JP2002084095A - Component feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a component feeder in which rectangular components having directivity can be fed stably at a high speed while arranging the directivity. SOLUTION: A rotary table 14 having a ring 12 arranged with a plurality of radial grooves 13 for containing rectangular components 1 having directivity in the back and forth direction is turned intermittently by a specified angle in a constant direction, and a single component 1 is fed from the feed groove 8 to the containing groove 13a at a first rotary position and contained therein in the reciprocal direction. The reciprocal direction of the component 1 is determined by means of photoelectric sensors 24a and 24b, and first or second nozzle 21, 22 is operated selectively based on the determination results. The arranged components 1 are discharged from the containing groove 13b at a second rotary position through an interconnection groove 15, or directly from the containing groove 13c at a third rotary position to a discharge groove 9 by means of a direction arranging unit 3, thus feeding the arranged components 1 stably at a high speed to a following process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rectangular component having characteristics and directions such as local shapes and polarities (hereinafter collectively referred to as directions) in any direction of front and back, front and rear, and left and right. The present invention relates to a component supply device in which the directions are aligned and supplied.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some square components such as chip resistors and chip capacitors have directionality in front and back, front and rear directions, and the like. These components are obtained by using a component feeder such as a vibratory feeder or a bulk feeder. , And are often supplied in the next step.

[0003] Since the directionality of the above components cannot be discriminated from the overall shape such as length, width, thickness, etc., in a conventional component supply apparatus, for example, even if the components are aligned in the length direction, the front and rear directions are not changed. There is a problem that the opposite is mixed.

[0004] As a component supply apparatus for supplying such a rectangular component having a directivity in a uniform direction, there is, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-148883. As shown in FIG. 20, in this component supply device, a drop passage 62 for a rectangular component 61 is provided at the bottom of a hopper (not shown) that reciprocates up and down. A sensor 63 for determining is provided,
At the lower end of the drop passage 62, a direction changing mechanism that connects the drop passage 62 and the horizontal component feeding path 64 is provided.

The direction changing mechanism comprises a disk-shaped fixing portion 65 with a groove, and a flat bottomed cylindrical rotating portion 66 circumscribing the fixing portion 65. A direction fixing passage 67 is provided, and a pair of slits 68 for accommodating the component 61 are provided in the rotating portion 66 at a phase of 180 °. The rotating part 66 includes a pair of slits 68.
The components 61 are stored one by one from the drop passage 62 in the upper slit 68 at a position where the is oriented vertically, and 90
° rotate.

When the rotating section 66 rotates 90 degrees in either direction, the pair of slits 68, the horizontal fixed passage 67 and the horizontal component feed path 64 are connected in a straight line as shown in FIG. It has become. A fumarole path 69 communicates with the left end of the straight passage, and the components 61 housed in the left or right slit 68 are turned upside down by the positive pressure air supplied from the fumarole path 69. The sheets are discharged to the horizontal component feed path 64 together. A sensor 70 for detecting the passage of the component 61 is provided in the middle of the horizontal component feeding path 64.

[0007]

Normally, chip components such as chip resistors and chip capacitors are supplied to the next process at a speed of about several tens per second. In the above-described conventional component supply device, it is necessary to rotate the cylindrical rotating portion of the direction changing mechanism for aligning the directionality of the rectangular component in both the forward and reverse directions. There is a problem that energy consumption and vibration for rotation increase, and a driving device for the rotating unit also needs to be used for both forward rotation and reverse rotation.

Further, since only a pair of slits can be arranged in the cylindrical rotating portion at a phase of 180 °, only one component can be accommodated at a time, and a rotation for discharging one component at a time. Since the angle is as large as 90 ° one way, the number of parts supplied per unit time is limited.

Further, in the case of a vibratory feeder or a bulk feeder, parts may come into contact with each other to cause chipping of the parts, or foreign matter may be mixed during the transportation. Since the direction changing mechanism does not have a function of removing such a foreign substance including a chip or an abnormal part with a chip, the foreign substance may be caught between the rotating part and the fixed part, or the abnormal part may be in the horizontal direction. It may be discharged to the directional component feed path. If foreign matter gets stuck between the rotating part and the fixed part, it is necessary to stop the component supply device and remove the foreign material, which will reduce not only the operation rate of the component supply device but also the operation rate of the next process. become.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a component supply apparatus capable of supplying a rectangular component having directionality at high speed and in a stable manner with its directionality aligned.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a component supply device according to the present invention has a ring portion that rotates intermittently at a predetermined angle in a fixed direction.
A plurality of component storage portions having a predetermined cross-section penetrating the inner and outer circumferences are radially arranged, and a rectangular component having directionality in at least one of the front-back direction, the front-rear direction, or the left-right direction is formed into a rectangular component having this directionality. A rotary table for storing the component in the component storage unit as a single item in the radial direction of the ring portion in one direction, and connecting to the component storage portion at a first rotation position on the outer peripheral side of the ring portion, and A component supply unit that supplies the component to the component storage unit; a direction determination unit that determines a direction of the component supplied from the component supply unit; and a component storage unit on an inner peripheral side of the ring unit. And a communication passage which is connected at the second and third rotational positions and has a cross section substantially equal to those of the component storage portions, and is provided on the outer peripheral side of the component storage portion at the second rotational position, and Positive pressure air A first nozzle for supplying air, a second nozzle provided in the middle of the communication passage, for supplying positive-pressure air to the communication passage, and a component rotation portion and a third rotation position on the outer peripheral side of the ring portion. And a component discharge unit for discharging the component from the connected component storage unit,
The first and second nozzles are selectively actuated based on the discrimination signal of the orientation discriminating means, and directly from the component storage section at the third rotation position or the component storage at the second rotation position. And a direction aligning mechanism for discharging a part having a uniform direction in the one direction to the component discharging part from the part through the communication passage.

