JP5272253B2 - Device for maintaining the number of standby parts - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for holding the standby number of components, capable of holding the standby number of components even when a component supply passage is inclined in any direction. <P>SOLUTION: The device for holding the standby number of components are provided for supplying components 5 from a component delivery device 56 to a forward/backward movable supply rod 1. It includes a sensor 31 arranged for holding the standby number of the components for the supply rod 1 as predetermined when the component supply passage 23 is lower at the side of the supply rod 1 than at the opposite side, and a component movement preventing means 63 arranged on the component supply passage 23 at a position isolated from the sensor 31 to the opposite side to the supply rod 1 for preventing the reverse movement of the components when the component supply passage 23 is higher at the side of the supply rod 1 than the opposite side. The component movement preventing means 63 permits the movement of the components when the component supply passage 23 is lower at the side of the supply rod 1 than at the opposite side, and prohibits the movement of the components when the component supply passage 23 is higher at the side of the supply rod 1 than at the opposite side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for setting a piping posture of a flexible component supply pipe and maintaining a standby number of components aligned therewith.

  Japanese Patent No. 3944778 describes that a part is supplied from a part delivery device via a part supply path to a forward / backward supply rod that allows the part to reach a target location, and the part is held on the supply rod. As for what is supplied to the target location, it is described that a predetermined number of parts are kept waiting in the parts supply passage.

Japanese Patent No. 3944778

  In Patent Document 1, when the supply rod side of the component supply passage is lower than the opposite side, the standby number of components with respect to the supply rod can be maintained at a predetermined number. However, when the supply rod side of the component supply passage becomes higher than the opposite side, the component slides down in the reverse direction and the predetermined number of standby parts cannot be maintained.

  The present invention has been provided to solve the above-described problems, and provides a standby number maintenance device for parts capable of maintaining the standby number of parts regardless of the direction in which the parts supply passage is inclined. With the goal.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a component is supplied from a component delivery device via a component supply passage to a forward / backward supply rod that allows the component to reach a target location, and the supply rod side of the component supply passage is A sensor for maintaining a predetermined number of parts waiting for the supply rod when the supply rod is lower than the opposite side is disposed in the component supply passage, and the supply rod side of the component supply passage is higher than the opposite side. Sometimes, a component movement preventing means for preventing reverse movement of the component is disposed in the component supply passage at a location separated from the sensor on the side opposite to the supply rod, and the component movement prevention means is arranged on the supply rod side of the component supply passage. when lower than the opposite side to prohibit the parts to the opposite side of the feed rod with allowing component movement to the feed rod side, the supply of the component supply passage Waiting number of parts, characterized in that to allow the component movement to feed the rod side together with the feed rod to prohibit part to the opposite side when the head side is higher than the opposite side Maintenance device.

  When the supply rod side of the component supply passage is lower than the opposite side, a sensor for maintaining a standby number of components with respect to the supply rod at a predetermined number is disposed in the component supply passage, and the supply rod side of the component supply passage is The component movement preventing means for preventing the reverse movement of the component when it becomes higher than the opposite side is disposed in the component supply passage at a position separated from the sensor on the side opposite to the supply rod, and the component movement preventing means is When the supply rod side of the component supply passage is lower than the opposite side, the component movement is allowed, and when the supply rod side of the component supply passage is higher than the opposite side, the component movement is prohibited.

  Therefore, the standby number of parts with respect to the supply rod can be maintained normally regardless of the direction in which the parts supply passage is inclined. Even if an inclination is given to the parts supply passage so that the parts slide down in the direction opposite to the normal conveying direction, the parts movement preventing means that prohibits the reverse movement of the parts acts to reduce the waiting number of parts. Never come. And even if it becomes such a reverse inclination, since a part can exist in the sensing range of a sensor, it can be in the state where operation of a part sending device was stopped, and a parts sending device malfunctioned and parts. It is possible to prevent abnormal parts from staying in the supply passage. In this way, the component conveying function of the component supply passage can be ensured normally regardless of the inclination direction of the component supply passage.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the sensor detects a component and the standby number reaches a predetermined number, the sensor does not transmit a transmission signal to the component transmission device, and the standby number is not determined by detecting the component. 2. The device for maintaining the number of standby parts according to claim 1, wherein a transmission signal is transmitted to the component delivery device when it has not reached.

