JP2010100372A - Carrying object selecting device of part feeder and part feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying object selecting device capable of properly selecting the direction of a carrying object carried along a traveling surface, capable of smoothly carrying the carrying object along the traveling surface by preventing a large clearance from appearing on the traveling surface in a trough, and capable of freely adjusting an air blowout position. <P>SOLUTION: This carrying object selecting device has an elongate hole 211a formed on the traveling surface 21 of the trough 2 and extending in the height direction, a set hole 24 communicating with the elongate hole 211a and opening on an upward surface 22 in the trough 2, and an air blowout member 3 having an air introducing port 33 and an air blowout port 34 communicating with the air introducing port 33 and installable in the set hole 24, and can adjust a height position of the air blowout port 34 communicating with the elongate hole 211a by changing a height position of the air blowout member 3 to the set hole 24 in a state of installing the air blowout member 3 in the set hole 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport object sorting device for adjusting the direction of a transport object transported to a trough in a parts feeder, and a parts feeder.

  Conventionally, as a parts feeder that transports a workpiece such as a workpiece along a spiral or linear trough, it is transported to the next process with the orientation of the conveyance subject conveyed along the traveling surface in the trough. Therefore, what is provided with the conveyance object sorter which sorts the direction of a conveyance object is known.

  Normally, the object to be transported is required to be transported in a lying position. As an example of a sorting device that excludes a transport object to be transported or a transport object to be transported in a state of being overlapped with another transport object from the traveling surface as being not in a normal transport posture, Patent Document 1 discloses the following. Embodiments are disclosed.

  In the same document, an air outlet is formed at a position higher than the upper end of an object to be transported in a normal conveying posture on the traveling surface of the trough, and an air pipe is inserted and screwed into an air hole communicating with the air outlet, A mode in which air is constantly ejected from an air outlet is disclosed. And the conveyance object conveyed by a normal conveyance attitude | position does not receive the influence of the air which blows off from an air blower outlet, On the other hand, while being conveyed along a driving | running | working surface, The conveyance object conveyed in the state which overlapped with the other conveyance object is blown off by the air which blows off from an air blower outlet, and is made to exclude.

  Further, as a different mode, a groove-like slit that opens in the height direction is formed on the running surface of the trough, and the air blowing nozzle is fixed to the slit by welding or bonding, that is, the tip position of the air blowing nozzle, that is, There is known a mode in which the height position of the air outlet is fixed at a position higher than the upper end of the conveyance object in the normal conveyance posture.

Even in such a mode, the object to be transported in the normal transport posture is continuously transported along the traveling surface without being affected by the air ejected from the air outlet, but in an upright posture. The transport object to be transported and the transport object to be transported in a state of being overlapped with another transport object are blown off by the air ejected from the air outlet and excluded.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-35860

  However, since the aspect disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot change the height position of the air outlet, it is possible to appropriately align the direction of conveyance for a certain conveyance object, There is a problem in that it is not possible to perform appropriate sorting for other shapes of conveyance objects and the versatility is poor.

  In the case of the latter mode, in the state where the air blowing nozzle is fixed to the slit, the portion other than the portion occupied by the air blowing nozzle in the slit remains naturally open in a groove shape, There is a problem that a large gap is generated, and even a transport object that is transported in a normal transport posture is caught in or stays in this gap, or it will accidentally spill out of the running surface over a collection of stagnant transport objects. was there.

  Furthermore, the operation of fixing the air blowing nozzle to the slit by welding or bonding is a so-called on-site operation assembled at the factory, so there is no reproducibility, and welding or bonding is necessary, and the assembly operation is complicated. It was.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem, and a main object of the present invention is to appropriately select the direction (posture) of the object to be conveyed along the traveling surface, and In order to prevent a large gap from appearing on the running surface in the machine, to achieve smooth conveyance of the conveyed object along the running surface, and to adjust the air blowing position freely It is providing a parts feeder provided with an apparatus and such a conveyance target sorter.

  That is, the transport object sorting device of the present invention is applied to a parts feeder provided with a trough for transporting a transport object, and sorts the direction of the transport object transported along the traveling surface in the trough. A long hole formed in the running surface extending in the height direction, a set hole communicating with the long hole and opening at a position other than the running surface in the trough, and an air introduction port and an air introduction for guiding air supplied from the outside An air blowing member that has an air blowing port that can communicate with the opening and that can be attached to the set hole, and changes the height position of the air blowing member with respect to the set hole in a state where the air blowing member is attached to the set hole. The height position of the air blowout port communicated with the long hole is adjustable.

