JP2021098261A - Bolt feeder and method for manufacturing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a bolt feeder that feeds a bolt into a hole provided in a work.SOLUTION: A bolt feeder includes: a cylindrical member 10 extending in a vertical direction; a bolt holding member 11 provided on a lower side of the cylindrical member and including a holding chamber 20 capable of holding a bolt which is inserted into the cylindrical member; a door part 12 provided in the bolt holding member to open and close the holding chamber; and a suction part 13 for sucking internal atmosphere of the holding chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a bolt supply device and a method for manufacturing a structure.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a bolt supply device in which bolts in a hopper are taken out, aligned in a predetermined posture, and then separated one by one.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-129128

In the bolt supply device, for example, when the bolt supply work is performed from above the product, there is a risk of contamination due to dust, foreign matter, etc. being mixed into the product when the bolt is inserted.

In view of the above circumstances, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a bolt supply device and a method for manufacturing a structure capable of supplying bolts while reducing the occurrence of contamination.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is a bolt supply device for supplying bolts to a hole provided in a work, and is provided on a tubular member extending in the vertical direction and a lower side of the tubular member. , A bolt holding member having a holding chamber capable of holding a bolt inserted in the tubular member, a door portion provided on the bolt holding member to open and close the holding chamber, and an internal atmosphere of the holding chamber are sucked. A bolt supply device is provided that includes a suction unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is a method for manufacturing a structure including a bolt insertion step of inserting a bolt into a hole provided in the work, and in the bolt insertion step, the bolt supply of the first aspect is described. A method of manufacturing a structure using an apparatus is provided.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a bolt supply device and a method for manufacturing a structure capable of supplying bolts while reducing the occurrence of contamination.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the bolt supply device of an embodiment. It is a side view which shows the schematic structure of the bolt supply part. It is sectional drawing which shows the schematic structure of the bolt supply part. It is a figure which shows the plane structure of a slide plate. It is a process drawing which slides a slide plate and opens a holding chamber. It is a process drawing which slides a slide plate and opens a holding chamber. It is a process drawing which slides a slide plate and opens a holding chamber.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the XYZ coordinate system may be used in the drawings used in the description. In the XYZ coordinate system, the Z-axis direction is a direction parallel to the vertical direction (vertical direction). The X-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction. The Y-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to both the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the Z-axis direction corresponds to the "vertical direction", the + Z side in the Z-axis direction corresponds to the "upper side", and the -Z side corresponds to the "lower side".

The bolt supply device of the present embodiment is a device that supplies bolts to holes provided in the work. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a bolt supply device of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment includes a first bolt supply unit 2A, a second bolt supply unit 2B, a horizontal articulated robot 3, and a stage 4.

The stage 4 supports a work W for inserting a bolt supplied from the first bolt supply unit 2A or the second bolt supply unit 2B. The first bolt supply unit 2A and the second bolt supply unit 2B supply bolts to the work W supported by the stage 4.

The horizontal articulated robot 3 makes a part of the bolt supply unit 2 integrally movable with respect to the work W. A part of the bolt supply unit 2 can be moved by the horizontal articulated robot 3 to supply bolts to a plurality of holes provided at different positions of the work W. The horizontal articulated robot 3 is a SCARA robot having a plurality of joints that can rotate around a rotation axis along the Z-axis direction. The positions of the bolt supply unit 2 and the work W may be finely adjusted by moving the work W by the stage 4.

The first bolt supply unit 2A and the second bolt supply unit 2B have a common configuration. Hereinafter, the configuration of the first bolt supply unit 2A will be described as an example, and the description of the configuration of the second bolt supply unit 2B will be omitted. Further, in the following description, when the first bolt supply unit 2A and the second bolt supply unit 2B are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as the bolt supply unit 2.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the bolt supply unit 2. FIG. 2 is a side view of the bolt supply unit 2 supported by the horizontal articulated robot 3 so as to face the + Y side as shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the + X side.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the bolt supply unit 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the bolt supply unit 2 shown in FIG. 2 in a plane parallel to the YZ plane.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bolt supply portion 2 includes a tubular member 10, a bolt holding member 11, a door portion 12, a suction portion 13, a frame member 15, and a suction tube member (first). A tube member) 16, a bolt supply tube member (second tube member) 17, a bolt detection unit 18, and an air supply unit 19 are provided.

