JP2003237929A - Work aligning device and work aligning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work aligning device and a work aligning method in which works can be continuously aligned in the same direction in a short time. <P>SOLUTION: The work aligning device in which a large number of works W with identification marks M formed on one end face in the longitudinal direction are aligned so that the identification marks M are directed in the same direction comprises a linear feeder (a work carrying means) 2 which continuously carries the works W straight so that the longitudinal direction of the works is directed in the carrying direction, a rotary drum (a work rotating means) 3 which rotates the works so that the end face 5 of each carried work W is exposed outwardly between the take-in position A and the discharge position B, a camera 4 which picks up the image of the end face 5 of each work W while the work W is rotated from the take-in position A to the discharge position B, an identification mark determination unit 6 which determines presence/absence of the identification mark M of the end face 5 from the picked-up image, and outputs an inversion signal (a) if there is no identification mark M, and an inverting means (a work inverting means) 7 which inverts the work W discharged on the discharge position B based on the inversion signal (a) so that the identification mark M is directed in the same direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped or columnar chip block shape, and linearly directs workpieces in which one end face in the longitudinal direction of the chip block is discriminatively oriented in the same direction. The present invention relates to a work aligning device and a work aligning method for aligning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an electronic component or the like having a polarity in a specific axial direction, as shown in FIG. 5, an end face of an electronic component (hereinafter, referred to as a work) W having the polarity is formed so as to be distinguishable. I have to. This identification is often made by providing an identification mark M on one end surface. Note that this identification may be performed, for example, by coloring only the end face, forming a slit or a shaft hole in the end face, or making the shape and area of the end face different from other end faces.

When the works W having the identification marks M as described above are automatically assembled to the chip substrate by a component mounting device or the like, it is necessary to supply the works W so that the identification marks M are aligned in the same direction. There is.

As a method for aligning works in the same direction, conventionally, there has been a method in which the works W are aligned in a straight line and conveyed while the works are aligned in the same direction.

Further, as an apparatus in which the work W is rotated and the polarities thereof are aligned in the same direction, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-
In JP-A-236988, an index table for storing and holding a work is intermittently rotated, the index table is stopped when the work is positioned at a polarity reversing portion, the work is transferred to the reversing table, and then rotated by 180 degrees for orientation. There has been proposed an aligning device that reverses and returns to the index table and then restarts rotation.

[0006]

However, when the works are aligned in the same direction while being linearly aligned and conveyed, as shown in FIG. 4, the end faces of the works W are hidden from each other and the identification mark M is seen from the outside. The identification mark M cannot be identified.
It is difficult to align the directions. Therefore, an offline method is adopted in which each work is individually taken out and the work is discriminated by looking at the identification mark on the end face of the work.
This requires a complicated mechanism and makes it difficult to perform the alignment processing at high speed. That is, it is necessary to have a complicated mechanism in itself for picking up one work from a work row arranged in a straight line.

Further, in order to detect the orientation of the work by comparing the picked-up image of the end face of the work with an image registered in advance, it is necessary to position the work with a certain degree of accuracy, and this positioning accuracy is low. There is a risk of making a mistake decision. Furthermore, at the position where the work is taken in, the orientation of the work is determined by a reflective photoelectric sensor or image capture,
After that, it is composed of a series of operations in which processing is performed according to the determined result. If one operation is not completed, the next operation cannot be started, and the processing speed becomes slower.

On the other hand, in the case of the device of the above-mentioned conventional publication, the rotation of the index table is stopped every time a work in the opposite direction is found, the work is taken out to the reversing table and reversed, and then returned to the index table again to restart the rotation. Since this is a method of causing the work to be carried out, there is a problem that the carrying work must be stopped every time a work in the opposite direction is found.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a work aligning apparatus and a work aligning method capable of aligning works continuously in the same direction in a short time. .

