JP2014200906A - Bolt relay device and relay method for screw fastening machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve reliability in the feeding of a bolt, to reduce the movement distance of a bolt, to reduce the size and the behavior space of a robot device, and so on.SOLUTION: A screw fastening machine 26 is mounted on a robot device 32. A receiving hole 17 in the vertical direction is formed in a relay member 16 mounted on a base member 35. Rotation inhibiting means for inhibiting the rotation of a shaft part 2 inserted into the receiving hole 17 is mounted on the base member 35. There is provided a posture changing mechanism for setting the standby position of a head part 2 protruded from a surface 22 of the relay member 16 in a prescribed direction fitting an approach movement direction X-X of a holding socket 28 by changing the stop position of the base member 35. The base member 35 is mounted on a stationary member 8 or a movable member 62 via the posture changing mechanism.

Description

  The present invention relates to a bolt relay device for a screw tightening machine and a relay method for causing a bolt to stand by at an appropriate position with respect to a screw tightening machine operated by a robot apparatus.

  In Japanese Patent No. 4556217, a bolt sent from a parts feeder is inserted into a receiving hole formed in a vertical direction by a supply device, and then the head of the bolt is held by a holding socket of a screw tightening machine. And then screwed into the target screw hole.

Japanese Patent No. 4556217

  In the device described in Patent Document 1, a holding socket of a screw tightener approaches a bolt that is waiting in a vertical direction. With such a behavior of the holding socket, it is necessary to lower the holding socket in a vertical direction from a high place, so that the behavior space of the holding socket becomes large and a compact facility arrangement becomes impossible. In particular, when operating a screw tightening machine with a robotic device, it is necessary to make the height of the robotic device sufficiently high, so the robotic device itself must be enlarged and the installation location needs to be widened, There is a problem that the behavior space of the robot apparatus becomes large. At the same time, the structure of the robot apparatus becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been provided to solve the above-described problems. The reliability of the bolt supply operation is improved, the bolt moving distance is shortened by optimizing the standby posture of the bolt, and the robot apparatus is reduced in size and behavior. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bolt relay device and a relay method for a screw tightener that can reduce space.

  The invention described in claim 1 is a bolt relay device for a screw tightener, the relayed part is a bolt composed of a head portion and a shaft portion, and the head portion is held by a holding socket of a screw tightener operated by a robot device. And a receiving hole into which the shaft portion is inserted in a state in which the head portion protrudes from the surface of the relay member and is perpendicular to the relay member attached to the base member. A head that is formed and is attached to the base member to stop rotation of the shaft portion inserted into the receiving hole, and protrudes from the surface of the relay member by changing the stop position of the base member A posture changing mechanism is provided for setting the standby position of the holding socket to a predetermined orientation adapted to the moving direction of the holding socket, and the base member is attached to the stationary member or the moving member via the posture changing mechanism. It is characterized by being kicked.

  By changing the stop position of the base member, the direction of the bolt supported by the relay member is set to a predetermined direction adapted to the approaching movement direction of the holding socket. As a result, the head protruding from the surface of the relay member is easily captured by the holding socket, and the bolt is securely held by the holding socket. For example, by setting the stop posture of the relay member so that the shaft portion is in the horizontal direction, the approaching movement direction becomes the horizontal direction, so that the holding socket moves in the horizontal direction at a low position. Improvement in productivity such as shortening time can be achieved by shortening the moving distance of the bolt by the apparatus.

  For example, when the approaching movement direction of the holding socket is set to the horizontal direction, the height position of the holding socket, which is the tip of the robot apparatus, is lowered, and accordingly, the robot apparatus is downsized. When the head of the bolt supported in the vertical direction is captured by the holding socket, the robot apparatus is caused to perform a behavior of lowering the holding socket from above. If it becomes like this, a robot apparatus will be enlarged and an operation space will also become large, and it will interfere with effective utilization of a factory space. However, in the present invention, such a problem is surely solved as described above.

  Furthermore, although the example in which the shaft portion is supported in the horizontal direction has been described, it is also possible to avoid the robot device from interfering with surrounding related members by tilting the shaft portion.

