JP2012218070A - Parts supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parts supply device downsized by improving the function of a support member and reducing the operation load of an insertion driving means.SOLUTION: An advancing/retreating type supply rod 5 is held in a guide member 6, and the insertion driving means is connected to the guide member 6. A support member in a stationary state is formed with a first support part to which the insertion driving means is supported, and a second support part to which a passage means is supported. The first support part and the second support part are installed to form such configuration that only the supply rod 5, the guide member 6 and the advance/retreat driving means 7 are advanced/retreated by the insertion driving means, and the supply rod 5 is given a stand-by position, a separated position, a coaxial position, an insertion position and a return position. The load of the insertion driving means is thereby reduced to achieve the downsizing of this means and the whole device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a component supply apparatus that inserts a component held at the tip of a supply rod into a receiving hole formed in an electrode.

  The technique shown in FIG. 7 is described in Japanese Patent No. 2136184 and Japanese Patent No. 2627467. The supply rod 100 that moves forward and backward is accommodated in the guide member 101 in a slidable state, and the supply rod 100 moves forward and backward by the air cylinder 102 coupled to the guide member 101. A component supply pipe 103 and the guide member 101 are integrated by a support member 104. The piston rod 107 of the insertion air cylinder 106 fixed to the stationary member 105 is advanced and retracted in the vertical direction, and is coupled to the support member 104.

  On the other hand, the supply rod 101 advances between the movable electrode 108 and the fixed electrode 109 for electric resistance welding, and the projection bolt 110 held there advances at a location where it is coaxial with the receiving hole 111 provided in the movable electrode 108. Stops. Then, the bolt 110 is inserted into the receiving hole 111 by the operation of the insertion air cylinder 106. In addition, the code | symbol 112 is a holding | maintenance recessed part of the volt | bolt 110, the code | symbol 113 is a permanent magnet holding the volt | bolt 110, the code | symbol 114 is a permanent magnet provided in the back part of the receiving hole 111, and prevents the fall of the volt | bolt 110, the code | symbol 115 is a parts feeder, Reference numeral 116 denotes a steel plate component placed on the fixed electrode 109.

Japanese Patent No. 2136184 Japanese Patent No. 2627467

  In the technique described in the above patent document, since the insertion air cylinder 106 is fixed to the stationary member 105 and the support member 104 is coupled to the guide member 101 and the supply pipe 103, the supply rod 100, the guide member 101, the air cylinder 102, the supply pipe 103, and other high-mass structural members advance and retract by the insertion air cylinder 106. Further, when the supply pipe 103 advances and retreats, the elastic deformation of the supply hose 117 extending from the parts feeder 115 is repeated, and the elastic reaction force acts on the supply pipe 103. Therefore, the load acting on the insertion air cylinder 105 is significantly increased. Therefore, it is necessary to enlarge the insertion air cylinder 106, and there is a problem that it is difficult to make the apparatus compact.

  Further, since the insertion air cylinder 106 is fixed to the stationary member 105, the guide member 101 and the supply pipe 103 must be integrated via the support member 104. In other words, since the function of the support member 104 is the integration of the guide member 101 and the supply pipe 103 and the coupling to the insertion air cylinder 106, the above-described problem occurs.

  Furthermore, since the supply rod 100 has a structure in which the bolt 110 advances as it is from the position where the bolt 110 is supplied to the holding portion 112, the vertical dimension h of the space formed above the fixed electrode 109 becomes small. However, there is a problem that the insertion space of the steel plate part 116 inserted in the vertical direction becomes narrow, and workability is not improved.

