JP2010179355A - Nut feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a feeder which feeds a nut N to a target position without inserting a pin into its screw hole. <P>SOLUTION: The nut feeder is used for feeding the nut N fed by a chute 2 to a target position lower than a nut receiving position under the chute, and includes a feeding head 3 having a nut exit on the front face for receiving the nut N from the chute 2, and a first cylinder 4 for advancing/retreating the feeding head 3 toward the target position. In the feeding head 3, a door-like stopper 14 for nut fall prevention is provided on the nut exit so as to be opened forward and energized to a close direction, and a push-out pin 15 is provided which pushes the nut N at the target position, opens the door-like stopper 14 and pushes out the nut from the nut exit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a nut supply device.

A nut supply device that supplies a nut (for example, a welded nut) supplied by a chute to a target position (for example, on a workpiece) provided at a position lower than the lower end of the chute. It is described that a nut receiver having a door-like stopper for preventing dropout is provided and the nut is supplied to a target position by a supply rod. A pin is provided at the tip of the supply rod, and the pin is inserted into the screw hole of the nut and skewed, and the supply rod is advanced in this state to open the door stopper of the nut receiver and open the nut to the target position. It comes to supply. Further, during advancement of the supply rod, the nut is prevented from falling off the pin by blowing air backward from the tip of the pin passed through the nut, that is, by blowing air to the front side of the nut. .
Japanese Patent No. 4182301

  However, in the air blowing method described above, it is necessary to form an air intake port, an air outlet port and an air passage in the pin at the tip of the supply rod, and a mechanism for supplying air to the pin is also required, which makes the nut supply device complicated. become. Further, this method needs to be formed in a state where the screw hole penetrates the nut, and cannot be applied to a nut with a lid in which the screw hole is covered with a resin lid. This lid is generally provided to prevent water, dust, etc. from entering the screw holes after the nut is welded to the work and before the parts are tightened with the bolts. When done, it is pushed by the bolt tip and falls off.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a simple supply device that can supply a nut to a target position without passing a pin through the screw hole of the nut, that is, regardless of whether a cover is provided on the screw hole. To do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention does not provide a nut receiver at the lower end of the chute, but provides a door-like stopper on the supply head that receives the nut from the chute, so that the nut is removed when the supply head reaches the target position. Pushed to open the door stopper.

That is, the present invention is a nut supply device that supplies a nut supplied by a chute to a target position lower than a nut receiving position below the chute,
A feed head having a nut outlet on the front and receiving a nut from the chute;
A head driving means for moving the supply head forward and backward from a nut receiving position below the chute toward a target position;
The supply head is provided with a door-like stopper for preventing nut drop at the nut outlet so as to open forward and biased in the closing direction, and the door-like stopper is pushed by pushing the nut at the target position. An extrusion pin that opens the stopper and exits from the nut outlet is provided.

  Thus, in the present invention, the nut receiver is not provided at the lower end of the chute, but the nut is directly received by the supply head from the chute, and the nut is prevented from falling off by the door-shaped stopper provided on the supply head. Therefore, the nut can be supplied to the target position without dropping by the supply head without passing the pin through the screw hole of the nut and without providing a means for holding the nut on the pin. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to supply the nut to the target position regardless of whether the screw hole is provided with a lid, and also to avoid the complicated structure of the nut supply device. Become advantageous.

  Preferably, the push pin is provided on a piston rod of a single acting cylinder having a return spring, and fluid pressure is applied so that the push pin advances to the single acting cylinder when the supply head reaches the advance end. And a control means for controlling the operation of the head driving means and the single acting cylinder so that the supply of the fluid pressure is released after the supply head is retracted from the target position.

