JP2512597B2 - Button feeder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention is designed to individually move the buttons supplied from a button supply section horizontally while keeping a constant interval and supply the buttons to a predetermined button holding section. The present invention relates to a button supply device.

[Prior Art] The applicant has previously proposed and implemented a button supply device as shown in FIGS. 5 to 10.

This button supply device is completely different from the conventional concept of the button supply device in which the button is slid and dropped obliquely downward by its own weight to carry it, and the button sent out from the button supply unit is moved along the horizontal carrying path. It is forcibly transported.

 The outline of this prior art will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the overall structure of this prior art. In the figure, 12 is a button sewing machine installed on a workbench 11, and button B is attached to the sewing machine bed 12
A pair of button holding arms 12b, 12b that are held horizontally on a are provided so as to be able to move up and down.

Similarly, 13 is a cylindrical button supply part fixed on the work table 11, and the button B stored in the bottom surface part 13a thereof is lifted by a predetermined slight vibration along the spiral passage 13b formed on the inner wall surface. Finally, the button B is sequentially and continuously delivered from the delivery port 13c with the surface thereof facing upward.

Reference numerals 17 and 20 move the button sent from the button supply unit 13 along the first and second horizontal arcuate paths O1 and O2 to the transport position terminal end P1 set to the side of the sewing machine. It is a second horizontal transport mechanism.

The first horizontal transport mechanism 17 is a disc-shaped first rotary plate 14 that is held horizontally via a motor 15 fixed on the workbench 11, and is fitted to the rotary plate 14 from below. It is composed of a thin cylindrical first support 16 and has a shape as shown in FIG. That is, one button insertion notch 14a is provided at the peripheral edge of the first rotary plate 14.
A plurality of holes (here, four holes) are provided, and these notches 14a are arranged so as to sequentially stop in the vicinity of the outlet 13c of the button supplier 13 when the first rotary plate 14 is intermittently stopped. Has been done.

The first support 16 has a thin cylindrical shape with a circular bottom 16a and an annular protrusion 16b protruding from the periphery of the bottom 16a. The annular projection 16b is formed with the button introduction port 16b1, and the bottom 16a has a cutout portion rotated 180 degrees from the button introduction port 16b1 when the first rotating plate 14 is intermittently stopped. A first carry-out port 16a1 is formed at a position communicating with 14a, that is, at the end of the first horizontal arcuate path O1.

Further, the second transport mechanism 20 is horizontally held by a motor 22 fixed to the workbench 11 so as to partially overlap the lower surface of the first support body 16, and is synchronized with the first rotary plate 14. hand
It is composed of a second rotary plate 21 that rotates intermittently every 1/8 rotation and a disc-shaped second button support 23 that is held so as to overlap with the lower surface of the second rotary plate 21. It has a shape as shown in the figure. That is, in the second rotary plate 21,
Eight through holes 21a are formed at regular intervals and each through hole 2
1a has an opening diameter larger than the opening size of the notch 14a in the first rotary plate 14. And these through holes
21a is adapted to intermittently stop at the first carry-out port 16a1 of the first support 16. In addition, the second rotary plate 21
A second carry-out port 23a, which communicates with the through hole 21a when the second rotary plate 21 is intermittently stopped, is formed in the peripheral edge portion of the first rotary port 21 from the first carry-out port. It is installed at a position rotated by 180 °.

Reference numeral 26 is an arm drive motor fixed to the side surface of the support base 27, and 28 is a revolving arm that is reciprocally rotated by the arm drive motor 26.
As shown in (b), four locking pins are provided,
The locking pin 28a reciprocates within a range from immediately below the second carry-out port 23a of the second support 23 to the button holding portion 12b of the sewing machine 12.

Reference numeral 29 is a rod-shaped button position correcting member which is held by the support base 27 so as to be vertically movable and rotatable. The button position correcting member 29 is connected to a cylinder rod 32a of a cylinder 32 via link members 30 and 31, and is connected to a rotating shaft 35a of a motor 35 via gears 33 and 34. The second rotary plate 21 is interlocked with the forward / backward movement of the rod 32a.
It is adapted to move up and down on the carry-out position P1 and to be rotated according to the rotation of the rotating rod 35a.

 Next, the operation will be described based on the above configuration.

