JP5419559B2 - Spring feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention comprises means for causing two or more springs entangled in a container to collide against a fixed wall by air injection and to separate them by the impact, and the springs are supplied to the next process via a supply conveyance path. In the apparatus to be conveyed, the spring can be prevented from being blown off or dropped from the supply conveyance path by the air pressure of the air, and the efficiency of conveyance to the next process can be improved. It relates to a spring feeder.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a spring feeder that serves to supply a plurality of coil-type springs in a line along the direction of expansion and contraction and supply the springs one by one to an operator in an easy-to-operate state. . In such a spring feeder, a large number of springs are placed in a container that is vibrated by a vibration exciter. The springs are supplied to the workers one by one through the conveyance path.

  By the way, among the many springs put into the container, those in a state where two or more springs are entangled are mixed. Therefore, there exists a spring feeder provided with means for separating the plurality of entangled springs into one spring. Among the types of springs handled by the spring feeder, there are springs of a particularly small size, and these types of micro springs are easily entangled and more easily deformed or damaged. Is extremely difficult.

  The minute springs that have been entangled once are difficult to separate because they are minute, and if they are forcibly separated, the minute springs are likely to be damaged in the state described above. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the microspring may be deformed if it is not handled properly. As a means for separating such a plurality of springs entangled with each other, a spring having two or more entangled with a fixed wall formed in the container is collided with a wall plate by air injection, and the spring is caused by the impact. They have been developed so that they can be separated with almost no damage, and each minute spring can be supplied to workers (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3386401

  By the way, in order to send the separated spring as a single unit to the next step outside the container for conveyance, a supply conveyance path is provided. The supply conveyance path is accommodated in a sub container portion formed in the container. The sub-container portion is in communication with the container, and the spring having a defect that has fallen off from the supply conveyance path by the sorting means returns to the bottom of the container. The groove width of the terminal end portion of the supply conveyance path is so small that only one micro spring can pass through in order to supply the micro springs one by one.

  With this configuration, air generated by air injection for separating the entangled springs described above stays in the container and the sub-container part, and the spring that is being transported in the supply transport path by the wind pressure. Often it is blown away or dropped out. An object of the present invention is to prevent a spring being transported from being blown off or dropped off on a transport path for supply due to wind pressure (air pressure) caused by air injection for separating entangled springs. .

  In view of the above, the inventor has intensively and researched to solve the above-mentioned problems. As a result, the invention of claim 1 is divided into a main container part to which vibration is appropriately applied, and a spring in a tangled state inside the main container part. A separation injection part for separating the air by air injection, a through-hole for conveying a spring from the inside of the main container part to the outside, and the outer side of the main container part from the through-hole and A supply conveyance path that conveys a spring to the outer peripheral side of the main container section, and a portion excluding a terminal end portion of the supply conveyance path are accommodated and formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the main container section and from the through hole A sub-container part into which air during air injection of the separation injection part flows, a cover body for closing the upper side opening of each of the main container part and the sub-container part, and a large number of exhausts through which the spring cannot pass Exhaust with holes formed The above-described problem is solved by a spring feeder comprising a bar member, a circumferential opening formed in a part of the sub-container portion, and the exhaust cover member being attached to the circumferential opening. did.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the sub-container portion includes the sub-starting end wall surface portion located on the through-opening side, the sub-peripheral wall surface along the outer periphery of the main container portion, and the supply container housed inside The circumferential opening is formed on a portion of the auxiliary outer peripheral wall near the auxiliary terminal wall and on the upper side of the auxiliary terminal wall. The above problem has been solved by using a spring feeder in which the exhaust cover member is mounted on the circumferential opening.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the exhaust cover member is a spring feeder made of metal, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the exhaust cover member is a spring feeder having a wire mesh shape, thereby solving the above problem. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the exhaust cover member is a spring feeder made of a transparent synthetic resin.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the entangled spring is caused to collide with the separation wall plate formed in the main container portion by air injection by the separation injection portion in the main container portion, and one of the springs is caused by the impact at that time. They are separated one by one. When this separation operation is performed, the air injection of the separation injection unit flows into the sub container through the through-hole, the air stays in the sub container, and the wind pressure of the air is transferred to the next process on the supply conveyance path. There is a sufficient possibility that the spring to be conveyed is blown off from the supply conveyance path and dropped.

