JP3583342B2 - Belt conveyor device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a belt conveyor device that conveys products, and more particularly, to a belt conveyor device that is easy to position with respect to a machine to be mounted, is excellent in workability and accommodation, and is excellent in product alignment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, a wire harness, which is an automobile part, is manufactured by arranging a plurality of electric wires. For each electric wire, a long electric wire wound on a bobbin is sent to an automatic cutting and crimping machine and cut into a predetermined length, and then a rubber stopper is inserted into the cut end. Then, in the next step, a terminal fitting is attached to the cutting portion, the plurality of wires are bundled, and a connector is attached to the terminal fitting.
[0003]
In order to manufacture a wire harness, it is necessary to cut a long wire into a predetermined length as described above. Therefore, the wire feeding unit provided in the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine (AC machine) 101 shown in FIG. The electric wire 103 wound around the bobbin by 102 needs to be sent straight. At this time, simply sending the electric wire 103 causes the electric wire 103 to be rounded. Therefore, a belt conveyor device 104 is arranged near the automatic electric wire cutting and crimping machine 101, and the electric wire sent out by the belt conveyor device 104 is used. 103 is forcibly straightened.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if the arrangement position of the belt conveyor device 104 with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 101 is slightly shifted left and right in the Y direction and slightly shifted in the Z direction shown in FIG. 11, the electric wire 103 jumps out of the belt conveyor device 104. This makes it impossible to insert the rubber plug, which is the next step after cutting.
[0005]
In addition, when the belt conveyor device 104 is removed from the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 101 for maintenance and inspection of the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 101, it is necessary to return the belt conveyor device 101 to the original position again after the maintenance and inspection.
[0006]
However, in order to return the belt conveyor device 104 to its original position, not only is the positioning operation troublesome and takes many man-hours, but also the electric wire 103 is wastefully used for the test operation, resulting in a low yield.
[0007]
In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 12, a notch 106 is provided in a part of the product receiving portion 105 of the belt conveyor device 104 so that an operator can enter the belt. There has been proposed a configuration in which an operator enters the cutout portion 106 and performs maintenance and inspection of the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 101 without moving the 104.
[0008]
However, since the electric wire 103 may fall into the notch portion 106 formed in the product receiving portion 105, dust and dirt on the floor surface may adhere to the rubber plug portion, or a step of picking up the dropped electric wire 103 may be performed. Will increase.
[0009]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a belt conveyor device which facilitates positioning of the belt conveyor device with respect to a machine to be mounted, is excellent in workability and accommodation, and is excellent in product alignment.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a belt conveyor device including a conveyor body, an annular belt hung on the conveyor body, a belt driving mechanism for rotating the belt, and a product receiving unit for receiving a product, The conveyor body is provided with a moving unit that can be freely moved toward and away from the machine to be mounted, a positioning and fixing unit that positions a conveyor mounting position with respect to the machine to be mounted, and an article storage unit below the belt. Wherein a part of the product receiving part close to the mounted machine is foldable, and the product receiving part is provided with a product alignment part for aligning the products. I do.
[0011]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the conveyor body which can be freely moved toward and away from the machine to be mounted and the machine to be mounted are positioned and fixed by the positioning and fixing means. Even when the belt conveyor device is removed, the belt conveyor device can be positioned and fixed at the original proper position in a short time and easily with respect to the mounted machine.
Further, since a part of the product receiving portion is freely foldable, when performing maintenance and inspection of the machine to be mounted, it is possible to fold a part of the product receiving portion and allow the worker to go near the machine to be mounted. After the maintenance and inspection, it is possible to prevent the product from dropping by returning a part of the product receiving portion to the original state.
In addition, since the article storage section is provided below the belt, it is possible to store and store the articles and the like necessary for the operation, and space can be saved. Further, since the product receiving unit is provided with the product aligning unit for aligning the products, it is possible to align the terminals with the product receiving unit to align the products.
Further, since the article storage section is formed using the frame constituting the conveyor body, the article storage section can be provided without extra cost.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as an attached machine, an electric wire automatic cutting and crimping machine that cuts an electric wire used for manufacturing a wire harness into a predetermined length and automatically inserts a rubber plug into the cut end sequentially. An example will be described.
[0021]
<Configuration of belt conveyor device>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the belt conveyor device 1 of the present embodiment includes a conveyor body, a ring-shaped belt 2 hung on the conveyor body, a belt driving mechanism for rotating the belt 2, and a product. And a product receiving unit 3 for receiving the product.