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work aligning device for aligning a large number of works whose one end face in the longitudinal direction is discriminatively formed so as to face the same preset direction. In the above, between the work conveying means for linearly and continuously conveying each of the above-mentioned works so that the longitudinal direction thereof faces the conveying direction, and the work conveyed to the work take-in position is between the take-in position and the discharge position. Work rotating means for rotating the work with its end face in the longitudinal direction exposed outward, and orientation of the work based on the condition of the end face of the work while the work rotates from the take-in position to the discharge position. And the work discriminating means discriminates that the direction is opposite, and the work ejected to the ejection position is reversed so as to face the predetermined direction. It is characterized in that a chromatography click inverting means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the work rotating means according to the first aspect, a storage portion having a size and a shape capable of storing the work is formed at an outer peripheral portion with a predetermined angular interval in the circumferential direction. The rotary drum is characterized in that the rotary shaft of the rotary drum is oriented in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, a suction passage communicating with the storage portion is formed in the rotary drum, and the suction passage is connected to a vacuum generation source. It has a feature.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, the rotating drum is configured to intermittently rotate between the work intake position and the work discharge position at each angle formed by each of the storage portions. It is characterized by being configured.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the work transfer means causes the standby work to be taken in by separating the standby work standing by after the intake work located at the intake position from the intake work. It is characterized in that a work separation mechanism is provided to prevent the work from following.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the work conveying means applies a conveying force to the work at the take-in position by temporarily stopping the conveyance of the succeeding work located behind the take-in position. It is characterized in that a work edge cutting mechanism for avoiding the occurrence of the work is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the work transfer means comprises a cylindrical body formed with the work transfer path oriented vertically or obliquely, and the work inserted into the cylindrical body is the work. It is characterized in that it is configured to be transported by its own weight.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the work reversing means comprises a pair of claw portions for holding the work ejected to the ejection position and a rotating portion for rotating the claw portions by 180 degrees. It is characterized by being.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the work reversing means includes a tubular portion into which the workpiece ejected at the ejection position can enter, and a rotating portion that rotates the tubular portion by 180 degrees. It is characterized by being.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, in the work aligning method, a plurality of works whose one end faces in the longitudinal direction are formed to be distinguishable are aligned so as to face a predetermined direction set in advance. A work conveying step of linearly and continuously conveying such that the longitudinal direction of the work is oriented in the conveying direction, and the work conveyed to the work take-in position is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the work between the take-in position and the discharge position. A work rotating step of rotating the end surface exposed to the outside, and a work determining step of determining the orientation of the work based on the state of the end surface of the work while the work rotates from the loading position to the discharging position, And a work reversing step of reversing the work ejected to the ejection position so as to face the predetermined direction, the work discriminating step discriminating that the direction is opposite. It is characterized by comprising.

[0020]

According to the work aligning apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, each work is linearly and continuously conveyed, and the conveyed work is taken in so that the end surface is exposed to the outside. While rotating and discharging, the orientation of the work is determined from the state of the end face, and if the orientation of the work is reverse, the discharged work is reversed at the discharge position. The workpieces can be continuously aligned so as to face the same direction without stopping the workpieces, the transport processing time can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved.

That is, since the work conveyed linearly is taken and converted into the rotation conveyance, the end faces of the individual works can be exposed to the outside, and the orientation of the work can be easily discriminated. The mechanism is simpler than the case where the workpieces are picked up from the linearly-arranged workpiece row, and the orientation of the workpieces can be discriminated in a continuous operation, so that the cost can be reduced and the processing speed can be improved.

Further, since the orientation of the work is discriminated while the work rotates from the take-in position to the eject position and the work is reversed when it is ejected to the eject position, the work being conveyed can be stopped or taken out on the way. It is possible to continuously perform the inversion process without the need. As a result, it is possible to shorten the reversal processing time as compared with the case where the work is stopped in the middle of the rotary conveyance, the work is taken out and reversed, and then rotated again as in the conventional publication.

In the present invention, since the mechanisms for serially conveying the work, taking-in rotation, discriminating the direction, and reversing the discharge are independently configured, the respective processes can be performed separately, and the simultaneous process and the high-speed process can be performed. It will be possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the accommodating portions for accommodating the workpieces are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum at predetermined angular intervals, even if the end surfaces of the workpieces are conveyed so as to face each other, The work can be taken in so that the end surface is exposed to the outside, and the work can be discriminated with a simple structure.

