JP4687126B2 - Fitting alignment method and alignment apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a metal fitting aligning method for aligning metal fittings and an alignment apparatus used therefor.

Conventionally, as an alignment method and alignment device for metal fittings used in a vibration isolator, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a plurality of cylindrical shapes are formed on a pair of support rollers that extend in parallel to each other and rotate in the same direction. The parts are randomly placed in an irregular posture using the feeding means, the support rollers are rotated, and the cylindrical parts are aligned between the pair of support rollers in a plurality of units, and then the aligned cylindrical shapes It is known that parts are taken out from a pair of support rollers and positioned and set in a subsequent supply device. However, this aligning device is used for one type of cylindrical part. Even in the case of a cylindrical part having a similar structure, this alignment is performed when there is a difference in dimensions or the presence or absence of wrinkles. The device could not be used. Therefore, for different types of cylindrical parts, it is necessary to modify the equipment for each product type or prepare a new device, resulting in very high equipment costs and costs for equipment replacement. In particular, this is a big problem in the case of a small amount of various types of cylindrical parts.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-76431

On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 2, for example, an elevating device that reverses a base that can be moved up and down by 90 ° at its highest point, a hopper provided with a vibrator for vibration, 2. Description of the Related Art A casting product supply device including a chute having a vibrator for vibration is known. This supply device installs a forged product container on a base in an elevating device, and discharges the forged product in the container into a single hopper by raising the base and reversing at its highest point. The forged product is gradually sent from the hopper to the chute by the operation of the vibrator, and the forged product sent into the chute by the operation of the vibrator is distributed almost evenly, and the forged product is distributed on the conveyor of the heat treatment furnace. It is supplied in a substantially aligned form. However, this supply device simply aligns the forged products by the operation of the vibrator, and does not arrange the forged products at the same interval. It is not arranged in the aligned state. Due to the structure of such an apparatus, it is difficult to align forgings in the same alignment state.
JP 59-97920 A

  The present invention is intended to solve the above problem, and even when producing different types of metal fittings of different shapes, sizes, etc. by changing the position, it is transported one by one from the randomly accommodated state at a uniform interval. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple metal fitting alignment method that can be taken out in the same alignment state and a metal fitting alignment device used therefor.

In order to achieve the above object, the structural feature of the present invention is that a plurality of metal fittings stored in a random state in a box-like container having an opening on one side surface are removed from the opening by an extrusion means. A recess provided with a metal fitting dropped in the supply process in one place by a supply process that drops and supplies the outside of the container and a conveyance means that is an endless ring-shaped conveyance belt with magnets arranged at intervals in the conveyance direction. Receiving and storing, and picking up the metal fittings one by one with a magnet, transporting it toward the take-out position through a portion inclined to the concave side following the concave portion of the transport means, and transporting to the take-out position by the transport means respect have been fitting to recognize the placement state of the metal by the camera, it is taken out by holding the brackets by the robot on the basis of the recognized placement state, rectify so as to have the same orientation of the bracket It lies in comprising the alignment step of conveying to the alignment position are aligned by Rukoto.

In the present invention configured as described above, in the supplying step, a plurality of metal fittings housed in a random state in a container having an opening on one side surface is smoothly dropped and supplied from the opening to the outside by the pushing means. The The extruding means here includes a case in which the metal fitting is directly pushed in with a cylinder or the like, and a case in which the metal fitting is pushed out to the next process by applying vibration like a parts feeder. Since it has an extruding means, it is possible to control the supply amount of metal fittings to be sent to the next process, and there is no trouble such as supply over-state or supply shortage in the next process due to excessive supply. Next, in the transporting process, the metal fittings dropped from the container are received and held at one place by the transporting means, and the held metal fittings are attracted one by one by magnets arranged at intervals. The plurality of metal fittings are divided into one piece by the conveying means and are conveyed at equal intervals. By providing a recess in the transport means formed by the endless ring-shaped transport belt, a plurality of metal fittings dropped and supplied from the supply process can be temporarily stored in the recess of the transport belt. Are transported at equal intervals and smoothly supplied one by one to the horizontal portion which is the take-out position. Since the magnets arranged at intervals are not overlapped and transported in an irregular state, it is possible to prevent problems such as chuck failure in the next process and erroneous recognition by the camera. Next, in the alignment step, the mounting state of the metal fittings transported to the take-out position at equal intervals by the conveying means can be recognized by the camera, and the metal fittings are sandwiched and taken out by the robot based on the recognized mounting state, Further , by correcting the metal fittings so as to be in the same direction, they can be aligned and transported to the aligned position. As a result, according to the present invention, since a process that can only deal with a specific shape is not used, the same supply process, transport process and alignment process can be performed for different types of metal fittings having different shapes and sizes. It is possible to reliably separate them one by one from a random accommodation state and transport them at equal intervals, and after accurately determining them, they can be taken out in the same alignment state.

  In the metal fitting alignment method of the present invention, the container is preferably swung back and forth in the direction of the opening by the pushing means. Thus, by swinging the container in the direction of the opening, a plurality of randomly stacked metal fittings are smoothly loosened and smoothly supplied from the opening to the outside.

