JP2013124401A - Loading method of metal ring and loading device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a loading technique of a metal ring capable of controlling a shape of the metal ring when the metal ring is loaded on a carrying rack for metal ring.SOLUTION: An upper receiving member and an upper stopper member 27 of the carrying rack 10 for metal ring are positioned upper than an axis 12 of a metal ring 11. A side finger 43 is closed as shown by an arrow (10). The top of the metal ring 11 is kept in a state held by an upper finger 42, thereby the metal ring 11 comes to a vertically long ellipse without shrinking in a longitudinal direction. Then the upper finger 42 is closed as shown by an arrow (11). The metal ring 11 becomes a vertically long ellipse, and locked to the carrying rack 10 for metal ring. The order of a part removing an external force applied to the metal ring can be changed, and the shape of the metal ring loaded on the carrying rack for metal ring can be controlled to become a vertically long ellipse or a horizontally long ellipse.

Description

  The present invention relates to a metal ring loading technique for loading a metal ring having an elastic restoring force on a metal ring transport rack.

  A metal ring transport rack is known that holds a metal ring by using an elastic restoring force of the metal ring (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (FIG. 7)).

  FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the basic principle of the metal ring loading method according to the prior art. The metal ring 101 is elastically deformable and approaches a perfect circle when an external force is removed. As shown to (a), the 1st finger 102 and the 2nd finger 103 which open and close in the figure up-down direction are inserted in the internal diameter side of the metal ring 101. FIG. The first finger 102 and the second finger 103 are opened as shown by the arrow (1). As shown in (b), the metal ring 101 is elastically deformed into a vertically long ellipse shape and is held by the first finger 102 and the second finger 103. As shown in (c), the metal ring 101 is moved onto the transport rack 104, and the first finger 102 and the second finger 103 are closed as indicated by the arrow (2). The metal ring 101 is expanded by removing external force, and is held in a vertically long elliptical shape by a plurality of support columns 105.

In the prior art, by using the two first fingers 102 and the second finger 103, the metal ring 101 is attached to the transport rack 104 provided with a plurality of support columns 105 so that the metal ring 101 has a vertically long elliptical shape. Can be loaded.
However, depending on the shape of the transport rack 104, when the metal ring 101 is placed on the transport rack 104, it is more convenient if the metal ring 101 can have other shapes in addition to the vertically long elliptical shape. There is.

JP 2008-240086 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a metal ring loading technique capable of controlling the shape of a metal ring when the metal ring is loaded on a metal ring transport rack.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a metal ring that is placed with its shaft horizontal and can be elastically deformed and approaches a perfect circle when external force is removed, and a polygonal opening having a circumference larger than the circumference of the metal ring And a preparatory step of preparing a metal ring transport rack having a plurality of receiving members that are supported from the outer peripheral direction so that the metal ring is elliptical, an upper finger that presses upward in the direction of expanding the metal ring, and A hand insertion step of inserting a robot hand composed of side fingers pressing in the direction of expanding the metal ring and in the left-right direction into the plurality of metal rings, and expanding the upper finger and the side finger. In the deformation step of elastically deforming the plurality of metal rings so as to conform to the shape of the polygonal opening, and in the robot hand, the polygonal opening A ring insertion step of inserting the plurality of metal rings into the metal ring transport rack, and removing the external force to the metal ring by shrinking the upper finger and the side finger, thereby transporting the metal ring. A metal ring locking step for locking the metal ring to a rack, wherein the metal ring locking step includes shrinking one of the upper finger and the side finger and then It is characterized by shrinking.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the metal ring locking step, the side fingers are contracted and then the upper fingers are contracted.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the metal ring locking step, the upper finger is contracted and then the side finger is contracted.

  The invention according to claim 4 is used in the metal ring loading method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the metal ring is mounted on the metal ring transport rack so that the axis of the metal ring is horizontal. In the metal ring stacking device to be locked, it is composed of a pair of upper fingers that press upward in the direction of expanding the metal ring and a pair of side fingers that press in the direction of expanding the metal ring and in the left-right direction. A robot hand inserted in the metal ring, and a control unit that individually expands or contracts the upper finger and the side finger inserted into the ring when the metal ring is locked are provided. It is characterized by that.