  If this is the case, the height position of the air blowing member with respect to the set hole is determined according to the normal conveyance posture of the conveyance object to be selected (the posture with the smallest height dimension among the possible conveyance postures). By changing the height, the height of the air outlet communicating with the long hole can be adjusted to a position higher than the upper end of the object to be transported in the normal conveying posture. By blowing away the transport object whose transport posture is not the normal transport posture and removing it from the travel surface by the air that is conveyed, the direction (posture) of the transport target to be transported can be appropriately selected. In addition, since only the long holes are opened on the traveling surface, the gap generated on the traveling surface is reduced and transported along the traveling surface, compared to the known mode in which the groove-shaped slit is formed on the traveling surface described above. It is possible to avoid or suppress the transported object being caught or stagnating. Furthermore, since the air blowing member is mounted on the set hole, the height position of the air outlet communicating with the long hole can be adjusted by changing the insertion depth of the air blowing member with respect to the set hole. The height position of the air outlet can be freely adjusted according to the size of the conveyance object, and the conveyance objects of different sizes can be suitably selected. In addition, the long hole and the air outlet can be communicated with each other simply by attaching the air blowing member to the set hole, eliminating the need for welding and bonding processes, and simplifying the assembly work. The reproducibility is excellent. The “traveling surface” may be a surface having at least a height component, and is a concept including an inclined surface in addition to a vertical surface, and “a long hole extending in the height direction formed on the traveling surface”. Means a long hole formed in the traveling surface and extending in a direction having at least a height component. When the traveling surface is an inclined surface, the elongated hole extends in the inclined direction of the inclined surface, that is, the height. It has both a component and a horizontal component. Further, the trough may be a linear one, a curved one, a spiral one, or a trough having a planar (two-dimensional) extent, or A trough having a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) spread may be used.

  The conveyance object sorting device of the present invention further includes positioning means for positioning the relative position of the air blowing member with respect to the set hole so that the air outlet is in communication with the long hole when the air blowing member is mounted in the set hole. Therefore, the assembly work can be performed more easily and smoothly.

  In order to realize the positioning means with a simple configuration, a flat flat surface is formed on the wall facing the wall on which the air outlet is formed, and the set hole is substantially a cylinder having a diameter larger than that of the air blowing member. A screw member with a flat tip is screwed into a screw hole formed at a position where it can communicate with the flat surface of the trough, and the flat surface of the air blowing member inserted into the set hole is inserted into the screw hole. What is necessary is just to make it regulate the rotation operation | movement of an air blowing member in the position where an air blower outlet connects to the said long hole by pressing at a front-end | tip part.

  The transport object sorting device of the present invention further includes height position setting means for setting the height position of the air outlet with respect to the long hole to a predetermined height position, so that it matches the size of the transport object. The height position of the air outlet set in this manner can be maintained in a stable state.

  As a preferred specific example of the height position setting means in the transport object sorting device, the air blowing member in the set hole can be placed between the placing surface in the transport object sorting device and the lower end portion of the air blowing member. A spacer interposed between the interposed spacer or the flange provided at the upper end of the air blowing member and the flange contact surface that the flange can contact when the air blowing member of the trough is attached to the set hole. Is mentioned.

  In the case of allowing play between the air blowing member and the set hole in a state where the air blowing member is mounted in the set hole without requiring high processing accuracy for the air blowing member and the set hole, the present invention What is necessary is just to further provide the press means which presses an air blowing member in the direction which brings an air blower outlet close to a running surface in the state which attached the air blowing member to the set hole. As a result, the separation distance between the air outlet and the long hole can be made as small as possible, and the air ejected from the air outlet can be efficiently sent to the running surface side through the long hole. Shaking of the air blowing member attached to the can be suppressed.

  The pressing means in the conveying object sorting device is a pressed part set on the wall facing the wall on which the air outlet is formed in the air blowing member, and a screw hole formed in a position leading to the pressed part in the trough, A screw member that is screwed into the screw hole, and presses the pressed portion at the tip of the screw member to press the air blowing member in a direction that brings the air blowing port closer to the running surface. However, the air blowing member can be surely and smoothly pressed in the direction in which the air blowing port is in close contact with the long hole.

  The transport object sorting device of the present invention forms a plurality of long holes in the traveling surface so as to be separated along the transport direction of the transport object, and includes a plurality of set holes and a plurality of air blowing members corresponding to the respective long holes. If provided, a plurality of air outlets are formed on the traveling surface, and the sorting process can be performed more appropriately.