  In the metal fitting aligning method of the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the container has a stepped shape that is slightly lowered toward the opening. In this way, the bottom surface of the container is stepped down slightly toward the opening, so that the metal fittings housed in the container are smoothly sent to the opening along the stepped bottom surface. Is smoothly supplied from the outside to the outside.

As another feature of the present invention, a plurality of metal fittings are accommodated in a random state in a box-shaped container having an opening on one side surface, and the plurality of received metal fittings are removed from the opening by an extrusion means. A supply device that drops and supplies the container to the outside of the container and a metal fitting that is dropped and supplied by the supply device are received and accommodated by a recess provided in one end of the endless ring-shaped conveyance belt, and the accommodated metal fitting is accommodated in the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt. A conveying device that is attracted one by one by a magnet arranged at an interval and conveyed toward the take-out position through a portion inclined to the concave portion side following the concave portion of the convey belt, and a metal fitting conveyed to the take-out position by the convey device and it recognizes the placement state by a camera, integer by correcting to have the same orientation of the fitting is taken out by holding the brackets by the robot based on the recognized placement state In that a metal removal aligning device for conveying to the alignment position by.

In the present invention, a plurality of metal fittings accommodated in a random state in a container having an opening portion on one side surface are smoothly dropped and supplied from the opening portion to the outside by the pushing means, and the metal fitting is provided at one place of the conveying means. The held metal fittings are attracted one by one by magnets arranged at intervals, whereby a plurality of metal fittings are divided into one piece and conveyed at equal intervals by the conveying means. The hardware can be transported to the aligned position by recognizing the mounting state by the camera, sandwiching and taking out by the robot based on the mounting state, and correcting the metal fitting so that it is in the same direction . As a result, the present invention does not use a process that can only deal with a specific shape, and even with different types of metal fittings of different shapes, sizes, etc., the same alignment method and alignment device can be used. Since it can be separated from the accommodation state one by one and transported at equal intervals and taken out in the same alignment state, it is not necessary to modify the equipment for each type of bracket or prepare a new equipment, Equipment costs and equipment installation / replacement costs are no longer required, and the cost for aligning parts can be greatly reduced, especially for small and high-mix metal fittings.

In addition, according to the present invention, by swinging the container of the supply device in the direction of the opening, the metal pieces stacked in a plurality of loose pieces can be smoothly loosened and smoothly supplied from the opening to the outside. it can. Further, by adjusting the swinging speed, it is possible to supply stably using the inertial force and frictional force of the metal fitting. In addition, when the metal fitting is cylindrical, it is very easy to roll, so if the bottom surface of the container is tilted, the supply amount may not be controlled, but the bottom surface of the container is slightly lowered toward the opening. By making it stepped, the metal fitting can be temporarily left on the stepped flat portion, and it is possible to prevent the metal fitting from being excessively supplied. In addition, since the metal fitting can be pushed out by the stepped standing wall portion by swinging back and forth, the metal fitting can be reliably supplied, and the supply amount does not become unstable. Therefore, the metal fitting accommodated in the container can be smoothly fed to the opening along the stepped bottom surface. Further, in the present invention, an endless transport belt is used as the transport means, and a plurality of metal fittings dropped and supplied from the supply process are accommodated by the concave portions of the transport belt, and the plurality of accommodated metal fittings are agitated by the movement of the transport belt. Therefore, the probability of touching the magnets arranged at intervals on the transport belt is increased. As a result, the magnets can be securely attracted one by one with the magnet and smoothly supplied to the take-out position at equal intervals.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1, 2, and 3 show an alignment device that aligns the inner and outer tube fittings of the vibration isolator, which is a cylindrical fitting according to the embodiment, at equal intervals on a belt conveyor that is conveyed for heat treatment. It is shown by a partially broken front view, a side view, and a plan view (partially omitted). 4 to 7 are a partially broken front view, a plan view, and a left and right side view of a supply device and a transport device which are a part of the alignment device.

  The aligning device includes a support frame 10 formed of a steel frame, and a left supply device 13A and a right transport device that are integrally mounted on the front side on a base 11 in the support frame 10. 30A, the supply device 13B on the left side and the transfer device 30B on the right side, which are integrally mounted on the rear side, and the rear side of the transfer device 30B, which is mounted on the rear side and extends to the right outside of the support frame 10. A belt conveyor 77 on which inner and outer cylindrical metal fittings are placed in an aligned state, a metal picking and aligning device 60 attached to the support frame 10 on the upper side in the support frame 10, and an electric control device 80 for controlling the operation of the alignment device; It has. In the present embodiment, the left and right and front and rear directions of the apparatus are adjusted to the left and right directions and the front and rear directions with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.

The aligning device performs a supplying process of smoothly supplying the inner and outer cylinder fittings randomly loaded in the container to the conveying devices 30A and 30B by the supplying devices 13A and 13B, and is supplied from the supplying device by the conveying devices 30A and 30B. The inner and outer cylinder fittings are arranged at regular intervals and conveyed to the take-out position, and the metal take-out aligning device 60 takes out the inner and outer cylinder fittings supplied to the take-out position by the robot, and corrects them to the aligned state. The alignment process is carried out to the belt conveyor 77 for alignment. The supply device 13A and the transfer device 30A are for the outer tube fitting, and the supply device 13B and the transfer device 30B are for the inner tube fitting, but both have the same structure. This will be described as the transport device 30A.

