JP2605985B2 - Combination device with valve cotter and its retainer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, an apparatus for combining a valve cotter used in an engine part of an automobile and its retainer, and an apparatus for supplying a retainer used in the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 1A to 1C show a valve cotter used in an engine part of an automobile and a retainer for holding the valve cotter. In the figure, the valve cotter is a pair of cotters 1a. , 1b, each having a shape obtained by dividing the conical shape by half. The retainer 2 has a stepped shape in the center, and has a conical through hole 2a for fitting the cotters 1a and 1b at the center thereof.

Conventionally, fitting the valve cotters 1a and 1b into the retainer 2 has been performed manually, but in this case, it is performed accurately, but it is very labor-intensive, increases human costs, and increases production costs. Efficiency was low. Then, in order to automatically fit the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b into the retainer 2, the valve cotters 1a and 1b are inserted into the through holes 2 of the retainer 2.
Although it is conceivable to provide an automatic machine for inserting the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b from above, as shown in FIG. 1C, one of the valve cotters 1b is properly inserted into the hole 2a. The other valve cotter 1
It is conceivable that a may be in a state where it protrudes by half.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problem, the present applicant can automatically fit the valve cotters 1a and 1b into the retainer 2 properly and efficiently as shown in FIG. In order to provide a combination device of a valve cotter and a retainer which can be improved, and a supply device of a retainer used in the device, a through hole and a partition plate which defines the through hole equally in two regions A valve cotter holding device comprising urging means for urging the valve cotter introduced into each of the regions toward the partition plate, and a retainer holding the retainer in alignment with the through hole below the valve cotter holding device. The valve cotter, comprising: a holding means, a driving rod formed at the lower end with a slit having a width greater than the thickness of the partition plate and aligned with the through-hole, and a pair of valve cotters supplied to the through-hole. A pair of valve cotters are supplied to the respective areas of the through-hole by a supply unit, the valve cotters are pressed against the partition plate by the urging unit and held in the respective regions, and the driving rod is driven. The partition plate is introduced into the slit at the lower end thereof, and the valve cotter held in the respective regions at the lower end thereof is moved downward by pressing against the urging force of the urging means to hold the lower retainer. A valve cotter adapted to fit into a retainer held by the means and a combination device of the retainer and a retainer having a pair of rail members slidably supporting the retainer at a peripheral edge thereof and having a substantially semi-arc-shaped notch A supply plate is provided so as to reciprocate substantially in parallel with the rail member, and a retainer is engaged in the notch,
By moving the retainer supply plate forward, the retainer is conveyed to a standby position just below the combined position of the retainer and the valve cotter, and at this time, at the tip of the retainer supply plate, to the standby position just below the retainer supply plate. The retainer already fitted with the existing valve cotter is pressed and transferred forward, and after the retainer conveyed to the standby position is conveyed upward to the combination position, the retainer supply plate is moved back to the retainer supply position. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-1882 has proposed a valve cotter in which a retainer is supplied so as to be engaged with the notch and a retainer supply device for a combined device of the valve cotter and the retainer.
No. 39). According to this device, the pair of valve cotters is separated and held by the partition plate in the valve cotter holding device. Next, the valve cotter is fitted into the lower retainer by pushing down the drive rod. Therefore, the pair of valve cotters are properly fitted into the retainer.

Further, the retainer is automatically transported to the standby position immediately below the valve cotter-retainer combination position by the retainer supply plate. At this time, the combined valve cotter-retainer, which has been at the standby position at the same time, is pushed forward by the retainer supply plate to the next step, so that the production efficiency can be improved as compared with the related art.