Further, since the rotary shaft of the rotary drum is arranged in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, it is possible to take a linearly conveyed work piece as it is and convert it into a rotary conveyance, which is a simple structure. Continuous transport is possible.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the suction passage connected to the vacuum source is connected to the accommodating portion of the rotary drum, the workpiece can be rotatably conveyed while being positioned in the accommodating portion, and the work is misaligned. It is possible to prevent a discrimination error due to the above. Further, since the work is rotatably conveyed while being suction-fixed in the storage portion, the rotation speed of the rotary drum can be increased, and thus high-speed processing can be performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the rotary drum is rotated intermittently, the work can be taken in and discharged smoothly, and the end face can be accurately imaged.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the waiting work waiting after the picking-up work is separated from the picking-up work. Therefore, when the picking-up work is rotationally conveyed, it is possible to prevent the waiting work from floating up. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of chipping or cracking of the work, maintain the appearance quality, prevent the occurrence of equipment error insertion errors, and increase the operating rate.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the conveyance of the succeeding work located on the rear side of the taken-in work is temporarily stopped so that the conveying force does not act on the taken-in work. The generation of cracks can be prevented, and the same effect as that of claim 5 can be obtained.

According to the invention of claim 7, the work transfer means is constituted by a cylindrical body formed with the transfer path oriented vertically or obliquely, and the work is transferred in the cylindrical body by its own weight. It is possible to eliminate the need for a drive unit for doing so and reduce the cost.

In the invention of claim 8, the work reversing means is
Since the claw portion for sandwiching the discharged work at the discharge position and the rotating portion for rotating the claw portion by 180 degrees are formed, the direction of the work can be reversed with a simple structure.

In the invention of claim 9, the work reversing means is
Since it is composed of the cylindrical portion into which the workpiece discharged to the discharging position can enter and the rotating portion that rotates the cylindrical portion by 180 degrees, the direction of the workpiece can be reversed with a simple structure.

According to the aligning method of the tenth aspect of the present invention, the workpieces conveyed linearly continuously are taken in so that the end faces are exposed to the outside, and the taken-in workpieces are rotated and discharged. The orientation of the workpieces is determined, and if the orientations are opposite, the workpieces ejected to the ejection position are reversed. Therefore, the workpieces are continuously made the same without stopping the workpieces during the transfer process. They can be aligned so as to face the direction, and the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
8 is an overall configuration diagram for explaining a work alignment device according to an embodiment of the invention of FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a work aligning device. The work aligning device 1 aligns the works W arranged in the previous process in the same direction and conveys them to the component mounting device in the next process. It is a thing.

The work arranging apparatus 1 has a work transfer section 13 as a work transfer means for linearly and continuously transferring a rectangular parallelepiped work W so that its longitudinal direction is the same as the transfer direction, and The work W transported to the work loading position A by the work transporting unit 13 is loaded into the work loading position A.
Between the work W and the discharge position B for discharging the work W
The rotary drum 3 as a work rotating means for rotating the end surface 5 of the workpiece is exposed to the outside, and it is arranged between the take-in position A and the discharge position B. The work discriminating means for discriminating the direction of the work W based on the state of the end face 5, more specifically, the end face 5 is picked up by the camera 4, and the end face 5 is picked up from the picked-up image.
Of the identification mark M, and if there is no identification mark M, the identification mark determination unit 6 that outputs the inversion processing signal a.
Then, the work W discharged to the discharge position B is inverted based on the inversion processing signal a so that the identification mark M faces the same direction as the conveyance direction, and the inverted work W is output to the next process line. It is provided with a reversing drive section 7 as a work reversing means for transferring to the side linear feeder 8.

The work transfer section 13 is provided with the entrance side linear feeder 2 and the work intake section 9. The entrance side linear feeder 2 is arranged above the conveyor belt 2a, a conveyor belt 2a which is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), guide rails 2b arranged on the left and right sides of the conveyor belt 2a. A horizontal transport path surrounded by the cover 2c.
Are conveyed with the end surfaces 5 contacting each other. Further, the output side linear feeder 8 of the next process line has the same structure as the input side linear feeder 2.

The rotary drum 3 has a cylindrical shape,
The rotary shaft 3a is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the work W and horizontally. Further, the rotary shaft 3a is arranged at a height position where the axis of the rotary shaft 3a intersects with the axis of the work W. A drive motor (not shown) is connected to the rotary shaft 3a, and the rotary drum 3 is driven by the drive motor.
Is driven so as to perform intermittent rotation every 45 degrees.

The outer peripheral wall 3b of the rotary drum 3 is provided with recesses 3c at intervals of 45 degrees. The storage portion 3c is formed in the shape of a square hole having a depth capable of storing the half of the work W in the longitudinal direction.
When the is stored, the end surface 5 is exposed to the outside.

