JP2564833Y2 - Aligning and transporting device for connecting rods - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting rod aligning / conveying apparatus for aligning / conveying a connecting rod by a conveyor in an automatic processing line for engine parts of an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A connecting rod, which is one of engine parts of an automobile, is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the connecting rod 1 is provided with a large end 2 at one end of the rod and a small end 3 at the other end. The large end portion 2 is divided into two semicircular shapes, and is integrally assembled with two bolts 4 and nuts 5.

By the way, the connecting rod 1 is formed by casting, and after assembling as described above, both surfaces of the large end 2 and the inner surface of the hole are polished by a rough grinder, and then the large end 2 is polished.
And the small end part 3 is polished by a finish polishing machine. When the polishing is completed, the large end 2
And the inside diameter of the small end 3 is measured. If the measured value is within the range of the reference value, the process is transferred to the next step. If the measured value is out of the range of the reference value, the finish polishing step is performed again. Feedback and repolishing have been done.

Normally, in the polishing step, four rough polishing machines and finish polishing machines are arranged side by side, and the four connecting rods 1 are simultaneously polished. The four connecting rods 1 to be conveyed from the front end are aligned at predetermined intervals so that the automatic transfer device for transferring to the polishing process can be smoothly transferred.

Here, a description will be given of the connecting rod aligning / transporting device, as shown in FIGS. That is, reference numeral 11 denotes a rectangular base, and the base 11 is provided with a support frame 12 along its longitudinal direction.

Rotation shafts 13 a and 13 b are rotatably supported by bearings 14 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 12. A drum 15 is fitted to the rotating shafts 13a and 13b, and an endless conveyor 16 is stretched between the two drums 15.

[0007] One end of the one rotating shaft 13a protrudes to the side of the support frame 12, and a driven sprocket 17 is fitted to this protruding portion. This driven sprocket 1
A motor 18 is fixed to the base 11 located in the vicinity of 7, and a driving sprocket 20 is fitted to a rotating shaft 19 of the motor 18.

A chain 21 extends between the driving sprocket 20 and the driven sprocket 17, and transmits the torque of the motor 18 to the rotating shaft 13a. Therefore, the drum 15 rotates via the rotating shaft 13a,
The conveyor 16 stretched around the drum 15 runs in the direction of arrow a.

A pair of guide rails 22 are provided on both sides of the conveyor 16 in parallel. This guide rail 2
2 is attached to the support frame 12 via a bracket 23 so as not to interfere with the conveyor 16 and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the conveyor 16. The connecting rod 1 placed on the upper surface of the conveyor 16 is conveyed with its large end 2 in front, and is arranged and conveyed in a row by a guide rail 22.

A stopper 24 as a gate is provided at the forefront end of the conveyor 16 in the transport direction. The stopper 24 is composed of two fixed blocks 25 attached to the guide rails 22 and two stopper bolts 26 whose distal ends are screwed into the fixed blocks 25 and whose heads 26 a oppose in the transport direction of the connecting rod 1. It is configured.

The distance between the two stopper bolts 26 coincides with the distance between the two bolts 4 for assembling the large end 2 of the connecting rod 1. Stopper bolt 2
6 is stopped by abutment. That is, since the conveyor 16 is always running, when the conrod 1 comes into contact with the stopper 24, the conrod 1 slides on the upper surface of the conveyer 16.

Further, when the conveyor rod 1 stops in contact with the stopper 24, a guide hole 27 is formed in the guide rail 22 facing both sides of the small end 3 of the conrod 1 in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor 16. A position regulating pin 28 is inserted into the guide hole 27 so as to be able to advance and retreat.

The tip of the position regulating pin 28 is
A thin cylinder 2 opposed to the side of the small end 3 of the upper connecting rod 1 and having a base end fixed to the outside of the guide rail 22.
9 are connected to the rod 30. By projecting the position regulating pin 28 via the rod 30 of the thin cylinder 29, the small end 3 of the connecting rod 1 is pressed from both sides thereof to adjust the posture of the connecting rod 1.