The supply device 13A is sandwiched between a pair of vertical support plates 15 and 16 erected on opposite sides of the front and rear edges of the bottom plate 14 common to the conveyance device 30A. A chute 24 is provided above the base portion 17 with a space K1 therebetween. An electric motor 18 is fixed to the right front surface 17a in the base portion 17, and a sprocket 18a is fixed to the rotating shaft protruding forward. The sprocket 18a is connected by a chain 19 wound between the sprocket 18a and a first sprocket 35 on the transport device 30A side which will be described later. In the space K1, the electromagnetic cylinder 21 is mounted on the right side of the upper surface of the base portion 17 in the left-right direction, and the right end side of the rod 21a protruding rightward is fixed to the bottom surface of the chute 24. Further, a cylinder 22 that extends and contracts to the left and right is attached to the left side of the upper surface of the base portion 17, and the right end side thereof is fixed to the bottom surface of the chute 24.

  The electromagnetic cylinder 21 supports the chute 24 together with the cylinder 22, and the rod 21a repeats a rightward projecting operation and a leftward retreating operation once with respect to the position shown in FIG. The chute 24 can be swung left and right. In the present embodiment, the speed of the backward movement operation in the left direction is made faster than the speed of the projection operation in the right direction by the electromagnetic cylinder 21 under the control of the electric control device 80. The speed of the rightward protruding operation by the electromagnetic cylinder 21 may be the same as or faster than the speed of the backward movement operation to the left.

  The chute 24 includes a container 25 that is long on the left and right sides of the lower side, and a hopper 27 that is integrally attached to the container 25 except for the vicinity of the right end of the container 25. The space between the container 25 and the hopper 27 is connected vertically. ing. The front and rear width of the container 25 is shorter than that of the base portion 17, and its left and right ends extend slightly outward from the left and right ends of the base portion 17. It has become. As for the container 25, the front side plate and the rear side plate extend in parallel to each other in the left and right directions, and extend straight up to the opening 25a. The front and rear width of the hopper 27 is substantially the same as the front and rear width of the base portion 17, and the hopper 27 is connected to the container 25 by being narrowed in the front and rear width direction by an inclined portion 27 a inclined front and rear on the lower end side. A stepped portion 26 is provided on the bottom surface in the container 25. The staircase portion 26 has a width matched to the longitudinal length of the bottom surface of the container 25 and a plurality of thin steel plates whose left and right lengths are shorter than the left and right lengths of the bottom surface by a fixed dimension. They are stacked in order from the bottom to the left end, and are stepped down from the left to the right.

In addition, attachment plates 25b protrude from the front and rear sides of the left and right ends of the front and rear surfaces of the container 25, and pulleys 28 are rotatably attached to the lower surfaces of the attachment plates 25b. A pulley 29 is provided at the front and rear ends and the left and right ends of the upper surface of the base portion 17 so as to face the pulley 28, and a belt 29a is wound between the pulleys 28 and 29 facing vertically. In this way, by connecting the container 25 to the base portion 17 via the belt 29a, unnecessary movement such as back and forth of the container 25 can be suppressed in accordance with the horizontal swing of the container 25.

The transport device 30A has a pair of side plates 31 and 32 that are vertically provided on the front and rear side edges on the bottom plate 14 on the right side of the supply device 13A, and a space K2 therebetween. The side plates 31, 32 are inclined edges 32 a whose left edges are inclined at approximately 60 ° from the upper end position of the base 17 toward the upper right, and are horizontal edges 32 b slightly above the upper ends of the hoppers 27. The tip of the container 25 extending toward the conveying device 30A slightly protrudes to the inside of the inclined edge 32a. In the lower center of the space K <b> 2, a pair of storage plate members 33 having a large-diameter disk shape are arranged along the side plates 31, 32 on the opposite surface side of the side plates 31, 32. Is attached to the side plates 31 and 32 in a rotatable manner by a central cylindrical portion 33a protruding outward at the center.

  The receiving plate member 33 is a sprocket having teeth protruding along the outer peripheral edge, and has a large number of small holes 33b that are coaxially arranged on the outer side in the radial direction of the central cylindrical portion 33a and penetrate in the thickness direction. is doing. The accommodation plate member 33 is arranged so that the left end is slightly lower right of the tip of the container 25. At the position of the small hole 33b on the lowermost end side of the housing plate member 33, a metal detector 34 is provided on the side plates 31 and 32 side where a light emitting element and a light receiving element are attached to face each other. When the light receiving element receives light from the light emitting element, the metal fitting detection device 34 does not supply the outer cylindrical metal fitting 74 between the two receiving plate members 33, and the light receiving element does not receive light from the light emitting element. It can be determined that the outer cylinder fitting 74 is supplied.

