JP4167623B2 - Metal ring laminating method and metal ring laminating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for laminating endless strip metal rings.

  In a power transmission belt used in a continuously variable transmission of an automobile, a plurality of elements are laminated in a ring shape, and each element is integrally bound by a laminated ring and rotates endlessly. In a laminated ring used in this type of power transmission belt, a plurality of metal rings having different circumferential lengths formed in an endless belt shape are laminated in order of increasing circumferential length from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side.

  As an apparatus for laminating a plurality of metal rings, an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. The apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 holds a metal ring having a maximum circumference in a substantially circular shape, arranges other metal rings in descending order of the circumference, and extends from the outside of the other metal ring toward the center. The outer periphery of the metal ring is pressed and deformed by three or more pressing members toward the inside, and the deformed metal ring is fed out from the end of the pressing member toward the inside of the maximum circumferential metal ring in the order of arrangement. The metal ring is restored from the pressing member inside the ring, and the other metal rings are sequentially laminated in the metal ring having the maximum circumference.

By the way, such a metal ring is formed in a cylindrical body by welding end portions of maraging steel thin plates, and the first solution is formed in order to homogenize the hardness of the part that has been partially hardened during the welding. I do. Next, the solution-treated cylindrical body is cut into a predetermined width to form a ring, and this ring is rolled. Next, a second solution treatment is performed to recrystallize the rolled structure and restore the shape of the metal structure deformed by rolling. Then, the circumferential length of the ring after the second solution treatment is corrected to a predetermined length, and then the aging treatment and nitriding treatment (hereinafter simply referred to as heat treatment) are performed to increase the hardness. The rings are assembled and laminated to assemble the laminated ring.
Japanese Patent No. 3443074

  The apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is for laminating metal rings after heat treatment to increase the hardness. By the way, at the time of heat processing, in order to improve the space efficiency of a heating furnace, these processes are performed in the state which laminated | stacked several metal rings in which the lamination | stacking order in a lamination | stacking ring is not continuous.

  However, the metal ring before heat treatment is soft because it is in solution. For this reason, when the metal ring is deformed and laminated using the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the metal ring is wrinkled during deformation, which causes a reduction in product quality. The apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is suitable for laminating a metal ring after heat treatment, but is not suitable for laminating a solution metal ring before heat treatment.

  Moreover, although metal rings can also be laminated | stacked by manual work, in metal work, metal rings will often contact each other and possibility that a metal ring will be damaged becomes high. In addition, since care is required to prevent the metal rings from coming into contact with each other, the work time becomes long and the productivity is poor.

  The present invention aims to improve the method and apparatus for laminating metal rings, and more specifically, in order to eliminate the inconvenience, a laminating method and apparatus capable of performing a laminating operation quickly without bending the metal ring. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a metal ring laminating method according to the present invention is a metal ring laminating method in which a plurality of metal rings having different outer diameters formed in an endless belt shape are laminated, and the diameter is reduced upward. A step of placing the metal ring from the maximum diameter to the minimum diameter in order from the bottom to the top on the conical taper mounting surface, and a plurality of metal rings placed on the mounting surface And a step of laminating a plurality of metal rings by pushing up from above so that the upper one enters the inside of the lower one.

  According to the laminating method of the present invention, the metal rings having different diameters are sequentially placed on the conical liquid tapered mounting surface, and then pushed up from below so that the small-diameter metal ring enters the large-diameter metal ring. Therefore, since the metal rings are laminated, it is not necessary to bend and deform the metal rings. Therefore, even a soft metal ring before heat treatment can be easily laminated without wrinkling.

  Further, the metal ring laminating device of the present invention is a metal ring laminating device for laminating a plurality of metal rings having different outer diameters formed in an endless belt shape, and has a conical taper with a diameter decreasing upward. The mounting surface, and a plurality of grooves in the circumferential direction of the mounting surface that are recessed inwardly from the mounting surface and extend in the vertical direction, and from the largest diameter of the metal ring Placement means that can be placed on the placement surface in order from the bottom to the top with the smallest diameter, and a plurality of supports that receive the lower end edge of the metal ring at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and support the metal ring in a substantially horizontal posture. The metal ring is lowered to the mounting surface from above the mounting surface so that the support portions are guided by the groove portions of the mounting means, and the metal ring is mounted on the mounting surface. A series of operations for separating the support part from the metal ring after being placed on the metal ring. The transfer means for placing the metal ring on the mounting surface in order from a large diameter to a small diameter, and at least a maximum diameter metal ring and a minimum diameter metal ring are concentric at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. A plurality of mounting arms that can be mounted in a shape, and the mounting arms are mounted in the groove portions from below the metal ring having the maximum diameter mounted on the mounting surface of the mounting means. And laminating means for laminating a plurality of metal rings placed on the placing surface of the placing means.