In the invention according to claim 1, a robot hand composed of an upper finger that presses the metal ring upward and a side finger that presses the metal ring in the left-right direction is inserted into the plurality of metal rings, and the upper finger is inserted. And the metal ring is elastically deformed by expanding the side fingers.
By inserting the metal ring into the polygonal opening of the metal ring transport rack and shrinking the side fingers, the lateral external force applied to the metal ring is removed, making the metal ring a vertically long ellipse and transporting the metal ring Contact the rack. Next, by shrinking the upper finger, the metal ring can be held in the transport rack in a vertically long oval shape. Since the metal ring is inserted into the polygonal opening of the metal ring transport rack and the upper finger is contracted and then the side finger is contracted, the vertical external force applied to the metal ring is removed by contracting the upper finger. The metal ring becomes a horizontally long ellipse and comes into contact with the metal ring transport rack. Next, by shrinking the side fingers, the metal ring can be held in the transport rack in a horizontally long oval shape.
That is, in the metal ring locking step of locking the metal ring to the metal ring transport rack, one of the upper finger and the side finger is contracted, and then the other is contracted, so that the portion for removing the external force applied to the metal ring is removed. The order can be changed, and the shape of the metal ring loaded on the metal ring transport rack can be controlled to be a vertically long ellipse or a horizontally long ellipse.

In the invention according to claim 2, in the metal ring locking step, the side fingers are contracted and then the upper fingers are contracted.
Since the side fingers are retracted and then the upper fingers are contracted, the lateral external force applied to the metal ring is removed by contracting the side fingers, so that the metal ring becomes a vertically long ellipse and becomes a metal ring transport rack. Abut. Next, by shrinking the upper finger, the metal ring can be held in the transport rack in a vertically long oval shape. When the metal rings are arranged side by side when viewed from the axial direction, the metal rings have a vertically long elliptical shape, so that the horizontal width can be reduced without contacting the adjacent metal rings, and the metal rings can be efficiently arranged side by side.

In the invention according to claim 3, in the step of locking the metal ring, the upper finger is contracted and then the side finger is contracted.
Since the upper finger is contracted and then the side finger is contracted, the vertical external force applied to the metal ring is removed by contracting the upper finger, so that the metal ring becomes a horizontally long ellipse and hits the metal ring transport rack. Touch. Next, by shrinking the side fingers, the metal ring can be held in the transport rack in a horizontally long oval shape. When the metal rings are stacked vertically as viewed from the axial direction, the metal rings have a horizontally long elliptical shape, so that the vertical width can be narrowed and can be efficiently stacked and arranged.

In the invention according to claim 4, the robot hand is composed of a pair of upper fingers and a pair of side fingers, and is inserted into the ring when the metal ring is locked. And a control unit that individually expands and contracts the upper finger and the side finger that are expanded or contracted simultaneously.
Since the upper finger that presses the metal ring upward from the inner diameter side and the side finger that presses the metal ring laterally from the inner diameter side are provided in one robot hand, the cost can be reduced by sharing the robot hand. Can be achieved.

It is a front view of the conveyance rack for metal rings which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. It is a left view of the conveyance rack for metal rings. It is a figure explaining a hand insertion process. It is a front view of a robot hand. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. It is a figure explaining a deformation | transformation process. It is a figure explaining a ring insertion process. It is a figure explaining the metal ring latching process in the case of making a metal ring into a vertical ellipse. It is a top view of the batch type nitriding furnace in which the conveyance rack for metal rings is used. It is a figure explaining the process of loading a metal ring on the conveyance rack for metal rings from the polygonal opening part of both sides. It is a figure explaining the metal ring latching process in the case of making a metal ring into a horizontal ellipse. It is a figure explaining the usage example of the conveyance rack for metal rings which loaded the metal ring in the vertical ellipse. It is a figure explaining the loading method of the metal ring which concerns on a prior art.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the shaft 12 of the metal ring 11 extends in the front-back direction and is elastically deformed by an external force in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 12.
The metal ring transport rack 10 includes a frame 13 surrounding the metal ring 11, a left member 14, a center member 15, and a right member that are passed to the frame 13 and extend along the axis 12 on the left and right sides of the metal ring 11. A member 16 and lower members 21 to 24 that are passed to the frame 13 and extend along the axis 12 below the metal ring 11 are provided.