  On the left side of the receiving plate member 33 and slightly below the right end of the container 25, a rotating shaft 35a extending horizontally between the side plates 31, 32 is attached to the side plates 31, 32 so as to be rotatable. A driving first sprocket 35 is attached to a position near the side plate 31 of the rotating shaft 35a. The first sprocket 35 is connected to the sprocket 18 a by the chain 19 and is rotated by driving of the electric motor 18. The first sprocket 35 is a common sprocket for the conveyor belt 45 described later together with the chain 19.

  In the vicinity of the left and right bottom plates 14 with the accommodating plate member 33 in between, rotating shafts 36a, 37a for conveyance extend horizontally in the front-rear direction and are rotatably attached to the side plates 31, 32. A pair of second and third sprockets 36 and 37 are attached to positions near the side plates 31 and 32 of the rotary shafts 36a and 37a, respectively. Further, in the vicinity of the left and right ends of the upper edge horizontal edge 32b of the side plates 31 and 32, rotation shafts 38a and 39a for conveyance extend horizontally in the front and rear directions and are rotatably attached to the side plates 31 and 32. A pair of fourth and fifth sprockets 38 and 39 are attached to positions near the side plates 31 and 32 of the rotary shafts 38a and 39a, respectively. Between the pair of fourth and fifth sprockets 38 and 39, a guide plate member 41 extends horizontally back and forth and is fixed to the side plates 31 and 32. The intermediate position is defined as the take-out position for taking out the outer cylinder fitting 74 from the transport belt 45.

  On the outer circumference of each of the pair of first sprocket 35, second and third sprockets 36, 37, fourth and fifth sprockets 38, 39, an endless belt type conveyor belt 45 having chains 51 at both ends in the width direction is provided. The inner periphery is meshed and wound. Further, the conveyor belt 45 is recessed downward and to the right between the first sprocket 35 and the fourth sprocket 38, and the outer peripheral side thereof is the lower half of the pair of receiving plate members 33, and the outer peripheral sprocket is used as the outer peripheral sprocket. Engage and engage. As described above, the conveyor belt 45 is recessed downward between the first sprocket 35 and the fourth sprocket 38, and the recessed portion formed between the pair of receiving plate members 33 is formed in the container 25. It is made into the accommodating part 42 which accommodates the outer cylinder metal fitting 74 which fell from the opening part 25a. In addition, at the upper and lower intermediate positions between the third sprocket 37 and the fifth sprocket 39, the guide plate member 43 extends along the transport belt 45 on the left side with a slight inclination with respect to the upper and lower sides and extends back and forth. , 32 and supports the conveyor belt 45 so as not to be deformed leftward.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the transport belt 45 has six long rectangular support plate members 46 </ b> A to 46 </ b> C as a unit, with the longitudinal direction being transverse and the long sides being spaced apart from each other. It is formed by arranging at intervals and attaching to a pair of chains 51 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The chain 51 includes a unit element 52 formed by connecting a pair of cylindrical portions 53 arranged in parallel with each other with a gap where teeth engage with each other by connecting pieces 54 that are rectangular pieces at both ends in the axial direction. Are arranged in parallel and connected to form an endless ring having a predetermined length. The connection between each unit element 52 is fixed by sandwiching a pair of outer connection pieces 55 and 56 between a pair of connection pieces 54 on the adjacent end portions of both unit elements 52 and on both sides in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 53. Is done. One outer connecting piece 55 is a small rectangular piece, and the other outer connecting piece 56 is located at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction on the opposite surface of the rectangular small piece on the cylindrical portion 53 mounting side and at one end in the width direction. An engaging piece 57 projecting vertically is provided, and the engaging piece 57 is provided with one or two mounting holes (not shown).

  The support plate member is a rectangular plate-shaped resin plate material having a long shape, and has three types 46A, 46B, and 46C having different shapes at both ends in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the support plate member 46 </ b> A is attached to the outer connection piece 56 by tightening with bolts 47 a from the side of the outer connection piece 56 of the chain 51 through the mounting holes (not shown) at both ends in the longitudinal direction. It is attached. As shown in FIG. 10, the support plate member 46B is thin at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and is further turned up at both ends to be a folded portion 48a with a gap therebetween, and the lower side is a support portion 48b. It has become. The support plate member 46B is fastened by a bolt 48c from the side of the outer connection piece 56 of the chain 51 at the support portion 48b and attached to the outer connection piece 56. An end portion of a rubber sheet 59 to be described later is inserted into the gap between the folded portions 48a. As shown in FIG. 11, the support plate member 46 </ b> C is provided with a rectangular holding portion 49 b in which a columnar magnet 49 a is embedded in the center in the longitudinal direction, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are support portions 49 c, and the support portion The chain 51 is attached to the outer connecting piece 56 by tightening with a bolt 49d from the outer connecting piece 56 side of the chain 51.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the three types of support plate members 46A, 46B, and 46C are arranged in the order of 46A, 46B, 46B, 46C, 46B, and 46B to form one unit. Further, a rubber sheet 59 that is a thin plate made of a rubber elastic body is provided from the middle in the width direction of the support plate member 46A in one unit to the middle in the width direction of the next support unit member 46A in one unit. The rubber sheet 59 is fixed by fastening the bolts 47b at both ends of the pair of support plate members 46A at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and both ends of the second, third, fifth, and sixth support plate members 46B. Is fixed so as to be able to move somewhat in the conveying direction by being inserted into the gap of the folded portion 48a, and is further fixed by tightening with bolts 49e at both ends of the fourth support plate member 46C. ing. Since the rubber sheet 59 is flexible, the rubber sheet 59 can follow a slight bend of the conveyor belt 45, and is easily divided so that it can be easily removed. The rubber sheet 59 covers the gaps between the support plate members 46A, 46B, and 46C to prevent the outer tube fitting from being caught, and can suppress the generation of noise due to the contact between the support plate member and the fitting.