Further, the rotary drum 3 is formed with a suction passage 3d communicating with each storage portion 3c.
A vacuum pump (not shown) is communicatively connected to d. The work W stored in the storage portion 3c is sucked and fixed by the vacuum pump via the suction passage 3d.

The work intake section 9 is arranged between the entrance side linear feeder 2 and the rotary drum 3. The work take-in section 9 has a carrying surface 9a continuous to the carrying path of the linear feeder 2, and the works W are pushed in a state where the end surfaces 5 are in contact with each other, and the work surface 9a is moved above the carrying surface 9a. It is transported to the take-in position A.

When any of the storage portions 3c is positioned at the loading position A due to the intermittent rotation of the rotary drum 3, the loading work W1 transported to the loading position A is pushed into the storage portion 3c and enters. It has become.

A separation mechanism 10 is arranged in the intake section 9. In the separating mechanism 10, a separating member 10a is arranged in the take-in portion 9 so as to be slightly movable in the conveying direction, and a part of the separating member 10a that faces a standby work W2 adjacent to the adjoining work W1 is located. A suction hole 10b is formed, and a vacuum pump (not shown) is communicatively connected to the suction hole 10b.

Then, the work W1 to be taken in is stored in the storage section 3 described above.
When entering c, the waiting work W2 is separated by the separating member 10a.
At the same time as being fixed by vacuum suction, the separating member 10a is slightly moved rearward. As a result, the stand-by work W2 is pulled away from the taken-in work W1, and it is prevented that the stand-by work W2 is dragged when the taken-in work W1 rotationally moves.

The separation amount of the standby work W2 is set to such an extent as to avoid the interference with the fetched work W1. Specifically, for example, when the work size is 3 mm square and the diameter of the rotary drum 3 is 50 mm, it is set to be separated by about 0.3 mm. Here, the separation drive source is not limited to vacuum suction, but a cylinder mechanism or a uniaxial unit can be used, and the separation dimension can be set appropriately according to the work size or the like.

A floating prevention member 11 for preventing the standby work W2 from rising is disposed above the standby work W2.

A work edge cutting mechanism 12 is arranged above the take-in section 9. The edge cutting mechanism 12 includes a cylinder member 12 provided with a cushioning material 12a above, for example, a succeeding work W3 located second behind the waiting work W2.
b is arranged so that it can be raised and lowered.

Then, when the work is taken in, the cylinder member 12b descends and presses the succeeding work W3, so that the movement of the succeeding work W3 is prevented, whereby the standby work W2 and the taking-in work W1 on the front side are prevented. It prevents the carrying force from acting. In addition,
It is also possible to stop pressing the succeeding work W3 with an electromagnetic solenoid.

The camera 4 is arranged vertically above the rotary drum 3 and is configured to take an image of the end surface 5 of the work W that has been rotationally moved to that position. The image captured by the camera 4 is processed by the identification mark discrimination unit 6.

The identification mark discriminating unit 6 compares the identification mark registered in advance with the captured image to determine whether or not the registered image matches the registered image. If the result of this determination is that they do not match, the reversal instruction is recorded together with the work number (for example, number 3) in the storage section 3c, and NG is displayed on the monitor 6a. If they match, only G is displayed on the monitor 6a. The identification mark discriminating unit 6 is configured to output a reversal command a to the reversing drive unit 7 when the storage unit 3c with the work number 3 reaches the ejection position B by rotating.

The reversing drive unit 7 reverses the work W by 180 degrees based on the reversal command a, and a transfer mechanism that transfers the work W rotationally moved to the discharge position B to the delivery linear feeder 8. And both. Specifically, the pair of claw portions 7 that grip the left and right side surfaces of the work W
a, 7a, a transfer unit (not shown) that reciprocates the claw 7a between the discharge position B and the linear feeder 8, and a rotating unit 7b that rotates the claw 7a by 180 degrees.

Then, the claw portion 7a grips the work W discharged to the discharge position B and removes it from the storage portion 3c.
It moves forward and transfers it to the exit side linear feeder 8. When the inversion command a is input, the work W extracted from the discharge position B is rotated by 180 degrees and then transferred to the delivery-side linear feeder 8. In this way, each work W is conveyed to the component mounting portion by the delivery-side linear feeder 8 with the identification mark M oriented in the same direction, and mounted on the chip substrate by the component mounting portion.

Next, a work aligning method by the work aligning apparatus 1 will be described.