The first to fourth gates 31a are located behind the position regulating pins 28, that is, behind the conveyor 16 in the transport direction.
To 31d are provided at predetermined intervals. Since the first to fourth gates 31a to 31d have the same structure,
The gate 31a will be described with reference to FIG.

That is, a support plate 32 fixed to the support frame 12 is provided below the conveyor 16, and an air cylinder 33 for raising and lowering a gate plate 41, which will be described later, has a rod 34 on the support plate 32. It is fixed vertically upward. The rod 34 protrudes upward through a through hole 35 of the support plate 32, and a support arm 36 is fixed to a tip portion thereof.

Both ends of the support arm 36 are connected to the conveyor 1
6 extend outwardly from the guide rails 22 provided on both sides, and the lower end of the support shaft 37 is fixed to both ends. These support shafts 37 are perpendicular to the guide rail 2.
The intermediate portion is supported by a guide plate 38 fixed to the support frame 12 slidably in the axial direction.

A support plate 39 is provided on the upper ends of the pair of support shafts 37, and one end of the support plate 39 has an extension 40 extending outside the support frame 12. A gate plate 41 is fixed to the lower surface of the support plate 39 located between the pair of support shafts 37.

The gate plate 41 is inserted between the two guide rails 22 when descending, and protrudes to a position close to the upper surface of the conveyor 16.
When is lowered, the connecting rod 1 placed and conveyed on the conveyor 16 can be stopped, and when ascending, the connecting rod 1 can be separated from the upper surface of the conveyor 16 and passed therethrough.

The tip of the gate plate 41 is screwed into the gate plate 41 in the same manner as the stopper 24 described above, and the head 42a is opposed to the connecting rod 1 in the transport direction.
The stopper bolt 42 is provided. And this 2
The interval between the two stopper bolts 42 matches the interval between the two bolts 4 for assembling the large end 2 of the connecting rod 1,
The connecting rod 1 conveyed by the conveyer 16 is stopped when the bolt 4 contacts the stopper bolt 42. That is, since the conveyor 16 is always running, when the connecting rod 1 comes into contact with the gate plate 41, the connecting rod 1 slides on the upper surface of the conveyor 16.

The upper end of the lifting rod 43 is fixed to the extension 40 of the support plate 39, and the lower end is
Extending vertically downward along the outer surface of the. And
At the lower end of the lifting rod 43, two upper and lower doctors 44a,
4b is fixed, and the intermediate portion is slidably supported in the axial direction by a guide plate 45 fixed to the support frame 12.

The support frame 1 located on the side of the lifting rod 43
2, a switch mounting plate 46 is fixed, and the switch mounting plate 46 is provided with an upper limit switch 47a and a lower limit switch 47b. When the gate plate 41 is lowered by the air cylinder 33, the dock 44b turns on the lower limit switch 47b, and it can be confirmed that the gate plate 41 is at the position where the connecting rod 1 is stopped. 44a is the upper limit switch 4
7a is turned on, and it can be confirmed that the gate plate 41 is at a position where the connecting rod 1 can pass.

The first gate 31a thus configured
When the connecting rod 1 comes into contact with the gate plate 41 of the connecting rod 1 and stops, a position restricting pin 48 having the same structure as the above-described position restricting pin 28 is provided on the guide rail 22 opposing both sides of the small end 3 of the connecting rod 1. This is a thin cylinder 49 fixed to the outside of the guide rail 22.
The small end 3 of the connecting rod 1, which is driven forward and backward, comes into contact with the gate plate 41 and stops, is pressed from both sides to adjust the posture of the connecting rod 1.

Further, when the connecting rod 1 abuts against the stopper 24 and stops at one of the guide rails 22 located in the vicinity of the stopper 24 at the foremost end of the conveyor 16 in the transport direction, the nut at the large end 2 thereof A proximity switch 50 is provided so as to face the side of the switch 5. Similarly the first
Proximity switches 50 are also provided near the fourth gates 31a to 31d so as to face the side of the nut 5 of the large end 2 when the gates 41 stop in contact with the gate plate 41.