  However, since the circumferential opening is formed in the sub-container portion and the exhaust cover member having a large number of exhaust holes is attached to the circumferential opening portion, the air in the sub-container portion has a large number of exhaust cover members. As a result, the pressure of the air is reduced, and a large wind pressure is not applied to the supply conveyance path. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the spring conveyed on the supply conveyance path from falling off.

  In addition, the exhaust hole formed in the exhaust cover member is sized so that the spring cannot pass through, and even if the spring falls off the supply conveyance path for some reason, It does not jump out of the container. In this way, the spring conveyed by the supply conveyance path housed inside the sub-container portion is not subjected to strong wind pressure due to air injection, so that the spring on the supply conveyance path is blown off or dropped off. And can be efficiently transported to the next process.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sub container portion, the circumferential opening is formed above the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion and the sub terminal wall surface portion, and an exhaust cover member is mounted on the circumferential opening portion. As a result, the air by the air injection of the separation injection portion is exhausted from the exhaust cover member at the location of the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion and the sub terminal wall surface portion in which the supply conveyance path is accommodated in the sub container portion, and the air flow The direction is properly distributed. Therefore, the air pressure applied to the supply conveyance path is not concentrated, the pressure of the air applied to the supply conveyance path can be further reduced, and the spring conveyed on the supply conveyance path can be reduced. Omission can be further prevented.

  In particular, the circumferential opening and the exhaust cover member are positioned at the terminal end of the supply conveyance path in the sub-container part, so that the air injected from the separation injecting part is connected from the main container part through the through-hole. When it flows into the container part and reaches the sub-end wall surface part, the pressure has already dropped due to the loss of air. In addition to such a state, the air pressure at the sub-end wall surface portion of the sub-container portion becomes extremely small by exhausting air from the exhaust cover member. As described above, the exhaust cover member is mounted at the terminal end portion of the supply conveyance path, so that the wind pressure is further weakened before the air reaches the terminal end of the supply conveyance path in the sub container. Thus, the spring transported on the supply transport path can be made extremely difficult to drop off, and the exhaust cover member can be a relatively small space exhaust cover member.

  In the invention of claim 3, since the exhaust cover member is made of metal, it can be easily processed into a shape that is in very good contact with the outer shape of the sub container portion. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the exhaust cover member has a wire mesh shape, so that it can be used as an exhaust cover member only by cutting it to a size appropriately corresponding to the circumferential opening. The nature is extremely high. In the invention of claim 5, since the exhaust cover member is made of a transparent synthetic resin, the inside of the sub-container portion can be visually confirmed, the quality of the spring conveyance in the supply conveyance path, the clogging of the spring, etc. Can be confirmed.