  A rotation restraining means for restraining the rotation of the shaft portion inserted into the receiving hole is attached to the base member. For this reason, when the holding socket rotates and approaches the head, and the head enters the socket hole of the holding socket relatively, the bolt does not rotate with the holding socket, The head can reliably enter the socket hole. Further, by stopping the rotation of the shaft portion when the base member is turned, it is possible to prevent the bolt from being displaced or dropped in the receiving hole.

  Since the base member becomes a basic member and the relay member and the rotation stopping means are integrated with the base member, a simple structural unit can be secured. Then, the base member, the relay member, and the rotation stopping means integrated in this way are arranged in the form of one unit, and by inputting the conversion force of the stop position to the base member that is the basic member, the relay The member and the rotation stopping means are surely turned to obtain a highly reliable device. Furthermore, since the base member is attached to the stationary member or the moving member via the posture changing mechanism, the integrated base member, relay member, and rotation restraining means are securely attached in the form of one unit.

  Since the receiving hole of the relay member is waiting in a state where it is opened in the vertical direction, the shaft portion of the bolt can be inserted into the receiving hole surely by inserting it in the vertical direction, and a reliable supply can be achieved. it can.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the base member is formed of an elongated member, and the rotation restraining means includes a pressurizing member that pressurizes at least the shaft portion, and a pressurizing unit that applies pressure to the pressurizing member. The posture changing mechanism includes at least a support member fixed to the stationary member or the moving member, a shaft member that supports the base member in a swingable state and is supported by the support member, 2. The bolt relay device for a screw tightening machine according to claim 1, comprising a rotation driving means for applying a rotational force necessary for swinging to the base member.

  Since the base member is composed of an elongated member, a relay member is attached to the end of the base member, and a pressurizing means such as an air cylinder or an advancing / retracting electric motor is disposed on the other end of the base member. The pressure member can be operated. Therefore, it becomes possible to unitize the relay member, the pressurizing means and the like into the elongated base member, and since the rotational force is applied to the base member unitized in this way, the base member is surely secured. The standby position of the head that swings and protrudes from the surface of the relay member can be set to a predetermined direction that matches the approaching movement direction of the holding socket.

  The rotation restraining means includes a pressurizing member that pressurizes at least the shaft portion, and a pressurizing means that applies pressure to the pressurizing member. For this reason, the shaft portion is pressurized by the pressure member, and cannot be rotated. Therefore, even if the holding socket approaches while rotating and comes into contact with the head, the head is not held together with the holding socket and is reliably held by the holding socket.

  Further, the posture changing mechanism includes at least a support member fixed to the stationary member or the moving member, a shaft member supported by the support member while supporting the base member in a swingable state, and swinging to the base member. Since the rotation drive means for applying the necessary rotational force is included, the base member swings about the shaft member, and the direction of the bolt head held by the relay member is made closer to the holding socket. An appropriate direction can be set with respect to the moving direction. Since the base member is rotated about the shaft member, the relay member and the rotation stopping means can be integrally rotated with certainty.

The invention according to claim 3 is a bolt relay method for a screw tightener, wherein the relayed part is a bolt composed of a head and a shaft, and the head is held by a holding socket of a screw tightener operated by a robot apparatus. And a receiving hole into which the shaft portion is inserted in a state in which the head portion protrudes from the surface of the relay member and is perpendicular to the relay member attached to the base member. A head that is formed and is attached to the base member to stop rotation of the shaft portion inserted into the receiving hole, and protrudes from the surface of the relay member by changing the stop position of the base member A posture changing mechanism is provided for setting the standby position of the holding socket to a predetermined orientation adapted to the moving direction of the holding socket, and the base member is attached to the stationary member or the moving member via the posture changing mechanism. Vignetting Prepare screw driver relay device has,
After the bolt is inserted into the receiving hole in the vertical direction, the stop position of the base member is converted to adapt the standby position of the head protruding from the surface of the relay member to the approaching movement direction of the holding socket. It is characterized by setting in a predetermined direction.