  Accordingly, when the supply rod side of the component supply passage is lower than the opposite side, the component supply is normally performed from the component supply device until the sensor sensing range is reached, and the standby number reaches the predetermined number. At this time, since the rear part of the parts row is within the sensing range of the sensor, the sending signal to the parts sending device is not transmitted. In addition, when the supply rod side of the component supply passage is higher than the opposite side, the first component of the component row sliding down in the reverse direction is prohibited from passing by the component movement preventing means, so that the sensor sensing range The parts can be present, whereby a sending signal is not transmitted from the sensor to the parts sending device, and abnormal parts can be prevented from being replenished from the parts sending device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the number of parts arranged between the sensor and the part movement preventing means is set to be smaller than the number of waiting parts arranged from the supply rod to the sensor. This is a device for maintaining the number of standby parts.

  Since such a number relationship is set, the tip of the reversely moved part is restrained by the part movement prevention means even if the inclination of the part supply passage is in the reverse transport direction, so that the sensor detection range is not exceeded. There is no part, and a sending signal that causes the parts sending device to operate wastefully is not transmitted. If the above-mentioned number relation is reversed, there is no part in the sensing range of the sensor when the inclination is reversed. For this reason, a delivery signal is transmitted to the component delivery device, the component delivery device malfunctions, and an abnormal part stays in the part supply path.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the component supply passage is formed of a flexible synthetic resin component supply tube that can be formed in a required piping posture and a metal guide tube, and is a long piece coupled to the guide tube. A support member is disposed along the component supply pipe, and a holding portion of the component supply pipe is provided at an end of the support member to determine a piping posture of the component supply pipe. It is the stand-by number maintenance apparatus of the components in any one of Claims 1-3 arrange | positioned at the part.

  Since the long support member is arranged along the component supply pipe, and the holding part of the component supply pipe is provided at the end of the support member, the support member is made into a slender long member. The operator can freely select the piping posture of the component supply pipe by appropriately deforming the support member. For example, when supplying a nut to a projection welder, there are various members around the component supply pipe, so it is important to set the piping posture while successfully avoiding them. In such a case, the piping posture can be selected without any inconvenience in the present invention.

  Further, since the component movement preventing means is disposed in the holding portion, it can perform the function of supporting the component supply pipe in the holding portion and the function of installing the component movement preventing means at the same time, which is effective for simplifying the structure. It is.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the sensor is attached to the component supply pipe, stand number maintenance device component according to claim 4, wherein the positioning structure is provided for setting the mounting position of the sensor to the support member It is.

  Since the position of the sensor is set via the positioning structure portion, by setting the location of the positioning structure portion in advance as the support member, the location of the sensor can always be set to the optimum location. Therefore, the sensor can be correctly disposed between the holding portion and the supply rod, and the sensor function can be normally exhibited.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the guide tube is coupled to a guide cylinder through which a supply rod passes, and a temporary stop chamber for parts is formed at the coupling location, and the advancing / retreating drive means for advancing and retracting the supply rod with respect to the guide cylinder. 6. The component standby number maintaining device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a component supply unit is configured by combining the components, and the component supply unit is attached to a robot apparatus having an electrode for electric resistance welding.

  Since the component supply unit configured as described above is mounted on a robot apparatus equipped with an electrode for electric resistance welding, how the inclination direction of the component supply passage is changed by the operation of the robot apparatus. In addition, the standby number of parts can be maintained normally, and the backward movement of the parts can be prevented to prevent abnormal operation of the parts delivery device.

It is sectional drawing which shows the whole component supply unit. It is the front view which showed the side of the supporting member. It is a side view which shows another Example. It is sectional drawing of each part which shows an adjustment structure part and a coupling | bond part. It is (5)-(5) sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows another component movement prevention means. It is a side view of a robot apparatus. It is a side view, a top view, and a sectional view showing other examples.

  Next, a mode for carrying out the standby number maintaining apparatus for parts according to the present invention will be described.

  1 to 7 show Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  First, components will be described.

  There are various types of parts to be supplied, and the parts in this embodiment are iron projection nuts in electric resistance welding. The dimensions of the projection nut 5 are square shapes each having a length and width of about 10 mm and a height of about 5 mm. As shown in the figure, welding projections are formed at four corners on one side of the nut 5. In the following description, the projection nut may be simply expressed as a nut.

  Next, the overall structure of the apparatus will be described.

  A supply rod 1 that moves forward and backward passes through the guide tube 2, and a metal guide tube 3 is integrated with the tip of the guide tube 2 by welding or the like, and a temporary stop chamber 4 is formed at this joint. . The supply rod 1 includes a guide rod 7 inserted into the screw hole 6 of the projection nut 5 in a skewered manner, a sliding rod 8 having a larger diameter than the guide rod 7, and a boundary portion between the guide rod 7 and the sliding rod 8. It is comprised by the extrusion surface 9 arrange | positioned. The guide tube 3 is made of stainless steel and has a rectangular cross section. The guide tube 3 has a relatively short length as shown in the figure, and has a rectangular cross section at the end. A steel joint pipe 10 is welded, and the guide pipe 3 and the joint pipe 10 communicate with each other in the form of a component supply passage.