It is a perspective view of the present invention. (A) is a top view of this invention, (B) is a principal part side view of this invention. (A) is a cross-sectional plan view of the present invention, (B) is a side view of the main part with the cover body and the exhaust cover member removed. (A) is an enlarged transverse plan view of the principal part of the present invention, (B) is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the exhaust cover member. (A) is a top view which shows the effect | action of this invention, (B) is a principal part enlarged plan view which shows the effect | action of this invention. (A) is a perspective view of the main part of the present invention with the exhaust cover member of the second embodiment mounted, (B) is a perspective view of the exhaust cover member of the second embodiment, and (C) is an exhaust cover of the third embodiment. The principal part perspective view of this invention with which the member was mounted | worn, (D) is a perspective view of the exhaust cover member of 3rd Embodiment. (A) is the principal part perspective view of this invention which mounted | wore with the exhaust cover member of 4th Embodiment, (B) is the perspective view of the exhaust cover member of 4th Embodiment, (C) extends over the sub container part whole. It is the perspective view which mounted | wore with the exhaust cover member. (A) is a principal part perspective view which shows a main container part and a sub container part, (B) is a principal part perspective view which shows the structure of the conveyance path inside a main container part, and a selection plate. (A) is the principal part vertical side view of this invention, (B) is the principal part vertical side view seen from the direction different from (A). (A) is an operation diagram showing the flow state of air injection when the air pressure is strong, (B) is an operation diagram showing the flow state of air injection when the air pressure is weak, and (C) shows timer control. Graph. (A) is a perspective view of the main part of the first sorting and conveying part, (B) is a cross-sectional plan view of the principal part of the first sorting and conveying part, (C) is an end view taken along the line Xa-Xa in (A), (D). (A) is an end view taken along the line Xb-Xb, and (E) is an action diagram in which a faulty spring is shaken off. (A) is a perspective view of the main part of the second sorting and conveying section, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow Xc-Xc, (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow Xd-Xd, and (D) is a broken spring shaken off. (E) is a perspective view of the sorting piece viewed from below, (F) is a front view of the sorting piece, (G) is a view taken along the Xe-Xe arrow of (F), and (H) is (F). Xf-Xf arrow sectional drawing of (F), (I) is the Xg-Xg arrow sectional view of (F). (A) is a perspective view of the state which isolate | separates the spring which became intertwined by the air injection of the injection part for isolation | separation, (B) is a top view of (A).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 8, etc., the present invention mainly comprises a main container part 1, a supply conveyance path 4, a sub container part 5, an exhaust cover member 6, an exciter 3, and the like. Has been. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, the main container portion 1 is formed in a substantially flat cylindrical shape. The main container portion 1 is formed from a circumferential side wall 11, a conveyance path 12, a sorting plate 13, and the like. It is configured. The circumferential side wall 11 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a conveying path 12 is formed on the inner side surface 11a of the circumferential side wall 11 (see FIGS. 2, 5A, etc.).

  Further, a sorting plate 13 is formed on the upper portion 1b of the circumferential side wall 11 of the main container portion 1, and the sorting plate 13 and the transport path 12 are in communication [FIGS. 2, 5A, FIG. Refer to 8 etc.]. Further, an internal conveyance groove 14 is formed at a corner formed by the conveyance path 12 and the sorting plate 13 and the inner side surface 11a [FIGS. 1, 2A, 3A, 4]. (See (A) and FIG. 5 (A), etc.)]. A through-hole 18 is formed at a position in the height direction where the sorting plate 13 of the main container portion 1 is formed. The through-hole 18 is formed as an opening for communicating the internal conveyance groove 14 with the supply conveyance path 4 mounted outside the main container 1 [FIGS. (See FIGS. 11A and 11B).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, FIG. 8 (A), etc., a sub container portion 5 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the main container portion 1. The sub-container part 5 accommodates the supply transport path 4 therein, and has a room shape having a substantially semicircular enclosure in the circumferential direction over a substantially half circumference on the outer periphery of the main container part 1. Is formed. The sub container portion 5 includes a sub outer peripheral wall portion 51, a sub start end wall portion 52, a sub end wall surface portion 53, and an auxiliary bottom portion 54. The auxiliary outer peripheral wall portion 51 is formed along the circumferential side wall 11 at substantially equal intervals at an appropriate interval. In other words, from the curvature radius of the circumferential side wall 11 of the main container portion 1. Is formed as a substantially semicircular wall plate, and a small chamber is formed on the outer peripheral side of the main container 1 [FIGS. 1, 2A, and FIG. Etc.].