  The effect of the relay method is the same as the effect of the relay device.

It is the side view and partial top view which show the whole apparatus. It is the side view and partial top view of a relay apparatus. It is a front view which shows the state of the factory arrangement | positioning of the whole apparatus. It is a side view which shows another Example. It is a side view which shows other Example. It is a side view which shows other Example.

  Next, an embodiment for carrying out the bolt relay device for screw tightening machine and the relay method of the present invention will be described.

  1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the relayed bolt will be described.

  The bolt 1 is made of iron, and as shown in FIG. 1C, a regular hexagonal head 2, a circular flange 3 concentric with the head 2, and a shaft 4 coaxial with the flange 3 and formed with a male screw. Is formed by. The dimensions of each part of the bolt 1 are: the diameter of the shaft 2 is 10 mm, the length of the shaft is 27 mm, the diameter and thickness of the flange 3 are 20 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively, and the height of the head 2 is 10 mm. The radial dimensions of 2 are 14 mm and 16 mm. In addition, although it is set as a flange here, it is also possible to make a bolt without a flange into the object of relay.

  Next, the entire apparatus will be described.

  The entire apparatus is denoted by reference numeral 100, and the entire apparatus 100 includes a supply device 200 and a relay device 300.

  Next, the supply device will be described.

  The supply device 200 fulfills the function of inserting the shaft portion 4 of the bolt into a receiving hole (described later) provided in the vertical direction, and uses a supply rod that advances and retracts in the horizontal direction and moves up and down in the vertical direction. Various types such as a robot device having a chuck mechanism for grasping a bolt can be adopted. In this embodiment, the former supply rod is used.

  The supply rod 5 that moves back and forth in a substantially horizontal direction moves back and forth by an air cylinder 6 that is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction. The advancing / retreating axis is indicated by the symbol OO. A locking member 7 is attached to the distal end portion of the supply rod 5, and the bolt 1 is locked in a state where the shaft portion 4 is suspended in the vertical direction, that is, in a hanging state.

  An air cylinder 24 is fixed to the stationary member 8 in order to raise and lower the air cylinder 6 in the vertical direction. The piston rod 25 of the air cylinder 24 advances and retreats in the vertical direction, and the air cylinder 6 is fixed to the upper end thereof.

  A supply pipe 9 fixed to a stationary member 8 such as a machine frame is arranged at an acute angle with respect to the advance / retreat axis OO of the supply rod 5 and is disposed above the air cylinder 6. One end of the supply pipe 9 is connected to a supply hose 10 made of a synthetic resin such as urethane resin, and the supply hose 10 is connected to a parts feeder 11.

  A holding space 12 is formed at the other end of the supply pipe 9, and the bolt 1 delivered from the parts feeder 11 is held in the holding space 12. The holding space 12 is provided with an outlet opening 13 that opens downward, and an advancing / retracting gate member 14 for opening and closing the opening 13 is disposed. The gate member 14 is formed of a plate-like member, and the bolt 1 is stopped in the holding space 12 by closing the outlet opening 13.

  As described above, the gate member 14 is formed of a flat thick plate, and opens and closes the outlet opening 13 by moving back and forth. As shown in FIG. 1B, an arm member 19 is protruded from a coupling member 18 for fixing the supply pipe 9 to the stationary member 8, and an air cylinder 20 is fixed thereto. The piston rod 21 of the air cylinder 20 advances and retreats in a direction that is perpendicular to the advance / retreat axis OO, and a gate member 14 is fixed to the tip thereof. In the gate member 14, the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1B is the position where the outlet opening 13 is opened, and the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 is the position where the outlet opening 13 is closed. Therefore, when the gate member 14 opens the outlet opening 13, the bolt 1 falls.

  The locking member 7 is formed with a notch 15 that is opened in the advancing direction of the supply rod 5, and the flange 3 is seated on the upper surface of the locking member 7 as shown in FIG. 4 hangs down through the notch 15 in a vertical posture. That is, it is locked in a suspended state. At this time, the displacement of the bolt 1 or the like does not occur due to the attractive force of the permanent magnet 23 embedded in the locking member 7. As described above, when the gate member 14 opens the outlet opening 13, the bolt 1 falls and a so-called neck hanging state is established.