However, in the above-described apparatus, the combination of the valve cotter and the retainer is often not performed correctly, and there is a disadvantage that the production efficiency is reduced if the combination is performed correctly.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for combining a valve cotter and its retainer, which can further improve the production efficiency and perform the alignment correctly. And

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a retainer supply table provided with at least three retainer holding portions at a first equiangular interval on an outer peripheral edge thereof, wherein the retainer supply table is equal to the first equiangular angle. A first driving mechanism for stepwise rotating in a predetermined direction at an angle, a valve cotter supply table provided with at least two valve cotter holding portions at a second equal angular interval on an outer peripheral edge portion, and the valve cotter supply table. A second drive mechanism for stepwise rotating in a predetermined direction at an angle equal to the second equiangular angle, a push drive mechanism for vertically moving the push rod means, and one retainer for one of the retainer holders; Retainer supplying means for supplying in a posture, and a combined body supply for supplying a combined body of a retainer and a pair of valve cotters held by the retainer holding portion to a next step. And a valve cotter supply means for supplying one or two valve cotters to one of the valve cotter holders of the valve cotter supply table, one of the retainer holders and the valve cotter holder. The first and second drive mechanisms are synchronously driven to rotate stepwise so that the first and second drive mechanisms are aligned vertically, and the push drive mechanism is driven at the aligned position to lower the push rod means, whereby the valve cotter is moved. The present invention is achieved by a combination device of a valve cotter and a retainer, wherein a pair of valve cotters held by a holding portion are pushed into a lower retainer to combine the valve cotter and the retainer.

[0009]

The retainer supply table is rotated stepwise in a predetermined direction by the first drive mechanism at an angle equal to the first equal angle. On the other hand, the valve cotter supply table is step-rotated in a predetermined direction at an angle equal to the second equal angle. At least three retainer holding portions are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the retainer supply table, and one of the retainer supply tables has the retainer supplied by the retainer supply means in a predetermined posture immediately after the end of the step rotation operation of the retainer supply table. Supplied. In addition, the retainer holding portion to which the retainer has been supplied in this manner is vertically aligned with one of the valve cotter holding portions provided on the outer peripheral edge of the valve cotter supply table. The pushing rod means moves downward,
A pair of valve cotters held in the valve cotter holding portion of the valve cotter supply table are pressed downward by the pushing rod means and are separated from the valve cotter holding portion,
And it is pushed into the retainer immediately below in a predetermined posture.
That is, the combination of the retainer and the pair of valve cotters is performed. As described above, the third retainer holding portion, which is further positioned at a first equal angle and is spaced apart and stopped, already holds the retainer formed by combining the pair of valve cotters as described above. Here, the combined body supply means is driven, and the combined body of the valve cotter and the retainer is pushed to the next step to be supplied.

As described above, the step rotation operation of each table can be performed quickly, and at least three retainer holding portions formed on the outer peripheral edge of the retainer supply table are provided as described above. The retainer is supplied in the posture described above, and the second retainer holding portion holds the retainer in a predetermined posture, and is immediately and accurately combined with the retainer by the pushing rod means from directly above.
At the same time, in the third retainer holding section, the combined body of the valve cotter and the retainer combined as described above is supplied to the next step by the combined body supply means. The above-described combination of the supply of the retainer and the valve cotter, and the supply of the combined assembly to the next process can be performed almost simultaneously, and the retainer supply table and the valve cotter supply in each step rotation operation. The table is simply rotated stepwise, and it is not necessary to move one side up and down as in the conventional case, so that a pair of valve cotters can be combined with the retainer more accurately than in the conventional case. In addition, this operation can be performed with higher efficiency than before.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a combination device of a retainer and a valve cotter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the whole apparatus of the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, a vibrating parts feeder 3 having a known structure is shown.
a, 3b are provided to bring the valve cotters 1a, 1b into a predetermined posture and to supply them to the next step, and these form spiral tracks 5a, 5b in the bowls 4a, 4b. Reference numerals 4a and 4b are supported by torsional vibration driving units 6a and 6b, which are composed of electromagnets and a plurality of inclined leaf springs arranged at equal angular intervals, so as to be capable of torsional vibration.

