JP2013200406A - Ferrule feeding device, ferrule feeding method, ferrule feeding program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably and surely feed ferrules to a next step one by one at regular time intervals.SOLUTION: A ferrule feeding device 1 comprises: a storage body 2 that stores multiple ferrules F; a rotating plate 3 that rotates around a central axis line O; a housing recess 35 that moves the ferrules in a circumferential direction in association with the rotation of the rotating plate; a first air blow member 4 that blows air A1 into the storage body through an air outlet 60; and a discharge mechanism 5 that discharges the ferrules in the housing recess, which are moved by the rotation of the rotating plate, toward the outside of the storage body through an outlet 50 formed at the storage body. The storage body is inclined to a horizontal surface, and the outlet is arranged so as to be positioned above a bottom point of the storage body. And, the air outlet is formed on an upstream side of a rotation direction from the outlet and is formed at a position as high as a position for facing the housing recess in a diameter direction of the rotating plate. The discharge mechanism comprises: a discharge passage that communicates with the outlet; and a second air blow member 56 that blows the air into the discharge passage.

Description

  The present invention relates to a ferrule supply device, a ferrule supply method, a ferrule supply program, and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  Conventionally, ferrules have been used as members for connecting optical fibers while accurately aligning the end faces of the cores of the optical fibers. This ferrule is a cylindrical member in which a through hole is formed along its central axis, and is attached to, for example, an optical connector component in a state where the core of the optical fiber is inserted into the through hole. Therefore, in order to connect the optical fibers while accurately aligning the end faces of the core wires, the accuracy of the roundness of the ferrule and the coaxiality (concentricity) of the inner diameter with respect to the outer diameter of the ferrule is high. It is requested.

  For this reason, generally, after manufacturing the ferrule, measures such as determining the quality of the product and dividing the level according to the finished accuracy are performed for each ferrule by measuring the outer dimensions, measuring the coaxiality, and the like. There are many cases. In this case, in order to perform the above measurement for each ferrule, it is necessary to supply the ferrules produced in large quantities one by one to a measuring device or the like.

In this regard, conventionally, for example, an array tray in which a plurality of recesses are arranged in advance in an array is used, and ferrules are packed and held one by one in a recess by a transfer method using vibration, etc., and then measured for each array tray A method of supplying to an apparatus or the like is known.
However, in this method, since it is necessary to pack the ferrules in the recesses of the array tray by a transfer method or the like, it takes time and work efficiency is poor. In addition, the array tray was easily worn by contact with the ferrule.

  Therefore, a method of supplying a ferrule to the next process (measurement process using a measuring device or the like) using a ball feeder which is one of parts feeders has been considered. In this case, it is required that a plurality of ferrules be supplied one by one, rather than being collectively supplied to the next process. Thus, for example, by using the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary ferrules by blowing out air, so that ferrules can be supplied to the next process one by one.

JP 2010-89938 A

  However, since the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is configured such that air is simply blown from the side wall portion of the track, when the workpieces are transported densely on the track, air is reliably supplied only to the target workpiece. Difficult to spray. For this reason, when the apparatus is applied to supply of ferrules, there is a possibility that the ferrules are gathered and blown off by air. Therefore, there is a possibility that the ferrules cannot be stably supplied to the next process one by one.

  Furthermore, since the ferrule is conveyed using vibration, dust is likely to be generated due to rubbing between the ferrules or rubbing between the ferrule and other parts due to the vibration, and static electricity is easily charged to the ferrule. End up. Also in this point, the supply of the ferrule to the stable next process was easily hindered.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ferrule supply device capable of stably and surely sending ferrules one by one to the next process at a constant time interval. It is.
Furthermore, a ferrule supply method, a ferrule supply program, and a recording medium on which the program is recorded are provided.

The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.
(1) A ferrule supply device according to the present invention is provided with a bottomed cylindrical container in which a plurality of ferrules are housed, and is disposed in the container so as to be rotatable around a central axis of the container. A rotating plate and a storage recess formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating plate, storing one of the plurality of ferrules therein and moving the stored ferrule in the circumferential direction as the rotating plate rotates And through the air outlet formed in the peripheral wall portion of the container, the first air blowing member that blows air into the container, and the rotation of the rotating plate through the discharge port formed in the container. A discharge mechanism that discharges the ferrule in the storage recess that has been moved to the outside of the container, and the container has a bottom wall inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and the discharge port is the container. Position above the lowest point of the body The air outlet is formed upstream of the discharge port in the rotation direction of the rotary plate, and is formed at a height position facing the storage recess in the radial direction of the rotary plate. The discharge mechanism includes a discharge passage communicating with the discharge port, and a second air blowing member that blows air into the discharge passage.

According to the ferrule supply device according to the present invention, since the container and the rotating plate are inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, a plurality of ferrules can be biased to the lowest point side of the container using gravity, One of them can be stored in the storage recess. Therefore, by rotating the rotating plate, the ferrule housed in the housing recess can be moved in the circumferential direction, and the ferrule is directed upward in a state where only one ferrule is taken out from the plurality of ferrule lumps. Can be moved.
At this time, the remaining ferrule tries to move upward following the rotation of the rotating plate, but can be slid down along the upper surface of the rotating plate by utilizing the gravity due to the inclination of the rotating plate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent even an extra ferrule from moving upward. Therefore, only the ferrule stored in the storage recess can be moved to the discharge port, and can be sent out from the discharge port.

