JP5069456B2 - Alignment feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an aligning and supplying apparatus for sealing elastic mechanical parts having an O-shaped cross section, and more particularly to an aligning and supplying apparatus that separates individual parts from a number of overlapping parts and supplies them to an assembling apparatus.

  The O-ring is a small mechanical part made of rubber having an O-shaped cross section that is attached to a part of a machine or equipment as a sealing material in order to prevent intrusion or outflow of fluid. In general, such small mechanical parts are stored together for the same type and shape, and a predetermined quantity is taken out as necessary. When taking out the parts, it is necessary to level the overlap between the parts and align the orientation of the individual parts. Conventionally, for circular small parts such as bolts and washers, an alignment supply device using vibration has been used. It was used. However, an elastic part such as an O-ring has a larger coefficient of friction than a bolt or a washer, and is easily entangled. Therefore, there is a problem that leveling and alignment of overlapping parts is not easy simply by applying vibration. Accordingly, various technologies have been developed to deal with such problems, and some inventions and devices have already been disclosed in connection with this.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228620, when parts such as an O-ring are arranged and supplied, the parts can be stably supplied to the guide portion by preventing staying around the entrance. An invention relating to a possible alignment supply device is disclosed.
In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the rotary table, the track provided on the outer periphery of the rotary table, the guide portion connecting the track and the case outlet, and the gap through which the product can pass are formed at the lower end portion. A partition provided at the boundary between the rotary table and the track is provided.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, a large number of products placed on the rotary table move to a track located on the outer periphery of the rotary table by centrifugal force. At this time, the partition acts to separate the products stacked one above the other and feed them one by one into the track. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the product from staying at the guide portion entrance.

Further, in Patent Document 2, it is possible to adjust the posture of a part such as a small screw accommodated in a random manner under the name of “parts aligning and supplying apparatus” and to sequentially send out parts at regular intervals from the case outlet. An invention relating to an alignment supply apparatus is disclosed.
The invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a rotary table, a guide part formed in front of the case exit, and a product installed above the guide part to press the product against the guide part by the endless belt and to rotate the endless belt. And a belt conveyor.
In the apparatus for aligning and supplying components having such a structure, a large number of products accommodated on the rotary table move to a track located on the outer periphery of the rotary table by centrifugal force. The endless belt has the effect of delivering the product from the case outlet at a predetermined speed corresponding to its own traveling speed regardless of the presence / absence of the parts moved from the rotary table to the truck or the parts present on the truck. Thereby, it is possible to keep the supply interval of the parts supplied to the predetermined position constant, and to adjust the supply speed of the parts to a required speed.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention relating to an alignment device, which is called an “alignment device”, which agitates and separates a relatively light product such as an elastic ring using an air flow and sends it out.
The invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 includes a base body having a cylindrical storage chamber and provided with a first air inlet and a product outlet in a tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface, a product passage inside, and a product collection. A product take-out frame continuously provided at the outlet, and a seat that extends inwardly at the lower edge of the product take-out port on the inner surface side of the base and is provided so as to be flush with the product passage. .
In the aligning device having such a structure, the flow generated by the air sent into the storage chamber has an action of turning the product along the inner peripheral surface of the base. When the products separated from each other by colliding with each other during turning, when they reach the product outlet, they are received by the receiving seat and then guided into the product passage and aligned. Therefore, even products such as elastic rings with strong adhesiveness can be separated from each other by releasing their adhesive state.

JP 2005-206267 A JP-A-5-229636 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-235524

  Since the O-ring is inserted into a narrow place or expanded and attached to the device, it is difficult to be damaged, and oils and fats are usually applied to improve workability and airtightness. However, in the inventions disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, which are the above-described conventional techniques, when an O-ring coated with oils and fats is supplied to the apparatus, the oils and fats adhering to the rotary table move to the track. Is obstructed, and the O-ring may stay on the rotary table. Further, when the rotation speed of the rotary table is slow, there is a problem that the centrifugal force does not sufficiently act on the O-ring on the rotary table and the O-ring does not move quickly to the track.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 which is the above-described prior art, when an O-ring coated with fats and oils is supplied to the storage chamber, the O-ring adheres to the inner wall surface of the storage chamber, and the product outlet There was a risk of not reaching. Moreover, since it is necessary to turn all the O-rings in the storage chamber along the inner wall surface in order to align a small amount of O-rings, there is a problem that energy efficiency is low. There is also a problem that the amount of O-ring supplied to the storage chamber is limited. Furthermore, there is a problem that the O-ring cannot be replenished in the storage chamber in order to prevent airflow disturbance while the O-ring is turning in the storage chamber.

  The present invention has been made in response to such a conventional situation, and is an assembly apparatus that reliably and quickly aligns circular elastic small parts having strong adhesion, such as an O-ring coated with fats and oils. An object of the present invention is to provide an aligning and feeding apparatus that can be fed to the like.