  According to the laminating apparatus of the present invention, since the placement surface of the placement means has a conical taper, a plurality of metal rings can be easily placed concentrically in plan view. The plurality of metal rings placed on the placing means can be easily laminated by raising the lamination means relative to the placing means. As described above, according to the laminating apparatus of the present invention, the laminating operation can be performed quickly without bending and deforming the metal ring, which is suitable for laminating the metal ring before the heat treatment.

  Further, in the laminating apparatus of the present invention, each of the support portions of the transfer means is configured to be separated from the metal ring outward in the radial direction of the metal ring. It is preferable that the taper angle is set so that the support portion can pass in the radial direction between the metal rings placed on the placement surface in the vertical direction. As described above, the metal ring is vertically spaced by the taper angle of the placement surface of the placement means, so that the support portion of the transfer means can pass through the gap. Therefore, when the metal ring is placed on the mounting surface, the support portion and the metal ring do not interfere with each other, so that it is not necessary to add a special mechanism or the like for preventing interference.

  Next, an example of an embodiment of the metal ring laminating apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The metal ring laminating apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus for laminating a plurality of metal rings 2 that have been solutionized before heat treatment, with a space between each other. As shown in FIG. 1, the configuration includes a positioning unit 3 that positions a metal ring 2 conveyed from a circumference correction machine (not shown), a stacking unit 4 that stacks a plurality of metal rings 2, and a positioning unit 3. A transfer unit 5 that transfers the metal ring 2 to the stacking unit 4 and a transfer that moves to the left and right in FIG. 1 in conjunction with the transfer unit 5 and delivers the metal ring 2 stacked in the stacking unit 4 to the conveyor 6. Part 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning unit 3 includes a table 8 on which the metal ring 2 is placed, and a pull-in arm 9 that pulls the metal ring 2 sent from a circumference correction machine (not shown) into a predetermined position of the table 8. And a positioning piston 10 for positioning the drawn metal ring 2. The table 8 is provided with four escape holes 11 for releasing a gripping hand 12 described later.

  The transfer unit 5 includes a gripping hand 12 that grips the metal ring 2 from four locations, and a lifting device 13 that moves the gripping hand 12 in the vertical direction. Further, the gripping hand 12 and the lifting device 13 are movable in the horizontal direction by the guide rail 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the gripping hand 12 has a support plate 15 that supports the lower end edge of the metal ring 2 in a state where the metal ring 2 is gripped, and the metal ring 2 is stacked above the metal ring 2. A detection plate 16 and a sensor 17 for detecting the detection plate 16 when placed on the unit 4, and a spring 18 for releasing the detection plate 16 upward when the detection plate 16 is pushed upward by the metal ring 2. ing. Further, the gripping hand 12 is movable in the radial direction of the metal ring 2 by a slider 19 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the stacking unit 4 mounts the truncated cone-shaped mounting unit 20 and a plurality of metal rings 2 mounted on the mounting unit 20 while stacking them. It has the mounting arm 21 and the cylinder 22 (refer FIG. 1) which moves the mounting arm 21 up and down. The mounting portion 20 is provided with groove portions 23 that are recessed inward at four locations in the circumferential direction and extend in the vertical direction. The tip of the mounting arm 21 is in a state where it enters the inside of the groove 23.

  The payout unit 7 includes a gripping arm 24 that grips the stacked metal rings 2 at two locations, and a cylinder 25 that moves the gripping arm 24 up and down. Further, the payout portion 7 is integrally connected to the transfer portion 5 by a connecting shaft 26.

  Next, a laminating method using the laminating apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the operation of laminating the metal rings 2 in the case where twelve metal rings 2 are finally laminated to form a laminated ring will be described before the heat treatment. Here, among the twelve metal rings 2, # 1, # 2,.

  The initial position of each member of the laminating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is such that the transfer unit 5 is disposed above the positioning unit 3 by the guide rail 14, and the gripping hand 12 is moved outside the outer dimensions of the metal ring 2 by the slider 19. It is in a spread state. Further, the mounting arm 21 of the stacked unit 4 is located in the vicinity of the lower end in the groove 23 of the mounting unit 20.