That is, a ring portion in which a plurality of component storage portions are radially arranged is intermittently rotated in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle, and at least a first rotation position from the component supply portion at a first rotation position.
A rectangular component having directionality in one direction, the direction having the directionality is oriented in the radial direction of the ring portion, and stored separately in the component storage portion, and the direction of this directionality is determined by the direction determination means, Based on the determination result, the first and second nozzles are selectively operated, directly from the component storage unit at the third rotation position, or from the component storage unit at the second rotation position via the communication passage, Parts with the same orientation are discharged to the parts discharge section. By arranging this directional alignment mechanism at the discharge end of a vibratory feeder or a bulk feeder, or at a connection portion of a combination thereof, the rectangular components are aligned in the direction of the one direction, at a high speed, and A component supply device that can stably supply the component can be provided.

As the direction determining means, a photoelectric sensor,
Line sensors, image processing devices, etc. can be adopted,
When using an image processing device, CC
A D (Charge Coupled Device) camera can be used.

[0014] By setting the phase angle between the second rotational position and the third rotational position to be not less than 90 ° and not more than 180 °, the communication passage can be designed to have a smooth shape. The communication passage does not necessarily need to pass through the center of the ring portion. Also, regarding the arrangement order of the respective rotational positions, it is not always necessary to arrange the second rotational position on the first rotational position side ahead of the third rotational position, and the second rotational position is determined by the third rotational position. It can also be located behind the position.

[0015] By providing a foreign matter removing mechanism for removing abnormal parts or foreign matter entering the parts storage part at the first rotation position from the parts supply part, the abnormal parts are mixed into the parts discharge part and the direction of the foreign matter. It is possible to prevent the alignment mechanism from being caught in the rotating part.

The foreign matter removing mechanism includes a stopper at an inner peripheral end of the component storage portion at the first rotation position for restraining the movement of the component toward an inner peripheral outer side of the component storage portion. A stopper moving means for retreating from the inner peripheral end, a means for removing the abnormal component or foreign substance to the inner peripheral side of the component storage portion, and a foreign substance removal for introducing the abnormal component or foreign substance to the inner peripheral side. And a part consisting of the same. The stopper moving means moves the stopper toward the inner peripheral end, for example, like a lift valve,
Various types can be used, such as one that retracts, one that slides a stopper to the side of the inner peripheral end, such as a slide valve, and one that rotates a stopper, such as a butterfly valve.

The stopper moving means moves the stopper forward and backward toward the inner peripheral end, and the forward and backward strokes are set to approximately 1/2 to 2 times the dimension in the direction having the directionality of the component. By setting it to / 3, short abnormal parts and small foreign matter can be eliminated with a simple design.

By changing the rotation stop time of the intermittent rotation of the ring portion in accordance with the direction of the direction of the component stored in the component storage portion at the second rotation position determined by the direction determining means. In addition, the processing time in the direction alignment mechanism can be shortened, and the number of parts supplied per unit time can be increased. That is, when the components stored in the component storage unit at the second rotation position are in the opposite direction and do not pass through the communication passage, only the components are directly discharged from the component storage unit at the third rotation position, Since the time required for discharging the components is short, in such a case, by changing the rotation stop time to a short time, it is possible to eliminate waste time.

In the fourth rotation position closer to the front of the second and third rotation positions from the first rotation position in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the ring portion, A third nozzle for supplying positive pressure air from the circumferential side is provided,
By connecting a component rejection port to the outer peripheral side of the component storage portion at the fourth rotation position, the undischarged component does not remain in the component storage portion that returns to the first rotation position after one rotation,
In the first rotation position, a component newly stored in the component storage unit interferes with an undischarged component, thereby preventing a trouble that the rotary table is stopped or the component is broken, and an operation rate of the component supply device. Can be improved.

At the first rotation position, there is provided a component suction portion which communicates with the inner peripheral side of the component storage portion and suctions the component from the component supply portion to the component storage portion at the first rotation position by negative pressure. Thus, the time for storing the component in the component storage unit can be shortened, the tip of the component is pressed against the inner peripheral end of the component storage unit, the posture is stabilized, and the detection accuracy of the direction determination unit can be improved. .

The detecting end of the direction discriminating means is located at a position nearer to the inner peripheral end of the component storage portion at the first rotation position by a distance substantially equal to a length dimension in a direction in which the component has directionality. Then, the component that is sucked by the component suction unit and whose leading end is pressed against the inner peripheral end of the component storage unit is determined by the orientation determination unit to determine whether or not the component has a normal length. It is possible to determine whether the component stored in the component storage unit from the supply unit is a normal component.

