JP2016216161A - Small article component counting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small article component counting device for accurately counting a small article component.SOLUTION: A small article component counting device 1 comprises a slip-down chute 2 having an inclined plane 2t of extending obliquely downward toward the downstream side from the upstream side and sensors 3 and 4 for detecting a thin thickness washer W being one example of a small article component discharged from this slip-down chute 2, and is set so that the inclined plane 2t of the slip-down chute 2 gradually forms a steep inclination toward the downstream side. Thus, since the thin thickness washer W discharged from the slip-down chute 2 gradually changes a falling attitude to a near-vertical state from a near-horizontal state in a process of slipping down on the inclined plane 2t, when passing through the sensors 3 and 4, the optical axis of the sensors 3 and 4 is intercepted over a wide range of a surface area degree of the thin thickness washer W. Thus, the small article component counting device 1 of the present invention has a characteristic of reducing a counting error more than usual by surely counting the thin thickness washer W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a small component counting apparatus that discharges small components from a chute and counts them.

  A conventional accessory component counting device is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and will be described with reference to FIGS. A conventional small component counting apparatus 101 detects a small component discharged from the discharge chute 102U (102V) and an inclined discharge chute 102U (102V) that slides the small component conveyed by vibration obliquely downward. The photoelectric sensors 103 and 104 are provided. The discharge chute 102U (102V) has a U-shaped cross section in FIG. 5 or a V-shaped cross section in FIG. 6, and includes an inclined surface 102t that is inclined at a constant angle. In addition, a feeder (not shown) is connected to the upstream side of the small component counting apparatus 101, and this feeder is configured to be able to supply the small component to the discharge chute 102U (102V).

  The conventional small component counting apparatus 101 receives small components supplied from the feeder by the discharge chute 102U (102V) and guides them to the photoelectric sensors 103 and 104 while making contact with the inclined surface 102t. Accordingly, the small parts discharged from the discharge chute 102U (102V) count the number of small parts discharged from the discharge chute 102U (102V) through the photoelectric sensors 103 and 104.

JP 2013-37538 A

  However, in the conventional small component counting apparatus 101, since the inclination angle of the inclined surface 102t is set to be constant, the falling speed of small components sliding down the inclined surface 102t is not easily increased in the process of sliding down. Therefore, there is a problem that the two small parts are easily slid down on the inclined surface 102t so that two small parts are connected, and these two small parts are counted as one by the photoelectric sensors 103 and 104. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to provide a separating means for spacing the small parts upstream of the inclined surface 102t. Therefore, the conventional small part counting apparatus 101 has the discharge chute 102U. There was a problem that the shape of (102V) was complicated.

  Further, in the conventional small component counting apparatus 101, the discharge chute 102V includes a V-shaped inclined surface 102t as shown in FIG. 6B, and the small component is a thin washer W having a small thickness. The circumferential portion of the thin washer W easily comes into contact with the inner bottom portion of the discharge chute 102V. For this reason, the thin washer W easily slides down the inclined surface 102t in such a manner that the wheel rotates. When the thin washer W is discharged from the discharge chute 102V, as shown in FIG. It is easy to block the optical axis of the photoelectric sensors 103 and 104. Therefore, the conventional small component counting apparatus 101 that detects small components by blocking the optical axis has a problem that it is difficult to accurately count when the object to be detected is the thin washer W. Further, the thin washer W is liable to slide down because the flat portion thereof and the V-shaped inclined surface 102t are in surface contact with each other, and there is a problem that the flat portion of the thin washer W is easily damaged. Further, since the flat portion of the thin washer W and the inclined surface 102t are in surface contact as described above, the contact resistance when sliding down the inclined surface 102t is increased. As a result, the conventional small component counting apparatus 101 has a problem that the thin washer W tends to stay on the inclined surface 102t and is not discharged to the photoelectric sensors 103 and 104.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the case of the accessory component counting device 101 in which the inclined surface 102t of the discharge chute 102U is formed in a U-shape, the U-shaped inclined surface 102t is compared with the V-shape described above. Although the contact area with the flat portion of the thin washer W can be reduced, the sliding posture of the thin washer W that slides easily changes within a U-shaped range. Therefore, when the thin washer W passes through the photoelectric sensors 103 and 104 as shown in FIG. 5A, it may block the optical axis by the circumferential portion as described above. Therefore, the small component counting device 101 having the U-shaped inclined surface 102t has a problem that it is difficult to count an accurate quantity as described above.

