JP2008007326A - Part supply control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a part supply control device which highly efficiently supplies a part, by immediately sending out the part, when a stopper member retreats. <P>SOLUTION: The stopper member 16 is arranged for stopping the part 1 in a transfer passage 9. A nozzle port 20 is arranged for injecting sending-out air from the oblique rear in the sending-out direction of the part 1 to the part 1 received by this stopper member 16. An interval between the stopper member 16 and the nozzle port 20 is set to an adaptive interval L set by being adapted to a shape and a dimension of the part. The direction of an air jet from the nozzle port 20 is also set to an adaptive inclination θ set by being adapted to the shape and the dimension of the part. Thus, the part 1 is surely started by air injection from the nozzle port 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a component supply control device in which a path member provided with a part transfer passage is provided with an advancing / retracting stopper member for stopping a part in the transfer path, and the stopper member is moved backward to send the part. .

A component supply control device is provided in which a stopper member of an advancing / retreating operation type that stops a component in a transfer passage is provided in a passage member provided with a component transfer passage, and the stopper member is moved backward to send out the component. No. 96402. And in this component supply control apparatus, the air for conveyance for feeding to the target location is injected from the nozzle with respect to the component which the stopper member started to move backward.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-96402

  In the component supply control device as described above, there are problems such as that the component does not start moving even when the stopper member is retracted, and that the moving speed is not maintained uniformly. Such problems are caused by sticky liquids such as rust preventive oil adhering to the parts, or foreign matters such as iron scraps being caught between the parts and the inner surface of the transfer passage. .

  The present invention has been provided to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a component supply control device capable of supplying components with high efficiency by immediately sending out components when the stopper member is retracted. And

Means to solve the problem

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the tubular passage member provided with the part transfer passage is provided with an advancing / retracting stopper member for stopping the part in the transfer passage, and the part received by the stopper member is provided. A part of the passage member is provided with an injection hole for injecting air for delivery from an obliquely rear in the part delivery direction, and the interval between the stopper member entering the transfer passage and the injection hole is determined by the shape and dimensions of the part. And the direction of the air jet from the nozzle is an adapted inclination angle set to suit the shape and dimensions of the component. is there.

The invention's effect

  With such a configuration, the interval between the stopper member and the nozzle is set to an appropriate interval set according to the shape and dimensions of the parts, and the inclination angle of the air jet from the nozzle is the appropriate inclination angle. The blast air is blown to a part suitable for delivering the component, and the movement starts immediately by the backward movement of the stopper member. That is, a positive feed force is given to the parts by the jet air. Further, air injection may be started simultaneously with the backward movement of the stopper member.

  In this way, since the movement of the component is started simultaneously with the backward movement of the stopper member, the time required for the component delivery is shortened and made uniform. As mentioned above, even if rust preventive oil is applied to parts or foreign matter such as iron scrap is caught, it can be sent out strongly by air injection, so the part delivery may be delayed. Absent. Therefore, even when the air is preliminarily injected as described above and the movement of the parts is started simultaneously with the backward movement of the stopper member, the parts are then supplied to the far-off target location by the carrier air from the main nozzle. Therefore, it can be reliably operated in the shortest time, and a highly reliable component supply can be obtained.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the component supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the nozzle hole is set so as to inject air to the concave shape portion or the convex shape portion of the component. .

  Since air injection is performed on the concave shape portion or the convex shape portion of the part, the dynamic pressure of air surely acts on the part, and a strong power output can be obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the component is a nut having a flat side surface parallel to an end surface where the screw hole is open and an axis of the screw hole, and air injection is performed on the screw hole. The component supply control device according to claim 1 or claim 2 configured as described above.

  In the case of such a nut, since the nut following the earliest nut has a flat lateral surface, rust preventive oil is interposed between the lateral surfaces of the front and rear nuts so that the nuts adhere to each other. However, since the air injection is performed on the screw hole that is the concave shape portion, a strong feed force can be obtained and the component movement can be reliably started.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the component supply control device according to the third aspect, wherein the nozzle is arranged so that air injection is performed on the inner side of the screw hole on the delivery side.

  Since the air jet injected from diagonally rearward in the part delivery direction acts on the inner side of the screw hole on the delivery side, the dynamic pressure due to the air jet acts reliably in the nut delivery direction.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the component supply control device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the nozzle is arranged so that air injection is performed on a portion near the screw hole opening on the side close to the nozzle.

