JP2012143848A - Screw supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a screw supply device that can take out a screw in the vicinity of a screw fastening position and can move the taken-out screw immediately to the screw fastening position.SOLUTION: A fixing guide 20 is attached to the front end of a supply rail 14 that moves stored screws 12 to a screw taking out position. The fixing guide 20 positions the supply rail 14 so that the front end of the supply rail 14 is arranged near the screw fastening position while being inclined at a predetermined angle. A screw fastening guide 40 which is attached to the front end of the supply rail 14 comes in contact with a screwdriver bit 70a holding the screw 12 existing at the screw taking out position, and guides the bit so as to be vertical at the screw fastening position.

Description

  The embodiment relates to a screw supply device that sequentially supplies screws to positions picked up by a driver bit.

  The assembly process of an electronic device often includes a screw tightening process. When assembling a large number of electronic devices continuously, use an automatic screwing machine to improve the efficiency of the assembly. However, in the case of high-mix low-volume production, an operator often manually tightens screws on an assembly line.

  In such a manual screw tightening operation, for example, an operator holds an electric screwdriver in his / her hand, attaches a screw to the tip of a driver bit, and then moves the screw to a screw tightening position to perform screw tightening. In such a screw tightening operation, a screw can be efficiently supplied to the tip of the driver bit by using a screw supply device. A stationary screw feeder is often used as such a screw feeder.

  A stationary screw feeder generally has a part that accommodates a large number of screws and a screw alignment supply unit that aligns the screws and supplies them one by one to the screw take-out position. It is installed near the position where work is performed. Therefore, the operator holds the driver in his / her hand, moves the driver bit of the driver to the screw take-out position of the screw feeder, picks up the screw with the driver bit, moves to the screw tightening position, and performs the screw tightening work. That is, the driver is repeatedly moved between the screw tightening position and the screw picking position, and not only does the hand holding the driver get tired and work efficiency decreases, but also the time for moving the driver is included in the screw tightening process time. There is also a problem that the screwing process takes a long time.

  Therefore, the screw alignment supply unit of the screw supply machine is removed from the screw accommodating unit as a screw supply unit (magazine or cassette), and only the screw supply unit is moved to the vicinity of the screw tightening position to bring the screw take-out position closer to the screw tightening position. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-10252

  The screw feeder described in Patent Document 1 can be placed on a workbench or the like near the driver held by the operator and near the screw tightening position, so that the screw can be easily taken out. However, it is still necessary to move the screw attached to the driver bit from the screw removal position of the screw feeder to the screw tightening position. That is, an operator needs to move the driver while the screw is attached to the tip of the driver bit, and the screw may fall from the driver bit during the movement.

  Further, since the operator visually moves to the screw tightening position, it may be difficult to accurately move the tip of the small screw to the screw tightening position, and the screw tightening process time may be long. Furthermore, it is necessary to perform a troublesome work of taking out the screw and tightening the screw with the other hand while holding the screw feeder in a predetermined posture with one hand.

  According to one embodiment, a supply rail that moves a received screw to a screw removal position, and a front end portion of the supply rail that is attached to a front end portion of the supply rail and that is inclined at a predetermined angle. A fixed guide that positions the screw so as to be disposed in the vicinity of the screw tightening position, and a screw tightening guide that contacts the driver bit with the screw at the screw take-out position and guides the screw so that the screw bit is vertical at the screw tightening position. A screw supply device is provided.

  According to one embodiment, the screw can be taken out near the screw tightening position by the function of the fixed guide, and the screw taken out by the function of the screw tightening guide can be immediately moved to the screw tightening position. Therefore, a reliable screw tightening operation can be performed in a short time.

It is a side view of the screw supply apparatus by one Embodiment. It is a top view of the screw supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line in FIG. It is a perspective view near the front-end | tip part of a screw supply apparatus. It is a side view which shows a state when arrange | positioning a screw supply apparatus to the screw fastening position vicinity, and performing a screw fastening operation | work. It is a figure which shows the guide function of a screw supply apparatus.

  Next, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view of a screw supply device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the screw supply device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

  The screw supply device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a device that holds screws or small screws 12 in an aligned state and moves the screws 12 by sliding them to a screw removal position, which is called a screw cassette or a screw magazine. Is done. The screw supply device 10 has a size and a weight that allow an operator to move it by hand.