At these side positions, a vibrating parts feeder 7 for supplying the retainer 2 is arranged at a position as shown on the base 11 similarly to the above vibrating parts feeders 3a and 3b. This also has a known structure, but a spiral track 8 is formed in the bowl 9 and a component feeding means for feeding the retainer 2 to a predetermined position (not shown) to supply the retainer 2 to the next process is provided. The bowl 9 is connected to a torsional vibration drive unit 10 composed of electromagnets and a plurality of inclined leaf springs also arranged at equal angular intervals, so that the bowl 9 is supported to be capable of torsional vibration.

The chutes 12a and 12 for feeding the valve cotters 1a and 1b to the truck discharge ends of the pair of vibrating parts feeders 3a and 3b for supplying the valve cotters 1a and 1b to the next process are provided.
b is connected thereto, and a valve cotter supplying device 13 described in detail later is provided at a lower end of the valve cotter. Opposite thereto, a retainer supply device 14 (this will also be described in detail later)
Is arranged. A linear vibration feeder 15 is disposed on one side of the retainer supply device 14, and an upstream end of the linear vibration feeder 15 is connected to a discharge end of the vibration parts feeder 7 for supplying the retainer. Further, as will be described later, a combined body in which the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b are combined in a predetermined posture in the retainer 2 by a related operation of the valve cotter supply device 13 and the retainer supply device from a predetermined position of the retainer supply device 14. The power is supplied to the linear vibration feeder 16. The combination of the above-described retainer and cotter is supplied from the linear vibration feeder 15 to the next step, for example, to a robot.

The linear vibration feeder 15 is supplied with the retainers 2 one by one in a predetermined posture at the upstream end thereof as described above, and this is received by a linear trough 20, which is well known. Are coupled to a linear vibration drive unit 21 comprising a pair of front and rear inclined plate springs, electromagnets and the like.

A strip plate 22 is disposed on the trough 20 along the trough 20 in a vertical position, thereby maintaining the position of the retainer 2 transferred by vibration to a predetermined position of the retainer supply device 14. To be supplied.

The retainer 2 combined with the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b from the retainer supply device 14 is supplied to the downstream linear vibration feeder 16, which is also linear in the same manner as the linear vibration feeder 15. The trough 30 is connected to a linear vibration drive unit 32 including a pair of front and rear leaf springs, electromagnets, and the like, and is configured to generate a linear vibration force at a predetermined inclination angle similarly to the linear vibration feeder 15 described above. ing. A strip 31 is disposed along the trough 30 as a holding plate, so that a retainer 2 combining the valve cotters 1a and 1b in a predetermined posture is provided.
Is supplied to the next process in the same posture.

FIG. 3 is an overall plan view of the valve cotter supply device 13 and the retainer supply device 14. The valve cotter supply device 13 mainly includes a cross-shaped index table 40, which is shown in FIG. As shown in 5,
The center is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 41, and the gear 42 is fixed to the rotating shaft 41. Further, as clearly shown in FIG. 5, the valve cotter supply device 13 and the retainer supply device 14 are supported by an auxiliary gantry 44. And as shown in FIG. In the valve cotter feeder 13, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vertical chutes 50a, 50b directly connected to the lower ends of the chutes 12a, 12b oppose each other in the radial direction of the index table 40 in FIG. At the right and left sides. That is, index table 4
To 0, the valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 4
3c and 43d are provided, of which the above-mentioned vertical chute portions 50a and 50b are disposed directly above the valve cotter holding portions 43b and 43d as clearly shown in FIGS.

Although only one valve cotter holder 43b is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the other valve cotter holders 43a, 43c and 43d are similarly constructed.