In order to achieve the above object, an aligning and supplying apparatus according to claim 1 is an apparatus for aligning and supplying a work, wherein a base member having an upper part formed in a flat shape and an upper part of the base member are provided. A substantially annular plate-shaped member to be installed, a disk-shaped member that is housed in a circular portion formed inside the plate-shaped member and is rotatably attached to the upper portion of the base member, and the disk-shaped member is rotated. The disk-shaped member is formed with a feeding groove at an acute angle inward toward the tangential traveling direction of the outer peripheral edge of the disk-shaped member, and the plate-shaped member is fed from the feeding groove. Therefore, a feed groove is formed in a tangential direction from the inner peripheral edge of the plate-shaped member to the outside, and the thickness of the disk-shaped member is approximately equal to the thickness of the workpiece.
In the aligned supply device having such a structure, the work in the feeding groove is fed toward the outer peripheral edge with the rotation of the disk-shaped member, and is fed to the feeding groove of the plate-shaped member. .

Further, an invention according to claim 2, wherein, in the aligning and feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotary table top is formed on the flat or convex, the rotary table Repetitive the top of the disc-shaped member Demizo It is attached without covering, and it can rotate with a disk-shaped member or independently, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, when the upper part of the rotary table is formed in a flat shape, the work is once stocked on the upper surface of the rotary table and then gradually falls on the upper surface of the disk-shaped member. Has an effect. In this case, since a large number of workpieces are not stacked on the upper surface of the disk-shaped member, the workpieces are hardly entangled. On the other hand, when the upper part of the rotary table is formed in a convex shape, there is an effect that the workpiece supplied to the upper surface of the rotary table falls onto the upper surface of the disk-shaped member by its own weight.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the aligning and feeding apparatus according to the second aspect, the upper part of the rotary table is formed in a convex shape.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, the invention has the same function as the case where the upper part of the rotary table is formed in a convex shape .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the alignment supply apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the lower part is opened, the upper part is closed, and a work supply port is provided in a part of the wall surface. A box-shaped member is provided, and the box-shaped member is attached to the upper surface of the plate-shaped member so as to cover a space surrounded by the plate-shaped member in which the disk-shaped member is installed. .
In the aligning and feeding apparatus having such a structure, when the work on the upper surface of the rotary table or the disk-shaped member moves to the outer peripheral edge side with rotation, the box-shaped member prevents the work from being scattered outside the apparatus. The Further, the box-shaped member has an effect of adjusting the quantity of the workpieces supplied to the upper surface of the rotary table by stocking a large number of workpieces therein.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the alignment supply apparatus according to any one of the second to third aspects, the apparatus includes a work supply unit that drops the work on the rotary table onto the upper surface of the disk-shaped member. It is characterized by this.
The aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure has an effect of supplying the work into the feeding groove by forcibly dropping the work on the rotary table toward the disk-shaped member.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the alignment supply apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the leveling device is provided so as to be able to contact the workpiece. is there.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, the leveling means has an effect of leveling the workpieces that are overlapped with each other.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided the alignment supply apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising an alignment tray provided with a conveyance groove for conveying a workpiece, the alignment tray being conveyed. The groove is connected to the plate member so as to communicate with the delivery groove.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, the aligning tray guides the work fed from the feeding groove to a predetermined place.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided the alignment supply apparatus according to the seventh aspect, further comprising a transfer nozzle that blows a high-pressure gas onto the work in the transfer groove of the alignment tray.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, there is an effect that the work, to which high-pressure gas is blown from the rear by the transport nozzle, moves forward in the transport groove of the alignment tray.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, there is provided the alignment supply device according to the seventh or eighth aspect, wherein a ventilation groove is formed along a conveyance direction of the workpiece on a bottom surface of the conveyance groove of the alignment tray. It is.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, the contact area between the workpiece and the bottom surface of the conveying groove is reduced, and as a result, the frictional force generated between them is reduced. Further, the ventilation groove has an effect of facilitating the generation of an air flow that moves the work in the conveyance groove upward while moving the work upward.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the alignment supply apparatus according to the eighth or ninth aspect, an exhaust port is formed in a part of the bottom surface of the conveying groove of the alignment tray.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus having such a structure, since the high-pressure gas blown to the rear of the work by the transport nozzle and sent out to a predetermined position is discharged to the outside of the transport groove, the rear is forward in the transport groove. The air flow toward is generated stably.

