JP2007103467A - Component feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To alleviate a work load on an operator by reducing the replenishing frequency of sticks. <P>SOLUTION: This component feeder 10 comprises a stick column transfer mechanism 16 for transferring stick columns 12 each composed of a plurality of stacked sticks 11; a stick supply mechanism 17 which picks up and separates one stick 11 out of the transferred stick columns 12 and supplies it to a component extraction position; and a component extraction mechanism 18 for extracting a component from the supplied stick 11. The stick column transfer mechanism 16 includes a bucket guide 25 for holding the stick column 12, and an endless chain 26 for revolving the bucket guide 25. At the time of replenishing sticks 11, several columns of the sticks 11 can be set at a predetermined position on the upstream side of the stick column transfer mechanism 16, thereby making it possible to replenish a lot of sticks by a one-time replenishing operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a component supply apparatus for supplying components housed in a stick to a production line.

  In many industrial products, for the purpose of simplifying the production process and improving production efficiency, a large number of parts constituting the product are unitized for each major function. Unitized functional parts (unit parts) include, for example, those composed of elaborate small parts, those constituting electronic circuits, etc., and each unit part is manufactured in a lump on separate production lines. As a result, individual manufacturing facilities can be reduced in size.

  A small unit component is stored in, for example, a cylindrical stick as a form suitable for storage and transportation. On the stick, several tens of unit parts are stored in a line. The unit parts can be sequentially taken out by sliding from the inside of the stick by the weight of the unit parts when the stick is tilted and the vibration applied to the stick (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Since unit parts always slide out to the same position on the tip of the stick, pickup is easier than unit parts arranged on a pallet.

Conventionally, when all the parts stored in the stick have been removed, the empty stick has been replaced by a new stick by the operator. Therefore, in order to eliminate the work of changing sticks by workers, it is known that multiple sticks are stocked in a stacked state, and the empty sticks are automatically discarded and the stocked sticks are automatically supplied. (See, for example, Patent Document 2). In this case, the worker only needs to refill the stick, and the number of manual operations can be reduced.
JP 2002-204095 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-48512 (0005, 0006, FIG. 9)

  However, as in the past, if the sticks are only stacked and stocked, considering the ease of replenishment work by workers, the height of sticks cannot be increased, and the number of stocks cannot be increased so much. There is a drawback. For this reason, in a high-speed production line, it is necessary for the worker to frequently replenish the stick, and there is a problem that the load on the worker is large and the product cost is increased due to the labor cost.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a component supply device that can reduce the labor required for refilling a stick and can reduce the work load of an operator. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the component supply apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of components are housed in an aligned manner inside a stick, and a stick row in which a plurality of sticks are stacked is attached to a stick from a predetermined stick replenishment position. Stick row transport means for transporting to a separation position, stick separation means for separating one stick from the stick row moved to the stick separation position, and stick movement means for moving the separated stick to a predetermined part removal position And a component take-out means for taking out a component housed from the stick moved to the component take-out position, and the stick row conveying means holds the side portions of the stick row from the longitudinal direction of the stick, respectively. A guide member for transporting the sheet in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. , Characterized by comprising the endless conveying means for circulating said guide member between the stick separation position and the stick replenishment position.

  In addition, the stick separating means includes a supporting means for supporting a stick one step higher than the lowermost stick in order to separate the lowermost stick from the stick row conveyed to the stick separating position, The means includes a support arm that enters the stick from its longitudinal direction, and a detection means for detecting that the stick is not properly oriented when the support arm is prevented from entering. It is characterized by.

  According to the component supply device of the present invention, a stick member is held by a guide member for stocking a plurality of sticks, and the stick row is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the stick. The position can always be kept at the same position. Further, since the guide member is attached to the endless conveying means, the predetermined stick row is conveyed to the stick separation position, and at the same time, the guide member not holding the stick moves toward the stick replenishment position. That is, since the guide member without the stick to be held is always present at the stick replenishment position, it is easy to replenish the stick, and the work efficiency is improved. In addition, since the maximum number of stick stocks can be easily increased by changing the number of guide members and the height of the guide members, the time required for the stick refilling operation can be reduced, and the load on the worker can be reduced.

  Also, when separating the stick from the stick row, it is detected that the support arm has been prevented from entering, and the stick is detected in an incorrect orientation, that is, upside down or left and right. The direction of the parts taken out from the machine is not distorted, and stable parts supply can be realized.