  In this state, a plurality of metal rings 2 to be stacked are conveyed to the positioning unit 3 from a circumference correction machine (not shown). In the present embodiment, twelve metal rings 2 are sent in three groups. First, groups # 1, # 4, # 7, # 10 as the first group, then groups # 2, # 5, # 8, # 11 as the second group, and finally # 3 as the third group , # 6, # 9, # 12.

  When the first group is transported to the positioning unit 3, first, the # 10 metal ring 2 is transported to the positioning unit 3, and is transported to the positioning unit 3 in the order of # 7, # 4, and # 1. The Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a procedure for transferring the last metal ring 2 of # 1 while the metal rings 2 of # 10, # 7, and # 4 are already placed on the placement unit 20 will be described. Specifically, the # 1 metal ring 2 conveyed to the left side of FIG. When the metal ring 2 is drawn to the position of the dotted line in FIG. 2, the drawing arm 9 stops and the positioning piston 10 also positions the metal ring 2 in the radial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2).

  When the metal ring 2 is positioned by the positioning unit 3 in this way, the transfer unit 5 is moved above the metal ring 2 positioned by the guide rail 14, so that the lifting hand 13 lifts the gripping hand 12 from that position. Is lowered toward the metal ring 2. At this time, since the gripping hand 12 is wider than the outer dimension of the metal ring 2, the gripping hand 12 can be lowered to the position of the relief hole 11 of the table 8 in FIG. And it positions so that the metal ring 2 may come between the support plate 15 and the detection plate 16. In this state, the gripping hand 12 is radially inward of the metal ring 2 by the slider 19 until the support plate 15 is positioned below the metal ring 2 and the gripping hand 12 is not in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the metal ring 2. Moved towards.

  Next, from this state, the gripping hand 12 is moved upward by the lifting device 13, and accordingly, the metal ring 2 is placed on the support plate 15 of the gripping hand 12 and raised. The gripping hand 12 is moved to the right side in FIG. 1 by the guide rail 14, and the metal ring 2 is positioned at the position where the respective axial directions coincide with each other above the placement portion 20 as shown in FIG. .

  From this state, the gripping hand 12 and the metal ring 2 are lowered by the lifting device 13. At this time, since the gripping hand 12 descends inside the groove 23 of the placement unit 20, the gripping hand 12 and the placement unit 20 do not interfere with each other. Then, the gripping hand 12 is lowered until the lower end edge of the metal ring 2 comes into contact with the surface of the placement unit 20. When the gripping hand 12 is further lowered from a state in which the lower end edge of the metal ring 2 is in contact with the surface of the mounting portion 20, the metal ring 2 is supported by the support plate 15 of the gripping hand 12 as shown in FIG. The contact with the detection plate 16. Thus, when the metal ring 2 contacts the detection plate 16, this is detected by the sensor 17, and the lowering of the gripping hand 12 is stopped. At this time, since the detection plate 16 can be moved upward by the spring 18, even when the detection plate 16 is pushed up by the metal ring 2, an impact can be released by the spring 18.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the gripping hand 12 is moved by the slider 19 until the support plate 15 comes to a position radially outside the metal ring 2, and further lifted by the lifting device 13. The metal ring 2 is placed on the placement unit 20 through the series of operations described above.

  In the first group of the plurality of metal rings 2, # 1 is placed on the placement part 20 in this way, and is placed on the placement part 20 together with the metal rings 2 of # 4, # 7 and # 10. Placed. The mounting portion 20 has a conical tapered outer peripheral surface, and this taper angle is shown in FIG. 3 (c) when the third metal ring 2 is mounted. As described above, the interval between the metal rings 2 is set so that the support plate 15 of the gripping hand 12 can be inserted and removed in the radial direction of the metal ring 2. For this reason, even when each metal ring 2 is sequentially placed, the metal ring 2 placed first and the support plate 15 of the gripping hand 12 do not interfere with each other.

  Next, the mounting arm 21 of the stacked unit 4 is moved upward from the state of FIG. Then, as shown in FIG.4 (b), it mounts on the mounting arm 21 from the metal ring 2 mounted below the mounting part 20, rises together, and is mounted on the upper part. It overlaps with the metal ring 2. Since these metal rings 2 have a circumferential length of No. 3, and are placed concentrically by the placement portion 20, they are stacked concentrically on the placement arm 21 without interfering with each other. Is done. Then, the mounting arm 21 is raised to above the mounting unit 20.

