JP2014213971A - Ball parts supplier and ball parts supplying method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply balls one after another by picking them up rapidly and securely in a compact constitution.SOLUTION: A parts supplier 1, which picks up a predetermined number of balls B from a receptor 2 that reserves many balls B, comprises: a through hole 21 formed in the bottom of the receptor 2; a scraping member 3 that is inserted through the through hole 21 into the receptor 2 and has a support part 31 to pick up a ball B1 at the tip; and a crushing member 4 that is inserted through a vicinity of the through hole 21 into the receptor 2 to move many balls B by being interrupted into gaps among the many balls B in the receptor 2 so that the pick-up ball B1 may come to the top of the through hole 21, thereby making the scraping member 3 pick up the ball B1 placed on the support part 31 standing by to face the marginal part of the through hole 21 or the through hole 21.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sphere parts supply apparatus and a sphere parts supply method, and more particularly to a sphere parts supply apparatus that picks up and supports a sphere from a container and a sphere parts supply method.

  Generally, in an automatic power transmission device such as a transmission used in an automobile or the like, the operation is automatically controlled by a hydraulic circuit. The hydraulic oil that flows through the hydraulic circuit changes its pressure every moment, and a preset operation is performed according to the pressure.

  In transmissions and the like that operate in this way, a hydraulic pressure check circuit is provided so that it can be used in a normal hydraulic range, and by returning excess hydraulic oil to an oil pan or the like, the pressure does not exceed a certain level. It is like that. In the check circuit, steel balls (hydraulic set balls) are used as check valves, and even if the steel balls have the same diameter, the number used depends on the transmission type, etc. It is necessary to grab the ball by hand and perform the assembly work, or to supply the required number of steel balls to the line side of the assembly line by the parts feeder.

  Conventionally, there are various types of parts supply devices (part feeders) according to workpieces and work forms (for example, Patent Document 1). In particular, steel balls are not stable and cannot be stacked in an orderly manner due to their shape characteristics. A vibration-type parts feeder that can be smoothly taken out and conveyed is known (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Publication No.59-20524 JP 2008-120542 A

However, when the worker grips the steel ball from the container by hand at the line side of the assembly line to perform the assembling work, there is a problem that it takes time and is burdensome for the worker because it is difficult to slide.
In addition, the vibration-type parts feeder is complicated and large in size, so when supplying a relatively small number of steel balls in an assembly line such as a transmission, the supply capacity is excessive and wasteful and there is a lot of work space. There was a problem of being squeezed and irrational.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and provides a spherical parts supply device and a spherical parts supply method capable of quickly and reliably supplying a necessary number of balls in a compact configuration. The task is to do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a parts supply device that picks up a predetermined number of balls from a container storing a large number of balls, and includes a through-hole formed at the bottom of the container. A raking member inserted into the container from the through hole and having a support portion for picking up the predetermined number of balls at the tip, and inserted into the container from the vicinity of the through hole, A breaker member that moves into the gaps between the multiple balls in the container and moves the multiple balls so that the balls to be picked up are placed on the through-holes, the edge of the through-holes, or the through-holes The predetermined number of balls placed on the support unit waiting to face the hole are picked up by the scraping member.

  According to such a configuration, the apparatus is compactly configured by picking up the ball that is on the through hole by inserting the lifting member from the through hole formed in the bottom of the container that stores a large number of balls. Therefore, it can be compactly installed on the line side of an assembly line such as a transmission in which a large number of jigs are arranged.

  In addition, since one or more predetermined number of balls set in advance can be supported by the support portion of the lifting member, the supported balls can be automatically transported by a transport means such as a shooter, or the operator can manually Since it is easy to grasp, it is suitable for improvement of productivity and reduction of man-hours by automation, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator and improve the assembly work efficiency.

  Further, the present invention is such that the breaking member is inserted from the vicinity of the through hole so as to be inserted into the gaps of the large number of balls, and the large number of spheres are moved so that the picked-up sphere comes on the through hole. Since the ball can be efficiently and reliably supported by the support portion of the lifting member inserted through the through hole, the unstable and difficult to handle ball can be picked up quickly and reliably.