Then, it is possible to confirm whether or not a plurality of connecting rods 1 are carried one by one into the stopper 24 and the first to fourth gates 31a to 31d, respectively, ie, whether or not the connecting rod 1 is present. I have.

According to the connecting rod aligning / conveying apparatus thus constructed, the driving sprocket 20 is rotated by the driving of the motor 18, and this rotation is transmitted to the driven sprocket 17 via the chain 21. Therefore, the drum 15 rotates via the rotating shaft 13a that rotates integrally with the driven sprocket 17, and the belt 16 stretched between the drums 15 runs in the direction of arrow a.

When the rods 34 project by simultaneously operating the air cylinders 33 of the first to fourth gates 31a to 31d, the support shaft 37 is raised via the support arm 36, and the support plate 39 is raised. Accordingly, the gate plate 41 fixed to the support plate 39 is raised, so that the gate plate 41 is separated from the upper surface of the conveyor 16 so that the conrod 1 on the conveyor 16 can pass through as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Evacuate to At this time, since the lift rod 43 also moves up, the dock 44a turns on the upper limit switch 47a, so that it can be confirmed that the gate plate 41 has retreated from the conveyor 16.

In this state, when the connecting rod 1 is intermittently supplied from the carry-in side A of the conveyor 16 with its large end 2 in front, the connecting rod 11 is placed on the upper surface of the conveyor 16 and guided by the guide rail 22. While being transported to the unloading side B. The foremost connecting rod 1 is the fourth gate 31d,
When passing through the lower part of the gate plate 41 in the order of the third gate 31c and reaching the stopper 24 at the forefront end in the transport direction, the two bolts 4 of the large end 2 of the connecting rod 1 contact the stopper bolt 26 and stop. I do.

When the connecting rod 1 comes into contact with the stopper 24 and stops, the nut 5 of the connecting rod 1 is moved to the proximity switch 50.
And the proximity switch 50 is turned on to confirm that the connecting rod 1 has been carried in.
Is actuated, and the position regulating pin 28 protrudes to press both sides of the small end 3 of the connecting rod 1 to regulate the position.

When the foremost connecting rod 1 is carried into a predetermined position in this manner, the air cylinder 33 of the first gate 31a operates and the rod 34 is retracted. Accordingly, the support shaft 37 is lowered via the support arm 36 and the support plate 39 is also lowered, so that the gate plate 41 fixed to the support plate 39 is lowered, and the gate plate 41 is moved as shown by a solid line in FIG. , Inserted between the guide rails 22 and close to the upper surface of the
The gate is closed so that the connecting rod 1 on 6 cannot pass. At this time, the lifting rod 43 is also lowered, and the dock 44b turns on the lower limit switch 47b. Therefore, it can be confirmed that the gate plate 41 is close to the upper surface of the conveyor 16 and is in the gate closed position.

Accordingly, the connecting rod 1 secondly carried in from the carrying-in side A stops when the two bolts 4 at the large end 2 thereof come into contact with the stopper bolts 42. Connecting rod 1
When the nut abuts against the stopper 42 and stops, the nut 5 of the connecting rod 1 approaches the proximity switch 50 and the proximity switch 5
0 is turned on, and it is confirmed that the connecting rod 1 has been carried in. At the same time, the thin cylinder 49 operates and the position regulating pin 4
8 protrudes and presses both sides of the small end 3 of the connecting rod 1 to regulate the position.

Thus, the second gate 31b and the third gate 31b
The gates 31c are sequentially operated in the same manner to close the gates, so that the four connecting rods 1 can be stopped and positioned on the upper surface of the conveyor 16 at predetermined intervals, and when the four connecting rods 1 are aligned. The fourth gate 31d operates to close the gate, stop the subsequent loading of the connecting rod 1, and wait for the next alignment conveyance.

On the other hand, the four connecting rods 1 which are aligned and conveyed on the upper surface of the conveyor 16 are gripped by the transfer device and transferred to the following polishing processes, ie, a rough polishing process, a finish polishing process, and a measuring process. Will be.

