JP2018179098A - Assembly method and assembly device for thrust roller bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten an assembly time required for integrally assembling a roller and a holder.SOLUTION: An assembly device of a thrust bearing includes: a roller supply member (33) configured to supply a plurality of rollers to be inserted into a plurality of pockets, to a plurality of roller extraction parts (32), the roller extraction parts having the same arrangement form as the pockets; a roller holding member (42) configured to hold the rollers in the arrangement form without any change, the rollers positioned at the roller extraction parts (32); a movement member (10) configured to move at least one of the roller holding member and a holder in order to make the held rollers opposite to the pocket respectively; and a press-in tool (52) configured to press each roller into each corresponding opposite pocket.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assembling thrust roller bearings.

  The thrust roller bearing holds a plurality of rollers radially arranged between two parallel races in pockets formed radially at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular cage, The wheel may be substituted by the receiving surface of the part of the device to be incorporated.

  When assembling the thrust roller bearing and the cage integrally, generally, a metal or resin cage is disposed horizontally (vertically in axis), and one row or two rows of rollers are arranged in a horizontal direction. , Press-fit into the pocket from above with a press-fit tool such as a hammer. There is also an assembly apparatus of thrust roller bearings in which a cage is intermittently rotated about a vertical axis, and rollers are sequentially press-fitted by a press-in tool into pockets located at predetermined positions in a circumferential direction.

  Further, in JP 2007-218323 A (Patent Document 1), the cage is arranged vertically (axially horizontal), and the pocket of the cage, which rotates intermittently, faces the storage portion into which the roller is inserted. There has been proposed an assembly apparatus of a thrust roller bearing in which a press-fitting tool is pushed into a hole provided at the bottom of the storage section and the rollers stored in the storage section are pressed into the pocket.

JP 2007-218323 A

  In Patent Document 1, the roller to be press-fit into the pocket is held in the storage portion in a stable posture in the vertical direction, thereby preventing an increase in assembly time due to a press-fit error to the roller pocket.

  However, in the conventional apparatus including the assembling apparatus of Patent Document 1, the driving with the press-in tool is performed each time one roller is supplied to the position facing the pocket of the holder. That is, continuous operations of the number of rollers, the supply of rollers and the press-fitting are repeated. Therefore, in the conventional assembling apparatus, there is a problem that the assembling time of the thrust bearing is increased by the continuous operation. Although there are assembling devices that supply 2 to 4 rollers at a time, they are not sufficient to reduce the assembling time.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems as described above, and its object is to provide a method and apparatus for assembling a thrust bearing capable of shortening the assembling time for assembling a roller and a cage together. To provide.

  A method of assembling a thrust bearing according to one aspect of the present invention is a thrust roller bearing in which a roller and a cage are assembled integrally by press-fitting the roller into a plurality of pockets radially formed in the circumferential direction of the annular cage. It is an assembly method. In this assembling method, a plurality of roller feeding steps for supplying a plurality of rollers to be inserted into a plurality of pockets to a plurality of roller takeout portions in the same arrangement form as the plurality of pockets are located in a plurality of roller takeout portions A roller holding step of holding the plurality of rollers in the same arrangement form, a facing step of causing the held plurality of rollers to face each of the plurality of pockets, and a press-fitting for pressing the plurality of rollers into the plurality of facing pockets And a process.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thrust bearing assembly comprising a roller and a cage integrally assembled by press-fitting the rollers into a plurality of radially formed pockets circumferentially of the annular cage. Assembly equipment. The assembling apparatus is provided with a roller supply member for supplying a plurality of rollers to be inserted into the plurality of pockets to a plurality of roller takeout portions in the same arrangement form as the plurality of pockets, and a plurality of roller takeout portions A roller holding member for holding the plurality of rollers in the same arrangement form, and a moving member for moving at least one of the cage and the roller holding member to cause the plurality of held rollers to face each of the plurality of pockets; And a press-fit tool for press-fitting the plurality of rollers into the plurality of facing pockets.

  Preferably, the roller holding members are provided in the same number as the pockets, and suction claws for sucking and holding the rollers are provided at the tip of each roller holding member.