  Moreover, the parts feeder of this invention is equipped with the trough and the conveyance target object sorting apparatus which makes the structure mentioned above. If it is such, it will become the parts feeder which was rich in the versatility which exhibits the various effect mentioned above, is excellent in practicality, and can respond to the difference in the kind and size of a conveyance subject.

  According to the conveyance object sorting device and the parts feeder of the present invention, the direction (posture) of the conveyance object conveyed along the traveling surface can be appropriately selected, and a large gap appears on the traveling surface in the trough. It is possible to prevent it from coming out, to realize smooth conveyance of the conveyance object along the traveling surface, and to freely adjust the air blowing position according to the size of the conveyance object.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport object sorting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a trough 2 (downstream trough 2) that transports a work W (see FIG. 6) that is a print object in the present embodiment. This is applied to the feeder X, and in order to align the direction of the workpiece W conveyed along the trough 2 (downstream trough 2), the workpiece W facing the positive direction and a direction different from the positive direction (different direction) This is a device that sorts the workpiece W facing the head.

  The parts feeder X is connected to the bowl-shaped workpiece storage portion X1 (also referred to as a bowl portion) for storing the workpiece W and the upper end portion of the workpiece storage portion X1, and transports the workpiece W in a linear direction. The linear supply part X2 supplied to 1st, and the 1st vibration provision part X3 and the 2nd vibration provision part X4 which respectively give a vibration to the workpiece | work accommodating part X1 and the linear supply part X2 are provided.

  The work accommodating part X1 includes an upstream trough X11 provided in an inward surface on the peripheral wall and extending in a spiral shape. The work W is moved along the upstream trough X11 to the linear supply part X2 by the vibration provided from the first vibration imparting part X3. It is to be transported.

  The linear supply unit X2 includes a straight downstream trough 2 having a base end (upstream end) connected to a distal end (downstream end) of the upstream trough X11, and the workpiece W is caused by vibration applied from the second vibration applying unit X4. Is conveyed along the downstream trough 2 and supplied to the next step.

  The first vibration applying unit X3 and the second vibration applying unit X4 are, for example, of the piezoelectric oscillation type disposed below the work accommodating unit X1 and the linear supply unit X2. Of course, an electromagnetic oscillation type may be applied as the first vibration applying unit X3 and the second vibration applying unit X4.

  In the parts feeder X of this embodiment, the first vibration applying unit X3 and the second vibration applying unit X4 are set on a common stage X5 with appropriate vibration isolating units interposed therebetween.

  In addition, the parts feeder X further includes a return conveyance path X8 that returns the workpiece W discharged from the downstream trough 2 by the conveyance object sorting device 1 described later to the workpiece storage unit X1 in the linear supply unit X2. This return conveyance path X8 is arranged in parallel with the downstream trough 2 in the linear supply part X2, and leads to the discharge work receiving port X12 provided near the tip (downstream end) of the upstream trough X11 in the work storage part X1. It is.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyance object sorting device 1 is provided in the linear feeder X2 of the parts feeder X. Hereinafter, the downstream trough 2 in the linear supply unit X2 is simply referred to as “trough 2”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the trough 2 has a block shape having a running surface 21. The traveling surface 21 includes a first traveling surface 211 and a second traveling surface 212 whose lower ends intersect each other at a substantially right angle so as to form a substantially V shape in cross section, and the inclination angle of the second traveling surface 212 is set to the first traveling angle. The angle is set relatively closer to the horizontal than the surface 211. Further, the height dimension of the first traveling surface 211 is set to be relatively larger than that of the second traveling surface 212. In the following description, of the trough 2 having a block shape, a surface extending from the upper end of the first traveling surface 211 in a direction away from the second traveling surface 212 is referred to as an “upward surface 22”, and A surface extending from one end of the facing surface 22 in parallel or substantially parallel to the first traveling surface 211 is referred to as a “back surface 23”.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the workpiece W transported along the trough 2 is a minute size having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the length dimension WL, the width dimension WB, and the height dimension WH are different from each other. .

  Of the workpieces W that are transported on the trough 2, the workpiece sorting apparatus 1 takes a workpiece W that has a normal conveying posture in which the conveying posture is lying on the second traveling surface 212 and further conveys it downstream. On the other hand, the workpiece W having an abnormal conveyance posture that is not a posture lying on the second traveling surface 212 is excluded from the traveling surface 21 to align the conveyance direction of the workpiece W.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the normal transport posture in the present embodiment means a posture having the smallest height dimension among the transport postures that the workpiece W can take, and the abnormal transport posture is more than the normal transport posture. Means a posture with a large height dimension, specifically, a posture standing on the second traveling surface 212 (see FIG. 5) or a posture overlapping with another workpiece W.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport object sorting device 1 that sorts the transport posture of the workpiece W includes an elongated hole 211 a formed in the first traveling surface 211 extending in the height direction, A set hole 24 that communicates with the hole 211 a and opens at a position other than the first travel surface 211 in the trough 2, and an air blowing member 3 that can be attached to the set hole 24 are provided.