A pair of air cylinders 51 and 52 are disposed on the side of the lower end of the vertical chute 50a. These are not shown, but they are operated alternately via solenoid valves. Connected to the control circuit. The stopper rods 51a, 52a of the air cylinders 51, 52 are reciprocally driven left and right in FIGS. 6 and 7, but they move alternately, and in FIG.
Is in the retracted position, and the lower stopper rod 52a
Is in the forward movement position. In FIG. 7, the upper stopper rod 51a is in the forward movement position, and the lower stopper rod 52a is in the retracted position. That is, in FIG. 6, the lowermost valve cotter 1a is stopped by pressing the lowermost valve cotter 1a at the vertical chute portion 50a, and the valve cotter 1a continuously provided above this is stopped by the lowermost valve cotter 1a as shown in the figure. Is held. FIG.
In FIG. 7, the upper stopper rod 51a is in the forward movement position, and therefore falls downward due to the return movement of the stopper rod 52a that has stopped the retainer located immediately below the stopper rod 51a. Valve cotter 1
a is supported as shown in FIG. As will be described later, the index table 40 is rotated stepwise at 90-degree intervals. At this time, the upper stopper rod 51a
Takes the return position, so that the valve cotter 1a, which has been stopped in FIG. 7, is free and falls downward. At this time, the position as shown in FIG. Then, the lower stopper rod 52a moves forward to take a state as shown in FIG.

In the valve cotter holding portion 43b, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a pair of valve cotter holding members 53a, 53 are provided.
b are opposed to each other, and are rotatably supported around the axes of a pair of holding rods 57a and 57b shown in FIG. It is fixed to the index table 40 by the set screws 60a and 60b so as to be fixed. A pair of valve cotter holding members 53a and 53b form conical valve cotter holding holes 56a and 56b therebetween, and a partition plate 55 is interposed therebetween, which is fixed to the index table 40. The partition plate holding arm 54 is formed as one end. Therefore, the valve cotter holding members 53a and 53b and the partition plate 55 also rotate with the stepwise rotation of the index table 40 at intervals of 90 degrees. Also, as described above, 9
The valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 43c and 43d are formed at 0-degree intervals, and these are formed with a pair of tongue portions 40a and 40b, respectively, as clearly shown in FIG. Press spring members 58a, 5
8b, which have a screw, a coil spring, etc., and have pressing pins 59a, 59b at their inner ends.
This allows the compression force of the springs 62a, 62b to be adjusted by tightening the nuts 61a, 61b. The adjusted spring force causes the outer wall portions of the valve cotter holding members 53a, 53b to be held by the holding rods 57a, 57b.
7b are urged around the axis in opposite directions.

Next, the details of the retainer supply device 14 will be described with reference to FIGS.

This is mainly composed of a circular retainer supply table 70 as clearly shown in FIG. 3, and a rotary shaft 95 is fixed to the center of the retainer supply table 70. The rotary shaft 95 is connected to a step motor drive unit 72 (not shown). I have. Also, this rotating shaft 9
5, a drive gear 71 is fixed, and a predetermined number of teeth 71a are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drive gear 71. The teeth 71a mesh with the gear 45 described above. Eight substantially semicircular cutouts 73 are formed at equal angular intervals on the outer peripheral edge of the retainer supply table 70, and are driven stepwise by the drive unit 72 at these angular intervals. I have. The notch 73 in FIG. 3 facing the downstream end of the linear vibration feeder 15 disposed to the right will be described. Here, as will be further described later, the retainer 2 is inserted into the notch 73 in a predetermined posture. Supplied, and after a predetermined time, 360 /
8 = 45 degree rotation and uppermost notch 73 in FIG.
And the notch 73 facing the downstream end of the linear vibration feeder described above. The gear 45 and the idle gear 42 have the same diameter and the same number of teeth. However, the number of these teeth is half of the number of teeth of the drive gear 71, and therefore, as described above, the retainer supply table 70 requires one step. When rotated by 45 degrees, it rotates 360/4, that is, 90 degrees in the same direction as shown by the arrow. Therefore, the notch 73 is positioned exactly at the discharge end of the trough 20 of the upstream side linear vibration feeder 15 as shown in FIG.
At the upstream end of the trough 30 of the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side, a notch 73 is positioned so as to face exactly as shown in FIG. As will be further described later, the valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 43 of the index table 40 are provided.
The notch 73 is positioned so as to be located immediately below any of c and 43d.