  In particular, an air outlet is formed in a portion of the peripheral wall portion of the container located on the upstream side in the rotation direction from the outlet, and the first air blowing member blows air through the air outlet. For this reason, the remaining ferrules do not slide down due to gravity and move upwardly by being hooked in the storage recess, for example, or by being hooked or overlapped on the ferrule stored in the storage recess. Even in such a case, these extra ferrules can be blown away by air and removed.

On the other hand, for the ferrule stored in the storage recess, the air outlet is formed at a height position facing the storage recess in the radial direction, so even if air is blown, The ferrule can be received and can remain in the storage recess.
Accordingly, only the ferrules housed in the housing recesses can be moved to the discharge port stably and surely one by one at regular time intervals, and can be sent to the outside from the discharge port and supplied to the next process. . In addition, since the ferrule is moved to the discharge port using the rotation of the rotating plate, dust and dust are less likely to be generated compared to the vibration method. Therefore, it is easy to supply the ferrule stably to the next process also in this point.

  Further, since the second air blowing member that blows air into the discharge path is provided, the ferrule can be urged by the air to be discharged to the outside. Therefore, for example, even if the ferrule is charged with static electricity, it can be reliably discharged without causing clogging or the like due to the static electricity.

(2) In the ferrule supply device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the second air blowing member blows the air from the discharge port side toward the discharge direction into the discharge path.

  In this case, since the second air blowing member can blow air into the discharge path from the discharge port side toward the discharge direction, for example, a problem that the ferrule is pushed back (blows up) from the discharge port. It is easy to reliably discharge the ferrule without causing it.

(3) The ferrule supply device according to the present invention includes a detection unit that detects the ferrule discharged from the discharge port, and the second air blowing member is predetermined from the time when the detection unit detects the ferrule. It is preferable to blow out the air for a certain period of time after the passage of time.

In this case, the second air blowing member does not constantly blow air into the discharge path, but air is blown for a predetermined time after the time when the ferrule is detected by the detection unit. Air can be blown against the ferrule that has entered the air to some extent. Therefore, the ferrule can be urged more efficiently and discharged more reliably.
In addition, since it is possible to stop the air at the initial stage of entering the discharge path from the discharge port, the ferrule can easily enter the discharge path smoothly.

(4) In the ferrule supply device according to the present invention, the discharge path is formed at least by a pair of opposed wall portions that drop the ferrule while changing its posture from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction, and the pair of opposed wall portions are: From the discharge port side toward the discharge direction, the opposing interval is formed so as to be gradually narrowed, and among the pair of opposing wall portions, one opposing wall portion located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate is: It is preferable that it is formed of a plurality of continuous guide surfaces whose inclination angle changes at least three times.

In this case, since the facing interval between the pair of opposing wall portions is gradually narrowed from the discharge port side toward the discharge direction, the discharge port is turned sideways in the storage recess as the rotating plate rotates. The ferrule that has been moved up to can be discharged while smoothly changing its posture in the vertical direction. In addition, the one opposing wall portion located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate is formed by a plurality of continuous guide surfaces whose inclination angle changes at least three times, so that the posture is not changed suddenly. It is possible to shift to a vertical orientation while changing the angle stepwise.
For these reasons, the ferrule can be smoothly discharged without being caught, and the occurrence of clogging and the like can be effectively prevented.

(5) The ferrule supply method according to the present invention is a ferrule supply method using the ferrule supply device according to the present invention, wherein the rotating plate is rotated while the air is blown out by the first air blowing member. A transporting step of moving one of the plurality of ferrules to the discharge port while being housed in the storage recess, and a discharge step of discharging the ferrule transported to the discharge port to the outside through the discharge path; In the discharging step, the air is blown into the discharge path by the second air blowing member.

  According to the ferrule supply method according to the present invention, the same operational effects as those of the ferrule supply device described above can be obtained. In other words, the ferrules can be sent to the next process stably and reliably at regular time intervals without causing clogging due to static electricity.

(6) The ferrule program according to the present invention causes the computer of the ferrule supply device according to the present invention to rotate the rotating plate while blowing out the air by the first air blowing member, A transfer step of moving one to the discharge port while storing one in the storage recess, and discharging the ferrule transferred to the discharge port to the outside through the discharge path, and the second air blowing member A discharge step of blowing the air into the discharge path.

  According to the ferrule supply program of the present invention, the computer of the ferrule supply device can surely execute the transporting process and the discharging process, so that the ferrules are one by one without causing clogging or the like due to static electricity. It can be sent to the next process stably and reliably at regular time intervals.

(7) The recording medium according to the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium in which the ferrule supply program according to the present invention is recorded.

  According to the recording medium of the present invention, for example, the above-described supply of the ferrule can be surely executed by installing it in a computer of the ferrule supply device. In particular, it can cope with the distribution of programs and the like.

  According to the present invention, the ferrules can be sent to the next process stably and surely one by one at regular time intervals.