  The long hole 211a has a lower edge of the opening that is spaced a predetermined distance upward from the intersection of the first traveling surface 211 and the second traveling surface 212, in other words, a predetermined distance upward from the lower end of the first traveling surface 211. The position is set at a distance, and the opening height dimension, which is the dimension from the opening lower edge to the opening upper edge, is set to several mm (in this embodiment, for example, 0.5 mm).

  The set hole 24 opens in the upward surface 22 in the trough 2 described above. The set hole 24 is surrounded by an inner peripheral surface 24a having a substantially uniform circular cross-sectional shape in the height direction and a bottom surface 24b, and a portion of the inner peripheral surface 24a facing away from the first running surface 211 is a long hole. It communicates with 211a. The opening direction of the set hole 24 (the direction of opening in the upward surface 22 in the trough 2) is parallel or substantially parallel to the first traveling surface 211.

  The air blowing member 3 has a bottomed cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the set hole 24 as shown in FIGS. The air blowing member 3 has an air introduction port 33 surrounded by a peripheral wall 31 having a substantially uniform circular cross-sectional shape in the height direction and a bottom wall 32, and further, in the thickness direction at the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 31. And an air outlet 34 penetrating therethrough. The air outlet 34 has a circular shape, and its opening diameter is set to be the same as or substantially the same as the opening width of the long hole 211a.

  The air outlet 34 is set to communicate with the long hole 211a in a state where the air outlet member 3 is mounted in the set hole 24. In the present embodiment, the height position of the air outlet 34 with respect to the long hole 211a can be adjusted at least within the opening height dimension of the long hole 211a. Then, by setting the height position of the air outlet 34 to a position higher than the upper end of the workpiece W taking the normal conveyance posture, the workpiece W in which the conveyance object sorting device 1 is in the abnormal conveyance posture is moved to the air outlet 34. The air is blown off by the air blown out from the vehicle, and the function of eliminating it from the running surface 21 is exhibited. Note that the air outlet 34 may be positioned below the lower opening edge of the long hole 211a when the air blowing member 3 is simply inserted into the set hole 24. In this case, the height position of the air outlet 34 with respect to the long hole 211a can be adjusted within the opening height dimension of the long hole 211a by moving the air blowing member 3 in the anti-insertion direction with respect to the set hole 24. You can do it.

  Further, the transport object sorting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes positioning means 4 for positioning the relative position of the air blowing member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 so that the air outlet 34 can communicate with the long hole 211a. Yes.

  The positioning means 4 penetrates from the flat surface 31a formed in a part of the peripheral wall 31 of the air blowing member 3 and extending in the height direction to the inner peripheral surface 24a of the set hole 24 from the above-described back surface 23 of the trough 2. The screw hole 52 that is accessible to the flat surface 31a of the air blowing member 3 inserted into the set hole 24 and the screw member 53 that is screwed into the screw hole 52 and the tip portion 531 is a flat surface are used. It is a thing. In this embodiment, the part which opposes the air blower outlet 34 in the outer peripheral surface which adjoins or faces the set hole 24 among the surrounding walls 31 in the air blowing member 3 is set to the flat flat surface 31a. Then, with the air blowing member 3 inserted into the set hole 24, a screw member 53 (for example, a set screw) is tightened into the screw hole 52 and the flat surface 31 a is pressed by the flat tip portion 531 of the screw member 53. The air blowing member 3 is fixed such that the air blowing port 34 communicates with the long hole 211 a so that the air blowing member 3 cannot be rotated, and the relative position of the air blowing member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 is positioned. The inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 31 of the air blowing member 3 is not provided with a flat surface, and the inner peripheral surface is set to a surface having a substantially uniform circular cross-sectional shape in the height direction.