  In addition, a collection box 85 is disposed on the right end side of the side plates 31 and 32 so as to be sandwiched between the side plates so as to be close to the conveyor belt 45, and further, the side plate 32 is inclined forward and downward at an intermediate position. A guide plate 86 is attached and is arranged close to the conveyor belt 45. Of the metal fittings adsorbed to the conveyor belt 45 by the magnet, those determined as defective at the take-out position are transported by the conveyor belt 45 without being taken out. The guide plate 86 causes the defective metal fitting to be moved downward with the guide plate 86 so as to eliminate the attracting force of the magnet 49a and to drop downward, and to the recovery box 85 installed below. It is to be collected.

  The metal picking and aligning device 60 is disposed above the transfer device 30A, and includes a robot 61, a lateral guide portion 67 that guides the robot 61 in the left-right direction, and a longitudinal guide portion that guides the lateral guide portion 67 in the front-rear direction. 69, a front / rear drive unit 71 that moves the lateral guide unit 67 back and forth, a camera 72 that is attached to the upper end of the robot 61 and photographs the take-out position of the transfer device 30A, and an operation of the robot 61 based on an image from the camera 72 And a control unit 75 for controlling. The metal fitting extraction / alignment device 60 is shared by the supply device 13A and the transfer device 30A for the outer tube metal fitting 74, and the supply device 13B and the transfer device 30B for the inner tube metal fitting.

  The robot 61 has a robot body 62 on the lower side and a robot drive unit 66 on the upper side in a coaxial shape. The robot drive unit 66 supports the robot main body 62 and moves it in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and rotates about the axis. As shown in FIG. 12A, the robot main body 62 has a cylindrical base 63 attached to the robot drive unit 66 so as to be vertically movable and rotatable, and projects from both radial sides of the cylindrical base 63 so as to expand and contract in the direction perpendicular to the axis. A pair of left and right width adjusting arm portions 64 including a plurality of horizontal rods 64a supported in the vertical direction and a vertical rod 64b whose tip extends vertically, and a pair of vertical rods 64b at the lower end facing surface side, the horizontal direction is the center. As a pair of rod-shaped rotation adjusting arm portions 65 supported rotatably. Opposite sides of the rotation adjusting arm 65 are a plurality of triangular projections so that the inner and outer cylindrical fittings can be gripped.

  The camera 72 images the take-out position of the conveyor belt 45 and outputs the video output to the control unit 75. In the present embodiment, regarding the form at the take-out position of the flanged outer tube fitting 74 integrally provided with the outer flange portion at one end in the axial direction, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the state II is limited to the state II with the heel down and the axial direction facing up and down, and as shown in FIG. 12-4, the state III with the heel up and the axial direction up and down is limited. . State III is a prescribed alignment state of the flanged outer tubular metal fitting 74 mounted on the belt conveyor 77. In the case of the inner cylinder fitting, since it has a cylindrical shape without a flange portion, there are two types, that is, a horizontal direction, that is, a horizontal state and a vertical direction, that is, a vertical state.

  The control unit 75 includes a microcomputer including a ROM, a RAM, a CPU, an I / O, and the like. In the RAM, three forms I, II, and III at the position where the outer tube metal fitting 74 is taken out are not shown. Two forms of the inner cylinder fitting are stored. The control unit 75 has a camera 72 connected to the input side and a robot drive unit 66 and a front / rear drive unit 71 connected to the output side. Moreover, it connects with the electric control apparatus 80 with the transmission / reception line 81 for performing transmission / reception of a signal. The control unit 75 executes the “fitting removal correction program” shown in FIG. 15 stored in the ROM in cooperation with the electric control device 80.

  Next, the operation of taking out and arranging the outer cylinder fitting 74 by the fitting removal / alignment device 60 will be described. When the outer cylinder fitting 74 is laid down as in the above state I, the rotation adjustment arm portion 65 is first inclined so as to be perpendicular to the axis of the outer cylinder fitting 74, and the width adjustment arm portion 64 is further narrowed. Then, the cylindrical portion of the outer cylinder fitting 74 is gripped by the rotation adjusting arm 65, and then the rotation adjusting arm 65 is rotated so as to be in the horizontal state, thereby bringing the outer cylinder fitting 74 into the aligned state III. In this state, the robot base 66 rotates the cylindrical base 63 by 180 ° and moves the robot 61 to the belt conveyor 77, whereby the outer cylinder fitting 74 is mounted on the belt conveyor 77 as shown in FIG. Can be placed.