  In FIG. 1, a component supply apparatus 10 is set with a stick row 12 in which a plurality of sticks 11 are stacked. The component supply device 10 takes out components stored in the stick 11 and supplies the extracted components to a production line. The stick row 12 is formed by stacking, for example, 20 sticks 11, and the component supply device 10 can stock up to five rows of stick rows 12. The stick row 12 is appropriately refilled by an operator.

  In the component supply device 10, a pair of stick row transport mechanisms 16 that transport the stick row 12 are provided above a base 15 serving as a base so as to be suspended. On the downstream side of the stick row transport mechanism 16, a stick supply mechanism 17 that supplies one stick 11 separated from the stick row 12, and a component take-out mechanism 18 that takes out a component stored in the supplied stick 11. Is provided. Under the pedestal 15, a cap collection box 19 for collecting a rubber cap that prevents parts from popping out of the stick 11, and a stick collection for collecting the stick 11 that has been emptied after all the parts have been removed. A box 20 is provided.

  In FIG. 2, the unit component 21 housed in the stick 11 is a shutter device for a simple camera to which a lens 22 is attached, for example. The stick 11 has a hollow and long cylindrical shape, and both end surfaces thereof are openings having a substantially rectangular outline. The unit parts 21 are aligned in the same direction inside the stick 11 and stored in a line. For example, 20 unit parts 21 are accommodated in the stick 11. The stick 11 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 23 protruding in the inner direction. The plurality of protrusions 23 act to keep the direction of the unit component 21 constant inside the stick 11. Caps 24 are provided at both ends of the stick 11 to prevent the unit component 21 from popping out during transportation.

  In FIG. 3, the pair of stick row transport mechanisms 16 includes a plurality of bucket guides 25 that hold the stick row 12, an endless chain 26 to which the bucket guide 25 is attached, and two chains for driving the endless chain 26. Gears 27 are provided. The bucket guide 25 has a U-shape when viewed from above, and has a length corresponding to the number of sticks 11 stacked. The bucket guide 25 holds the side portion of the stick row 12 from the longitudinal direction of the stick 11. The bucket guide 25 is provided with a fitting portion 25 a that fits into a mounting pin 26 a provided on the endless chain 26.

  The endless chain 26 has an oval shape having a semicircular portion wound around a chain gear 27 and a linear portion having a length corresponding to the interval between the two chain gears 27. The pair of stick row transport mechanisms 16 holds the stick row 12 by the linear bucket guides 25 facing each other. The chain gear 27 rotates when a driving force from a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the shaft 27 a to drive the endless chain 26. In the pair of stick row transport mechanisms 16, the endless chains 26 circulate in opposite directions, and transport the stick row 12 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the stick 11. In the figure, the stick row 12 is conveyed from the right side to the left side. The upstream position in the transport direction on the right side in the figure is a stick replenishment position where the stick 11 is refilled by an operator, and the downstream side in the transport direction on the left side in the figure is a stick separation in which the sticks 11 are separated from the stick row 12 one by one. Position.

  In FIG. 4, the stick supply mechanism 17 has a stick separation mechanism 31 that separates one stick 11 from the stick row 12, and a separated pick 11 that relays the stick 11 to a component take-out position for taking out the unit component 21. And a stick moving mechanism 32 for moving. The stick separation mechanism 31 supports the second stage stick 11 from the bottom when the lowermost stick 11 is separated from the slide base 33 for conveying the stick row 12 to the stick separation position and the stick row 12. And a pair of support arms 34. A pair of support arms 34 are provided on both ends of the stick 11, respectively.

  After the stick row 12 is transported to the stick separation position shown in the figure, when the support arm 34 enters the inside of the lowermost stick 11, the slide base 33 is retracted to the right in the figure. As shown in FIG. 5A, the support arm 34 can enter the inside of the stick 11 when the stick 11 is in the proper orientation, and supports the stick row 12 from the inner upper surface of the stick 11. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5D, when the orientation of the stick 11 is reversed right and left, when it is upside down, when the up and down and left and right are reversed, the support arm 34 and the protrusion 23 of the stick 11 are In contact, the support arm 34 cannot enter the inside of the stick 11. The arm sensor 35 detects whether or not the orientation of the stick 11 is appropriate based on the difference between the displacement when the support arm 34 enters the inside of the stick 11 and the displacement when the support arm 34 cannot enter. When it is detected that the orientation of the stick 11 is inappropriate, the component supply device 10 stops all operations and notifies the operator of an error.

