JP2007185735A - Sucking head for bar-like part - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sucking head, setting a bar-like part on an assembling bench without bending even if strict alignment is not performed. <P>SOLUTION: This sucking head 97 includes: a suction nozzle 104 having a sucking hole 104a with a larger inside diameter than a glass bead 9 which forms the maximum outside diameter of an electrode 6; and a head air pump 107 connected to the sucking hole 104a by an air supply hole 103b, a through hole 103a and a slit 104b. The sucking head 97 sucks the electrode 6 in the sucking hole 104a by the intake operation of the head air pump 107, and holds the same by continuing the intake operation, and conveys it to the assembling bench. Subsequently, the head air pump 197 is switched to the exhaust operation to discharge the electrode 6 from the sucking hole 104a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction head that sucks and holds bar-shaped parts.

  A xenon tube used as a light source of a strobe device is formed in a cylindrical transparent glass tube 3 and both ends of the glass tube 3 as shown in FIG. 7 which is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 8 which is an exploded perspective view. The cathode side electrode rod 6 and the anode side electrode rod 7 inserted into the openings 4 and 5, the cathode 8 attached to the cathode side electrode rod 6, and the glass beads 9 that seal the openings 4 and 5 of the glass tube 3. , 10 and xenon gas sealed in the glass tube 3.

  The cathode-side electrode rod 6 is composed of an electrode portion 12 housed in the glass tube 3 and a lead portion 13 that protrudes outside the glass tube 3 and is used for wiring to a printed circuit board or the like. The electrode portion 12 and the lead portion A welding ball 14 having a substantially ball shape is provided between the two. The electrode portion 12 is formed in a rod shape using, for example, tungsten (W). The lead portion 13 is formed using, for example, nickel (Ni) and has a diameter equal to or slightly thicker than that of the electrode portion 12. The welding ball 14 is formed by melting the lead portion 13 and wrapping the end portion of the electrode portion 12 when the electrode portion 12 and the lead portion 13 are welded and joined. Like the cathode side electrode rod 6, the anode side electrode rod 7 is composed of an electrode portion 16, a lead portion 17, and a weld ball 18, and is manufactured by the same material and the same manufacturing method except that the length of the electrode portion 16 is different. Is done.

  The glass beads 9 and 10 are made of glass in a substantially ring shape, and holes 9a and 10a through which the electrode portions 12 and 16 of the electrode rods 6 and 7 are inserted are formed in the center. The glass beads 9 and 10 are inserted into the electrode portions 12 and 16 and then heated by a heater to be welded to the electrode rods 12 and 16. Thereafter, the glass tube 3 is inserted into the openings 4 and 5 of the glass tube 3 and melted by being heated by a heater to seal the glass tube 3.

  The cathode 8 is formed by molding and sintering a metal powder into a cylindrical shape and adding a cesium compound or the like, and is used to increase the electron emission efficiency during discharge. The cathode 8 is inserted into a predetermined position of the electrode portion 12 after the glass beads 9 are welded, and is fixed to the electrode portion 12 by caulking from the outside.

  Attachment of the cathode 8 to the conventional cathode side electrode rod 6 is performed in the following procedure. First, the electrode parts 12 of the cathode side electrode rods 6 standing and housed one by one on the supply pallet are picked up by the robot hand and set on the assembly table. As shown in FIG. 9, the assembly table 21 supports the lead portion 13 with a lead support hole 21 a and receives the lower end of the lead portion 13 with a receiving plate 22 disposed below. Further, the electrode unit 12 is held by the electrode unit positioning chuck 30. The assembly table 21 holding the cathode side electrode rod 6 is transported to the next station.