  As a result, the pushing pin driving means becomes simple, and the feeding head moves backward from the target position while the pushing pin pushes open the door-like stopper, so that the door-like stopper hits the nut supplied to the target position. (The door-shaped stopper catches the nut) is avoided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the door-like stopper for preventing the nut from dropping off is urged forward and closed in the supply head that moves forward and backward from the nut receiving position below the chute toward the target position. In addition, an extrusion pin that opens the door-shaped stopper and pushes the nut at the target position is provided, so that the nut can be supplied to the target position regardless of whether the screw hole is provided with a lid. Also, it is advantageous to avoid the complicated structure of the nut supply device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

  In the nut supply device 1 shown in FIG. 1, 2 is a nut supply chute, 3 is a supply head that receives a nut N with a lid from the chute 2, and 4 is a feed head 3 that is directed from a nut receiving position below the chute 2 toward a target position. This is a double acting first cylinder as a head driving means for advancing and retreating. In this case, the nut welding site in the workpiece W provided on the lower electrode 5 is the target position. This target position is received at a position lower than the nut receiving position. The nut N and the workpiece W are welded by being sandwiched between an upper electrode (not shown) and the lower electrode 5 and energized.

  The chute 2 supplies the nuts N one by one with the screw holes being in a horizontal state (a state in which the screw holes are horizontal or inclined). The flexible tube 6 and the tube 6 The lower end support cylinder 7 is formed. The chute 2 is supported on the guide pipe 8 by a bracket 9. The supply head 3 is attached to the tip of the supply rod 10. The supply rod 10 is inserted into the guide pipe 8 so as to guide its advance and retreat, and the rear end is coupled to the piston rod 11 of the first cylinder 4. The rear end of the guide pipe 8 is connected to the front end of the first cylinder 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the supply head 3 includes a head main body 12 that receives the nut N from the chute 2, a door-like stopper 14 that closes the nut outlet 13 on the front surface of the head main body 12, and an extrusion that pushes out the nut N from the nut outlet 13. Pin 15 is provided. The head main body 12 has a nut receiving portion 16 having an open upper end at a front portion, a rod connecting port 17 at a rear portion, and the nut receiving portion 16 and the rod connecting port 17 are connected by a pin hole 18. The head main body 12 is connected to the tip of the supply rod 10 by a rod connection port 17. The nut outlet 13 is formed on the front surface of the nut receiving portion 16. The door-like stopper 14 is supported on the head body 12 by a pin so as to open forward, and is biased in the closing direction by a winding spring (not shown) provided on the pin.

  The pin driving means for driving the push pin 15 is constituted by a single acting second cylinder 21. The push pin 15 is coupled to the tip of the piston rod 22 of the second cylinder 21. The second cylinder 21 receives fluid pressure to advance the push pin 15. A return spring 23 is provided in the second cylinder 21 so that the push pin 15 returns when the application of fluid pressure is released. Further, the bore of the second cylinder 21 is open to the cylinder rear end surface.

  The second cylinder 21 is coupled to the front end of the supply rod 10. The supply rod 10 includes an air supply hole 24 extending in the axial direction. The front end of the air supply hole 24 is connected to the bore 21a of the second cylinder 21 in communication. The rear end of the air supply hole 24 is closed by the piston rod 11 of the first cylinder 4. An air hole 25 penetrating the cylindrical wall is formed in the rear portion of the supply rod 10.

  An air hole 26 penetrating the cylindrical wall is formed in the rear portion of the guide pipe 8, and an air supply pipe is connected to the air hole 26. A gap between the inner wall surface of the guide pipe 8 and the outer wall surface of the supply rod 10 is an air passage connecting the air hole 26 of the guide pipe 8 and the air hole 25 of the supply rod 10.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to control the operation of the first cylinder 4 and the second cylinder 21, the forward air supply unit 4 a and the reverse air supply unit 4 b of the first cylinder 4, and the guide pipe 8 A valve device 31 connected to the air supply portion 8a for the air hole 26 by an air pipe and a control means 32 for controlling the valve device 31 are provided. The control means 32 controls the valve device 31 based on a nut supply signal from the nut supply means 33 for supplying the nut N by the chute 2, a detection signal from the forward end detection means 34 for detecting the arrival of the supply head 3 to the target position, and the like. It comes to control.