A fourth nozzle for supplying positive-pressure air is provided at a position near the ring portion side of the component supply portion, and a component whose tip is pressed against an inner peripheral end of the component storage portion is provided with the direction determining means. When it is determined that the part is not a normal length dimension, the part is determined to be an abnormal part or a foreign matter, and positive pressure air is supplied from the fourth nozzle, so that a subsequent part enters the part storage part. This can be prevented, and the part determined to be an abnormal part or foreign matter can be separated from subsequent parts and reliably excluded.

As means for removing the abnormal component or foreign matter stored in the component storage portion, the ring portion is rotated in the reverse direction so that the component is removed from the component removal port at the fourth rotation position. Elimination methods can be employed.

[0024] Means for enabling supply of positive-pressure air to the component suction unit and opening the bottom of the component supply unit is provided, and the component whose tip is pressed against the inner peripheral end of the component storage unit is the direction discriminating unit. When it is determined that the length is not a normal length, this part is determined to be an abnormal part or foreign matter, and this is pushed back to the part supply unit by the positive pressure air, and the bottom of the part supply unit is opened. Alternatively, a method of excluding from this opening can be adopted.

The direction aligning mechanism is disposed in an opening space provided in the middle of the track of the linear feeder and supported on a stand independent of the linear feeder, and the component supply section is provided upstream of the track, and the component supply section is provided upstream of the track. By connecting the component discharge section to the components, the direction of the direction of the components can be aligned in one feeder, and the component supply device can be made compact and inexpensive.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 to 10 show a first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a rectangular component 1 supplied to the next process by this component supply device. This part 1 has a slightly flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is deflected toward the front side toward the front side.
And has directionality in the front-back direction and the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG.
A vibratory bowl feeder 2 for arranging the parts 1 to be put in a line, and a part 1 connected to a discharge end of the bowl feeder 2
And a chute 4 connected to the discharge end of the direction alignment device 3 and supplying the component 1 to the next process.

As shown in FIG. 3, a narrow portion 5a is provided in the middle of the track 5 of the bowl feeder 2, and the torsion vibration of the bowl feeder 2 causes the track 5 to be directed in a stable longitudinal direction. The part 1 to be transferred has a narrow portion 5a.
Are arranged in a line. A photoelectric sensor 6 for determining the front and back of the component 1 is provided on the entrance side of the narrow portion 5a. When the photoelectric sensor 6 detects the component 1 facing backward, the nozzle 7 injects positive pressure air from the nozzle 7. , The back-facing part 1 is eliminated and only the front-facing part 1 is transferred to its discharge end.

The direction alignment device 3 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a fixed base 10 provided with a supply groove 8 as a component supply unit and a discharge groove 9 as a component discharge unit connected to the discharge end of the bowl feeder 2, and a fixed base 1
0, a rotary table 14 in which a plurality of storage grooves 13 are radially provided in the outer ring portion 12 as component storage portions. It is basically composed of a fixed disk 16 provided with a communication groove 15 as a communication passage communicating the two storage grooves 13 and a rotary actuator 17 for rotating the rotary table 14 in one direction. The rotation actuator 17 is
The rotary table 1 is adjusted in accordance with the phase of a storage groove 13 described later.
4 is intermittently rotated clockwise by 45 °.

The supply groove 8, the discharge groove 9, and the communication groove 15
Are formed slightly larger than the cross-section in the width direction of the component 1, and the upper surface side of each of the grooves 8, 9, 15 is covered with a transparent plastic plate 18 attached to the fixing base 10. A rotary actuator 17 is also attached to the bottom of the fixed base 10, and its drive shaft 19 is connected to the rotary table 14 through a hole 20.

The storage grooves 13 penetrate the inner and outer peripheries of the ring portion 12 and are provided at eight phases at a 45 ° phase. The storage grooves 13 are connected to the supply grooves 8 at the first rotation position at the storage groove 13 a. As a result, the second rotational position is at a position of 45 ° clockwise,
The third rotation position is arranged at a position 135 ° from the second rotation position. The storage groove 1 at the second and third rotation positions
The communication groove 15 is connected to the inner peripheral sides of the grooves 3b and 13c, and the discharge groove 9 is connected to the outer peripheral side of the storage groove 13c at the third rotation position. On the outer peripheral side of the storage groove 13b at the second rotation position,
The first nozzle 2 that supplies positive pressure air to the storage groove 13b
1 is provided, and a second nozzle 22 that supplies positive pressure air to the communication groove 15 is provided in the middle of the communication groove 15.

An optical sensor 23 for detecting whether or not the component 1 has been supplied from the supply groove 8 is provided above the storage groove 13a.
And a pair of photoelectric sensors 24a and 24b for detecting the presence or absence of the characteristic portion 1a on the surface of the component and determining the front and rear directions of the component 1 in the storage groove 13a are arranged. An optical sensor 25 for detecting whether or not the component 1 is normally ejected from the turntable 14 is disposed. Note that instead of the pair of two photoelectric sensors 24a and 24b,
Line sensors arranged in the radial direction of the storage groove 13a can also be used.