  In the next station, the cathode 8 aligned by the feeder 25 is inserted into the cathode guide portion 26b of the cathode guide chuck 26 having the outer diameter of the cathode 8 and a minute clearance. The cathode guide chuck 26 can be opened and closed left and right. The electrode portion guide claws 26a align the cores of the electrode portion 12 and the cathode guide portion 26b to vibrate the cathode guide chuck 26, and at the same time, light impact load pins 27 from above. Then, the cathode 8 is struck and pushed into the cathode side electrode rod 6 and the cathode guide chuck 26 is opened and retracted to the upper part, and then the assembly table 21 is conveyed to the next station.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the next station, an electrode is formed in the hole 31a of the cathode positioning jig 31 in which a hole 31a that is thicker than the tip diameter of the electrode portion 12 and thinner than the outer diameter of the cathode 8 is formed at a predetermined depth. The cathode positioning jig 31 is pushed down to adjust the position of the cathode 8 until the tip of the section 12 enters, the lower end of the cathode positioning jig 31 hits the upper end of the cathode 8 and is sandwiched between the electrode section positioning chuck 30. At this time, when the tip of the electrode portion 12 is pressed by the jig 31, the receiving plate 22 receiving the lower end of the cathode side electrode rod 6 is pushed down against the bias of the spring 32. After the cathode 8 is positioned in this manner, the outer periphery of the cathode 8 is pressed by the temporary crimping chuck 33 and temporarily crimped.

  At the next station, the outer periphery of the cathode 8 is pressed with a force stronger than the temporary caulking by the main caulking chuck, and the main caulking is performed. Further, in the next station, the cathode-side electrode rod 6 to which the cathode 8 is attached is taken out from the assembly table 21 and accumulated on the accumulation pallet.

The above-described method of attaching the cathode 8 is used in a relatively large xenon tube. For example, in the case of a small xenon tube having a glass tube diameter of 1.5 mm or less, the step of inserting the cathode into the cathode electrode bar is a manual process. It is performed by work, and the subsequent position adjustment and caulking process is performed by the machine. This is because mechanical difficulties are caused by the above-described mechanical insertion due to the miniaturization of the xenon tube.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-086092

  As described above, conventionally, the electrode rod is transported by the robot hand. Therefore, when the electrode rod standing on the electrode rod supply table or the assembly table is gripped by the robot hand, if the position of the electrode rod and the robot hand is shifted, the electrode rod is bent by the robot hand, There were times when it became an NG product. Further, in order to prevent such bending of the electrode rod, it is necessary to strictly align the electrode rod supply table and assembly table with the robot hand, and adjustment takes time. Further, in the case of carrying with a robot hand, there is a problem that the tact is extended because it is necessary to raise the robot vertically until the electrode bar is completely removed from the electrode bar supply table or the assembly table.

  The present invention is for solving the above-described problems, and can be set on an assembly table without bending a rod-shaped part without strict alignment, shortening the flow line of the robot and shortening the tact. An adsorption head that can be provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, the suction head for a bar-shaped part of the present invention is provided with a suction hole having an inner diameter larger than the maximum outer diameter portion of the bar-shaped part and a length that can accommodate at least a part of the bar-shaped part. The suction nozzle, and an air pump that sucks air from the suction hole and stores the bar-shaped part in the suction hole, and continues the suction to hold the bar-shaped part in the suction hole.

  The depth of the suction hole is such that it can accommodate substantially the entire rod-shaped part.

  Further, the air pump is configured to switch from the intake operation to the exhaust operation when discharging the rod-shaped part from the suction nozzle.

  In addition, a regulating member that abuts the rod-shaped component and regulates the amount of insertion into the suction hole is provided behind the suction hole.

  According to the present invention, since the stick-shaped part is sucked and held by the suction head, the stick-shaped part can be lifted substantially vertically even if the position of the suction head and the stick-shaped part is slightly shifted. Parts can be held without bending. In addition, since the configuration is simplified as compared with the robot hand, the cost is low, and the maintainability such as return at the time of failure is also improved.

  In addition, since almost the entire bar-shaped part can be accommodated in the suction hole, the flow line of the suction head after holding the bar-shaped part can be shortened, which is advantageous for tact.