[0022]
"Conveyor body"
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the conveyor body has a frame structure formed by combining a plurality of square members. That is, the conveyor main body includes a pair of main frames 4, 4 arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals, connecting frames 5, 5 connecting the main frames 4, 4, and main frames 4, 4. The main configuration is a vertically standing support frame 6, and a reinforcing frame 7 that connects the support frames 6, 6 facing each other in the height direction of the support frames 6, 6.
[0023]
The main frames 4, 4 function as a base frame, and are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction. The connecting frames 5, 5 are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction between the main frames 4, 4 arranged in parallel, and connect the main frames 4, 4.
[0024]
On the other hand, the support frames 6, 6 have a predetermined height with respect to the main frames 4, 4 (height enough to accommodate articles under the belt 2) and are perpendicular to the main frames 4, 4. Is provided. The positions where the support frames 6, 6 are provided are the connection positions between the main frames 4, 4 and the connection frames 5, 5. The reinforcing frames 7, 7 are provided so as to reinforce the strength of the column frames 6, which are vertically erected, and to connect the column frames 6, 6 which are opposed to each other to a halfway portion in the height direction of the column frames 6, 6 which face each other.
[0025]
The conveyor body composed of these frames is provided with a moving means that can freely contact and separate from the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8, which is the machine on which the belt conveyor device 1 is mounted. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the moving means includes wheels 9 and is attached to lower ends of the main frames 4 and 4. The wheel 9 is formed of a caster that is rotatable 180 degrees in a horizontal plane with respect to the floor 10. For this reason, when an operator pushes the conveyor body by hand, in addition to an approaching direction to be attached to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8, a separating direction away from the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8, and a direction intersecting these directions. Can also move freely.
[0026]
Further, the conveyor body is provided with positioning and fixing means for positioning the conveyor mounting position with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8. As shown in FIG. 6, the positioning and fixing means is provided at the tip of the main frames 4 and 4 so that the mounting position with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 can be determined with one touch. ing. More specifically, a positioning frame 11 protruding outside the width between the main frames 4 and 4 at the tip of the main frames 4 and 4, and abutting portions 12 provided near both ends of the positioning frame 11, respectively. , 12, a positioning and fixing lever 13 provided between the abutting portions 12, 12, and a positioning portion 14 provided on the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8.
[0027]
The positioning frame 11 secures as wide a contact point as possible with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 in order to accurately determine the mounting position of the belt conveyor device 1 with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8. It is shaped to protrude outward from the width between them. The abutting portions 12, 12 include an abutting pad 12a that abuts against the abutting surface 8a of the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 in a surface contact state, and a pad holding portion 12b that holds the abutting pad 12a. The abutment pad 12a is formed of, for example, a hard rubber having a disc shape, and is fixed to a pad holding portion 12b formed of a substantially L-shaped angle fixed to both ends of the positioning frame 11. The abutment pad 12a comes into surface contact with the abutment surface 8a of the electric wire automatic cutting and crimping machine 8.
[0028]
The positioning and fixing lever 13 has a screw bolt 15 and is attached by screwing the screw bolt 15 into the positioning frame 11. On the other hand, the positioning portion 14 is formed as an angle having a bolt guide groove 16 for guiding the screw bolt 15, and is fixed to the electric wire automatic cutting and crimping machine 8. The groove width of the bolt guide groove 16 becomes gradually narrower as the opening end is wider and goes to the inner end, and the inner end side has a groove width substantially the same as the outer diameter of the screw bolt 15.
[0029]
In the positioning and fixing means having the above configuration, when the screw bolt 15 reaches the inner end of the bolt guide groove 16 and the abutment pad 12a abuts against the abutment surface 8a of the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8, The mounting position of the belt conveyor device 1 with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 is determined. That is, in the above state, the mounting position of the belt conveyor device 1 with respect to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 is determined for the first time. In order to fix this mounting position, the belt conveyor device 1 can be positioned and fixed to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 by rotating the positioning and fixing lever 13.
[0030]
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveyor body having the above-mentioned configuration stores, for example, a terminal fitting for fixing to a terminal portion of an electric wire cut to a predetermined length by an automatic electric wire cutting and crimping machine 8. A part 17 is provided. The article accommodating portion 17 is formed in a space between the pair of main frames 4 and a belt 2 to be described later. On both frames of the main frames 4 and 4, for example, a bobbin (terminal reel) around which a terminal fitting is wound. 18 are accommodated and arranged. As described above, the space between the main frames 4 and 4 and the belt 2 is sufficiently ensured by the support frames 6 and 6 in the article storage section 17, so that a relatively large one can be sufficiently stored. . In the present embodiment, an article accommodating portion 17 is formed for each of the columns 6 and 6.