  As described above, in the aligning and feeding apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, even if the work is highly sticky, such as an O-ring coated with fats and oils, the work is reliably fed out from the feeding groove. Can be sent to

In the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention, when the upper part of the rotary table is formed in a flat shape, it is possible to prevent the workpiece from being caught in the operation groove or the like or entangled with each other. On the other hand, when the upper part of the turntable is formed in a convex shape, the means for dropping the work on the turntable and supplying it to the upper surface of the disk-like member is omitted, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. be able to. In addition, since the structure is simple, failure is unlikely to occur.

In invention of Claim 3 of this invention, there exists an effect similar to the case where the upper part of a rotary table is formed in convex shape in invention of Claim 2.

  In invention of Claim 4 of this invention, the safety | security of an apparatus can be improved by preventing scattering to the exterior of a workpiece | work. In addition, the work efficiency can be improved by reducing the number of times the workpiece is replenished.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the work does not stay on the rotary table, the work is smoothly supplied into the operation groove. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent an unintended short interruption of the workpiece supply operation called so-called chocolate stop.

  In invention of Claim 6 of this invention, even if the adhesiveness of a workpiece | work is strong and mutually entangled strongly, it is possible to isolate | separate workpiece | work reliably.

  In invention of Claim 7 of this invention, the workpiece | work isolate | separated separately can be conveyed to a predetermined location in the state arranged in a line.

  In the invention according to claim 8 of the present invention, it is possible to quickly convey the work in the alignment tray without causing congestion.

  In invention of Claim 9 of this invention, troubles, such as a workpiece | work being caught in a conveyance groove | channel or becoming clogged, can be prevented.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the posture of the workpiece being conveyed can be stabilized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent troubles such as the work being clogged in the transfer groove and the transfer operation being interrupted.