  In other words, even if the scraping member is inserted through the through hole and the picked up ball is taken out and then the scraping member is retracted, the ball does not move downward due to the frictional force of gravity and the scraping member passes. It has been verified that a case where a cavity is formed in the above-described portion and the next picked-up sphere does not come on the through hole occurs.

  Therefore, even if a large number of spheres are clogged and a cavity is formed by inserting the breaking member from the vicinity of the through hole so that the picked up sphere is surely moved above the through hole, It is ensured that the next picked up sphere moves over the through hole by breaking the cavity.

  On the other hand, even if the cavity is not formed, the ball picked up next to the through hole while simplifying the device by simplifying the configuration and operation by inserting the breaking member from the vicinity of the through hole Can be guaranteed to be placed.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the ball parts supply device according to claim 1 according to claim 1, wherein the lifting member moving means for inserting the lifting member into the container, and the breaking Breaking member moving means for inserting a member into the container, and the breaking member moving means inserts the breaking member into gaps between a plurality of balls in the container so that the picked-up sphere is formed in the through hole. In the state where it is moved upward, the lifting member moving means inserts the lifting member into the container and supports the picked up ball by the support portion to pick it up.

  According to this configuration, the scraping member is moved by the scraping member moving means in the state in which the breaking member is inserted into the container by the breaking member moving means and the ball picked up is moved to the through hole. The ball picked up by being inserted into the container is supported by the support portion and picked up, thereby guaranteeing that the ball picked up next to the through hole is moved when the lifting member is inserted from the through hole. Therefore, it is possible to improve the productivity and reduce the number of man-hours by picking up the ball without fail, and to reduce the burden on the operator and improve the assembly work efficiency.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the sphere part supply device according to claim 2, wherein the breaking member moving means allows the breaking member to be inserted in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the lifting member. Features.

  According to such a configuration, since the movement direction of the breaking member and the lifting member is the same by inserting the breaking member in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the lifting member, the breaking member moving means and the lifting member The moving means can be shared by the same moving means.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the ball parts supply device according to claim 3, wherein the lifting member moving means and the breaking member moving means are shared, and the movement of the breaking member in the insertion direction and the scraping are performed. The movement of the lifting member in the insertion direction is simultaneously performed, and the breaking member is inserted in advance of the scraping member.

  According to this configuration, since the scraping member moving means and the breaking member moving means are shared, the configuration can be simplified and the apparatus can be made compact, so that the space efficiency and workability on the line side of the assembly line can be reduced. Can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

Further, by simultaneously performing the movement of the breaking member in the insertion direction and the movement of the lifting member in the insertion direction, the operation can be simplified, the configuration can be simplified, and the apparatus can be made compact.
Further, by inserting the breaking member ahead of the raking member, it is guaranteed that the ball picked up next on the through hole is moved when the raking member is inserted from the through hole. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a parts supply method for picking up a predetermined number of balls from a container in which a large number of balls are stored. Then, a breaking step of moving the multiple balls so that the picked-up ball comes over a through hole formed in the lower part of the container, and a scraping member is inserted into the container from the through hole. A scraping step of picking up a ball supported by the through-hole with a support portion formed on the scraping member so that the scraping step faces an edge of the through-hole or the through-hole. The predetermined number of balls placed on a support portion formed on the lifting member that is on standby are picked up by the lifting member.

  According to such a configuration, the scraping member inserted through the through hole is inserted by inserting the breaking member from the vicinity of the through hole and moving a number of balls so that the picked-up ball comes on the through hole. Since the ball can be supported efficiently by the support part, it is easy for the supported ball to be transported by transport means such as a shooter or to be grasped by the operator's hand, reducing the burden on the worker. As a result, the assembly work efficiency can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the ball parts supply method according to claim 5, wherein the breaking member is inserted in the breaking direction in the breaking step, and the scraping member is inserted in the lifting direction. And moving at the same time and inserting the breaking member ahead of the raking member.

  According to such a configuration, the operation can be simplified, the configuration can be simplified, and the apparatus can be made compact. In addition, since it is guaranteed that the ball picked up next to the through-hole is moved when the scraping member is inserted from the through-hole, the ball is surely picked up to improve productivity and reduce man-hours by automation. The assembly work efficiency can be improved by reducing the burden on the operator.

