JP2023022700A - bolt feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a small-sized bolt feeder capable of controlling supply destinations of bolts.SOLUTION: A bolt feeder 1 comprises: a slide plate 40; a groove part 43, which is branched into a first groove 48 and a second groove 49 at a branch position 473 arranged at a lower end of the guide groove 47, at which a second angle θ2 formed of a guide groove 47 and a second groove 49 is formed to be smaller than a first angle θ1 formed of the guide groove 47 and a first groove 48; a sorting part 127; and a bolt take-out position. The sorting part 127 is constituted of a plurality of guide claws 128 each provided with a first contact face capable of coming into contact with a bolt provided at the branch position 473, and a second contact face capable of coming into contact with a bolt provided at the first groove 48. In a state where the bolt provided at the first groove 48 is in contact with the second contact face, rotation thereof is stopped and the first contact face closes an inlet of the first groove 48. In a state where the bolt provided at the first groove 48 is not contact with the second contact face, the rotation is possible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

The present invention relates to a bolt feeder.

A bolt supply device for automatically supplying bolts in a manufacturing line or the like has been developed. In such a bolt supply device, the work efficiency can be improved by aligning the bolts at predetermined positions.

In Patent Document 1, a bolt throwing portion for throwing in a bolt, a V-shaped guide arranged below the bolt throwing portion, and a U-shaped groove are formed on the upper surface, and the groove extends from the bolt throwing portion. A rotation promoting plate is provided for changing the direction of the thrown bolt and dropping the bolt to the V-shaped guide after the bolt comes into contact with the bolt. This discloses a bolt supply device capable of correcting the inclination of a bolt that has been obliquely inserted in a bolt insertion part before it falls into a V-shaped groove.

JP 2018-52661 A

The bolt supply device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with one bolt supply destination corresponding to one bolt insertion part. For example, when it is desired to supply bolts from one bolt insertion part to each of a plurality of supply destinations, the technology described in Patent Document 1 can be considered to provide power for controlling the bolt supply destinations. The problem arises that the

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a compact bolt supply device capable of controlling the bolt supply destination.

A bolt supply device according to one embodiment is a bolt supply device that supplies a bolt having a head portion including a flange portion and a screw portion protruding from the flange portion to a bolt extraction position, and The slide plate and the guide groove for guiding the bolt downward along the direction of inclination of the slide plate are branched from a branch position existing at the lower end of the guide groove to form a first groove and a second groove. a groove portion in which a second angle between the guide groove and the second groove is smaller than the first angle formed by the two; a distribution portion rotatably supported in the vicinity of the branch position; a bolt extraction position set at the lower end, the groove is formed with a width through which the screw portion of the slide plate passes but the flange portion does not pass, and the apportionment portion has a width of at least half the width of the first groove. a plurality of guide claws each having a length and having a first contact surface capable of contacting the bolt arranged at the branch position and a second contact surface capable of contacting the bolt arranged in the first groove; When the bolt placed in the first groove is in contact with the second contact surface, rotation is stopped and the first contact surface closes the entrance of the first groove, and the bolt placed in the first groove is the second contact surface. It is rotatable when not in contact with the

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small bolt supply device capable of controlling the supply destination of bolts.

1 is a general view of a bolt supply device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bolt supply device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a bolt; FIG. 11 is a first diagram showing an example of the operation of the bolt tilting portion; FIG. 11 is a second diagram showing an example of the operation of the bolt tilting portion; It is a figure explaining the fulcrum part of a bolt inclination part. FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing the configuration of a bolt attitude control section; It is a second diagram showing the configuration of the bolt attitude control unit. FIG. 11 is a third diagram showing the configuration of the bolt attitude control section; It is a figure explaining the function of an attitude control guide. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fourth example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of behavior of a bolt in the vicinity of a bolt discharge port; FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing the configuration of the bolt extracting portion; It is a second diagram showing the configuration of the bolt extracting portion. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of behavior of a bolt at a joint; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of behavior of a bolt in a first curved portion; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of behavior of a bolt in a second curved portion; It is the 1st figure explaining operation|movement of a distribution part. It is the 2nd figure explaining operation|movement of a distribution part. It is a figure which shows the state with which the bolt extraction part was filled with the bolt.

Embodiment 1
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, for clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate. Furthermore, in the following description, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

(Overview of bolt supply device 1)
The outline of the bolt supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an overview diagram of a bolt supply device according to an embodiment. 2 is a plan view of the bolt supply device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2, the bolt supply device 1 is observed from above with the top plate 33 covering the upper end of the bolt guide block removed. The bolt supply device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows a state in which bolts 9 are supplied to the bolt extraction position by filling the bolt extraction portion 12 with a plurality of thrown bolts 9 .

It should be noted that FIG. 1 is provided with a right-handed orthogonal coordinate system for convenience in explaining the positional relationship of the constituent elements. 2 and thereafter, when an orthogonal coordinate system is attached, the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions of FIG. 1 and the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions of these orthogonal coordinate systems are respectively Match. In the present embodiment, the X-axis direction may be referred to as the left-right direction, the X-axis plus side may be referred to as the right side, and the X-axis minus side may be referred to as the left side. The Y-axis direction is sometimes referred to as the front-rear direction, and the Y-axis plus side is sometimes referred to as the rear, and the Y-axis minus side as the front. The Z-axis direction is sometimes referred to as the vertical direction or the vertical direction, and the Z-axis plus side is sometimes referred to as upward, and the Z-axis minus side is sometimes referred to as downward.

The bolt supply device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a function of automatically supplying flanged hexagonal bolts (hereinafter simply referred to as "bolts") to predetermined positions. The bolt supply device 1 has a bolt insertion section 11 and a bolt extraction section 12 . A user of the bolt supply device 1 inserts a plurality of bolts 9 into the bolt insertion part 11 and activates the bolt supply device 1 . The bolt supply device 1 supplies the thrown bolt 9 to the bolt extraction position in the bolt extraction part 12 .

Here, the bolt supply device 1 according to the present embodiment realizes the following functions by attracting the bolt 9 by magnetic force. Therefore, the bolt 9 in this embodiment is made of a material mainly composed of iron, stainless steel, copper, or the like.

Therefore, the outline of the bolt 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a bolt. In the bolt supply device 1, it is possible to control the attitude of the bolt 9, which is relatively large in size and weight, and align it at the bolt extraction position while suppressing an increase in the size of the device.

The bolt 9 has a head including a flange portion 7 and a hexagonal portion 8 and a threaded portion 6 projecting from the flange portion 7 . The flange portion 7 is formed like a flange on the outer peripheral edge of the end of the hexagonal portion 8 on the side of the screw portion 6 . As for the dimensions of the bolt 9, the diameter of the hexagonal portion 8 is the diameter D1. The diameter of the flange portion 7 is the diameter D2. The diameter of the threaded portion 6 is a diameter D3. The diameter D1 of the hexagonal portion 8 is the length of the diagonal line of the hexagon and corresponds to the maximum diameter of the hexagonal portion 8 . The flange portion 7 is formed with a larger diameter than the hexagonal portion 8 . The threaded portion 6 is formed with a diameter smaller than that of the hexagonal portion 8 . Also, the bolt 9 has a central axis C. As shown in FIG. Regarding the flange portion 7, the end surface on the side of the hexagonal portion 8 is defined as one end surface, and the end surface on the side of the screw portion 6 is defined as the other end surface.

Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the user who uses the bolt supply device 1 performs assembly work using the bolts 9, for example. A user uses the bolt supply device 1 to set the bolt 9 in a tool 900 as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The tool 900 has a grip portion 902 on one side of a triangular base 901 and a socket portion 903 on the opposite side. The user picks up the tool 900 after placing the tool 900 on the preset position of the bolt supply device 1 . In the tool 900 picked up by the user, the bolts 9 extracted from the bolt extraction position are set in each of the socket portions 903 .

In this embodiment, a case where the tool 900 has three socket portions 903 will be described. However, the number of bolts 9 required for one tool 900 is not limited to three, and may be an odd number or an even number. The bolt supply device 1 can supply an odd number or an even number of bolts 9 to the tool 900 by appropriately designing the bolt extractor 12, which will be described later, according to the tool 900 to be used.