Each of the sensors 23, 24a, 24b, 25
Are input to a controller (not shown). Based on these detection signals, the controller detects the first and second nozzles 21 and 22 based on these detection signals as described later.
Is selectively actuated, and the part 1 whose front-rear direction is aligned forward is discharged to the discharge groove 9 directly from the storage groove 13c or via the communication groove 15 from the storage groove 13b, and the rotary actuator 17 is moved. Drive and turn table 1
4 is rotated intermittently clockwise.

At the outer periphery of the fixed disk 16 facing the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a, a notch 26 as a foreign matter removing portion is provided.
The notch 26 is provided with a stopper 28 that moves forward and backward toward the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a by the linear motion actuator 27. The linear actuator 27 is operated by the controller, and its operation stroke is set to １ ／ to の of the length of the component 1. In addition, as the linear motion actuator 27,
An air cylinder, an electromagnetic actuator, or the like can be used.

When the stopper 28 is retracted, abnormal parts and small foreign matters which are short due to chipping fall into the notch 26. The notch 26 is formed so as to penetrate to the lower surface of the fixed disk 16, and abnormal components and foreign substances that fall into the notch 26 from the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13 a due to the retreat of the stopper 28 are removed from the rotary table 14. It is discharged to the outside through exclusion holes 29 and 30 provided at the bottom of the fixed base 10, respectively. In addition, the exclusion hole 29 of the rotary table 14
Are provided at eight positions in accordance with the circumferential position of each storage groove 13.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, a description will be given of a method of discharging the component 1 in which the front and rear directions are aligned forward by the controller.

FIG. 5 shows a case where only the inner photoelectric sensor 24a detects the characteristic portion 1a of the component 1 and the component 1 in the storage groove 13a supplied from the supply groove 8 is determined to be forward. In this case, the rotary table 14 rotates 45 °,
When the component 1 reaches the position of the storage groove 13b, positive pressure air is supplied from the first nozzle 21 to the storage groove 13b, and the component 1 is discharged to the discharge groove 9 via the communication groove 15 and the storage groove 13c.

FIG. 6 shows a case where only the outer peripheral side photoelectric sensor 24b detects the characteristic portion 1a of the component 1 and the component 1 in the storage groove 13a supplied from the supply groove 8 is determined to be backward. In this case, when the rotary table 14 rotates by 180 ° and the component 1 comes to the position of the storage groove 13c, the positive pressure air is supplied from the second nozzle 22 to the communication groove 15, and the component 1
Is directly discharged to the discharge groove 9.

If the two photoelectric sensors 24a and 24b both detect the characteristic portion 1a or do not detect the characteristic portion 1a, the controller determines that the component is an abnormal component and retreats the stopper 28 so that the stopper 28 is retracted. Drop it into the notch 26.

Although FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate only one component 1 for easy understanding of the description, the components 1 are actually supplied to the storage groove 13a one after another. Therefore, depending on the combination of the directions of the components 1 to be supplied, the components 1 may be simultaneously present in the storage grooves 13b and 13c. In this case, the component 1 remaining without being discharged to the storage groove 13c is only the rearward one, and the component 1 existing in the storage groove 13b may be forward or rearward.

FIG. 7 shows a case where the component 1 existing in the storage groove 13b faces backward. In this case, positive pressure air is supplied from the second nozzle 22 to the communication groove 15, and only the component 1 of the storage groove 13 c is discharged to the discharge groove 9. The storage groove 13b
The component 1 is pressed to the outer peripheral side by the positive pressure air and remains in the storage groove 13b as it is.

FIG. 8 shows a case where the component 1 existing in the storage groove 13b faces forward. In this case, positive pressure air is supplied from the first nozzle 21 to the storage groove 13b, and the storage groove 13b
Is sent out from the communication groove 15 to the storage groove 13c, and the force of the positive pressure air for sending out the part 1 causes the storage groove 1 to be moved.
The component 1 of the storage groove 3c and the component 1 of the storage groove 13b also have
Is discharged.

The graphs of FIGS. 9 and 10 show the timing of the intermittent drive of the rotary actuator 17 by the controller and the timing of the supply of the positive pressure air from each of the nozzles 21 and 22. Rotary actuator 17
Is a sensor 2 for detecting the presence or absence of the component 1 in the storage groove 13a.
When the detection signal S of No. 3 rises, the drive angle α
And intermittent trapezoidal drive (acceleration / deceleration drive).

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.
When the forward-facing component 1 arrives at 3b, as shown in FIG. 9, when the rotary actuator 17 indicated by an arrow in the drawing is stopped, positive pressure air is supplied from the first nozzle 21 and the flow rate thereof is increased. Q ₁ is rising, components within housing groove 13b 1
Is discharged to the discharge groove 9 via the communication groove 15 and the storage groove 13c.