  Furthermore, since the air pump is exhausted when discharging the rod-shaped component, the rod-shaped component can be discharged smoothly. Further, since the insertion amount of the bar-shaped part is regulated by the regulating member provided in the suction hole, the bar-shaped part does not enter the back of the suction hole and cannot be pulled out.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of an insertion / caulking device according to the present invention. This insertion / caulking device 40 inserts the cathode 8 into the cathode side electrode rod (hereinafter abbreviated as electrode rod) 6 of the xenon tube 2 shown in FIGS. It is a device to let you. The insertion / caulking device 40 includes a processing unit 42 that is installed on the upper base plate 41a of the gantry 41 and performs processing, a control unit 43 that is hardware installed on the lower base plate 41b and controls the processing unit 42, and this A control computer 44 that controls the control unit 43 by software is configured. On the side edge of the upper base plate 41a, an operation panel 45 including various switches and a monitor used for operating the insertion / caulking device 40 is provided.

  In the processing section 42, an electrode bar supply base 49 for supplying the electrode bar 6 and an electrode bar stacking base 50 for stacking the electrode bar 6 to which the cathode 8 is attached (hereinafter referred to as a processed electrode bar 48) are arranged. Is arranged in. The electrode bar supply base 49 and the electrode bar stacking base 50 are housed in an upright state by inserting the lead portions 13 of the electrode bar 6 into a number of holes provided on the upper surface.

  The processing unit 42 also includes an assembly table unit 51 that holds the electrode rod 6 taken out from the electrode rod supply table 49 and performs the main caulking, the electrode rod 6 held by the assembly table unit 51, and its axial direction. There are provided a first electrode rod recognition camera 52 and a second electrode rod recognition camera 53 which take an image to detect the vector. The illumination 54 (refer FIG. 2) which irradiates light to the electrode rod 6 is arrange | positioned at the facing of these cameras.

  Further, a cathode supply unit 56 to which the cathode 8 is supplied is disposed in the processing unit 42. Further, the electrode rod 6 is taken out from the electrode rod supply base 49 and set on the assembly table unit 51, the cathode 8 is taken out from the cathode supply unit 56 and inserted into the electrode rod 6 of the assembly table unit 51, and is temporarily crimped. A scalar robot 57 for taking the used electrode rod 48 out of the assembly table unit 51 and collecting it on the electrode rod stacking table 50 is installed.

  The control unit 43 is provided with a robot controller 60 for controlling the scalar robot 57, the ROBO Cylinder of the assembly table unit 51, and a control box 61 in which a large number of control boards for controlling other than the robot are incorporated. The control computer 44 is connected to the robot controller 60 and the control box 61. A cathode recognition camera 62 constituting the cathode supply unit 56 is also installed on the lower base plate 41b.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly table unit 51. The assembling table unit 51 includes an assembling table body 68, an assembling table 69, a main caulking chuck 70 that caulks the cathode 8 attached to the electrode rod 6, and the main caulking chuck 70 is moved up and down according to the height position of the cathode 8. The robot cylinder 71 and the like are unitized, and when changing the product type, it is possible to respond quickly by replacing the entire assembly table unit 51.

  The assembly base body 68 is formed on the upper base plate 41a by being attached to the support plate 74 attached to the upper base plate 41a of the gantry 41, the upper frame 75 attached to the upper surface of the support plate 74, and the lower surface of the support plate 74. It is composed of a pair of lower frames 77 that are inserted into the assembly table opening 76 and disposed below the upper base plate 41a. The upper frame 75 includes a pair of support columns 75a that are vertically attached to the support plate 74, and a horizontal portion 75b that is provided so as to connect the upper ends of these support columns 75a. A substantially cylindrical assembly table 69 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, which shows a cross section of the assembly table 69, a circular opening 69a having a diameter larger than that of the welding ball 14 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the assembly table 69. A support hole 69 b having a diameter larger than that of the lead portion 13 of the rod 6 and smaller than that of the welding ball 14 is formed. The opening 69a and the support hole 69b are connected by a substantially conical tapered surface 69c. A vent hole 69e having a larger diameter than the support hole 69b is provided on the lower surface of the assembly table 69, and the vent hole 69e is connected to the support hole 69b. The ventilation hole 69e is connected to a circular vertical ventilation path 75c provided in the vertical direction in the horizontal portion 75b of the upper frame 75. The horizontal portion 75b is provided with a horizontal air passage 75d connected to the vertical air passage 75c, and an assembly table air pump 80 is connected to the horizontal air passage 75d via a hose, a pipe, or the like. .