The frame member 15 supports at least the tubular member 10, the bolt holding member 11, and the door portion 12. The horizontal articulated robot 3 is connected to the frame member 15. The tubular member 10 is a member extending in the vertical direction. The tubular member 10 is composed of, for example, a metal tubular member, and the bolt holding member 11 is connected to the lower side (−Z side).

The bolt supply tube member 17 is made of an elastic material such as resin or rubber. The bolt supply tube member 17 is connected to the upper side (+ Z side) of the tubular member 10 on the lower end side, and is connected to the parts feeder 14 via the air supply unit 19 described later on the upper end side. The parts feeder 14 accommodates a plurality of bolts B (see FIG. 1). The parts feeder 14 supplies, for example, by dropping one bolt B from each of a plurality of bolts B housed inside into the bolt supply tube member 17. As a result, one bolt B from the part feeder 14 is inserted into the tubular member 10 via the bolt supply tube member 17. One bolt B inserted into the tubular member 10 is supplied to the bolt holding member 11.

The bolt holding member 11 has a holding chamber 20 capable of holding a bolt inserted in the tubular member 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the bolt B has a head portion B1 and a screw portion B2. The upper side (+ Z side) of the bolt holding member 11 is connected to the lower side (−Z side) of the tubular member 10. The holding chamber 20 is a space extending in the vertical direction, and has an inner diameter larger than at least the head B1 of the bolt B.

A door portion 12 is provided on the lower side (−Z side) of the bolt holding member 11. The door portion 12 is provided on the bolt holding member 11 so as to open and close the holding chamber 20. The bolt holding member 11 is provided with an exhaust portion 21. The exhaust unit 21 exhausts the inside of the holding chamber 20. The exhaust unit 21 includes a suction hole 21a connected to the holding chamber 20 and an exhaust pipe 21b attached to the suction hole 21a. The exhaust pipe 21b has a substantially L-shape that is pulled out from the holding chamber 20 sideways and then bent upward.

The suction unit 13 is connected to the exhaust pipe 21b via the suction tube member 16. The suction unit 13 is composed of, for example, a suction pump. Like the bolt supply tube member 17, the suction tube member 16 is made of an elastic material such as resin or rubber.

The suction unit 13 sucks the internal atmosphere of the holding chamber 20 via the suction tube member 16 and the exhaust pipe 21b.

In the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the suction tube member 16 and the bolt supply tube member 17 are routed so as to extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). In the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment, two suction tube members 16 and two bolt supply tube members 17 are provided, but at least a part of each of them is held in a bundled state.

According to the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment, since the suction tube member 16 and the bolt supply tube member 17 are routed in the same direction (vertical direction), the bolt supply unit 2 is moved by the horizontal articulated robot 3. Even when the tubes 16 and 17 are entangled with each other, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem. That is, the suction tube member 16 and the bolt supply tube member 17 do not interfere with the movement operation of the bolt supply unit 2 by the horizontal articulated robot 3.

The bolt detection unit 18 is provided on the bolt holding member 11. The bolt detection unit 18 can detect the bolt B in the holding chamber 20. According to the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the bolt B in the holding chamber 20 is determined based on the detection result of the bolt detecting unit 18, and when there is no bolt B in the holding chamber 20, the work W is subjected to. Do not perform bolt supply operation.

The bolt detection unit 18 of the present embodiment includes a first detection unit 18a, a second detection unit 18b, and a third detection unit 18c. Each of the detection units 18a, 18b, 18c is composed of, for example, a photoelectric sensor.

The detection units 18a, 18b, and 18c are arranged in this order from the bottom to the top. The first detection unit 18a detects the bolt B protruding from the holding chamber 20 as described later. The second detection unit 18b or the third detection unit 18c detects the upper side of the bolt B housed in the holding chamber 20.

Here, for example, when the length of the bolt B housed in the holding chamber 20 is a specified dimension, the second detection unit 18b detects the bolt B. On the other hand, when the length of the bolt B housed in the holding chamber 20 is shorter than the specified dimension, neither the second detection unit 18b nor the third detection unit 18c detects the bolt B. Further, when the length of the bolt B housed in the holding chamber 20 is longer than the specified dimension, both the second detection unit 18b and the third detection unit 18c detect the bolt B.

Therefore, the bolt detection unit 18 of the present embodiment has the length of the bolt B in addition to the presence or absence of the bolt B housed in the holding chamber 20 based on the detection results of the second detection unit 18b and the third detection unit 18c. It is possible to determine whether or not the is a specified dimension.

