JP2015134682A - parts supply control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent parts from being pushed back, even when back pressure of conveyance air acts on the rear parts within a parts supply passage.SOLUTION: A type for supplying parts 1 to a target location by emitting a jet of conveyance air to the parts 1 within a parts supply passage 12 is provided with braking means 33 for imparting a braking force to the rear parts 1 within the parts supply passage 12 when at least the jet of conveyance air is emitted, and the braking force of the braking means 33 prevents the rear parts 1 from being moved backward by back pressure of the conveyance air.

Description

  The present invention relates to a component supply control device in a type in which carrier air is injected to a component in a component supply passage to supply the component to a target location.

  Japanese Patent No. 4529166 describes that the carrier air is jetted onto a component in the component supply passage to supply the component to a target location. In order to advance the nut row in the component supply passage, air injection is described on the rearmost nut of the nut row.

  Japanese Patent No. 5272253 describes that in a nut supply device attached to a C gun, which is a welding robot device, the nut in the component supply passage is prevented from returning by movement of the C gun up and down and left and right. Yes. For this purpose, a piston rod of an air cylinder that enters the component supply passage, a leaf spring that protrudes into the component supply passage, and the like are employed.

  Further, Japanese Patent No. 4356091 and Japanese Patent No. 4747340 also describe that parts are supplied to a target location by injecting carrier air to the parts in the parts supply passage.

Japanese Patent No. 4529166 Japanese Patent No. 5272253 Japanese Patent No. 4356091 Japanese Patent No. 4747340

  When the carrier air is blown onto the component in the component supply passage, the air pressure behind the component is higher than the air pressure ahead of the component as viewed in the component conveyance direction. That is, the back pressure of parts is increasing. Since such a back pressure is in a high state, this pressure acts on the rear part and a phenomenon of pushing back the part occurs.

  The inventor of the present invention, as seen in Patent Documents 1 to 4, has made many years of research on transferring parts to the target location with carrier air. The exact solution was not taken.

  The present invention is provided in order to solve the above-described problems, and the component supply control that prevents the components from being pushed back even if the back pressure of the carrier air acts on the components behind the component supply passage. The purpose is to provide a device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the type of supplying the parts to the target location by injecting the carrier air to the parts in the parts supply passage, at least when the carrier air is being injected, A component supply control device comprising: a braking unit that applies a braking force to a rear component; and the rear component is configured not to return by the back pressure of the conveying air by the braking force of the braking unit. .

  When the carrier air is blown onto the component in the component supply passage, the air pressure behind the component is higher than the air pressure ahead of the component when viewed in the component conveyance direction. That is, the back pressure behind the parts is increasing. When such a back pressure exists, that is, when the carrier air is being injected, a braking force by the braking means is applied to the rear component in the component supply passage. For this reason, even if the back pressure of the carrier air acts on the rear part, the part is not pushed back and is stopped at a predetermined position. Therefore, the carrier air is blown to the subsequent parts without delay, and normal and continuous parts supply without interruption can be achieved.

  In particular, if the rear part returns, the back pressure of the carrier air decreases, so the part conveying force decreases, the part does not reach the target location, or the conveying speed decreases and the required time becomes longer. . However, as described above, the rear parts do not reverse, so that there is no abnormal decrease in back pressure, and effective parts conveyance can be achieved.

  In the following description, expressions such as “return”, “push back”, “push back”, and “return” are all synonymous.

It is sectional drawing of each part of an apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows a modification.

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

  1 to 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, components will be described.

  There are various parts such as a projection nut, a projection bolt, and a distance piece as parts to be conveyed. Here, it is the iron component 1 shown in FIG. That is, the cylindrical part 2 and the circular flange 3 are integrated concentrically. As for the size of each part of the component 1, the diameter and length of the cylindrical part 2 are 6 mm and 9 mm, respectively. The diameter and thickness of the flange 3 are 15 mm and 2.5 mm, respectively.

  Next, the overall structure of the apparatus will be described.

  The entire component supply control device is denoted by reference numeral 100. As shown in FIG. 1D, the parts feeder 4 is fixed to a stationary member 5 such as a base. The parts feeder 4 has a circular vibrating bowl 6, and an outlet pipe 7 is provided in the vibrating bowl 6. A supply pipe 8 for the part 1 is provided in communication with the outlet pipe 7, and the part 1 exiting the supply pipe 8 is supplied to a target location via a supply hose 9 made of synthetic resin. . The supply pipe 8 is supported by a column 10 fixed to the stationary member 5.