The bolt feeding device 1 has a bolt conveying unit 2, a bolt guiding unit 3, and a bolt aligning unit 4 as main components. The bolt conveying unit 2 conveys the bolt 9 inserted into the bolt inserting portion 11 to the bolt guiding unit 3 . The bolt guiding unit 3 delivers the bolts 9 from the bolt conveying unit 2 to the bolt alignment unit 4. The bolt aligning unit 4 aligns the bolts 9 received from the bolt guide unit 3 with the bolt extracting part 12 while allocating the bolts 9 while aligning the attitudes of the bolts 9 in a constant manner.

The bolt conveying unit 2, the bolt guiding unit 3, and the bolt aligning unit 4 are described below. The bolt supply device 1 includes a bolt aligning unit 4 above a bolt conveying unit 2 and a bolt guiding unit 3 above the bolt conveying unit 2 .

(Overview of bolt conveying unit 2)
An overview of the bolt conveying unit 2 will be described. The bolt conveying unit 2 has a base block 20 and a bolt conveying block as main components.

The base block 20 has a quadrangular prism shape with an open top, and the bottom is in contact with the floor. A bolt slot for the user to insert the bolt 9 is formed in the right side portion of the base block 20 . The base block 20 has an opening on the top surface and a space 200 for receiving the bolt 9 inside the cubic shape. In the space 200, the base block 20 has a bolt storage portion 210 provided in a region where the bolt conveying portion 24, which will be described later, rises. The bolt storage part 210 is configured to be in contact with the bolt carrier block. The base block 20 is formed so that the bolts 9 roll down into the bolt storage portion 210 according to gravity and are easily collected in the bolt storage portion 210 .

A bottom surface that defines the space 200 is formed of a plurality of slopes that decrease in height from the outside of the base block 20 toward the bolt storage portion 210 . In other words, the bottom surface has a mortar shape. The bolt storage part 210 is a part corresponding to the bottom part of the mortar shape.

The bolt conveying block has a shape in which plate-like members 220a and 220b extending vertically in parallel sandwich both ends in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the conveyor 23, and the plate-like members 220a and 220b are positioned at relatively low positions ( low position) is installed so as to be in contact with the bolt storage portion 210 . The plate member 220a on the right side is cut downward so that a portion of the upper end thereof corresponding to a bolt drop port 34, which will be described later, is slightly lower than the top of the conveyor 23. As shown in FIG.

The bolt conveying block conveys the bolts 9 collected in the bolt storage section 210 upward, and conveys the conveyed bolts 9 to the top of the conveyor 23 which is a higher position (higher position) than the bolt storage section 210 . The bolt conveying block has a conveyor 23, a bolt conveying section 24, and a separation guide 25 as main components.

The conveyor 23 is an endless belt-like conveyor, and is provided so as to be able to circulate between a low position and a high position in the vertical direction. A drive motor (not shown) for circulating the conveyor 23 is connected to the conveyor 23 . The conveyor 23 moves from the vicinity of the bolt storage portion 210 to the vicinity of the separation guide 25 at the top of the conveyor 23 on the side facing the bolt storage portion 210, and returns to the vicinity of the bolt storage portion 210 again. configured to do so.

The bolt conveying portion 24 is engaged with the conveyor 23 and circulates along a predetermined path in accordance with the movement of the conveyor 23 . The bolt conveying part 24 protrudes from the outer surface of the ring formed by the conveyor 23 and has a magnet for attracting the bolt 9 . The bolt conveying portion 24 attracts the bolt 9 in the bolt storing portion 210 , separates the attracted bolt 9 , and conveys it to a position where it can contact the separating surface 26 of the guide 25 . The bolt conveying portion 24 rises while attracting the bolt 9 , separates the attracted bolt 9 , and brings the bolt 9 into contact with the guide 25 .

The magnet of the bolt carrier 24 is smaller than the nominal diameter of the bolt 9 . Therefore, the bolt conveying portion 24 can preferably adsorb one bolt 9 as shown in the drawing. It is preferable that the bolt 9 attracted to the bolt conveying portion 24 is controlled so that the central axis C of the bolt 9 approaches the Z-axis direction while the conveyor 23 is ascending toward the top.

In addition, the conveyor 23 can be provided with a plurality of bolt conveying portions 24 spaced apart from each other in the circulation direction. The plurality of bolt conveying units 24 allows the bolt feeding device 1 to shorten the cycle time of bolt conveying.

The separation guide 25 is arranged above the conveyor 23 on the rear side between the upper end portions of the left and right plate-like members 220a and 220b. Both ends of the separation guide 25 in the width direction (X-axis direction) are in contact with the opposing surfaces of the upper end portions of the plate-like members 220a and 220b. The separation guide 25 has a rear end surface formed along the X-axis direction and a front end surface forming a separation surface 26 . The separation guide 25 is formed so that its length in the Y-axis direction becomes shorter from the left plate-like member 220b toward the right plate-like member 220a. That is, the separating surface 26 is inclined from the front left to the rear right.

The separation guide 25 and the conveyor 23 are arranged with a gap between the top of the conveyor 23 and the separation guide 25 where the bolt 9 attracted to the bolt conveying portion 24 cannot pass. Since the length of this gap in the Z-axis direction is slightly longer than the thickness of the bolt conveying portion 24, the bolt conveying portion 24 can pass through this gap.

After being sucked by the bolt conveying portion 24 , the bolt 9 rises upward in the Z-axis direction along the circulation direction of the conveyor 23 . When the bolt 9 passes over the top of the conveyor 23, the bolt 9 advances from the front to the rear in the Y-axis direction (the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 2). Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the advancing direction of the bolt 9 is defined as the direction in which the bolt 9 advances at the top of the conveyor 23 . At the top of the conveyor 23, the bolt 9 abutting the separating surface 26 stops advancing, while the bolt conveying portion 24 continues to advance in the direction in which the bolt 9 advances. Along with this, the bolt conveying portion 24 and the bolt 9 in the attracted state are gradually separated from each other.

When the bolt conveying portion 24 has passed through the gap between the top of the conveyor 23 and the separating guide 25, the bolt 9 in contact with the separating surface 26 is released from the attracting force of the bolt conveying portion 24, and the bolt Separated from the conveying unit 24 . With such a configuration, the bolt conveying portion 24 and the bolt 9 in the attracted state can be separated.

(Overview of bolt guidance unit 3)
Next, an outline of the bolt guide unit 3 will be described. The bolt guide unit 3 has a bolt guide block, a bolt drop hole 34, and a bolt tilting portion 300 as main components. A bolt guide block guides the bolts 9 from the bolt transfer unit 2 to the bolt alignment unit 4 . The bolt guide block has side plates 31a, 31b extending parallel to the top and bottom.

The side plate 31 a is arranged outside the right wall portion 51 , and the inner surface of the lower end portion is in contact with the outer surface of the upper end portion of the wall portion 51 . The side plate 31a has plate-like members 32a and 32b projecting leftward perpendicularly to the surface facing the side plate 31b. The side plate 31b is arranged outside the left plate-like member 220b, and its lower end is in contact with the slide plate 40. As shown in FIG. The side plates 31a and 31b extend to substantially the same height, and their upper ends protrude upward from the upper end of the plate-like member 220b. Furthermore, the bolt guide block has a top plate 33 that closes the opening at the upper end.

The plate-like members 32a and 32b face each other with a gap larger than the entire length from the head of the bolt 9 to the screw tip of the threaded portion 6 in the front-rear direction. In addition, the lengths of the plate members 32 a and 32 b in the left-right direction are each formed shorter than the full length of the bolt 9 . The front plate member 32 a is formed above the bolt discharge guide 53 so as to extend downward from the bolt drop opening 34 . The rear plate-like member 32b is in contact with the slide plate 40 at its lower end above the slide plate 40 and extends to the bolt drop opening 34 .

A bolt drop hole 34 surrounded by a right side plate 31a and plate members 32a and 32b is formed in the upper portion of the bolt guide block. The bolt drop port 34 is arranged above the attitude control groove 44 to be described later, and is an opening through which the bolt 9 separated from the bolt conveying section 24 is received in the bolt attitude control section 50 . The bolt drop port 34 and the top of the conveyor 23 are arranged adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. A drop hole guide 36 is provided at the bolt drop hole 34 .