If there is no external force, the metal ring 11 has a substantially perfect circle shape. However, when the metal ring 11 is placed on the metal ring transport rack 10, it becomes elliptical due to the external force. The metal ring 11 tries to return to a perfect circle shape by elastic restoring force. However, since the positions of the left member 14, the central member 15, and the right member 16 are higher than the shaft 12, the metal ring 11 is a lower member. It does not emerge from 21-24.
The frame 13 is composed of at least one member of a bar, a pipe, and a plate.
Further, the metal ring transport rack 10 has a polygonal opening 17 having a circumferential length larger than the circumferential length of the metal ring 11 opening in the direction of the axis 12.

  In the embodiment, the metal rings 11 are arranged in two rows, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to place the metal rings 10 on the metal ring transport rack 10 in one row, three rows, or the like. In the embodiment, the polygonal opening 17 is rectangular, but it may be hexagonal or octagonal, and any polygonal opening 17 having a circumference longer than the circumference of the metal ring 11 may be used. Further, the frame 13, the left member 14, the center member 15 and the right member 16 are made of a receiving member (FIG. 2, reference numeral 26) and a stopper member during various heat treatments such as nitriding. It is made of a material having heat resistance such as an element or material that functions as a barrier against diffusion of 27 constituent elements into the metal ring 11 or plated with the element or material. There is no problem if there is.

Next, the main part of the metal ring transport rack 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the metal ring transport rack 10 includes a receiving member 26 that is provided on the center member 15 and receives the outer peripheral surface 25 of the metal ring 11, and is extended so as to sandwich the receiving member 26 from the center member 15. 11 is provided with a stopper member 27 that restricts movement of the shaft 11 in the axial direction (reference numeral 12 in FIG. 1).

  Similarly, receiving members 26 for receiving the outer peripheral surface 25 of the metal ring 11 are provided on the lower members 21 to 24, the left member 14 and the right member 16 shown in FIG. A stopper member 27 that extends the metal ring 11 in the direction of the axis 12 is extended so as to sandwich the receiving member 26 from the side member 14 and the right side member 16.

  In addition, when the metal ring 11 is alternately placed on the left and right sides of the figure with the central member 15 as a boundary, when performing the nitriding process, the nitrogen can reach sufficiently and the nitriding process can be performed well. In the lower members 21 to 24, the left member 14, and the right member 16, the receiving member 26 and the stopper member 27 are welded. Even if it is other than welding, there is no problem if the receiving member 26 and the stopper member 27 are provided on the members 14 to 16 and 21 to 24, such as press fitting. The material of the receiving member 26 and the stopper member 27 functions as a barrier against diffusion of constituent elements of the receiving member 26 and the stopper member 27 into the metal ring 11 during various heat treatments such as nitriding. It is assumed that the element is composed of an element or a substance to be plated, or is plated with the element or substance.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the upper receiving member 26 and the upper stopper member 27 are positioned above the shaft 12 of the metal ring, and the metal ring 11 is held by the metal ring transport rack 10. 11 is arranged at a position where it becomes an ellipse. The upper receiving member 26 and the upper stopper member 27 are oriented near the shaft 12 of the metal ring 11. The lower receiving member 26 and the lower stopper member 27 are positioned below the shaft 12 of the metal ring, and when the metal ring 11 is held by the metal ring transport rack 10, the metal ring 11 becomes elliptical. It is arranged at such a position. Further, the lower receiving member 26 and the lower stopper member 27 are oriented near the shaft 12 of the metal ring 11.

Next, a state where a plurality of metal rings are placed on the metal ring transport rack 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of metal rings 11 are placed along a shaft 12 on a metal ring transport rack 10. Since the metal ring 11 is restricted from moving in the direction of the axis 12 by the stopper member 27, the adjacent metal rings 11 do not contact each other.

In addition, with the contents described above, the metal ring 11 is placed so that the shaft 12 is placed horizontally and can be elastically deformed, and becomes a perfect circle when the external force is removed, and the circumference longer than the circumference of the metal ring 11 And a metal ring transport rack 10 having a plurality of receiving members 26 that are supported from the outer peripheral direction so that the polygonal opening 17 and the metal ring 11 are elliptical.
In the embodiment, 16 metal rings 11 are continuously mounted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no problem as long as one or a plurality of metal rings 11 are arranged.