  An example of an alignment supply apparatus according to the best mode of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The alignment supply apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 (particularly corresponding to claims 1, 2 and 4 to 10).
1A and 1B are a front view and a plan view, respectively, of Example 1 of an alignment supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG.1 (b), illustration of the ejection nozzle 18a, the pendulum 19, the fulcrum 19a, the container 20, the lid | cover 21, etc. is abbreviate | omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the alignment supply apparatus 1a is an alignment supply apparatus for a circular work W having elasticity such as an O-ring, and has a substantially rectangular flat base 2. The spacer 3 and the feeding plate 5 are installed on the upper surface of the sheet with a sliding sheet 4 made of a fluororesin. The spacer 3 is provided with a circular portion 3a on the inner side and a linear delivery groove 3b having a width 1.1 to 1.2 times the diameter of the workpiece W in the tangential direction from the inner peripheral edge to the outside. It is an annular flat plate member, and the disc-shaped feeding plate 5 is arranged inside the circular portion 3a so that the centers thereof are substantially coincident with each other. The difference between the radius of the circular portion 3a and the radius of the outer peripheral edge of the feeding plate 5 is set smaller than the diameter of the circular workpiece W.
A motor 9 is installed on the lower surface side of the base 2 so that the upper portion of the drive shaft 9a protrudes from the shaft hole 2a to the upper surface side of the base 2, and a coupling 8 is connected to the upper portion of the drive shaft 9a. . In addition, the circular part 4a is provided inside the sliding sheet | seat 4, and the coupling 8 is arrange | positioned inside the circular part 4a so that the sliding sheet | seat 4 may not be contacted. A cylindrical rotary table 7 a is installed on the upper surface of the coupling 8 via the feeding plate 5, and the rotary table 7 a and the feeding plate 5 are fastened together with the coupling 8. That is, the feeding plate 5 is driven by the motor 9 and can rotate integrally with the rotary table 7a around the drive shaft 9a. The height of the rotary table 7a is 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the workpiece W.
The feeding plate 5 is formed so that the thickness is substantially equal to the workpiece W and is thinner than the spacer 3. The feeding plate 5 is formed with a plurality of linear feeding grooves 5a having a width 1.1 to 1.2 times the diameter of the workpiece W. Each feeding groove 5a is formed so that the shortest distance from the inner wall surface to the rotation center of the feeding plate 5 is substantially constant and substantially equal to the radius of the turntable 7a. That is, the rotary table 7a is installed on the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 without covering the upper part of the feeding groove 5a.
The spacer 3 is connected to an alignment tray 10 in which a conveying groove 22 having substantially the same width as the sending groove 3b is formed, and the sending groove 3b and the conveying groove 22 are connected without causing a step. Accordingly, the individually separated workpieces W are conveyed to a predetermined location in a state of being aligned in a row by the alignment tray 10. Further, a transport cover 10a is attached to the upper surface of the alignment tray 10 so as to cover the transport groove 22, and air supply ports 14b and 14c are provided near the start point and substantially the center of the transport groove 22 respectively. Transport nozzles 13b and 13c for blowing high-pressure gas to the work W through the air supply ports 14b and 14c are respectively provided slightly above and behind the air supply ports 14b and 14c. In the present specification, “front” and “rear” are used to mean “front with respect to the transport direction” and “back with respect to the transport direction”. A ventilation groove 23 narrower than the width of the conveyance groove 22 is formed in the bottom surface of the conveyance groove 22 along the conveyance direction of the workpiece W, and the ventilation groove 23 exhausts slightly behind the air supply ports 14b and 14c. Each mouth 15 is provided. Although not shown, an exhaust port 15 is similarly provided on the bottom surface near the end point of the conveyance groove 22. Further, transmission slits 26 and 26 are provided slightly in front of the air supply port 14b and in the vicinity of the end point of the conveyance groove 22 so as to face each other with the conveyance groove 22 interposed therebetween. The parts 16a and 16b and the sensor light receiving parts 17a and 17b are installed. The transmission slits 26 and 26 communicate with the conveyance groove 22 so as to be orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The light emitted from the sensor light projecting parts 16a and 16b crosses the conveying groove 22, and is guided by the transmission slit 26 so as to be reliably detected by the sensor light receiving parts 17a and 17b. In addition, when the workpiece | work W exists in the location pinched | interposed between the transmission slits 26 and 26, since the light which sensor light projection part 16a, 16b emits is interrupted by the workpiece | work W, it does not reach | attain sensor light-receiving part 17a, 17b. That is, the sensor light projecting units 16a and 16b and the sensor light receiving units 17a and 17b are configured to detect the presence or absence of the workpiece W at a portion sandwiched between the transmission slits 26 and 26.
A stopper 24 for stopping the conveyance of the workpiece W is installed at the end point of the conveyance groove 22, and the shutter 11 is installed so as to be able to advance and retreat in the direction of arrow F so as to cover the upper part thereof. The shutter 11 is driven to be opened and closed by an air cylinder 12 attached to the lower surface of the alignment tray 10 near the end point of the conveyance groove 22, and is closed when conveying and aligning the workpiece W, and delivers the workpiece W to the next process. Sometimes it is configured to open.
On the upper surface of the spacer 3, a box-shaped case 6 having a lower portion opened and a cylindrical side surface is attached so as to cover the feeding plate 5 and the rotary table 7a. Thereby, since the scattering of the workpiece | work W is prevented, the safety | security of an apparatus improves. In addition, since a large number of workpieces W are stocked in the case 6, the number of replenishment of the workpieces W is reduced. Thereby, work efficiency improves. The radial distance from the inner wall surface of the case 6 to the side surface of the turntable 7a is 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the workpiece W, and the turntable 7a extends from the inner peripheral surface of the circular portion 3a of the spacer 3. Compared to the distance on the radius to the side surface of the workpiece W, the length is shorter by 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the workpiece W.
A donut-shaped flange 6 b is formed at the lower end of the case 6, and the flange 6 b, the spacer 3, and the sliding sheet 4 are fastened to the base 2 together. An air supply opening 14a is provided in the flange 6b behind the starting point of the delivery groove 3b, and a transfer nozzle 13a that blows high-pressure gas to the workpiece W through the air supply opening 14a slightly above and behind the air supply opening 14a. is set up. A pendulum 19 is attached to the inner wall surface of the case 6 so as to be tiltable about a fulcrum 19a. The distance from the fulcrum 19a to the sliding seat 4 is longer than the distance from the fulcrum 19a to the lower end 19b of the pendulum 19, and the difference between the two is greater than the thickness of one workpiece W and 2 It is set smaller than the thickness of the sheet. Further, a jet nozzle 18 a is installed at a location on the inner wall surface of the case 6 that does not interfere with the pendulum 19.
Further, an opening 6a is provided on the upper surface of the case 6, and a substantially cylindrical container 20 is fitted into the opening 6a. A lid 21 is detachably attached to a supply port 20a provided at the upper part of the container 20, and a discharge port 20b is formed at the lower part of the container 20 so as to open toward the upper part of the rotary table 7a. It should be noted that the trouble that the works W intertwined with each other are not dropped by being supported in the vicinity of the discharge port 20b is difficult to occur, and the discharge port 20b does not fall on the rotary table 7a at once. The diameter is about 3 to 4 times the diameter of the workpiece W. The distance from the discharge port 20b to the upper surface of the turntable 7a is 1.1 to 1.5 times the diameter of the workpiece W.