The drop port guide 36 is arranged between the front and rear plate-like members 32a and 32b. Both ends of the drop port guide 36 in the front-rear direction are in contact with the opposing surfaces of the plate-like members 32a and 32b. The drop port guide 36 has a right end face in contact with the right side plate 31a, and a left end face forms a drop port guide surface 37. As shown in FIG. The drop port guide 36 is formed so that its length in the Y-axis direction is shortened leftward from the right side plate 31a. That is, the drop port guide surface 37 is inclined from the right front to the left rear.

The bolt tilting part 300 tilts the bolt 9 to move the center of gravity of the bolt 9 in a direction approaching the bolt drop hole 34 , thereby guiding the bolt 9 to the bolt drop hole 34 . The bolt tilting portion 300 is arranged on the upper end surface of the left plate member 220b. The bolt tilting portion 300 has a swinging member 310 , biasing means 320 and a fulcrum portion 330 .

The rocking member 310 has an L-shape and has a first contact portion 311 extending in a direction perpendicular to the advancing direction of the bolt 9 and a second contact portion 312 extending in the advancing direction of the bolt 9 . The first contact portion 311 is arranged on the rear side and extends along the X-axis direction. The second contact portion 312 connects to the left end of the first contact portion 311 and extends forward along the left plate-like member 220b. The swinging member 310 can swing on the XY plane.

The biasing means 320 is, for example, a torsion spring, and both ends are connected to the upper end of the left side plate 31b. The fulcrum portion 330 swingably supports the swing member 310 on the upper end surface of the left plate-like member 220b. The swinging member 310 is urged in a direction opposite to the advancing direction of the bolt 9 with a predetermined urging force by the urging means 320 provided at the fulcrum portion 330 .

The swinging member 310 receives pressure from the bolt 9 and rotates about the Z-axis in the direction in which the bolt 9 advances as the bolt 9 adheres to the bolt conveying portion 24 and is conveyed by the conveyor 23 . When the rocking member 310 rotates, one end of the bolt 9, which is opposite to the advancing direction of the bolt 9, moves rightward toward the bolt drop opening 34, and the bolt 9 is tilted from the advancing direction. When the pressure applied from the bolt 9 is removed, the swinging member 310 is returned to its original position by the biasing force of the biasing means 320 .

The swinging member 310 is flush with the separation surface 26 of the separation guide 25 from the position (original position) where the surface of the first contact portion 311 that contacts the bolt 9 is perpendicular to the advancing direction of the bolt 9 . Rotate to position (disconnect position). In addition, the left side plate 31b has a part of the upper end portion that is notched downward so as not to hinder the rotational movement of the rocking member 310 .

The separating surface 26 and the drop port guide surface 37 face each other in the left-right direction with the opening of the bolt drop port 34 interposed therebetween. The separating surface 26 and the drop opening guide surface 37 are inclined with respect to the YZ plane so that the distance between them in the X-axis direction decreases from the front to the rear. That is, the separation surface 26 and the drop port guide surface 37 are arranged in a substantially V-shape that is closed in the advancing direction of the bolt 9 . The separation surface 26 and the drop hole guide surface 37 are preferably designed with respective inclination angles so that the bolt 9 can be reliably guided to the opening of the bolt drop hole 34 .

The bolt tilting portion 300 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing an example of the operation of the bolt tilting portion. FIG. 5 is a second diagram showing an example of the operation of the bolt tilting portion.

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of a biasing means 320 having a relatively weak biasing force. FIG. 5 shows the case of using biasing means 320 having a relatively strong biasing force. The bolt 9 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is attracted to the bolt conveying portion 24 and conveyed by the conveyer 23 in such a posture that the head thereof faces forward and the screw portion 6 faces backward. In this posture, the central axis C of the bolt 9 approaches the traveling direction (Y-axis direction) of the bolt.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, first, at the top of the conveyor 23, the conveyor 23 conveys the bolt 9 in the advancing direction. At this time, the center of gravity of the bolt 9 is positioned on the center line of the conveyor 23 parallel to the advancing direction of the bolt 9, for example. Then, the bolt 9 conveyed by the conveyor 23 contacts the first contact portion 311 and presses the swinging member 310, thereby rotating the swinging member 310 from the original position to the separation position. As the rocking member 310 rotates, the second contact portion 312 contacts the bolt 9 .

Specifically, the second contact portion 312 of the swinging member 310 that rotates counterclockwise as the screw tip of the bolt 9 abuts the first contact portion 311 abuts the flange portion 7 and contacts the bolt 9 . head to the right. Thus, the center of gravity of the bolt 9 whose head is tilted rightward by the swing member 310 moves to the right of the center line of the conveyor 23 . That is, the bolt tilting portion 300 tilts one end of the bolt 9 toward the bolt drop opening 34 to move the center of gravity of the bolt 9 toward the bolt drop opening 34 .

After that, when the swinging member 310 reaches the separating position, the separating surface 26 separates the bolt 9 from the bolt conveying portion 24 . At this time, since the center of gravity of the bolt 9 has moved toward the bolt drop hole 34, the bolt 9 drops into the opening of the bolt drop hole 34 according to gravity while being guided by the drop hole guide surface 37 of the drop hole guide 36. Then, the swinging member 310 , which is no longer subjected to pressure from the bolt 9 , returns to its original position by the biasing force of the biasing means 320 .

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 5 , when the swinging member 310 returns to its original position, the bolt tilting portion 300 repels the bolt 9 toward the bolt drop opening 34 due to the biasing force of the biasing means 320 . In this case, the bolt 9 bounced off by the bolt tilting portion 300 swings so that the screw tip moves rightward when the head hits the facing surface of the plate member 32a in front. The threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 swayed in this way is regulated from further swaying by coming into contact with the drop port guide surface 37 . As a result, the bolt 9 drops into the opening of the bolt drop port 34 with the central axis C approaching in the Y-axis direction. In this way, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the biasing force of the biasing means 320 is adjusted so that a moderate pressure can be applied to the bolt 9 via the swinging member 310 .

A preferred position for the fulcrum portion 330 of the bolt tilting portion 300 will now be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the fulcrum portion of the tilting portion of the bolt. 6, illustration of the biasing means 320 is omitted. In this embodiment, in order to secure the rotational distance of the swinging member 310, it is preferable to dispose the fulcrum portion 330 provided on the second contact portion 312 at a position closer to the front of the plate member 220b.

FIG. 6 shows two patterns (first pattern and second pattern) of the operation of the bolt tilting portion 300 including the fulcrum portions 330 arranged at different positions. The second pattern illustrates the operation of the bolt tilter 300 with the fulcrum 330 positioned at the preferred location described above. The first pattern shows the operation of the bolt tilting portion 300 in which the fulcrum portion 330 provided at the intersection of the first contact portion 311 and the second contact portion 312 is arranged at a position closer to the rear of the plate member 220b than in the second pattern. ing.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the second pattern, the movement distance of the bolt 9 until the swinging member 310 reaches the separation position from the original position is longer than in the first pattern. In the second pattern, the swinging member 310 rotates with a larger rotation radius, so the rotation distance of the swinging member 310 is longer than in the first pattern. As a result, the rotation speed of the swinging member 310 is slower in the second pattern, so that the inclination of the bolt 9 can be changed slowly over time in the second pattern. Therefore, according to the configuration of the bolt tilting portion 300 shown in the second pattern, the rattling of the bolt 9 that may occur when the bolt 9 is tilted is suppressed, and the bolt 9 is reliably dropped into the bolt drop hole 34 in a more stable posture. can be made

(Overview of bolt alignment unit 4)
Next, referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the outline of the bolt alignment unit 4 will be described. The bolt alignment unit 4 has a slide plate 40, a bolt attitude control section 50, and a bolt extraction section 12 as main components.

The slide plate 40 is a plate-like member formed from the bolt guide block to the bolt extracting portion 12 . The slide plate 40 slopes downward from the rear to the front as it moves away from the bolt guide block. The slide plate 40 has an inclined surface 41 and an inclined rear surface 42 that is the rear surface of the inclined surface 41 . The inclined surface 41 and the inclined rear surface 42 are formed along the inclination direction of the slide plate 40 . The inclined surface 41 faces the outside of the bolt supply device 1 and the inclined back surface 42 faces the inside of the bolt supply device 1 .