  The present invention was created in view of the above problems, and detects a sliding chute having an inclined surface extending obliquely downward from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the passage of small parts discharged from the sliding chute. A small component counting device that counts small components discharged from the sliding chute based on a detection signal of the sensor, wherein the sliding chute gradually and steeply inclines the inclined surface toward the downstream side. It is characterized by being set to. The inclined surface is preferably formed into a curved surface. In addition, the sliding chute is preferably formed into a V-shaped section or a U-shaped section. Furthermore, it is desirable that the sliding chute is disposed offset by a predetermined distance from a feeder installed on the upstream side.

  In the accessory component counting device according to the present invention, since the inclined surface is set to be gradually inclined from the upstream side toward the downstream side, the posture of the accessory component that slides down the inclined surface changes gradually from horizontal to vertically. Easy to do. Thereby, when the small component is a thin washer having a small thickness, the optical axis emitted from the sensor is blocked in a wide range of the surface area of the thin washer. Therefore, the small component counting device of the present invention has an advantage that the thin washer can be reliably detected as compared with the conventional case. Further, as described above, since the inclined surface is set to be gradually steep, the falling speed of the small parts sliding on the inclined surface is gradually changed from low to high. Therefore, even if the small parts are continuously supplied to the sliding chute, the predetermined distance is ensured when the small parts pass through the sensor. There is also an advantage that it is difficult to occur.

  In the accessory component counting device according to the present invention, since the inclined surface of the sliding chute is formed into a curved surface, the inclination change of the inclined surface can be made smooth. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the overall length can be set shorter than that of the sliding chute in which a plurality of different inclination angles are connected. Further, since the inclined surface is formed into a curved surface as described above, the contact area with the small parts that slide down is greatly reduced as compared with a sliding chute that does not have a conventional curved surface. Therefore, the accessory part counting device of the present invention has an advantage that the accessory parts are less likely to stay on the inclined surface of the sliding chute and easily slide down.

  In the accessory part counting apparatus of the present invention, the sliding chute is formed into a bottomed shape such as a V-shaped cross section or a U-shaped cross section, so that the small parts to be slipped can be collected on the inner bottom of the sliding chute. . As a result, small parts discharged from the sliding chute are easily discharged on the extension of the inner bottom, so that it is easy to limit the installation range of the sensor without using an expensive sensor capable of detecting a wider range than necessary. There is also an advantage that it is good.

  The accessory part counting apparatus of the present invention is connected to a feeder that transports the accessory parts and supplies the accessory parts to the sliding chute, and the sliding chute is only a predetermined distance from the outlet of the feeder. Installed with an offset. Thus, even if the small part is a thin washer and the discharge port of the feeder is formed in a V-shaped cross section, the thin washer supplied from the discharge port to the sliding chute is Is in contact with the inner bottom of the sliding chute, and the sliding posture is unlikely to cause the wheel to roll. In other words, the thin washer that slides down the sliding chute begins to slide down with the front or back surface upward as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, and when it passes through the sensor, it may block the optical axis of the sensor with a large surface area. it can. Therefore, since the accessory parts counting device of the present invention is installed so as to be offset from the feeder connected to the upstream side, there is an advantage that the posture of the thin washer can be easily made constant when the thin washer starts to slide off the sliding chute. is there.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the accessory component counting device which concerns on this invention. (A) is a side view of FIG. 1, (b) is a front view of FIG. FIG. 4 shows another embodiment according to the present invention, in which (a) is a side view of a sliding chute and (b) is a front view of FIG. 3 (a). 4A and 4B show another embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a side view of a sliding chute having a shape different from that of FIGS. 1 to 3, and FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. It is the schematic which shows one Embodiment of the conventional accessory component counting apparatus, (a) is the side view, (b) is a front view of Fig.5 (a). It is the schematic which shows another embodiment of the conventional small component counting device, (a) is the side view, (b) is a front view of Fig.6 (a).