It is a figure which shows embodiment of the ferrule supply apparatus which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a whole front view. It is a side view of the ferrule supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the AA line shown in FIG. It is the figure seen from the arrow B direction shown in FIG. 2, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the internal structure of a container. It is sectional drawing of a ferrule. It is sectional drawing to which a part of container was expanded. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC shown in FIG. 4. It is the side view seen from the arrow D direction shown in FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the arrow D direction shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the 1st discharge block shown in FIG. It is a top view of the 1st discharge block shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the EE line shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the JJ line | wire shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the sensor part shown in FIG. 13, and a ferrule. It is a disassembled perspective view of a container. It is a process figure which operated the ferrule supply apparatus, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state which has moved the ferrule accommodated in the accommodation recessed part toward the discharge port by rotating a rotating plate. It is a figure which shows the state which rotated the rotating plate further from the state shown in FIG. 16, and blows off the extra ferrule which overlapped with the ferrule accommodated in the accommodation recessed part using air. It is one process figure which operated the ferrule supply apparatus, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state in which a ferrule is discharged | emitted within a 1st discharge path.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Configuration of ferrule supply device>

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the ferrule supply device 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 2 in which a plurality of ferrules F (see FIGS. 2 and 4) are housed, and is rotatable within the housing 2. The rotating plate 3 disposed in the housing 2, the first air blowing member 4 that blows air A <b> 1 (see FIG. 4) into the housing 2, and the ferrule F that has been moved by the rotation of the rotating plate 3. A discharge mechanism 5 that discharges the component to the outside, and a control unit 6 that comprehensively controls these components.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical direction and the front-rear direction are defined based on FIGS. 1 and 2. That is, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the upper direction on the paper is the upper side, and the lower direction is the lower side. In FIG. 2, the left side of the page is the front and the right side is the back.

The container 2 is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape with two parts, that is, a bottom wall portion 10 having an opening 10a formed at the center and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 11 that is overlapped and combined on the bottom wall portion 10. Has been. However, the bottom wall portion 10 and the peripheral wall portion 11 do not need to be separate members, and may be integrally formed to have a bottomed cylindrical shape.
The container 2 is fixed on a base substrate 12 that can be adjusted to an arbitrary inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane. The base substrate 12 is supported by a column portion 13 standing up and down in the vertical direction L1 and is fixed above the column portion 13.

  In this regard, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pedestal stand 14 is attached to the lower end portion of the support column 13, and an attachment stand 15 is attached to the upper end portion. And the support | pillar part 13 is being fixed on the floor surface via the stand 14 for bases. A support substrate 16 is attached above the column 13 in parallel to the horizontal plane via an attachment stand 15. A support block 17 is mounted on the support substrate 16 so as to support both ends of the connecting rod 20 extending in the left-right direction L3 with an interval in the left-right direction L3 orthogonal to the up-down direction L1 and the front-rear direction L2. It has been.

The connecting rod 20 is attached to a front portion on the lower surface side of the base substrate 12, and both ends of the connecting rod 20 protrude outward from the base substrate 12 to the left and right. The protruding portion of the connecting rod 20 is supported by the support block 17 as described above.
In this way, the base substrate 12 is fixed above the support column 13. At this time, the base substrate 12 is rotatable up and down around the central axis of the connecting rod 20, and is inclined so as to incline forward at a predetermined angle θ (see FIG. 2) with respect to the horizontal plane. It has been adjusted. Therefore, the container 2 fixed on the base substrate 12 is similarly inclined forward with respect to the horizontal plane.
Note that the height of the container 2 is set by adjusting the length of the column 13 so that the operator can easily place the ferrule F into the container 2 at an optimum height.

Since the container 2 is inclined forward with respect to the horizontal plane as described above, the portion located on the front side is the lowest point side. And the several ferrule F thrown in the inside of the container 2 is accommodated in the state which shifted to the front side which is the lowest point side of this container 2. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, these ferrules F are formed in a cylindrical shape having a through hole F1 through which a core wire of an optical fiber (not shown) is inserted along the central axis. After being supplied to the next process by 1, the roundness of the outer diameter, the coaxiality of the inner diameter with respect to the outer diameter, and the like are measured.

  Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cover body 21 is attached to the container 2 of this embodiment so that attachment or detachment is possible. The lid body 21 is formed in a disc shape and is fitted with a lid body 21a fitted into a step portion 11a formed at the upper end portion of the peripheral wall portion 11 of the container 2, and a handle attached to the central portion of the lid body 21a. Part 21b. And after accommodating the several ferrule F in the inside of the container 2, the cover body 21 is attached, and it is preventing that dust etc. mix in the inside of the container 2. FIG.

  The rotating plate 3 is a member that is disposed in the housing 2 so as to be rotatable about the central axis O of the housing 2. The rotary plate 3 is connected to the upper end portion of the rotary shaft portion 25, and is thereby arranged in a state that it can rotate within the container 2.

Here, the rotating shaft portion 25 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation shaft portion 25 is a member extending along the central axis O of the container 2, and includes an opening 10 a formed in the bottom wall portion 10 of the container 2, and the opening 10 a. And the opening 12a formed in the base substrate 12 so as to pass through the two openings. And the substantially intermediate part of the length direction of the rotating shaft part 25 is rotatably supported by the two bearing members 26. These two bearing members 26 are held by a cylindrical body portion 27 attached to the base substrate 12 in a state of being inserted into the opening 12 a from the lower side of the base substrate 12. The rotating shaft portion 25 is stably supported by these two bearing members 26, and can be rotated around the central axis O smoothly with little backlash.

  An upper end portion side of the rotation shaft portion 25 protrudes into the housing 2, and a lower end portion protrudes downward from the base substrate 12. And the rotating plate 3 is fitted by the upper end part of the rotating shaft part 25 which protruded in the inside of the container 2 through the fitting hole 3a formed in the center part. In addition, a bushing 28 is overlaid on the rotary plate 3, and a screw portion of the fixing knob 29 is screwed to the upper end surface of the rotary shaft portion 25 through the bushing 28. Thereby, the rotating plate 3 is reliably connected to the rotating shaft portion 25 in a state in which the rotating plate 3 is prevented from coming off upward. On the other hand, a driven pulley 30 is attached to the lower end portion of the rotary shaft portion 25.