  The sphere parts supply device and the sphere parts supply method according to the present invention can supply a required number of spheres quickly and reliably in a compact configuration, so that space efficiency is high and an assembly line such as a transmission line is provided. It is easy to automate by installing on the side, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator, improve the assembly work efficiency, and reduce man-hours.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is typical front sectional drawing which shows the structure and operation | movement of the ball | bowl parts supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) is the state which protruded the scraping member and swirled the ball | bowl, (b) was scraped The state which retracted the member is shown. It is typical front sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the parts supply apparatus which does not have the breaking member which concerns on the comparative example for contrasting with the sphere parts supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) protrudes the scraping member (B) shows a state in which the sphere is clogged by forming a cavity in the retreat path in which the scooping member is retreated. It is typical front sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the ball | bowl parts supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and from the state where the ball | bowl of (a) was clogged, the crushing member of (b) was inserted and a cavity was collapsed. A state in which a ball to be picked up next is placed on the through hole is shown.

A spherical parts supply device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the parts supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a container 2 storing a large number of spheres B, a through hole 21 formed in the bottom 2a of the container 2, The scraping member 3 inserted into the container 2 from the through hole 21, the breaking member 4 inserted into the container 2 from the vicinity of the through hole 21, the scraping member 3 and the breaking member 4 in the container 2. A shooter 11 that is a transfer device that receives and conveys the ball B2 from the lifting member 3, and a tray 12 that accommodates the ball B4 transferred from the shooter 11.

  In addition, although the figure to refer is displayed typically and the container 2 is displayed in a cross section, for convenience of explanation, the lifting member 3, the breaking member 4, and the sphere B are not cross sections, but exaggerate the sphere B. Largely described, the sphere B in front of the page from the cross section is not described.

The parts supply device 1 is installed on the line side of an assembly line of a transmission (not shown), picks up a predetermined number of balls B (hydraulic set balls) from the container 2 and transports them to the tray 12 to It is a parts supply device that automatically repeats the operation of picking up B one by one and automatically supplies the required number of balls B to each tray 12 according to the production plan. .
Since the worker (not shown) only needs to assemble the ball B5 supplied to the tray 12 to the transmission (not shown), the work load is reduced rather than taking out directly from the container 2 and work mistakes can be avoided. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the ball B is a set ball used in a hydraulic circuit of a transmission (not shown), but is not limited thereto, and various ball bearings, ball joints, plungers, and the like can be used. It can be applied to spheres of size and material. A large number of spheres B have the same size and material, but for the sake of convenience of explanation, reference numerals B1 to B5 are assigned according to the location and the like.

  The container 2 has a bottom 2a formed in the lower part and an opening 2b formed in the upper part. The container 2 is narrowed so that the cross-sectional area in the horizontal direction decreases as the body part 2c moves downward. It has a funnel shape such as an inverted cone shape or an inverted quadrangular pyramid shape.

The through-hole 21 formed in the bottom 2a of the container 2 has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the sphere B, and one sphere B1 (FIG. )) Is placed so that the sphere B1 comes on the through hole 21.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the container 2 has a funnel shape and is depressed downward, so that the accommodated sphere B moves to the bottom 2a and is formed in the bottom 2a. The sphere B <b> 1 moves on the top 21, and the sphere B <b> 1 is placed on the edge of the through hole 21.

  In the present embodiment, the sphere B1 is supported by the edge portion of the through hole 21, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the diameter of the through hole 21 is set larger than the sphere diameter of the sphere B, so 21 may be disposed so that a concave portion 31 of the scraping member 3 described later faces and supported by the scraping member 3. In addition, a cylindrical guide member that guides the sphere B1 downward from the through hole 21 may be provided, and the recess 31 of the lifting member 3 may be placed on standby in the guide member. In short, it is only necessary that the sphere B1 can be supported at the position of the through hole 21 and the sphere B1 can be picked up by the concave portion 31 of the scraping member 3 inserted through the through hole 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the scraping member 3 is a rod-like member, and a concave portion 31 is formed as a support portion that picks up and supports the ball B2 at the tip portion, and the rear end portion is a cylinder device 5. The cylinder rod 51 is connected to the container 2 through the through hole 21.