The slide plate 40 has the bolt extracting portion 12 on its lower side and a bolt guiding block on its upper side. The slide plate 40 also has grooves 43 for guiding the bolts 9 . When the bolt 9 is loosely fitted in the groove 43 , the bolt 9 moves downward along the groove 43 under the force of gravity while the other end surface of the flange 7 is in contact with the inclined surface 41 .

The groove portion 43 is formed with a width through which the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 passes but through which the flange portion 7 does not pass. The groove portion 43 has a posture control groove 44, a guide groove 47, a first groove 48, and a second groove 49 downward from the upper end. A lower end of the attitude control groove 44 is connected to the guide groove 47 . The guide groove 47 branches into the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 from a branch position 473 at the lower end. That is, the lower end of guide groove 47 is connected to first groove 48 and second groove 49 .

The bolt attitude control unit 50 guides the bolt 9 received from the bolt guide unit 3 to a bolt discharge port 56 while controlling the bolt 9 to a predetermined attitude according to gravity, and discharges the bolt 9 from the bolt discharge port 56 . The bolt extraction part 12 guides the bolt 9 received from the bolt attitude control part 50 through the bolt discharge port 56 downward in a predetermined attitude and supplies it to the bolt extraction position.

Next, details of the bolt attitude control unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. FIG. 7 is a first diagram showing the configuration of the bolt attitude control section. FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing the configuration of the bolt attitude control section. FIG. 9 is a third diagram showing the configuration of the bolt attitude control section. 7 is a view of the bolt attitude control section 50 observed from above in the Z-axis direction. FIG. 8 shows one side (right side) of the bolt attitude control section 50 viewed from the left side in the X-axis direction. FIG. 9 is a view of the bolt attitude control section 50 viewed from the front in the Y-axis direction.

The bolt attitude control section 50 described below is useful for the bolt 9 having a relatively long threaded portion 6 and having a certain amount of weight. A certain amount of weight means a weight that allows the bolt 9 to rotate due to the weight of the threaded portion 6 when the head of the bolt 9 sliding down the attitude control groove 44 hits a step on the floor surface portion 440 . .

The bolt attitude control section 50 is arranged below the bolt drop opening 34 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the bolt attitude control section 50 has two walls 51, two attitude control guides 52, a bolt discharge guide 53, and a bolt discharge port 56. As shown in FIGS.

The two wall portions 51 are erected on the inclined surface 41 of the slide plate 40 with the attitude control groove 44 disposed directly below the bolt drop port 34 sandwiched in the left-right direction. The two wall portions 51 extend in the front-rear direction and face each other across a gap W3 slightly larger than the diameter of the flange portion 7 in the left-right direction. The height of the wall portion 51 is formed longer than the length of the screw portion 6 .

Further, the wall portion 51 is slightly lower than the top of the conveyor 23 at least at the upper end of the range corresponding to the bolt drop opening 34, similarly to the plate member 220a on the right side. Furthermore, the upper end face of the wall portion 51 is inclined downward inward so that the bolt 9 dropped through the bolt drop port 34 can be smoothly received. The two wall portions 51 guide the bolt 9 to the attitude control groove 44 while restricting the inclination of the bolt 9 in the left-right direction.

Here, the groove portion 43 in the bolt attitude control portion 50 is composed of the attitude control groove 44 having the first attitude control groove 45 and the second attitude control groove 46 downward from the upper end. The attitude control groove 44 is formed such that the width W2 of the second attitude control groove 46 is narrower than the width W1 of the first attitude control groove 45 .

FIG. 7 shows a cross section AA of the bolt attitude control portion 50 including the first attitude control groove 45 and a cross section BB of the bolt attitude control portion 50 including the second attitude control groove 46 . The width W1 of the first attitude control groove 45 is formed slightly larger than the diameter D1 of the hexagonal portion 8 and smaller than the diameter D2 of the flange portion 7 . The width W2 of the second attitude control groove 46 is formed to be larger than the diameter D3 of the threaded portion 6 and slightly smaller than the diameter D1 of the hexagonal portion 8 . Therefore, the first attitude control groove 45 is formed with a width W1 through which the threaded portion 6 and the hexagonal portion 8 pass but the flange portion 7 does not pass. Further, the second attitude control groove 46 is formed with a width W2 through which the screw portion 6 passes but the hexagonal portion 8 and the flange portion 7 do not pass.

Therefore, since the gap W3 between the left and right wall portions 51 is larger than the widths W1 and W2 of the attitude control groove 44, the wall portion 51 is arranged apart from the attitude control groove 44. FIG. Here, a portion of the slide plate protruding from the two wall portions 51 toward the posture control groove 44 is referred to as a floor surface portion 440 . The pair of floor surface portions 440 has a symmetrical shape, and is arranged so as to sandwich the posture control groove 44 from the left and right directions.

The floor portion 440 has a first floor portion 441 arranged rearward and a second floor portion 442 arranged forward from the first floor portion 441 . The second floor surface portion 442 is formed to have a larger lateral width than the first floor surface portion 441 and protrudes toward the attitude control groove 44 side. As a result, a step is formed on the floor surface portion 440 at a position corresponding to the boundary between the first attitude control groove 45 and the second attitude control groove 46 .

The two posture control guides 52 are arranged above the second posture control groove 46 , protrude inward from the facing surfaces on the front sides of the left and right wall portions 51 , and are provided symmetrically. The attitude control guide 52 is formed in a substantially triangular shape, and one side is in contact with the rear end surface of the bolt ejection guide 53 .

Also, the attitude control guide 52 has an inclined surface 52a and an inclined surface 52b. The slope 52a is inclined so as to become higher from the rear to the front and to become lower toward the inside. The slope 52 a guides the bolt 9 to the first attitude control groove 45 when the flange portion 7 of the bolt 9 dropped from the bolt drop port 34 comes into contact with the bolt 9 . The slope 52b slopes downward from the rear toward the front and slopes upward toward the inside. The slope 52b is provided toward the bolt outlet 56 from the lower end of the slope 52a.

The bolt ejection guide 53 is arranged between the left and right wall portions 51 in front of the attitude control guide 52 . Both ends of the bolt ejection guide 53 in the left-right direction are in contact with the opposing surfaces of the left and right wall portions 51 . The bolt ejection guide 53 is arranged below the plate-like member 32 a arranged in front, and is provided above the floor portion 440 (second floor portion 442 ) through the bolt ejection port 56 .

The bolt ejection guide 53 is formed in a substantially U-shape with a downwardly opened center portion depressed in the left-right direction. The bolt discharge guide 53 has a base portion 54 provided to connect the upper ends of the left and right wall portions 51 and a pair of restricting portions 55 extending downward from the left and right end portions of the base portion 54 . . The pair of restricting portions 55 face each other across a gap W4 that is larger than the diameter D1 of the hexagonal portion 8 and slightly smaller than the diameter D2 of the flange portion 7 in the left-right direction.

Next, the function of the attitude control guide 52 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining the function of the posture control guide. The pair of posture control guides 52 face each other across a gap W5 that is larger than the diameter D3 of the threaded portion 6 and smaller than the diameter D1 of the hexagonal portion 8 in the left-right direction. The pair of posture control guides 52 regulates the lateral inclination of the threaded portion 6 passing through the gap W5 formed therebetween, thereby moving the bolt 9 so that the center axis C of the bolt 9 approaches the YZ plane. Control your posture. Therefore, the posture control guide 52 is arranged at a height such that the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9, which slides down the posture control groove 44 with the head facing downward, can pass through the gap W5.

Next, an example of the behavior of the bolt 9 passing between the left and right wall portions 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a fourth example of behavior of a bolt passing between walls. 11 to 14 show the wall portion 51, the floor portion 440 (the first floor portion 441 and the second floor portion 442), and one side (right side) of the attitude control guide 52. FIG.