For state II, the cylindrical portion is gripped by the rotation regulating arm portion 65 of the horizontal state, the outer tubular member 74 is in the state III by the rotation regulating arm portion 65 be 180 ° rotation, similarly to the belt conveyer 77 Can be placed. Further, in the case of state III, the cylindrical base 63 can be similarly placed on the belt conveyor 77 by rotating 180 degrees about the axis. Note that the inner cylinder fitting can also be placed on the belt conveyor 77 in an aligned state by operating the robot 61 in the same manner according to the states I and III of the outer cylinder fitting 74.

  The electric control device 80 is constituted by a microcomputer composed of ROM, RAM, CPU, I / O and the like. The metal detector 34 is connected to the input side of the electric control device 80, and the electric motor 18 and the electromagnetic cylinder 21 are connected to the output side. The electric control device 80 executes a “fitting supply / conveyance control program” shown in FIG. 14 stored in the ROM in cooperation with the control unit 75 and the like.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
First, the electric control device 80 starts executing the “fitting supply / conveyance control program” (S90 to S91), and the control unit 75 starts executing the “fitting removal correction control program” (S100 to S101). Based on this, a supply step of supplying the outer cylinder fitting 74 to the accommodating portion 42 of the transfer device 30A by the supply device 13A is executed. A large number of outer cylinder fittings 74 are put into the container 25 of the chute 24 from the hopper 27 and are loaded and accommodated in the container 25 in a random state. At this time, since the outer cylinder fitting 74 is not supplied in the accommodating portion 42, a signal indicating no fitting is input from the fitting detection device 34 to the electric control device 80 (S92). In response to this, the electric control device 80 reciprocates the rod 21a of the electromagnetic cylinder 21 left and right to swing the container 25 left and right (S93 to S94). The electromagnetic cylinder 21 is repeatedly swung until the outer cylinder fitting 74 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 42 (S92 to S94). Here, since the speed of the backward movement operation in the left direction is faster than the speed of the rightward protrusion operation by the electromagnetic cylinder 21, an inertial force acts on the metal fitting when the cylinder is retracted, and a frictional force is generated during the forward movement. As a result, the outer cylindrical fitting 74 can be stably pushed forward.

  The bottom surface in the container 25 is provided with a staircase portion 26 that is stepped downward from the left side to the right side, so that the metal fitting can be temporarily left on the stepped plane portion. It is possible to prevent excessive supply. Further, since the metal fittings can be pushed out by the stepped standing wall portion by swinging in the front-rear direction, the outer cylindrical metal fitting 74 is smoothly supplied to the opening 25 a by the stepped portion 26 according to the left-right swing of the container 25. Is done. In addition, the container 25 has a front plate and a rear plate that extend in parallel to the left and right and extend straight up to the opening 25a. Therefore, the container 25 is fixed by being caught between the front and rear plates of the outer cylinder fitting 74 on the opening 25a side. Occurrence of the state is avoided, and the drop supply from the opening 25a to the outside of the outer cylinder fitting 74 is performed more smoothly. As a result, a large number of outer cylinder fittings 74 are accommodated in a random state in the accommodating portion 42 disposed below the opening 25a. Thereby, the signal with a metal fitting is input from the metal fitting detector 34 (S92).

  In response to this, the electric control device 80 starts the rotation of the electric motor 18 for a predetermined time, the rotation of the sprocket 18a is transmitted through the chain 19, the first sprocket 35 rotates, and the conveying step. Is started. As a result, the conveyor belt 45 wound around the first sprocket 35 moves along the second to fifth sprockets 36 to 39 and the pair of receiving plate members 33 while rotating (S92, S93, S95). In accordance with the movement of the conveyance belt 45, a large number of outer cylinder fittings 74 accommodated in the accommodation portion 42 are attracted one by one by the magnet 49 a embedded in the support plate member 46 </ b> C in the conveyance belt 45, and the conveyance belt 45. In addition, a plurality of outer cylinder fittings 74 are divided into one by one and conveyed at equal intervals. By the rotation of the electric motor 18 for a predetermined time, the transport belt 45 is stopped after being moved by the length of one unit. By the movement of one unit of the conveyance belt 45, the support plate member 46C in which the magnet 49a is embedded in one unit of the conveyance belt 45 is disposed at the left and right center at the take-out position on the guide plate member 41. As described above, the position of the conveyor belt 45 is adjusted in advance. That is, the outer cylinder fittings 74 fixed to the conveying belt 45 one by one at regular intervals are arranged at the center of the take-out position.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the conveying belt 45 that is an endless belt as the conveying device 30 </ b> A is located between the first sprocket 35 and the fourth sprocket 38 at the lower half of the lower half of the pair of receiving plate members 33. By forming the accommodating portion 42 so as to be recessed toward the top, it is possible to accommodate a plurality of outer cylinder fittings 74 that are dropped and supplied from the supply device 13A with a simple configuration. Further, the outer cylinder fitting 74 accommodated in the accommodating portion 42 is agitated by the movement of the conveyor belt 45 and comes into contact with the magnets 49a embedded in the conveyor belt 45 at equal intervals, so that the magnets 49a are surely attracted one by one. Then, it is conveyed from the accommodating portion 42 at equal intervals and smoothly supplied to the take-out position.