The flow rate Q of the positive pressure air from the first nozzle 21
₁ indicates that the new component 1
The time t ₁ until it is detected in, added to it the time t ₂ to allow time for component 1 is discharged from the receiving groove 13b passes through the communication groove 15 and the storage groove 13c, continuous supply by the time t ₁ + t ₂ After that, the rising of the detection signal S of the sensor 23 is confirmed, and the rotary actuator 17 is again intermittently driven. The flow rate Q ₂ of the positive pressure air from the second nozzle 22 is always supplied slightly,
Each of the components 1 protrudes toward the inner peripheral side so as not to be caught on the edge of the communication groove 15.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
When the backward component 1 comes to the position 3b, as shown in FIG. 10, when the rotary actuator 17 indicated by an arrow in the drawing is stopped, positive pressure air is supplied from the second nozzle 22 and the flow rate thereof is increased. Q ₂ is rising, components in the storage groove 13c 1
Only the material is directly discharged into the discharge groove 9.

The flow rate Q of the positive pressure air from the second nozzle 22
₂ indicates that the new component 1 is next placed in the storage groove 13a by the sensor 23.
In a time period t ₁ until it is detected is continued supply, the rise of the detection signal S of the sensor 23 is confirmed, immediately rotary actuator 17 is driven again. Therefore,
In this case, the stop time of the intermittent drive of the rotary actuator 17 is reduced to t ₁ .

FIGS. 11 to 17 show a second embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a square component 31 supplied by the component supply device. This component 31 is a chip component having a regular square pillar shape and a characteristic portion 31a provided on a specific side surface biased toward the front end side, and has directionality in the side surface direction and the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG. 12, the component feeder includes a vibrating bowl feeder 32 for arranging the components 31 to be put in a line, and a vibrating linear feeder 33 connected to the discharge end of the bowl feeder 32. The linear feeder 33 basically includes a direction aligning device 35 that aligns the front-rear direction of the components 31 disposed on an independent stand in an opening space provided in the middle of the track 34 of the linear feeder 33. Have been.

In the middle of the track 36 of the bowl feeder 32, there are provided a plurality of narrow portions 36a for aligning the components 31 in a single-row single layer, and on the downstream side thereof, the components aligned in a single-row single layer. There is provided a longitudinal alignment portion 36b for aligning 31 in the longitudinal direction. Further, on the outermost track 36 on the downstream side, component rollover portions 37 for selectively rolling the components 31 aligned in the longitudinal direction by one angle are provided in three places in series.

As shown in FIG. 13, the longitudinal alignment portion 36b has a V of approximately the same depth as the cross-sectional dimension of the component 31.
It is formed in a groove. As shown in FIG. 13 (a), the part 31 conveyed with its side face directed in the traveling direction falls into the bowl from the upper edge of the V-groove due to vibration and its own weight.
As shown in (b), only the part 31 whose longitudinal direction is directed to the traveling direction is directly conveyed to the downstream side.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, each of the component rollover portions 37 has the component 31 fitted in the longitudinal direction.
It has a W-shaped cross section conveying path having two grooves 38a and 38b, and the parts 31 conveyed from the respective upstream sides are:
As shown in FIG. 14 (a), it fits into the groove 38a on the right side.

A photoelectric sensor 39 is installed diagonally to the upper right of the right groove 38a toward the upper right side surface 40a of the component 31, and a nozzle 41 is provided in a W-shaped cross section where the right end of the upper right side surface 40a contacts. Is provided toward the upper right end of the component 31.

The photoelectric sensor 39 receives the reflected light from the upper right side surface 40a, and the positive pressure air is injected from the nozzle 41 only when the amount of received light is higher than a predetermined threshold value. At this time, the part 31
Is rolled over by one angle in the left groove 38b.

The parts 31 fitted in the two grooves 38a and 38b are configured so that their cross sections wrap each other in a conveyance path having a W-shaped cross section, and the downstream side thereof has a transition as shown in FIG. The channel is connected and the two grooves 38a, 38b
Gradually come together to form one V-groove 42 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the components 31 distributed to the two grooves 38a and 38b depending on the presence or absence of the rollover are smoothly aligned in the downstream V-groove 42 without overlapping in the width direction of the W-shaped cross section.

The state of the part 31 shown in FIG. 14A is in the first part rollover part 37, and the part 31 conveyed to the part rollover part 37 from the longitudinal alignment part 36b is located on the side surface thereof. Since the orientation is random, the possible portion 43 of the feature portion 31a is divided into four side surfaces 40a, 40
b, 40c, 40d. As described above, the component 31 is rolled over by one angle only when there is no characteristic portion 31a on the upper right side surface 40a. Therefore, the upper left side surface 40b of the component 31 rolled over by the left groove 38b can have the characteristic portion 31a. There is no part 43. In addition, since the characteristic portion 31a of the component 31 that passes through the right groove 38a as it is exists on the upper right side surface 40a, the upper left side surface 40b has no possible portion 43. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14B, the upper left side surface 40b of the component 31 aligned in a row in the V-groove 42 on the downstream side
Are all available.

The same operation as described above is repeated in the second and third component roll-over portions 37, and although not shown, the components 31 aligned in the V-grooves 42 of the second component roll-over portion 37 are:
The upper left side surface 40b and the lower left side surface 40c have no possible portion 43, and the component 31 aligned with the V groove 42 of the third component rollover portion 37 further has the lower right side surface 40d.
There is no. Therefore, all of the components 31 that have passed through the three component rollover portions 37 have the characteristic portions 31a in the upper right side surface 40a.
And sent to the straight feeder 33.