The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 11 is dropped from the bolt drop hole 34 with its head downward. In this case, one end surface of the flange portion 7 contacts the first floor surface portion 441 and slides down while the hexagonal portion 8 is in the first attitude control groove 45 . After that, the bolt 9 hits the step of the floor portion 440 and rotates around the X axis so that the screw tip moves forward around the point of contact between the hexagonal portion 8 and the second floor portion 442 . As the bolt 9 rotates, the screw portion 6 passes through the gap W5 formed between the pair of posture control guides 52, so that the tilt of the bolt 9 in the left-right direction is restricted.

After passing through the gap W5, the bolt 9 is reversed so that the threaded portion 6 faces downward. Then, the bolt 9 slides down with the other end surface of the flange portion 7 coming into contact with the second floor surface portion 442 with the screw portion 6 entering the second attitude control groove 46 , and is discharged from the bolt discharge port 56 .

The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 12 is dropped from the bolt drop hole 34 with the threaded portion 6 downward. In this case, the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 enters the first attitude control groove 45 . Then, the other end surface of the flange portion 7 touches the first floor surface portion 441 and the second floor surface portion 442 , slides down to the bolt discharge port 56 , and is discharged from the bolt discharge port 56 .

The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 13 is dropped from the bolt drop hole 34 with the threaded portion 6 downward, and the flange portion 7 hits the inclined surface 52 a of the posture control guide 52 . In this case, the bolt 9 hitting the slope 52a slides down along the slope 52a while the flange portion 7 is in contact with the slope 52a. The bolt 9 is guided by the slope 52a toward the first attitude control groove 45, and after the screw tip passes through the second attitude control groove 46 toward the first attitude control groove 45, the threaded portion 6 moves toward the first attitude control groove 45. Enter the groove 45 . Then, the other end surface of the flange portion 7 touches the first floor surface portion 441 and the second floor surface portion 442 and slides down to the bolt discharge port 56 , and the bolt 9 is discharged from the bolt discharge port 56 .

Here, for example, in the example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, even if the screw portion 6 hits the first floor portion 441 or the posture control guide 52 before entering the first posture control groove 45, the left and right wall portions 51 , the tilt of the bolt 9 in the left-right direction is generally restricted, so that the screw tip of the threaded portion 6 can be guided to the first attitude control groove 45 .

However, as shown in FIG. 14, there may be a problem that the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 does not enter the attitude control groove 44 . The upper side of FIG. 14 shows the wall portion 51, the floor portion 440 (first floor portion 441 and second floor portion 442), and one side (right side) of the attitude control guide 52 viewed from the left side in the X-axis direction. . In addition, the lower side of FIG. 14 shows a state in which the periphery of the attitude control groove 44 is observed from above in the Z-axis direction.

Since the central axis C of the bolt 9 shown in FIG. 14 is greatly inclined in the left-right direction, the threaded portion 6 does not enter the attitude control groove 44 and the entire bolt 9 slides down while remaining on the floor portion 440 . A bolt discharge guide 53 is provided in the vicinity of the bolt discharge port 56 for such a problem.

Therefore, with reference to FIG. 15, the function of the bolt ejection guide 53 will be described. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing an example of the behavior of the bolt in the vicinity of the bolt discharge port 56. FIG. Note that the upper side of FIG. 15 shows the floor portion 440 and the bolt discharge guide 53 viewed from the left side in the X-axis direction. 15 shows the floor portion 440 and the bolt ejection guide 53 viewed from the front in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 15, when the entire bolt 9 rides on the floor surface portion 440 and slides down, the bolt discharge guide 53 controls the bolt 9 to a predetermined posture.

The bolt ejection guide 53 is arranged above the floor surface portion 440 with a gap H1 therebetween. The gap H<b>1 is the shortest distance from the lower end of the restricting portion 55 to the upper end surface of the floor surface portion 440 and corresponds to the height of the bolt outlet 56 . The gap H1 is slightly smaller than the diameter D2 of the flange portion 7 and larger than the combined thickness of the flange portion 7 and the hexagonal portion 8 .

The bolt 9 can pass through the gap H<b>1 formed between the floor surface portion 440 and the restricting portion 55 when the screw portion 6 is inserted into the posture control groove 44 and the head is turned upward. Therefore, when the bolt 9 is in a posture with the head upward, the other end surface of the flange portion 7 contacts the floor surface portion 440, the bolt 9 slides down, and the head passes through the gap H1, thereby opening the bolt discharge port. The bolt 9 is ejected from 56.

The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 15 slides down with the threaded portion 6 facing forward and the head at the rear tilting to the right. When the entire bolt 9 rides on the floor surface portion 440 , the bolt 9 slides down on the floor surface portion 440 in a state in which the center axis C tilts in the horizontal direction and is substantially parallel to the inclination of the floor surface portion 440 .

When the bolt 9 slides down on the floor surface portion 440, the right end of the flange portion 7 abuts the right restricting portion 55, causing the bolt 9 to swing so that the screw tip moves rightward. Next, the left end of the flange portion 7 of the bolt 9 abuts the left restricting portion 55 . As a result, both ends of the flange portion 7 in the left-right direction come into contact with the left and right restricting portions 55, and the center axis C of the bolt 9 is aligned with the YZ plane, so that the inclination of the bolt 9 in the left-right direction is controlled. . Then, when the bolt 9 swings so that the tip of the screw moves backward and enters the attitude control groove 44 (second attitude control groove 46), the other end surface of the flange portion 7 touches the floor surface portion 440 (second floor surface portion 442). The bolt 9 slides down upon contact and is ejected from the bolt ejection port 56 .

An example in which the bolt attitude control unit 50 keeps the attitude of the bolt 9 constant so that the central axis C is orthogonal to the tilt direction of the slide plate 40 has been described above. The bolt posture control unit 50 controls the bolt 9 dropping into the bolt drop port 34 in various postures, not limited to the above example, to a predetermined posture in which the threaded portion 6 finally enters the groove portion 43 to eject the bolt. The bolt 9 is ejected from the exit 56. The bolt 9 ejected from the bolt ejection port 56 slides down the groove portion 43 in a predetermined posture.

Next, the bolt extraction portion 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. FIG. 16 is a first diagram showing the configuration of the bolt extractor. FIG. 17 is a second diagram showing the configuration of the bolt take-out portion. 16 and 17 show the bolt extraction portion 12 viewed from a direction perpendicular to the tilt direction of the slide plate 40. FIG. 16 is a view of the bolt extracting portion 12 from above, and FIG. 17 is a view of the bolt extracting portion 12 from below.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the slide plate 40 has a bolt extraction portion 12 at its lower portion. The bolt extraction part 12 distributes the bolts 9 while adjusting the speed of the bolts 9 sliding down the groove part 43 and supplies them to predetermined positions.

First, the groove portion 43 in the bolt extracting portion 12 will be described. In the bolt extraction portion 12 , the groove portion 43 has a guide groove 47 connected to the lower end of the second attitude control groove 46 , and further branches from a branch position 473 existing at the lower end of the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 and the second groove 48 . It has grooves 49 . The first groove 48 and the second groove 49 are configured so as to be left-right asymmetrical with respect to the axis A extending through the branch position 473 in the tilting direction of the slide plate 40 .

The widths of the guide groove 47, the first groove 48, and the second groove 49 are larger than the diameter D3 of the screw portion 6 and smaller than the diameter D2 of the flange portion 7. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the guide groove 47, the first groove 48, and the second groove 49 have the same width as the width W2 of the second attitude control groove 46, the screw portion 6 passes through, and the hexagonal portion 8 and It is formed with a width that does not allow the flange portion 7 to pass through.

The guide groove 47 extends downward from the lower end of the second attitude control groove 46 to a branch position 473 and is formed in a substantially S shape. The guide groove 47 has a first curved portion 471 and a second curved portion 472 extending upward from the branch position 473 . The first curved portion 471 is curved so as to protrude from the axis A toward the second groove 49 . At the first curved portion 471 , the speed at which the bolt 9 slides down is increased while controlling the inclination of the bolt 9 . The second curved portion 472 is curved so as to extend upward from the first curved portion 471 and protrude in the opposite direction to the first curved portion 471 . The second curved portion 472 reduces the speed at which the bolt 9 slides down. The guide groove 47 (second curved portion 472) and the attitude control groove 44 (second attitude control groove 46) are connected at the connecting portion 470 at an angle wider than 90 degrees and narrower than 180 degrees. At the connecting portion 470, the speed at which the bolt 9 slides down is slowed down.

