JP3886700B2 - Grommet nut automatic feeder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a leg portion on both sides which is provided with a screw hole, has an inner surface facing the back surface of the head portion on which one member is set, and has an engaging groove for the other member on the outer surface. And a grommet nut automatic supply device for supplying a grommet nut in which the front and back surfaces of the head portion are formed to be non-symmetric with respect to each other in a specific posture.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For a grommet nut with a general shape with both leg portions protruding from the back surface of the head portion, a plate-like shooter is inserted into the gap between the leg portions, and conveyed by sliding to the supply destination according to a downward gradient. Automatic feeding devices for grommets nuts are well known.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, by setting the surface of the head portion 1 on the door trim of an automobile and screwing the screw into the screw hole 3 with the inner plate engaged with the engagement groove 2a, In the case of mounting on a plate, a groove 4 passing through the screw hole 3 on the front surface 1a so that the front surface 1a of the head portion 1 is non-plane-symmetric with respect to the back surface 1b or the leg portion 2 is easily bent due to mutual positional relationship. Grommet nuts that are crossed are also used. In such a case, when the shooter is inserted into the groove 4 or the gap 7, there is a possibility that the upper and lower positions or the front and rear positions are reversed and the sheet is conveyed in a plurality of postures. Therefore, the posture is not constant at the supply destination and cannot be gripped as it is by an automatic machine.
[0004]
In view of these points, the present invention discriminates grommet nuts that may be transported in different postures by up-down or back-and-forth inversion, so that only those with specific postures can be supplied from the supplier. It aims at providing the automatic supply apparatus of the grommet nut conveyed to a supply destination.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides, according to claim 1, a screw hole and an inner surface facing the back surface of the head portion on which one member is set, with a gap, and the other surface on the other surface. Automatic supply of grommet nuts for supplying grommet nuts in which a leg portion on both sides provided with engaging grooves for members protrudes and the front and back surfaces of the head portion are formed asymmetric with respect to each other in a specific posture A shooter that is inserted into a gap between the leg portions on both sides of a grommet nut supplied on the upstream side and that slides the grommet nut to a supply destination by a downward slope in a state in which the rotation to the side is restrained. In the middle of this shooter, there is a linear body that slides in a state where the rotational restraint to the side of the grommet nut is released, and the lateral rotation of the grommet nut around the linear body Specially on the route The grommet nut in a specific posture is wider than the rotation path of the grommet nut so that the grommet nut in a posture in which the front-rear position is reversed relative to the posture of the grommet nut is selectively passed through and rotated and dropped. A posture discrimination gate having a shape at least partially narrower than the moving path is provided.
[0006]
The grommet nut is transported to the supply destination by inserting a shooter into the gap between its leg portions and sliding the upper wall of the gap over the upper end of the shooter in a state in which the lateral rotation is restricted. When reaching the posture discrimination gate in the middle, the grommet nut with the posture reversed in the front-rear position passes through the posture discrimination gate by allowing the grommet nut to turn sideways above the shooter. Then fall. The grommet nut of a specific posture cannot pass through the posture discrimination gate and further slides toward the supply destination. Even if the center of gravity does not lie above the shooter, it can be dropped by a slight vibration of the shooter or a reaction that occurs when the restraint by the posture discrimination gate is released.
[0007]
A grommet nut supplied on the upstream side according to claim 2 with respect to a grommet nut in which a groove that crosses the screw hole is formed on the surface of the head portion and may be conveyed in an upside down position. The grommet is inserted into the gap between the leg portions on both sides of the head or the groove of the head portion, and the grommet nut is slid by a downward slope to the supply destination while restraining the rotation to the side. A linear body that is slid in a state where the rotation restraint to the side of the nut is released is interposed, and the rotation path to the side of the grommet nut centering on the linear body is front and rear with respect to a specific posture. The grommet nuts having a specific posture that is wider than the rotation path of these grommet nuts are selectively passed through the grommet nuts of three types of postures whose positions and vertical positions are reversed and selectively dropped. It provided the posture discrimination gate at least partially narrower shape of the rotation path of Tonatto.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An automatic grommet nut feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 10 denotes a hopper installed at the supply source of the grommet nut 9 shown in FIG. 3. On the inner peripheral surface of the rotary drum 12 attached to the rotary shaft supported by the base 11 and driven to rotate by the motor 13, A plurality of blades 15 that scoop up the grommet nut 9 are arranged in the radial direction.
[0009]
Reference numeral 20 denotes a shooter that enters the center of the hopper 10 so as to have a downward slope, and conveys the grommet nut 9 from the hopper 10 to the supply destination by sliding. The shooter is configured by placing a plate 22 supported by a base 21 at an angle with respect to a vertical direction on a wire 23 that is a linear body. The thickness of the plate and the wire 23 is set to be thinner than the lateral width of the groove 4 or the gap 7 of the grommet nut 9. The blades 15 have a depth width corresponding to the depth dimension of the rotary drum 12 and have a vertical width that is spaced from the inclined shooter 20.