[0033]

However, the connecting rod aligning / conveying device constructed as described above has a stopper 2
In order to confirm the presence or absence of the connecting rod 1 stopped at the fourth and first to fourth gates 31a to 31d, the proximity switch 50 is mounted close to the nut 5 to which the large end 2 is assembled. Is checked for

However, since the connecting rod 1 is a cast product, the thickness of the connecting rod 1 varies, and the processing accuracy of the bolts 4 and the nuts 5 also varies. Varies depending on the connecting rod 1 and is not constant. That is, (a) of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the nut 5 is oriented vertically with respect to the connecting rod 1, or as shown in FIG.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
When the nut 5 is vertically oriented with respect to the connecting rod 1, the width L1 of the guide rail 22 and the width of the connecting rod 1 are almost the same. Although it can be detected by the fixed proximity switch 50, as shown in FIG.
When the nut 5 is in the horizontal position, the guide rail 22
The width L2 of the connecting rod 1 is smaller than the width L1 of the connecting rod 1, the connecting rod 1 moves laterally between the guide rails 22, and the nut 5 is separated from the guide rail 22 and cannot be detected by the proximity switch 50 fixed to the guide rail 22. Cases arise.

When the amplifier volume of the proximity switch 50 is increased so that the detection can be performed even when the nut 5 is turned sideways, the proximity switch 50 remains turned on, and it is difficult to adjust it. Of the work and no work occurred.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to accurately align and transport a plurality of connecting rods, and to eliminate the work doubling and the work in the aligning and transporting process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connecting rod aligning / transporting device which can prevent the state described above.

[0038]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a connecting rod having a large end assembled with a bolt and a nut at one end and a small end at the other end is placed. A conveyor that conveys with its large end in front, a guide rail provided on both sides of this conveyor to align the conrods, and a predetermined distance from the front end to the rear end in the conveyance direction of the conveyor A plurality of connecting rods are arranged at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the conveyor by stopping the connecting rods conveyed by the conveyer one by one, and a terminal is provided at a front portion of these gates, and bolts and bolts of the conveyed conrods are provided. A work presence / absence detection mechanism that electrically conducts when contacted with the nut to check the presence / absence of a connecting rod is provided.

[0039]

When a conrod is placed on a conveyor with its large end in front, the conveyer is guided and guided by guide rails provided on both sides of the conveyer. The conveyor is provided with gates at predetermined intervals from the front end side to the rear end side in the conveyance direction, and when the gates are sequentially closed from the front end side, the conveyed conveyed rods stop one by one, and a plurality of conveyed rods are provided on the upper surface of the conveyor. Are connected at predetermined intervals. The gate is provided with a terminal at the front and a work presence / absence detection mechanism that conducts electricity when it comes into contact with the bolts and nuts of the con-rod that is carried in, so that the presence or absence of the con-rod can be confirmed by electrical conduction. .

[0040]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first gate 31a. A support plate 39 is provided on the upper end of a pair of support shafts 37 which are raised and lowered by an air cylinder 33. A gate plate 52 is fixed to the lower surface of the.

The gate plate 52 is inserted between the two guide rails 22 when descending, and protrudes to a position close to the upper surface of the conveyor 16.
When is lowered, the connecting rod 1 placed and conveyed on the conveyor 16 can be stopped, and when ascending, the connecting rod 1 can be separated from the upper surface of the conveyor 16 and passed therethrough.

The gate plate 52 is formed of an insulating member such as a synthetic resin material. The tip of the gate plate 52 is screwed into the gate plate 52 to form a head 53a.
Have two stopper bolts 53 as terminals facing the transporting direction of the connecting rod 1. The interval between the two stopper bolts 53 is the large end 2 of the connecting rod 1.
The connecting rod 1 conveyed by the conveyor 16 stops when the bolt 4 comes into contact with the stopper bolt 53. That is, since the conveyor 16 is always running, when the connecting rod 1 comes into contact with the gate plate 52, the connecting rod 1 slides on the upper surface of the conveyor 16.