  In the present embodiment, in a state where the air blowing member 3 is inserted into and attached to the set hole 24, there is play between the inner peripheral surface 24 a of the set hole 24 and the peripheral wall 31 (specifically, the outer peripheral surface) of the air blowing member 3. Is allowed to occur, and the set hole 24 and the air blowing member 3 are easily processed. On the other hand, the conveyance object sorting device 1 of the present embodiment presses the air blowing member 3 in a direction in which the air blowing port 34 is in close contact with the long hole 211a in a state where the air blowing member 3 is mounted in the set hole 24. Means 5 are further provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pressing means 5 includes a pressed portion 51 formed on a portion of the peripheral wall 31 of the air blowing member 3 that faces the position where the air outlet 34 is formed, and the above-described back direction of the trough 2. A screw hole 52 that penetrates from the surface 23 to the inner peripheral surface 24 a of the set hole 24 and is accessible to the pressed portion 51 of the air blowing member 3 attached to the set hole 24; and a screw member 53 that is screwed into the screw hole 52. It is comprised using. In the present embodiment, the flat surface 31 a described above also serves as the pressed portion 51, and a screw member 53 (for example, a set screw) is tightened in the screw hole 52 and the pressed portion 51 is pressed by the tip portion 531 of the screw member 53. Thus, the air blowing member 3 is pressed in a direction in which the air blowing port 34 is brought closer to the first traveling surface 211. The screw hole 52 and the screw member 53 constituting the positioning means 4 and the screw hole 52 and the screw member 53 constituting the pressing means 5 are shared to simplify the number of parts.

  Next, the assembling procedure and operation of the transport object sorting apparatus 1 will be described.

  First, the insertion posture of the air blowing member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 is determined so that the flat surface 31a faces the surface (backward surface 23) of the trough 2 that is relatively separated from the first traveling surface 211. The air blowing member 3 is inserted into the set hole 24 and mounted in the posture. Then, the relative height of the air blowing member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 so that the air outlet 34 is positioned at a position slightly higher than the upper end of the workpiece W taking the normal conveyance posture according to the size of the workpiece W to be selected. Adjust the position.

  After determining the height position of the air outlet 34, the screw member 53 is screwed into the screw hole 52 from the back surface 23 of the trough 2, and the pressed portion 51 (flat) of the air outlet member 3 is fixed at the tip portion 531 of the screw member 53. By pressing the surface 31a), the air blowing member 3 is pressed against a portion of the inner peripheral surface 24a of the set hole 24 on the first traveling surface 211 side, and play occurs between the air outlet 34 and the long hole 211a. It is not in a state. In this state, the air blowing member 3 is fixed in a non-rotatable manner in such a posture that the air blowing port 34 and the long hole 211a communicate with each other. Although the bottom wall 32 of the air blowing member 3 floats from the bottom surface 24 b of the set hole 24, the air blowing member 3 is held at the height position by the tightening force of the screw member 53. The screw member 53 is screwed into the screw hole 52 in advance so that the tip portion 531 does not interfere with the height position adjustment of the air blowing member 3, and the relative height of the air blowing member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 is set. After the position is determined, it may be tightened strongly.

  Subsequently, the air introduction pipe 6 provided with the air introduction head 62 at the tip of the air introduction pipe main body 61 is attached to the air introduction port 33 in the air blowing member 3 so as to penetrate the air introduction pipe main body 61 and the air introduction head 62. The through-hole 63 to be communicated with the air outlet 34 (see FIG. 4). The air introduction pipe 6 is provided integrally with a pipe joint 7 that can be screwed into a screw hole (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 31 of the air blowing member 3.

  The transport object sorting apparatus 1 is assembled by the above procedure. In this assembled state, the long hole 211a, the air outlet 34, and the through-hole 63 communicate with each other in order from the first traveling surface 211 side, and the air introduced from the air introduction pipe 6 becomes the air outlet 34 and the long hole. It is always ejected from a predetermined height position of the first running surface 211 through 211a.

  Accordingly, among the workpieces W transported along the traveling surface 21 of the trough 2, the workpiece W taking the normal transport posture shown in FIG. 4 is ejected from the air outlet 34 because its upper end is lower than the air outlet 34. It continues to be transported downstream without being affected by the air. On the other hand, since the upper end of the workpiece W taking an abnormal conveyance posture as shown in FIG. 5 is higher than the air outlet 34, the workpiece W is blown off by the air blown out from the air outlet 34, and excluded from the running surface 21. Is done.