The groove portion 43 branched from the branch position 473 is formed so that the second angle θ2 formed between the guide groove 47 and the second groove 49 is smaller than the first angle θ1 formed between the guide groove 47 and the first groove 48 (θ1> θ2). With such a configuration, the bolt 9 can easily flow from the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 . Further, when the bolt 9 flows from the guide groove 47 to the second groove 49 , the bending at the branch position 473 reduces the speed at which the bolt 9 slides down. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the flange portion 7 of the bolt 9 that slides down the second groove 49 from riding on the adjacent bolt 9 .

In this embodiment, the guide groove 47 and the first groove 48 are connected at the branch position 473 so that the first angle is approximately 180 degrees. Also, the guide groove 47 and the second groove 49 are connected at a branch position 473 so that the second angle is approximately 135 degrees. Note that approximately 180 degrees and approximately 135 degrees each include a range of about ±10 degrees.

The first groove 48 and the second groove 49 extend downward from the branch position 473 so as to separate from each other, and then draw a curve to reduce the distance from each other and extend to their lower ends. Furthermore, the upper ends of the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 each have a shape curved outward from the branch position 473 . In this embodiment, each of the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 is set to have a length in which five bolts 9 are aligned.

The bolt extraction section 12 has a swing-by guide 121, a branch guide 123, a distribution section 127, a tool placement section 130, and a cover 131. As shown in FIG.

The swing-by guide 121 is erected on the inclined back surface 42 adjacent to the first curved portion 471 . The swing-by guide 121 has a guide surface 122 extending in a direction perpendicular to the tilt direction of the slide plate 40 along the shape of the outer edge of the first curved portion 471 on the second groove 49 side. The swing-by guide 121 regulates the direction of the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 passing through the first curved portion 471 toward the second groove 49 by the guide surface 122 . If the bolt 9 is of a half-threaded type, the swing-by guide 121 is positioned slightly from the first curved portion 471 in consideration of the fact that the threaded portion is formed to have a larger diameter than the unthreaded portion. are preferably spaced apart.

The branch guide 123 is interposed between the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 and stands on the inclined rear surface 42 . Branch guide 123 has branch guide surfaces 124 and 125 extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of inclination of slide plate 40 along the shape of the inner edge of each of first groove 48 and second groove 49 . The branch guide 123 regulates the direction in which the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 arranged in the first groove 48 moves toward the axis A by means of the branch guide surface 124 . The branch guide 123 regulates the direction of the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 arranged in the second groove 49 toward the axis A by means of the branch guide surface 125 .

Furthermore, the branch guide 123 has a vertex 126 formed in a substantially triangular shape near the branch position 473 . The tip of the apex portion 126 is arranged closer to the second groove 49 than the axis A is. The tip of the vertex portion 126 is a portion where the branch guide surface 124 and the branch guide surface 125 intersect. This positional relationship between the axis A and the vertex 126 facilitates the flow of the bolt 9 from the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 . Further, the branch guide surface 124 and the branch guide surface 125 at the vertex 126 have outwardly curved shapes. As a result, the bolt 9 flows into the first groove 48 or the second groove 49 so as to ride on the vertex portion 126 when passing the branch position 473 .

The distribution part 127 is supported near the branch position 473 of the inclined back surface 42 so as to be rotatable on a plane parallel to the slide plate 40 . Specifically, the inclined back surface 42 has a rotating shaft 129 perpendicular to the slide plate 40 on the outer edge side of the first groove 48 . When the bolt 9 sliding down the guide groove 47 comes into contact with the distribution part 127 , the distribution part 127 receives pressure from the bolt 9 and rotates around the rotation shaft 129 . The allocating portion 127 is composed of a plurality of guide claws 128 radially extending from the rotating shaft 129 in the radial direction. The guide claw 128 has a first contact surface 128a and a second contact surface 128b perpendicular to the slide plate 40, respectively.

The first contact surface 128 a is an end surface of the guide claw 128 that exists in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the distribution portion 127 . The second contact surface 128 b is an end surface of the guide claw 128 that exists in the rotation direction of the distribution portion 127 . The first contact surface 128a is connected to the second contact surface 128b of the guide claw 128 adjacent in the circumferential direction in the same distribution portion 127 . The plurality of guide claws 128 are sequentially sent out to the groove portion 43 side by rotating the distribution portion 127 . The first contact surface 128 a of the guide claw 128 sent out to the groove portion 43 side can come into contact with the bolt 9 arranged at the branch position 473 . Also, the second contact surface 128b of the guide claw 128 sent out to the groove portion 43 side can come into contact with the bolt 9 arranged in the first groove 48 .

In the first state in which the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 arranged in the first groove 48 is in contact with the second contact surface 128b, the distributing portion 127 stops rotating and the first contact surface 128a is in contact with the first contact surface 128b. The entrance of the groove 48 is blocked. That is, the first state is a state in which the first groove 48 is filled with the bolt 9 . The entrance of the first groove 48 means an entrance for the bolt 9 to enter the first groove 48 at the boundary between the guide groove 47 and the first groove 48 . In addition, in the first state, as the first groove 48 is closed, a path leading from the guide groove 47 to the second groove 49 that bends downward is secured.

Also, the distributing portion 127 is rotatable in the second state in which the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 arranged in the first groove 48 is not in contact with the second contact surface 128b. That is, the second state is a state in which the first groove 48 is not filled with the bolt 9 . Thus, the distribution portion 127 prevents the bolt 9 from flowing from the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 in the first state, and prevents the bolt 9 from flowing from the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 in the second state. allow.

The first contact surface 128a is formed with a length equal to or longer than half the width of the first groove 48. As shown in FIG. Also, the first contact surface 128a is preferably formed flat. Thus, in the first state, the distribution portion 127 can block at least part of the entrance of the first groove 48 with the first contact surface 128a. Since the entrance of the first groove 48 blocked by the first contact surface 128 a has a width smaller than the diameter of the threaded portion 6 , the threaded portion 6 cannot pass through the entrance of the first groove 48 .

The second contact surface 128b is preferably formed in a semicircular shape recessed in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the distribution portion 127 . As a result, the distributing portion 127 can guide the bolt 9 from the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 while hooking the screw portion 6 on the second contact surface 128b as it rotates.

In this embodiment, the distribution part 127 has a swastika shape in which four guide claws 128 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. As a result, the bolt supply device 1 can distribute the bolts 9 efficiently.

The tool mounting portion 130 is erected below the inclined surface 41 . The tool placement portion 130 is used for positioning when setting the tool 900 to the bolt supply device 1 . That is, the user sets the tool 900 on the tool placement section 130 .

The cover 131 restricts the movement of the bolt 9 arranged in the area where the cover 131 is provided in the floating direction. The cover 131 is parallel to the direction of inclination of the slide plate 40 and is fixed at a position where it does not come into contact with the heads of the bolts 9 filled in the bolt extracting portion 12 . The cover 131 is made of a transparent material so that the state of the bolt 9 can be observed by the user.

Next, movement of the bolt 9 in the guide groove 47 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20. FIG. 18A and 18B are diagrams showing an example of the behavior of a bolt at a joint. FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the behavior of the bolt at the first curved portion. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of behavior of the bolt in the second curved portion.

FIG. 18 shows one side (right side) of the slide plate 40 in the vicinity of the connecting portion 470 viewed from the left side in the X-axis direction. The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 18 slides down along the attitude control groove 44 and passes through the bolt discharge port 56 , and then hits the outer edge of the curve at the connection portion 470 . The bolt 9 passing through the bolt outlet 56 slides down along the direction of inclination of the slide plate 40 . Therefore, the bolt 9 swings so that the tip of the screw moves forward with the force of contact with the outer edge of the curve. This slows down the bolt 9 at the connection 470 .

FIG. 19 shows a cross section of the slide plate 40 at the second curved portion 472 viewed from the front along the tilt direction of the slide plate 40 . The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 19 swings so that the screw tip of the bolt 9 moves leftward due to the curve at the second curved portion 472 . As a result, the bolt 9 decelerates at the second curved portion 472 .