  Preferably, the assembly apparatus for thrust roller bearing is provided along a circumferential direction with a receiving portion for receiving a cage and a notch portion having a cutout on the outer peripheral surface, and rotates around a vertically extending central axis It further comprises an index table. In this case, the plurality of roller takeout portions are disposed below the index table. Further, the roller holding member sucks the plurality of rollers located at the roller takeout portion by moving up and down the notch portion of the index table, and holds the plurality of attracted rollers at a position above the index table.

  Preferably, the index table constitutes a moving member, and moves the holder to a lower position of the plurality of roller holding members.

  Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a holder insertion portion for inserting a holder into the receiving portion of the index table, and a holder removal portion for removing the holder after assembly after the rollers are press-fitted from the receiving portion and carrying it out.

  Preferably, the press-fit tools are provided for the number of rollers.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the assembly time for assembling the roller and the cage together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows notionally the assembly apparatus of the thrust bearing which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows typically the structure of the holder | retainer insertion part in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows typically the structure of the holder | retainer assembly part in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the state to which all the rollers were supplied to the roller extraction part. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of each roller holding member in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view expanding and showing the tip part (lower end part) of a roller holding member. It is a figure which shows typically a mode that the roller arrange | positioned at the roller extraction part is carrying out suction holding by the suction claw of a roller holding member. It is a flowchart which shows the rough flow of the assembling method of the thrust roller bearing in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the holder | retainer assembly process in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which all the rollers sucked and held by the roller holding member and the pockets of the cage face each other. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state which the roller and pocket which each roller holding member attracted-held faced. It is a figure which shows typically the state by which all the rollers were temporarily placed on the pocket of a holder | retainer, and the state which the hammer has contact | abutted on the upper surface of the roller holding member. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state by which the roller was pressingly injected in the pocket by the hammer. It is a top view which shows the holder | retainer after an assembly typically. It is a figure which shows typically the pressurization mechanism in the modification of embodiment of this invention. In the modification of the embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure expanding and showing the side of a plurality of hammers which constitute 1 unit.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

(Schematic configuration)
First, a schematic configuration of the thrust bearing assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a view conceptually showing an assembly apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as “assembly apparatus”) 1 of a thrust bearing according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the assembling apparatus 1 mainly includes an index table 10, a holder insertion portion 11, a holder assembly portion 12, and a holder extraction portion 13.

  The index table 10 is, for example, substantially circular in plan view, and rotates about a central axis 10 a extending in the vertical direction. The index table 10 comprises two receptacles 14 for receiving a holder and two notches 15. Each of the receiving portions 14 includes, for example, a circular through hole 14a vertically penetrating the index table 10, and a plurality of support pieces 14b for supporting from below the cage inserted into the through hole 14a. The notch 15 is a portion obtained by cutting the outer peripheral surface of the index table 10 in an arc shape, and the radius of the arc is larger than the radius of the receiving portion 14.

  The positions of the two receivers 14 are 180 ° out of phase. Each notch 15 is provided between the two receptacles 14 in the circumferential direction, and the positions of the two notches 15 are also 180 ° out of phase. The receptacles 14 and the notches 15 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are out of phase by 90 °. The index table 10 rotates in one direction (for example, counterclockwise) by 90 °. The holder insertion portion 11, the holder assembly portion 12, and the holder extraction portion 13 are arranged in this order at the periphery of the index table 10.

  The cage insertion portion 11 inserts a cage (a single cage) before the roller is incorporated into one of the receiving portions 14 of the index table 10. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the holder insertion portion 11. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, the holder insertion portion 11 has a supply path 11 a of the holder 2. The holder insertion portion 11 inserts the holder 2 transported on the supply path 11 a from above into the receiving portion 14 of the index table 10. The cage 2 comprises an annular portion 21 and a plurality of pockets 22 into which rollers are to be inserted. The cross-sectional shape of the annular portion 21 and the number of the pockets 22 are not limited.

  The holder assembly 12 incorporates all the rollers into the holder inserted into the receiving part 14 by the holder insertion part 11. The configuration of the holder assembly 12 will be described in detail later.

  The retainer extraction portion 13 removes from the receiving portion 14 a retainer assembled by the retainer assembly 12, that is, a retainer in which rollers are incorporated (hereinafter referred to as a “assembled retainer”). The holder extraction unit 13 has an unloading passage for the assembled holder, and carries out the removed holder from the unloading passage to the next process.