Further, according to the present embodiment, between the combination position P of the retainer and the valve cotter of the index table 40 and the notch 73 facing the upstream end of the trough 30 of the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side. Has a combination failure detector 7
6, the notch 73 is accurately positioned at this detection position.

An air cylinder 74 for combination is arranged just above the combination position P among the valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 43c and 43d of the index table 40 as shown in FIGS. Although not shown, it is connected to a drive control circuit and a compressed air source via an electromagnetic valve. This is provided with a pair of pushing rods 75a and 75b, which are reciprocated up and down as shown in FIG. 9, and positioned and stopped as described above, and the valve cotter holding portions 43a and 43a of the index table 40 are stopped. 43b, 4
3c and 43d are opposed to those located at the combination position P. Immediately below this, the notch 73 is formed at the combination position P of the notches 73 formed at eight positions of the retainer supply table 70 at equal angular intervals. 9 also faces the retainer 2 held as shown in FIG. 9, and when the air cylinder 74 is driven as shown in FIG.
5a and 75b are lowered so as to assume a lower position as shown in FIG.

Next, the details of the combination failure detecting section 76 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIGS. 11 and 12, a mounting member 77 is provided in parallel with the retainer supply table 70. A mounting member 77 is fixed to one end of the mounting member 77. An air cylinder 78 is mounted on the upper end of the mounting member 77. I have. This is also connected to a drive circuit and a compression source via an electromagnetic valve (not shown). The drive rod 79 is driven to move up and down in the figure, and a detection for detecting whether the valve cotters 1a and 1b are accurately combined with the retainer with the detection circuit holding member 80 fixed to this end. Rod 83,
84, 89 (three are provided at equal angular intervals, but only two are shown in FIG. 11) are provided in the vertical direction, and coil springs 81, 82 are wound around these, respectively. 83, 84 and 89 urge upward.

The valve cotters 1a and 1b sent from the combination position are combined immediately below the detection rods 83 and 84, and are disposed so as to be directly above the notch 73 where the retainer 2 is positioned. . An air cylinder 85 is also provided on the attachment member 86 in parallel with the attachment member 86, and a tip-shaped pressing member 88 is attached to the tip of the air cylinder 85, so that a combination which is detected as defective is provided. The body is configured to be excluded outward.

The combination device of the retainer and the valve cotter according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above. Next, this operation will be described.

In FIG. 2, a large amount of retainers 2 are stored in the bowl 9 of the vibrating parts feeder 7 (not shown). And is supplied to the linear vibration feeder 15 one by one in a fixed posture by a part feeding means (not shown). This is transferred to the left in the figure while maintaining a predetermined posture in a state of being continuously provided on the linear trough 20 as clearly shown in FIGS. At this time, the index table 40,
It is assumed that the retainer supply table 70 has stopped at the illustrated rotation phase. Therefore, the retainer 2 is positioned and held in a predetermined posture from the trough 20 of the linear vibration feeder 15 by engaging the notch 73 of the trough 20 facing the notch 73 as shown in the drawing.

On the other hand, any one of the four valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 43c and 43d of the index table 40 is stopped immediately below the vertical chute portion 50a and stopped. As shown in FIG. 7, the air cylinders 51 and 52 are
As a result, the lowermost valve cotter 1a is opened and falls into one of the holding holes 56b of the valve cotter holding members 53a and 53b as shown in FIG. Next, the step motor drive section is driven to rotate by a predetermined angle, and rotates 45 degrees. In synchronization with this, the index table 40 also rotates 90 degrees, and the valve cotter holding portion in which the valve cotter 1a is inserted into the one valve cotter holding hole 56b rotates 90 degrees as described above. The retainer supply table 70 rotates 45 degrees, so that the next notch 73 is moved to the upstream linear vibration feeder 15.
Is positioned facing the lower end of the trough 20. Therefore, the next retainer 2 is supplied to the notch 73. Further, the fixed step drive of the step motor drive unit rotates the retainer supply table 70 by 45 degrees, and the retainer 2 previously supplied and held is now the valve cotter holding units 43a, 43b, 43c at the combination position P of the index table 40.
And the index table 40 is further rotated 90 degrees immediately below any one of the valve cotters 1 and 43d.
At this position, the other vertical chute 50b is inserted into the other valve cotter holding hole 56a in the state shown in FIGS.
Falls and is inserted into this.