The operation of the metal ring transport rack 10 described above will be described next.
Next, a hand insertion process for inserting a robot hand into the metal ring 11 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, an alignment stocker 32 is provided above the lift 31. The alignment stocker 32 includes a column member 33, a plurality of shelves 34 provided in a stepped manner on the column member 33, and a shelf polygon opening 35 provided in the shelf 34.

  A general-purpose robot 30 as a metal ring loading device 30 is provided with a robot hand 40 at the tip of a robot arm 36. The robot hand 40 includes a deformation mechanism 41 provided at the tip of the robot arm 35, an upper finger 42 provided in the deformation mechanism 41 that presses upward in the direction of expanding the metal ring 11, and the deformation mechanism 41. 1 and a lateral finger 43 that presses in the left-right direction shown in FIG.

  The operation of the robot hand 40 will be described. The metal ring 11 is transported to the conveyor 60 and placed on the temporary placement table 55. The metal ring 11 placed on the temporary placing table 55 is accommodated in the shelf portion 34 via the push rod 57 by the cylinder 56. When one metal ring 11 is stored in the shelf 34, the shelf 34 is moved up and down by one stage by the lift 31, and the metal ring 11 is stored in the next shelf 34.

  When the plurality of metal rings 11 are stored in the alignment stocker 32, the plurality of robot hands 40 are inserted into the shelf polygon openings 35 and are inserted into the plurality of metal rings 11.

Next, the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the upper finger 42 includes a plurality of peak portions 44a and a plurality of valley portions 44b. Similarly, the side finger 43 includes a plurality of peak portions 44a and a plurality of valley portions 44b. When the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 are expanded, a metal ring (reference numeral 11 in FIG. 4) is applied to the slopes of the ridges 44a at the valleys 44b between the adjacent ridges 44a. In the embodiment, there are two upper fingers 42 and two side fingers 43. However, there may be three, four, etc., and the shape of the polygonal opening (FIG. 1, reference numeral 17). If the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 widen in accordance with the above, there is no problem.

Next, the deformation mechanism 41 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the deformation mechanism 41 includes a base plate 45, an upper rail 46 provided on the base plate 45, an upper slider 47 provided slidably on the upper rail 46, and an upper slider 47 provided on the base plate 45. And an upper finger 42 provided on the upper slider 47 through an upper opening 49 opened in the base plate 45.

  Further, the deformation mechanism 41 includes side rails 51, 51 provided on the base plate 45, side sliders 52, 52 provided slidably on the side rails 51, 51, and side sliders 52 provided on the base plate 45. , 52, and side fingers 43 provided on the side sliders 52, 52 through side openings 54 opened in the base plate 45.

  When the upper cylinder 48 is operated, the upper slider 47 is moved as indicated by the arrow (3) through the rod of the upper cylinder 48, and the upper finger 42 is opened and closed. Similarly, when the side cylinder 53 is operated, the side slider 52 is moved as shown by the arrow (4) through the rod of the side cylinder 53, and the side finger 43 is opened and closed.

Next, the deformation process will be described.
FIG. 7A shows a state in which the metal ring 11 is placed on the alignment stocker 32. As shown in (b), the upper finger 42 inserted in the metal ring 11 is moved as shown by the arrow (5). The side finger 43 inserted in the metal ring is moved as shown by the arrow (6). The operations of the arrows (5) and (6) may be performed simultaneously.

  As shown in (c), by expanding the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43, the metal ring 11 is elastically deformed so as to be accommodated in the shelf polygonal opening 35. In addition, since the metal ring 11 that has been elastically deformed is smaller than the shelf polygon opening 35, the metal ring 11 does not contact the shelf polygon opening 35. When the metal ring 11 is taken out from the alignment stocker 32, the metal ring 11 is maintained in the expanded state as shown in FIG.

Next, a ring insertion process for inserting into the metal ring transport rack 10 will be described.
FIG. 8A is a view for explaining a removal step of taking out the metal ring 11 from the alignment stocker 32. The robot hand 40 is lifted as indicated by an arrow (7) to take out the metal ring 11 from the alignment stocker 32. The robot hand 40 is rotated 90 ° as indicated by the arrow (8), and the axis 12 of the metal ring becomes horizontal.

  (B) is a diagram for explaining a ring insertion process for inserting the metal ring into the metal ring transport rack 10. The robot hand 40 is moved as indicated by an arrow (9), and the metal ring 11 is moved from the polygonal opening 17 to the metal ring. Insert into the transport rack 10.