  Then, a video signal from the camera 72 photographing the take-out position of the transport belt 45 is input to the electric control device 80 by the control unit 75, and whether or not the outer cylinder fitting 74 is present at the take-out position in the electric control device 80. It is determined (S97). When there is no metal fitting at the take-out position, the conveyor belt 45 is further rotated by one unit, and this process is repeated until the outer tube metal fitting 74 is supplied to the take-out position (S95 to S97). When the metal fitting is supplied to the take-out position, the electric control device 80 counts for a predetermined time in response to the metal pick-up / alignment device 60 taking out the outer tube fitting 74 and correcting the alignment state. When the predetermined time is counted, the program returns to S92 (S98).

  In the control unit 75, the alignment process is started by executing the “fitting removal correction control program”, and a video signal from the camera 72 that captures the removal position of the conveyor belt 45 is input (S100, S101). It is determined whether or not there is an outer tube fitting 74 (S102). When there is no outer cylinder fitting 74 at the removal position, the fitting removal operation is not performed and the determination process is repeated (S102). When the outer cylinder fitting 74 is supplied to the take-out position, in the control unit 75, the mounting form of the outer cylinder fitting 74 on the conveying belt 45 is based on the form data stored in the RAM. Is identified (S103). Further, any one of the forms I, II, and III is selected according to the mounting form identification result (S104).

  By selecting any one of the forms I, II, and III, the metal fitting removal correction operation is performed by the robot based on the control of the control unit 75 according to the selected form (S105, S106, S107). First, the lateral guide portion 67 is moved along the longitudinal guide portion 69 onto the conveyor belt 45 by the front and rear drive portion 71, and then the robot drive portion 66 is moved along the lateral guide portion 67 to the take-out position. To do. Furthermore, the robot 61 grips and removes the outer tube fitting 74 according to the above-described operation according to the forms I, II, and III, corrects the placement state to the aligned state, and places it on the specified position on the belt conveyor 77. Let me put it. When the operation for correcting the removal of the outer cylinder fitting 74 is completed, the program is returned to S102, and the processing of S102 to S107 is repeated by the control unit 75. As described above, in the alignment step, the mounting state of the outer cylindrical metal member 74 transported to the take-out position at equal intervals by the transport belt 45 can be recognized by the camera 72, and the robot is based on the recognized mounting state. 61, the outer cylinder fitting 74 can be clamped and taken out, and the outer cylinder fitting 74 can be corrected to the aligned state and transported to the alignment position of the belt conveyor 77.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of outer cylinder fittings 74 accommodated in a random state in the container 25 having the opening 25a on one side face are smoothly supplied from the opening 25a to the outside. Then, the plurality of outer cylindrical metal fittings 74 are divided into one by one by holding the metal fittings held in the accommodating portion 42 and further held by the magnets 49a arranged at intervals of the conveying belt 45. And is transported at equal intervals by the transport belt 45. Further, the mounting state of the outer cylinder fitting 74 is recognized by the camera 72, and the outer cylinder fitting is clamped and taken out by the robot 61 based on the placement state, and the same alignment is performed. The state can be corrected and conveyed to the aligned position of the belt conveyor 77. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when different types of inner and outer cylindrical fittings having different shapes, sizes, etc. are aligned by rearrangement, they are separated one by one from a random accommodation state using the same alignment device. It can be transported at equal intervals and taken out in the same alignment state. As a result, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to modify the device for each type of metal fitting or prepare a new device, so that the device cost and the cost for replacing the device become unnecessary, and the alignment The cost for can be greatly reduced. In particular, the effect of cost reduction for alignment becomes very large for a small amount of various types of cylindrical fittings.

  In the above description, the operation for arranging the outer cylinder fitting 74 at the specified position of the belt conveyor 77 using the supply device 13A, the conveying device 30A and the metal fitting extracting and aligning device 60 has been performed. Similarly, the operation of placing the belt conveyor 77 at a specified position using the supply device 13B, the conveying device 30B, and the metal fitting taking out and aligning device 60 is performed. Actually, both are performed alternately, and the outer cylinder fitting 74 and the inner cylinder fitting are alternately arranged on the belt conveyor 77 at equal intervals.