  A guide plate 11 is fixed to the end of the guide tube 2 in the extending direction of the guide tube 3 to constitute one inner wall of the temporary fixing chamber 4, and a magnet (permanent magnet) 12 is embedded therein. A protruding member 13 is welded to the outer surface of the guide tube 2, and the guide plate 11 is fixed by bolts 14 passing therethrough. An air cylinder 15 is coupled to the guide cylinder 2, and the piston rod of the air cylinder 15 is connected to the supply rod, whereby the supply rod 1 is moved back and forth.

  As described above, the supply head 16 mainly composed of the supply rod 1, the guide tube 2, the guide tube 3, the temporary fixing chamber 4, the guide plate 11 and the like is configured. When the supply rod 1 advances, the guide rod 7 is inserted into the screw hole 6 and pushes out the nut 5 at the pushing surface 9 to supply the nut 5 to the electrode pin (not shown) of the fixed electrode as the target location. .

  The guide tube 3 is coupled to a guide cylinder 2 through which a supply rod 1 passes, a temporary fixing chamber 4 for parts is formed at the coupling portion, and an advance / retreat driving means for advancing and retracting the supply rod 1 to the guide cylinder 2 is coupled. Thus, a component supply unit 38 is configured, and this component supply unit 38 is mounted on a robot apparatus having electrodes for electric resistance welding. As the advancing / retreating drive means, the air cylinder 15 or an electric motor (not shown) for advancing / retreating output can be adopted. Here, as described above, the former air cylinder 15 is employed.

  The supply rod 1 is of a type that penetrates the screw hole 6 of the nut 5, but instead, a recess for holding the nut is provided at the tip of the supply rod, and the nut is sucked with a permanent magnet or the like there. It is also possible to supply to the target location.

  Next, the component supply passage and the support member will be described.

  The tip of the component supply tube 22 is inserted into the joint tube 10, and a component supply passage 23 extending from the component supply tube 22 to the guide tube 3 is configured. The component supply pipe 22 is made of a synthetic resin material, for example, urethane resin, has flexibility to form a required piping posture, and has a rectangular cross section. The cross-sectional shape of the support member 17 is circular, and its diameter is about 5 mm. The support member 17 is made of, for example, a soft iron bar so that the operator can bend it into a required shape by hand.

  The support member 17 is disposed along the component supply pipe 22, and a holding portion 24 that holds the component supply pipe 22 is provided at the tip thereof. The holding unit 24 is configured to press and hold the component supply pipe 22 against the substrate 25 by connecting a fixing bracket 26 having a hat-shaped cross section to the substrate 25 to which the support member 17 is welded by a fixing bolt 27. In other words, the distal end portion of the support member 17 is fixed to the component supply pipe 22 via the holding portion 24. Further, the component supply pipe 22 is also fixed in the connecting portion 18 with the same structure. That is, a fixing bracket 29 having a hat-shaped cross section is coupled to the substrate 28 welded to the joint tube 10 by the fixing bolt 30, and the component supply tube 22 is pressed against the substrate 28 and held.

  Next, the adjustment structure part will be described.

  The joint pipe 10 is integrally provided with a joint 18 for joining the long support member 17 to the supply head 16 by welding or the like. The connecting portion 18 is provided with a support hole 20 through which a support member 17 is slidably penetrated in an elongated block type main body 19, and two fixing bolts 21 for fixing the support member 17 in the support hole 20 are provided in the two main bodies 19. As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 17 is strongly pressed by the tip of the fixing bolt 21. The adjustment structure configured in this way is indicated by reference numeral 35. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (4C)-(4C) in FIG. 4, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (4B)-(4B) in FIG.

  Next, the robot apparatus will be described.

  The robot apparatus is denoted by reference numeral 39 as shown in FIG. The robot device 39 includes an upper arm 41 and a lower arm 42 formed on a C-shaped or U-shaped frame 40, and a driving mechanism 45 including various arms 43 and a driving joint mechanism 44 coupled to the frame 40. This is a typical 6-axis type robot device 39.

  An air cylinder 46 is fixed to the tip of the upper arm 41, and the movable electrode 47 for electric resistance welding advances and retreats by this advance and retreat output. A fixed electrode 48 is fixed to the tip of the lower arm 42. The movable electrode 47 and the fixed electrode 48 are arranged on the same axis.