  The air jet jetted from obliquely rearward in the delivery direction of the parts is jetted to the inside of the screw hole on the delivery side and to the vicinity of the screw hole opening on the side close to the nozzle, so that the nut is inclined. A force component is generated, thereby actively removing the adhesion between the side surfaces of the nut. Therefore, even if the adhesive is difficult to peel, the movement can be surely started. Further, even when an oil film is present between the nut end surface and the bottom surface of the transfer passage, a reliable start of movement can be ensured as in the case described above.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a part of the passage member is detachably configured to constitute a replacement member, and the replacement member is provided with a plurality of prepared replacements in which the advancing / retracting stopper member and the nozzle are installed. The component supply control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conforming interval and the conforming inclination angle corresponding to the shape and dimensions of each component are formed on the member for use.

  In this way, each time a component to be supplied is changed by providing a suitable interval and a suitable inclination angle according to the shape and size of each component to each replacement member in advance, the replacement member adapted to that component Is selected and attached to the passage member. Therefore, it is possible to cope with the change of parts by a simple replacement operation. Furthermore, only the local part that needs to be changed is exchanged, and the apparatus main body can be used continuously without being changed, which is economical.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the component supply control device of the present invention will be described.

  Various parts such as a steel plate part having a shape obtained by bending a steel plate into a hat shape, a distance piece having a hole, and the like are targeted as parts sent out by the component supply control device of the present invention. In this embodiment, it is the iron-made projection nut 1 having a square shape shown in FIG. This is because the front and back end faces 3 and 4 where the screw holes 2 are open, four lateral side faces 5 parallel to the axis of the screw holes 2, and welding protrusions 6 formed at the four corners of the end face 4. Is formed by. In the illustrated embodiment, the illustration of the welding projection 6 is omitted. In the following description, the projection nut may be simply expressed as a nut.

  The entire component supply control device is denoted by reference numeral 7.

  A tubular passage member 8 made of stainless steel is provided with a transfer passage 9 having a rectangular cross section, and this passage member 8 is supported by the support column 10 in an inclined state so that the delivery side is lowered. The lower part of the column 10 is fixed to a stationary member 11 such as a machine frame. The transfer passage 9 communicates with the parts feeder 12 so as to receive the bolt 1 from the parts feeder 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the passage member 8 includes a U-shaped main body 13 that opens upward and a lid member 14 that closes the main body 13 to form a rectangular closed cross section. The lid member 14 is formed of a thick plate and is fixed to the main body 13 by welding or bolting.

  An advancing / retracting stopper member 16 is attached to the passage member 8. The stopper member 16 enters the transfer passage 9 to stop the nut 1 and is advanced and retracted by an air cylinder 17 fixed to the lid member 14. The stopper member 16 is constituted by a piston rod having a circular cross section of the air cylinder 17, but may be a suitable plate member. The lateral side surface 5 of the nut 1 is in contact with the stopper member 16.

  In order to send only the nut 1 received by the stopper member 16, a stopper member 18 for stopping the second nut 1 is provided. The stopper member 18 penetrates the bottom of the main body 13 and enters the transfer passage 9, and has a stopper function when inserted into the screw hole 2. Then, like the stopper member 16, the air cylinder 19 fixed to the bottom of the main body 13 is advanced and retracted.

  The nut 1 received by the stopper member 16 is the first one, and the nut 1 continuously received by the stopper member 18 is the second one. Then, the second nut 1 is connected in a state where the subsequent nut is in close contact therewith.

  In order to ensure that the first nut 1 starts to move reliably, an air injection nozzle 20 is provided in the lid member 14. The nozzle 20 starts the earliest nut 1, and a “main nozzle” to be described later is arranged to transfer the nut 1 to a target location following this startup. Therefore, in the following description, the nozzle 20 is referred to as “preliminary nozzle 20”. As shown in FIGS. 1 (A), 3 (A), and 3 (B), the preliminary injection port 20 injects air into the nut 1 from an obliquely rearward direction of the nut delivery direction, so that its opening position and opening direction are Is set.

  It is important that the air jet from the preliminary nozzle 20 is blown to the nut 1 most effectively, and the sending thrust for moving the nut 1 is ensured to the maximum extent. For this purpose, the opening position and the opening direction of the preliminary nozzle 20 are selected so that the air jet is blown against the inner part 21 on the delivery side of the screw hole 2. In addition to this, the optimum place where the air jet is blown is the vicinity 22 of the screw hole opening on the side close to the preliminary nozzle 20. The screw hole opening vicinity portion 22 on the side close to the preliminary injection port 20 means the sending side inner surface portion (21) above the screw hole 2 in FIG.