FIG. 20 shows a cross section of the slide plate 40 and the swing-by guide 121 at the first curved portion 471 viewed from the front along the tilt direction of the slide plate 40 . The bolt 9 shown in FIG. 20 contacts the guide surface 122 of the swing-by guide 121 at the threaded portion 6 when passing through the first curved portion 471 . The direction in which the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 faces the second groove 49 is restricted by the swing-by guide 121 . Therefore, at the first curved portion 471 , the bolt 9 is accelerated by the centrifugal force when passing through the first curved portion 471 while the tilt in the left-right direction is controlled.

In this way, the guide groove 47 allows the bolt 9 to flow gently on the upstream side (the connecting portion 470 and the second curved portion 472), and preferentially guide the bolt 9 into the first groove 48 on the downstream side (the first curved portion 471). The bolt 9 is prevented from flowing into the second groove 49 by allowing the bolt 9 to flow into the second groove 49 .

Next, operation of the distribution unit 127 will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. FIG. FIG. 21 is a first diagram for explaining the operation of the sorting section. FIG. 22 is a second diagram for explaining the operation of the sorting section. 21 and 22 show the positional relationship between the distribution portion 127 and the bolt 9 over time.

21 and 22, the individual bolts B1 to B3 are identified as bolt B1, bolt B2, and bolt B3 in order of sliding down. The guide claws 128 of the distributing portion 127 shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 divide the individual guide claws G1 to G4 into guide claws G1, G2, G3, and G4 clockwise in the rotational direction. separate. In order to grasp the trajectory of the allocating portion 127, the guide claw G3 is provided with hatched dots.

In the following description, it is assumed that the user sets the tool 900 in the bolt supply device 1 with the bolt 9 filled in the bolt extracting portion 12, and the process after the bolt 9 is extracted from the bolt extracting position. do. As the bolts 9 are removed from the bolt removal position, the remaining bolts 9 slide down according to gravity. As a result, the bolt 9 stopped at the branch position 473 and the bolt 9 stopped at two stop positions adjacent to the branch position 473 are eliminated, so that the distribution portion 127 changes from the first state to the second state. do. In the following description, the distribution unit 127 is in the second state between times T1 to T3 and in the first state between times T4 to T8.

The left side of FIG. 21 shows the positional relationship at time T1. At time T1, the new bolt B1 that has passed through the first curved portion 471 flows through the guide groove 47 toward the first groove 48, and the first bolt B1 of the guide claw G1 that blocks the entrance of the first groove 48 at the branching position 473 is pushed. It hits the contact surface 128a. In the second state, when the bolt B1 flowing toward the first groove 48 contacts the first contact surface 128a, a rotational force is applied to the guide claw G1.

The positional relationship at time T2 after time T1 is shown on the right side of time T1. At time T2, the distribution portion 127 starts rotating clockwise due to the pressure from the bolt B1. The bolt B1 crosses the branch position 473 to the left while pressing the guide claw G1. Then, the guide claw G4 moves clockwise so as to follow the bolt B1.

The positional relationship at time T3 after time T2 is shown on the right side of time T2. At time T3, the threaded portion 6 of the bolt B1 enters the depression of the second contact surface 128b of the guide claw G4, and the bolt B1 is guided leftward by the second contact surface 128b of the guide claw G4. As a result, the distribution portion 127 prevents the bolt B1 from flowing to the right toward the second groove 49 .

The positional relationship at time T4 after time T3 is shown on the right side of time T3. At time T4, the bolt B1 guided by the distribution portion 127 reaches the stop position of the first groove 48 adjacent to the branch position 473 and stops. When the bolt B1 is stopped at the stop position of the first groove 48 adjacent to the branch position 473, the first groove 48 is filled with the bolt 9, so the distributing portion 127 stops further rotation. . In the first state where the distribution portion 127 stops rotating, the tip of the guide claw G4 is in contact with the screw portion 6 of the bolt B1. After that, the distribution portion 127 is in the first state in which rotation is stopped until the bolt 9 is extracted from the bolt extraction position of the first groove 48 .

The left side of FIG. 22 shows the positional relationship at time T5 after time T4. At time T5, the next bolt B2 slides down the guide groove 47 toward the first groove 48 and hits the first contact surface 128a of the guide claw G4 blocking the entrance of the first groove 48 at the branch position 473. At time T5, since the distribution portion 127 has stopped rotating, when the bolt B2 comes into contact with the first contact surface 128a of the guide claw G4, the direction in which the bolt B2 flows along the first contact surface 128a is from left to right. turn to

The positional relationship at time T6 after time T5 is shown on the right side of time T5. At time T6, the bolt B2 flows along the first contact surface 128a of the guide claw G4 toward the second groove 49 and crosses the branch position 473 to the right. Then, while being guided by the distribution portion 127, the bolt B2 reaches the stop position of the second groove 49 adjacent to the branch position 473 and stops.

The positional relationship at time T7 after time T6 is shown on the right side of time T6. Furthermore, the positional relationship at time T8 after time T7 is shown on the right side of time T7. At time T7, the next bolt B3 flows through the guide groove 47 toward the first groove 48. As shown in FIG. At subsequent time T8, the bolt B3 reaches the branch position 473 and hits the first contact surface 128a of the guide claw G4 blocking the entrance of the first groove . The bolt B3 stops at the branch position 473 by the contact between the flange portions 7 of the bolt B3 and the bolt B2. At this time, the bolt B1 and the bolt B3 are adjacent to each other via the guide claw B4.

With such a flow, the bolt supply device 1 distributes the bolts B1 to B3. The distributing portion 127 guides the bolt 9 to the first groove 48 or the second groove 49 and distributes it to the left and right, and then stops the bolt 9 at the branch position 473 . Therefore, the bolt supply device 1 can be applied not only when supplying an even number of bolts 9 but also when supplying an odd number of bolts 9 by setting the branch position 473 to one of the bolt extraction positions. can be done.

Next, with reference to FIG. 23, a specific example of the bolt extraction position will be described. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a state in which the bolt extraction portion 12 is filled with bolts. 23 is observed from the same direction as in FIG. 16, and illustration of the slide plate 40 and the cover 131 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 23, the groove portion 43 meanders and extends downward from the slide plate 40 in two directions of the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 from the branch position 473 .

The groove portion 43 has at least one bolt extracting position as a position of the bolt 9 extracted by the tool 900 when the bolt extracting portion 12 is filled with the bolt 9 . The bolt extraction position can be arbitrarily selected from the first stop position 91 a to tenth stop position 92 e and the branch position 473 where the bolt 9 is stopped in the groove 43 .

The first groove 48 has a first stop position 91a to a fifth stop position 91e upward from the lower end of the first groove 48 as a plurality of positions where the bolt 9 stops. The first stop position 91a is a position where the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 abuts on the lower end of the first groove 48 . The second stop position 91b is a stop position of the bolt 9 where the bolt 9 stopped at the first stop position 91a and the flange portion 7 come into contact with each other. A third stop position 91c, a fourth stop position 91d, and a fifth stop position 91e are also set in the same manner.

The second groove 49 has a sixth stop position 92a to a tenth stop position 92e upward from the lower end of the second groove 49 as a plurality of positions where the bolt 9 stops. The sixth stop position 92 a is a position where the threaded portion 6 of the bolt 9 abuts on the lower end of the second groove 49 . The seventh stop position 92b is a stop position of the bolt 9 where the bolt 9 stopped at the sixth stop position 92a and the flange portion 7 come into contact with each other. The eighth stop position 92c, the ninth stop position 92d, and the tenth stop position 92e are similarly set.

The guide groove 47 has a branch position 473 as a position where the bolt 9 stops. The center of the bolt 9 is arranged at the branch position 473 in the guide groove 47 .

In this embodiment, the bolt extraction positions are set at the first stop position 91 a, the sixth stop position 92 a, and the branch position 473 . When the bolt 9 is removed by the tool 900, the bolt 9 disappears from the stop position of the removed bolt 9, so the bolt 9 existing above the removed bolt 9 moves downward in the groove 43 according to gravity. slip down. At this time, the bolt 9 at the branch position 473 flows into the first groove 48 and stops at the fifth stop position 91e.