  The auxiliary start wall surface 52 is a wall surface portion that protrudes so as to be substantially orthogonal to the circumferential side wall 11 of the main container 1 (see FIGS. 2A, 3A, etc.). An outer edge of the start wall surface 52 is connected to one end in the longitudinal direction of the auxiliary outer wall 51 (see FIGS. 2A, 3A, etc.). The auxiliary start wall surface 52 is formed at a position covering the through hole 18 (see FIG. 3A), and the auxiliary start wall surface 52 extends through the through hole 18 together with the auxiliary outer peripheral wall surface 51. It becomes the structure which coat | covers from the periphery [refer FIG. 3 (A)]. Through the through-hole 18, air at the time of air injection of the separation injection section 2 flows from the main container section 1 into the sub-container section 5. Further, the sub-termination wall surface portion 53 is a wall surface portion formed substantially tangential to the circumferential side wall 11 from the other longitudinal end of the sub-periphery wall surface portion 51 [FIG. 2 (A), FIG. 3 (A)]. Etc.]. When the sub container portion 5 is viewed in plan, the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 and the sub starting end wall surface portion 52 are connected at a substantially right angle, and the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 and the sub terminal wall surface portion 53 are connected in a substantially inclined shape. It becomes the shape to do.

  As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 8 (A), etc., a circumferential opening 55 is formed in the sub container portion 5. The exhaust cover member 6 is attached to the circumferential opening 55 (see FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 8A). The circumferential opening 55 is formed from the portion closer to the sub-end wall surface 53 side of the sub-outer wall surface 51 to the sub-end wall surface 53. Specifically, a circumferential opening 55 is formed as an unformed portion of the wall surface in a range above a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 and the sub terminal wall surface portion 53 [ 3B and 8A].

  Then, the exhaust cover member 6 is mounted so as to cover the circumferential opening 55. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4 (A), etc., the exhaust cover member 6 includes the auxiliary outer peripheral wall surface portion 51, the auxiliary start wall surface portion 52, the auxiliary terminal wall surface portion 53, etc. It is a member constituting the whole and serves to exhaust the air injected from the separating injection unit 2 to the outside of the sub-container unit 5. The exhaust cover member 6 is mounted across the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 and the sub terminal wall surface portion 53, and along the corner portion of the connecting portion between the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 and the sub terminal wall surface portion 53. The exhaust cover member 6 has a bent portion (see FIGS. 1 and 4). Then, along the longitudinal direction of the exhaust cover member 6, the portion in contact with the auxiliary outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 becomes an arc-shaped surface, and the portion in contact with the auxiliary terminal wall surface portion 53 becomes a flat surface (see FIG. 5).

  The sub-container portion 5 has a sub-bottom portion 54 at the lower end portion, and has a structure communicating with the main container portion 1 at the position of the sub-bottom portion 54. Then, the spring Sd having a defect shaken off from the sorting notch 41b of the supply transport path 4 or the spring S dropped off for some reason is transferred from the sub-bottom 54 of the sub-container 5 to the main container 1 Is returned to the bottom part 1a of the main container part 1 and again conveyed from the bottom part 1a of the main container part 1 to the upper part of the main container part 1 until the problem of the spring S is eliminated.

  The exhaust cover member 6 has a main plate portion 61 formed with a number of exhaust holes 62, 62,. The exhaust cover member 6 is formed of a thin metal material, and the size of the exhaust hole 62 is smaller than the spring S or formed as a very elongated gap hole, The spring S is prevented from jumping out of the sub container portion 5 from the exhaust hole 62. The main plate portion 61 of the exhaust cover member 6 is formed with attachment through holes 61a, 61a,... For attaching to the sub container portion 5.

  Further, screw holes 56, 56,... Are formed in the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion 51 and the sub terminal wall surface portion 53 of the sub container portion 5 (see FIG. 3B). Then, the fixing tool 7 such as a screw is fastened and fixed to the screw holes 56, 56,... Of the sub container part 5 through the mounting through holes 61a, 61a,. A number of exhaust holes 62, 62,... Of the exhaust cover member 6 serve to discharge air in the main container portion 1 and the sub-container portion 5, and are particularly injected from the separation injection portion 2 described later. This prevents the air from staying in the sub-container part 5 and significantly reduces the wind pressure of the air in the sub-container part 5.