One of the stopper bolts 53 is electrically connected to the plus side of the power supply 55 via a relay 54a and a switch 54b, and the other is electrically connected to the minus side of the power supply 55. When the switch 54b is in the ON state, when the connecting rod 1 conveyed by the conveyor 16 abuts against the two stopper bolts 53 and stops, that is, when the two bolts 4 of the connecting rod 1 abut the stopper bolt 53. An electric current flows through the connecting rod 1 to form a closed circuit, and the relay 54a is excited to constitute a work presence / absence detecting mechanism 56 for confirming that the connecting rod 1 is present.

The work presence / absence detecting mechanism 56 configured as described above has the same structure in the second to fourth gates 31b to 31d, and basically has the same structure in the stopper 24 at the forefront end in the transport direction. is there. However, stopper 2
In 4, the fixing block 25 is formed of an insulating material, and the fixing block 25 is provided with a stopper bolt 26 as a terminal.

Accordingly, when the air cylinder 33 of the first gate 31a is operated to retract the rod 34 and the support shaft 37 is lowered via the support arm 36, the support plate 3
The gate plate 52 fixed to 9 descends. Then, the gate is closed so that the gate plate 52 approaches the upper surface of the conveyor 16 and the conrod 1 on the conveyor 16 cannot pass through.

At this time, the lifting rod 43 is also lowered, the dock 44b turns on the lower limit switch 47b, and the switch 54b of the work presence / absence confirmation mechanism 56 is turned on. Therefore, it can be confirmed that the gate plate 52 approaches the upper surface of the conveyor 16 and is at the gate closed position.

Accordingly, when the two bolts 4 of the large end 2 abut against the stopper bolt 52 and stop, the connecting rod 1 carried second from the carrying side A is connected to the connecting rod 1 via the stopper bolt 52. It is confirmed that a current flows, a closed circuit is formed, the relay 54a is excited, and the connecting rod 1 is carried in.

When the work presence / absence detecting mechanism 56 confirms the connecting rod 1, the thin cylinder 49 operates at the same time, and the position regulating pin 48 protrudes to press both sides of the small end 3 of the connecting rod 1 to regulate the position.

Thus, the second gate 31b and the third gate 31b
The gates 31c are sequentially operated in the same manner to close the gates, so that the four connecting rods 1 can be stopped and positioned on the upper surface of the conveyor 16 at predetermined intervals, and when the four connecting rods 1 are aligned. The fourth gate 31d operates to close the gate, stop the subsequent loading of the connecting rod 1, and wait for the next alignment conveyance.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the connecting rod conveyed by the conveyor comes into contact with the gate and stops, a current flows through the connecting rod to check for the presence of the connecting rod. There is an effect that the presence or absence of a work can be easily and reliably performed, and that the work can be prevented from being doubled and the state without the work in the aligning and transporting process.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a work presence / absence detection mechanism of a connecting rod aligning and conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the connecting rod aligning and transporting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a conventional connecting rod aligning and transporting apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional connecting rod aligning and transporting apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a gate portion of a conventional connecting rod aligning and transporting device.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a gate portion of a conventional connecting rod aligning and transporting device.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of a conventional work presence / absence detection device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view and a front view of a general connecting rod.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connecting rod, 2 ... Large end, 3 ... Small end, 4 ... Bolt, 5 ... Nut, 16 ... Conveyor, 22 ... Guide rail, 31a-31d ... Gate, 26, 53 ... Stopper bolt, 56 ... Work presence / absence Detection mechanism.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A conveyor for mounting a con rod having a large end assembled with a bolt and a nut at one end and a small end at the other end, and conveying the con rod with the large end in front, and both sides of the conveyor. A guide rail provided in the section for aligning the conrods, and a conveyer that is installed at a predetermined interval from a front end side to a rear end side in the conveying direction of the conveyer and is conveyed by the conveyer one by one to stop the upper surface of the conveyer A gate in which a plurality of connecting rods are arranged at predetermined intervals, and terminals are provided at the front of these gates, and when they come into contact with the bolts and nuts of the loaded connecting rod, they are electrically conducted to check the presence or absence of the connecting rod. A connecting rod aligning / conveying device comprising a work presence / absence detecting mechanism.