  A relay member 16 is disposed in a relay device 300 described later, and a receiving hole 17 that opens upward is opened in the vertical direction. The diameter of the receiving hole 17 is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 4 and is 11 mm here.

  Next, the operation of the supply device will be described.

  When the bolt 1 is locked to the locking member 7, the supply rod 5 is advanced by the air cylinder 6, and the shaft portion 4 is coaxial with the receiving hole 17 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Stop at the position. Thereafter, the shaft portion 4 is inserted into the receiving hole 17 by the air cylinder 24 being contracted. By reversing the supply rod 5 during the insertion, the shaft portion 4 remains in the receiving hole 17, and then enters the receiving hole 17 due to the weight of the bolt 1, and the flange 3 becomes the surface 22 of the relay member 16. Is seated and insertion is complete. The center line in the vertical direction of the shaft portion 4 in the state where the insertion has been completed is indicated by reference symbols YY.

  Next, the screw tightening machine will be described.

  The screw tightening machine 26 here is constituted by a holding socket 28 provided with a regular hexagonal socket hole 27 and a rotation driving means 29 for rotating the holding socket 28. As the rotation drive means 29, it is optimal to use an electric motor. Reference numeral 29 denotes an electric motor. A holding socket 28 is fixed to the rotation output shaft 30. The holding socket 28 moves toward the head 1 in a state where the rotation axis of the holding socket 28 and the axis of the bolt 1 coincide with each other. The direction of this movement is an approaching movement direction that is a horizontal direction, and is indicated by a reference numeral XX described later. The approaching movement direction is indicated by an arrow A in FIG.

  When the holding socket 28 rotates and moves in the approaching movement direction and contacts the head 2, the head 2 relatively fits into the socket hole 27 relatively closely. The electric motor 29 is fixed to the coupling bracket 31, and the distal end portion of the robot device 32 is fixed to the back surface of the coupling bracket 31. The robot device 32 is generally used, and is a normal 6-axis type.

  Next, the relay device will be described.

  The relay device 300 functions to convert the standby position of the head 2 protruding from the surface 22 of the relay member 16 into a predetermined direction adapted to the approaching movement direction of the holding socket 28. The relay member 16 includes a main body portion 33 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a thick plate-like attachment portion 34 formed integrally therewith, and the receiving hole 17 is opened in a vertical direction in a standby state. . The upper surface of the main body 33 is a flat surface 22.

  The base member 35 is formed of an elongated member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. An attachment portion 34 of the relay member 16 is coupled to the end portion of the base member 35 by bolting or welding. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the base member 35 is level above the flat and horizontal stationary member 8, the surface 22 of the relay member 16 is horizontal.

  In order to prevent the head 2 from being rotated by the holding socket 28 when the holding socket 28 contacts the head 2 while rotating, a rotation stopping means is provided. As a specific structure of the rotation restraining means, various types such as a form in which the shaft part 4 is pressurized and a form in which a magnet attracting force is applied to the shaft part 4 can be adopted. Here, the former pressurization method is used.

  A pressure member 38 made of a thick plate member is coupled to a piston rod 37 of an air cylinder 36 fixed to the base member 35. An arcuate recess 39 that matches the shaft portion 4 is formed at the tip of the pressure member 38. The advancing / retreating direction of the pressing member 38 is orthogonal to the axis of the shaft portion 4. When the pressing member 38 is advanced by the air cylinder 36, the shaft member 4 protrudes from the receiving hole 17 and is exposed. The shaft portion 4 is pressurized in a state where the arc-shaped concave portion 39 is matched. This pressurization is performed by sandwiching the shaft portion 4 between the arc-shaped concave portion 39 and the inner wall 40 of the main body portion 33. As a result, the rotation of the bolt 1 is stopped.

  The pressurizing force can be secured by a pressurizing means such as an air cylinder or an advance / retreat output type electric motor. Here, the air cylinder 36 is used as described above. As is clear from the above-described configuration, the rotation stopping means is specifically constituted by an air cylinder 36, a piston rod 37, a pressurizing member 38, an arc-shaped concave portion 39, and the like.