Next, the operation of the feeding plate 5 in the alignment supply device 1a will be described with reference to FIG.
Fig.2 (a) is XX arrow sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a), (b) is the elements on larger scale of a feeding board. In addition, about the component shown in FIG. 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 2A, the case 6 is not shown, and only the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface thereof are indicated by two-dot chain lines.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the rotary table 7a and the feeding plate 5 rotate in the direction of arrow B. The workpiece W supplied to the inside of the case 6 is once stocked on the upper surface of the rotary table 7a, and then falls from the end edge portion to the upper surface of the feeding plate 5. Then, a part of the dropped work W falls into the feeding groove 5a. Since the feeding plate 5 is rotating, the workpiece W staying on the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 also falls into any of the empty feeding grooves 5a. Then, the workpiece W in the feeding groove 5a moves to the outer peripheral side of the feeding plate 5 while turning in the direction of arrow B as the feeding plate 5 rotates, and eventually reaches the vicinity of the start point of the feeding groove 3b. .
In the vicinity of the start point, the workpiece W blown with high-pressure gas from the rear by the transfer nozzle 13a moves to the transfer groove 22 through the feed groove 3b. Since the workpiece W moved into the conveyance groove 22 is blown with a high-pressure gas from the rear by the conveyance nozzles 13b and 13c described in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the operation groove 5a is formed so that the outline 5d forms an acute angle α with respect to the tangent J at the intersection P between the extension of the outline 5d representing the side surface and the outer peripheral edge 5e. Is formed. The depth of the operation groove 5a is defined by the straight line K passing through the center R of the workpiece W and the center Q of the feed plate 5 located at the innermost portion of the operation groove 5a and the center line L of the operation groove 5a. It is desirable that the angle β is formed to be 30 to 60 °. Further, the end portions 5b and 5c of the feeding groove 5a are formed in a substantially arc-shaped smooth curve in order to reduce the contact resistance with the circular workpiece W and to prevent the workpiece W from being scratched.
According to such a structure, the workpiece W located in the vicinity of the turntable 7a in the feeding groove 5a is forcibly moved in the direction of the arrow C as the feeding plate 5 rotates in the direction of the arrow B. Moved.

Next, means for leveling the workpiece W stacked on the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 and workpiece feeding means for dropping the workpiece W on the rotary table 7a onto the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3A is a front view of a pendulum of the aligning and feeding apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a diagram for explaining a workpiece feeding jig. FIG. 3B corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. Moreover, about the component shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
As already described, the pendulum 19 is pivotally supported on the side surface of the case 6 (not shown) so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum 19a. A gap is formed between the lower end 19b of the pendulum 19 and the upper surface of the sliding sheet 4 so that only one workpiece W or only the feeding plate 5 can pass therethrough. Therefore, when the work W which is in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge on the feeding plate 5 and rotates together with the feeding plate 5 moves in the direction of the arrow E as shown in FIG. 3A, the lower end 19b of the pendulum 19 and the sliding seat 4 cannot collide with the side surface of the pendulum 19 without being able to pass through the gap formed there between. As a result, the workpiece W is prevented from moving in the direction of arrow E, and falls into the empty steering groove 5a that has moved from behind. In addition, when the workpiece | work W which is difficult to prevent the movement to the arrow B direction by being caught by the feeding board 5 or being mutually entangled collides with the side surface of the pendulum 19, the pendulum 19 rotates centering on the fulcrum 19a. Thereby, since the workpiece | work W passes as it is, there is no possibility that excessive force will be added to the feeding plate 5, the workpiece | work W, or the pendulum 19. FIG.
The alignment supply apparatus 1a of the present embodiment has a structure provided with an ejection nozzle 18a as means for dropping the workpiece W on the rotary table 7a onto the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 and feeding it into the feeding groove 5a. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, a work supply jig 28 may be provided on the side surface of the case 6 instead of the ejection nozzle 18a. The workpiece supply jig 28 is positioned above the rotary table 7a and can be moved back and forth in a substantially horizontal direction from the inner wall surface side of the case 6 to the inside by the driving means 27. According to such a structure, the workpiece supply jig 28 moves the plurality of workpieces W stocked on the upper surface of the rotary table 7a by the front end portions thereof and drops them onto the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 so that the workpiece supply jig 28 falls within the feeding groove 5a. Has the effect of supplying to At this time, since the turntable 7a is rotating, the work W on the upper surface thereof is pushed by the work supply jig 28 from all directions.

If the workpiece W is deformed or damaged, resulting in a defective product, or if it becomes difficult to deliver to the next process due to positioning failure, the workpiece W must be forcibly removed from the conveyance groove 22. I must. However, since it is dangerous to manually remove the workpiece W while the apparatus is in operation, a means for automatically removing the workpiece W in the conveyance groove 22 is required.
Hereinafter, a means for removing the workpiece W from the conveying groove 22 in the alignment supply apparatus 1a of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
4A and 4B are a perspective view and a plan view of the vicinity of the end of the alignment tray in the alignment supply apparatus of Embodiment 1, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. It is. In addition, about the component shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the workpiece W that has reached the end point of the conveying groove 22 stops moving at the position of the stopper 24. When the sensor light projecting unit 16c and the sensor light receiving unit 17c detect this workpiece W, the shutter 11 moves in the direction of arrow F by driving the air cylinder 12 shown in FIG. . Next, the high-pressure gas blown into the flow path 29 in the direction of the arrow G communicates with the flow path 29 and is ejected upward through an injection port 25 having an opening at the bottom surface at the end point of the conveying groove 22. To do. As a result, as shown by an arrow H in FIG. 4C, the workpiece W is blown upward and is removed from the conveyance groove 22.