[0031]
As described above, by forming the article storage portion 17 on the conveyor body, the terminal fittings to be attached to the wire end portion can be stocked, and the bobbin replacement operation can be performed smoothly. In addition, since there is no need to place the bobbin 18 around the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 and the bobbin 18 can be accommodated in the conveyor body, space can be saved.
[0032]
"Belt and belt drive mechanism"
The belt 2 is a ring-shaped endless belt, and as shown in FIG. 2, is hung on pulleys 19 and 20 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor body. The belt 2 is configured such that the pulley 20 is rotated by a drive belt 22 hung between one pulley 20 and a belt drive motor 21 to rotate the belt 2. The rotation of the belt 2 is controlled by a control unit housed in a control box 23 mounted on the conveyor body.
[0033]
A belt cover 24 is provided on the belt 2 so that the electric wire cut to a predetermined length can be smoothly transported rearward by the belt 2 without getting stuck. The belt cover 24 is provided at a predetermined distance from the belt 2 so as to cover the belt 2 from the front end to the rear end of the conveyor body.
[0034]
"Product Receiving Department"
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the product receiving section 3 includes a long section 3 a provided along the belt 2 and a terminal receiving section 3 b provided on a connection side of the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8. Consists of As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the long portion 3 a is a long plate having a substantially L-shaped cross section and having a guide wall 25 formed upright on one side edge. It is provided in. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the terminal receiving portion 3b is formed as a wide plate-like body having a guide wall 31 formed upright on one side edge. At the time of maintenance and inspection, it is foldable so that an operator can smoothly access the wire cutting machine 26 and the rubber plug insertion machine 27 without moving the belt conveyor device 1.
[0035]
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the terminal receiving portion 3b is level with the long portion 3a by a hinge portion (hinge) 28 provided between the terminal receiving portion 3b and the end of the long portion 3a. It is freely foldable between a product receiving state (the state shown in FIG. 4) and a tiltable state for maintenance and inspection (the state shown in FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal state of the terminal receiving unit 3b is supported and supported by support arms 29 and 30 provided between the back surface of the terminal receiving unit 3b and the conveyor body. In the folded state of the terminal receiving portion 3b, the other support arm 29 is slid with respect to the one support arm 30 by removing a lock portion (not shown). With this configuration, at the time of maintenance and inspection of the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8, the terminal receiving portion 3b can be folded to perform maintenance and inspection of the wire cutting machine 26 and the rubber plug insertion machine 27.
[0036]
The terminal receiving section 3b has an attachment angle θ (the angle indicated by θ in FIG. 7) with respect to the long section 3a of less than 45 degrees. In this way, the electric wire is cut into a predetermined length by the electric wire cutting machine 26, linearly extended by the belt 2, and then the rubber plug is attached to the terminal portion by the rubber plug insertion machine 27 in the next step. However, when it is sent to the product receiving section 3, the wire end portions are aligned neatly.
[0037]
That is, if the attachment angle θ of the terminal receiving portion 3b to the long portion 3a is less than 45 degrees, as shown in FIG. 9, the bent portion between the terminal receiving portion 3b and the long portion 3a (the product alignment portion). ) 32 comes into contact with the electric wire 33, and the contact resistance increases at the bent portion 32, so that the electric wire 33 is not pulled in the conveyor direction. As a result, the ends of the electric wires 33 are aligned. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the angle θ is 45 degrees or more, the wire 33 does not come into contact with the bent portion 32, and the terminals of the wire 33 become uneven.
[0038]
`` Operation explanation ''
Next, the operation of cutting the wire to a predetermined length using the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 in which the belt conveyor device 1 configured as described above is positioned and fixed, and then inserting a rubber stopper into the cut end portion. A brief description will be given.
[0039]
First, the electric wire wound around the bobbin is supplied to the electric wire cutting machine 26 (see FIG. 4) by the electric wire supply device provided in the automatic electric wire cutting and crimping machine 8. Then, the belt 2 of the belt conveyor device 1 rotates, and the electric wires 33 are sent to the rear of the conveyor. Thereby, the electric wire 33 is sent almost linearly without slack. Further, since the belt cover 24 is provided above the belt 2, it is possible to prevent the belt 2 from jumping and jumping out during the conveyance.