  An attitude conversion mechanism that sets the standby position of the head 2 protruding from the surface 22 of the relay member 16 to a predetermined orientation that matches the approaching movement direction of the holding socket 28 by converting the stop position of the base member 35. Is provided. As the posture changing mechanism, a form in which the base member 35 is integrated with the swinging member or a mechanism that swings the base member 35 around the shaft member that supports the base member 35 is suitable. Here is the latter form.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, columnar support members 42 standing from the stationary member 8 are provided on the left and right of the base member 35, and the shaft member 43 provided in a state of protruding to the left and right of the base member 35 is supported. The member 42 is supported in a rotatable state. As a result, the base member 35 can swing around the shaft member 43.

  As the rotation driving means for applying a rotational force necessary for swinging to the base member 35, various types such as those using an air cylinder and those using an electric motor can be adopted. The first embodiment is an air cylinder type. One end of the air cylinder 44 is attached to the stationary member 8 via a pivot 45, and the piston rod 46 of the air cylinder 44 is coupled to the lateral side surface 48 of the base member 35 via a joint 47.

  In order to stop the base member 35 in a horizontal posture, a stopper member 49 fixed to the stationary member 8 is provided, and the base member 35 is provided on the upper surface of the stopper member 49 as shown in FIG. Will be placed. Moreover, in order to maintain the standing state when the base member 35 stands as described later, a stopper member 50 fixed to the stationary member 8 is provided. As shown in FIG. The lower surface of the base member 35 is received on the lateral side surface.

  As described above, the posture changing mechanism is specifically configured by the support member 42, the shaft member 43, and the air cylinder 44 (rotation driving means) that applies a rotational force to the base member 35.

  Next, the operation of the relay device will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, when the shaft portion 4 is inserted into the receiving hole 17 waiting in the vertical direction, the arc-shaped recess 39 adds the shaft portion 4 by the operation of the air cylinder 36. Press. In this state, the axis of the bolt 1 indicated by the symbol YY is in the vertical direction. Thereafter, the piston rod 46 of the air cylinder 44 extends, the base member 35 rotates clockwise around the shaft member 43 via the joint 47, and stands upright in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. The standing state is maintained by the member 50.

  The axis Y-Y is converted from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by the above swing operation. As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the holding socket 28 of the screwing machine 26 is rotated toward the head 2 along the approaching movement direction line XX that is horizontal while rotating, that is, the arrow A The head 2 is fitted into the socket hole 27 relatively closely. At the same time, the air cylinder 36 is contracted to stop the rotation of the shaft 4, and the bolt 1 is moved together with the holding socket 28 by the operation of the robot device 32, so that a screw hole (not shown) as a target location is shown. ).

  Next, a state where the relay device is arranged in the factory will be described.

  The product produced here is an electric refrigerator 52, and the electric refrigerator 52 is placed on a pallet 55 that is transferred by a conveyor device 54 installed on the floor 53. The electric refrigerator 52 is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The robot device 32 is installed on the floor 53. The entire apparatus 100 is arranged at a high place by support legs 56 standing from the floor 53. The product electric refrigerator 52 is conveyed at a low location along the floor 53.

  In such a conveyance space or conveyance area, an operator performs assembly work or the like, so the entire apparatus 100 is arranged at a position higher than the conveyance space or conveyance area so as not to obstruct the work. In such an arrangement state, when the bolt 1 is supplied in the vertical direction, the robot apparatus 32 goes to grab the bolt 1 from above, so that the behavior space becomes large or the movement distance becomes long as described above. However, when the approaching movement direction line XX is converted into the horizontal direction, the size and behavior space of the robot apparatus 32 become compact.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 57 indicates a hinge fitting for attaching the door to the electric refrigerator 52, and the hinge fitting 57 is fixed by the bolt 1. Therefore, the bolt 1 held by the screw tightening machine 26 in the relay device 300 is transferred to the position of the hinge fitting 57 by the robot device 32 and tightened here.