In the aligned supply apparatus 1a having such a structure, the container 20 stores therein a part of the work W supplied from the supply port 20a and adjusts the quantity of the work W falling on the upper surface of the rotary table 7a. Have Further, the ejection nozzle 18a has a function of blowing a high-pressure gas from a substantially horizontal direction to the workpiece W once stocked on the upper surface of the rotary table 7a and dropping it from the upper surface of the rotary table 7a to the feeding plate 5 side. Thereby, supply of the workpiece | work W to the feeding board 5 is accelerated | stimulated. In this embodiment, the time until the workpiece W is detected by the sensor light projecting unit 16a and the sensor light receiving unit 17a after the workpiece W is detected by the sensor light projecting unit 16b and the sensor light receiving unit 17b is determined in advance. The jet nozzle 18a is configured to operate when a predetermined time is exceeded. That is, when it is detected that the workpiece W has not been fed from the feeding plate 5, the ejection nozzle 18a drops the workpiece W stocked on the upper surface of the rotary table 7a and supplies it to the feeding groove 5a. Act on. Further, the pendulum 19 has an action of coming into contact with the workpiece W on the outer peripheral edge of the feeding plate 5 and dropping it into the empty operation groove 5a. As a result, the workpiece W can be supplied to the next process without interruption.
Further, the feeding plate 5 has the effect of forcibly feeding the workpiece W in the feeding groove 5a toward the outer peripheral edge, turning the workpiece W along the inner circumferential surface of the spacer 3, and feeding it to the feeding groove 3b. That is, even when the feeding plate 5 is rotated at a very slow speed such as 20 to 60 rpm, the workpiece W is easily and reliably delivered to the delivery groove 3b. In this case, there is no possibility that the workpiece W is damaged.
Further, the high-pressure gas ejected from the transfer nozzle 13a acts to assist the work W being sent to the feed groove 3b. And the conveyance nozzles 13b and 13c have the effect | action of conveying the workpiece | work W sent to the conveyance groove 22 from the sending groove 3b ahead. The transport nozzles 13 a to 13 c are configured to eject gas in conjunction with the rotation of the feeding plate 5. However, the timing for operating the transport nozzles 13a to 13c is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the transport nozzles 13b and 13c may be controlled and operated separately from the transport nozzle 13a. Further, the ventilation groove 23 formed in a part of the bottom surface of the conveyance groove 22 reduces the contact resistance between the conveyance groove 22 and the workpiece W, and causes an air flow that causes the workpiece W to be conveyed forward while being pushed up from below. It has the effect | action of making it easy to produce. In addition, the exhaust port 15 provided in the ventilation groove 23 has an action of quickly discharging the high-pressure gas ejected into the ventilation groove 23 and stabilizing the generation of the airflow in the ventilation groove 23. Note that the exhaust port 15 provided on the bottom surface of the ventilation groove 23, not on the side surface or bottom surface of the conveyance groove 22, does not come into contact with the workpiece W, and thus there is no possibility of obstructing conveyance.

  As described above, in the aligning and supplying apparatus 1a of the present embodiment, the elastic parts that are strong and sticky like the O-ring coated with fats and oils are easily separated and reliably separated. It is possible to arrange and supply. Further, the conveyance posture of the workpiece W can be stabilized, and troubles such as clogging of the workpiece W in the conveyance groove 22 can be prevented. Thereby, conveyance efficiency improves.