  At this time, the payout portion 7 is disposed above the stacked portion 4 by the guide rail 14, and the gripping arm 24 is lowered by the cylinder 25 (see FIG. 1). And the metal ring 2 laminated | stacked by the holding | grip arm 24 is hold | gripped in two places. Thereafter, the grip arm 24 is raised by the cylinder 25, and the grip arm 24 is moved to the right side in FIG. Then, the gripping arm 24 is lowered by the cylinder 25 and the metal ring 2 stacked on the payout conveyor 6 is placed. Thereafter, the gripping arm 24 is released from the metal ring 2, and the metal ring 2 is conveyed by the conveyor 6 to a place where a heat treatment process as the next process is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the transfer unit 5 transfers the # 11 metal ring 2 of the second group to the stacked unit 4 simultaneously with the discharging of the stacked metal rings 2 by the discharge unit 7. And the metal ring 2 of a 2nd group and a 3rd group is laminated | stacked sequentially in the same procedure as the above, and it pays out to the conveyor 6. FIG.

  As described above, according to the laminating method and apparatus of this embodiment, the metal ring 2 can be laminated without being bent and deformed. In addition, since the stacking operation can be automated, the efficiency of the stacking operation is also improved. Furthermore, since the subsequent heat treatment can be performed in a state where the metal ring 2 is laminated, the efficiency of the heat treatment operation is also improved.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the metal ring 2 is laminated | stacked by skipping No. 3, it is not restricted to this, You may laminate | stack combining the numbers which do not mutually contact. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the holding | grip hand 12 is moved up and down and the metal ring 2 is phase-shifted, it is not restricted to this, For example, the mounting part 20 is moved up and down and the metal ring 2 is moved to the mounting part 20. It may be placed.

The front view of the lamination apparatus which shows an example of embodiment of this invention. The top view of the lamination apparatus of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the action | operation at the time of mounting a metal ring in a mounting part. Explanatory drawing which shows the action | operation at the time of laminating | stacking a metal ring in a mounting part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Lamination | stacking apparatus, 2 ... Metal ring, 4 ... Lamination | stacking part (laminating means) 5 ... Transfer part (transfer means), 15 ... Support plate (support means), 20 ... Mounting part (mounting means), 21 ... Placing arm, 23 ... groove.

Claims (3)

A metal ring laminating method for laminating a plurality of metal rings having different outer diameters formed in an endless belt shape,
A step of placing the metal ring from the maximum diameter to the minimum diameter in order from the bottom to the top on the conical taper mounting surface which is reduced in diameter toward the upper side;
A plurality of metal rings placed on the placement surface are pushed up from below so that the upper one enters the inside of the lower one, and a plurality of metal rings are stacked. Lamination method. A metal ring laminating apparatus for laminating a plurality of metal rings with different outer diameters formed in an endless belt shape,
A conical tapered mounting surface that is reduced in diameter toward the upper side, and a plurality of grooves in the circumferential direction of the mounting surface that are recessed inward from the mounting surface and extend in the vertical direction. Having a mounting means that can be mounted on the mounting surface in order from the bottom to the top of the metal ring from the maximum diameter to the minimum diameter;
It has a plurality of support portions that receive the lower end edge of the metal ring at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and supports the metal ring in a substantially horizontal posture, so that the support portions are guided by the groove portions of the placing means. The metal ring is lowered onto the mounting surface from above the mounting surface, and after the metal ring is placed on the mounting surface, a series of operations for separating the support portion from the metal ring is repeated, and the large diameter Transfer means for placing the metal ring on the placement surface in order from the small diameter to the small diameter,
A plurality of mounting arms capable of concentrically mounting at least a maximum diameter metal ring and a minimum diameter metal ring at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the maximum diameter mounted on the mounting surface of the mounting means described above The mounting arms are raised relative to the mounting means in the grooves from below the metal ring, and a plurality of metal rings mounted on the mounting surface of the mounting means are stacked. A metal ring laminating apparatus comprising a laminating means. Each support portion of the transfer means is configured to be separated from the metal ring radially outward of the metal ring,
The taper angle of the mounting surface of the mounting unit is set so that the support portion can pass in the vertical direction between the metal rings mounted on the mounting surface. The metal ring laminating apparatus according to claim 2.

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