On the other hand, the retainer 2 which is located immediately below the valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 43c and 43d at the combination position P and is held in the notch 73 of the retainer supply table 70 as shown in FIG. Push rods 75a, 75b of cylinder 74 and valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43
b, 43c and 43d are opposed to each other. Here, the driving of the air cylinder 74 causes the pushing rods 75a,
75b is driven, and as shown in FIG.
The valve cotters 1a, 1b inserted and held in the 3a, 43b, 43c and 43d are forcibly pushed downward by pushing rods 75a, 75b, that is, positioned and inserted into the retainer 2 immediately below. Push rod 75
A sense of household is provided between a and 75b, which is slightly larger than the thickness of the partition plate 55, and is therefore cleared to provide a valve to the retainer 2 provided below and positioned. The cotters 1a and 1b are accurately combined as shown in FIG. At the time of insertion, the valve cotter holding member 5
3a and 53b rotate in opposite directions around the shafts 57a and 57b, and easily move the valve cotters 1a and 1b held by the valve cotter holding members 53a and 53b to the lower retainer 2 without disturbing their postures. Push in.

Next, the step motor driving section 72 is further
When the retainer supply table 70 is rotated five times, the combined retainer and valve cotter as described above reaches the combination failure detecting unit 76. Here, by driving the air cylinder 78, the detection rods 83, 84, and 89 (only two are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12; three are shown in FIG. 13) are moved downward as indicated by a dashed line. If a pair of valve cotters 1a,
Assuming that 1b was correctly combined with the retainer 2,
These detection rods 83 and 84 are blocked by a part of the valve cotters 1a and 1b, and further downward movement is stopped. As a result, the retainer 2 at this position is accurately positioned and detects that the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b are combined. At this time, a pair of valve cotters 1a,
If 1b is not positioned and combined or if only one valve cotter is present, as shown in FIG.
One of the detection rods 84 moves to the lowermost position, whereby the detection circuit detects that a defective combination has come, and the air cylinder 85 drives the pressing member 88.
Move to the right in FIG. 12, and as shown by the dashed line, the defective combination Q is pressed by the pressing member 88 and is displaced outward.

Further, the combination of the retainer 2 and the valve cotters 1a and 1b, which have been accurately combined by the notch 73 of the retainer supply table by a predetermined step drive of the step motor, is provided at the upstream end of the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side. opposite. In synchronization with this, the air cylinder 91 is driven, whereby the drive rod 90 moves to the left in FIG. 3, but the pusher 93 moves accurately along the predetermined transfer path by the pair of guide rails 92, In opposition to this, the retainer 2 held in the notch 73 of the retainer supply table 70 and accurately combined with the valve cotter is transferred to the trough 30 of the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side. Of course, during this time, the retainer supply table 70 is in a stopped state.

As described above, the step motor driving unit 7
The constant step operation of No. 2 makes the retainer supply table 7
0 is rotated by 45 degrees in the above-described embodiment, and is stopped for a predetermined time. During this time, the retainer 2 is supplied from the upstream linear vibration feeder 15 in a predetermined posture and held by the notch 73 as described above, Then, the retainer 2 is transferred to a position as a standby stage for combination with the valve cotter, and during this period, the supplied retainer 2 is rotated in the previous step and the index table 4
Push rods 75a, 75b arranged close to zero
The valve cotter holding portions 43a, 43b, 43c and 43
When the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b are pushed into the retainer 2 located immediately below the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b in the next step, the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b are accurately detected by the combination failure detecting unit 76.
1b is detected to be combined, and if combined correctly, the pusher 93 is determined in the next step.
Is supplied to the trough 30 of the linear vibration feeder on the downstream side by the pressing portion 94.