  In the above-described embodiment, the staircase portion 26 is provided in the container 25 of the supply device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be simply inclined, or instead of swinging the container 25 left and right. The metal fitting can be physically pushed out to the opening side by the pushing member. In the alignment apparatus shown in the above embodiment, the supply device 13A, the conveyance device 30A, and the metal fitting removal / alignment device 60 are integrally formed. For example, the supply device 13A, the conveyance device 30A, and the metal removal / alignment device 60 are respectively provided. It is also possible to use alone or in combination of the two. Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the cylindrical inner and outer cylindrical metal fittings. However, the present invention is not limited to the cylindrical metal fittings, but an elliptical cylindrical shape, a polygonal cylindrical shape, a plate shape, and the like. The same applies to metal fittings. In addition, the configuration of each part of the supply device, the transport device, and the metal picking and aligning device of the cylindrical metal fitting aligning device shown in the above embodiment is an example, and various forms are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. It can be changed and implemented.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of metal fittings stored in a random state in a container having an opening on one side surface are smoothly dropped and supplied from the opening to the outside by the pushing means, and one metal fitting supplied by the conveying means is provided. In addition, the metal fittings that are further held are attracted one by one by magnets arranged at intervals, so that a plurality of metal fittings are divided into one piece and conveyed at equal intervals. The mounting state can be recognized by the camera, and can be held and taken out by the robot based on the mounting state, and the metal fitting can be corrected to the aligned state and transported to the aligned position. Therefore, according to the present invention, even for different kinds of metal fittings of different shapes, sizes, etc., the same alignment device can be arranged in an aligned position from the stacked state to the aligned state. Useful.

It is a partially broken front view which shows roughly the aligning apparatus of the inner and outer cylinder metal fittings which is one Example of this invention. It is a right view which shows the alignment apparatus schematically. It is a top view which shows roughly the state except the metal fitting taking-out alignment apparatus with the alignment apparatus. It is a partially broken front view which shows roughly the supply apparatus and the alignment apparatus in the alignment apparatus. It is a top view which shows the supply apparatus and the alignment apparatus schematically. It is a left view which shows roughly the supply apparatus and the alignment apparatus. It is a right view which shows roughly the supply apparatus and the alignment apparatus. It is a top view which shows schematically the conveyance belt of the alignment device. It is sectional drawing of the IX-IX line direction of FIG. 8 which shows the same conveyance belt roughly. It is sectional drawing of the XX direction of FIG. 8 which shows the same conveyance belt roughly. It is sectional drawing of the XI-XI line direction of FIG. 8 which shows the same conveyance belt roughly. It is a front view which shows roughly the robot of a metal picking-out alignment apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the holding | grip state of the outer cylinder metal fitting of the arrangement form I by the robot. It is a schematic diagram which shows the holding state of the outer cylinder metal fitting of arrangement | positioning form II by the robot. It is a schematic diagram which shows the holding state of the outer cylinder metal fitting of arrangement | positioning form III by the robot. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which mounted the outer cylinder metal fitting hold | gripped with the robot on the belt conveyor. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the electric circuit structure of an alignment device. It is a flowchart of the "metal fitting conveyance control program" performed by the electric control apparatus. It is a flowchart of the "metal removal correction control program" executed by the control unit of the metal removal and alignment apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Support frame, 13A, 13B ... Feeding device, 18 ... Electric motor, 21 ... Electromagnetic cylinder, 24 ... Chute, 25 ... Container, 25a ... Opening, 26 ... Staircase, 27 ... Hopper, 30A, 30B ... Conveying device , 33 ... accommodating plate member, 34 ... metal fitting detection device, 35-39 ... first to fifth sprockets, 42 ... accommodating portion, 45 ... conveying belt, 46A, 46B, 46C ... supporting plate member, 49a ... magnet, 51 ... Chain 59, rubber sheet, 60 metal fitting take-out aligning device 61 robot, 62 robot body 66 robot driving unit 71 front and rear driving unit 72 camera 74 cylindrical tube 75 control unit 77 ... belt conveyor, 80 ... electric control device.

Claims (4)

A supply step of supplying a plurality of metal fittings stored in a random state in a box-shaped container having an opening on one side surface from the opening to the outside of the container by pushing means;
The metal fittings dropped and supplied in the supply step are received and accommodated by a recess provided in one place by the conveyance means which is an endless ring-shaped conveyance belt in which magnets are arranged at intervals in the conveyance direction. A step of adsorbing the magnets one by one by the magnet, and conveying toward the take-out position via a portion inclined to the concave portion side following the concave portion of the conveying means;
The mounting state of the bracket is recognized by the camera with respect to the bracket transported to the take-out position by the transport means, and the bracket is clamped and taken out by the robot based on the recognized mounting state, and the bracket is in the same direction. The method of aligning metal fittings is characterized by comprising an aligning step of aligning and transporting to an aligned position by correcting as described above . The metal fitting alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the pushing means swings the container back and forth in the direction of the opening. 3. The method for aligning metal fittings according to claim 2, wherein the bottom surface of the container is formed in a stepped shape that is slightly lowered toward the opening. A supply device for storing a plurality of metal fittings in a random state in a box-like container having an opening on one side surface, and supplying the plurality of metal fittings dropped from the opening to the outside of the container by an extruding means; ,
The metal fittings dropped and supplied by the supply device are received and accommodated by a recess provided in one place of the endless ring-shaped transport belt, and the received metal fittings are arranged at intervals in the transport direction of the transport belt. A conveying device that sucks one by one and conveys it toward the take-out position through a portion inclined to the concave portion side following the concave portion of the conveying belt;
Recognize the mounting state of the metal fittings transported to the take-out position by the transport device, recognize the mounting state by the camera, take out the metal fittings by the robot based on the recognized mounting state, and correct the metal fittings in the same direction. A metal fitting aligning device, comprising: a metal picking and aligning device that is aligned and transported to an alignment position.

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