  Thus, in order to blow the air jet to a predetermined location, it is necessary to combine the selection of the opening position of the preliminary nozzle 20 and the selection of the direction of the air jet from the preliminary nozzle 20. Therefore, the inclination angle θ of the straight air passage 23 connected to the preliminary nozzle 20 is also set to an optimum value. As can be understood from FIGS. 1A and 3C, the air passage 23 is provided in the center of the transfer passage 9 in the width direction.

  The opening location of the preliminary nozzle 20 and the inclination angle θ are set so as to blow an air jet at the optimum location described above. In this case, the opening position and the inclination angle θ are selected according to the shape and dimensions of the nut 1. That is, the distance L between the preliminary nozzle 20 and the stopper member 16 is selected in accordance with the size of the nut 1 stopped by the stopper member 16. At the same time, the inclination angle θ of the air passage 23 is also selected. Therefore, the interval L is an “adaptive interval”, and the inclination angle θ is an “adaptive inclination angle”.

  While it is possible to lengthen the fitting interval L and reduce the fitting inclination angle θ, the distance from the preliminary nozzle 20 to the location where the air is blown, that is, the inner portion 21 (the portion near the screw hole opening portion 22) is configured in this way. Becomes longer. As a result, the air jet diffuses and its dynamic pressure decreases, and eventually the delivery thrust decreases. Further, if the adaptation interval is shortened and the adaptation inclination angle θ is increased, the diffusion of the air jet is reduced, but the delivery thrust is not required to be large.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the dynamic pressure acting by the air jet is the component F, and the sending thrust in the sending direction obtained by decomposing it is F1. The component that presses the nut 1 against the bottom surface of the transfer passage 9 is F2. Therefore, the setting of the opening position (adaptation interval L) of the preliminary injection nozzle 20 and the setting of the inclination angle (adaptation inclination angle θ) of the air passage 23 are aimed at obtaining the sending thrust F1 as large as possible.

  The screw hole 2 is a concave-shaped part of the component, and an air jet is blown onto such a portion, and the delivery thrust of the component is accurately determined. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the projection 35 is provided on the rectangular parallelepiped component 34, the air jet is blown onto the projection 35. Such a part has a concave-shaped part, and the projection 35 is useful for securing the sending thrust.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a part of the passage member 8 is a detachable replacement member 36. Here, a part of the lid member 14 can be removed by loosening the bolt 37, as is apparent from FIG. A plurality of replacement members 36 are prepared, and each is provided with an air cylinder 17 for the stopper member 16 and a preliminary nozzle 20. The matching interval L and the matching inclination angle θ in each replacement member 36 are set so as to match the size and shape of the nut 1.

  Therefore, for example, when the nut 1 is changed from the M8 nut with the welding projection 6 to the M6 nut without the welding projection, the replacement member having the fitting interval L and the fitting inclination angle θ adapted to the M6 nut. It is replaced with 36.

  FIG. 4 shows a steel plate part 38 as shown by a two-dot chain line, which is a strip-shaped long steel plate bent into a hat shape. Therefore, the conforming interval L and the conforming inclination angle θ are values adapted to the steel plate part 38. Since the other configuration is the same as the previous example, the same reference numerals are given to members having similar functions.

  The nut 1 delivered from the component supply control device 7 is transferred to the target location. Although there are various target locations, the supply rod type component supply device 24 is used here. The component supply device 24 is paired with an electric resistance welder and supplies the nut 1 to the steel plate component 26 placed on the fixed electrode 25. The nut 1 is supplied to the holding unit 27 of the component supply device 24, and the advancing / retracting supply rod 28 is advanced to the nut 1 waiting there, and transferred to the steel plate component 26. The supply rod 28 is moved back and forth by the air cylinder 29. Reference numeral 30 denotes a movable electrode.

  The component supply control device 7 to the component supply device 24 are connected by a supply hose 31 ranging from 10 m to 15 m. The supply hose 31 is made of a flexible synthetic resin such as urethane resin or vinyl chloride. In order for the nut 1 to pass through the supply hose 31 vigorously, a main injection port 33 for air injection is provided on the delivery side of the stopper member 16, that is, in front thereof. The opening direction of the nozzle hole is set so that this main nozzle 33 injects air from diagonally behind in the delivery direction.