In the present embodiment, the feeding plate 5 and the rotary table 7a are rotated as a unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the feeding plate 5 and the rotary table 7a may be independently rotated. Moreover, it can also be set as the structure which does not rotate the turntable 7a. Furthermore, it is desirable that the gas ejected from the ejection nozzle 18a is air, but another gas may be used as necessary. Further, the case 6 and the container 20 do not necessarily have a cylindrical shape, and for example, may have a cylindrical shape with a polygonal cross section. Furthermore, instead of installing the container 20 in the case 6, a structure may be adopted in which a work W supply port is provided on the upper surface or side surface of the case 6.
Moreover, the base 2 should just be a flat upper part, and does not necessarily need to be a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. Furthermore, the material used for the sliding sheet | seat 4 should just be excellent in slidability, and is not limited to a fluororesin. In addition, when the slidability of the workpiece W is good, the sliding sheet 4 may be omitted. In addition, the number of installed nozzles and installation locations of the transport nozzle 13a, the air supply port 14a, the ejection nozzle 18a, the workpiece supply jig 28, and the pendulum 19 are not limited to the present embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. Further, instead of the pendulum 19, an elastic member such as a spring may be installed. That is, by attaching this elastic member to the inner wall of the case 6 so that a gap is formed so that only one workpiece W can pass between the tip and the upper surface of the feeding plate 5, The work W stacked on the upper surface comes into contact with the tip of the elastic member and is leveled. When a plurality of workpieces W are in contact with each other in an entangled state and an excessive force is applied to the tip, the elastic member is deformed and passes the workpiece W as it is, so that the workpiece W is not damaged. That is, it has the same action as the pendulum 19. Further, when the alignment tray 10 is short, the transport nozzle 13a and the air supply port 14a can be omitted. Further, when the workpiece W has a large diameter and the conveyance groove 22 is wide, a plurality of ventilation grooves 23 may be provided. In addition, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which a concave groove is provided along the conveyance direction at a position facing the conveyance groove 22 on the lower surface of the conveyance cover 10a. In this case, since the contact area between the transport cover 10a and the work W is reduced, the contact resistance between the work W and the ventilation groove 23 is reduced.

An alignment supply apparatus according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 (particularly, corresponding to claim 3).
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of Example 2 of the aligning and feeding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the component shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
When the workpiece W has an outer diameter of about 15 mm or less, is hardly deformed or twisted, and is difficult to be entangled with each other, the ejection nozzle 18a, the workpiece supply jig 28, the pendulum 19 and the like can be omitted. Further, since the workpiece W is difficult to be entangled, it is not necessary to adjust the supply amount onto the rotary table 7a. Therefore, the container 20 can be omitted. However, in this case, it is necessary to have a structure in which the workpiece W stacked on the upper surface of the turntable 7a naturally falls on the upper surface of the feeding plate 5. That is, the aligning and supplying apparatus 1b of the present embodiment omits the ejection nozzle 18a, the work supplying jig 28, the pendulum 19 and the container 20 in the aligning and supplying apparatus 1a, and forms a conical upper surface in place of the rotary table 7a. The rotary table 7b is provided. A lid 21 is detachably attached to the opening 6 a at the top of the case 6.
In the alignment supply device 1b having such a structure, the workpiece W supplied to the upper surface of the turntable 7b naturally falls onto the upper surface of the feeding plate 5 by its own weight. Therefore, a work supply means is unnecessary and a simple structure can be achieved. Therefore, failure does not occur easily and it can be manufactured at low cost.

  In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the turntable 7b is conical, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper surface of the turntable 7b may have a convex shape formed such that a part thereof is formed in a flat shape and the other part is inclined so as to expand toward the outer peripheral edge. Also in the present embodiment, a structure including at least one of the ejection nozzle 18a, the workpiece supply jig 28, the pendulum 19 and the container 20 may be employed.

The alignment supply apparatus of Example 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining Example 3 of the aligning and feeding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 2A of the first embodiment, and the illustration of the case 6 is omitted, and only the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface are indicated by two-dot chain lines. Moreover, about the component shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the case of the workpiece W to which the oils and fats are not applied, there is no possibility that the oils and fats adhere to the sliding sheet 4 and the rotary table 7a and the movement thereof is hindered. Therefore, it is possible to transport the workpiece W simply by blowing a high-pressure gas.
As shown in FIG. 6, the alignment supply device 1 c according to the present embodiment has a diameter W of 1.2 to 2.0 between the outer peripheral edge 5 e of the feeding plate 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the spacer 3 in the alignment supply device 1 a. A conveyance path 30 having a width of 1.5 times is provided, an injection groove 18b communicating with the conveyance path 30 is formed in the spacer 3, and an arrow A indicates from the other end of the injection groove 18b toward the conveyance path 30. The structure is such that high-pressure gas is injected along the conveyance direction of the workpiece W. Then, the feeding plate 5 is attached to be reversed from the case of the first embodiment, and as shown by an arrow D, the feeding plate 5 and The rotating table 7a is rotated.
In the aligning and supplying apparatus 1c having such a structure, the high-pressure gas fed from the ejection groove 18b helps the workpiece W in the feeding groove 5a to be fed by the feeding plate 5 and also from the feeding groove 5a to the conveyance path 30. The work W that has been fed out is conveyed in the direction of the arrow A, and further delivered to the conveyance groove 22 via the delivery groove 3b.
As described above, in the aligning and feeding apparatus 1c according to the present embodiment, the operation of feeding the workpiece W by the feeding plate 5 is aided by the action of the high-pressure gas fed into the transport path 30. It is possible to reduce the size and the rotation speed. In this case, energy consumption can be saved and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
In addition, as the workpiece | work W demonstrated in the above embodiment and an Example, although the O-ring etc. which are manufactured with silicon rubber, fluororubber, etc. are assumed, it is not limited to these in particular, An outer periphery is assumed. A sealing material having a large flow resistance such as a circular square packing and a small part such as a copper packing having a circular outer periphery and a metal washer may be used.