[0040]
When the electric wire 33 is sent to a predetermined length, the electric wire 33 is cut by the electric wire cutting machine 26. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the cut electric wire 33 is sent to a rubber plug insertion machine 27 provided next to the electric wire cutting machine 26, where a rubber plug is inserted into a cutting terminal. When the rubber stopper is inserted, the electric wire 33 is sent to the product receiving unit 3.
[0041]
In the product receiving section 3, the electric wire 33 comes into contact with a bent portion (product alignment section) 32 between the terminal receiving section 3b and the long section 3a, and the ends of the electric wires 33 are aligned in a neatly arranged state. . Thereby, the work of collecting the electric wires 33 arranged in the product receiving section 3 can be easily performed.
[0042]
By the way, when it becomes necessary to perform maintenance and inspection of the electric wire automatic cutting and crimping machine 8, the operator releases the lock and tilts the terminal receiving portion 3b as shown in FIG. Thereby, the worker can access the wire cutting machine 26 and the rubber plug insertion machine 27, and can perform maintenance and inspection work without separating the belt conveyor device 1 from the wire automatic cutting and crimping machine 8.
[0043]
The specific embodiment to which the present invention is applied has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 8 has been described as an example of a machine to be mounted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to all devices that use the belt conveyor device 1. It is.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the conveyor main body which can be freely attached to and detached from the mounted machine and the mounted machine are positioned and fixed by the positioning and fixing means. Even if the belt conveyor device is removed from the machine to be installed by inspection, the belt conveyor device can be positioned and fixed to the original machine in the original regular position in a short time and easily, and the mounting work time of the belt conveyor device can be improved. Can be greatly reduced.
Further, according to the present invention, since the product receiving unit is provided with the product alignment unit for aligning the products, the products can be aligned in the product receiving unit.
Further, according to the present invention, since a part of the product receiving portion is foldable, when performing maintenance and inspection of the machine to be mounted, the part of the product receiving portion is folded to allow an operator to reach the vicinity of the machine to be mounted. After the maintenance and inspection, it is possible to prevent the product from dropping by returning a part of the product receiving portion to the original state.
Further, according to the present invention, since the article storage section is provided below the belt, it is possible to store and place the articles required for the operation, and to realize space saving.
Further, according to the present invention, since the article storage section is formed using the frame constituting the conveyor main body, the article storage section can be provided without extra cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a belt conveyor device of the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the belt conveyor device of the present embodiment.
FIGS. 3A and 3B show a belt conveyor device of the present embodiment, wherein FIG. 3A is a left side view, and FIG. 3B is a right side view.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the belt conveyor device of the present embodiment is mounted and fixed to an automatic wire cutting and crimping machine, and shows a state in which a terminal receiving section is held in a horizontal state.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the belt conveyor device of the present embodiment is attached and fixed to an automatic wire cutting and crimping machine, and shows a state in which a terminal receiving section is tilted.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a positioning and fixing means for positioning and fixing the belt conveyor device to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing a mounting portion of the belt conveyor device to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine, showing a state where the terminal receiving portion is held in a horizontal state.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing a mounting portion of the belt conveyor device to the automatic wire cutting and crimping machine, showing a state where the terminal receiving portion is tilted.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing a state in which the electric wires are arranged in the product receiving portion with the electric wire end portions aligned.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing a state in which the electric wires are arranged in the product receiving portion with the electric wire end disturbed.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which a conventional belt conveyor device is mounted on an automatic wire cutting and crimping machine.
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which a conventional belt conveyor device having a cutout portion is attached to an automatic wire cutting and crimping machine.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Belt conveyor device 2 Belt 3 Product receiving part 3a Long part 3b Terminal receiving part 4 Main frame 5 Connecting frame 6 Support frame 7 Reinforcement frail 8 Automatic wire cutting and crimping machine 9 Wheel 11 Positioning frame 12 Butting part 13 Positioning fixing lever 14 Positioning part 17 Article storage part 32 Bent part (product alignment part)
33 electric wire

Claims (1)

In a belt conveyor device including a conveyor body, a belt-shaped belt hung on the conveyor body, a belt driving mechanism that rotates the belt, and a product receiving unit that receives a product,
The conveyor body is provided with a moving unit that can be freely moved toward and away from the mounted machine, a positioning fixing unit that determines a position of a conveyor mounting position with respect to the mounted machine, and an article storage unit below the belt. And
A part of the product receiving part close to the mounted machine is foldable, and the product receiving part is provided with a product aligning part for aligning the products. Belt conveyor device.

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