  In FIG. 4, the stick moving mechanism 32 lifts or lowers the pallet 40 that receives the stick 11, and presses the stick 11 received by the pallet 40 when the pallet 40 is raised, and the stick 11 moves in the longitudinal direction. A holding cylinder 42 having a stopper 42a for preventing and a slider 43 for moving the pallet 40 together with the lifter 41 in the horizontal direction are provided. The lifter 41 and the holding cylinder 42 are provided at two symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the stick 11 in order to support the stick 11 at two positions.

  The pallet 40 is provided with three grooves 40 a to 40 c for receiving the three sticks 11. The right groove 40 a in the figure receives the stick 11 separated from the stick row 12. The stick 11 received in the groove 40a moves to the cap removal position. At the cap removal position, cap pickers (not shown) are provided that enter the stick 11 pressed by the stopper 42a from the longitudinal direction and pick out the caps 24 at both ends. The central groove 40b receives the stick 11 from which the cap 24 has been removed. The stick 11 received in the groove 40b moves to the component removal position. The groove 40c on the left side in the drawing receives the empty stick 11 from which all the unit parts 21 have been taken out. The empty stick 11 received in the groove 40 c is removed from the pallet 40 and collected in the stick collection box 20.

  In addition, the stick moving mechanism 32 is provided with a receiving plate 44 that receives the stick 11 between the lifter 41 and the holding cylinder 42. The receiving plate 44 receives the stick 11 held on the pallet 40 when the lifter 41 is lowered while the stick is held on the pallet 40. The lifter 41 and the holding cylinder 42 are provided at two places in the longitudinal direction of the stick 11, and the receiving plate 44 is provided between them. The receiving plate 44 assists in transferring the empty stick 11 from which the part has been removed from the groove 40b to the groove 40c when the stick 11 from which the cap 24 has been removed is transferred from the groove 40a to the groove 40b. A tip end portion of the receiving plate 44 positioned on the downstream side with respect to the moving direction in which the stick 11 is moved is provided with an inclined portion 44a inclined downward, and slides the empty stick 11 from which the unit component 21 has been taken out. In this way, it is dropped into the stick collection box 20.

  In FIG. 6, the component take-out mechanism 18 enters the inside of the stick 11 moved to the component take-out position from one end side thereof, pushes the unit component 21 toward the other end side of the stick 11, and drives the pusher 50. A servo motor 51 as a source and a transmission belt 52 connected to the pusher 50 and transmitting the driving force of the servo motor 51 to the pusher 50 are provided. The pusher 50 is composed of a plate-like member having a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the stick 11 in order to push out the unit component 21 from the stick 11. The servo motor 51 is connected to a pair of drive rollers 53 that sandwich the transmission belt 52, and the drive roller 53 is rotated by the drive force of the servo motor 51. When the driving roller 53 rotates in the forward direction, the transmission belt 52 is drawn out toward the stick 11, and when the driving roller 53 rotates in the reverse direction, the transmission belt 52 is pulled back.

  The pusher 50 pushes the unit component 21 toward the linear feeder 55 when the drive roller 53 rotates in the forward direction, and the pushed unit component 21 is sent to the next process by the linear feeder 55. The linear feeder 55 is provided with an optical sensor 56. The optical sensor 56 is for detecting the timing of sending the unit component 21 to the linear feeder 55. When the unit component 21 passes over the optical sensor 56, the servo motor 51 is driven, and the pusher 50 pushes the unit components 21 toward the linear feeder 55 one by one.

  Next, the operation of the component supply apparatus 10 will be described. When the component supply device 10 is replenished with the stick 11, the stick row transport mechanism 16 is stopped. The worker sets the stick 11 on the bucket guide 25 in the stick replenishing position, and stacks the stick 11 until the capacity of the bucket guide 25 is reached. When the number of sticks 11 reaches the capacity of the bucket guide 25, the operator operates the stick row transport mechanism 16 so that the next bucket guide 25 is at the stick replenishment position. The worker stops the stick row transport mechanism 16 and replenishes the bucket guide 25 with the stick 11. When the same operation is performed a plurality of times and five rows of sticks 12 are set in the component supply device 10, the replenishment operation of the sticks is completed.

  The stick row transport mechanism 16 transports the first stick row 12 to the stick separation position. When the stick row 12 reaches the stick separation position, the stick row transport mechanism 16 stops. As shown in FIG. 7A, the support arm 34 enters the lowermost stick 11 of the first stick row 12, and the entire stick row 12 is supported by the support arm 34. When the stick row 12 is supported by the support arm 34, the slide base 33 moves in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the stick row 12, and retracts from the stick separation position. When the slide table 33 is retracted, the lifter 41 raises the pallet 40. The lowermost stick 11 is received by the groove 40 a, and the stick row 12 is supported by the pallet 40.