  One embodiment of the small component counting device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Further, another embodiment of the accessory parts counting apparatus of the present invention will be described in order based on FIG. 3, and the other embodiments will be described in order based on FIG.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the accessory component counting apparatus 1 of the present invention is supplied from a feeder 10 that transports a thin washer W, which is an example of an accessory component, forward by vibration, and is discharged from the feeder 10. A sliding chute 2V that gradually slides the thin washer W obliquely downward, and sensors 3 and 4 that are arranged below the sliding chute 2V and detect the thin washer W discharged from the sliding chute 2V.

  The feeder 10 includes a vibrating body 12 that is connected to a power source (not shown) and can vibrate slightly, and a transport rail 11 that is connected to the vibrating body 12 and can support the thin washer W. The transport rail 11 has a V-shaped cross section and is installed so as to extend in the front-rear direction and substantially horizontally.

  The sensors 3 and 4 are a pair of photoelectric sensors each having a light projector for projecting light, and a light receiver for receiving the other light. The sensors 3 and 4 are disposed below the sliding chute 2 to be described later so as to face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween. It is arranged. The sensors 3 and 4 are configured to receive the band-like light emitted from the projector by the light receiver, and to detect small parts that have passed between the sensors 3 and 4 based on the amount of light received by the light receiver. ing.

  The sliding chute 2V includes an inclined surface 2t that slides the thin washer W discharged from the discharge port of the feeder 10 obliquely downward, and is formed into a fan shape having a predetermined width dimension. The sliding chute 2V has a substantially V-shaped cross section, and is set so that the inner angle of the V shape becomes an obtuse angle. Further, the inclined surface 2t is formed into a curved surface as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, and has a gentle inclination on the feeder 10 side, and a steep inclination on the sensors 3 and 4 side. It has become. Therefore, the sliding chute 2V is set so that the inclined surface 2t gradually becomes steep.

  The sliding chute 2V may be replaced with a multistage sliding chute 2VV shown in FIG. The multi-stage sliding chute 2VV is formed by connecting a plurality of substantially V-shaped chutes, and is connected to the first chute 2a having a gently inclined surface 2ta having a gentle inclination from the upstream side, and the first chute 2a. A second chute 2b having an intermediate inclined surface 2tb that is steeper than the gentle inclined surface 2ta, and a steeply inclined surface 2tc connected to the second chute 2b and steeper than the intermediate inclined surface 2tb. And a third chute 2c. In addition, the inner angles of the gently inclined surface 2ta, the intermediate inclined surface 2tb, and the steeply inclined surface 2tc are set to the same obtuse angle.

  Further, the sliding chute 2V may be replaced with a sliding chute 2U shown in FIG. The sliding chute 2U includes a substantially U-shaped inclined surface 2t, and the inclined surface 2t is formed into a curved surface as described above. The sliding chute 2U has a gentle slope on the feeder 10 side and a steep slope on the sensors 3 and 4 side.

  Further, the sliding chute 2V, 2U and the multistage sliding chute 2VV are transported such that the inner bottom of the inclined surface 2t or the gently inclined surface 2ta, the intermediate inclined surface 2tb, and the steeply inclined surface 2tc are arranged upstream. The rail 11 is disposed so as not to be positioned on the extension of the V-shaped bottom of the rail 11 by a predetermined distance. This is designed so that the circumferential portion of the thin washer W discharged from the transport rail 11 does not roll obliquely downward along the inner bottom portion as in the prior art. In other words, the transport rail 11 This is to receive the thin washer W from the sliding chute 2V, 2U or the multistage sliding chute 2VV with the flat portion of the thin washer W discharged from the top facing upward.