  The present invention has been provided to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a component supply device that improves the function of a support member and reduces the operating load of an insertion drive means to reduce the size of the device. And

The invention described in claim 1
An advancing / retreating drive means is provided in which the holding rod for holding the component accommodates the supply rod formed at the tip portion in the guide member in a state where the supply rod can be advanced and retracted, and advances and retracts the supply rod in a state integrated with the guide member. The guide member is coupled with an insertion driving means for performing an advance / retreat output in a direction substantially orthogonal to the advance / retreat direction of the supply rod and inserting the component held by the holding portion into the electrode receiving hole,
A support member attached to the stationary member is formed with a first support part for supporting the insertion driving means and a second support part for supporting a passage means for guiding components to the holding part. Only the supply rod, the guide member, and the advance / retreat driving means are moved forward / backward by the insertion drive means by the installation of the part and the second support part,
The position where the parts are supplied from the passage means to the holding portion is the standby position of the supply rod,
The position where the supply rod is separated from the standby position in the advance operation of the insertion drive means is the separation position of the supply rod,
The position where the axis of the component is coaxial with the receiving hole in the advance operation of the supply rod is the coaxial position of the supply rod,
The position where the component is inserted into the receiving hole from the coaxial position by the backward movement of the insertion drive means is the insertion position of the supply rod,
The component supply device according to claim 1, wherein the standby position is a position where the supply rod returns from the insertion position.

  As described above, the holding portion for holding the component accommodates the supply rod formed at the tip portion in the guide member in a state where the supply rod can be advanced and retracted, and advances and retreats the supply rod in an integrated state with the guide member. There is provided drive means, and an insertion drive means for causing the guide member to output an advance / retreat in a direction substantially orthogonal to the advance / retreat direction of the supply rod and to insert the component held by the holding portion into the electrode receiving hole. The support member coupled to the stationary member is formed with a first support portion for supporting the insertion driving means and a second support portion for supporting a passage means for guiding components to the holding portion. Only the supply rod, the guide member, and the advance / retreat drive means are configured to advance and retract by the insertion drive means by installing the first support portion and the second support portion.

  The insertion drive means is coupled to the guide member, a support member is attached to the stationary member, and a first support portion on which the insertion drive means is supported by the support member, and a first passage where the passage means is supported. Since the two support portions are formed, the supply rod, the guide member, and the advance / retreat drive means are the only members that are moved forward and backward by the insertion drive means. That is, since the function of the support member is divided into two functions of support of the insertion drive means (first support part) and support of the passage means (second support part), the region of the member supported by the insertion drive means However, only the supply rod, the guide member, and the advance / retreat driving means are provided, and the passage means is separated. Therefore, the mass of the member that is advanced and retracted by the insertion drive means is minimized, the output scale of the insertion drive means is reduced, and the size of the insertion drive means itself or the overall size of the apparatus is promoted.

  The position where the parts are supplied from the passage means to the holding portion is the “standby position” of the supply rod, and the position where the supply rod is separated from the standby position by the advance operation of the insertion drive means is the “separation” of the supply rod. The position where the axis of the component is coaxial with the receiving hole in the supply rod advancement operation is the “coaxial position” of the supply rod, and the component is moved from the coaxial position by the retraction operation of the insertion drive means. The position inserted into the receiving hole is the “insertion position” of the supply rod, and the position where the supply rod has returned from the insertion position and returned is the standby position. In this way, the supply rod becomes the standby position, the separation position, the coaxial position, and the insertion position, and returns to the standby position again. As described above, since a space from the standby position to the separation position is required, a large space can be set between the standby position and a part supply target location, for example, a fixed electrode. Therefore, a space for inserting a welding target component such as a steel plate component is increased, and workability is improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the component supply apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a holding pipe that causes a part of the component supplied to the holding portion to be present at an end portion of the passage means in the state of the standby position. is there.

  When a component hits the holding portion, the component may temporarily repel and tilt in the component. Even if such an inclination occurs, the holding tube suppresses the inclination of the component, so that the component is accurately held by the holding portion. Usually, an opening / closing gate is provided at the exit of the component in order to prevent the component from falling with such an inclination. However, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated, which is not preferable.

  The present invention is an apparatus invention as described above, but as will be apparent from the embodiments described below, it exists as a method invention specifying a series of operations such as a standby position, a separation position, a coaxial position, and an insertion position. be able to.

It is a side view which shows the state of an apparatus structure and an operation position. FIG. 2A is a partial view of the supply rod and a view taken along the arrow 2A in FIG. FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. It is a side view of components. It is a fragmentary view of another supply rod. It is a front view which shows another Example. It is a side view of a prior art example.