Each work W is linearly and continuously transported by the work transporting unit 10 to the loading position A of the work loading unit 9 and loaded into the storage unit 3c of the rotary drum 3 and fixed by vacuum suction. It The work W is converted from linear movement to rotational movement while being positioned and fixed in the storage portion 3c.

In this case, at the same time when the work W is picked up, the standby work W2 is pulled backward and the work W
The drag due to the rotational movement of is avoided. Further, the cylinder member 12b descends to press the succeeding work W3, stop the conveyance of the succeeding work W3, and prevent the conveying force from acting on the standby work W2 on the front side.

When the rotary drum 3 rotates and the work W is positioned vertically above, the camera 4 images the end surface 5 of the work W,
The identification mark discriminating unit 6 discriminates whether or not the image of the end surface 5 picked up and the registered image match, and if they do not match, the reversal command a is recorded together with the work number of the rotary drum 3.

When the rotary drum 3 further rotates and the work W is discharged to the discharge position B, the above-mentioned reversal command a is output, and the reversal drive section 7 receives the work W from the storage section 3c and reverses it by 180 degrees. And transfer to the delivery side linear feeder 8. It is conveyed from the linear feeder 8 to the component mounting portion in the next process. When the inversion command a is not output, the work W at the discharge position B is transferred to the output linear feeder 8 in the same direction. In this way, the identification marks M of all the works W are aligned in the carrying direction.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, each work W is linearly and continuously conveyed, and the conveyed work W is taken in so that the end surface 5 of the work W is exposed to the outside. While rotating to and discharging to the discharge position B,
Since the presence or absence of the identification mark M on the end surface 5 is imaged by the image of the end surface 5 and the work W ejected to the ejection position B is inverted by 180 degrees when the identification mark M is not present,
The workpieces W can be continuously aligned such that the identification marks M are oriented in the same direction without stopping the workpieces W during the transportation process, and the transportation processing time can be shortened and the productivity can be improved.

Since the work W conveyed linearly is taken in and converted into rotational conveyance, the end surface 5 of each work W is
Can be exposed to the outside, the presence / absence of the identification mark M can be easily discriminated, and the mechanism is simple and continuous as compared with the conventional case where the workpieces are picked up from a linearly arranged workpiece row. The identification mark M can be identified during the operation, the cost can be reduced, and the processing speed can be improved.

Further, the presence or absence of the identification mark M is determined while the work W is rotated half a turn from the loading position A to the discharging position B,
Since the work W is reversed when it is ejected to the ejection position B, the reversal process can be continuously performed without stopping or taking out the work being conveyed. As a result, it is possible to shorten the reversal processing time as compared with the case where the work is stopped in the middle of the rotary conveyance, the work is taken out and reversed, and then rotated again as in the conventional publication.

In the present embodiment, since the mechanisms for serially conveying the work W, taking-in rotation, image processing, and discharge reversing mechanism are independently configured, it is possible to perform each processing separately. Processing becomes possible.

In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 3 of the rotary drum 3 is
Since the storage portions 3c for storing the works W are formed at a intervals of 45 degrees in a, the end faces 5 of the respective works W are conveyed even if the end faces 5 of the works W face each other and abut each other.
Can be exposed to the outside.

Further, since the rotary shaft 3a of the rotary drum 3 is arranged in the direction perpendicular to the carrying direction and horizontally, it is possible to take in the work W conveyed in a straight line and convert it into the rotary conveyance. It is possible and can be continuously transported with a simple structure.

In the present embodiment, since the suction passage 3d connected to the vacuum source is connected to each storage portion 3c of the rotary drum 3, the work W is rotated and moved while being positioned in the storage portion 3c. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a misjudgment due to a position shift at the time of imaging. Further, the work W is stored in the storage portion 3c.
Since it is rotatably conveyed in a state of being suction-fixed to, the rotation speed of the rotary drum 3 can be increased, and high-speed processing can be performed accordingly.

Since the rotary drum 3 is rotated intermittently,
Work W take-in and take-out position B at take-in position A
It is possible to smoothly discharge the workpiece W at the same time and to accurately image the end surface 5.

In the present embodiment, the waiting work W2 located adjacent to the rear of the taking-in work W1 is separated from the taking-in work W1, so that the waiting work W2 follows and floats as the taking-up work W1 rotates. It can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent chipping or cracking of the work W, maintain appearance quality, prevent equipment troubles such as insertion errors, and increase the operating rate.