Next, the rotating plate 3 will be described in detail.
The rotating plate 3 is a member formed with a diameter such that the outer peripheral edge portion is in sliding contact with or close to the peripheral wall portion 11 of the container 2. In the present embodiment, the thickness gradually increases toward the outer side in the radial direction. The upper surface is formed in a tapered shape that is gradually inclined downward so as to be thinner. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, one of the ferrules F is inserted and stored in the outer peripheral edge of the rotating plate 3, and the stored ferrule F is circumferentially moved along with the rotation of the rotating plate 3. A storage recess 35 that is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4 is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the storage recess 35 is a notch recess that is notched so as to penetrate the rotating plate 3, and the storage recess 35 and the bottom wall portion 10 of the storage body 2 define the storage recess 35. The ferrule F can be stored in the space formed. Further, the storage recess 35 is a recess extending in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 3, and its length W1 is formed slightly longer than the length W2 of the ferrule F (see FIG. 5). Therefore, it is possible to store the ferrule F in a lateral orientation along the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 3.

  The rotating plate 3 is connected to the upper end side of the rotating shaft 25 as described above. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, a gap H smaller than the diameter φ (see FIG. 5) of the ferrule F is provided. It is opened and disposed above the bottom wall 10 of the container 2. That is, the rotating plate 3 is in a non-contact state with respect to the bottom wall portion 10 of the container 2 and is configured to rotate smoothly with little resistance. Therefore, the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 is stored without entering between the rotating plate 3 and the bottom wall 10 of the container 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the storage recess 35 is formed not only at one location but also at a plurality of intervals with a constant interval in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 3. In the illustrated example, eight are formed at intervals of 45 degrees with the central axis O as the center. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a guide inclined surface 36 that guides the entry of the ferrule F into each storage recess 35 is formed on the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 so as to be connected to the storage recess 35. . Specifically, the guide inclined surface 36 is located inside the storage recess 35 in the radial direction, and gradually falls toward the storage recess 35.

By the way, although it does not specifically limit as a material of the container 2 and the rotating plate 3 mentioned above, In this embodiment, it forms with the resin material which does not generate | occur | produce static electricity easily. Specifically, it is made of a polyamide-based resin nylon added with a carbon-based filler to add antistatic performance (for example, a volume resistivity of 1 to 10 ² [Ω · m]).
However, at least one of the container 2 and the rotating plate 3 may be formed of the above material. In this case, the other material may be formed of a polyacetal resin such as delrin.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a motor support substrate 40 is attached to the lower surface side of the base substrate 12 via various screw members and the like. A motor 41 for rotating the rotary shaft portion 25 is fixed on the motor support substrate 40, and an output shaft portion 41a projects to the lower surface side of the motor support substrate 40 through the opening 40a. A main pulley 42 is attached to the lower end of the output shaft 41a of the motor 41.
An endless belt 43 is wound around the main driving pulley 42 and the driven pulley 30 attached to the rotating shaft portion 25, and the rotational force of the motor 41 is transmitted to the rotating shaft portion 25. Thereby, the rotating shaft part 25 can be rotated around the central axis O by driving the motor 41 at an arbitrary rotational speed.

  A cover case 44 is attached to the lower surfaces of the base substrate 12 and the motor support substrate 40, and the main driving pulley 42, the driven pulley 30, the endless belt 43, and the like are accommodated in the cover case 44.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the discharge mechanism 5 is attached to the uppermost point side of the container 2, and the ferrule in the storage recess 35 moved in the circumferential direction by the rotation of the rotating plate 3 described above. F is discharged and sent to the next process one by one.
As shown in FIG. 7, both the peripheral wall portion 11 and the bottom wall portion 10 of the container 2 are notched at the uppermost point, and a part of the notch portion is caused by the rotation of the rotating plate 3. It functions as a discharge port 50 that discharges the ferrule F in the storage recess 35 that has been moved to the outside of the storage body 2. The discharge mechanism 5 is attached so as to close the discharge port 50, and the ferrule F discharged through the discharge port 50 is received and discharged to the outside.

The discharge mechanism 5 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the discharge mechanism 5 includes an L angle 51 attached to the base substrate 12 by a screw member 51a, and an L angle 51 attached to the base substrate 12 by a screw member 52a. A first discharge block 52 in which a first discharge path (an example of the discharge path of the present invention) R1 that closes the notch of the wall portion 10 and communicates with the discharge port 50 is formed, and below the first discharge block 52 A second discharge block 53 which is attached to the first discharge path R1 and has a second discharge path R2 formed therein, and a discharge tube 54 inserted into the second discharge path R2. A cover that overlaps the first discharge block 52 and is attached by a screw member 55a and covers the first discharge path R1 while closing the notch of the peripheral wall portion 11 described above. A block 55, attached to the first discharge block 52, and a second air blowing member 56 for blowing air A2, to the first discharge path R1.

  Since the discharge mechanism 5 is configured in this way, when the ferrule F in the storage recess 35 reaches the discharge port 50 by the movement of the rotating plate 3, the ferrule F is discharged into the first discharge path R1 through the discharge port 50. It is possible to continue to the next process through the second discharge path R2 and the discharge tube 54.