The buttons B sent from the outlet 13c of the button supply unit 13 are first fitted into the notches 14a formed in the first rotary plate 14 one by one, and the lower surface thereof is supported by the first support 16. To be done. And, those buttons B are the first rotary plate 14
It is conveyed along the first horizontal arcuate path O1 by the intermittent rotation operation, reaches the first carry-out port 16a1 at the time when it is rotated 180 degrees from the delivery port 13c, and is rotated downward from here by the second rotation. The second rotary plate 21 drops into the through hole 21a of the plate 21.
It is conveyed along the second horizontal arcuate path O2 by intermittent rotation movement. Then, when the second rotary plate 21 rotates 180 ° from the first carry-out port position, it reaches the formation position of the second carry-out port 23a, that is, the end P1 of the horizontal arcuate path O2, and waits downward from here. It is held on the locking pin 28a of the pivot arm 28. Then, due to the operation of the cylinder 32 and the motor 35, the button position correction member 29 located above the carry-out position P1 is rotated and lowered, and pressed against the button B to be pressed against the button B.
To rotate. As a result, the button sewing hole of the button B is fitted and fitted to the locking pin 28a, and is firmly held by the revolving arm 28.

After that, the revolving arm 28 is horizontally rotated in the direction of arrow C by the motor 26, and the button B held by the revolving arm 28 is held by the button holding portion 12.
Hold by pressing between b and 12b.

As described above, in the above-mentioned prior art, the button carried out from the button supply unit is used for the first and second horizontal transport mechanisms 1.
Since it is designed to be forcibly transported along 7,20,
It is possible to eliminate clogging of the button in the transport path and to realize an appropriate and reliable button supply operation, as compared with the conventional button supply device in which the button is obliquely conveyed by its own weight. .

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the following problems have not been solved in the above-described prior art.

That is, in recent sewing factories and the like, with the diversification of tastes of users, there is a demand for high-mix low-volume production, and there is a tendency for smaller lots to be produced. Therefore, it is desirable for the button supply device to be able to quickly change the button to be supplied according to the type of product.

However, in the above device, since the opening size of the notch 14a formed in the first rotary plate 14 is constant, when the diameter of the button to be supplied is changed in accordance with the change of the sewn product, Since it is necessary to change to a rotating plate with a cutout of a size suitable for the diameter of the button, the replacement work requires a lot of time and effort, so this is frequently done in a small variety of small products. There was a problem that it could not be adequately adapted to production. However, the notch formed in the rotary plate 14
If you set the opening size of 14a to the maximum diameter of the applicable button, you can receive and transport the button,
In this case, when small-diameter buttons are applied, the same number of buttons sent from the supply unit may be inserted into the same cutout. Therefore, it is necessary to set the cutout portion 14a formed in the first rotary plate 14 to an appropriate opening size according to the button diameter.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a button supply device that can appropriately convey a plurality of types of buttons having different diameters, not limited to buttons having a specific diameter.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention relates to a button supply device in which a button delivered from a button supply device is conveyed along first and second horizontal arcuate paths by first and second conveyance mechanisms. In the first transport mechanism, a first support for horizontally supporting the button sent from the terminal of the button unloading position in the first horizontal arcuate path, and the first support by a predetermined driving means. And a first rotating plate formed by intermittently rotationally moving the upper surface of the body and forming notches with different opening sizes along the peripheral edge with predetermined intervals, respectively,
A second support member for supporting the button carried out from the first transport path in the second transport path, the second transport mechanism, and the second transport mechanism in synchronization with the first rotary plate. While intermittently rotating on the second support body by a predetermined angle, the button insertion holes having an opening size equal to or larger than the maximum notch of the notches formed on the first rotary plate are equally spaced on the peripheral edge. And a second rotary plate formed in the above.

Further, a cover body that is rotatably fitted to the first rotary plate and covers the peripheral surface of the first rotary plate is fixed by a predetermined fixing member, and the first surface is attached to the peripheral surface portion of the cover body. A plurality of openings that can selectively communicate with one type of cutouts having the same opening size among the cutouts of the rotating plate may be formed at predetermined intervals.

[Operation] Since the first rotary plate in the present invention is formed with the cutout portions having different diameters, for example, when the button is changed from the large diameter one to the small diameter one, By releasing the fixed state of the rotary plate and fixing the cutout corresponding to the changed button to the carry-out port of the button supply unit again, the cutout will always stop at the carry-out port due to the intermittent rotation of the first rotary plate. To do. Thus, the changed buttons can be sequentially conveyed by the first rotating plate properly.

Further, by providing a cover body for covering the upper surface and the peripheral surface of the rotating plate so as to cover the unnecessary notch, the button continuously sent from the button supply unit is unnecessary during the rotation of the first rotating plate. It is possible to eliminate the possibility of inserting into a notch,
The buttons can be conveyed more accurately.

[Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The same or corresponding parts as those of the above-mentioned prior art are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 60 denotes a first transport mechanism for transporting the button sent from the button supply unit 13 along the first horizontal arcuate path O1 shown in the above-mentioned prior art, and is shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. It is configured as shown. That is, 61 is a fixed plate as a first support, and is horizontally held by a plate screw 63 on the upper surface of a fixed base 62 fixed on the support 11a.
The fixed plate 61 has an arc-shaped bottom surface portion 61a and a vertically rising rising portion 61b formed on the periphery thereof, and the bottom surface portion 61a is formed along the first arc-shaped path O1 and has one end portion. A button carry-out port 61a1 is formed between and the other end. Further, a button introduction port 61b1 is formed in the rising portion 61b at a position facing the delivery port 13c of the button supply unit.

64 is a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the fixed base 62,
It is located at the center of the first arcuate path O1 and is adapted to be intermittently rotated every 90 ° by a predetermined driving means housed in the fixed base 62.

Reference numeral 65 denotes a rotating body fixed to the rotating shaft 64, and this rotating body has a positioning pin 65a as an engaging portion protruding upward.
Is protruding.

66 is the first fixed to the upper surface of the rotary plate 65 with screws 66A
It is a rotary plate and is located on the upper surface of the fixed plate 61. The peripheral portion of the first rotary plate 66 has three types of notches with different diameters.
66a, 66b, 66c are formed at 90 ° intervals, respectively, and inside thereof, three as engaged parts to be selectively engaged with the positioning pin 65a protruding from the rotating body 65. Through holes 67a, 67b, 67c are formed. The through holes 67a, 67b, 67c are formed at the positions corresponding to the cutouts 66a, 66b, 66c, respectively, and the positioning pin 65a is formed.
On the other hand, when the through hole 67a is engaged, the notch 66a faces the delivery port 13c of the button supply unit 13, and when the through hole 67b is engaged, the notch 66b is the delivery port. Facing 13c,
When the through hole 67c is engaged, the notch 66c is formed in the delivery port 13
It is designed to face c.

Further, 68 is a thin cylindrical lid body which is fitted in the cylindrical portion 66B of the first rotary plate 66 so as to be movable up and down and can be fixed at an arbitrary height with a screw 69. In the department,
Horizontal portions 68a, 68 inserted into the respective cutout portions 66a, 66b, 66c.
b and 68c are formed every 90 °.

Reference numeral 70 denotes a cover body that covers the outer periphery of the first rotating plate 66, is rotatable along the outer peripheral surface of the first rotating plate 66, and is fixed to the rotating body 65 by a screw 71. It can be fixed in a rotating position. Further, the peripheral surface portion 70a of the cover body 70 is formed with four opening portions 70b at every 90 °, and these opening portions 70b are formed in various cutout portions formed in the first rotary plate 66. By communicating with the predetermined cutouts, the other two cutouts are covered by the peripheral surface portion 70a.

The other structure is the same as that of the prior art, but the second rotary plate 21 of the second rotary transfer mechanism 20 is the same.
The diameter of the through hole 21a is set to be equal to or larger than the diameter of the cutout portion 66a having the largest diameter among the cutout portions 66a, 66b, 66c.

In the button supply device configured as described above, the first rotating plate 66 has a predetermined opening size which is intermittently rotated by 90 ° by the driving means and communicates with the opening 70b of the cover body 70. Notch (for example, 66a) is the outlet 1 of the supply unit 13
The buttons B are sequentially stopped at positions facing the 3c, and the buttons B from the button supply unit 13 are fed into the notches 66c one by one, and the buttons B are conveyed along the first horizontal arcuate path O1. At this time, since the other cutouts 66b, 66c formed on the first rotary plate 66 are covered by the outer peripheral surface 70a of the cover body 70, the button B is not inserted into them and the cutouts are not formed. It is conveyed to the terminal end portion of the first path O1 at proper timing while maintaining a constant interval only by 66a.

Then, the button reaching the end of the first horizontal arcuate path O1 is conveyed along the second horizontal arcuate path O2 by the second rotary plate 21 and then swung, as in the prior art described above. It is supplied to the button sewing machine 12 by the arm 28.

Here, when it becomes necessary to change the diameter of the button to be supplied due to the change of the sewn product or the like, change the fixing positions of the first rotary plate 66 and the cover body 70 as follows. To do.

First, the screw 66A is released to remove the first rotary plate 66 and the lid body 68 from the rotary shaft 64, and a notch portion having an opening size suitable for the button diameter to be supplied is selected, and corresponding to the notch portion. The through hole is inserted into the positioning pin 65a, and is fixed again with a screw. As a result, one of the necessary notches is set at a position facing the delivery port 13c of the button supply unit 13. Then, next, the screw 71 fixing the cover body 70 is released, and the opening 70b is made to match the required notch,
The screw 71 is fixed to the first rotating plate 66.

In this way, by changing the fixed positions of the first rotary plate 66 and the cover body 70, buttons with different diameters can be always conveyed in the notches that match them, and a good conveyance state can be obtained. Obtainable.