  Next, the operation of the accessory component counting apparatus 1 of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. This small component counting device 1 receives a thin washer W supported by the bottom portion and the V-shaped portion of a vibrating conveying rail 11 by a sliding chute 2. Since the sliding chute 2V is arranged offset from the bottom of the transport rail 11 as described above, the thin washer W tends to be in a state in which the flat surface portion faces upward as described above. Moreover, since the V-shaped inner angle of the sliding chute 2V is set to be an obtuse angle, the flat portion of the thin washer W tends to face upward.

  Further, since the inclined surface 2t is gradually set to be steeply inclined, as the thin washer W slides obliquely downward, the plane portion gradually changes its direction from horizontal to vertical. Thereby, the thin washer W blocks the optical axis of the sensors 3 and 4 over a wide range at the flat portion.

  As described above, since the inclined surface 2t is gradually steeply inclined, the sliding speed gradually changes from low speed to high speed in the process in which the thin washer W slides down the inclined surface 2t. As a result, even when a plurality of thin washers W are discharged from the transport rail 11 in a row, each drop interval is opened and the plurality of thin washers W are detected as one when passing through the sensors 3 and 4. Nor.

  Furthermore, the thin washer W that slides down the sliding chute 2V has the inclined surface 2t formed into a curved surface, so that the contact area with the inclined surface 2t is greatly reduced compared to the conventional case. Thereby, the problem that the thin washer W stagnates in the sliding chute 2V can also be reduced.

  Next, the operation of the multistage sliding chute 2VV including the gently inclined surface 2ta, the intermediate inclined surface 2tb, and the steeply inclined surface 2tc shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The thin washer W discharged from the transport rail 11 is transferred to the gently inclined surface 2ta with its flat surface facing upward. Thereafter, the thin washer W sliding down from the gently inclined surface 2ta to the intermediate inclined surface 2tb slightly approaches the vertical posture in accordance with the inclination of the intermediate inclined surface 2tb from the posture facing upward. After this, the thin washer W sliding down from the middle inclined surface 2tb to the steeply inclined surface 2tc is discharged from the multistage sliding chute 2VV by changing its posture so as to be closer to the vertical direction in accordance with the inclination of the steeply inclined surface. The

  Next, the operation of the sliding chute 2U provided with the substantially U-shaped inclined surface 2t shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The thin washer W discharged from the transport rail 11 is transferred to the U-shaped inclined surface 2t with its flat portion facing upward. Thereafter, in the process of sliding down in accordance with the curved surface of the inclined surface 2t, the posture is changed so that the flat surface portion is close to the vertical from the upward facing state, and then discharged from the sliding chute 2U.

  In the present embodiment, the V-shaped inner angles of the sliding chute 2V and the multi-stage sliding chute 2VV are set to 150 degrees, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be set to an obtuse angle. The multistage sliding chute 2VV has a configuration in which the three first rails 2a, the second rail 2b, and the third rail 2c having different inclinations are connected to each other. However, the number of rails to be connected is limited to three. It is not something. In this case, the multistage sliding chute 2VV receives the posture of the thin washer W discharged from the feeder 10 upward, and brings the posture of the thin washer W when passing through the sensors 3 and 4 closer to the vertical. Any number of rails may be connected to each other as long as the posture can be changed.

1 Small Parts Counting Device 2V Sliding Chute 2t Inclined Surface 3 Sensor 4 Sensor W Thin Washer

Claims (5)

A sliding chute having an inclined surface extending obliquely downward from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and a sensor for detecting the passage of the small parts discharged from the sliding chute, and the small parts discharged from the sliding chute In the accessory component counting device that counts based on the detection signal of the sensor,
The sliding part chute is formed by setting the slope of the inclined surface to a steep slope gradually toward the downstream side.   2. The accessory component counting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is formed into a curved surface.   3. The accessory component counting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding chute is formed in a V-shaped cross section.   3. The accessory component counting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding chute is formed in a U-shaped cross section.   5. The accessory component counting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding chute is disposed by being offset by a predetermined distance from a feeder installed upstream thereof.