  The steel plate part 50 is supported by the fixing jig 51, and the steel plate part 50 comes into close contact with the upper surface of the fixed electrode 48 by the operation of the robot device 39. At this time, the guide pin 51 of the fixed electrode 48 passes through a pilot hole opened in the steel plate component 50 to position the steel plate component 50. When the supply rod 1 advances, the nut 5 held in the skewed state on the supply rod 1 slides down the guide rod 7 and is placed on the steel plate part 50, and the guide pin 51 relatively passes through the screw hole 6. (See FIG. 7A).

  Various methods can be employed for fixing the component supply unit 38 to the frame 40, such as fixing via the bracket or inserting into the mounting hole. Here, it is the latter structure. A mounting hole 53 is formed in a corner portion of the frame 40, and the guide tube 2 is inserted and fixed therein. Various structures can be employed for this fixing, but here, a fixing bolt (not shown) screwed from the outside is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the guide tube 2.

  The axis of the supply rod 1 is set so as to pass near the tip of the guide pin 51, and the nut 5 held by the supply rod 1 is supplied to the guide pin 51.

  FIG. 7A shows a state in which the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is lower than the opposite side by the operation of the robot device 39. This state is “normal inclination”. In other words, the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is lower than the virtual horizontal plane indicated by reference numeral 54. That is, the component supply pipe 22 is inclined so that the temporary fixing chamber 4 side is lowered. In this state, the nut 5 passing through the component supply pipe 22 slides down the component supply pipe 22, and the nut 5 is welded to the substantially horizontal steel plate component 50 supported by the fixing jig. .

  FIG. 7B shows a state in which the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is higher than the opposite side due to the operation of the robot device 39. This state is “reverse tilt”. In other words, the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is higher than the virtual horizontal plane indicated by the reference numeral 54. That is, the component supply pipe 22 is inclined so that the temporary fixing chamber 4 side becomes higher. In this state, the nut 5 waiting in the component supply pipe 22 slides down the component supply pipe 22 in the reverse direction, and the supply rod 1 advances obliquely upward and is supported by the fixing jig 51. This is a case where the nut 5 is welded to the steel plate part 50 in the substantially vertical direction.

  In this way, in preparation for the case where the supply rod 1 advances obliquely upward, air is injected from the vicinity of the temporary fixing chamber 4 in the advance direction of the supply rod 1, and the nut 5 reaches the guide pin 52. Let

  Next, the component delivery device will be described.

  In order to feed the nut 5 to the component supply pipe 22, a component delivery device 56 is provided. This is composed of a parts feeder 57 and a delivery unit 58 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The parts feeder 57 is of a type that applies a delivery vibration to a circular bowl. The delivery unit 58 includes an air cylinder 59 for stopping the earliest nut 5 and an air cylinder 60 for stopping the succeeding nut 5, and the injection is performed at the same time as the stop of the earliest nut 5 is released. By conveying the carrier air from the pipe 61, one nut 5 is sent to the component supply pipe 22 at a high speed.

  When the sensor 31 to be described later senses the presence of the nut 5, the carrier air is not ejected from the ejection pipe 61. When the sensor 31 does not sense the presence of the nut 5, the carrier air is injected from the injection pipe 61 and the nut is sent out.

  Next, the sensor will be described.

  A sensor 31 for sensing the nut 5 in the component supply pipe 22 is fixed to the outer surface of the component supply pipe 22. Various sensors can be used as the sensor 31. Here, the sensor 31 is a proximity switch having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is integrated with the component supply pipe 22 by a fixed band 32. When the fixing band 32 is loosened, the position of the sensor 31 can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the component supply pipe 22.

  The sensor 31 senses the presence of the nut 5 when the number of standbys of the nuts 5 arranged in the component supply passage 23 reaches a predetermined number, and does not transmit a transmission signal to the component transmission device 56. When the standby number of the nuts 5 arranged in the supply passage 23 is less than the predetermined number, the absence of the nut 5 is detected and a delivery signal is transmitted to the component delivery device 56.

  The length from the temporary holding chamber 4 to the sensor 31 is determined to be a length that sets the waiting number of nuts 5 to a predetermined number. Therefore, when the standby number has reached the predetermined number, since the nut 5 exists within the sensing range of the sensor 31, the transmission of the sending signal to the component sending device 56 is stopped. On the other hand, when the standby number does not reach the predetermined number, the nut 5 does not exist within the sensing range of the sensor 31, so that a sending signal is transmitted to the component sending device 56 and the nut is replenished. When the replenishment is completed, the sensor 31 detects the presence of the nut 5 and the transmission of the delivery signal to the component delivery device 56 is stopped. When the sending signal is transmitted from the sensor 31, the parts feeder 57 and the sending unit 58 operate as described above, and the carrier air is jetted from the jet pipe 61. Since the standby number is maintained at the predetermined number in this way, continuous nut supply by the supply rod 1 is smoothly performed without interruption.