  In the above configuration, in the supply head 3, the upper end opening of the nut receiving portion 16 is connected to the lower end outlet of the chute 2 at the nut receiving position. When the control means 32 receives the nut supply signal from the nut supply means 33, air pressure is applied to the forward air supply section 4a of the first cylinder 4, and the supply head 3 is moved from the nut receiving position as shown in FIG. It advances toward the work W that is the target position. At this time, the nut outlet 13 of the supply head 3 is blocked by the door-like stopper 14, and the nut N does not fall off.

  When the supply head 3 reaches the workpiece W, this is detected by the forward end detection means 34. By this detection, air pressure is supplied to the guide pipe 8. The air pressure is supplied to the second cylinder 21 via the gap between the guide pipe 8 and the supply rod 10, the air hole 25 and the air supply hole 24 of the supply rod 10. As a result, the push pin 15 moves forward against the bias of the spring 23. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the nut N in the supply head 3 moves forward and the door-like stopper 14 is pushed open. As shown in FIG. 5, the nut N passes through the through hole of the workpiece W from the nut outlet 13. The pin 5a of the protruding lower electrode 5 is fitted.

  Next, after the set time by the timer has elapsed since the detection by the forward end detecting means 34, the supply of air pressure to the first cylinder 4 is switched from the forward air supply part 4a to the reverse air supply part 4b, and the supply head 3 moves backward. To start. As shown in FIG. 6, the push pin 15 is in the advanced state at the start of the retreat, and the door-like stopper 14 is kept pushed by the push pin 15. Therefore, the door-like stopper 14 does not hit the nut N on the workpiece W, and the nut N can be prevented from coming off from the pin 5a of the lower electrode 5.

  When the supply head 3 starts to move backward, the detection signal from the forward end detection means 34 is cut off. When the set time by the timer elapses after this signal expires, the supply of air pressure to the guide pipe 8 (second cylinder 21) is released (the second cylinder 21 is released to the atmosphere). As a result, the push pin 15 is retracted by the bias of the spring 23, and the door stopper 14 closes the nut outlet 13.

  In addition, although the said embodiment is an example which supplies the nut N with a lid | cover, this invention can be utilized also for supply of the nut which does not have a lid | cover and the screw hole has penetrated.

It is a block diagram of the nut supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the one part element of the nut supply apparatus. It is a side view which shows the state which the supply head of the nut supply apparatus advanced. It is a side view which shows the state which the extrusion pin of the nut supply apparatus advanced. It is a side view which shows the state in which the nut of the nut supply apparatus was supplied on the workpiece | work. It is a side view which shows the state of the retreat initial stage of the supply head of the nut supply apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nut supply apparatus 2 Chute 3 Supply head 4 1st cylinder (head drive means)
5 Lower electrode 13 Nut outlet 14 Door stopper 15 Extrusion pin 21 Second cylinder (pin driving means)
N Nut W Work

Claims (2)

A nut supply device for supplying a nut supplied by a chute to a target position lower than a nut receiving position below the chute,
A feed head having a nut outlet on the front and receiving a nut from the chute;
A head driving means for moving the supply head forward and backward from a nut receiving position below the chute toward a target position;
The supply head is provided with a door-like stopper for preventing nut drop at the nut outlet so as to open forward and biased in the closing direction, and the door-like stopper is pushed by pushing the nut at the target position. A nut supply device, characterized in that an extrusion pin that opens the stopper and exits from the nut outlet is provided. In claim 1,
The push pin is provided on a piston rod of a single acting cylinder having a return spring,
When the supply head reaches the forward end, fluid pressure is applied to the single-acting cylinder so that the push pin advances, and the supply of the fluid pressure is released after the supply head moves backward from the target position. As described above, a nut supply device comprising control means for controlling the operation of the head drive means and the single acting cylinder.

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