  The workpiece W removed to the outside of the traveling surface 21 is conveyed toward the workpiece accommodating portion X1 while being guided by the return conveyance path X8 described above, and is near the tip (downstream end) of the upstream trough X11 in the workpiece accommodating portion X1. It returns to the workpiece | work accommodating part X1 from the provided discharge | emission workpiece | work receiving port X12. The workpiece W returned to the workpiece accommodating portion X1 is conveyed along the trough 2 again through the upstream trough X11, and if it is in an abnormal conveyance posture, the traveling surface 21 is again driven by the air blown out from the air outlet 34. On the other hand, if it is blown out, it is allowed to pass downstream without being blown out of the running surface 21 by the air blown out from the air outlet 34 in the normal transport posture. In this way, the conveying posture of the workpiece W, in other words, the conveying direction of the workpiece W is aligned, and the workpiece W having the aligned conveying posture is supplied to the next process.

  In addition, the parts feeder X of the present embodiment is formed with a plurality of (two in FIGS. 2 and 3) elongated holes 211 a that are separated from each other in the conveyance direction of the workpiece W on the first traveling surface 211. A plurality of set holes 24 are formed corresponding to the long holes 211a, and the air blowing members 3 are mounted in the respective set holes 24. Therefore, the transport object sorting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of long holes 211a that open in the first traveling surface 211, and the same number of set holes 24 and air blowing members 3 as the long holes 211a. Become. As a result, the air outlets 34 are opened through the long holes 211a at a plurality of locations separated along the conveyance direction of the workpiece W on the first traveling surface 211, and a plurality of sorting opportunities are given to one workpiece W. It becomes possible. 2 and 3, the height positions of the air outlets 34 may all be the same, and different height positions, for example, the upstream side air outlets 34 may be normal. You may make it set to a position higher than the downstream air blower outlet 34 set to the position slightly higher than the upper end of the workpiece | work W which takes a conveyance attitude | position, and you may make it raise a selection precision stepwise along a conveyance direction.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance object sorting device 1 according to the present embodiment. In a predetermined region of the second traveling surface 212, a narrow portion 212a that is set to be smaller than a width dimension (a dimension along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction) in another area is provided. Specifically, the width dimension in the narrow portion 212a is set to be the same as or substantially the same as the width dimension WB of the workpiece W. As a result, among the workpieces W that assume the normal conveyance posture that is lying on the second running surface 212, the workpiece W that has a posture in which the conveyance direction is orthogonal to the conveyance direction is narrow. The workpiece W that can pass through the portion 212a and has a posture in which the width direction is not orthogonal to the transport direction, for example, a posture in which the width direction is parallel to the transport direction, has a center of gravity from the second travel surface 212. Therefore, it falls off the second running surface 212 and is eliminated. As a result, the workpieces W that have passed through the narrow portion 212a in the second running surface 212 are all in the same posture (same direction). Note that the workpiece W dropped and removed from the second traveling surface 212 is conveyed toward the workpiece accommodating portion X1 while being guided by the return conveyance path X8 described above.

  As described above, in the transport object sorting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the region opened in the height direction and the transport direction on the travel surface 21 is only the region corresponding to the opening size of the long hole 211a. Compared with the aspect in which a groove-shaped slit that opens in the height direction is formed on the traveling surface, the gap area generated on the traveling surface 21 is reduced, and the workpiece W conveyed along the traveling surface 21 is caught. Alternatively, a situation such as clogging can be avoided or suppressed, and the sorting process can be performed accurately while the workpiece W is being conveyed smoothly.

  Moreover, the height position of the air outlet 34 communicating with the long hole 211a is adjusted by changing the relative height position of the air outlet member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 in a state where the air outlet member 3 is mounted in the set hole 24. Since it is configured to be possible, the height position of the air outlet 34 can be set to an appropriate height position according to the size of the workpiece W to be sorted. The height position of the air outlet 34 once determined can be easily changed by loosening the tightening force of the screw member 53 and moving the air outlet member 3 in the height direction. The object can be flexibly opposed. Further, since the long hole 211a and the air outlet 34 can be communicated with each other simply by mounting the air blowing member 3 in the set hole 24, welding processing and bonding processing are not required, and assembly work is simplified. It can be performed and has excellent reproducibility.

  In addition, the transport object sorting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment further includes positioning means 4 for positioning the relative position of the air blowing member 3 with respect to the set hole 24 so that the air outlet 34 communicates with the long hole 211a. Therefore, the assembling work can be performed more easily and smoothly.

  In particular, the positioning means 4 is a screw hole 53 formed at a position communicating with the flat surface 31a of the air blowing member 3 inserted into the cylindrical set hole 24 of the trough 2, and a screw member 53 having a tip portion 531 which is a flat surface. And the flat surface 31a is pressed by the tip portion 531 of the screw member 53, so that the rotation operation of the air blowing member 3 is restricted at a position where the air outlet 34 communicates with the long hole 211a. Therefore, the positioning means 4 can be realized with a very simple configuration.