[0010]
Further, posture discrimination gates 26 and 27 for discriminating the grommet nut 9 in a posture to be transported are provided in the middle of the hopper 10 of the shooter 20. A cover 29 that prevents the grommet nut 9 that slides down from the blade 15 from entering is formed in the upper region of these posture discrimination gates. As shown in FIG. 4, the grommet nut 9 has a posture A in which the groove 4 is supported by the shooter 20 and the head portion 1 becomes thicker toward the downstream, and a posture B in which the head portion 1 becomes thinner. Then, there is a possibility of being conveyed in four different postures, a posture C that becomes thicker downstream and a posture D that becomes thinner.
[0011]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the posture discrimination gate 26 has a depth position b, d slightly below the rotational path of the side ends a, c of the front and rear ends of the head portion 1 of the grommet nut 9 in the posture B. The bottom surface 26a is set on the plate 22 and the plate 22 is selectively cut by leaving the wire 23 so that the front and rear width is set to be slightly wider than the rotation path of the corresponding front and rear ends of the grommet nut 9. It is formed as a turning gate that turns and falls. As a result, the grommet nut 9 in the posture B passes through this turning gate and falls down. However, the one in the posture A is located between the side ends e at the front ends on both sides as shown in FIG. In the middle of the rotation, the middle portion is restricted by the bottom surface 26a at the depth position f and cannot be rotated.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 7, the posture discrimination gate 27 is formed in a shape in which the posture D turning gate of FIG. A and the posture C turning gate of FIG. B are combined (see FIG. 7C). The grommet nuts 9 in the postures A and B are restricted by the width of the head portion 1 in the front-rear direction and cannot pass.
[0013]
The automatic supply device for the grommet nut 9 configured as described above is as follows. The grommet nut 9 thrown into the hopper 10 is scooped up by the blades 15 and slides down at an upper position, whereby the shooter 20 in the upstream region is inserted into a part of the gap 7 or the groove 4, and the upper wall of the gap 7 Alternatively, the bottom surface of the groove 4 is supported by the wire 23, and is slid to the supply destination by a downward gradient in an obliquely inclined posture in which the rotation is restricted by the plate 22 below.
[0014]
When the grommet nuts 9 in the postures C and D slide to the posture discrimination gate 27, the restraint in the inclined state by the plate 22 is released as shown in FIG. Since the weight of the head portion 1 is relatively large and the center of gravity is located on the upper left side with respect to the wire 23 in the drawing, the head portion 1 rotates as it is about the wire 23 in the direction of the arrow and falls downward. When the shooter 20 is vibrated by the collision of the grommet nut 9 from above, the grommet nut 9 is reliably rotated. The dropped grommet nut 9 is repeatedly scooped up by the blade 15 surrounding the region of the upstream side of the shooter 20 or the posture discrimination gates 26 and 27.
[0015]
The grommet nuts 9 in the postures A and B are not discriminated by the posture discrimination gate 27 due to the wide front and rear width of the head portion 1, and when the grommet nuts 9 in the posture B slide on the posture discrimination gate 26, As shown in FIG. 8B, even when the center of gravity is slightly below the wire 23, it occurs when the fine vibration or restraint of the shooter 20 due to the grommet nut 9 constantly colliding from above is released. By the reaction, the wire 23 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow about the wire 23 and surely falls downward. The remaining grommet nut 9 in posture A further slides downstream, is restrained by the stopper 24 or the preceding grommet nut 9, and is gripped by, for example, the hand of the gripping device and moved to the assembly location.
[0016]
Note that the posture discrimination gates 26 and 27 may be formed at two locations in the middle of the plate 22 in order to further improve the reliability of the discrimination operation.
[0017]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6, the flange-like stopper 26 b that restrains the rotation of the grommet nut 9 in the posture A is formed along the bottom portion 26 a of the posture discrimination gate 26. Thus, the large rotation of the grommet nut 9 in the posture A can be restrained to ensure smooth and reliable conveyance. Instead of such a stopper 26b, a stopper that restrains the rotation of the grommet nut 9 in the posture A by using the side surface of the cover 29 in the region above the wire 23 at the front end of the posture discrimination gate 26 may be configured. it can. The linear bodies of the posture discrimination gates 26 and 27 may be formed in a curved shape with the upper surface of the plate material remaining in a linear shape instead of a wire.
[0018]
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the posture discrimination gate. A posture discrimination gate 36 for posture A and B and a posture discrimination gate 37 for posture C are formed on the side plate 31 of the cover 30. A grommet nut 9 is supplied downstream. A rectangular parallelepiped common notch 38 that allows rotation during discrimination is formed in a lower portion of the wire 23.