Next, a description will be given of a metal ring locking process in which the metal ring is formed into a vertically long ellipse.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the upper receiving member (reference numeral 26 in FIG. 3) and the upper stopper member 27 of the metal ring transport rack 10 are positioned above the shaft 12 of the metal ring 11. The side finger 43 is closed as indicated by the arrow (10). Then, the external force applied to the metal ring 11 in the left-right direction from the inside is removed. Since the upper part of the metal ring 11 is held by the upper finger 42, the metal ring 11 does not shrink in the vertical direction, and the metal ring 11 approaches a vertically long ellipse. The left and right sides of the metal ring 11 swell and come into contact with the upper receiving member 26, so that the metal ring 11 is a vertically long substantially oval shape.

  Next, as shown in (b), the upper finger 42 is closed as shown by an arrow (11). Then, the external force applied to the upper part of the metal ring 11 from the inner side in the outer peripheral direction is removed. As shown in (c), the metal ring 11 is a vertically long ellipse and is locked to the metal ring transport rack 10. In addition, since the inserted several metal ring 11 is latched at once, work efficiency can be achieved.

Next, a nitriding process as a heat treatment process will be described as an example.
As shown in FIG. 10, the batch type nitriding furnace 61 includes a wall portion 62, a door 63 provided on one surface of the wall portion 62, a fan 64 provided on the wall portion 62 on the opposite side of the door 63, It consists of heaters 65 and 66 provided on the wall 62.

  The metal carrying rack 10 on which the metal ring 11 is placed is placed in the batch nitriding furnace 61 and the door 63 is closed. A nitriding gas such as ammonia is supplied into the batch type nitriding furnace 61, and the temperature is increased to a nitriding temperature, for example, 500 ° C. by the heaters 65 and 66. A nitriding gas is convected by the fan 64 to make the temperature distribution in the batch nitriding furnace 61 substantially uniform. At this time, the temperature of the contact point between the metal ring 11 and the metal ring transport rack 10 is substantially the same as the temperature of other portions of the metal ring 11.

  The nitriding gas enters from the surface of the metal ring 11 and diffuses inside to form a nitride layer on the surface. Further, since the receiving member 26 and the stopper member 27 are formed with a coating layer of an element and a substance that function as a barrier against diffusion of the constituent elements of the receiving member 26 and the stopper member 27 into the metal ring 11, the receiving member 26. In addition, the constituent elements of the stopper member 27 can be prevented from diffusing into the metal ring 11, and the metal ring 11 can be nitrided satisfactorily.

  The removal process of removing the metal ring 11 from the metal ring transport rack 10 will be described. The heat-treated metal ring 11 and the metal ring transport rack 10 are taken out from the batch nitriding furnace 61. Thereafter, the metal ring 11 is removed from the metal ring transport rack 10 using the robot hand 40.

Next, another aspect of the ring insertion process for inserting a plurality of robot hands into a plurality of metal rings will be described.
As shown in FIG. 11, the metal ring transport rack 10 is arranged in a reversing mechanism 71. A plurality of metal rings 11 are inserted into the metal ring transport rack 10 from one polygonal opening 17 of the metal ring transport rack 10 by the robot hand 40 as indicated by an arrow (12). A part of the rack 10 is loaded. Then, the reversing mechanism 71 is reversed, and the metal ring transport rack from the other polygonal opening 17 of the metal ring transport rack 10 indicated by the imaginary line is indicated by the imaginary line different from the loaded metal ring 11. 10 is inserted into the remainder of the metal ring transport rack 10.
Note that the metal ring 11 loaded by this method may be subjected to heat treatment.

Next, the metal ring locking process for making the metal ring a horizontally long ellipse will be described.
As shown in FIG. 12A, the upper receiving member (reference numeral 26 in FIG. 3) and the upper stopper member 27 of the metal ring transport rack 10 are positioned above the shaft 12 of the metal ring 11. The metal ring 11 is held by the two upper fingers 42 and 42 and the two side fingers 43 and 43 so that the lower base has a trapezoid shape longer than the upper base. The upper finger 42 is closed as indicated by the arrow (13). Then, the external force applied upward from the inside of the metal ring 11 is removed. Since the lower left and right parts of the metal ring 11 are held by the side fingers 42, the metal ring 11 does not shrink in the horizontal direction, and the metal ring 11 approaches a horizontally long ellipse. In the state where the metal ring 11 is held, the upper base of the trapezoid is shorter than the lower base. Therefore, when the external force is removed and the left and right side portions swell, the upper receiving members 26 and 26 are not immediately caught, After that, the metal ring 11 comes into contact with the upper receiving member 26 and becomes a horizontally long substantially oval shape.