  In addition, the transport object sorting device 1 according to the present embodiment presses the air blowing member 3 in a direction in which the air blowing port 34 approaches the first traveling surface 211 in a state where the air blowing member 3 is mounted in the set hole 24. A pressing means 5 is further provided. Therefore, even if play occurs between the air blowing member 3 and the set hole 24 in a state in which the air blowing member 3 is mounted in the set hole 24, the air blower mounted in the set hole 24 by the action of the pressing means 5 is used. Shaking of the member 3 can be suppressed, high accuracy is not required for the processing of the air blowing member 3 and the set hole 24, and the processing is also easy. Further, by bringing the air outlet 34 as close as possible to the first running surface 211 using the pressing means 5, the air outlet 34 and the long hole 211 a can be communicated with each other without any gap. The blown-out air can be efficiently sent out through the long hole 211a.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing means 5 communicates with the pressed portion 51 that is set to a portion of the peripheral wall 31 of the air blowing member 3 that faces the portion where the air outlet 34 is formed, and the pressed portion 51 of the trough 2. Since the screw hole 52 formed at the position and the screw member 53 screwed into the screw hole 52 are used, the pressing means 5 can be realized without incurring a complicated structure. By pressing the pressed portion 51 with the distal end portion 531 of the screw member 53, the air blowing member 3 can be surely and smoothly pressed in the direction in which the air outlet 34 approaches the first traveling surface 211a. In addition, since the flat surface 31a constituting a part of the positioning means 4 also functions as the pressed portion 51, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated pressed portion 51 on the air blowing member 3 separately from the flat surface 31a. Contributes to simplification. Further, the screw member 53 and the screw hole 52 constituting the positioning means 4 and the screw member 54 and the screw hole 52 constituting the pressing means 5 are shared, and also in this respect, the structure can be effectively simplified. Can do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above. For example, the conveyance object sorting device may further include a height position setting unit that sets the height position of the air outlet with respect to the long hole to a predetermined height position.

  The height position setting means 8 shown in FIG. 7 may be configured by using a spacer 81 interposed between the bottom surface 24b of the set hole 24 and the downward surface of the air blowing member 3. In this case, a spacer set to an appropriate thickness dimension or a spacer selected from a plurality of spacers set to different thickness dimensions is placed on the bottom surface 24 b of the set hole 24, and the air blowing member 3 is placed on the spacer 81. By setting the air blowing member 3 in the set hole 24 so as to contact the bottom wall 32, the height position of the air outlet 34 with respect to the long hole 211a is set to a desired height position.

  Further, the height position setting means A8 shown in FIG. 8 is used when the flange A35 (joint) provided at the upper end of the air blowing member A3 and the air blowing member A3 of the trough 2 are attached to the set hole 24. You may comprise using the spacer A81 interposed between the collar part contact surface (upward surface 22 in embodiment mentioned above) which can contact part A35. In this case, a spacer set to an appropriate thickness dimension or a spacer A81 selected from a plurality of spacers set to different thickness dimensions is mounted on the collar contact surface (upward surface 22) so as not to cover the set hole 24. Or by attaching the air blowing member A3 into the set hole 24 in that state, by attaching the air blowing member A3 in advance to the lower surface side of the flange A35 of the air blowing member 3, The height position may be set to a desired height position. An insertion hole A81a is formed in the central portion of the spacer A81 so as to penetrate the body portion (circumferential wall A31) of the air blowing member A3 through the thickness direction. 8 is different from the air blowing member 3 shown in FIG. 4 only in that it has a flange A35. In FIG. 8, the portion corresponding to the air blowing member 3 shown in FIG. Is prefixed with “A”.

  Moreover, the conveyance object sorting device may be provided with one or three or more long holes formed in the traveling surface, and the same number of set holes and air blowing members as the long holes.

  Further, the traveling surface only needs to be a surface having at least a height component, and may be a vertical surface in addition to an inclined surface.

  The “long hole formed in the running surface extending in the height direction” may be a long hole formed in the running surface extending in a direction having at least a height component, and the running surface is an inclined surface. In this case, the long hole extends in the inclination direction of the inclined surface, that is, has both a height component and a horizontal component. In addition, you may form a long hole in the 2nd running surface 212 in embodiment mentioned above.

  Moreover, the set hole should just open to the position (surface) other than the running surface in a trough, communicating with a long hole, for example, may open to the back surface in a trough.