The exhaust cover member 6 has various embodiments, and the first embodiment is made of metal. When the exhaust cover member 6 is made of metal, a thin plate metal material is used so that it follows the shape of the sub outer peripheral wall portion 51 and the sub terminal wall portion 53 of the sub container portion 5 by pressing or the like. It is formed. In addition, a large number of exhaust holes 62, 62,... May be perforated, but a punching metal having a large number of small through holes may be used (see FIG. 4A).

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the exhaust cover member 6, it is made of a transparent synthetic resin (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). In this embodiment, a synthetic resin material such as a relatively flexible thin plate-like plastic plate is used. When the exhaust cover member 6 is molded from a synthetic resin by a mold, a large number of exhaust holes 62, 62,... Are formed together with the main plate portion 61. Further, since the exhaust cover member 6 is made of a transparent synthetic resin, the inside of the sub-container portion 5 can be visually confirmed, and the state of conveyance of the spring S in the supply conveyance path 4 and the occurrence of clogging of the spring S, etc. Etc. can be confirmed very easily.

  Moreover, in 3rd Embodiment of the exhaust cover member 6, as shown in FIG.6 (C), it is a metal-mesh type, Comprising: A metal-mesh material may be used as it is. In the case where the exhaust cover member 6 is of a wire mesh type, as shown in FIG. 6D, the mesh formed by the crossing of the thin wires becomes the exhaust holes 62, 62,. Further, by making the exhaust cover member 6 made of a thin metal plate, the exhaust cover member 6 can be easily processed into a shape that is in very good contact with the outer shape of the sub container portion 5. Since the exhaust cover member 6 has a wire mesh shape, the exhaust cover member 6 can be used as an exhaust cover member 6 having an appropriate size only by cutting it to a size appropriately corresponding to the circumferential opening [FIG. See C)]. Further, as a fourth embodiment of the exhaust cover member 6, in the first and second embodiments described above, the exhaust holes 62, 62,... May be formed in a slit shape [FIG. See A) and (B)]. By forming the exhaust hole 62 in a slit shape, the air flow can be further improved and the air can be efficiently exhausted.

  Inside the sub-container part 5, the supply transport path 4 extends from the position of the through-hole 18 between the circumferential side wall 11 of the main container part 1 and the sub-outer peripheral wall part 51 of the sub-container part 5 in the circumferential direction. A passage-shaped space is formed along the path [see FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 5A]. A central part (second sorting and conveying part 42 described later) and a terminal part (connecting and conveying part 43 described later) of the supply conveying path 4 pass through the mounting position of the exhaust cover member 6. And the termination | terminus part (connection conveyance part 43) of the conveyance path 4 for supply has the structure which protrudes the exterior of the said sub container part 5 while passing the sub termination | terminus wall surface part 53 [FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. A) etc.].

  In particular, the circumferential opening 55 and the exhaust cover member 6 are positioned at the terminal end portion (connecting transport portion 43) of the supply transport path 4 in the sub-container portion 5. When the air due to the air reaches the position of the sub-terminal wall portion 53, the pressure becomes extremely small, and the spring S conveyed on the supply conveyance path 4 can be made to be extremely difficult to drop off. Further, since the exhaust cover member 6 is attached to the terminal portion (connection transport portion 43) of the supply transport path 4, the air jetted air is transported for supply in the sub container portion 5. The air pressure is reduced and weakened before reaching the terminal portion (connection transport portion 43) of the path 4, and the exhaust cover member 6 having a relatively small space can be obtained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the supply conveyance path 4 conveys appropriate springs S selected in the main container portion 1 to the outside of the spring feeder of the present invention and supplies them to workers, or This is the part that serves to supply the spring S to another device as required. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 (A), 3 (A), 4 (A), and 5, the supply conveyance path 4 is provided on the outer side of the circumferential side wall 11 of the main container portion 1. It is installed and has an appropriate distance from the circumferential side wall 11, and its longitudinal direction is formed in a substantially arc shape along the circumferential side wall 11. Moreover, the conveyance path 4 for supply is comprised over the substantially half circumference of the circumferential side wall 11 of the said main container part 1 (refer FIG. 1 (A)). Here, the longitudinal direction of the supply transport path 4 is the same direction as the transport direction in which the spring S is transported (see FIG. 5). The conveyance direction in which the spring S is conveyed is hereinafter simply referred to as the conveyance direction.