(Configuration of cage assembly)
FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the cage assembly unit 12. Referring to FIG. 3, the holder assembly 12 includes a roller supply mechanism 3, a roller holding mechanism 4 and a pressure mechanism 5.

  The roller supply mechanism 3 is located at a lower height than the index table 10. The roller supply mechanism 3 has a base portion (base) 31 having a substantially cylindrical shape in external appearance, a plurality of roller takeout portions 32 provided on the upper surface 31 a of the base portion 31, and an annular outer peripheral surface of the base portion 31. A plurality of spring chutes 33 connected to 31b.

  The plurality of roller takeout portions 32 have the same arrangement as the plurality of pockets 22 of the holder 2. That is, assuming that the number of pockets 22 (ie, the number of rollers) is twenty, twenty roller takeout portions 32 are formed radially in the circumferential direction at the same pitch as the pockets 22.

  The spring chute 33 is a roller supply member for supplying the rollers to the roller takeout portion 32. In the present embodiment, the spring chutes 33 are provided in the same number as the pockets 22. Specifically, each of the twenty spring chutes 33 supplies the roller takeout portion 32 with twenty rollers to be inserted into the pocket 22 of the cage 2. FIG. 4 schematically shows a state in which all the rollers 23 are supplied to the roller takeout portion 32. As shown in FIG.

  The roller holding mechanism 4 is positioned above the index table 10 at the initial position, but is configured to be vertically movable. The roller holding mechanism 4 is configured of an annular substrate portion 41 attached to be able to move up and down with respect to a shaft portion 6 extending in the vertical direction, and a plurality of roller holding members 42 provided on the substrate portion 41.

  The roller holding members 42 are provided in the same number as the pockets 22, and have the same arrangement as the plurality of pockets 22 of the cage 2 in the same manner as the roller takeout portion 32. That is, twenty roller holding members 42 are provided radially in the circumferential direction at the same pitch as the pockets 22.

  FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of each roller holding member 42. As shown in FIG. The roller holding member 42 is a portion (hereinafter referred to as “vertical portion”) 421 extending vertically through the substrate portion 41, and a portion (hereinafter referred to as “horizontal portion”) extending from the upper end of the vertical portion 421 toward the shaft portion 6. And R. 422, and is formed substantially in an L shape in side view.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a spring 43 that biases the roller holding member 42 (the lateral portion 422) upward is fixed to the top surface 41 a of the substrate portion 41. The upper end of the movement range of the roller holding member 42 is a position where the upper surface of the horizontal portion 422 abuts on the lower surface of the pressing portion 44 located above the upper surface 41 a of the substrate portion 41. The pressing portion 44 is fixed to the substrate portion 41. The lower end of the movement range of the roller holding member 42 is a position at which the lower surface of the horizontal portion 422 abuts or approaches the upper surface 41 a of the substrate portion 41 by the spring 43 being compressed.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the tip (lower end) of the vertical portion 421 of the roller holding member 42. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, a suction claw 45 for sucking and holding the roller 23 is provided at the tip of the longitudinal portion 421 of the roller holding member 42. The suction claw 45 has a suction surface 45 a formed in an arc shape to be in surface contact with the outer diameter surface of the roller 23. The suction claws 45 (suction surfaces 45 a) of each of the twenty vertical portions 421 face the twenty roller takeout portions 32 of the roller supply mechanism 3.

  An air suction hole 46 is provided at the center of the suction surface 45a. A suction tube 47 communicating with the air suction hole 46 is connected to the vertical portion 421 of each roller holding member 42. The suction tube 47 sucks air from the air suction hole 46.

  The roller holding mechanism 4 can be lowered from the initial position shown in FIG. 3 to a lower end position close to the roller supply mechanism 3. The lower end position of the roller holding mechanism 4 is a position where at least the lower end portion of the roller holding mechanism 4 is disposed below the index table 10.

  Since the tip of the roller holding member 42 is configured as described above, when air suction is performed when the roller holding mechanism 4 is lowered to the lower end position, the roller holding member 42 takes out the rollers of the roller supply mechanism 3 The twenty rollers 23 disposed in the section 32 can be sucked and held at one time. FIG. 7 is a view schematically showing a state in which the rollers 23 disposed in the roller takeout portion 32 of the roller supply mechanism 3 are suctioned and held by the suction claws 45 of the roller holding member 42.