The direction alignment device 35 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the feed groove 8 of the component 31 is supported on a stand 35 a independent of the linear feeder 33, and the supply groove 8 of the component 31 is on the upstream side of the track 34 of the linear feeder 33, and the discharge groove 9 is on the downstream side of the track 34. It is connected. Since the basic configuration and the direction alignment function are the same as those of the direction alignment apparatus 3 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. Only the configurations and functions different from those of the direction alignment device 3 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In the direction aligning device 35, a component suction unit 45 switchably connected to both a positive pressure source and a negative pressure source via a pipeline 44 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the storage groove 13a at the first rotation position. That is, only one photoelectric sensor 24 for determining the presence or absence of the characteristic portion 31a on the side surface of the component is disposed at a position substantially equal to the length of the component 31 from the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a. On the inner peripheral side of the storage groove 13d at the fourth rotation position rotated clockwise by 270 ° starting from the storage groove 13a,
A third nozzle 46 for supplying positive pressure air is provided, a component exclusion port 47 is connected to the outer peripheral side of the storage groove 13d, and an air cylinder 48 in which a foreign matter exclusion portion is incorporated at the bottom of the supply groove 8 And a bottom plate 49 that is raised and lowered by an air cylinder 48, which is different from the direction alignment device 3 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), in a normal state, the bottom plate 49 is set at a raised position in accordance with the bottom surface of the supply groove 8 by the air cylinder 48, and the component suction portion 45 is set at the negative pressure. Connected to the source. Parts 31 fed into the supply groove 8 from the upstream track 34 of the linear feeder 33
Is quickly sucked to the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a by the negative pressure of the component suction part 45, and the optical sensor 23
When the storage in the housing is confirmed, the photoelectric sensor 24 detects the presence / absence of the characteristic portion 31a to determine the front-back direction, and the turntable 14 is intermittently rotated.
In the same manner as described above, the paper is discharged to the discharge groove 9 with the front-rear direction aligned frontward, and is fed to the downstream track 34 of the linear feeder 33.

When there is no negative pressure in the component suction part 45, the component 31 reaches the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a in a state of being connected to the subsequent component 31, and the most advanced component that has entered the storage groove 13a. Only 31 is cut out from the subsequent part 31 by intermittent rotation of the turntable 14. At this time, the part 31 to be cut out and the part 31 immediately after the part 31 rub against each other at the end faces, and there is a problem that the end face of the part 31 is finely scratched. On the other hand, when the component 31 is quickly sucked to the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a by the negative pressure of the component suction unit 45, the leading-edge component 31 reaching the inner peripheral end of the storage groove 13a.
Since a gap is formed between the rotary table 14 and the component 31 immediately after that, there is an advantage that when the rotary table 14 is intermittently rotated, contact between its end faces can be avoided.

The positive pressure air is always supplied from the third nozzle 46. If there is a part 31 which is not discharged to the discharge groove 9 and remains in the storage groove 13d at the fourth rotation position, This is removed from the component removal port 47, and the storage groove 13a that returns to the first rotation position is emptied, so that the subsequent component 31 sucked into the storage groove 13a does not interfere with the remaining component 31. .

As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, when the short abnormal part 31 ′ is sucked into the storage groove 13 a, when the storage is detected by the optical sensor 23, the photoelectric sensor 2
4 does not detect anything. In such a case, the abnormal part 3
When it is determined that 1 ′ or the foreign matter is stored in the storage groove 13a, the component suction unit 45 is switched and connected to the positive pressure source, and the abnormal component 31 ′ is pushed back to the supply groove 8 by the positive pressure air. At this time, as shown by a dashed line in FIG.
Is lowered by the air cylinder 48, and the abnormal component 31 ′ is removed from the bottom of the supply groove 8.

FIGS. 18A and 18B show a modified example of the direction aligning device 35 of the second embodiment. In this modification, the rotation table 14 can be rotated in the reverse direction,
Is provided with a fourth nozzle 50 for supplying positive pressure air at the bottom of the ring portion 12 side, and instead of the photoelectric sensor 24 for detecting the direction of the component 31 in the storage groove 13a, an image processing device is provided. The second embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that a CCD camera 51 which is a detection end (not shown) is arranged. The component suction unit 45 is always connected to a negative pressure source,
No air cylinder 48 and bottom plate 49 are provided. Since the other parts are the same as those of the second embodiment, FIG.
6 (a) and 6 (b).

In this modification, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 19, the image of the component 31 in the storage groove 13a photographed by the CCD camera 51 is subjected to two image inspections of the front side and the rear side by the image processing apparatus. Image processing is performed separately on the areas 52a and 52b. When the characteristic part 31a is recognized in the image inspection area 52a, the component 31 is determined to be forward, and when the characteristic part 31a is recognized in the image inspection area 52b, it is determined to be backward.