  A pressing nozzle 39 is provided behind the stopper member 18, and the nut 1 smoothly reaches the stopper member 16 by an air jet from here. Note that air supply pipes 41, 42, and 43 are connected to the nozzle holes 20, 33, and 39, respectively.

  FIG. 1A shows a state in which the entire nut row in the transfer passage 9 is stopped. At this time, both the stopper member 16 and the stopper member 18 enter the transfer passage 9 to receive the nuts 1. Yes. In this state, the stopper member 16 retreats and the earliest nut 1 is released. At the same time, air is blown from the auxiliary nozzle 20 to the earliest nut 1, and the nut 1 immediately starts moving. When the nut 1 that has started moving in this manner passes through the main injection port 33, air for conveyance is injected from the main injection port 33, and the nut 1 is supplied to the component supply device 24 through the supply hose 31. Thereafter, the nut 1 is placed on the steel plate part 26 on the fixed electrode 25, and welding is completed by pressurization by the movable electrode 30 and energization of a welding current.

  When the stopper member 16 moves backward and the first nut 1 is delivered, the stopper member 16 advances again immediately after that. Thereafter, when the stopper member 18 is retracted from the screw hole 2, the second nut 1 is advanced and received by the stopper member 16. When the second nut 1 moves, air is ejected from the pressure injection port 39 so that the nut 1 smoothly hits the stopper member 16. The entire nut row is boosted by the air injection from the pressing nozzle 39.

  The time at which air is injected from the preliminary nozzle 20 may be when the stopper member 16 is in the advanced state, or at the same time as the stopper member 16 is retracted.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (A), even if the oil film 40 of the rust-preventing oil illustrated in black is present between the lateral surfaces 5 of the nut 1, the adjacent lateral surfaces 5 are separated by the sending thrust F1. Therefore, the earliest nut 1 starts in the delivery direction simultaneously with the air injection from the preliminary nozzle 20. When there is no welding projection 6, an oil film may exist between the end face 4 of the nut and the bottom face of the transfer passage 9, but the nut is also started by the aforementioned sending thrust F1.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, when an air jet is blown onto the screw hole opening vicinity 22, a force component is generated to tilt the nut 1 as shown. Therefore, a gap in the peeling direction is formed at the location where the oil film 40 exists, and the above-described peeling phenomenon and quick nut start-up are realized.

  Although various air cylinders are employed in the above-described embodiments, an electric motor that performs forward / backward output may be employed instead. Further, in order to perform the operation as described above, although not shown, it is easily performed using a control device such as a normal sequencer, a sensor, an air switching valve operated by the control device, or the like. Can do.

  The functions and effects of the embodiment described above are listed as follows.

  With the above-described configuration, the interval between the stopper member 16 and the preliminary injection port 20 is set to an adjustment interval L that is set in accordance with the shape and dimensions of the projection nut 1, and the inclination angle of the air jet from the preliminary injection port 20 Is set to a suitable inclination angle θ, the blast air is blown to a location suitable for feeding the nut 1 and immediately starts moving by the backward movement of the stopper member 16. That is, a positive feed force is applied to the nut 1 by the jet air.

  Thus, since the movement of the nut 1 is started simultaneously with the backward movement of the stopper member 16, the time required for nut feeding is shortened and made uniform. As described above, even if the rust preventive oil is applied to the nut 1 or a foreign object such as iron scrap is caught, the nut can be sent out powerfully by air injection, which delays the nut delivery. There is no. Accordingly, the air is preliminarily injected as described above, and the nut movement is started simultaneously with the backward movement of the stopper member 16, and then the parts are supplied to the parts supply device 24 which is a destination place far away by the carrier air from the main nozzle 33. Can be reliably operated in the shortest time, and highly reliable component supply can be obtained.

  The preliminary injection port 20 is arranged at a position so as to inject air into the screw hole 2 that is the concave shape portion of the nut 1 or the projection 35 that is the convex shape portion.

  Since air injection is performed on the concave shape portion or the convex shape portion of the part, the dynamic pressure of air surely acts on the part, and a strong power output can be obtained.

  The part is a nut 1 having end faces 3 and 4 where the screw hole 2 is open and a flat lateral surface 5 in a state parallel to the axis of the screw hole 2 so that air injection is performed on the screw hole 2. Configured.