Here, the shape of the groove portion 43 is such that the bolt 9 arranged at the fifth stop position 91e is closer to the axis A than the bolt 9 arranged at the tenth stop position 92e, and is arranged at the branch position 473. It is preferably designed to stop downwards away from bolt 9 . With such a configuration, the bolt 9 easily flows from the guide groove 47 to the first groove 48 .

In addition, covers 131 are provided in areas corresponding to the second stop position 91b to the fifth stop position 91e and the seventh stop position 92b to the tenth stop position 92e in the bolt extraction portion 12. As shown in FIG. By providing the cover 131 , it is possible to prevent the bolt 9 from floating and riding on the adjacent bolt 9 when the bolt 9 slides down.

Although the configuration of the bolt extracting portion 12 has been described above, the configuration of the bolt extracting portion 12 is not limited to that described above. For example, the bolt extracting positions and the number thereof are appropriately designed according to the tool 900 for setting the bolts 9 . Moreover, the lengths of the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 are not limited to the lengths for aligning the five bolts 9 described above, and are appropriately designed in consideration of the bolt extraction position. The bolt supply device 1 may supply one or more odd-numbered bolts 9 to the tool 900, or may supply two or more even-numbered bolts 9 to the tool 900. good.

As described above, the bolt supply device 1 according to this embodiment has the slide plate 40, the groove portion 43, the distribution portion 127, and the bolt extraction position. The slide plate 40 is arranged obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. The groove portion 43 branches into a first groove 48 and a second groove 49 from a branch position 473 present at the lower end of the guide groove 47 that guides the bolt 9 downward along the inclination direction of the slide plate 40 . A second angle θ2 formed between the guide groove 47 and the second groove 49 is smaller than a first angle θ1 formed between the first groove 48 and the guide groove 48 . The distribution part 127 is rotatably supported near the branch position 473 . A bolt extraction position is set at each lower end of the first groove 48 and the second groove 49 .

Further, the groove portion 43 is formed with a width that allows the screw portion 6 to pass through the slide plate 40 but does not allow the flange portion 7 to pass therethrough. The distributing portion 127 is formed to have a length longer than half the width of the first groove 48, and is arranged in the first groove 48 and the first contact surface 128a capable of contacting the bolt 9 arranged at the branch position 473. It is composed of a plurality of guide claws 128 each having a second contact surface 128b capable of contacting the bolt 9. The distributing portion 127 stops rotating when the bolt 9 arranged in the first groove 48 is in contact with the second contact surface 128b, and the first contact surface 128a closes the entrance of the first groove 48. The bolt 9 arranged in the 1 groove 48 is rotatable when it is not in contact with the second contact surface 128b.

The bolt supply device 1 can control the supply destination of the bolts 9 by changing the direction in which the bolts 9 flow according to the number of the bolts 9 supplied. According to the bolt supply device 1 according to the present embodiment, the bolts 9 can be reliably distributed to a plurality of supply destinations and aligned in a fixed posture without using power. Therefore, the size of the device can be reduced as compared with the case where the bolts 9 are sorted by using power.

Further, in the bolt supply device 1, the first contact surface 128a of the distributing portion 127 is formed flat, and the second contact surface 128b is formed in a semicircular shape recessed in the direction opposite to the rotating direction of the distributing portion 127. be done. Thereby, the direction in which the bolt 9 flows can be reliably controlled.

Further, in the bolt supply device 1, a branch position 473 is further set as a bolt extraction position. As a result, it can be applied to a tool or the like that requires an odd number of bolts 9 .

In the bolt supply device 1 described above, the guide groove 47 includes an axis A extending in the direction of inclination through the branch position 473, a first curved portion 471 curved from the axis A toward the second groove 49, and a first A second curved portion 472 extending upward from the curved portion 471 and curved in the opposite direction to the first curved portion 471 is provided. This allows the bolt 9 to smoothly flow into the first groove 48 by adjusting the speed at which the bolt 9 slides down upstream of the branch position 473 .

Further, the bolt supply device 1 has a swing-by guide 121 on the slide plate 40 having a guide surface 122 extending along the shape of the outer edge of the first curved portion 471 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of inclination. As a result, the bolt 9 can be prevented from wobbling just before the branch position 473 , and the bolt 9 can smoothly flow into the first groove 48 .

In the bolt supply device 1, the slide plate 40 has branch guide surfaces 124 and 125 extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of inclination along the shape of the inner edge of each of the first groove 48 and the second groove 49. It has a branch guide 123 . As a result, the bolts 9 beyond the branch position 473 can be aligned in a correct posture.

Furthermore, the vertex 126 of the branch guide 123 is arranged on the second groove 49 side of the axis A. As shown in FIG. This makes it easier for the bolt 9 to flow into the first groove 48 .

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 bolt supply device 2 bolt conveying unit 3 bolt guiding unit 4 bolt alignment unit 6 threaded portion 7 flange portion 8 hexagonal portion 9 bolt 11 bolt input portion 12 bolt extracting portion 20 base block 23 conveyor 24 bolt conveying portion 25 separation guide 26 separation Surfaces 31a, 31b Side plates 32a, 32b Plate member 33 Top plate 34 Bolt drop hole 36 Drop hole guide 37 Drop hole guide surface 40 Slide plate 41 Inclined surface 42 Inclined back surface 43 Groove 44 Attitude control groove 45 First attitude control groove 46 2 position control groove 47 guide groove 48 first groove 49 second groove 50 bolt position control portion 51 wall portion 52 position control guides 52a, 52b slope 53 bolt discharge guide 54 base portion 55 regulation portion 56 bolt discharge port 121 swing-by guide 122 guide Surface 123 Branching guides 124, 125 Branching guide surface 126 Vertex 127 Dividing portion 128 Guide claw 128a First contact surface 128b Second contact surface 129 Rotary shaft 130 Tool mounting portion 131 Cover 200 Space 210 Bolt storage portions 220a, 220b Plate shaped member 300 bolt tilting portion 310 rocking member 311 first contact portion 312 second contact portion 320 biasing means 330 fulcrum portion 440 floor portion 441 first floor portion 442 second floor portion 470 connecting portion 471 first curved portion 472 2 curved portion 473 branch position 900 tool 901 base portion 902 knob portion 903 socket portion

Claims (7)

A bolt supply device for supplying a bolt having a head portion including a flange portion and a threaded portion projecting from the flange portion to a bolt extraction position,
a slide plate arranged obliquely with respect to the vertical direction;
It branches into a first groove and a second groove from a branch position existing at the lower end of the guide groove that guides the bolt downward along the inclination direction of the slide plate. a groove portion in which a second angle formed by the guide groove and the second groove is smaller than one angle;
a distribution unit rotatably supported near the branch position;
the bolt extraction position set at each lower end of the first groove and the second groove;
The groove is
The slide plate has a width through which the screw portion passes and the flange portion does not pass through,
The distribution unit is
A first contact surface which is formed to have a length equal to or longer than half the width of the first groove and is capable of contacting the bolt arranged at the branch position, and a second contact surface capable of contacting the bolt arranged in the first groove. A plurality of guide claws having a contact surface,
When the bolt placed in the first groove is in contact with the second contact surface, rotation is stopped and the first contact surface closes the entrance of the first groove;
The bolt feeding device is rotatable in a state in which the bolt arranged in the first groove is not in contact with the second contact surface. The bolt extraction position is
2. The bolt supply device according to claim 1, further set at said branch position. The first contact surface is formed flat,
The bolt feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second contact surface is formed in a semi-circular shape recessed in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the allocating portion. The guide groove is
an axis extending in the tilt direction through the branch location;
a first curved portion curved from the shaft toward the second groove;
The bolt feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second curved portion extending upward from the first curved portion and curved in a direction opposite to the first curved portion. The slide plate is provided with a swing-by guide having a guide surface extending in a direction orthogonal to the tilt direction along the shape of the outer edge of the first curved portion,
5. The bolt feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the swing-by guide regulates the direction in which the threaded portion faces the second groove. The slide plate is provided with a branch guide having branch guide surfaces extending in a direction orthogonal to the tilt direction along the shapes of the inner edges of the first groove and the second groove,
The bolt feeding device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the branch guide regulates a direction in which the threaded portion faces the shaft. 7. The bolt feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the branch guide has a vertex located closer to the second groove than the shaft in the vicinity of the branch position.

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