more than twice the thickness of the roomAlhough to orient itself by its narrow end upwards. The wide end of the piece abuts against the bottom of the trough 1, while the middle of the workpiece 7 'bears first against the front face of the window 8, then, while the workpiece 7 'moves along the window 8, the divergent edges of the piece 7' bear against the converging side faces of the window 8.

 Further, if the mass of the wide end of the piece 7 'is substantially greater than the mass of the narrow end and the length of the magnetic system 2 is greater than the length of the piece 7', the force acting on the wide end of the piece 7 'is greater than that acting on the narrow end, so that the piece 7' can not be oriented by its narrow end to the value. Thus, if the piece 7 'is oriented by its narrow end forward, it continues its movement on the trough 1.

 The operation of the automatic feeding system with the device for the oriented feeding of pieces of ferromagnetic material 7 "asymmetric end from the two positions on the guide trough 1 (Figures 4, 5, 6), is as follows.

 The pieces of ferromagnetic material 7 "move on the trough 1, where they are previously oriented along their axis, their asymmetrical ends being oriented in opposite directions. During the movement of the piece 7" on the trough 1, it passes under the magnetic system 2.

At the moment when the contour of the piece 7 "coincides with the profile of the template 6, it is attracted by the magnetic field of the system 2 in the interpolar space and" floats "upwards.

 The profile of the template 6 "makes it possible to" float "to the parts whose identical ends are oriented in opposite directions The fact to arrange the magnets 3-3 'and 4-4' in each pair so that the poles of opposite names are turned one towards the other, makes it possible to separate the pieces 7 "of the line of pieces.

 Having the opposing magnets 3-4 and 3'-4 'so that their poles of the same name are turned towards each other makes it possible to form a stack of parts 7 "according to the height of the magnets and so they are spaced apart, allowing them to be taken piece by piece.

 The template 6 "thus forms two groups of turned parts of 1800 relative to each other.

The gripping member 14 in the form of a freely rotatable electromagnet is introduced by the manipulator 15 into the central portion 12 of the jig, where the pieces are partially juxtaposed along the length. The gripping member 14 pulls the piece 7 "of the blank template, then the manipulator arm 15 begins to move it vertically upwards, by mounting it above the template, and removes the piece 7" from the blank area. As the gripping member 14 is mounted in a bearing 16, the piece 7 ", during the movement of the manipulator arm 15, can be turned by any stop at an angle of 900 relative to its initial position in the template 6 ".This results that the piece taken in a position qu'.conque in the jig
C "by the electromagnet 14 is oriented in a specific position.

 If this is not necessary, the parts can be brought to the work station (machining or assembly) in a position determined by their position in the magnetic system. The position information of the part may be provided by a detector of any type provided in the gripping member 14 or in the jig 6 ".

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown which have been given by way of example. In particular, it includes all the means constituting technical equivalents of the means described, and their combinations, if they are executed according to its spirit and implemented in the context of the protection as claimed.

Claims (3)

 1. Device for the oriented supply of ferromagnetic material parts, of the type comprising a guide trough and a magnetic system disposed above this trough, characterized in that it comprises a non-magnetic template (6) disposed above of the guide trough (1) and whose configuration corresponds to that of the workpiece (7), and in that the magnetic system - (2) comprises at least one pair of magnets (3, 4) arranged on both sides of the template (s) relative to the direction of movement of the parts (7) on the trough (1), each of which is oriented by its poles to the template (6) and so that the poles of the same name are opposite each other.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimensions of the template are increased and that its shape corresponds to that of two parts partially juxtaposed longitudinally and arranged in a mirror, and in that the magnetic system comprises at least one additional pair of magnets each adjacent to one of the first-mentioned magnets, similar to those of the pair of magnets mentioned first and arranged on either side of the added portion of the template, the junction lines of the magnets between them located next to the part of the template which corresponds to the zone of partial juxtaposition of parts.  3. Device according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the length of the magnetic system is slightly greater than the length of the template.