  In the present embodiment, a predetermined number of balls B are placed in the through hole 21 and picked up by the lifting member 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of spheres B can be placed, and the plurality of spheres B can be picked up by the lifting member 3.

  The collapsing member 4 is placed in the container 2 so that the ball B picked up on the through hole 21 by being inserted into the gaps between the many balls B in the container 2 (see FIG. 3A). This is a rod-shaped member that breaks and moves many spheres B.

The breaking member 4 is inserted in parallel with the lifting member 3 through an insertion hole 22 formed in the vicinity of the through hole 21 through which the lifting member 3 is inserted. The tip of the breaking member 4 is higher in position by a predetermined height so as to be inserted prior to the lifting member 3.
In other words, the predetermined height is such that the breaking member 4 is inserted in advance, and the scraping member 3 is inserted into the container 2 in a state in which many balls B in the container 2 are broken and moved. The height difference is determined appropriately in consideration of the size of the sphere B and the like (see FIG. 3A).

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the collapsing member 4 is retracted to the position where it is retracted from the insertion hole 22, but the present invention is not limited to this, and FIG. 3 (b) As shown in FIG. 2, the collapse member 4 may be retracted into the container 2.

  Specifically, the operation of the breaking member 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows the operation of the parts supply apparatus without the breaking member, and FIG. 3 shows the operation of the parts supply apparatus provided with the breaking member. In addition, in description of FIG. 3 of FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the case of the parts supply device 1A without the breaking member 4, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), the scraping member 3 is inserted through the through hole 21 and the ball B2 is picked up, and then shown in FIG. 2 (b). As described above, even if the lifting member 3 is retracted from the through hole 21, the balls B in the container 2 become a mass due to the frictional force caused by the force of pressing against each other due to gravity, and they are clogged without moving downward. A cavity H may be formed in the portion through which the lifting member 3 has passed, and the ball B1 (see FIG. 1B) to be picked up next may not be placed on the through hole 21.

  In the case of the parts supply device 1 provided with the breaking member 4, as shown in FIG. 3A, the breaking member 4 is inserted through the insertion hole 22 in the vicinity of the through hole 21 in advance of the scraping member 3. Thus, if a cavity H (see FIG. 2B) is formed, the sphere B3 is moved so that the sphere B3 to be picked up next is placed on the through hole 21 by breaking the cavity H. (See FIG. 3B).

  On the other hand, even if the cavity H (see FIG. 2B) is not formed, the breaking member 4 is similarly inserted through the insertion hole 22 in the vicinity of the through hole 21 in advance of the scraping member 3. Thus, since it is not necessary to detect the presence or absence of the cavity H for each stroke, the ball B1 to be picked up next on the through hole 21 while simplifying the operation and simplifying the configuration and control (FIG. 1B) (See) can be reliably assured.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the cylinder device 5 is an actuator such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder. The cylinder device 51 is connected to the scraping member 3 and the collapsing member 4 so that it can be lifted in one stroke. The member 3 and the breaking member 4 can be moved together. The cylinder device 5 is a moving means that shares the lifting member moving means for moving the lifting member 3 and the breaking member moving means for moving the breaking member 4.

  With this configuration, by sharing the lifting member moving means and the breaking member moving means, the configuration can be simplified and the apparatus can be configured compactly, so that the space efficiency and workability on the line side of the assembly line are improved. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, the cylinder device 5 that shares the scraping member moving means and the breaking member moving means is adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the scraping member moving means and the breaking member moving means are combined. It may be driven by a separate cylinder device, or other driving means such as a motor may be employed instead of the cylinder device.

The shooter 11 is a transfer device in which the sphere B4 is moved by its own weight with an inclination, but is not particularly limited, and various forms such as a transfer arm and a pusher (not shown) may be adopted. Detailed description will be omitted.
The tray 12 is a storage container that stores a necessary number of balls B5 for each type of transmission (not shown), which is a workpiece, but is not particularly limited, and various forms can be adopted. Detailed description is omitted.