  The screw supply device 10 includes two supply rails 14 fixed to each other so that a predetermined gap is formed therebetween. The distance between the two supply rails 14 is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the screw portion of the screw 12. As shown in FIG. 3, a screw head receiving groove 14a is formed on the upper end side of the supply rail. The screws 12 are aligned in a row with the screw portions of the screws 12 extending between the two supply rails 14 and the heads of the screws 12 entering the screw head receiving grooves 14 a of the left and right supply rails 14. Is held by the supply rail 14. Since the head of the screw 12 is received in the screw head receiving groove 14a, the screw 12 is prevented from coming off the supply rail 14 and falling.

  A connecting portion 16 for connecting the screw supply device 10 to a supply device for accommodating the screw 12 in the screw supply device 10 is attached to the rear end of the supply rail 14. The side to which the connecting portion 16 is attached is the rear end side of the screw supply device 10.

  The screw head receiving groove 14a of the supply rail 14 is eliminated at the front end of the screw supply device 14, and the head of the head screw 12 of the aligned screws 12 appears on the supply rail. Although not shown, the leading screw 12 is pressed against the inner wall of the supply rail by a small leaf spring provided between the supply rails 14 so that it stops at the position where the head of the screw 12 appears. It has become. The position of the screw 12 is a screw take-out position, and the screw 12 that has moved to this position can be attached to the driver bit and taken out as will be described later.

  At the front end of the screw supply device 14, a fixing guide 20 for guiding and fixing the tip of the screw supply device 10 to the screw tightening position, a screw extraction guide 30 for guiding the driver bit to the screw extraction position, and a screw are mounted. A screw tightening guide 40 for guiding the driver bit to the screw tightening position is attached.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front end portion of the screw supply device 10. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state when the screw supply device 10 is arranged at the screw tightening position and the screw tightening operation is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when performing the screw tightening operation, the screw supply device 10 is placed on the work 60 (the object to be tightened) with the screw, and the driver bit 70 a such as the electric screwdriver 70 is used. The screw 12 of the screw supply device 10 is taken up. Then, the screw 12 can be screwed into the screw hole of the workpiece 60 by moving the driver bit 70a to which the screw 12 is attached to the screw tightening position and then moving the driver bit 70a vertically downward.

  First, the fixed guide 20 that guides and fixes the distal end portion of the screw supply device 10 to the screw tightening position will be described. The fixed guide 20 is made of sheet metal, and is attached to the lower side of the distal end portion of the supply rail 14. The fixed guide 20 includes a placement portion 22 having a flat bottom surface, and a boss 24 that is an annular member attached to the placement portion 22. The fixed guide 20 is fixed to the supply rail 14 so that the supply rail 14 extends obliquely upward at a predetermined angle when the bottom surface of the mounting portion 22 is leveled. The boss 24 is a hollow annular member having a through hole, and is attached to the mounting portion 22 so that a part thereof protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the mounting portion 22 to form a protruding portion. The through hole inside the boss 24 corresponds to the position of the screw 12 when the screw 12 is removed from the tip of the supply rail 14.

  The workpiece 60 is formed with a hole 60a for accommodating the head of the screw 12 and a screw hole 60b into which the screw portion of the screw 12 is screwed. The outer diameter of the boss 24 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the hole 60a, and the boss 24 can be easily fitted into the hole 60a of the workpiece 60. Therefore, the screw supply device 10 can be positioned on the workpiece 60 by fitting the boss 24 protruding from the bottom surface of the mounting portion 22 of the fixed guide 20 into the hole 60 of the workpiece 60. And the screw supply apparatus 10 can be hold | maintained in the position where the supply rail 14 inclined by the predetermined angle from the horizontal surface by pressing the bottom face of the mounting part 22 on the upper surface of the workpiece | work 60. FIG.

  In the screw supply device 10 held on the workpiece 60 as described above, the supply rail 14 is automatically inclined at a predetermined angle, and the screw 12 accommodated in alignment with the supply rail 14 is downward. It slides and moves sequentially to the screw removal position at the tip. Further, the position where the screw 12 is moved laterally from the screw removal position and removed from the supply rail 14 is directly above the boss 24 of the fixed guide 20.