  Referring again to FIG. 3, the pressing mechanism 5 includes an annular pressing plate 51 provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to the shaft portion 6, and a plurality of hammers (press-fittings) attached to the lower surface of the pressing plate 51. And 52. The plurality of hammers 52 are also provided in the same number as the pockets 22 and the rollers 23, and are provided radially along the circumferential direction. The hammer 52 press-fits the roller 23 into the pocket 22 by pressing the roller holding member 42 holding the roller 23 from above. Between the hammer 52 and the pressing plate 51, a spring 53 (FIG. 13) having a roller pressure input is provided.

(Assembling method of thrust roller bearing)
A method of assembling thrust roller bearings performed by the assembling device 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a rough flow of a method of assembling a thrust roller bearing. The process described below is realized by the control device (not shown) controlling the rotation operation of the index table 10 and the operations of the holder insertion unit 11, the holder assembly unit 12, and the holder extraction unit 13.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the holder insertion unit 11 inserts the holder 2 into the receiving unit 14 of the index table 10 (process P1). At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the holder assembling portion 12 is disposed at a position corresponding to the notch portion 15 of the index table 10, and the holder extraction portion 13 is disposed at the other receiving portion 14 of the index table 10. It is arranged at the corresponding position. The vertical direction position of each part which comprises the holder | retainer assembly part 12 at this time is as showing in FIG. The other notch 15 is a simple empty space.

  When the holder 2 is inserted into the receiving portion 14, after the phase setting of the holder 2 is performed, a holder assembling process is performed (process P2). The cage assembling process will be described with reference to a subroutine shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, all the rollers 23 are simultaneously supplied to all the roller takeout portions 32 by the spring chute 33 (process P11). As a result, on the upper surface 31 a of the base portion 31, the full number of rollers 23 are arranged in the same phase as the pockets 22 of the holder 2.

  When the roller 23 is supplied, the roller holding mechanism 4 is lowered to the lower end position. As a result, the suction surfaces 45a of the plurality of roller holding members 42 of the roller holding mechanism 4 abut on the outer peripheral surfaces of the total number of rollers 23 exposed at the roller takeout portion 32 (see FIG. 7). Alternatively, the suction surface 45 a of the roller holding member 42 faces the outer peripheral surface of each of the rollers 23 at a position close to the outer peripheral surface. When air suction via the suction tube 47 is activated, the roller holding member 42 sucks and holds all the rollers 23 (process P12).

  When all the rollers 23 are suctioned and held, the roller holding mechanism 4 is raised to the initial position. The roller holding member 42 stands by at a position above the index table 10 while holding all the rollers 23. After that or while the roller holding mechanism 4 is moving upward, the index table 10 rotates 90 °. That is, the holder 2 received by the receiving portion 14 is moved to a position immediately below the roller holding mechanism 4. As a result, all the rollers 23 held by the roller holding member 42 face the pockets 22 of the cage 2 (process P13).

  The state at this time is shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view generally showing a state in which all the rollers 23 suction-held by the roller holding member 42 and the pockets 22 of the cage 2 face each other. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the rollers 23 and the pockets 22 which are held by suction by the respective roller holding members 42 are facing each other.

  Thereafter, all the rollers 23 are temporarily placed on the pockets 22 of the holder 2. Specifically, the rollers 23 are placed on the roller stoppers 24 (FIG. 11) provided on both sides of the pocket 22. The suction of the roller 23 through the suction tube 47 may be stopped at this stage.

  When the roller 23 is temporarily placed on the pocket 22, the pressing mechanism 5 is lowered such that the hammer 52 abuts on or approaches the upper surface (of the lateral portion 422) of the roller holding member 42. The state at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a view schematically showing a state in which all the rollers 23 are temporarily placed on the pockets 22 of the cage 2 and a state in which the hammer 52 is in contact with the upper surface of the roller holding member 42.

  The pressing mechanism 5 may be configured to always move up and down integrally with the roller holding mechanism 4 in a state where the hammer 52 and the holding member 42 abut or approach each other. In this case, the assembly time can be further shortened.

  Thereafter, a load from above is applied to the roller holding member 42 by the hammer 52 of the pressure mechanism 5 to press the roller 23 into the pocket 22 (process P14). FIG. 13 shows the state in which the roller 23 is press-fit into the pocket 22. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 14, the assembled cage 2A in which the rollers 23 are incorporated into the cage 2 is completed. Thus, the assembling process of the cage 2 is completed.