  As shown in (b), the side finger 43 is then closed as indicated by the arrow (14). Then, the external force applied to the lower left and right parts of the metal ring 11 in the outer peripheral direction is removed. As shown in (c), the metal ring 11 becomes a horizontally long ellipse and is locked to the metal ring transport rack 10. In addition, since the inserted several metal ring 11 is latched at once, work efficiency can be achieved.

Next, an example of use when the metal ring 11 is formed in a horizontally long ellipse and loaded on the metal ring transport rack 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13, the metal ring transport rack 10 has a vertically two-stage configuration. When the metal ring 11 is stacked vertically as viewed from the axial direction, the metal ring 11 exhibits a horizontally long ellipse, so that the vertical width can be narrowed and can be efficiently stacked and arranged.

The effects of the metal ring transport rack 10 described above will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 3 above, the metal ring 11 is placed so that the shaft 12 is placed horizontally and can be elastically deformed and the external force is removed, and the circumference of the metal ring 11 is larger than the circumference of the metal ring 11. A preparation process for preparing the metal ring transport rack 10 having a plurality of receiving members 26 that are supported from the outer peripheral direction so that the polygonal opening 17 and the metal ring 11 are elliptical, and the metal ring 11 shown in FIG. 4 is expanded. Hand insertion for inserting a robot hand 40 composed of an upper finger 42 that presses in the direction and upward and a side finger 43 that presses the metal ring 11 in the direction of expanding and laterally into the metal ring 11. By expanding the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 shown in FIG. 7 in the process, the plurality of metal rings 11 are elastically formed along the shape of the shelf polygonal opening 35. FIG. 9 or FIG. 12 shows a deforming step of forming a shape, a ring inserting step of inserting a plurality of metal rings 11 into the metal ring transport rack 10 from the polygonal opening 17 by the robot hand 40 shown in FIG. The metal ring loading method comprising: a metal ring locking step of removing the external force to the metal ring 11 by contracting the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 shown, and locking the metal ring 11 to the metal ring transport rack 10. In the metal ring locking step, one of the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 is contracted, and then the other is contracted.

By this step, the metal ring 11 is inserted into the polygonal opening 17 of the metal ring transport rack 10 and the lateral fingers 43 are contracted to remove the lateral external force applied to the metal ring 11. It becomes a vertically long ellipse and contacts the metal ring transport rack 10. Next, by shrinking the upper finger 42, the metal ring 11 can be held in the metal ring transport rack 11 in a vertically long oval shape. Since the metal ring 11 is inserted into the polygonal opening 17 of the metal ring transport rack 11 and the upper finger 42 is contracted and then the side finger 43 is contracted, the upper finger 42 is contracted and added to the metal ring 11. The external force in the vertical direction is removed, and the metal ring 11 becomes a horizontally long ellipse and comes into contact with the metal ring transport rack 10. Next, by shrinking the side fingers 43, the metal ring 11 can be held in the metal ring transport rack 10 in a horizontally long oval shape.
That is, in the metal ring locking step of locking the metal ring 11 to the metal ring transport rack 10, one of the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 is contracted and then the other is contracted, so that the external force applied to the metal ring 11 is reduced. The order of the parts to be removed can be changed, and the shape of the metal ring 11 loaded on the metal ring transport rack 10 can be controlled to be a vertically long ellipse or a horizontally long ellipse.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the metal ring locking step, the side fingers 43 are contracted, and then the upper fingers 42 are contracted.
By this step, since the side finger 43 is contracted and then the upper finger 42 is contracted, the lateral external force applied to the metal ring 11 is removed by contracting the side finger 43, and the metal ring 11 is elongated vertically. And abut against the metal ring transport rack 10. Next, by shrinking the upper finger 42, the metal ring can be held in the transport rack 10 in a vertically long oval shape. When the metal rings 11 are arranged side by side when viewed from the direction of the axis 12, the metal rings 11 exhibit a vertically long elliptical shape, so that the lateral width can be reduced without contacting the adjacent metal rings 11 and arranged efficiently side by side. Can do.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the metal ring locking step, the upper finger 42 is contracted, and then the side fingers 43 are contracted.
By this step, the upper finger 42 is contracted and then the lateral finger 43 is contracted, so that the vertical external force applied to the metal ring 11 is removed by contracting the upper finger 42 and the metal ring 11 becomes a horizontally long ellipse. And comes into contact with the metal ring transport rack 10. Next, by shrinking the side fingers 43, the metal ring 11 can be held in the metal ring transport rack 10 in a horizontally long oval shape. When the metal ring 11 is vertically stacked when viewed from the axial direction, the metal ring 11 has a horizontally long elliptical shape, so that the vertical width can be narrowed and can be efficiently stacked and arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the metal ring is used in the metal ring stacking method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 so that the shaft (FIG. 1, reference numeral 12) of the metal ring 11 is horizontal. In the metal ring stacking device 30 for locking the metal ring 11 to the transport rack (FIG. 1, reference numeral 10), a pair of upper fingers 42 that press the metal ring 11 in the direction of expanding and the direction of expanding the metal ring 11. And a pair of side fingers 43 that press in the left-right direction, and is inserted into the metal ring 11 when locking the metal ring 11 with the robot hand 40 inserted into the plurality of metal rings 11. And a control unit 37 that individually expands and contracts the upper finger 42 and the side finger 43 respectively.