  Next, a mode for carrying out the component supply apparatus of the present invention will be described.

  1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the parts to be supplied will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, an iron part 1 is formed by integrating a hexagonal nut body 2 with an elongated hollow cap portion 3 having a circular cross section, and having a spherical upper portion. It is called a dome nut. Three welding projections 4 are formed on the lower surface of the nut body 2 at intervals of 120 degrees. The dimensions of each part of the component 1 are such that the inner diameter of the screw hole is 6 mm, the maximum diameter of the hexagonal part is 16 mm, the outer diameter of the cap part 3 is 11 mm, and the height of the cap part 3 is 15 mm.

  Next, the supply rod will be described.

  A supply rod 5 that moves back and forth in a substantially horizontal direction is accommodated in a cylindrical guide member 6 in a slidable state. As shown in FIG. 2A, the supply rod 5 has a square cross-sectional shape, and the guide member 6 also has a shape adapted thereto. As the advancing / retreating drive means for advancing / retreating the supply rod 5, an air cylinder, an advancing / retracting output type electric motor, or the like can be adopted. The air cylinder 7 is integrated with the guide member 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, a recess-shaped holding portion 8 is formed at the distal end portion of the supply rod 5, and an opening portion 9 in which the distal end side of the supply rod 5 is opened is provided. The width of the holding portion 8 is set to a dimension that allows the nut body 2 to enter. In order to prevent the component 1 supported by the holding part 8 from falling, a permanent magnet 10 is embedded under the holding part 8.

  Next, the electrodes will be described.

  The movable electrode 11 and the fixed electrode 12 are disposed on the electrode axis OO extending in the vertical direction, and the receiving hole 13 into which the cylindrical cap portion 3 is inserted into the movable electrode 11 is coaxial with the electrode axis OO. Opened. A permanent magnet 14 is fixed in the back of the receiving hole 13 to prevent the component 1 from falling off. The inner diameter of the receiving hole 13 is set so that the upper surface of the nut body 2 is received by the flat end surface of the movable electrode 11 when the component 1 is attracted to the permanent magnet 14. In the longitudinal direction of the receiving hole 13, that is, in the same direction as the electrode axis OO, the advancing / retreating direction of an insertion driving means described later is set.

  The steel plate component 15 is placed on the fixed electrode 12, and the guide pin 16 of the fixed electrode 12 passes through the lower hole 17 of the steel plate component 15 to position the steel plate component 15.

  Next, the insertion drive means will be described.

  The advancing supply rod 5 is translated in the direction of the electrode axis OO, and the cap portion 3 is inserted into the receiving hole 13. In order to perform such an insertion operation, an insertion driving means 19 is arranged. Examples of the insertion drive means 19 include an air cylinder and an advancing / retracting output type electric motor, but an air cylinder is employed here. This air cylinder is an insertion air cylinder 19, and its forward / backward output direction is the same as that of the electrode axis OO.

  Next, the support member will be described.

  A support member 20 is fixed to a stationary member 21 formed of a machine frame or the like in order to support the insertion air cylinder 19 or a passage means described later. The support member 20 performs at least two functions of supporting the insertion air cylinder 19 and supporting the passage means 22 described later. The support member 20 is formed into a predetermined shape by bending a thick stainless steel plate or combining plate pieces.

  Various shapes of the support member 20 can be adopted, and the first support portion 23 that supports the insertion air cylinder 19 that is the insertion drive means and the second support portion 24 that supports the passage means 22 are provided. The support member 20 includes an attachment portion 25 formed in a substantially horizontal posture, a first support portion 23 extending downward from the attachment portion 25 in a substantially vertical direction, and a lower portion of the first support portion 23. It is formed by a second support portion 24 extending in the horizontal direction.

  Next, the passage means will be described.

  The passage means 22 is a component that generally means a vertical passage portion having a function of passing the component 1, and the passage direction of the component is the same as the advancing / retreating direction of the insertion air cylinder 19. . The component 1 delivered from the passage means 22 is immediately transferred to the holding portion 8 of the supply rod 5. That is, the exit portion of the passage means 22 and the holding portion 8 are brought close to each other, and the distance between the two close to each other is set smaller than the height of the component 1. There are various members constituting the passage means 22, but here, the member is formed by a mode including the supply hose 27 extending from the parts feeder 26, the passage structure portion of the buffer unit 28 of the part 1, and the like. Yes.