Here, the first discharge block 52 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the first discharge block 52 is, for example, a metal cut-out part formed in a T shape in plan view, and a cover block 55 is overlapped on the first main surface 52b side. The second main surface 52c side is a surface that overlaps the L angle 51 and the like. Of the side surfaces of the first discharge block 52, the upper end portion of the second discharge block 53 is in contact with the first side surface 52d, and the second side surface 52e facing the first side surface 52d is a surface facing the discharge port 50. Has been. Accordingly, the direction from the second side surface 52e toward the first side surface 52d is the ferrule discharge direction (arrow direction).

The first discharge block 52 is formed with an insertion hole 70 through which the screw member 52a is inserted so as to penetrate in the thickness direction, and a screw hole 71 for attaching the screw member 55a opens to the first main surface 52b side. A screw hole 72 for attaching the screw member 53a is formed so as to open to the first side surface 52d side.
Further, on the first main surface 52b side of the first discharge block 52, the first discharge path R1 is formed along the discharge direction.

The first discharge path R1 is formed by a pair of opposing wall portions 73 and 74 that allow the ferrule F that has been moved to the discharge port 50 in the horizontal orientation by the storage recess 35 to fall along the discharge direction while changing the posture in the vertical direction. At least formed.
These opposing wall portions 73 and 74 are formed so that the opposing interval gradually decreases from the outlet 50 side in the discharging direction, and one of the opposing walls located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 3 is included. The portion 73 is formed of four continuous guide surfaces 73a to 73d whose inclination angle changes three times. On the other hand, the other opposing wall portion 74 located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 3 is a flat surface extending in the vertical direction.

In the illustrated example, the guide surface 73 a located on the discharge port 50 side among the four guide surfaces 73 a to 73 d forming one opposing wall portion 73 is approximately 60 to 70 degrees with respect to the other opposing wall portion 74. The angle of the ferrule F in the horizontal posture discharged from the discharge port 50 is changed, and is first guided obliquely downward.
Next, the guide surface 73b provided continuously with the guide surface 73a is inclined at an inclination angle θ2 of approximately 15 to 20 degrees with respect to the other opposing wall portion 74, and the posture of the ferrule F is further changed obliquely downward. While guiding. Next, the guide surface 73c connected to the guide surface 73b is inclined at an inclination angle θ3 of about 10 degrees with respect to the other opposing wall portion 74, and the ferrule F is in a posture close to a vertical posture. I am guiding while changing.
Finally, a guide surface 73d that is connected to the guide surface 73c and is located on the second discharge block 53 side is substantially parallel to the other opposing wall portion 74, and the ferrule F is in the vertical orientation in the second discharge direction. Guide to road R2.

  Further, the first discharge block 52 is formed with a flow path 76 for circulating the air A2 from the second air blowing member 56. The inflow port 76a of the flow path 76 opens to the first main surface 52b close to the second side surface 52e, and the outflow port 76b opens to the other opposing wall 74. At this time, the flow path 76 communicates with the outflow port 76b after proceeding obliquely downward in the first discharge block 52.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the second air blowing member 56 receives an insertion portion 56a inserted into the inflow port 76a and air A2 connected to the insertion portion 56a and supplied from an air source (not shown). And a blowing main body portion 56b that is fed into the insertion portion 56a at a desired flow rate, and receives air A2 into the flow path 76 in response to an instruction from the control portion 6. Thus, the air A2 can be blown out from the discharge port 50 side toward the discharge direction into the first discharge path R1.
The cover block 55 is formed with a notch 55b (see FIG. 9) that avoids interference with the insertion portion 56a of the second air blowing member 56.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 12, an air outlet 60 is formed in the peripheral wall portion 11 of the container 2 at a portion located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary plate 3 with respect to the discharge port 50. The air outlet 60 is a communication hole having a circular cross section that communicates the inside and the outside of the housing 2, and is formed at a position facing the housing recess 35 in the radial direction of the rotating plate 3. And the 1st air blowing member 4 is attached to the surrounding wall part 11 by inserting the insertion part 61 of the above-mentioned 1st air blowing member 4 in this air blower outlet 60. FIG.

The first air blowing member 4 includes the insertion portion 61 and a blowing main body portion 62 that is connected to the insertion portion 61 and sends air A1 sent from an air source (not shown) into the insertion portion 61 at a desired flow rate. It is equipped with.
The insertion portion 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape in which a flow passage 61 a through which air A <b> 1 sent from the blowing main body portion 62 flows is formed, and is rotatable about the central axis M of the air outlet 60. . At this time, the flow path 61a is not coaxial with the central axis M of the air outlet 60 but is formed at an eccentric position. Therefore, by rotating the insertion portion 61, it is possible to change the height of the flow path 61a, that is, the blowing height of the air A1 in the air outlet 60.