  In the press-in process of the rollers 23, for example, four hammers 52 at equal intervals on the circumference are set as one set, and the descent timing of the hammers 52 is shifted in units of sets to sequentially put the predetermined number of rollers 23 into the pockets 22. Press fit. Even in this case, since the number of hammers 52 is the same as the number of pockets 22 and rollers 23, it is not necessary to rotate the pressing plate 51. Therefore, it is possible to press-fit all the rollers 23 into the pockets 22 at a higher speed than before.

  In this embodiment, at the stage of temporarily placing all the rollers 23 on the pockets 22 of the holder 2, the suction of the rollers 23 via the suction tube 47 is stopped, but the press fit of the rollers 23 by the hammer 52 The suction of the roller 23 may be continued until time. By doing so, it is also possible to stabilize the press-fitting operation of the roller 23 into the pocket 22.

  Referring again to FIG. 8, when the assembling process of the holder 2 is completed, the index table 10 is rotated 90 ° (step P3) to move the assembled holder 2A to a position corresponding to the holder extraction portion 13 Let The holder removal portion 13 removes the holder 2A from the receiving portion 14 and carries it out to the next process (process P4). This completes one cycle of cage assembly.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when one of the receiving portions 14 is positioned at the position of the holder extraction portion 13, the other receiving portion 14 is positioned at the position of the holder inserting portion 11. Therefore, it is desirable that the next insertion process (process P1) of the holder 2 be performed in parallel with the process of the process of taking the container A (process P4) by the device 13 for removing the structure. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time required for the assembly cycle from the supply of the cage 2 to the unloading of the cage 2A after assembly.

  As described above, according to the assembly apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to supply all rollers 23 at one time to the roller takeout portion 32 which has the same arrangement form as the pockets 22 of the cage 2. it can. Therefore, the supply time of the roller 23 required for one holder 2 can be shortened as compared with the method of supplying 1 to 4 rollers at a time as in the conventional assembling device.

  Further, the assembling apparatus 1 sucks and holds all the rollers 23 supplied to the roller takeout portion 32 in the same arrangement form and makes them face the pockets 22 of the cage 2. Therefore, the press-fitting operation of the roller 23 can be performed without rotating the cage 2 itself about the axis. Therefore, the roller 23 can be press-fit at a higher speed than before.

  As a result of these, the time required for the incorporation of the roller 23 into the cage 2 from the supply of the roller 23 to the press-fitting of the roller 23 can be shortened from the conventional about 9 seconds to about 3 seconds.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the index table 10 is used, it is not necessary to horizontally move or rotate the roller supply mechanism 3, the roller holding mechanism 4, and the pressing mechanism 5. Therefore, the cage 2 can be assembled efficiently in a short time.

(Modification)
In the press-in process of the rollers 23 (process P14 in FIG. 9), all the hammers 52 may be simultaneously lowered to press-fit all the rollers 23 simultaneously. In order to press-fit all the rollers 23 into the pockets 22 appropriately, the above-described pressure mechanism 5 may be configured as follows.

  FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 schematically show a pressure mechanism 5A in a modification of the present embodiment. In the present modification, twenty hammers 52 are divided into, for example, four units U1 to U4, and the upper and lower lengths of the hammers 52a to 52e in each unit are made different.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper and lower lengths of the hammer 52a located at one end of each unit and the hammer 52e located at the other end become shorter in order. That is, a step is provided at the tip end position of the adjacent hammer 52. It is desirable that the step L between the adjacent hammers 52 be equal to or slightly larger than the plate thickness (for example, 0.5 mm) of the cage 2 (annular portion 21).

  Thus, by providing the steps between the adjacent hammers 52, even if all the hammers 52 are lowered simultaneously, it is possible to press-fit all the rollers 23 into the pockets 22 at one time. As a result, the load on the cage 2 due to the press-in operation of the rollers 23 can be significantly reduced, so the quality of the cage 2 can be ensured. The spring 53 shown in FIG. 13 can absorb the steps of the hammers 52a to 52e.

  The pressing mechanism 5A shown in the present modification is an example of a mechanism for sequentially pressing in all the rollers 23, and may be a sequentially pressing mechanism using a cam, a cylinder, a motor or the like.