  Next, the setting of the piping posture and the sensor position adjustment will be described.

  When the effective length of the support member 17 is changed as will be described later, a positioning structure 33 is provided on the support member 17 in order to maintain the relative position between the sensor 31 and the support member 17 as predetermined. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a positioning structure 33 is formed by providing a U-shaped bent portion 34 in the middle of the support member 17.

  1 and 2 show a state in which the support member 17 is firmly coupled to the coupling portion 18 and supports the component supply pipe 22. At this time, since the tip end portion of the support member 17 is coupled to the component supply pipe 22 via the holding portion 24, the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22 is maintained as prescribed by the rigidity of the support member 17. When changing the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22, the fixing bolt 21 of the coupling portion 18 is loosened to bend the support member 17 so that the curved shape of the component supply pipe 22 is as predetermined, and then the fixing bolt 21 is tightened again. When the support member 17 is bent together with the component supply pipe 22, the support member 17 is displaced with respect to the support hole 20, so that the fixing bolt 21 is loosened or tightened. Therefore, the shift | offset | difference of said support member can also be absorbed by the holding | maintenance part 24 side. Alternatively, the shift of the support member 17 may be absorbed by both the holding portion 24 and the support hole 20.

  Further, when changing the effective length of the support member 17, the fixing bolt 27 of the holding portion 24 is loosened, and at the same time, the fixing bolt 21 is also loosened, and the support member 17 in the support hole 20 is advanced and retracted to a predetermined effective length. Then, the fixing bolt 27 of the holding part 24 and the fixing bolt 21 of the coupling part 18 are tightened again. In this way, the length of the passage to the sensor 31 and the temporary fixing chamber 4 can be selected by the adjustment structure 35, so that the waiting number of the nut 5 that moves smoothly according to the correct piping posture can be used to supply and consume parts by the supply rod 1. The optimal number of standby units can be adjusted according to the speed of parts, and parts can be supplied without any shortage of parts. In order to avoid a shortage of parts, when the length of the waiting line of the nut 5 is shortened, this is detected by the sensor 31 and a command signal for nut replenishment operation is issued to the parts feeder 57 and the sending unit 58. .

  Next, the component movement preventing means will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when the robot rod 39 is operated so that the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is lower than the opposite side, that is, when the “normal inclination” is set, The nut 5 passing through the supply pipe 22 slides down the component supply pipe 22, and when the sequence of the nuts 5 sent sequentially reaches the sensor 31, the transmission of the transmission signal from the sensor 31 is stopped.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is higher than the opposite side by the operation of the robot device 39, that is, when the "reverse tilt" is performed. The nut 5 waiting in the component supply pipe 22 slides down in the reverse direction, and the nut 5 does not exist within the sensing range of the sensor 31. As a result, a transmission signal from the sensor 31 is transmitted to the component transmission device 56. Since the nut 5 does not exist within the sensing range of the sensor 31, the transmission signal is continuously transmitted, and the nut 5 continues to accumulate in the part supply passage 23 at a location lower than the sensor 31. When such a nut pool occurs, a plurality of nut pools cannot be sent out by air injection from the injection pipe 61, and the nut supply by the supply rod 1 is stopped.

  Such a phenomenon is because when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is higher than the opposite side, the waiting nut 5 slides down in the opposite direction, and in order to prevent this, A component movement preventing means 63 is employed. The function of the component movement preventing means 63 is to allow nut movement when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is lower than the opposite side, and the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is higher than the opposite side. When it becomes, the nut movement is prohibited. The component movement preventing means 63 is disposed in the component supply passage 22 at a location separated from the sensor 31 on the side opposite to the supply rod 1.

  There are various methods for realizing the component movement preventing means 63, such as the use of a stopper member and the use of a permanent magnet. The example here is a case of a permanent magnet. Various arrangements can be adopted as a method for arranging the permanent magnets 64. Here, a structure as shown in FIG. 5 which is a cross-sectional view of (5)-(5) in FIG. 1 is employed. A permanent magnet 64 is embedded in a substrate 25 made of stainless steel, which is a thick plate and nonmagnetic.

  Then, when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is lower than the opposite side, the attractive force of the permanent magnet 64 to the nut 5 can be stopped by attracting the nut 5 to the inner surface of the component supply pipe 22. However, when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 becomes higher than the opposite side, the nut 5 is set on the inner surface of the component supply pipe 22 and stopped. This is because when the nut 5 is sent at a high speed by air conveyance, the kinetic energy of the nut 5 is large, so that the nut 5 is not adsorbed on the inner surface of the component supply pipe 22 and accumulation of the standby number proceeds. . On the other hand, when the nut 5 flows backward, since the moving speed is low and the kinetic energy of the nut 5 is small, the nut 5 is attracted to the inner surface of the component supply pipe 22 and the reverse movement of the standby nut 5 is prevented.