  With the factory arrangement as described above, the product transfer space and the transfer area are secured, and the operator's work is smoothly performed. At the same time, the bolt 1 is moved by the compact robot device 32 and the production efficiency is improved. To do.

  Instead of the various air cylinders described above, an electric motor that performs forward / backward output can also be employed. It is also possible to replace the permanent magnet with an electromagnet. In addition, illustration of the air hose attached to the air cylinder in the drawing is omitted.

  The advancing / retreating operation of the supply rod, the operation of the parts feeder, the operation of each air cylinder, the operation of the robot apparatus, etc. can be easily performed by a generally adopted control method. The above-mentioned predetermined operation can be ensured by combining an air switching valve that operates with a signal from the control device or the sequence circuit, a sensor that emits a signal at a predetermined position of the air cylinder, and transmits the signal to the control device. .

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

  By changing the stop position of the base member 35, the direction of the bolt 1 supported by the relay member 16 is set to a predetermined direction that matches the approaching movement direction line XX of the holding socket 28. As a result, the head 2 protruding from the surface 22 of the relay member 16 is easily captured by the holding socket 28, and the bolt 1 is securely held by the holding socket 28. For example, the approaching movement direction line XX becomes horizontal by setting the stopping position of the relay member 16 in the horizontal direction so that the holding socket 28 moves in the horizontal direction at a low position. As a result, the moving distance of the bolt 1 by the robot apparatus 32 is shortened, and productivity improvement such as time reduction can be achieved.

  For example, when the approaching movement direction of the holding socket 28 is set to the horizontal direction, the height position of the holding socket 28 that is the tip of the robot apparatus is lowered, and accordingly, the robot apparatus 32 is downsized. When the head 2 of the bolt 1 supported in the vertical direction is captured by the holding socket 28, the robot device 32 is caused to perform a behavior of lowering the holding socket 28 from above. If it becomes like this, the robot apparatus 32 will be enlarged, an operation space will also become large, and it will interfere with effective utilization of a factory space. However, in this embodiment, such a problem is surely solved as described above.

  Furthermore, although the example in which the shaft portion 4 is supported in the horizontal direction has been described, it is also possible to prevent the robot device 32 from interfering with surrounding related members by placing the shaft portion 4 in an inclined posture.

  A rotation restraining means for restraining the rotation of the shaft portion 4 inserted into the receiving hole 17 is attached to the base member 35. For this reason, when the holding socket 28 rotates and approaches the head 2, and the head 2 enters the socket hole 27 of the holding socket 28 relatively, the bolt 1 is supplied together with the holding socket 28. The head 2 can reliably enter the socket hole 27 without turning around. Further, by stopping the rotation of the shaft portion 4 when the base member 35 is turned, it is possible to prevent the bolt 1 from being displaced or dropped out in the receiving hole 17.

  Since the base member 35 becomes a basic member and the relay member 16 and the rotation stopping means are integrated with the base member 35, a simple structural unit can be secured. And the base member 35, the relay member 16, and the rotation stopping means integrated in this way are arranged in the form of one unit, and the conversion force of the stop position is input to the base member 35 which is a basic member. As a result, the relay member 16 and the rotation stopping means are reliably turned, and a highly reliable device is obtained. Furthermore, since the base member 35 is attached to the stationary member 8 via the posture changing mechanism, the integrated base member 35, the relay member 16, and the rotation restraining means are securely attached in the form of one unit.

  Since the receiving hole 17 of the relay member 16 stands by in a state where it is opened in the vertical direction, the shaft portion 4 of the bolt 1 can be reliably inserted into the receiving hole 17 by inserting it in the vertical direction. High quality supply.

  The base member 35 is formed of an elongated member, and the rotation stopping means includes a pressurizing member 38 that pressurizes at least the shaft portion 4, and a pressurizing means that applies pressure to the pressurizing member 38, that is, an air cylinder 36. The posture changing mechanism includes at least a support member 42 fixed to the stationary member 8 and a shaft member 43 that supports the base member 35 in a swingable state and is supported by the support member 42. And a rotation driving means for applying a rotational force necessary for swinging to the base member 35, that is, an air cylinder 44 and the like.