  Next, the structure of each part of the apparatus will be described.

  The supply pipe 8, which is the main part of the apparatus 100, is inclined and the component 1 slides down in the supply pipe 8. In place of this downhill, it is also possible to apply a conveyance vibration to the supply pipe 8 having a slight inclination or a horizontal posture. That is, it is a form like a straight feeder generally adopted.

  Since the component 1 is composed of the cylindrical portion 2 and the flange 3, the component supply passage 12 in the supply pipe 8 has a shape suitable for the component shape. The component supply passage 12 includes a wide flange passage 13 through which the flange 3 passes and a cylindrical passage 14 extending downward from the center of the flange passage 13. The width of the cylindrical passage 14 is formed to be narrower than the width of the flange passage 13, thereby forming elongated sliding surfaces 15 on both sides of the flange passage 13. The flange passage 13 and the cylindrical passage 14 are formed in the supply pipe 8, and a cover member 16 covering the flange passage 13 and the cylindrical passage 14 is fixed to the supply pipe 8 by bolting or the like.

  Such a so-called T-shaped passage space is formed by the flange passage passage 13 and the cylinder passage passage 14, and the part 1 has a lower surface of the flange 3 that slides on the sliding surface 15, and the cylinder 2 does not come into contact with anything. It passes through the cylindrical passage 14. That is, in this way, the component 1 is transferred in a suspended state.

  Next, the escape mechanism will be described.

  A plurality of components 1 are arranged in a row in the component supply passage 12. When the sensor 17 is attached to the lid member 16 and a predetermined number of parts 1 sent from the parts feeder 4 are arranged in a row, the sending operation of the parts feeder 4 is stopped by a detection signal from the sensor 17. Here, eight pieces are arranged, and when carrier air to be described later is jetted four times, four or more parts 1 are further delivered from the parts feeder 4. In addition, the code | symbol 18 is attached | subjected to the components row | line | column.

  Only one earliest part 1 in the part row 18 is supplied to the target location. A mechanism for this is the escape mechanism 19. The escape mechanism 19 performs the function of sending only the earliest part 1 toward the target location and lifting the second part 1 to the earliest position and waiting after the earliest part 1 is sent. . The escape mechanism 19 includes a first stop unit 20 for the earliest part 1 and a second stop unit 24 for the second part 1.

  A first stop unit 20 for stopping the earliest component 1 is attached to the supply pipe 8. As the first stop unit 20, various types are adopted such as a method in which the first part 1 is attracted and stopped by a magnet, or a stopper member is entered into the part supply passage 12 to prohibit the advancement of the part 1. it can. Here, the latter stopper member is used.

  The stopper member 21 enters the component supply passage 12 on the conveyance direction side of the earliest component 1 (right side in FIG. 1A), and the advance of the earliest component 1 is prohibited. The stopper member 21 can be moved forward and backward with respect to the component supply passage 12, and an air cylinder 22 is attached to the lower side of the supply pipe 8 for that purpose. A stopper member 21 is integrated with the piston rod 23 of the air cylinder 22. Therefore, with such a configuration, the stopper member 21 is a shaft-like member, and advances and retreats in the central part of the width of the cylindrical passage 14.

  On the other hand, the second stop unit 24 shown in FIG. 1 (B) stops the second component 1 and has the same structure as the first stop unit 20. The components such as the stopper member 25 that advances and retreats into the cylindrical passage 14, the air cylinder 26 attached to the side surface of the supply pipe 8, and its piston rod 27 are the same as those of the first stop unit 20. The stopper member 25 here is also a shaft-like member, and enters the width direction of the cylindrical passage 14 and contacts the front part of the second component 1 to perform a stop function. For easy understanding, the lid member 16 is removed in FIG. 1B.

  Next, air injection will be described.

  A preliminary injection hole 29 for air injection is formed only in the earliest part 1. The preliminary injection port 29 performs air injection from an oblique rear side of the cylindrical portion 2, and an air passage 30 is opened in the supply pipe 8 in an oblique direction. Moreover, the main nozzle hole 31 which feeds the earliest component 1 which has moved to the target location is formed. The main injection port 31 performs air injection from an oblique rear side of the cylindrical portion 2, and an air passage 32 is opened in the supply pipe 8 in an oblique direction. An air hose 28 extending from an air switching valve as an air supply source is connected to the air passages 30 and 32.