Since the above operation is performed, the retainer 2 in which the pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b are combined is supplied from the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side with higher efficiency than the conventional one. They are also supplied in the correct combination.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is, of course, not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made based on the technical concept of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the combination failure detecting section 76 is operated at a predetermined rotation angle position of the retainer supply table 70.
Here, the defective combination is eliminated to the outside, and only the correctly combined retainer and valve cotter combination is supplied to the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side. 76 may be omitted. Instead, a failure detection unit similar to that of the above-described embodiment is provided in the middle of the linear vibration feeder 16 on the downstream side, and when the stop operation is performed during the step operation of the retainer supply table, detection is performed in the same manner as described above. in case of,
This may be removed to the outside through a notch formed in the side wall of the trough 30.

In the above embodiment, eight notches 73 are provided at equal angular intervals in the retainer supply table 70.
In response to this, the index table 40 is provided with four valve cotter holders 43a, 43b, 43c and 43d, but the number may be further doubled.
For example, 16 notches for holding the retainer formed on the outer peripheral edge of the retainer supply table 70 may be provided, and the index table 40 may be provided with 8 valve cotter holding portions.

In the above embodiment, the valve cotters 1a and 1b to be combined are separately supplied to each of the valve cotter holding portions (43b and 43d in FIG. 3) at intervals of 180 degrees in the index table 40. However, this may be supplied to a pair of valve cotter holding holes 56a and 56b from a vertical chute portion disposed in close proximity at the same location. In this case, only two valve cotter holding portions need to be provided.

In this case, a configuration as shown in FIG. 14 is considered as a modification. Portions corresponding to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

That is, in this modification, notches 173 are formed at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees in the retainer supply table 170, and correspondingly, both ends of the index bar 140 are provided with the same valves as those in the above embodiment. Cotter holder 43A,
43B is provided. In this modification, the retainer 2 is supplied to the notch 173 in a predetermined posture from the linear vibration feeder 15 on the upstream side, and the valve cotter located at the combination position P ′ of the index bar 140 at the next step rotation (90 degrees). The pair of valve cotters 1a and 1b are pushed into the retainer 2 where the pushing rod is positioned immediately below the holding portion 43A by the driving of the pushing driving mechanism in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Inserted. Then the next 9
In step rotation of 0 degree, the linear vibration feeder 1 on the downstream side
6 reaches a position opposing the downstream end, and from this, the retainer-valve cotter combination is supplied to the linear vibration feeder 16 by the combination supply device having the same configuration as in the above embodiment. On the other hand, the index bar 140 is provided with two valve cotter holding portions 43A and 43B.
Although not shown, a pair of valve cotters is supplied from a valve cotter supply unit having the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment to the valve cotter holding unit 43B in the rotation phase indicated by 4. It is apparent that such a configuration also has the same effect as the above embodiment.

In the embodiment described above, the retainers supplied one by one from the linear vibration feeder 15 on the upstream side in the retainer supply table 70 in a predetermined posture are received by the notches 73, and are retained here to be connected to the valve cotter. Although the conveying means is transported to the combination position P, the holding means may not be notched. For example, a convex portion is provided, and the retainer is engaged with and held by the center hole of the convex portion. In this state, the retainer is transferred to the combination position P of the index table, and the pair of valve cotters 1a, 1b is moved in the same manner as described above. When the liquid is transferred to the downstream linear vibration feeder 16 so as to be supplied to the center hole 2a, for example, it is moved upward by the vacuum suction means to the height of the convex portion for holding, and then the downstream linear vibration feeder 16 is moved. You may make it supply to the trough 30 of the vibration feeder 16. Alternatively, the linear vibration feeder 16 may be omitted and the vacuum suction means may be simply used as the next step. Other known holding means can be applied.