  The number of nuts arranged between the sensor 31 and the permanent magnet 64 serving as the component movement preventing means 63 is set to be smaller than the number of waiting lines arranged from the supply rod 1 (temporary fixing chamber 4) to the sensor 31. In this way, even if the waiting nut 5 moves in the reverse direction due to “reverse tilt”, the nut row following the nut 5 restrained by the permanent magnet 64 is always present within the sensing range of the sensor 31. Therefore, the transmission of the transmission signal from the sensor 31 to the component transmission device 56 remains stopped.

  Next, other component movement preventing means will be described.

  FIG. 6 shows another component movement preventing means 63. FIG. 6A shows a case where a leaf spring 65 is used. A control piece 66 and a fixing portion 67 projecting into the component supply pipe 22 are formed by bending a strip-shaped plate spring 65 and attached to an elongated through hole 72 opened in the component supply pipe 22. This attachment is made at an adhesive portion denoted by reference numeral 68. The front end of the control piece 66 is a stop end 69, and an inclined surface 70 is provided in front of it.

  When the nut 5 that has been conveyed by air reaches the inclined surface 70, the nut 5 passes through the leaf spring 65 while being bent downward. However, when the nut 5 tries to move in the reverse direction, the side surface of the nut 5 hits the stop end 69 and the reverse movement is prevented.

  In FIG. 6B, the stopper member 71 is advanced into the component supply pipe 22 by the electromagnetic solenoid 73. Energization of the electromagnetic solenoid 73 is performed using a signal obtained from the operation posture of the robot apparatus 39 as a trigger.

  Even when the component supply passage 23 is inclined as shown in FIG. 7B, 3 to 4 nuts 5 remain in the guide tube 3 due to the attractive force of the magnet 12 of the guide plate 11. The nut 5 held by the supply rod 1 is not deficient.

  The above-described various operations can be easily performed by a generally used control method. A control device or a sequence circuit to which a sending signal from the sensor 31 is inputted is provided, and the air switching valve is operated by an output signal from these to operate the sending unit 58 or drive the parts feeder 57. When the drive joint mechanism 44 of the robot apparatus 39 moves a predetermined amount, an operation signal is transmitted to the electromagnetic solenoid 73 so that the stopper member 71 advances.

  The operational effects of the first embodiment described above are as follows.

  Even if the component supply passage 23 is inclined in any direction, the standby number of the nut 5 with respect to the supply rod 1 can be maintained normally. Even if the inclination that the nut 5 slides down in the direction opposite to the normal conveying direction is given to the component supply passage 23, the component movement preventing means 63 that prohibits the reverse movement of the nut 5 acts, and the nut 5 There is no shortage of waiting numbers. And even if it becomes such "reverse inclination", since the nut 5 can exist in the sensing range of the sensor 31, it can be set as the state which stopped the operation | movement of the components delivery apparatus 56, and the components delivery apparatus 56 is used. It is possible to prevent abnormal nuts 5 from staying in the middle of the component supply passage 23 due to malfunction. In this way, the component conveying function of the component supply passage 23 can be ensured normally regardless of the inclination direction of the component supply passage 23.

When the sensor 31 senses the nut 5 and the standby number has reached a predetermined number, the sensor 31 does not transmit a transmission signal to the component delivery device 56 and does not detect the nut 5 and the standby number has not reached the predetermined number. Sometimes a transmission signal is transmitted to the component transmission device 56.

  Therefore, when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 is lower than the opposite side, the nut feeding is normally performed from the component delivery device 56 until the sensing range of the sensor 31 is reached, and the standby number is set to a predetermined number. Reach. At this time, since the rear portion of the nut row is present within the sensing range of the sensor 31, a delivery signal to the component delivery device 56 is not transmitted. Further, when the supply rod 1 side of the component supply passage 23 becomes higher than the opposite side, the first nut 5 of the nut row sliding down in the reverse direction is prohibited from passing by the component movement preventing means 63. Thus, the nut 5 can be present within the sensing range 31, whereby a sending signal is not transmitted from the sensor 31 to the component sending device 56, and abnormal component replenishment from the component sending device 56 can be prevented.

  The number of nuts arranged between the sensor 31 and the component movement preventing means 63 is set to be smaller than the number of waiting lines arranged from the supply rod 1 to the sensor 31.