  In FIG. 7B, when the stick row 12 is supported by the pallet 40, the support arm 34 is retracted from the stick row 12. The lifter 41 lowers the pallet 40 by the height of one stick 11, and thereby the stick row 12 is lowered. When the stick row 12 is lowered, the support arm 34 enters the second-stage stick 11 from below, and the stick row 12 is supported by the support arm 34.

  In FIG. 7C, the slider 43 slides the lifter 41 in order to move the pallet 40 to the cap removal position. As a result, the stick 11 received by the pallet 40 is separated from the stick row 12. The slider 43 stops when the pallet 40 moves to the cap removal position, and the stopper 42a of the holding cylinder 42 is lowered. The lifter 41 raises the pallet 40, the stick 11 is held between the pallet 40 and the stopper 42a, and the stick 11 is fixed at the cap removal position. The cap 24 is removed from the stick 11, and the removed cap 24 is collected in the cap collection box 19.

  In FIG. 8A, the lifter 41 lowers the pallet 40 after the cap 24 of the stick 11 is removed. The stick 11 at the cap removal position held in the groove 40 a is supported by the receiving plate 44. The slider 43 slides the lifter 41 in the right direction in the drawing, and the groove 40 a moves through the pallet 40 to a position below the stick row 12. At this time, the groove 40b is located below the stick 11 from which the cap 24 is removed. The lifter 41 raises the pallet 40, the stick 11 supported by the receiving plate 44 is received by the groove 40b, and the lowermost stick 11 of the stick row 12 is received by the groove 40a. The support arm 34 is retracted, and the lifter 41 lowers the pallet 40 by one step of the stick 11. After the pallet 40 is lowered, the support arm 34 enters the second-stage stick 11 from the bottom of the stick row 12, and the stick row 12 is supported.

  In FIG. 8B, the slider 43 slides the pallet 40 leftward in the drawing, the separated stick 11 moves to the cap removal position, and the stick 11 from which the cap has already been removed moves to the component removal position. The holding cylinder 42 lowers the stopper 42a, and the sticks at the cap removal position and the part removal position are fixed by the pallet 40 and the stopper 42a. A pusher 50 enters the inside of the stick 11 that has moved to the component removal position. The unit parts 21 are pushed out from the stick 11 one by one to the linear feeder 55. Further, the cap 24 is removed from the stick 11 at the cap removal position.

  When all the unit parts 21 are removed from the stick 11 at the part removal position, the lifter 41 is lowered, and the stick 11 from which the cap 24 has been removed and the empty stick 11 from which the unit parts 21 have been removed are supported by the receiving plate 44. The The slider 43 slides the pallet 40 rightward in the figure, the groove 40a is located below the stick row 12, the groove 40b is located below the stick 11 from which the cap 24 is removed, and the groove 40c is the unit component 21. It is located below the removed stick 11. When the lifter 41 raises the pallet 40, the lowermost stick 11 of the stick row 12 is received by the groove 40a, the stick 11 at the cap removal position is received by the groove 40b, and the empty stick 11 from which the unit component 21 has been taken out. Is received in the groove 40c.

  In FIG. 8C, the support arm 34 is retracted from the stick row 12 and the lifter 41 lowers the pallet 40. The pallet 40 is lowered by the height of one step of the stick 11, and the support arm 34 enters the lowermost stick 11 of the stick row 12. The slider 43 slides the pallet 40 leftward in the figure. The stopper 42a descends, and the stick 11 at the cap removal position held in the groove 40a and the stick 11 at the component removal position held in the groove 40b are fixed. Note that the stick 11 held in the groove 40c is located at the stick disposal position. The pusher 50 enters the stick 11 at the part removal position held in the groove 40 b, and the unit parts 21 are pushed out one by one to the linear feeder 55.

  In FIG. 8D, when all the unit components 21 are removed from the stick 11 at the component removal position, the lifter 41 lowers the pallet 40. The stick 11 from which the cap 24 has been removed and the stick 11 from which the unit component 21 has been taken out are supported by the receiving plate 44. The stick 11 held in the groove 40c is positioned immediately above the inclined portion 44a of the receiving plate 44, and is lowered onto the inclined portion 44a when the lifter 41 is lowered. The stick 11 is not stably supported on the inclined portion 44a. It slides down from the inclined portion 44a. The empty stick 11 falls as it is and is collected in the stick collection box 20.