In the illustrated example, the case where the blowing height of the air A1 is set at a lower position close to the bottom wall portion 10 of the container 2 is taken as an example. Therefore, it is possible to blow air A <b> 1 from the side against the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35.
Further, the insertion portion 61 is restricted from rotating by a positioning pin (not shown), and once the air A1 blowing height is set, the insertion portion 61 is unexpectedly rotated to change the blowing height. Is prevented.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4, 8, 9, and 13, the container 2 of the present embodiment includes a ferrule detection sensor that detects the ferrule F discharged from the discharge port 50 (the detection unit of the present invention). Example) 80 is attached.
The ferrule detection sensor 80 is attached to the bottom wall portion 10 of the container 2 via a screw member 84, and a tip end 81 a of the container 2 is formed through a through hole 83 formed in the peripheral wall portion 11 of the container 2. A support block 81 inserted inside, and a sensor portion 82 fixed to a tip end portion 81a of the support block 81 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the through hole 83 is formed between the discharge port 50 and the air outlet 60, and communicates the inside and the outside of the container 2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, the through hole 83 is formed in a portion located above the rotating plate 3. This prevents the ferrule F housed in the housing recess 35 from falling to the outside of the housing body 2 through the through hole 83.

  The sensor part 82 is fixed to the tip part 81a of the support block 81 so as to be orthogonal to the bottom wall part 10. For example, the sensor part 82 irradiates detection light (not shown) to the bottom wall part 10 side. The fiber sensor can detect the ferrule F based on the reflection intensity, the reflection time, and the like. As shown in FIG. 14, the sensor portion 82 is disposed so as to be located immediately above the ferrule F housed in the housing recess 35.

The ferrule detection sensor 80 configured in this way detects the ferrule F in the storage recess 35 that has moved in the circumferential direction as the rotating plate 3 rotates, in front of the discharge port 50, and to that effect (detection signal) Is output to the control unit 6.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the ferrule detection sensor 80 is disposed between the first air blowing member 4 and the discharge port 50. You may comprise so that the ferrule F at the moment of discharge | emission may be detected.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the housing 2 of the present embodiment is formed with a communication opening 65 that communicates the inside and the outside of the housing 2 at the lowest point position. .
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 15, the communication opening 65 is formed in a slit shape extending in the circumferential direction at a portion located at the lowest point of the lower end portion of the peripheral wall portion 11. Is smaller than the diameter φ of the ferrule F (see FIG. 5). Thereby, the ferrule F accommodated in the inside of the container 2 is restricted from falling down to the outside of the container 2 through the slit-like communication opening 65.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 6 includes a recording medium 6a to be described later in addition to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), various interfaces, and the like (not shown). ing.
As an example of the operation of the controller 6, for example, the CPU reads and executes a ferrule supply program according to the present invention stored in the recording medium 6 a, thereby executing a transport process and a discharge process according to the present invention described later. .

  The ferrule supply program is a program for controlling the ferrule supply device 1 to supply the ferrule F to the next process. The ferrule supply program is recorded on the computer-readable recording medium 6a.

The “computer-readable recording medium” is a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor memory, and includes a drive device (for example, a CD-ROM drive device) or an interface ( For example, it is read via a USB interface or the like.
The “computer-readable recording medium” is not limited to the above-described portable medium, and is a storage unit such as a hard disk built in a computer system (including an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices). Also good.
Furthermore, a “computer-readable recording medium” means that a program is dynamically held for a short time, like a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. It is also possible to include one that holds a program for a certain time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that becomes a server or client in that case.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 6 executes the ferrule supply program by comprehensively controlling each component. However, the control unit 6 transmits the ferrule detection sensor 80 from the ferrule detection sensor 80 during the discharge process. Control is performed so that the air A2 is blown out from the second air blowing member 56 for a predetermined time after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the detection signal thus received is received.

(Operation of ferrule supply device)
Next, using the ferrule supply device 1 configured as described above, a plurality of ferrules F accommodated in the container 2 are sent one by one to the outside of the container 2 and supplied to the next process. The case will be described.

First, the operator throws a plurality of ferrules F into the container 2. At this time, since the base substrate 12 fixed above the support column 13 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, the container 2 fixed on the base substrate 12 and the inside of the container 2 are arranged. The rotating plate 3 provided is similarly inclined. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the plurality of ferrules F introduced into the container 2 can be biased to the lowest point side of the container 2 using gravity.
At this time, one of the plurality of ferrules F can be stored in the storage recess 35 formed in the rotating plate 3.

  After the introduction of the plurality of ferrules F, the operator combines the lid body 21 with respect to the peripheral wall portion 11 to close the upper opening of the peripheral wall portion 11. Thereby, it can prevent that dust etc. mix in the inside of the container 2. Thereafter, the worker inputs a start signal to the control unit 6.

  Then, the control part 6 starts the operation | movement of each component based on the ferrule supply program recorded on the recording medium 6a. First, the control unit 6 operates the first air blowing member 4 and drives the motor 41 to rotate the rotating plate 3 in the arrow direction shown in FIG.

  As a result, the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 can be moved in the circumferential direction along with the rotation of the rotating plate 3, and only one ferrule F is taken out from the plurality of ferrules F in an upward direction. Can be moved toward. At this time, the remaining ferrule F tries to move upward following the rotation of the rotating plate 3, but the rotating plate 3 is inclined, so that it slides along the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 using gravity. Can be dropped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the extra ferrule F from moving upward. Therefore, only the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 can be moved to the discharge port 50 (conveying process of the present invention).

  By the way, at the time of the said conveyance process, the air blower outlet 60 is formed in the part located in the rotation direction upstream rather than the discharge port 50 among the surrounding wall parts 11 of the container 2, and 1st air spraying is carried out through this air blower port 60. The member 4 blows out air A1. For this reason, the remaining ferrule F does not slide down due to gravity and moves upward by being hooked on the storage recess 35, or connected upward by catching or overlapping the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35, for example. Even if it is moved, the extra ferrule F can be blown off by the air A1 and removed.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, even if an extra ferrule F is overlapped on the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 and moved upwardly, as shown in FIG. The air can be removed by being blown away by the air A1 from the first air blowing member 4. On the other hand, as for the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35, the air outlet 60 is formed at a height position facing the storage recess 35 in the radial direction. Can be received by the wall portion of the storage recess 35 and can remain in the storage recess 35.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 16, after passing through the point where the air A <b> 1 is blown, only the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 can be moved toward the discharge port 50.