  Since such a number relationship is set, the tip of the nut 5 that has moved backward is restrained by the component movement preventing means 63 even if the inclination of the component supply passage 23 is in the direction of reverse conveyance. The nut 5 exists in the sensing range, and a delivery signal that causes the parts delivery device 56 to operate wastefully is not transmitted. If the above-mentioned number relation is reversed, the nut 5 does not exist in the sensing range of the sensor 31 when the “reverse inclination” is obtained. For this reason, a delivery signal is transmitted to the component delivery device 56, the component delivery device 56 malfunctions, and the abnormal nut 5 stays in the middle of the component supply passage 23.

  The component supply passage 23 is formed by a flexible synthetic resin component supply tube 22 and a metal guide tube 3 that can be formed in a required piping posture, and a long support member 17 coupled to the guide tube 3 is provided. It is arranged along the component supply pipe 22, and a holding portion 24 of the component supply pipe 22 is provided at the end of the support member 17 to determine the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22. Is arranged in the holding part 24.

  The long support member 17 is disposed along the component supply pipe 22, and the holding portion 24 of the component supply pipe 22 is provided at the end of the support member 17. By using the member, the operator can appropriately deform the support member 17 and freely select the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22. For example, when supplying the nut 5 to the projection welder, there are various members around the component supply pipe 22, so it is important to set the piping posture while successfully avoiding them. . In such a case, the piping posture can be selected without any inconvenience in the present embodiment.

  Further, since the component movement preventing means 63 is disposed in the holding portion 24, the function of supporting the component supply pipe 22 in the holding portion 24 and the installation function of the component movement preventing means 63 can be performed simultaneously. Effective for simplification.

  The sensor 31 is attached to the component supply pipe 22, and a positioning structure portion 33 for setting the attachment position of the sensor 31 is provided on the support member 17.

  Since the position of the sensor 31 is set via the positioning structure portion 33, the placement location of the sensor 31 is always set to the optimum location by setting the placement location of the positioning structure portion 33 in the support member 17 in advance. it can. Therefore, the sensor 31 can be correctly disposed between the holding portion 24 and the supply rod 1 and the sensor function can be normally exhibited.

  The guide tube 3 is coupled to a guide cylinder 2 through which a supply rod 1 passes, a temporary fixing chamber 4 for a nut 5 is formed at this coupling location, and an air cylinder 15 for moving the supply rod 1 forward and backward in the guide cylinder 2 is provided. The component supply unit 38 is configured by coupling, and the component supply unit 38 is mounted on a robot apparatus 39 having electrodes 47 and 48 for electric resistance welding.

  Since the component supply unit 38 configured as described above is mounted on the robot apparatus 39 including the electrodes 47 and 48 for electric resistance welding, the inclination direction of the component supply passage 23 is determined by the operation of the robot apparatus 39. However, the standby number of nuts 5 can be maintained normally, and reverse sliding down of the nuts 5 can be prevented to prevent abnormal operation of the component delivery device 56.

  Since the effective length of the support member 17 is adjusted by the adjustment structure portion 35 including the main body 19, the support hole 20, the fixing bolt 21, and the like disposed in the coupling portion 18, the holding portion suitable for the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22. 24 positions can be selected. Therefore, the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22 is determined by the optimum effective length of the support member 17, and the component supply pipe 22 can be stably supported.

  Since the position of the sensor 31 is set via the positioning structure 33 by adjusting the adjustment structure 35, the position of the sensor 31 can be set by setting the position of the positioning structure 33 in the support member 17 in advance. The location can always be set to the optimum location. Therefore, the sensor 31 can be correctly arranged between the holding part 24 and the adjustment structure part 35, and the sensor function can be exhibited normally.

  Since the component supply pipe 22 is joined to the metal guide pipe 3 via the joint pipe 10 and the joint 18 is attached to the joint pipe 10, the joint between the part supply pipe 22 and the guide pipe 3 is ensured. In addition, the support member 17 is securely fixed in a stable state by the coupling portion 18 fixed to the metal guide tube 3 side.

  Since the length of the component supply passage 23 to the sensor 31 and the supply head 16 can be selected by the adjustment structure 35, the waiting number of the nut 5 that moves smoothly according to the correct piping posture is supplied to the supply of the nut 5 by the supply rod 1. The optimum number of standby units can be set according to the speed of consumption, and parts can be supplied without any shortage of nuts.