  Since the base member 35 is composed of an elongated member, the relay member 16 is attached to the end of the base member 35, and an air cylinder 36 as a pressurizing means is disposed on the other end side of the base member 35 to pressurize it. The member 38 can be operated. Therefore, it becomes possible to unitize the relay member 16 and the air cylinder 36 together with the elongated base member 35, and since the rotational force is applied to the base member 35 thus unitized, the base member 35 can rock reliably and can set the standby position of the head 2 projecting from the surface of the relay member 16 to a predetermined orientation that matches the approaching movement direction (XX) of the holding socket 28.

  The rotation stopping means includes at least a pressure member 38 that pressurizes the shaft portion 4 and an air cylinder 36 that applies pressure to the pressure member 38. For this reason, the shaft portion 4 is pressurized by the pressure member 36 and cannot rotate. Therefore, even if the holding socket 28 comes close to the rotating socket and comes into contact with the head 2, the head 2 is not held together with the holding socket 28 and is securely held by the holding socket 28.

  Further, the posture changing mechanism includes at least a support member 42 fixed to the stationary member 8, a base member 35 supported in a swingable state, a shaft member 43 supported by the support member 42, and a base member 35. Since the rotation drive means for applying the rotational force necessary for swinging, that is, the air cylinder 44 is included, the base member 35 swings around the shaft member 43 and is held by the relay member 16. The direction of the bolt head 2 can be set to an appropriate direction with respect to the approach movement direction line XX of the holding socket 28. And since the base member 35 is rotated centering on the shaft member 43, the relay member 16 and the rotation stopping means can be integrally rotated reliably.

  When the receiving hole 17 faces in the vertical direction and waits for insertion of the bolt 1, the surface 22 of the relay member 16 is positioned at the highest position. By doing so, the entry from the tip of the shaft portion 2 to the receiving hole 17 is surely started, and a highly reliable insertion can be ensured. Therefore, the main body 33 of the relay member 16 is positioned at a position one step higher than the air cylinder 36, and the surface 22 is disposed at the highest position accordingly.

  Since the relay member 16 is coupled to the end portion of the base member 35 and the pressurizing air cylinder 36 is disposed on the other end side of the base member 35, a compact and well-structured structure having the base member 35 as a core member is provided. available.

  A shaft member 43 is coupled to the base member 35, and the base member 35 is supported by a support member 42 fixed to the stationary member 8 via the shaft member 43. Therefore, the base member 35 is supported by a stable structure. Furthermore, by configuring the support member 42 with a columnar member, a swinging space for the base member 35 can be secured, and a satisfactory mechanism can be obtained in terms of operation.

  As a bolt relay method for a screw tightener, after the bolt 1 is inserted into the receiving hole 17 in the vertical direction, the stop position of the base member 35 is changed to protrude from the surface 22 of the relay member 16. The standby position of the part 2 is set to a predetermined direction that is adapted to the approaching movement direction line XX of the holding socket 28.

  The effect of the relay method is the same as the effect of the relay device.

  FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, the rotation driving means in the posture changing mechanism is constituted by the air cylinder 44, the shaft member 43 and the like. In the second embodiment, the rotation driving means is constituted by an electric motor.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electric motor 58 is coupled to the lateral side surface of the support member 42, and the output rotation shaft 59 is coupled to the shaft member 43. In this coupling, a fitting piece 61 formed integrally with the end surface of the output rotating shaft 59 is inserted into the groove 60 formed in the diameter direction on the end surface of the shaft member 43 without any gap, and thus the rotational force can be transmitted. It is a joint structure. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment including the portions not shown, and members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  Since the electric motor 58 is simply attached, it is effective for simplifying the structure. And the direction of approaching movement direction line XX can be freely set by setting the stop position of electric motor 58 arbitrarily. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

  In the third embodiment, a shaft member 43 is disposed at the end of the base member 35 in the longitudinal direction. Other configurations are the same as those of the previous embodiments, including the portions not shown, and members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the third embodiment, the axis line YY of the shaft portion 4 swings in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 5, and the approach movement direction line XX is set. Therefore, it is convenient when the swing direction is changed depending on the arrangement of the robot device 32 and the relationship with surrounding members. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the previous embodiments.