The operation of the spherical parts supply device 1 configured as described above will be described.
A spherical parts supply device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a through-hole 21 formed in a lower portion of the container 2 by inserting the collapsing member 4 so as to be inserted into the gaps of a large number of balls B in the container 2. After carrying out the breaking process of moving a number of balls B so that the ball B1 (see FIG. 1B) to be picked up is placed, the scraping member 3 is inserted into the container 2 from the through hole 21 Then, the collapsing member 4 is moved so as to execute a scraping step of picking up the ball B1 (see FIG. 1B) supported by the through-hole 21 at the concave portion 31 which is a support portion formed on the scraping member 3. It is inserted ahead of the raking member 3.

  Then, the cylinder device 5 simultaneously executes the movement in the insertion direction of the breaking member 4 in the breaking process and the movement in the insertion direction of the lifting member 3 in the lifting process.

The ball parts supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following operational effects.
That is, the ball B1 (see FIG. 1 (b)) to be picked up next is placed on the through hole 21 when the lifting member 3 is inserted from the through hole 21 by the breaking process of inserting the breaking member 4. Therefore, the ball B2 (see FIG. 1A) can be picked up and supported efficiently and reliably by the recess 31 of the lifting member 3 inserted through the through hole 21.

  For this reason, the ball B, which is unstable and difficult to handle, can be quickly and reliably picked up and supplied to an operator (not shown) who performs the next process or assembly work, making it suitable for improving productivity and reducing man-hours through automation. In addition, the burden on the operator can be reduced and the assembly work efficiency can be improved.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications. For example, in the present embodiment, the breaking member 4 is inserted in parallel to the lifting member 3 from the insertion hole 22 formed in the bottom portion 2a of the container 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. If it is a position which breaks (refer FIG.2 (b)), you may penetrate the container 2 from a horizontal direction.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Parts supply apparatus 2 Container 2a Bottom part 3 Lifting member 4 Breaking member 5 Cylinder apparatus (scraping member moving means, breaking member moving means)
11 Shutter 12 Tray 21 Through hole 22 Insertion hole 31 Recessed part (support part)
B sphere H cavity

Claims (6)

A parts supply device that picks up a predetermined number of balls from a container storing a large number of balls,
A through hole formed in the bottom of the container;
A scraping member that is inserted into the container from the through-hole and has a support portion that picks up the predetermined number of balls at the tip portion;
A collapsible member that is inserted into the container from the vicinity of the through hole and moves the plurality of spheres so that the balls picked up are inserted into the gaps of the plurality of spheres in the container. And comprising
Picking up the predetermined number of balls placed on the edge of the through hole or on the support unit waiting to face the through hole with the lifting member;
Sphere parts supply device characterized by. A lifting member moving means for inserting the lifting member into the container;
Breaking member moving means for inserting the breaking member into the container,
The scraping member is moved by the scraping member moving means in a state where the breaking member is interrupted by the breaking member moving means into the gaps of a large number of balls in the container and the ball picked up is moved above the through hole. A ball that is inserted into the container and picked up by the support part.
The sphere parts supply device according to claim 1.   The sphere parts supply device according to claim 2, wherein the breaking member moving means allows the breaking member to be inserted in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the lifting member. Sharing the scraping member moving means and the breaking member moving means,
The movement of the breaking member in the insertion direction and the movement of the lifting member in the insertion direction are executed simultaneously,
Passing the breaking member ahead of the scraping member;
The sphere parts supply device according to claim 3. A part supply method for picking up a predetermined number of balls from a container storing a large number of balls,
A breaker that moves the multiple balls so that the picked-up ball comes over a through-hole formed in the lower part of the container by inserting a breaker member so as to be inserted into gaps between the multiple balls in the container. Process,
A scraping step of inserting a scraping member from the through hole into the container, and picking up a ball supported by the through hole at a support portion formed in the scraping member, and
In the scraping step, the predetermined number of balls placed on the edge portion of the through hole or the support portion formed on the scraping member waiting to face the through hole are picked up by the scraping member. Picking up,
Sphere parts supply method characterized by. The movement in the insertion direction of the breaking member in the breaking step and the movement in the insertion direction of the lifting member in the lifting step are performed simultaneously,
Passing the breaking member ahead of the scraping member;
The method of supplying spherical parts according to claim 6.

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