Therefore, the bolt detection unit 18 of the present embodiment can detect a state in which the bolt B having a length different from the predetermined length is housed in the holding chamber 20. The bolt detection unit 18 may be provided with an alarm, a lamp, or the like for notifying the detection result, so that the operator who operates the bolt supply device 1 may be notified of the detection result.

When the bolt B having a length different from the predetermined length is accommodated in the holding chamber 20, the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment stops supplying the bolt B to the work W. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem that bolts B having different lengths are supplied to the work W.

The air supply unit 19 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of, for example, a blower pump. In the present embodiment, the air supply unit 19 is provided in the middle between the tubular member 10 and the parts feeder 14 in the bolt supply tube member 17. The air supply unit 19 supplies air to the holding chamber 20 via the bolt supply tube member 17. In the present embodiment, the air supply unit 19 supplies air to the holding chamber 20 in synchronization with the suction operation of the suction unit 13.

The door portion 12 has a slide plate 22 and a drive portion 23 for driving the slide plate 22. The slide plate 22 is slidably moved with respect to the bolt holding member 11 by the drive unit 23. That is, the slide plate 22 slides on the lower side of the holding chamber 20 so as to be openable and closable along the XY surface. The drive unit 23 is composed of, for example, a uniaxial actuator.

Specifically, the door portion 12 closes the holding chamber 20 by sliding the slide plate 22 to the + Y side (the other side in the slide direction) by the drive portion 23. The door portion 12 can accommodate the bolt B in the holding chamber 20 by closing the holding chamber 20.

On the other hand, the door portion 12 opens the holding chamber 20 by sliding the slide plate 22 toward the −Y side (one side in the sliding direction) by the drive portion 23. By opening the holding chamber 20, the door portion 12 can supply the bolt B held in the holding chamber 20 to the work W arranged below. In the present embodiment, since the door portion 12 adopts a structure in which the slide plate 22 is slid, the holding chamber 20 can be easily opened and closed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a plan configuration of the slide plate 22. FIG. 4 is a top view of the slide plate 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the slide plate 22 is provided with a slit hole 22a that penetrates the slide plate 22 in the thickness direction. The slit hole 22a has an opening 25 that opens on the + Y side (one side in the slide direction) of the slide plate 22.

The hole diameter H1 in the X-axis direction intersecting the slide direction (Y-axis direction) of the slit hole 22a is larger than the outer diameter H2 of the screw portion B2 of the bolt B and smaller than the outer diameter H3 of the head B1 of the bolt B.

According to the slide plate 22 of the present embodiment, the bolt B can be held in a state where the head B1 is hooked while the screw portion B2 of the bolt B is projected downward through the slit hole 22a having the above dimensions.

In the present embodiment, the slit hole 22a has a tapered portion 24 at the opening end of the slide plate 22 on the other side (−Y side) in the slide direction (see FIG. 3). The tapered portion 24 has an inclined surface 24a that inclines downward from the other side (−Y side) in the slide direction toward one side (+ Y side) in the slide direction.

Subsequently, the operation of the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. Specifically, in a method for manufacturing a structure including a bolt insertion step of inserting a bolt B into a hole W1 provided in the work W, a case where the bolt insertion step is performed using the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. To do. When inserting the bolt B into the work W, the bolt supply device 1 aligns the hole W1 of the work W with the bolt supply unit 2 in advance.

First, one bolt B from the plurality of bolts B housed in the parts feeder 14 is inserted into the tubular member 10 via the bolt supply tube member 17. In the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment, when the bolt B is supplied into the tubular member 10, the slide plate 22 is slid to the −Y side (one side in the slide direction) to cover the holding chamber 20. To do. In the present embodiment, the position of the slide plate 22 that covers the holding chamber 20 is referred to as the first slide position P1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

The bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment detects that a bolt B having a specified dimension is installed in the holding chamber 20 based on the detection results of the second detection unit 18b and the third detection unit 18c, and then the holding chamber. The suction unit 13 is operated while the bolt B is held in the 20.

Here, a situation may occur in which the bolt B is not satisfactorily supplied to the tubular member 10 due to the bolt B being caught in the bolt supply tube member 17. On the other hand, the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment detects the presence or absence of the bolt B in the holding chamber 20 by the bolt detecting unit 18, and when the bolt B is not supplied in the holding chamber 20, the bolt supply tube It is determined that the bolt B is caught in the member 17, and the air supply unit 19 is operated. As a result, the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment supplies air into the bolt supply tube member 17 by the air supply unit 19 to discharge the bolt B caught in the bolt supply tube member 17 downward. It can be satisfactorily supplied into the tubular member 10.