  The shock absorbing unit 28 functions to buffer the collision because the parts 1 transferred at high speed collide with the holding portion 8 of the supply rod 5 and cause damage due to indentation on the holding portion 8. . As shown in FIG. 1, an internal space of an elongated case 29 extending in a substantially horizontal direction is a switching chamber 30 in which a switching member 31 is inserted in a slidable state. The switching member 31 is a member having a rectangular cross section, and is provided with a solid stopper portion 32 and a passage hole 33 formed adjacent thereto. The switching member 31 is advanced and retracted by an air cylinder 34 fixed to the case 29.

  The case 29 is formed with an inlet hole 35 and an outlet hole 36 opposite to the inlet hole 35, and the inlet pipe 37 and the outlet pipe 38 are welded to the case 29 in a state of communicating with both the holes 35 and 36. The supply hose 27 is connected to the inlet pipe 37. The parts feeder 26 is provided with an escape unit 39 for sending out the parts 1 one by one, and an injection pipe 41 for sending out the parts by air injection.

  In the buffer unit 28 as described above, the inlet pipe 37, the passage hole 33, the outlet pipe 38, and the like correspond to the passage structure portion. When the buffer unit 28 is not equipped, the supply hose 27 and the outlet pipe (holding pipe) 38 connected to the tip of the supply hose 27 form a passage structure portion of the passage means 22.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the stopper portion 32 closes the inlet hole 35 and the outlet hole 36, the buffer unit 28 has a stopper portion so that the component 1 sent from the escape unit 39 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. At 32, the impact is reduced. Next, when the switching member 31 is moved by the operation of the air cylinder 34 and the passage hole 33 matches the inlet hole 35 and the outlet hole 36, the component 1 slowly reaches the holding portion 8 through the passage hole 33.

  Further, as is clear from FIGS. 1 and 2A, the longitudinal direction of the supply rod 5 and its air cylinder 7 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the buffer unit 28. That is, the buffer unit 28 is arranged so as to overlap the upper side of the supply rod 5. Therefore, there is an effect that the entire apparatus can be compactly packed in a slim state when viewed in the forward / backward direction of the supply rod 5.

  Next, the insertion air cylinder will be described.

  The cylinder body 42 of the insertion air cylinder 19 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A cylinder chamber 43 is formed at the center, and a piston rod 45 is coupled to a piston 44 fitted therein and protrudes outward. The direction of the axis of the cylinder chamber 43 and the piston rod 45 is the vertical direction, and is the same direction as the axis of the receiving hole 13 of the movable electrode 11. Guide rods 46 for smoothing the forward and backward movement of the insertion air cylinder 19 are arranged on the left and right of the piston rod 45, and are fixed to the mounting plate 47 together with the piston rod 45. In FIG. 3, the guide rod 46 is shown only on one side.

  Next, the positional relationship between the insertion air cylinder and the supply rod will be described.

  The mounting plate 47 is fixed to a coupling member 48 made of a stainless steel plate member by bolting or the like. The coupling member 48 is disposed in a horizontal posture, and is coupled to the lateral side surface of the guide member 6 by bolting or the like. As described above, the holding portion 8 of the supply rod 5 is positioned directly below the outlet pipe 38 of the buffer unit 28 by the arrangement of the first support portion 23, the second support portion 24, and the arrangement of the coupling member 48. Yes. The lower end portion of the outlet pipe 38 is located in the vicinity of the holding portion 8.