  As described above, the inventions described in claims 1 to 10 are applicable not only to circular parts but also to all small and lightweight parts having a flat plate shape.

(A) And (b) is the front view and top view of Example 1 of the alignment supply apparatus which concern on embodiment of this invention, respectively. (A) is the XX arrow directional cross-sectional view of Fig.1 (a), (b) is the elements on larger scale of a feeding board. (A) is a front view of the pendulum of the alignment supply apparatus of Example 1, (b) is a figure for demonstrating a workpiece | work supply jig | tool. (A) And (b) is the perspective view and top view of the termination | terminus vicinity of the alignment tray in the alignment supply apparatus of Example 1, (c) is a YY arrow directional cross-sectional view of FIG.4 (b). . It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of Example 2 of the alignment supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating Example 3 of the alignment supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a-1c ... Alignment supply apparatus 2 ... Base 2a ... Shaft hole 3 ... Spacer 3a ... Circular part 3b ... Sending groove 4 ... Sliding sheet 4a ... Circular part 5 ... Feeding plate 5a ... Feeding groove 5b, 5c ... Termination part 5d ... External shape Wire 5e ... Outer peripheral edge 6 ... Case 6a ... Opening 6b ... Flange 7a, 7b ... Rotary table 8 ... Coupling 9 ... Motor 9a ... Drive shaft 10 ... Alignment tray 10a ... Conveyance cover 11 ... Shutter 12 ... Air cylinders 13a-13c ... Conveying nozzles 14a to 14c ... Air supply port 15 ... Exhaust port 16a to 16c ... Sensor light projecting unit 17a to 17c ... Sensor light receiving unit 18a ... Ejecting nozzle 18b ... Ejecting groove 19 ... Pendulum 19a ... Support point 19b ... Lower end 20 ... Container 20a ... Supply port 20b ... Discharge port 21 ... Lid 22 ... Conveying groove 23 ... Ventilation groove 24 ... Stopper 25 ... Injection port 26 ... Transmission slit 27 ... Drive means 28 ... Work supply jig 29 ... Flow path 30 ... Transfer path A to H ... Arrow J ... Tangent line K ... Line L ... Center line P ... Intersection Q, R ... Center W ... Work α ... Acute angle β ... Angle

Claims (10)

  An apparatus for aligning and supplying workpieces, wherein a base member having an upper portion formed in a flat shape, a substantially annular plate-like member installed on the upper portion of the base member, and an inner side of the plate-like member are formed. A disk-shaped member housed in a circular portion and rotatably mounted on the upper part of the base member; and a driving means for rotating the disk-shaped member, the disk-shaped member for feeding the workpiece A feeding groove is formed at an acute inside angle toward the tangential traveling direction of the outer peripheral edge of the disk-shaped member, and the plate-shaped member is formed on the plate-shaped member in order to introduce and feed the work fed from the feeding groove. An alignment / distribution device characterized in that a delivery groove is formed in a tangential direction from the inner periphery to the outside, and the thickness of the disk-shaped member is substantially equal to the thickness of the workpiece. A rotary table top is formed on the flat or convex, the rotary table is mounted without covering the Repetitive Demizo on top of the disc-shaped member, rotate in conjunction with or independently the disc-shaped member The alignment supply device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment supply device is possible. The alignment supply device according to claim 2, wherein an upper portion of the rotary table is formed in a convex shape.   The lower part is opened and the upper part is closed, and a box-shaped member provided with a workpiece supply port in a part of the wall surface is provided, and the box-shaped member is connected to the plate-shaped member on which the disk-shaped member is installed. The alignment supply device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment supply device is attached to an upper surface of the plate-like member so as to cover the enclosed space. Aligning and supplying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a workpiece supplying means for dropping the workpiece on the rotary table to the upper surface of the disc-shaped member. The alignment supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising leveling means installed so as to be in contact with the workpiece . An alignment tray provided with a conveyance groove for conveying the workpiece is provided, and the alignment tray is connected to the plate member so that the conveyance groove communicates with the delivery groove. The alignment supply apparatus of any one of thru | or 6 thru | or 6 . The alignment supply apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a transfer nozzle that blows a high-pressure gas to the workpiece in the transfer groove of the alignment tray .   The alignment supply apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a ventilation groove is formed along a conveyance direction of the workpiece on a bottom surface of the conveyance groove of the alignment tray.   The alignment supply apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein an exhaust port is formed in a part of a bottom surface of the conveyance groove of the alignment tray.