  Next, the screw removal guide 30 for guiding the driver bit to the screw removal position will be described. The screw take-out guide 30 is attached to a sheet metal support 50 attached to the side surface of the supply rail 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the screw take-out guide 30 is a sheet metal part having a shape with a V-shaped tip cut off when viewed from the front, and a shape in which both sides of the V-shape are bent by 90 degrees and raised. is there. The first guide 20 functions to guide the tip of the driver bit 70 a so as to move toward the head of the head screw 12 protruding from the groove 14 a of the supply rail 14.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the tip of the driver bit 70a is moved downward while being brought into contact with the screw take-out guide 30, the driver bit 70a is guided by the both sides where the screw take-out guide 30 is cut and raised. Move toward the tip of the letter. Immediately below the V-shaped tip is the screw take-out position, and the head of the head screw 12 is located at this position. Therefore, the tip of the driver bit 70 a guided by the screw take-out guide 30 moves directly above the head of the head screw 12 supported by the supply rail 14. If the driver bit 70a is lowered as it is, the tip of the driver bit 70a contacts the head of the screw 12 and engages with a recess provided in the head. If the driver bit 70a is magnetized, the iron screw 12 is magnetically attracted and held at the tip of the driver bit 70a.

  Therefore, when the tip of the driver bit 70a is engaged with the head of the screw 12, the operator moves the screw 12 while sliding on the supply rail 14 as it is. At this time, as described above, the leading screw 12 is pressed against the inner wall of the supply rail 14 by the leaf spring and fixed at the take-out position. However, since the pressing force of the leaf spring is weak, it is provided at the head of the screw 12. By moving the driver bit 70a engaged with the recessed portion (recess), the screw 12 can be easily moved. That is, the screw 12 can be easily moved to the front end of the supply rail 14 by moving the driver 70 from obliquely downward to the lateral direction.

  An inclined surface or a gently curved surface is provided at the tip of the supply rail 14, and the head of the screw 12 moves (slides) on the inclined surface or the gently curved surface, so that FIG. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the screw 12 is removed from the tip of the supply rail 14, the driver bit 70a is substantially vertical.

  Next, the screw tightening guide 40 for guiding the driver bit 70a to which the screw 12 is attached to the screw tightening position will be described.

  The screw tightening guide 40 is a component obtained by bending a sheet metal into a V shape as shown in FIG. 4, and is attached to the distal end portion of the supply rail 14. The screw tightening guide 40 is attached to the supply rail 14 so as to be positioned obliquely above the front end of the supply rail 14, and is arranged so that the V-shaped inner (valley) tip is vertical. Therefore, when the screw 12 is attached to the driver bit 70a and moves, and moves away from the tip of the supply rail 14, the vertical driver bit 70a immediately contacts the screw tightening guide 40. Since the screw tightening guide 40 has a V shape, the driver bit 70a is guided to the back of the V shape (the apex of the valley) as shown in FIG. This position is directly above the screw hole 60b of the workpiece 60, and corresponds to a screw tightening position.

  In this way, the screw 12 is taken out by the driver bit 70a and moved slightly, and the driver bit 70a is guided by the screw tightening guide 40, and the screw 12 attached to the driver bit 70a is moved to the screw tightening position. be able to.

  Therefore, when the driver bit 70a is moved downward while being in contact with the screw tightening guide 40, the screw 12 passes through the hole of the boss 24 of the fixed guide 20 and the hole 60a of the work 60, and is shown in FIG. Thus, it engages with the screw hole 60b of the workpiece 60. Therefore, the driver 70 is driven, the screw 12 is rotated by the driver bit 70a, and is screwed into the screw hole 60b to complete the screw tightening.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the front end portion of the screw supply device 10 is positioned near the screw tightening position of the workpiece 60 by the fixing guide 20 provided at the front end portion of the screw supply device 10. Then, the driver bit 70a is guided by the screw takeout guide 30 and moved to the screw takeout position, and the screw 12 accommodated in the screw supply device 10 can be taken out. Further, the driver bit 70a from which the screw 12 has been taken out is guided by the screw tightening guide 40 and becomes vertical right above the screw tightening position. By moving the driver bit 70 downward while being guided by the screw tightening guide 40 at this position, the screw 12 can be engaged with the screw hole 60b and screw tightening can be performed.

  Since the screw tightening guide 40 is disposed in the vicinity of the screw take-out position and directly above the screw hole 60b, the screw tightening guide 40 does not move a long distance after the screw 12 is mounted on the tip of the driver bit 70a. . Therefore, there is no possibility that the mounted screw 12 is detached from the driver bit 70a, and the screw 12 can be reliably moved to the screw hole 60b. Moreover, since the moving distance is short, a reliable screw tightening operation can be performed in a short time.