By the way, foreign matter such as chips and dust generated during bolt processing may be attached to the bolt B supplied from the parts feeder 14 into the holding chamber 20. A work to which such a foreign substance is attached becomes a defective product.

In the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment, foreign matter adhering to the bolt B can be removed by operating the suction unit 13 while holding the bolt B in the holding chamber 20. In the bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment, foreign matter adhering to the bolt B can be easily removed by supplying air into the holding chamber 20 by the air supply unit 19. Since the air supply unit 19 supplies air to the holding chamber 20 in synchronization with the suction operation of the suction unit 13, foreign matter removed from the bolt B can be efficiently discharged from the holding chamber 20.

The bolt supply unit 2 of the present embodiment operates the door unit 12 after removing foreign matter adhering to the bolt B. 5A, 5B and 5C are views showing a step of sliding the slide plate 22 to open the holding chamber 20.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the door portion 12 gradually opens the holding chamber 20 by sliding the slide plate 22 toward the −Y side (the other side in the slide direction) by the drive portion 23. At this time, when the slide plate 22 slides to the −Y side by a predetermined distance, the tip of the screw portion B2 of the bolt B housed in the holding chamber 20 is a tapered portion provided at the opening end on the −Y side of the slit hole 22a. Enter 24. Further, as the slide plate 22 slides to the −Y side, the threaded portion B2 of the bolt B is guided along the inclined surface 24a of the tapered portion 24 and gradually moves downward.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the door portion 12 slides the slide plate 22 by the drive portion 23 by about half. In the present embodiment, the position where the slide plate 22 slides by about half is referred to as the second slide position P2.

When the slide plate 22 is located at the second slide position P2, the screw portion B2 of the bolt B is in a state of protruding downward through the slit hole 22a of the slide plate 22. At this time, when the bolt B projects downward through the slit hole 22a, the second detection unit 18b of the bolt detection unit 18 is in a non-detection state of the bolt B, and the first detection unit 18a of the bolt detection unit 18 is the bolt B. The head B1 is detected. That is, when the slide plate 22 is located at the second slide position P2, the bolt detection unit 18 of the present embodiment has a non-detection signal of the bolt B by the second detection unit 18b and a head of the bolt B by the first detection unit 18a. Based on the detection signal of the portion B1, it is possible to determine whether or not the screw portion B2 of the bolt B projects downward through the slit hole 22a of the slide plate 22. When the slide plate 22 is located at the second slide position P2, the bolt detection unit 18 notifies an error if the bolt B is still detected by the second detection unit 18b, and operates the bolt supply unit 2. To pause.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the hole diameter H1 in the X-axis direction intersecting the slide direction (Y-axis direction) of the slit hole 22a is larger than the outer diameter H2 of the screw portion B2 of the bolt B. , The outer diameter of the head B1 of the bolt B is smaller than the outer diameter H3. Therefore, in the slide plate 22, the screw portion B2 is in a state of protruding downward in a state where the head portion B1 of the bolt B is hooked on the slit hole 22a.
The screw portion B2 of the bolt B protruding downward through the slit hole 22a is inserted into a predetermined hole W1 of the work W located below.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5C, the door portion 12 is in a state in which the slide plate 22 at the second slide position P2 is completely slid to the −Y side by the drive portion 23. In the present embodiment, for example, the position where the slide plate 22 completely slides is referred to as a third slide position P3.

In the present embodiment, since the slit hole 22a has an elongated hole shape extending in the Y-axis direction which is the slide direction of the slide plate 22, the screw portion B2 of the bolt B inserted into the slit hole 22a slides the slide plate 22. It's hard to prevent.

In the slide plate 22 of the present embodiment, the + Y side of the slit hole 22a is opened by the opening 25. By sliding the slide plate 22 toward the −Y side, the door portion 12 pulls out the slide plate 22 from the screw portion B2 of the bolt B through the opening 25 in the slide direction (Y-axis direction), and the door portion 12 and the slide plate 22 The bolt B can be separated. In this way, the slide plate 22 is switched to the third slide position P3.

When the slide plate 22 is located at the third slide position P3, the holding chamber 20 is opened to the outside, and the bolt B in the holding chamber 20 falls downward. When the bolt B falls into a predetermined hole W1 of the work W located below, the step of inserting the bolt B into the work W is completed. That is, the bolt insertion step using the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment is completed. The structure can be manufactured by similarly inserting the bolt B into each hole W1 of the work W and then fastening the bolt B with a nut.