  Since the lower end portion of the outlet pipe 38 is positioned in the vicinity of the holding portion 8 in this way, the part 1 that has passed through the buffer unit 28 and has reached the holding portion 8 has most of the cap portion 3 in the outlet pipe 38. Is located. In other words, the exit portion of the passage means 22 and the holding portion 8 are brought close to each other, and the distance between the two close to each other is set smaller than the height of the component 1. Since the component 1 is held in such a state that the cap portion 3 is surrounded by the outlet pipe 38 in this way, even if the component 1 that has entered the holding portion 8 jumps up and tilts, it can fall from the holding portion 8. Absent. Since the outlet pipe 38 has a holding function as described above, the name “holding pipe” is given in the scope of claims, and the reference numeral 38 is also the same.

  Next, the operating position of the supply rod will be described.

  As shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, a state where the component 1 is supplied from the holding pipe 38 serving as the passage means 22 to the holding unit 8 is the standby position of the supply rod 5. Next, the position where the supply rod 5 is separated from the standby position by the advance operation of the insertion air cylinder 19 is the separation position of the supply rod 5. Next, the position where the axis of the component 1 is coaxial with the receiving hole 13 (electrode axis OO) by the advance operation of the supply rod 5 is the coaxial position of the supply rod 5. Next, the position where the component 1 is inserted into the receiving hole 13 from the coaxial position by the backward movement of the insertion air cylinder 19 is the insertion position of the supply rod 5. Finally, the standby position is the position where the supply rod 5 has returned from the insertion position.

  In this way, the supply rod 5 is placed at the standby position, the separation position, the coaxial position, and the insertion position, and then returns to form a square motion as indicated by the arrow in FIG.

  Next, other component shapes will be described.

  In the component 50 shown in FIG. 4B, a circular flange portion 52 is formed on a cylindrical portion 51 in which a female thread is cut, and a plurality of small “wart” welding protrusions 53 are formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 52. A protrusion 54 connected to the cylindrical portion 51 is formed at the center of the flange portion 52. In order to receive such a component 50 in the holding part 8 of the supply rod 5, the holding part 8 has a two-stage structure as shown in FIG. That is, a wide width portion 55 on which the flange portion 52 is placed and an accommodation recess 56 for accommodating the protrusion 54 are formed.

  It should be noted that an electric motor that performs forward / backward output can be employed instead of the various air cylinders. It is also possible to replace the various permanent magnets with electromagnets.

  The above-described operation can be easily performed by a generally employed control method. A predetermined operation can be ensured by combining an air switching valve that operates with a signal from the control device or the sequence circuit, a sensor that emits a signal at a predetermined position of the air cylinder, and transmits the signal to the control device.

  The operational effects of the first embodiment described above are as follows.

  As described above, the holding portion 8 that holds the component 1 accommodates the supply rod 5 formed at the distal end portion in the guide member 6 in a state where the supply rod 5 can advance and retreat, and the supply rod 5 is integrated with the guide member 6. An air cylinder 7 for advancing and retreating 5 is provided, and the guide member 6 outputs and retreats in a direction substantially perpendicular to the advancing and retreating direction of the supply rod 5 and also moves the component 1 held by the holding portion 8 to the movable electrode 11. An insertion air cylinder 19 to be inserted into the receiving hole 13 is coupled, and a support member 20 attached to the stationary member 21 is guided to a first support portion 23 on which the insertion air cylinder 19 is supported, and the component 1 is guided to the holding portion 8. A second support 24 for supporting the passage means 22 is formed, and only the supply rod 5, the guide member 6, and the air cylinder 7 are inserted by installing the first support 23 and the second support 24. And it is configured to advance and retreat by 9.

  An insertion air cylinder 19 is coupled to the guide member 6, a support member 20 is attached to the stationary member 21, and a first support portion 23 on which the insertion air cylinder 19 is supported by the support member 20, the passage Since the second support portion 24 for supporting the means 22 is formed, only the supply rod 5, the guide member 6, and the air cylinder 7 are members that are advanced and retracted by the insertion air cylinder 19. That is, the function of the support member 20 is divided into two functions: support of the insertion air cylinder 19 (first support portion 23) and support of the passage means 22 (second support portion 24). The region of the member to be supported is only the supply rod 5, the guide member 6, and the air cylinder 7 and is separated from the passage means 22. Therefore, the mass of the member that is advanced and retracted by the insertion air cylinder 19 is minimized, the output scale of the insertion air cylinder 19 is reduced, and the size of the insertion air cylinder 19 itself or the overall size of the apparatus is promoted.