  Next, the braking means will be described.

  When the carrier air is blown from the main nozzle 31 to the component 1 in the component supply passage 12, the air pressure behind the component is higher than the air pressure ahead of the component when viewed in the conveyance direction of the component 1. That is, the back pressure behind the parts is increasing. When such back pressure exists, that is, when the carrier air is being injected, the braking force by the braking means 33 is applied to the rear component in the component supply passage 12.

  As specific examples of the braking means 33, a member such as the stopper member 21 or the stopper member 25 described above is inserted behind the last component 1 in the component row 18, or the component 1 is connected to the component supply passage 12. Various things, such as what presses against the inner surface or what attracts the component 1 with a magnet, can be employed. Here, it is a magnet attraction type.

  A circular recess 34 is formed on the lower side of the supply pipe 8 from the outside. A support cylinder 36 having a circular sliding hole 35 inside is fixed to the lower surface of the supply pipe 8. The sliding hole 35 communicates with the recess 34. An air cylinder 37 is fixed to the end of the support cylinder 36, and a piston member 39 is coupled to the piston rod 38. A permanent magnet 40 is embedded in the front end side of the piston member 39.

  In the state of FIG. 1A, the permanent magnet 40 is farthest from the component 1 by the operation of the air cylinder 37. Accordingly, the suction force does not substantially act on the component 1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1C, when the permanent magnet 40 is advanced by the operation of the air cylinder 37 and is located in the recess 34, an attractive force acts on the component 1, and the flange 3 is against the sliding surface 15. Strongly pressed. This pressing force is a braking force.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of another braking means 33. In FIG. 6A, the component 1 is the same as that in FIG. 1, and the flange 3 is pressed against the sliding surface 15 by the output of the piston rod 42 of the air cylinder 41 attached to the lid member 16. The other configuration is the same as that of the previous example including a portion not shown, and the same reference numerals are described for members having similar functions.

  Also, in FIG. 5B, the component 1 is a projection nut 43, and the component supply passage 12 has a rectangular cross section according to its shape. A pressing member 44 is attached to the piston rod 42. When the pressing member 44 advances by the operation of the air cylinder 41, the nut 43 is pressed against the inner surface of the component supply passage 12, and a braking action is performed. Other configurations are the same as those of the previous examples, including the portions not shown, and members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  Each air cylinder other than the air cylinder 37 is attached to the supply pipe 8 via a support member 45 serving as a mounting seat. Further, in order to improve the attractive force transmission of the permanent magnet 40, the supply pipe 8 is desirably made of stainless steel, which is a nonmagnetic material, or a synthetic resin having excellent strength and rigidity.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus will be described.

  In FIG. 1A, the stopper member 21 of the first stop unit 20 comes into contact with the front part of the earliest component 1 and prohibits the advancement of the component 1. At the same time, the stopper member 25 of the second stop unit 24 has also advanced to come into contact with the front part of the second part 1 and prohibit the advance of the second and subsequent parts. Further, the predetermined number of parts 1 are arranged in a row by the operation of the sensor 17, and the part 1 behind the first part 1, here the second part 1 from the back is the permanent magnet of the braking means 33. It faces 40. Since the permanent magnet 40 is stopped at the position farthest from the component 1 by the operation of the air cylinder 37, no attractive force acts on the component 1.

  In the above state, the stopper member 21 is first retracted, and at the same time, air is injected from the preliminary injection port 29. By this preliminary injection, the earliest part 1 is sent out and reaches the front of the main nozzle 31 as shown by a two-dot chain line. At this time, the carrier air is jetted from the main nozzle 31 and the earliest part 1 is transferred to the target location.

  Simultaneously with the carrier air injection from the main nozzle 31, the permanent magnet 40 advances to the position shown in FIG. 1C by the operation of the air cylinder 37 and sucks the second component 1 from the tail. Since the flange 3 is pressed against the sliding surface 15 by this suction, the component 1 is in a braking state. Therefore, even if back pressure due to air injection from the main nozzle 31 acts on the subsequent component row 18, the components do not return.