Thereby, as shown in FIG. 17, only the ferrule F accommodated in the accommodation recessed part 35 can be moved to the discharge port 50 stably and reliably one by one at regular time intervals. Therefore, it can discharge | emit outside from this discharge port 50 via the discharge mechanism 5, and can supply to the following process (discharge process of this invention).
That is, the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 is discharged into the first discharge path R1 through the discharge port 50, and subsequently sent to the next process through the second discharge path R2 and the discharge tube 54 to be supplied. be able to.

By the way, as described above, after passing the air A1 blowing point by the first air blowing member 4, only one ferrule F housed in the housing recess 35 is stably directed toward the discharge port 50. Although it can be moved, as shown in FIG. 16, the ferrule detection sensor 80 detects the ferrule F with the trouble of the discharge port 50 and sends the detection signal to the control unit 6.
In the discharging process, the control unit 6 operates the second air blowing member 56 for a certain time (for example, several seconds), for example (several / 10) seconds after the detection signal is received. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, air A2 can be blown into the first discharge path R1, and the ferrule F can be discharged to the outside while being energized (while being pushed back). Therefore, for example, even if the ferrule F is charged with static electricity, for example, the discharge tube 54 can be reliably discharged without causing clogging due to static electricity.

Moreover, since the air A2 can be blown into the first discharge path R1 from the discharge port 50 side in the discharge direction, for example, a problem that the ferrule F is pushed back (blows up) to the discharge port 50 side. It is easy to reliably discharge the ferrule F without causing it.
Furthermore, since the air A2 is not constantly blown into the first discharge path R1, but is intermittently blown as described above, the air A2 can be blown against the ferrule F that has entered the first discharge path R1 to some extent. . Therefore, the ferrule F can be urged more efficiently, and it is easy to discharge it more reliably. In addition, since air can be stopped at the first stage of entering the first discharge path R1 from the discharge port 50, the ferrule F can easily enter the first discharge path R1 smoothly.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the first discharge path R1 is formed so that the facing distance between the pair of facing wall portions 73 and 74 gradually narrows from the discharge port 50 side toward the discharging direction. As the plate 3 rotates, the ferrule F that has been moved to the discharge port 50 in the sideways orientation in the storage recess 35 can be discharged while smoothly changing the posture in the vertical direction. In addition, the one opposing wall 73 is formed by four continuous guide surfaces 73a to 73d whose inclination angle changes three times in the middle, so that the posture is not changed suddenly but the angle is changed stepwise. It is possible to shift to a vertical orientation while
For these reasons, the ferrule F can be smoothly discharged without being caught, and the occurrence of clogging and the like can be effectively prevented.

  Since the container 2 and the rotating plate 3 are formed of a resin material that hardly generates static electricity, even if the ferrule F is stirred inside the container 2 as the rotating plate 3 rotates, it is difficult to be charged. . Therefore, it is difficult to cause a problem that the ferrule F adheres in the storage recess 35 due to static electricity and does not fall into the outlet 50 but passes through.

Furthermore, according to the ferrule supply device 1 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, since the rotary plate 3 is formed in a tapered shape and the upper surface thereof is inclined, the extra ferrule F can be slipped off and removed more efficiently using gravity. it can. Moreover, since the ferrule F is moved to the discharge port 50 using the rotation of the rotating plate 3, dust and dust are less likely to be generated compared to the vibration method.
Furthermore, since the guide inclined surface 36 is formed on the upper surface of the rotating plate 3, the ferrule F can be naturally and smoothly introduced into the storage recess 35 using the guide inclined surface 36. Therefore, for example, even when the number of ferrules F accommodated in the container 2 is reduced, the ferrule F can be actively guided into the storage recess 35, and it is easy to prevent the ferrule F from being unstored. .

Moreover, since the rotating plate 3 can be rotated while suppressing contact with the bottom wall portion 10 of the container 2, the rotational resistance can be reduced and the driving force for driving the rotating plate 3 can be easily suppressed. Therefore, the motor 41 can be downsized, and the entire ferrule supply device 1 can be easily downsized. Further, since the rotating plate 3 is not easily rubbed, it is easier to further suppress the generation of debris and dust.
Furthermore, even if debris or dust or the like is generated inside the container 2, only the debris or dust or the like can be excluded from the container 2 through the communication opening 65. Therefore, it is possible to prevent rotation failure of the rotating plate 3 due to these scraps and dust, clogging in the storage recess 35 and the discharge port 50, and the like, and the ferrule F can be supplied to the next process more stably.

  In particular, when the lid 21 is attached to the container 2, the internal pressure of the container 2 can be forcibly released through the communication opening 65. Can also be prevented. In addition, by forcibly releasing the internal pressure of the container 2 from the communication opening 65 as described above, it is easy to efficiently remove debris and dust.