  The vertical ventilation path 75c and the ventilation hole 69e have the same diameter, and a lift ball 83 made of metal such as stainless steel is accommodated in a space formed by these. The lift ball 83 has a smaller diameter than the ventilation hole 69e and the vertical ventilation path 75c, and a gap that allows ventilation is formed between the ventilation hole 69e and the vertical ventilation path 75c. Note that a regulating screw 84 that regulates the height position is fitted to the vertical ventilation path 75c so that the lift ball 83 does not block the horizontal ventilation path 75d.

  The scalar robot 57 is a horizontal multi-indirect robot that moves the arm in the horizontal direction, and a base portion 57a fixed to the upper base plate 41a and a cylindrical support vertically installed on the base portion 57a. Portion 57b, a first arm 57c rotatably attached to the upper end of the support portion 57b, a second arm 57d rotatably attached to the tip of the first arm 57c, and the second arm 57d The wrist part 57e is provided at the tip so as to be rotatable and movable up and down, and the robot head 88 is attached to the wrist part 57e. The arms 57c and 57d and the wrist part 57e are driven by a drive mechanism including a motor and a gear, and the robot head 88 is moved on the processing part 42 described above.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the robot head 88. The robot head 88 is attached to the scalar robot 57 via an auto tool changer 90 attached to the wrist unit 57e. The auto tool changer 90 includes a holding mechanism that holds the robot head 88 and an actuator that causes the holding mechanism to hold and release the robot head 88, and is used for automatic replacement of the robot head 88. .

  The robot head 88 includes a head body 93 that is formed in a frame shape with a hollow inside and reduced in weight, a changer attachment 94 that is attached to the top of the head body 93 and is held by an auto tool changer 90, and the head body 93. A three-claw chuck 95 attached to the lower portion of the head, a head cylinder 96 attached to the side surface of the head body 93, a suction head 97 held by the head cylinder 96, an inspection head 98, an NG chuck 99, and a head cylinder 96 And a calibration illumination 100 attached to the side of the head body 93 on the opposite side.

  The 3-jaw chuck 95 is a mechanism for gripping and removing the cathode 8 from the cathode supply unit 56, and after inserting the cathode into the electrode rod 6 of the assembly table unit 51, the gripping pressure is increased to perform temporary caulking. The inspection head 98 inspects the fastening force by pressing the cathode 8 attached to the electrode rod 6 in the axial direction. The NG chuck 99 removes the electrode bar 6 determined to be an NG product from the assembly table unit 51. The calibration illumination 100 is used as an index when the cathode supply unit 56 matches the camera coordinates of the cathode recognition camera 62 and the robot coordinates of the scalar robot 57. The head cylinder 96 raises and lowers the suction head 97, the inspection head 98, and the NG chuck 99 to prevent interference with the assembly table unit 51 and the cathode supply unit 56.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the suction head 97. The suction head 97 sucks and holds the electrode rod 6 set on the electrode rod supply table 49, sets it on the assembly table unit 51, takes out the processed electrode rod 48 from the assembly table unit 51, and collects the electrode rod stacking table. 50. The suction head 97 is inserted into the through-hole 103a from the lower part of the suction block 103 and the suction block 103 in which a vertical through-hole 103a and an air supply hole 103b connected orthogonally to the through-hole 103a are formed. The suction nozzle 104, the sealing member 105 inserted into the through hole 103a from the upper part of the suction block 103 and sealed, and the diameter is narrower than the through hole 103a, and both ends are held by the suction nozzle 104 and the sealing member 105. And a round bar-like pin 106. The air supply hole 103b is connected to the head air pump 107 by a pipe or a hose.