  In the case of the nut 1 having such a shape, since the nut 1 subsequent to the first nut 1 has a flat lateral surface, rust preventive oil or the like is interposed between the lateral surfaces of the front and rear nuts. Although the phenomenon of sticking to each other occurs, the air injection is performed on the screw hole 2 which is a concave shape portion, so that a strong power output is obtained and the component movement can be reliably started.

  The preliminary injection port 20 is arranged so that air injection is performed on the inner side portion 21 on the delivery side of the screw hole 2.

  Since the air jet injected from the diagonally rear in the delivery direction of the nut 1 acts on the inner side portion 21 on the delivery side of the screw hole 2, the dynamic pressure due to the air jet acts reliably in the nut delivery direction.

  The preliminary injection port 20 is arranged so that the air injection is performed on the portion 22 near the screw hole opening near the preliminary injection port 20.

  Since the air jet injected from diagonally rearward in the sending direction of the nut 1 is jetted to the inner portion 21 on the sending side of the screw hole 2 and to the screw hole opening vicinity portion 22 on the side close to the preliminary nozzle 20. A force component that tries to incline the nut 1 is generated, and thereby, the adhesion between the side surfaces of the nut 1 is actively peeled off. Therefore, even if the adhesive is difficult to peel, the movement can be surely started. As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3 </ b> B, and 3 </ b> C, the air jet indicated by the arrow 15 is blown to the screw hole opening vicinity portion 22, thereby obtaining the above-described effect.

  A part of the passage member 8 is detachable to form a replacement member 36, and the replacement member 36 is provided with the advance / retractable stopper member 16 and the preliminary injection port 20, and a plurality of prepared replacement members. 36, the adaptation interval L and the adaptation inclination angle θ corresponding to the shape and dimensions of each nut 1 are formed.

  As described above, each time the nut 1 to be supplied is changed by previously providing each replacement member 36 with the appropriate interval L and the appropriate inclination angle θ according to the shape and size of each nut 1, the nut 1 is changed. The replacement member 36 adapted to the above is selected and attached to the passage member 8. Therefore, it becomes possible to cope with the change of the nut 1 by a simple replacement operation. Furthermore, only the local part that needs to be changed is exchanged, and the apparatus main body can be used continuously without being changed, which is economical.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the stopper member is retracted, the parts are immediately sent out, so that the parts can be supplied with high efficiency. Thus, the car body welding process for automobiles, the sheet metal welding process for home appliances, etc. It can be used in a wide range of industrial fields.

It is the side view which shows the whole components supply control apparatus, and the perspective view of a nut. It is (2)-(2) sectional drawing of FIG. 1 (A). It is sectional drawing and a top view which show the principal part of an apparatus, and a perspective view of components. It is a side view of the device which sends out other parts.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Projection bolt 2 Screw hole 3 End surface 4 End surface 5 Lateral side surface 7 Component supply control device 8 Passage member 9 Transfer passage 16 Stopper member 20 Preliminary injection port 21 Inner portion 22 Screw hole opening vicinity 23 Air passage 24 Component supply device 33 Main injection port 34 Parts 35 Projections 36 Replacement members 40 Oil film

Claims (6)

  The tubular passage member provided with the parts transfer passage is provided with an advancing / retracting stopper member for stopping the parts in the transfer passage, and obliquely rearward in the part feeding direction with respect to the parts received by the stopper member. A nozzle hole for injecting air for delivery from the nozzle is provided in a part of the passage member, and the interval between the stopper member entering the transfer passage and the nozzle hole is an adapted interval set according to the shape and dimensions of the parts In addition, the direction of the air jet from the nozzle is an adapted inclination angle set in conformity with the shape and dimensions of the component.   2. The component supply control device according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement position of the nozzle is set so that air is ejected to a concave shape portion or a convex shape portion of the component.   The said component is a nut which has a flat side surface in a state parallel to the end surface where the screw hole is opened and the axis of the screw hole, and the air injection is configured to be performed on the screw hole. Item 2. The component supply control device according to Item 2.   The component supply control device according to claim 3, wherein the injection port is arranged such that air injection is performed on the inner side of the screw hole on the delivery side.   The component supply control device according to claim 4, wherein the nozzle is arranged so that air injection is performed on a portion near the screw hole opening on the side close to the nozzle.   A part of the passage member is detachably configured to constitute a replacement member. The replacement member is provided with the advancing / retracting stopper member and the injection port. The component supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the fitting interval and the fitting inclination angle corresponding to dimensions are formed.

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