  With this configuration, the upper finger 42 that presses the metal ring 11 upward from the inner diameter side and the side finger 43 that presses the metal ring 11 laterally from the inner diameter side are provided in one robot hand 40. By sharing 40, cost can be reduced.

  In the metal ring loading method and the loading apparatus according to the present invention, the metal ring 11 is supported by the four receiving members 26 so that the metal ring 11 is elliptical. If it becomes an ellipse, the metal ring 11 may be supported by the receiving members 26 at five or six locations.

  The metal ring loading method and the loading apparatus according to the present invention are suitable for a metal ring loading technique in which a metal ring having an elastic restoring force is loaded on a metal ring transport rack.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Metal ring conveyance rack, 11 ... Metal ring, 12 ... Metal ring axis | shaft, 17 ... Polygon opening, 26 ... Receiving member, 30 ... Metal ring loading apparatus (general-purpose robot), 37 ... Control part, 40 ... robot hand, 41 ... deformation mechanism, 42 ... upper finger, 43 ... side finger.

Claims (4)

A metal ring that is placed so that its axis is horizontal, can be elastically deformed, and approaches a perfect circle when external force is removed, a polygonal opening having a circumference longer than the circumference of the metal ring, and the metal ring becomes an ellipse Preparing a metal ring transport rack having a plurality of receiving members to be supported from the outer peripheral direction,
A robot hand composed of an upper finger that presses the metal ring in an expanding direction and a side finger that presses the metal ring in an expanding direction and a horizontal direction is inserted into the plurality of metal rings. A hand insertion process;
A deformation step of elastically deforming the plurality of metal rings so as to follow the shape of the polygonal opening by expanding the upper finger and the side finger;
In the robot hand, a ring insertion step of inserting the plurality of metal rings into the metal ring transport rack from the polygonal opening,
A metal ring locking step of removing external force to the metal ring by contracting the upper finger and the side finger and locking the metal ring to the metal ring transport rack;
In the loading method of the metal ring consisting of
In the metal ring locking step, one of the upper finger and the side finger is contracted, and then the other is contracted. In the metal ring locking step,
The metal ring loading method according to claim 1, wherein the side fingers are contracted and then the upper finger is contracted. In the metal ring locking step,
The metal ring loading method according to claim 1, wherein the upper finger is contracted and then the side finger is contracted. Used in the metal ring loading method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the metal ring loading device for locking the metal ring to the metal ring transport rack so that the axis of the metal ring is horizontal,
A pair of upper fingers that press upward in the direction of expanding the metal ring and a pair of lateral fingers that press in the direction of expanding the metal ring and in the left-right direction. The robot hand inserted in
A metal ring stack, comprising: a control unit that individually expands or contracts the upper finger and the side finger inserted into the ring when the metal ring is locked. apparatus.

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