[0044]

As described above, according to the apparatus for combining a retainer and a valve cotter of the present invention, a combination of a retainer and a valve cotter can be supplied to the next step with a higher efficiency and accuracy than in the prior art. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a retainer and a valve cotter applied to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the entire combination device of the retainer and the valve cotter of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the device.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along line [4]-[4] in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line [5]-[5] in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line [6]-[6] in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line [6]-[6] in FIG.

8 is a sectional view taken along the line [8]-[8] in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line [9]-[9] in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 but after a predetermined operation.

11 is a sectional view taken along the line [11]-[11] in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line [12]-[12] in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line [12]-[12] in FIG. 3;

FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of a combination device of a retainer and a valve cotter according to a modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a Valve cotter 1b Valve cotter 2 Retainer 13 Valve cotter feeder 14 Retainer feeder 40 Index table 41 Rotary shaft 42 Gear 43a Valve cotter holder 43b Valve cotter holder 43c Valve cotter holder 43d Valve cotter holder 45 Idle gear 50 Vertical Chute 56a Valve cotter holding hole 56b Valve cotter holding hole 70 Retainer supply table 71 Drive gear 72 Step motor driver 73 Notch 75a Push rod 75b Push rod

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A retainer supply table provided with at least three retainer holding portions at an outer peripheral edge portion at first equal angular intervals, and stepwise rotating the retainer supply table in a predetermined direction at an angle equal to the first equal angle. A driving mechanism, a valve cotter supply table provided with at least two valve cotter holding portions at a second equiangular interval on an outer peripheral edge thereof, and the valve cotter supply table is fixed at an angle equal to the second equiangular angle. Drive mechanism for rotating the push rod means up and down, a retainer supply for supplying one retainer to one of the retainer holders in a predetermined posture. Means, combination body supply means for supplying a combined body of the retainer held by the retainer holding section and the pair of valve cotters to the next step, and the valve cotter supply table And one or two valve cotters for supplying one or two valve cotters to one of the valve cotter holders, so that one of the retainer holders and the valve cotter holder are vertically aligned. The first and second drive mechanisms are synchronously driven to rotate stepwise, and the push drive mechanism is driven at the aligned position to lower the push rod means, and is held by the valve cotter holding section. A combination device of a valve cotter and its retainer, wherein a pair of valve cotters are pushed into a lower retainer to combine the valve cotter and the retainer. 2. The first drive mechanism includes a step motor and a first drive gear fixed to a rotation shaft of the step motor, and the second drive mechanism directly or indirectly meshes with the first drive gear. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second drive gear. 3. The retainer holding portion is provided at eight locations with substantially semicircular notches, and the valve cotter holding portion is provided at four locations, each of which has a through hole formed with a partition plate interposed therebetween. 3. The combination device according to claim 2, comprising a pair of valve cotter holding blocks disposed so as to cause the valve cotter to retain. 4. The first drive gear meshes with the second drive gear via an idle gear, and the number of teeth of the second drive gear is equal to the number of teeth of the idle gear. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number of teeth is half the number of teeth. 5. A retainer is supplied from the retainer supply means to a notch at a first angular position of the retainer supply table, and a pair of retainers are provided immediately above the retainer held in the notch at a second angular position. The push rod means is moved down to the valve cotter holding portion of the valve cotter supply table holding the valve cotter, so that the valve cotter is combined with the retainer, and the second angle is set at the third angle position. Inspection means for detecting whether or not the pair of valve cotters are correctly positioned and combined immediately above the retainer held in the notch by pushing the valve cotter by the pushing rod means at the position is provided. When it is detected that the valve cotter is not properly assembled, the retainer is removed from the notch to the outside, and the notch at the fourth angular position is inserted into the valve notch. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a retainer in which the cutters are correctly combined is supplied to the next step by the combined body supplying means. 6. The valve cotter supply means supplies one valve cotter to a valve cotter holding unit at a first angular position of the valve cotter supply table, and the first angular position is 1
6. The combination device according to claim 5, wherein the other valve cotter is supplied by the valve cotter supplying means to the valve cotter holder at a second angular position separated by 80 degrees.