(Other modifications)
In the assembling apparatus 1 described above, the roller holding member 42 is configured to hold the entire number of rollers 23 by air suction, but the total number of rollers 23 located in the takeout portion 32 is arranged as it is If the roller 23 can be held, the roller 23 may be held by a method other than air suction.

  In addition, in the facing process (process P13 in FIG. 9) in which the roller 23 and the cage 2 face each other, the cage 2 is moved by the index table 10. However, movement of the holder 2 may be realized by a member other than the index table 10. Alternatively, the roller 23 and the retainer 2 may be made to face each other by moving the roller holding member 42 instead of the retainer 2 (or together with the retainer 2). That is, the assembly apparatus 1 may be provided with a moving member for moving at least one of the cage 2 and the roller holding member 42 in order to make the plurality of suction-held rollers 23 face each of the plurality of pockets 22.

  Moreover, although the form which incorporates the roller 23 from the top into the holder 2 arrange | positioned on the horizontal surface was demonstrated in this Embodiment, it is not limited to such a form. For example, a mode may be adopted in which the roller 23 is installed sideways in the cage 2 disposed on the vertical surface.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is indicated not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include all the modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

  Reference Signs List 1 assembling apparatus for thrust bearing, 2 cage (single), 2A assembled cage, 3 supply mechanism, 4 holding mechanism, 5, 5A pressing mechanism, 6 shaft portion, 10 index table, 11 cage insertion portion, 12 cage assembly part, 13 cage takeout part, 14 receiving part, 15 notched part, 21 annular part, 22 pocket, 23 rollers, 24 roller stopper part, 31 base part, 32 takeout part, 33 spring chute, 41 Substrate part, 42 roller holding member, 43, 53 spring, 44 pressing part, 45 suction claw, 45a suction surface, 46 air suction hole, 47 suction tube, 51 pressing plate, 52, 52a to 52e hammer, 421 vertical part, 422 Horizontal part, U1 to U4 units.

Claims (7)

A method of assembling a thrust roller bearing, in which a roller and a cage are assembled integrally by press-fitting the rollers into a plurality of pockets formed radially in the circumferential direction of an annular cage,
Supplying a plurality of rollers to be inserted into the plurality of pockets to a plurality of roller takeout portions in the same arrangement form as the plurality of pockets;
A roller holding step of holding the plurality of rollers located in the plurality of roller takeout portions in the same arrangement form;
A facing step of causing the plurality of held rollers to face each of the plurality of pockets;
And f) pressing in the plurality of rollers into the plurality of facing pockets. An assembly apparatus of thrust roller bearings, in which rollers and a cage are assembled integrally by press-fitting the rollers into a plurality of pockets formed radially in the circumferential direction of the annular cage,
A roller supply member for supplying a plurality of rollers to be inserted into the plurality of pockets to a plurality of roller take-out portions in the same arrangement form as the plurality of pockets;
A roller holding member for holding the plurality of rollers located at the plurality of roller takeout portions in the same arrangement form;
A moving member for moving at least one of the retainer and the roller holding member to cause the plurality of held rollers to face each of the plurality of pockets;
And a press-fitting for pressing the plurality of rollers into the plurality of facing pockets. The roller holding members are provided in the same number as the pockets,
The thrust roller bearing assembling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a suction claw for suction-holding the roller is provided at a tip end portion of each of the roller holding members. The apparatus further comprises an index table which is provided along a circumferential direction with a receptacle for receiving the retainer and a notch where the outer peripheral surface is notched, and which rotates around a central axis extending in the vertical direction,
The plurality of roller takeout portions are disposed below the index table,
The roller holding member sucks the plurality of rollers located in the roller takeout portion by vertically moving the notch portion of the index table, and positions the plurality of attracted rollers above the index table The thrust roller bearing assembling apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein   The thrust roller bearing assembling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the index table constitutes the moving member, and moves the retainer to a lower position of the roller holding member. A holder insertion unit for inserting the holder into the receiving unit of the index table;
The thrust roller bearing assembling apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising: a cage takeout portion for taking out the assembled cage after the rollers are press-fitted and taking it out from the receiving portion.   The thrust roller bearing assembling apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the press-fit tool is provided for the number of the rollers.

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