  The suction nozzle 104 has a suction hole 104a having a diameter into which the electrode rod 6 to which the glass beads 9 and the cathode 8 are attached can be inserted, and a depth that can accommodate almost the entire length of the electrode rod 6, and the suction hole 104a. A slit 104b for connecting 104a and the through hole 103a is provided. Further, the diameter of the opening 104c of the suction hole 104a is increased so that the electrode rod 6 can be easily received, and the opening 104c is processed into a taper shape to prevent the electrode rod 6 from being caught.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the electrode rod 6 is taken out from the electrode rod supply table 49, the suction head 97 is moved onto the electrode rod supply table 49 by the operation of the scalar robot 57. At this time, the head air pump 107 starts an intake operation, and intakes air from the tip of the suction nozzle 104 through the through hole 103a, the slit 104b, and the suction hole 104a. As a result, the electrode rod 6 of the electrode rod supply base 49 is sucked into the suction hole 104a from the electrode portion 12 side, and is held at a predetermined position in the suction head 97 by abutting the front end against the lower end of the pin 106.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the scalar robot 57 holding the electrode rod 6 moves the suction head 97 onto the assembly table unit 51, and then the operation of the head air pump 107 is changed from the intake operation to the exhaust operation. Can be switched. At this time, the assembly table air pump 80 starts an intake operation and sucks the electrode rod 6 together with air from the opening 69a. Thereby, it assists so that insertion of the electrode stick | rod 6 to the assembly stand 69 can be performed exactly. Even if the positions of the assembling table 69 and the suction head 97 are slightly deviated, the tapered surface 69c guides the electrode rod 6, so that an insertion error does not occur.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, in the electrode rod 6 sucked by the assembly table 69, the lead portion 13 is accommodated in the support hole 69b, and the welding ball 14 is brought into contact with the tapered surface 69c. Thereby, the axial direction and the horizontal direction of the electrode rod 6 are easily positioned, and the electrode portion 12 protrudes above the assembly table 69. In addition, since the support hole 69b is shorter than the lead part 13, the front-end | tip of the lead part 13 protrudes in the ventilation hole 69e.

  As shown in FIG. 6D, when the insertion, provisional caulking, main caulking, mounting inspection, etc. of the cathode 8 to the held electrode rod 6 are completed, and the processed electrode rod 48 is taken out from the assembly table 69. The assembly table air pump 80 starts the exhaust operation and assists the electrode rod 6 to be smoothly discharged from the assembly table 69.

  In addition, after the main caulking of the cathode 8 is performed, a mounting inspection is performed in which only the cathode 8 is pressed downward to inspect the fastening force. By this mounting inspection, the welding ball 14 bites into the support hole 69b, and only the exhaust gas is exhausted. Then, there are cases where the discharge of the electrode rod 6 cannot be assisted. The lift ball 83 described above is provided to release the biting of the electrode rod 6 into the assembly table 69 in such a case. As shown in FIG. 3B, the lift ball 83 pushed up in the vent hole 69e by the pressure difference due to exhaust presses the tip of the lead portion 13 and pushes up the electrode rod 6. Thereby, there is no problem in removing the electrode rod 6 from the assembly table 69 by the scalar robot 57.

  As shown in FIG. 6E, the suction head 97 moved above the assembly table unit 51 sucks air by the head air pump 107 and sucks the processed electrode rod 48 from the assembly table 69. Then, the processed electrode rod 48 is accumulated by moving to the electrode rod accumulation stand 50 and switching the operation of the head air pump 107 to the exhaust operation.