  The timing when the braking means 33 starts to operate is synchronized with the start of air injection from the main nozzle 31 as described above, but instead, braking is started from the timing before the start of air injection from the main nozzle 31. May be. In the latter case, the braking action is reliably performed when the back pressure is generated, and the operation reliability is improved. For this reason, in the scope of claims, the expression “at least” is used, such as “at least when the carrier air is being injected”.

  The injection start timing from the main nozzle 31 can be set by various methods. For example, the part moving time between both nozzles corresponding to the distance between the auxiliary nozzle 29 and the main nozzle 31 is stored in a timer. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of injection from the preliminary injection port 29, carrier air is injected from the main injection port 31 by a timer signal.

  As described above, when the transport of the earliest part 1 is completed in a state in which the rear part does not return, the stopper member 21 is moved again into the part supply passage 12 by the operation of the air cylinder 22 of the first stop unit 20. Enter. Thereafter, the stopper member 25 of the second stop unit 24 moves backward, and the component 1 that has been waiting for the second time moves forward to the first position and is received by the stopper member 21. Thereafter, the operation of the air cylinder 26 causes the stopper member 25 to advance into the component supply passage 12 again, thereby prohibiting the advance of the second component 1.

  When the transfer of the earliest part 1 is completed in a state in which the rear part does not return, the permanent magnet 40 is moved backward by the operation of the air cylinder 37 simultaneously with this completion, and the rearmost part 1 can also move forward. .

  Operations such as the forward / backward movement and air injection of each air cylinder described above can be easily performed by a generally adopted control method. A predetermined operation can be ensured by combining an air switching valve that operates with a signal from the control device or the sequence circuit, a sensor that emits a signal at a predetermined position of the air cylinder, and transmits the signal to the control device.

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

  The above-mentioned parts feeder is of a type that vibrates the bowl, but instead, it may be of a type in which a magnet is assembled to a standing disk and the parts adsorbed by the rotation of the magnet are guided to the outlet pipe. it can.

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

  When the conveyance air is blown onto the component 1 in the component supply passage 12, the air pressure behind the component is higher than the air pressure ahead of the component as viewed in the conveyance direction of the component 1. That is, the back pressure behind the parts is increasing. When such back pressure exists, that is, when the carrier air is being injected, the braking force by the braking means 33 is applied to the rear component in the component supply passage 12. That is, the rear part 1 is attracted by the permanent magnet 40. For this reason, even if the back pressure of the carrier air acts on the rear part 1, the part 1 is stopped at a predetermined position without being pushed back. Therefore, the carrier air is blown to the subsequent component 1 without causing a delay in advancement, and continuous normal component supply without interruption can be achieved. If the rear part 1 moves backward, it may not return to the air injection port (main injection port 31) or may take a long time to return.

  In particular, when the rear part 1 moves backward, the back pressure of the conveying air decreases, so the conveying force of the part 1 decreases, and it does not reach the target location, or the conveying speed decreases and the required time becomes longer. . However, as described above, since the rear part 1 does not reverse, there is no abnormal decrease in back pressure, and effective part conveyance is obtained.

  In the braking means 33, air leaking out of the component supply passage 12 due to back pressure can be eliminated, and air consumption can be reduced. That is, in the case of FIG. 1, since the depression 34 is formed in the supply pipe 8, communication with the outside is lost. In the case of FIG. 2, the piston rod 42 and the pressing member 44 can slide through the supply pipe 8 in a sliding state, so that air leakage to the outside can be prevented or a substantial problem can be caused. There can be no level.

  As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, even if the back pressure of the carrier air acts on the rear part in the part supply passage, the part is not pushed back. Therefore, it can be used in a wide range of industrial fields, such as an automobile body assembly process and a home appliance sheet metal assembly process.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Parts 2 Cylindrical part 3 Flange 4 Parts feeder 8 Supply pipe 12 Parts supply path 15 Sliding surface 18 Parts row | line | column 19 Escape mechanism 20 First stop unit 21 Stopper member 24 Second stop unit 25 Stopper member 29 Preliminary nozzle 31 Main nozzle 33 Braking Means 40 Permanent magnet 42 Piston rod 44 Pressing member

Claims (1)

  In the type in which the carrier air is injected to the parts in the parts supply passage and the parts are supplied to the target location, at least when the carrier air is injected, a braking force is applied to the rear parts in the parts supply passage. A component supply control device comprising: a braking unit configured to prevent a rear component from being returned by the back pressure of the conveying air by the braking force of the braking unit.

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