Further, in this embodiment, the work W1 to be taken in is taken in.
By temporarily stopping the conveyance of the succeeding work W3 located at the rear of the work W3, it is possible to prevent the conveyance force from acting on the waiting work W2, the intake work W1, etc., so that the work W1 is chipped or cracked. Can be prevented.

In this embodiment, since the work W is carried by the entrance-side linear feeder 2 formed with the carrying path oriented horizontally, each work W can be linearly continuously carried and carried smoothly.

In the present embodiment, the work W discharged to the discharge position B is clamped by the pair of claw portions 7a, and the claw portion 7a is rotated 180 degrees by the rotating portion 7b so that the direction of the work W is reversed. Therefore, the orientations of the works W can be aligned with a simple structure.

In this embodiment, since the delivery side linear feeder 8 for transferring the work W discharged to the discharge position B to the next process line is provided, the work W having the uniform orientation is directly transferred to the component mounting portion of the next process. It is possible to realize continuous production by automation.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a work aligning device according to an embodiment of the invention of claim 7. In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

The work aligning apparatus of this embodiment has a work transfer means for transferring a rectangular parallelepiped work W linearly and continuously, and the transferred work W is taken in at a take-in position A so that the end surface 5 is outside. The rotary drum 3 that is rotated so as to be exposed to the side and discharged to the discharge position B, the camera 4 that captures an image of the end face 5 of the work W, and the presence or absence of the identification mark M on the end face 5 from the captured image. If there is no identification mark M, the identification mark determination unit that outputs a reversal processing signal and the work W ejected to the ejection position B based on the reversal processing signal have the identification mark M in the same conveying direction. It is provided with a reversing drive unit 7 for reversing so as to face the direction and for transferring the reversed work W to the output side linear feeder 8, and is basically similar to the above-described embodiment.

Then, the work transfer means of the apparatus of this embodiment uses the vertical cylindrical body 20 having the transfer path 20a formed therein.
0a is arranged so as to face the vertical direction, and the work W inserted in the carrying path 20a is carried by the weight of the work W itself.

In this embodiment, the transport path 20 of the vertical cylinder 20 is
Since a is arranged in the vertical direction and the work W is transported in the vertical cylindrical body 20 by its own weight, a drive unit for transporting the work W can be eliminated and the cost can be reduced. Further, since the transport path 20a is arranged in the vertical direction, the empty space above the device can be effectively used, and the entire device can be downsized.

When the work W is conveyed by its own weight, flowing air can be used to smoothly convey the work W without bringing the work W and the conveyance path 20a into contact with each other. Further, the vertical cylindrical body 20 may be tilted at an angle such that the work W can move by its own weight.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a work aligning device according to an embodiment of the invention of claim 9. In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

The work aligning apparatus of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, and therefore different parts will be described. In the present embodiment, the transport path 2 for the work W
4 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. Further, a common rotary drum 22 is disposed in each of the transport paths 21, and the rotary drum 22 is disposed with the rotary shaft 22a oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction and perpendicularly. In addition, on the outer peripheral wall of the rotary drum 22, storage portions 22c corresponding to the works W on the respective transport paths 21 are formed at predetermined angular intervals in the circumferential direction.

At the discharge position B of the rotary drum 22, four reversing drive parts 23 corresponding to the respective transport paths 21 are arranged. The reversing drive unit 23 is provided at the discharge position B.
Each of the workpieces W ejected to the workpiece W is configured to include a tubular portion 23a into which the workpiece W can enter, and a rotating portion 23b that rotates the tubular portion 23a by 180 degrees. Each rotating portion 23b is independently driven based on a reversal command.

In the present embodiment, four sets of conveying paths 21 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and the common rotary drum 22 corresponding to each conveying path 21 and each independent reversing drive section 23 are provided, so that a large amount of The work W can be continuously processed, and the productivity can be significantly improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the reversing drive unit 23 is provided with a cylindrical portion 23a into which the work W can enter, and the cylindrical portion 23a.
Since it is composed of the rotating portion 23b that rotates 0 degree, the direction of the work W can be reversed with a simple structure.