According to the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment, in the bolt supply unit 2, the slide plate 22 is provided with the first slide position P1 covering the holding chamber 20 and a part of the bolt B protruding downward from the slit hole 22a. The bolt B can be supplied to the work W by moving the second slide position P2 to be inserted into the hole W1 of the work W and the third slide position P3 to drop the bolt B into the hole W1 of the work W so as to be switched. That is, the bolt supply device 1 moves the slide plate 22 between the first slide position P1 and the third slide position P3, so that the work is in a state where the screw portion B2 of the bolt B is inserted into the hole W1 of the work W. Bolt B can be dropped on W.

According to the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment, by operating the suction unit 13 while holding the bolt B in the holding chamber 20, foreign matter adhering to the bolt B is removed before being supplied to the work W. Can be done. Therefore, when the bolt B is inserted into the work W from above, the occurrence of contamination due to the foreign matter adhering to the bolt B adhering to the work W is reduced. Therefore, the bolt supply device 1 of the present embodiment can supply the bolt B to the work W while reducing the occurrence of contamination.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a structure according to the present embodiment, since the bolt supply device 1 is used in the bolt insertion step of inserting the bolt B into the hole W1 provided in the work W, the bolt B from which foreign matter has been removed is used as the work. By inserting it into W, a highly reliable structure can be manufactured.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the configurations and combinations thereof in the embodiments are examples, and the configurations are added, omitted, replaced, and the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Other changes are possible. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

1 ... Bolt supply device, 3 ... Horizontal articulated robot, 10 ... Cylindrical member, 11 ... Bolt holding member, 12 ... Door part, 13 ... Suction part, 15 ... Frame member, 16 ... Tube, 16 ... Suction tube member (1st tube member), 17 ... Bolt supply tube member (2nd tube member), 18 ... Bolt detection unit, 18a ... Detection unit, 19 ... Air supply unit, 20 ... Holding chamber, 22 ... Slide plate, 22a ... Slit hole, 23 ... drive unit, B ... bolt, B1 ... head, B2 ... screw part, H1 ... hole diameter, H2, H3 ... outer diameter, P1 ... first slide position, P2 ... second slide position, P3 ... second 3 slide positions, W ... work, W1 ... hole.

Claims (11)

A bolt supply device for supplying bolts to holes provided in the work.
A tubular member that extends in the vertical direction and
A bolt holding member provided under the tubular member and having a holding chamber capable of holding a bolt inserted in the tubular member, and a bolt holding member.
A door portion provided on the bolt holding member to open and close the holding chamber, and
A bolt supply device including a suction unit that sucks the internal atmosphere of the holding chamber. The bolt supply according to claim 1, wherein the door portion is provided on the lower side of the holding chamber and has a slide plate that can slide and move with respect to the bolt holding member and a drive portion that drives the slide plate. apparatus. The slit hole penetrating the slide plate in the thickness direction is opened on one side of the slide plate in the slide direction.
The bolt supply device according to claim 2, wherein the slide plate opens the holding chamber by sliding in the other side in the slide direction. The bolt supply device according to claim 3, wherein the hole diameter of the slit hole in a direction intersecting the slide direction is larger than the outer diameter of the screw portion of the bolt and smaller than the outer diameter of the head portion of the bolt. The slide plate has a first slide position that covers the holding chamber, a second slide position that inserts a part of the bolt that protrudes downward from the slit hole into the hole of the work, and the bolt of the work. The bolt supply device according to claim 3 or 4, which moves so as to switch between a third slide position to be dropped into the hole and the third slide position. The bolt supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a bolt detection unit capable of detecting the bolt in the holding chamber. The bolt supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an air supply unit for supplying air to the holding chamber. The bolt supply device according to claim 7, wherein the air supply unit supplies the air to the holding chamber in synchronization with the suction operation of the suction unit. The bolt supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a horizontal articulated robot connected to the tubular member, the bolt holding member, and a frame member supporting the door portion. A first tube member connected to the suction portion and a second tube member connected to the tubular member are provided.
The bolt supply device according to claim 9, wherein the first tube and the second tube are routed so as to extend along the vertical direction. It is a method of manufacturing a structure including a bolt insertion step of inserting a bolt into a hole provided in a work.
The method for manufacturing a structure using the bolt supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 in the bolt insertion step.

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