  The position where the component 1 is supplied from the passage means 22 to the holding portion 8 is the “standby position” of the supply rod, and the position where the supply rod 5 is separated from the standby position by the advance operation of the insertion air cylinder 19 is the supply rod. The position where the axis of the component 1 is coaxial with the receiving hole 13 by the advance operation of the supply rod 5 is the “coaxial position” of the supply rod. The position where the component 1 is inserted into the receiving hole 13 from the position is the “insertion position” of the supply rod, and the position where the supply rod 5 has returned from the insertion position and returned is the standby position. In this way, the supply rod 5 becomes the standby position, the separation position, the coaxial position, and the insertion position, and returns to the standby position again. Thus, since a space from the standby position to the separation position is required, the space between the guide member 6 at the standby position and the fixed electrode 12 that is the target location for component supply (see H in FIG. 1). Can be set larger. Therefore, the space for inserting the steel plate part 15 is increased, and workability is improved.

  In the state of the standby position, a holding pipe 38 is provided for allowing a part of the component 1 supplied to the holding unit 8 to exist at the end of the passage means 22.

  When the component 1 hits the holding portion 8, the component 1 may temporarily repel and the component 1 may be inclined. Even if such an inclination occurs, the holding tube 38 suppresses the inclination of the component 1, so that the component 1 is accurately held by the holding portion 8. Usually, in order to prevent the component 1 from falling with such an inclination, an opening / closing gate is provided at the exit portion of the component 1, but there is a problem that it is not preferable because the structure becomes complicated.

  FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

  The second embodiment is a modified example of the support member 20, and the cross-sectional shape is an L shape, one piece of which is the first support portion 23, and the other piece is the second support portion 24. The end portion of the second support portion 24 is fixed to the stationary member 21. The other configuration is the same as that of the previous embodiment, including a portion not shown, and the same reference numerals are given to members having similar functions.

  The operational effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the previous embodiment.

  As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the function of the support member is improved, and the operation load of the insertion driving means is reduced to reduce the size of the apparatus. Therefore, it can be used in a wide range of industrial fields such as automobile body welding processes and home appliance sheet metal welding processes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Parts 2 Nut main body 3 Cap part 4 Welding protrusion 5 Supply rod 6 Guide member 7 Advance / retreat drive means, air cylinder 8 Holding part 11 Movable electrode 13 Receiving hole 15 Steel plate part 19 Insertion drive means, insertion air cylinder 20 Support member 21 Stationary Member 22 Passage means 23 First support portion 24 Second support portion 28 Buffer unit 38 Outlet tube, holding tube 50 Parts OO Electrode axis H Insertion space

Claims (2)

An advancing / retreating drive means is provided in which the holding rod for holding the component accommodates the supply rod formed at the tip portion in the guide member in a state where the supply rod can be advanced and retracted, and advances and retracts the supply rod in a state integrated with the guide member. The guide member is coupled with an insertion driving means for performing an advance / retreat output in a direction substantially orthogonal to the advance / retreat direction of the supply rod and inserting the component held by the holding portion into the electrode receiving hole,
A support member attached to the stationary member is formed with a first support part for supporting the insertion driving means and a second support part for supporting a passage means for guiding components to the holding part. Only the supply rod, the guide member, and the advance / retreat driving means are moved forward / backward by the insertion drive means by the installation of the part and the second support part,
The position where the parts are supplied from the passage means to the holding portion is the standby position of the supply rod,
The position where the supply rod is separated from the standby position in the advance operation of the insertion drive means is the separation position of the supply rod,
The position where the axis of the component is coaxial with the receiving hole in the advance operation of the supply rod is the coaxial position of the supply rod,
The position where the component is inserted into the receiving hole from the coaxial position by the backward movement of the insertion drive means is the insertion position of the supply rod,
The component supply device, wherein the standby position is a position where the supply rod returns from the insertion position.   The component supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding pipe that causes a part of the component supplied to the holding portion to exist at an end portion of the passage unit in the state of the standby position.

Images