When the component 31 in the storage groove 13a is determined to be the abnormal component 31 'as described above by the image processing, the positive pressure air is supplied from the fourth nozzle 50,
The subsequent component 31 is prevented from entering the storage groove 13a, and in this state, the rotary table 14 is rotated counterclockwise and the storage groove 13 storing the abnormal component 31 'reaches the fourth rotation position, The abnormal component 31 ′ is removed from the storage groove 13 d at the fourth rotation position by the third nozzle 46 into the component removal port 4.
Rejected to 7. Other functions are the same as those of the second embodiment.

In each of the embodiments described above, the directional alignment mechanism for aligning the directionality of the components is provided between the discharge end of the vibratory bowl feeder and the vibrating linear feeder so that the front and rear directions of the rectangular components are aligned. However, although the direction alignment mechanism is a bulk feeder or a combination thereof in addition to the vibratory feeder, it can be incorporated in a desired portion, and can be used for aligning the front and back and left and right directions.

Further, eight component storage portions of the ring portion of the direction alignment mechanism are provided with a phase of 45 °, and the phase angle between the second rotation position and the third rotation position is set to 135 °. Can be provided in a plurality of arbitrary phases, and the phase angle between the second and third rotational positions can also be arbitrarily set preferably in the range of 90 ° to 180 °.

Further, the communication passage connecting the component storage portions at the second and third rotation positions passes through the center of the ring portion. However, the communication passage does not necessarily need to pass through the center of the ring portion. Any path can be designed smoothly.

[0070]

As described above, the component supply device of the present invention intermittently rotates a ring portion, in which a plurality of component storage portions are radially arranged, by a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction, and moves the ring from the component supply portion to the first position. At the rotation position, the rectangular component having directionality in at least one direction is stored as a single piece in the component storage portion with the direction having the directionality directed in the radial direction of the ring portion, and the direction of the directionality is oriented. The first and second nozzles are selectively actuated based on the result of the determination by the determining means, directly from the component storage at the third rotation position, or directly from the component storage at the second rotation position. Via the access passage from
Since the directional alignment mechanism is provided for discharging the components having the same directional direction to the component discharge unit, the rectangular components can be supplied in the same direction at a high speed and stably.

Further, by providing an elimination mechanism for eliminating an abnormal component or foreign matter entering the component storage section at the first rotational position from the component supply section, the abnormal component is mixed into the component discharge section and the foreign matter is aligned in the direction. By preventing the mechanism from being caught in the rotating part, the operation rate of the component supply device itself and the next process in which components are supplied from the component supply device can be stably secured at a high level.

Further, by changing the rotation stop time of the intermittent rotation of the ring portion in accordance with the direction of the direction of the component stored in the component storage portion at the second rotation position determined by the direction determining means. In addition, the processing time in the direction alignment mechanism can be shortened, and the number of parts supplied per unit time can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a square component supplied by a component supply device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the component supply device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an enlarged main part of the vibratory bowl feeder of FIG. 2;

4A is a plan view showing the direction alignment device of FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner, and FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a component discharging method of the direction aligning device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a component discharging method of the direction aligning device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a component discharging method of the direction aligning device in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a component discharging method of the direction aligning device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating operation timings of a rotary actuator and a nozzle of the direction alignment device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating operation timings of a rotary actuator and a nozzle of the direction alignment device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing a square component supplied by the component supply device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a component supply device according to a second embodiment.

13A and 13B are cross-sectional views each showing a longitudinally aligned portion in FIG. 12;

14A is a cross-sectional view of the part roll-over portion of FIG. 12, and FIG.

FIG. 15 is an external perspective view of the rollover part of FIG. 12;

16A is an enlarged plan view showing the direction aligning device of FIG. 12, and FIG.

17A is an enlarged plan view showing the direction aligning device of FIG. 12, and FIG.

18A is a plan view showing a modification of the direction aligning device of FIG. 16, and FIG.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of an image captured by the CCD camera in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a partially omitted front view showing a conventional component supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Component 1a Characteristic part 2 Bowl feeder 3 Direction alignment device 4 Chute 5 Track 5a Narrow part 6 Sensor 7 Nozzle 8 Supply groove 9 Drain groove 10 Fixing base 11 Concave part 12 Ring part 13, 13a, 13b, 13c Storage groove 14 Rotary table DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Connection groove 16 Fixed disk 17 Rotary actuator 18 Plastic plate 19 Drive shaft 20 Hole 21, 22 Nozzle 23, 24, 24a, 24b, 25 Sensor 26 Notch 27 Linear actuator 28 Stopper 29, 30 Exclusion hole 31 Parts 31 '' Abnormal parts 31a Features 32 Bowl feeder 33 Straight feeder 34 Track 35 Direction alignment device 35a Mount 36 Track 36a Narrow part 36b Longitudinal alignment part 37 Parts rollover part 38a, 38b Groove 39 Sensor 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d Side surface 4 Nozzle 42 V grooves 43 can exist unit 44 the conduit 45 parts suction portion 46 the nozzle 47 parts eliminates port 48 the air cylinder 49 bottom plate 50 nozzle 51 CCD cameras 52a, 52b an image inspection area