As described above, the present specification discloses the following matters.
(Appendix 1)
A supply rail that moves the housed screw to a screw removal position;
A fixed guide attached to the front end of the supply rail and positioned so that the front end of the supply rail is disposed in the vicinity of the screw tightening position in a state where the supply rail is inclined at a predetermined angle;
A screw supply device, comprising: a screw tightening guide that abuts the driver bit on which a screw at a screw take-out position is attached and guides the driver bit so as to be vertical at the screw tighten position.
(Appendix 2)
The screw supply device according to appendix 1,
A screw supply device further comprising a screw extraction guide that is provided above a screw head positioned at a screw extraction position on the supply rail and guides the tip of the driver bit to move toward the screw head.
(Appendix 3)
The screw supply device according to appendix 1 or 2,
The fixed guide is
A mounting portion having a bottom surface extending at the predetermined angle with respect to the supply rail;
A screw supply device comprising: a protruding portion that protrudes from the bottom surface of the mounting portion and has a through hole through which the screw and the driver bit can pass.
(Appendix 4)
The screw supply device according to appendix 3,
The screw supply device, wherein the through hole of the projecting portion is vertically aligned with a driver bit at a position guided by the screw tightening guide.
(Appendix 5)
The screw supply device according to appendix 3 or 4,
An outer diameter of the projecting portion is set to be slightly smaller than an inner diameter of a hole including a screw hole of a screw tightening object, and the projecting portion can be fitted into the hole of the screw tightening object.
(Appendix 6)
The screw supply device according to appendix 5,
The screw supply device, wherein the bottom surface of the mounting portion of the fixed guide is in contact with the top surface of the screw tightening object in a state where the protrusion is fitted in the hole of the screw tightening object.
(Appendix 7)
The screw supply device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6,
The mounting portion of the fixed guide is a sheet metal member attached to the front end of the supply rail, and the protruding portion of the fixed guide has an annular shape fitted into a hole provided in the mounting portion. Screw supply device as a member.
(Appendix 8)
The screw supply device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7,
The screw tightening guide is a member made of sheet metal attached to a front end portion of the supply rail and bent in a V shape, and guides the driver bit to be vertical.
(Appendix 9)
The screw supply device according to any one of appendices 2 to 8,
The screw take-out guide is a V-shaped sheet metal member attached to the front end of the supply rail, and has a shape in which both sides of the V-shape are cut and raised.
(Appendix 10)
The screw supply device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9,
A screw supply device in which an inclined surface or a curved surface is provided in a portion of the supply rail on the front side of the screw take-out position.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Screw supply device 12 Screw 14 Supply rail 14a Screw head accommodation groove 20 Fixing guide 22 Mounting part 24 Boss 30 Screw extraction guide 40 Screw tightening guide 50 Instruction part 60 Work 60a Hole 60b Screw hole 70 Electric driver 70a Driver bit

Claims (5)

A supply rail that moves the housed screw to a screw removal position;
A fixed guide attached to the front end of the supply rail and positioned so that the front end of the supply rail is disposed in the vicinity of the screw tightening position in a state where the supply rail is inclined at a predetermined angle;
A screw supply device, comprising: a screw tightening guide that abuts the driver bit on which a screw at a screw take-out position is attached and guides the driver bit so as to be vertical at the screw tighten position. The screw supply device according to claim 1,
A screw supply device further comprising a screw extraction guide that is provided above a screw head positioned at a screw extraction position on the supply rail and guides the tip of the driver bit to move toward the screw head. The screw supply device according to claim 1 or 2,
The fixed guide is
A mounting portion having a bottom surface extending at the predetermined angle with respect to the supply rail;
A screw supply device comprising: a protruding portion that protrudes from the bottom surface of the mounting portion and has a through hole through which the screw and the driver bit can pass. The screw supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The mounting portion of the fixed guide is a sheet metal member attached to the front end of the supply rail, and the protruding portion of the fixed guide has an annular shape fitted into a hole provided in the mounting portion. Screw supply device as a member. The screw supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The screw tightening guide is a sheet metal member bent in a V shape and attached to a front end portion of the supply rail, and the screw supply device guides the driver bit so as to be vertical.

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