Further, in this embodiment, the horizontal portions 68a, 68b, 68c of the lid 68 are
Engage with the notches 66a, 66b, 66c of the first rotary plate 66, respectively, and prevent the button from popping out from the notches, and the fixing position of the lid 68 is
Since it is adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the first rotating body 66 and the distance between the horizontal portion 68a and the fixed plate 61 can be adjusted by the screw 69, various buttons can be applied.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, the case where three types of cutouts 66a, 66b, 66c are formed in the first rotary plate 66 has been described as an example, but it is also possible to form three or more types of cutouts. Also, the intervals between the various cutouts are not limited to 90 °,
It may be formed at other angles.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the button supply device according to the present invention, the button supplied from the button supply unit has the first rotary plate for carrying along the first horizontal arcuate path, Different types of cutouts are formed at equal intervals, and this is used selectively to convey the buttons, so even if the button diameter to be supplied is changed due to changes in sewing products, etc. It is possible to obtain a proper transport state at the notch portion suitable for the diameter of the button without replacing any component, and it is possible to greatly improve the work efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

, FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional front view showing the main part of the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of what is shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a plan view of what is shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of what is shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a front view of what is shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a first view of what is shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the transport mechanism, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the second transport mechanism shown in FIG. 5, and FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b) are plan views showing the tip end portion of the revolving arm. FIG. In the figure, 13 ... Button supply section 13c ... Outlet 20 ... Second transport mechanism 21 ... Second rotating plate 23 ... Second button support 60 ... First transport mechanism 61 ... 1 support 65 ...... Rotating body 65a ...... Positioning pin (engaging portion) 66 ...... 1st rotating plate 66a ...... Notch 66b ...... Notch 66c ...... Notch 66A ...... Fixing member 71 ...... Fixing member 67a …… Through hole (engaged portion) 67b …… Through hole (engaged portion) 67c …… Through hole (engaged portion) 70 …… Cover body 70b …… Opening O1 …… First Horizontal arc path O2 …… Second horizontal arc path B …… button

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --Continued from the front page (56) References JP-A-4-26442 (JP, A) JP-A-4-166182 (JP, A) JP-A-4-187175 (JP, A) JP-A-4- 54992 (JP, A) JP 4-26441 (JP, A) JP 3-103287 (JP, A) JP 3-103289 (JP, A) JP 3-103288 (JP, A) Japanese Patent Publication Sho 55-25876 (JP, B2)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A button supply unit for sequentially sending out buttons one by one with its surface facing upwards from a predetermined delivery port, and each button that is sequentially sent out from the delivery port of the button supply unit with a fixed interval. And a button transport mechanism for moving the button along the horizontal arc-shaped path and unloading the button at the end of the transfer position of the horizontal arc-shaped path. In the button supply device configured to horizontally move to a button holding position to supply the button, the button transport mechanism causes the button delivered from the outlet of the button supply unit to form a first horizontal arc-shaped path set on a horizontal plane. A first transport mechanism for moving along the first transport mechanism, and a button transported by the first transport mechanism along a second horizontal arc-shaped path continuous to the end of the first arc-shaped path. And a second support mechanism for moving the first transfer mechanism, wherein the first transfer mechanism horizontally supports the button sent from the end of the button carry-out position in the first horizontal arcuate path. A first rotary plate formed by intermittently rotatively moving the upper surface of the first support and forming notches having different opening sizes along a peripheral edge with predetermined intervals, respectively. The button ejected from the first conveyance path is replaced by the second
And a second button support body that is supported in the transport path of the first rotation plate, and is intermittently rotated on the second support body at a predetermined angle in synchronization with the first rotation body, and is formed on the first rotation plate. A button supply device, comprising: a second rotary plate having button insertion holes having an opening diameter equal to or larger than the maximum notch of the notch formed at the peripheral edge at equal intervals. 2. A cover body that is rotatably fitted to the first rotary plate and covers the peripheral surface of the first rotary plate is fixed by a predetermined fixing member, and the cover body is fixed to the peripheral surface portion of the cover body. First
2. The button supply device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of openings that can selectively communicate with one type of cutouts having the same opening size among the cutouts of the rotary plate are formed at predetermined intervals. 3. The first rotating plate is detachably fixed to a rotating body which is intermittently rotated by a driving means by a predetermined fixing member, and selectively engages with an engaging portion provided on the rotating body. A plurality of engageable parts that can be fitted together are selected, and by selecting an engagement position between the engaging part and the rotating body, a cutout part corresponding to the selection is formed at the time of intermittent stop of the first rotary plate. The button supply device according to claim 1, wherein the button supply device can be opposed to the delivery port of the button.