  Since the sensor 31 protrudes toward the advancing / retreating axis of the supply rod 1, so-called protrusions protrude toward the inside of the component supply device, which is effective for making the entire device compact.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the adjustment structure 35, the sensor 31, the fixing bolt 27, etc. are in the opposite direction to the case of FIG. 1. Further, here, as shown by the reference numeral 36, the support member 17 is bent and the component supply pipe 22 is also bent. Other configurations are the same as those in the previous embodiment, and members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the first embodiment, the holding portion 24 is disposed at the tip portion of the support member 17. However, a plurality of holding portions 24 are added between the sensor 31 and the adjustment structure portion 35. Thereby, the integrity of the support member 17 and the component supply pipe 22 can be made more reliable, and the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22 can be set more accurately.

  FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the second embodiment, the adjustment structure 35 as described above is not included, and the holding portion 24 including the component movement preventing means 63 is disposed at one end of the support member 17. At the other end, a fixing structure portion including a substrate 28, a fixing bracket 29, a fixing bolt 30 and the like shown in FIG. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment including the portions not shown, and members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the second embodiment, a long support member 17 coupled to the component supply pipe 22 via the coupling portion 18 is disposed along the component supply pipe 22, and the component supply pipe 22 is disposed at the end of the support member 17. The holding portion 24 is provided to determine the piping posture of the component supply pipe 22. The component movement preventing means 63 is disposed in the holding portion 24, and the component movement preventing means 63 is connected to the component supply pipe 22. When one side is inclined so as to be lower than the opposite side, nut movement is allowed, and when the component supply pipe 22 is inclined to the opposite side of the inclination, the number of standby parts for which nut movement is prohibited. Maintenance device.

  Therefore, the component movement preventing means 63 and the positioning structure portion 33 can be freely moved to a required portion of the component supply pipe 22 as a pair. That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, it is possible to easily shift from the state shown in the solid line to the state shown in the two-dot chain line. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the standby number of components can be maintained regardless of the direction in which the component supply passage is inclined. Therefore, it can be used in a wide range of industrial fields such as automobile body welding processes and home appliance sheet metal welding processes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Supply rod 2 Guide cylinder 3 Guide pipe 5 Parts, nut 10 Joint pipe 15 Air cylinder 16 Supply head 17 Support member 18 Connection part 19 Main body 20 Support hole 21 Fixing bolt 22 Part supply pipe 23 Part supply path 24 Holding part 31 Sensor 33 Positioning structure part 35 Adjustment structure part 38 Parts supply unit 39 Robot device 50 Steel plate part 56 Parts sending device 57 Parts feeder 58 Sending unit 63 Parts movement preventing means

Claims (6)

A component is supplied from a component delivery device through a component supply passage to an advancing / retracting supply rod that allows the component to reach a target location, and the supply rod side of the component supply passage is lower than the opposite side. A sensor that keeps the number of parts waiting for the supply rod at a predetermined number when placed in the parts supply passage prevents the parts from moving backward when the supply rod side of the parts supply passage is higher than the opposite side. The component movement preventing means is disposed in the component supply passage at a position separated from the sensor on the side opposite to the supply rod, and the component movement prevention means is such that the supply rod side of the component supply passage is lower than the opposite side. prohibits parts to the opposite side of the feed rod with allowing component movement to the feed rod side when the supply rod side of the component supply passages on the opposite side Waiting number maintainer of parts, characterized in that to allow the component movement to the feed rod side while prohibiting the components to the opposite side to the supply rod when that is higher.   The sensor does not send a transmission signal to the component delivery device when the number of standbys reaches a predetermined number by sensing a component, and the component delivery device does not detect a component and the number of standbys does not reach the predetermined number. The apparatus for maintaining the number of standby parts according to claim 1, wherein a transmission signal is transmitted to the part.   3. The standby number maintaining device for parts according to claim 1, wherein the number of parts arranged between the sensor and the part movement preventing means is set to be smaller than the standby number arranged from the supply rod to the sensor.   The component supply passage is formed by a flexible synthetic resin component supply pipe that can be formed in a required piping posture and a metal guide pipe, and a long support member coupled to the guide pipe is provided along the component supply pipe. A component supply pipe holding portion is provided at an end of the support member to determine a piping posture of the component supply pipe, and the component movement preventing means is arranged in the holding portion. The waiting | standby number maintenance apparatus of the components in any one of Claims 1-3. 5. The standby number maintaining device for components according to claim 4, wherein the sensor is attached to a component supply pipe, and a positioning structure portion for setting a sensor mounting position is provided on the support member.   A component supply unit is formed by coupling the guide tube to a guide tube through which a supply rod passes, forming a temporary fixing chamber for the component at this coupling location, and coupling advancing and retreating drive means for advancing and retracting the supply rod to the guide tube. 6. The component standby number maintaining device according to claim 4, wherein the component supply unit is attached to a robot apparatus having an electrode for electric resistance welding.

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