[0019]
Furthermore, when the grommet nut is supported by the linear body on the bottom surface of the groove or the upper wall of the gap, it is normal that the balance cannot be maintained. In some cases, the shooter is installed vertically and dropped to both sides by turning. You can also. Particularly when the shooter is slightly vibrated, the operation becomes more reliable.
[0020]
In the above-described embodiment, the posture discrimination gates 26 and 37 may be eliminated for the grommet nut in which the groove 4 is not formed in the head portion 1.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a parts feeder in which one specific posture of a grommet nut that can take two types of postures with asymmetric surfaces on the front and back of the head portion during conveyance by a shooter is automatically discriminated. Realized. Thereby, it is possible to facilitate gripping in a specific posture during automatic assembly. According to the second aspect of the present invention, a specific one type of posture is automatically discriminated against a grommet nut in which a groove is formed on the surface of the head portion and can take four types of postures.
[0022]
According to invention of Claim 3, a grommet nut can be reliably rotated to a specific side by a posture discrimination gate. According to the invention of claim 4, the grommet nut that has been discriminated by the posture discrimination gate and dropped is easily collected and re-transported. The shouter can also be vibrated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a grommet nut automatic supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the automatic supply apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a grommet nut that can be conveyed by the automatic supply device.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the posture of a grommet nut conveyed by the automatic supply device.
FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a passing operation of a posture discrimination gate of the automatic supply device, in which FIG. A is a side view and FIG. B is a front view.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a restraining operation of the posture discrimination gate according to FIG. 5, in which FIG. A is a side view and FIG. B is a front view.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a configuration of another posture discrimination gate of the automatic supply device. FIGS. A and B are side views illustrating the configuration principle, and FIG. C is a side view illustrating a passing state. FIG.
8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the passage operation of the posture discrimination gate. FIG. 8A is a front view of the posture discrimination gate of FIG. 7, and FIG. B is a front view of the posture discrimination gate of FIG.
FIGS. 9A and 9B show a posture discrimination gate according to another embodiment, in which FIG. A is a side view, and FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head part 2a Engagement groove 3 Screw hole 4 Groove 7 Gap 9 Grommet nut 10 Hopper 15 Blade 20 Shuter 22 Plate 23 Wire 26, 27, 36, 37 Posture discrimination gate

Claims (4)

Legs on both sides are provided with screw holes, on the back of the head part on which one member is set, with the gap facing the inner surface and the outer surface with an engaging groove for the other member. And a grommet nut automatic supply device for supplying a grommet nut in which the front surface and the back surface of the head portion are formed in a non-axisymmetric manner in a specific posture,
A shooter that is inserted into the gap between the leg portions on both sides of the grommet nut supplied on the upstream side and that slides the grommet nut toward the supply destination by a downward slope in a state in which the rotation to the side is restrained; ,
In the middle of the shooter, a linear body is slid in a state in which the lateral restraint of the grommet nut is released, and the grommet nut is pivoted sideways around the linear body. The grommet nut is wider than the turning path of the grommet nut and selectively passes through the path so that the grommet nut in a position in which the front-rear position is reversed with respect to the specified position is selectively passed. An automatic grommet nut supply device, characterized in that a posture discrimination gate having a shape at least partially narrower than the rotation path of the grommet nut in a posture is provided. Legs on both sides are provided with screw holes, on the back of the head part on which one member is set, with the gap facing the inner surface and the outer surface with an engaging groove for the other member. In addition, the grommet nut automatic supply device for supplying the grommet nut in a specific posture in which the front surface and the back surface of the head portion are formed to be non-axisymmetric with each other, and the groove that crosses the screw hole is formed on the front surface of the head portion. Because
The grommet nut is lowered to the supply destination while being inserted in the gap between the leg portions on both sides of the grommet nut supplied on the upstream side or in the groove of the head portion and restraining the rotation to the side. It has a shooter that slides on a slope,
In the middle of the shooter, a linear body is slid in a state in which the lateral restraint of the grommet nut is released, and the grommet nut is pivoted sideways around the linear body. The pivot paths of these grommet nuts so that the grommet nuts of three kinds of postures in which the front-rear position and the vertical position are reversed with respect to a specific posture are selectively passed through the path. A grommet nut automatic supply device, characterized in that a posture discrimination gate having a wider shape and at least partially narrower than the rotation path of the grommet nut in a specific posture is provided. The shouter is provided with a plate provided below the linear body and inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and a posture discrimination gate is formed by notching the plate so as to leave the linear body. The automatic supply apparatus of the grommet nut of Claim 1 or Claim 2. A hopper provided with a rotating drum into which the shooter enters is attached, and a plurality of blades surrounding a region from the upstream side of the shooter to the posture discrimination gate so as to slide down the raised grommet nut from above. 4. The automatic grommet nut feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the grommet nut is arranged radially on an inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum.

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