In the above embodiment, the case where a total of eight storage recesses 35 are formed at intervals of 45 degrees around the central axis O has been described, but the number is not limited to this. More storage recesses 35 may be formed, or only one may be formed.
Even if only one is formed, it is possible to stably supply only one ferrule F to the next process at a constant time interval by appropriately adjusting the rotation speed of the rotating plate 3, etc. Can be effective. However, by forming the plurality of storage recesses 35 as in the above embodiment, the ferrule F can be efficiently supplied to the next process at regular time intervals even if the rotation speed of the rotating plate 3 is low. it can.

  Further, although the storage recess 35 is formed so as to extend along the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 3, the storage recess 35 may be formed so as to extend along the radial direction of the rotating plate 3. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained only by changing the direction of the ferrule F during storage.

Moreover, according to the ferrule supply device 1 of the present embodiment, the flow passage 61a rotates the insertion portion 61 of the first air blowing member 4 that is eccentric with respect to the central axis M of the air outlet 60, thereby The balloon height can be changed as appropriate.
Therefore, for example, even when a plurality of types of ferrules F having different diameters are used, the balloon height can be set to an optimum position according to the ferrule F. Therefore, the ferrule F stored in the storage recess 35 can be reliably retained in the storage recess 35, while the extra ferrule F can be reliably blown off. Therefore, a plurality of types of ferrules F can be handled, and convenience can be improved.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the discharge port 50 and the discharge mechanism 5 are disposed on the uppermost point side of the container 2, but the present invention is not limited to this position, and is disposed in a portion located above the lowermost point position. It doesn't matter if it is. Further, the air outlet 60 only needs to be positioned upstream of the discharge port 50 and the discharge mechanism 5 in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 3. At this time, the air outlet 60 may be formed not only at one place but at a plurality of places, and the air A1 may be blown out at multiple points.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which sprays air A2 intermittently in 1st discharge path R1 by the 2nd air blowing member 56, it is good also as a structure which sprays constantly. However, it is preferable to intermittently spray the ferrule F because it is easy to smoothly enter the first discharge path R1.

Further, the one opposing wall portion 73 constituting the first discharge path R1 is formed by four continuous guide surfaces 73a to 73d, and the inclination angle is changed three times. You may form with many guide surfaces. By doing so, the ferrule F can be changed to the vertical orientation more smoothly, and it is easy to prevent catching and the like.
In addition, you may form so that one opposing wall part 73 may be curved by connecting many inclined guide surfaces.

A1, A2 ... Air R1 ... First discharge path (discharge path)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS F ... Ferrule O ... Center axis 1 ... Ferrule supply apparatus 2 ... Container 3 ... Rotating plate 4 ... 1st air blowing member 6 ... Control part 6a ... Recording medium 10 ... Bottom wall part of container 11 ... Perimeter wall part of container 35 ... Storage recess 50 ... Discharge port 56 ... Second air blowing member 60 ... Air blowout port 73, 74 ... Opposite wall 73a, 73b, 73c, 73d ... Guide surface 80 ... Ferrule detection sensor (detection unit)

Claims (7)

A bottomed cylindrical container in which a plurality of ferrules are housed;
A rotating plate disposed in the container so as to be rotatable about a central axis of the container;
A storage recess formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating plate, storing one of the plurality of ferrules therein, and moving the stored ferrule in the circumferential direction as the rotating plate rotates;
A first air blowing member that blows out air into the housing through an air outlet formed in the peripheral wall of the housing;
A discharge mechanism for discharging the ferrule in the storage recess that has been moved by the rotation of the rotating plate through a discharge port formed in the storage body to the outside of the storage body;
The container is disposed such that a bottom wall portion thereof is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and the discharge port is positioned above a lowest point position of the container,
The air outlet is formed on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary plate from the discharge port, and is formed at a height position facing the storage recess in the radial direction of the rotary plate,
The said discharge mechanism is provided with the discharge path connected to the said discharge port, and the 2nd air blowing member which blows off air in this discharge path, The ferrule supply apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the ferrule supply device according to claim 1,
The second air blowing member is
A ferrule supply device that blows out the air from the discharge port side in the discharge direction into the discharge path. In the ferrule supply device according to claim 1 or 2,
A detection unit for detecting the ferrule discharged from the discharge port;
The second air blowing member is
The ferrule supply device according to claim 1, wherein the air is blown out for a predetermined time after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection unit detected the ferrule. In the ferrule supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The discharge path is
Formed at least with a pair of opposing walls that allow the ferrule to fall while changing its posture from horizontal to vertical,
The pair of opposing wall portions are formed such that the interval between the opposing wall portions gradually narrows from the outlet side toward the outlet direction.
Of the pair of opposing walls, one opposing wall located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate is formed of a plurality of continuous guide surfaces whose inclination angle changes at least three times. A featured ferrule supply device. A ferrule supply method using the ferrule supply device according to claim 1,
A conveying step of rotating the rotating plate while blowing out the air by the first air blowing member, and moving one of the plurality of ferrules to the discharge port while being housed in the housing recess;
A discharge step of discharging the ferrule conveyed to the discharge port to the outside through the discharge path, and
In the discharging process, the air is blown into the discharge path by the second air blowing member. The computer of the ferrule supply device according to claim 1,
A conveying step of rotating the rotating plate while blowing out the air by the first air blowing member, and moving one of the plurality of ferrules to the discharge port while being housed in the housing recess;
A discharging step in which the ferrule conveyed to the discharge port is discharged to the outside through the discharge path, and the air is blown into the discharge path by the second air blowing member;
The ferrule supply program characterized by performing this.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the ferrule supply program according to claim 6 is recorded.

Images