  By such an operation, after the stick 11 is separated from the stick row 12, the separated stick 11 is sequentially sent to the cap removal position, the parts removal position, and the stick disposal position. At each position, the cap 24 is removed, the unit component 21 is taken out, and the empty stick is discarded. When all the sticks 11 are supplied from one stick row 12, the slide base 33 moves from the retracted position to the stick separation position, the stick row transport mechanism 16 is driven, and the next stick row 12 reaches the stick separation position. Transport. When the next stick row 12 is transported to the stick separation position, a series of operations are repeated from retracting the slide base 33, separating / moving the stick 11, removing the cap 24, taking out parts, and discarding the empty stick 11. Done.

  As described above, when the unit parts 21 are taken out from all the replenished sticks 11, the parts supply apparatus 10 notifies the worker that the stock of the sticks 11 has run out. The worker can replenish the parts supply device 10 with the stick 11 and, when the replenishment of the stick 11 is finished, can start another work until the next replenishment work. The stock amount of the stick 11 can be appropriately adjusted according to the number of the sticks 11 per row of the stick row 12 and the number of the stick rows 12 that can be refilled depending on the height of the bucket guide 25. Can be reduced to about once every few hours.

  In addition, when it is detected that the stick 11 having an inappropriate orientation is present in the stick row 12, the supply of the stick 11 is not stopped and an error is not notified to the worker. It is preferable to allow the stick 11 to continue to be supplied by eliminating the stick 11 of the wrong orientation or by setting the stick 11 of the wrong orientation to the proper orientation. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the stick row transport mechanism 16 uses an endless belt in addition to using the endless chain 26 as the endless transport means, and the weight of the stick row 12 and the like. It may be determined appropriately according to Further, the number of the stick rows 12 that can be replenished with the sticks 11 may be determined by appropriately changing the length of the linear portion of the endless conveying means and adjusting the number of pairs of bucket guides 25 (guide members). In addition, the pallet 40 provided with the lifter 41 and the slider 43 is not limited to the separation of the stick 11 and the movement of the separated stick 11, and a dedicated lifter is provided to separate the stick 11, and the separated stick 11 is separated. The receiving plate 44 may be lowered and picked up by the pallet 40. The component take-out mechanism 18 is configured such that a pusher 50 is connected to a transmission belt 52 and the transmission belt 52 is sent out by a driving roller 53 connected to a servo motor 51, and one end of the transmission belt 52 is linearly driven by a motor cylinder or the like. The transmission belt 52 may be sent out and pulled back by being connected to a power source. Moreover, in this invention, it is not restricted to the kind of component supplied, but if it is a component of the form accommodated in the stick, it can apply widely.

It is an external appearance perspective view of a components supply apparatus. It is a perspective view of the unit component accommodated in the stick and its inside. It is a top view of a stick row conveyance mechanism. It is a side view of a stick supply mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the direction of a stick | stick, and the position of a support arm. It is a side view of a component taking-out mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the process of isolate | separating a stick. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the process of sending a stick.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Parts supply apparatus 11 Stick 12 Stick row 15 Mount 16 Stick row conveyance mechanism 17 Stick supply mechanism 18 Parts extraction mechanism 19 Cap collection box 20 Stick collection box 21 Unit parts 22 Lens 23 Protrusion 24 Cap 25 Bucket guide 25a Fitting part 26 Endless Chain 26a Mounting pin 27 Chain gear 27a Shaft 31 Stick separation mechanism 32 Stick movement mechanism 33 Slide base 34 Support arm 35 Arm sensor 40 Pallet 40a, 40b, 40c Groove 41 Lifter 42 Holding cylinder 42a Stopper 43 Slider 44 Receiving plate 44a Inclined portion 50 Pusher 51 Servo motor 52 Transmission belt 53 Drive roller 55 Linear feeder 56 Optical sensor

Claims (2)

A plurality of parts are stored in an aligned manner inside the stick, and a stick row transporting means for transporting a stick row in which a plurality of sticks are stacked from a predetermined stick replenishment position to a stick separation position; A stick separating means for separating one stick from the moved stick row, a stick moving means for moving the separated stick to a predetermined part picking position, and a part housed from the stick moved to the part picking position. A component take-out means,
The stick row conveying means has a guide member for holding each side of the stick row from the longitudinal direction of the stick and for conveying the stick row in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A component supply device comprising: an endless conveying unit that circulates between the stick replenishment position and the stick separation position. The stick separation means includes a support means for supporting a stick one level higher than the lowermost stick in order to separate the lowermost stick from the stick row conveyed to the stick separation position,
The support means includes a support arm that enters the stick from its longitudinal direction, and a detection means for detecting that the orientation of the stick is inappropriate when entry of the support arm is blocked. The component supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

Images