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

  In this embodiment, the structure of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is attached to a moving member 62. The moving member 62 can be moved back and forth by a rail structure. That is, the support member 42 is attached to a flat plate-shaped moving member 62, and a rail groove 63 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the lower surface side of the moving member 62, and the base member 64 is slidably fitted therein. Yes. The base member 64 is fixed to the stationary member 8. With such a structure, the base member 35 is attached to the moving member 62 via the support member 42. Other configurations are the same as those of the previous embodiments, including the portions not shown, and members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  With the above configuration, the axis YY of the shaft portion 4 can swing in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 6 and can also move in the left-right direction of the paper surface. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the previous embodiments.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the reliability of the bolt supply operation, shorten the bolt moving distance by optimizing the bolt standby posture, reduce the size of the robot apparatus, and reduce the behavior space. . Accordingly, the present invention can be used in a wide range of industrial fields such as an automobile body assembly process and a home appliance assembly process.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Overall apparatus 200 Supply apparatus 300 Relay apparatus 1 Bolt 2 Head 4 Shaft part 5 Supply rod 6 Air cylinder 7 Locking member 8 Stationary member 16 Relay member 17 Reception hole 22 Surface 26 Screwing machine 27 Socket hole 28 Holding socket 29 Rotation Driving means 32 Robot device 35 Base member 36 Air cylinder 38 Pressure member 42 Support member 43 Shaft member 44 Air cylinder 57 Hinge fitting 58 Electric motor 62 Moving member

Claims (3)

  The parts to be relayed are bolts consisting of a head part and a shaft part. The head part is held by a holding socket of a screw tightening machine operated by a robot apparatus and screwed into a screw hole at a target location. Rotation that prevents the rotation of the shaft portion inserted into the receiving hole formed in the receiving member into which the shaft portion is inserted in a state where the shaft portion is inserted in a state of being perpendicular to the attached relay member and the head protruding from the surface of the relay member A stop means is attached to the base member, and the standby position of the head protruding from the surface of the relay member is changed to a predetermined direction adapted to the approaching movement direction of the holding socket by changing the stop position of the base member. A bolt relay device for a screw tightening machine, characterized in that a posture changing mechanism for setting is provided, and the base member is attached to a stationary member or a moving member via the posture changing mechanism   The base member is formed of an elongated member, and the rotation restraining means includes a pressurizing member that pressurizes at least the shaft portion, and a pressurizing unit that applies pressure to the pressurizing member, and the posture changing mechanism. Is required to swing at least the supporting member fixed to the stationary member or the moving member, the base member supported in a swingable manner, the shaft member supported by the supporting member, and the base member. 2. The bolt relay device for a screw tightening machine according to claim 1, wherein the bolt relay device is configured to include a rotational driving means for applying a rotational force. The parts to be relayed are bolts consisting of a head part and a shaft part. The head part is held by a holding socket of a screw tightening machine operated by a robot apparatus and screwed into a screw hole at a target location. Rotation that prevents the rotation of the shaft portion inserted into the receiving hole formed in the receiving member into which the shaft portion is inserted in a state where the shaft portion is inserted in a state of being perpendicular to the attached relay member and the head protruding from the surface of the relay member A stop means is attached to the base member, and the standby position of the head protruding from the surface of the relay member is changed to a predetermined direction adapted to the approaching movement direction of the holding socket by changing the stop position of the base member. A posture changing mechanism to be set is provided, and via this posture changing mechanism, a relay device for a screw tightening machine in which the base member is attached to a stationary member or a moving member is prepared,
After the bolt is inserted into the receiving hole in the vertical direction, the stop position of the base member is converted to adapt the standby position of the head protruding from the surface of the relay member to the approaching movement direction of the holding socket. A bolt relay method for a screw tightening machine, characterized in that the bolt is set in a predetermined direction.

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