In the above embodiment, the case where the identification mark M is formed on the end surface 5 of the work W has been described as an example, but the end surface of the work may be formed so as to be distinguishable from other end surfaces.
It is not always necessary to provide the identification mark. For example, it is possible to discriminate by coloring only the end face, forming a slit or a shaft hole in the end face, or making the shape and area of the end face different from other end faces.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram for explaining a work aligning device according to an embodiment of the invention of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram for explaining a work aligning device according to an embodiment of the invention of claim 7;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a work aligning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a conventional general work transfer state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a general work.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Work alignment device 2 Linear feeder (work transfer means) 3,22 rotating drum (work rotating means) 3a, 22a rotating shaft 3b outer peripheral wall 3c, 22c storage 3d suction passage 4 cameras 5 Work end face 6 Identification mark discrimination section 7,23 Inversion drive section (workpiece inversion means) 7a Claw 7b Rotating part 8 Linear feeder (transfer mechanism) 10 Separation mechanism 12 Work edge cutting mechanism 20 Vertical cylinder (work transfer means) 20a transport path A capture position B discharge position M identification mark W work W1 capture work W2 waiting work W3 Subsequent work a Inversion signal

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3F080 AA13 BA01 BA02 BC01 BE10                       BE13 BF04 BF11 CC01 CC10                       CC14 CD05 CE03 CG02 DA17                       EA15 EA16 FA01 FB01                 3F081 AA22 BA01 BC01 BE03 BE09                       BF01 BF08 CA04 CA05 CA06                       CA47 CA48 CB05 CC08 CE02                       EA15 EA16 FA01 FB01                 5E313 AA03 AA22 CC04 CD03 CD06                       DD01 DD02 DD03 DD06 DD07                       DD19 DD23 DD41

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A work aligning device for aligning a large number of works whose longitudinal end faces are identifiable so as to face in the same direction set in advance. Between the work transfer means for linearly and continuously transferring the work so as to face the transfer direction and the work transferred to the work take-in position, the end face in the longitudinal direction of the work is directed outward. Work rotation means for rotating the work in an exposed state, work determination means for determining the orientation of the work based on the state of the end surface of the work while the work rotates from the take-in position to the discharge position, and the work determination And a work reversing means for reversing the work discharged to the discharge position so as to face the predetermined direction. Work alignment device. 2. The work rotating means according to claim 1, wherein the work rotating means comprises a rotary drum having an outer peripheral portion having a size and shape capable of accommodating the work formed at predetermined circumferential intervals. The work aligning device is characterized in that the rotary drum is arranged with its rotation axis oriented in a direction perpendicular to the carrying direction. 3. The suction passage communicating with the storage portion is formed in the rotary drum according to claim 2,
A work aligning device, wherein the suction passage is connected to a vacuum source. 4. The rotary drum according to claim 2, wherein the rotary drum is configured to intermittently rotate between the take-in position and the discharge position of the work for each angle formed by each of the storage parts. A work aligning device. 5. The work transfer means according to claim 1, wherein the standby work follows the intake work by separating the standby work waiting after the intake work located at the intake position from the intake work. A work aligning device, which is provided with a work separating mechanism for blocking the work. 6. The work transfer means according to claim 1, wherein the work transfer means temporarily stops the transfer of a succeeding work located on the rear side of the pick-up position to prevent the transfer force from acting on the work at the pick-up position. A work aligning device having a work edge cutting mechanism. 7. The work transfer means according to claim 1, wherein the work transfer means comprises a cylindrical body formed with a work transfer path oriented vertically or obliquely, and transfers the work inserted into the cylindrical body by its own weight. A work aligning device, which is configured as follows. 8. The work reversing means according to claim 1, wherein the work reversing means comprises a pair of claws for holding the work discharged to the discharge position and a rotating part for rotating the claws by 180 degrees. Characteristic work alignment device. 9. The work reversing means according to claim 1, wherein the work reversing means comprises a tubular portion into which the workpiece ejected to the ejecting position can enter, and a rotating portion for rotating the tubular portion by 180 degrees. Characteristic work alignment device. 10. A work aligning method in which a number of works whose one end faces in the longitudinal direction are discriminatively formed are aligned so as to face a predetermined direction set in advance. Between the workpiece conveying step of linearly and continuously conveying so as to face the conveying direction and the workpiece conveyed to the workpiece take-in position, the end face in the longitudinal direction of the workpiece is outward between the take-in position and the discharge position. A work rotating step of rotating in an exposed state, a work determining step of determining the orientation of the work based on the state of the end surface of the work while the work rotates from the take-in position to the discharge position, and the work determining step And a work reversing step of reversing the work discharged to the discharge position so as to face the predetermined direction. Work alignment method.