  Moreover, you may provide a conveyance target object sorting apparatus in a workpiece | work accommodating part among parts feeders. In this case, the conveying object sorting device is connected to the elongated hole formed in the traveling surface of the trough (corresponding to the upstream trough X11 in the above-described embodiment) provided in the work accommodating portion, and the set hole communicating with the elongated hole. May be configured using a set hole that opens to a position other than the running surface in the trough and an air blowing member that can be attached to the set hole.

The screw hole and screw member constituting the positioning means and the screw hole and screw member constituting the pressing means may be separate from each other.
In addition, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The whole schematic diagram of the parts feeder provided with the conveyance object sorting device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. The figure which looked at the principal part of FIG. 1 from the angle different from FIG. The figure which shows the state before mounting | wearing an air blowing member in a set hole in FIG. The figure which abbreviate | omits and partially shows the principal part cross section of the conveyance target object sorting apparatus concerning the embodiment. Action | operation explanatory drawing of the conveyance target object sorting apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. The whole schematic of the workpiece | work sorted by the conveyance target object sorting apparatus concerning the embodiment. The figure which shows the modification of the conveyance target object sorting apparatus concerning the embodiment corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the other modification of the conveyance target object classification device which concerns on the embodiment corresponding to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance object sorter 2 ... Trough (downstream trough)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Running surface 211 ... 1st running surface 211a ... Long hole 212 ... 2nd running surface 24 ... Set hole 3 ... Air blowing member 31a ... Air blowing member side flat surface 33 ... Air introduction port 34 ... Air blowing port 4 ... Positioning Means 5 ... Pressing means 51 ... Pressed portion 52 ... Screw hole 53 ... Screw member 8, A8 ... Height position setting means 81, A81 ... Spacer X ... Parts feeder W ... Conveyed object (workpiece)

Claims (10)

A transport object sorting device that is applied to a parts feeder that includes a trough that transports a transport object, and that sorts the direction of the transport object that is transported along a traveling surface in the trough,
An elongated hole formed in the traveling surface and extending in the height direction;
A set hole that communicates with the elongated hole and opens at a position other than the running surface in the trough;
An air inlet that guides air supplied from the outside, and an air outlet that has an air outlet that can communicate with the air inlet, and that can be attached to the set hole,
By changing the height position of the air blowing member with respect to the set hole in a state in which the air blowing member is attached to the set hole, the height position of the air blowing port communicated with the elongated hole can be adjusted. An object sorting device for a parts feeder, characterized in that: The conveying object sorting device for a parts feeder according to claim 1, further comprising positioning means for positioning a relative position of the air blowing member with respect to the set hole so that the air blowing port communicates with the long hole. The air blowing member has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a flat flat surface is formed on a wall facing the wall on which the air blowing port is formed, and the set hole has a diameter larger than that of the air blowing member. A large, almost cylindrical shape
The air blowing member inserted into the set hole by screwing a screw member having a flat tip into a screw hole formed at a position where the positioning means can communicate with the flat surface on the air blowing member side of the trough 3. The part according to claim 2, wherein the flat surface of the screw member is pressed by a tip portion of the screw member to restrict the rotation operation of the air blowing member at a position where the air blowing port communicates with the long hole. Feeder object sorting device. 4. The parts feeder conveying object sorting device according to claim 1, further comprising a height position setting means for setting a height position of the air outlet to the predetermined hole at a predetermined height position. . The part according to claim 4, wherein the height position setting means is a spacer interposed between a placement surface on which the air blowing member in the set hole can be placed and a lower end portion of the air blowing member. Feeder object sorting device. The height position setting means includes a collar provided at the upper end of the air blowing member, and a collar contact surface with which the collar can contact when the air blowing member of the trough is attached to the set hole. 5. The parts feeder conveying object sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the spacer is interposed between the parts feeder. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing unit that presses the air blowing member in a direction in which the air blowing port approaches the traveling surface in a state where the air blowing member is attached to the set hole. The object feeder sorting apparatus of the described part feeder. The pressing means is a pressed portion set on a wall facing the wall forming the air outlet of the air blowing member, a screw hole formed at a position leading to the pressed portion of the trough, and A screw member that is screwed into the screw hole, and presses the air blowing member in a direction in which the air outlet is brought closer to the running surface by pressing the pressed portion at the tip of the screw member. The conveying object sorting device for parts feeder according to claim 7. 2. The plurality of long holes are formed in the traveling surface so as to be separated from each other in the conveyance direction of the conveyance object, and the plurality of set holes and the plurality of air blowing members corresponding to the respective long holes are provided. 9. A parts feeder conveying object sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 8. A parts feeder comprising a trough and the conveyance object sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images