  Conventionally, since the robot hand was used to transport the electrode rod to the assembly table, when the electrode rod standing on the electrode rod supply table is gripped by the robot hand, the positions of the electrode rod and the robot hand are shifted. If it is, the electrode rod is bent by the robot hand, which may result in an NG product. In addition, in order to prevent such bending of the electrode rod, it is necessary to strictly align the electrode rod supply base and the robot hand, and there is a problem that it takes cost and time.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the electrode rod 6 is held by the suction head 97 by the suction operation, even if the positions of the suction head 97 and the electrode rod 6 are slightly shifted, the electrode rod 6 is almost vertical. Therefore, the electrode rod 6 can be held without bending. In addition, since most of the electrode rods 6 are accommodated in the suction head 97 and transported, the electrode rods 6 are not accidentally bumped and bent. In the case of carrying with a robot hand, it is necessary to raise the robot vertically until the electrode rod 6 is completely removed from the support hole. However, most of the electrode rod 6 is instantaneously placed in the suction head 97. Since the air is sucked in, the flow line of the subsequent robot can be shortened, which is advantageous for tact. Furthermore, since the configuration is simplified as compared with the robot hand, the maintainability such as return at the time of failure is also improved.

  In addition, the conventional assembly table is provided with an air chuck that sandwiches and positions the electrode rod 6. This is because the cathode is inserted into the electrode rod by the cathode guide chuck that is pre-centered with respect to the assembly table, and the cathode 8 is caulked by the same centering crimping chuck, so that the displacement of the electrode rod relative to the assembly table is shifted. This is to keep it as small as possible.

  However, in the insertion / caulking device 40 of the present embodiment, the position coordinate of the tip of the electrode bar 6 held by the assembly table 69 is detected, and the scalar robot 57 is attached to the electrode bar 6 in accordance with the detected position coordinate. Since the cathode 8 is inserted, exact positioning of the electrode rod 6 is not necessary. Therefore, since the electrode rod 6 can be held only by inserting the electrode rod 6 into the support hole 69b of the assembly table 69, the time required for holding is very short, and the assembly table 69 has a relatively simple structure. The cost can be reduced. Further, since the welding ball 14 is received by the tapered surface 69c, the axial direction and the horizontal direction of the electrode rod 6 can be defined and held with relatively high accuracy.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the cathode is inserted into the electrode rod of the xenon tube has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a cylindrical component is inserted into another rod-shaped component and caulked.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of the insertion and crimping apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an assembly stand unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an assembly stand. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of a robot head. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a suction head. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the attachment procedure of the cathode to an electrode bar. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a xenon tube. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of a xenon tube. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cathode insertion state of the conventional cathode insertion and caulking apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cathode caulking state of the conventional cathode insertion and caulking apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

2 Xenon tube 6 Cathode-side electrode rod 8 Cathode 40 Insertion and caulking device 49 Electrode rod supply table 50 Electrode rod stacking table 51 Assembly table unit 57 Scalar robot 69 Assembly table 69a Opening 69b Support hole 69c Tapered surface 80 Assembly table air pump 83 Lift ball 97 Suction head

Claims (4)

A suction nozzle provided with suction holes having an inner diameter larger than the maximum outer diameter portion of the rod-shaped component and a depth capable of accommodating at least a part of the rod-shaped component;
A suction head for a stick-shaped part, comprising an air pump that sucks air from the suction hole to store the stick-shaped part in the suction hole, and continues the suction to hold the stick-shaped part in the suction hole.   2. The suction head for a bar-shaped part according to claim 1, wherein the suction hole has a depth capable of accommodating substantially the entire bar-shaped part.   The suction head for a bar-shaped part according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air pump switches from an intake operation to an exhaust operation when the bar-shaped part is discharged from the suction nozzle.   4. The suction head for a bar-shaped part according to claim 1, wherein a regulating member is provided in the back of the suction hole to abut against the bar-shaped part and regulates the amount of insertion into the suction hole.

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