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshio Kogusu 1578 Higashikaizuka, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka F-term in NTN Corporation (reference) 5E313 AA03 AA21 CC02 CC04 CD04 CD06 DD02 DD03 DD06 DD07 DD10 DD23 DD42 DD50

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A ring part which intermittently rotates by a predetermined angle at a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of component storage parts having a predetermined cross section penetrating the inner and outer circumferences of the ring part are radially arranged on the ring part. A rotary table for storing a rectangular component having directionality in at least one of the direction and the left-right direction in the component storage portion as a single item in one direction having the directionality in a radial direction of the ring portion. A component supply unit connected to the component storage unit at a first rotation position on the outer peripheral side of the ring unit, and supplying the component to the connected component storage unit; and a component supply unit supplied from the component supply unit. A direction discriminating means for discriminating the direction of the component, and connected to the component storage portion at the second and third rotational positions on the inner peripheral side of the ring portion, and having a cross section substantially equal to these component storage portions. Access passage A first nozzle that is provided on the outer peripheral side of the component storage portion at the second rotation position and supplies positive pressure air to the component storage portion; and a first nozzle that is provided in the middle of the communication passage. A second nozzle for supplying pressurized air, and a component discharge portion connected to the component storage portion at a third rotation position on the outer peripheral side of the ring portion and discharging the component from the connected component storage portion. And selectively operating the first and second nozzles based on the discrimination signal of the direction discriminating means, directly from the component storage section at the third rotation position or at the second rotation position. A component supply device provided with a direction alignment mechanism for discharging a component having a uniform direction in the one direction from the component storage unit to the component discharge unit through the communication passage. 2. The component supply device according to claim 1, wherein a phase angle between the second rotation position and the third rotation position is not less than 90 ° and not more than 180 °. 3. The component supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a foreign matter removing mechanism configured to remove an abnormal component or foreign matter entering the component storage unit at the first rotation position from the component supply unit. 4. A stopper for restraining the movement of the component to the inside and outside of the component storage portion at an inner peripheral end of the component storage portion at the first rotation position, the foreign matter removing mechanism comprising: A stopper moving means for retreating from the inner peripheral end, a means for removing the abnormal component or foreign matter to the inner peripheral side of the component storage portion, and a foreign substance to which the abnormal component or foreign substance is removed to the inner peripheral side 4. The component supply device according to claim 3, further comprising an elimination unit. 5. The stopper moving means moves the stopper forward and backward toward the inner peripheral end,
5. The component supply device according to claim 4, wherein the forward and backward strokes are set to approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of a dimension of the component in a direction having directionality. 6. The intermittent rotation stop time of the ring portion is changed according to the direction of the direction of the component stored in the component storage portion at the second rotation position determined by the direction determining means. The component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. The component storage unit at a fourth rotation position closer to the rotation direction of the ring portion than the second and third rotation positions from the first rotation position. 7. A component nozzle according to claim 1, wherein a third nozzle for supplying positive pressure air is provided from the inner peripheral side of the component, and a component removing port is connected to an outer peripheral side of the component storage portion at the fourth rotational position. Parts supply equipment. 8. The first rotation position communicates with an inner peripheral side of the component storage unit, and the component is supplied from the component supply unit to the first storage unit.
The component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a component suction unit that suctions by a negative pressure is provided in the component storage unit at the rotation position. 9. A detection end of the direction discriminating means, wherein
From the inner peripheral end of the component storage portion at the rotation position, the component is disposed at a position nearer by a distance substantially equal to the length dimension in the direction in which the component has directionality, sucked by the component suction portion, and 9. The component supply device according to claim 8, wherein the component whose tip is pressed against the inner peripheral end of the component has a normal length or not by the orientation determination unit. 10. A fourth nozzle for supplying positive pressure air at a position near the ring portion side of the component supply unit, wherein a component whose tip is pressed against an inner peripheral end of the component storage unit is in the direction. When it is determined by the determination means that the length is not a normal length, the part is determined to be an abnormal part or a foreign substance, and positive pressure air is supplied from the fourth nozzle, and the subsequent part is supplied to the part storage unit. 10. The component supply device according to claim 9, wherein the component supply device is prevented from entering, and the component determined to be the abnormal component or foreign matter is excluded. 11. A means for removing an abnormal component or a foreign object stored in the component storage unit, rotating the ring unit in a reverse direction, and removing the component removal port at the fourth rotation position. The component supply device according to claim 10, wherein the component supply device is excluded from the components. 12. A means for enabling supply of positive pressure air to said component suction unit, means for opening a bottom of said component supply unit, wherein a component whose tip is pressed against an inner peripheral end of said component storage unit is oriented in said direction. When it is determined that the length is not a normal length by the determination means, this part is determined to be an abnormal part or foreign matter,
This is pushed back to the component supply unit by the positive pressure air,
The component supply device according to claim 9, wherein a bottom of the component supply unit is opened and removed from the opening. 13. The directional alignment mechanism is disposed in an opening space provided in the middle of a track of a linear feeder and supported by a stand independent of the linear feeder, and the component supply unit is provided upstream of the track. The component supply device according to claim 1, wherein the component discharge unit is connected to a downstream side.