  Next, the supply conveyance path 4 includes a first sorting conveyance unit 41, a second sorting conveyance unit 42, and a connection conveyance unit 43 [FIGS. 2A, 3A, FIG. 5 (A)]. The supply conveyance path 4 vibrates together with the main container unit 1 by the vibrator 3, and the spring S is moved from the inside of the main container unit 1 to the first selection conveyance unit 41 and the second selection conveyance unit 42 of the supply conveyance path 4. It is conveyed over the connection conveyance unit 43. First, the start end portion of the first sorting / conveying section 41 is configured to communicate with the internal conveying groove 14 formed in the sorting plate 13 inside the main container section 1 via the through-hole 18 [FIG. 3 (A), FIG. 11 (A), (B) etc.].

  The starting end portion of the first sorting and conveying unit 41 is in a state of slightly entering the inside of the main container unit 1 from the through hole 18. The first sorting / conveying unit 41 is formed in an arc shape in the longitudinal direction along the outer periphery of the main container unit 1. The first sorting / conveying section 41 is formed with a conveying groove 41a and communicates with the internal conveying groove 14 through the through-hole 18 [FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. ) Etc.].

  As shown in FIGS. 11 (A) to (C), the first sorting / conveying section 41 is formed in a strip shape, and the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) is a substantially rectangular shape. And it is formed so that the long side direction may become the up-and-down direction. As shown in FIG. 11C, the conveying groove 41a is formed at the top of the first sorting and conveying unit 41, and has a substantially V-shaped cross section. In the first sorting / conveying section 41, sorting notches 41b are formed (see FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11D, and 11E).

  The notch 41b for sorting is a portion formed by either the slope portion on either side in the width direction of the conveying groove 41a leaving a slightly lower portion and cutting the upper portion. In the conveying groove 41a in which the sorting notch 41b is formed, both the groove width and the groove depth are partially reduced, and the spring Sd having the problem that two or more are intertwined into a lump is used as the sorting notch. It is shaken off at 41b (see FIG. 11E).

  Two or more such sorting notches 41 b are formed in the first sorting and conveying unit 41. Specifically, a sorting notch 41b is formed on one end side and the other end side in the groove width direction of the transport groove 41a. In the transport groove 41a located at the 18 through holes, the sorting notch portion is formed. 41 b is formed so as to be located on the inner side of the main container part 1, and the spring Sd having a problem of being shaken off from the sorting notch part 41 b falls into the main container part 1. In addition, in the sorting notches 41b formed at other positions, the spring Sd having a defect falls outside the main container part 1. In this case, the circumferential side wall 11 of the main container part 1 is dropped. A faulty spring Sd is shaken off in the sub-container portion 5 formed on the outer surface 11b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12A, the second sorting / conveying section 42 is composed of a conveying groove 42a and a sorting piece 42b. The second sorting / conveying section 42 is in the shape of a belt plate and is arcuate in plan view (see FIGS. 2 (A) and 5 (A)), and in the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the conveying direction, is in the form of an inclined plate. It is formed (see FIGS. 12A to 12C). A transport groove 42 a is formed at a substantially central position in the height direction of the second sorting transport unit 42. The conveying groove 42a is formed in a step shape at a substantially central position with respect to the vertical direction in the cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the second sorting and conveying unit 42, and the upper side of the conveying groove 42a is below the lower side. The shape is recessed from the side (see FIGS. 12B and 12C).

  In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the second sorting and conveying unit 42 is formed such that the thickness on the upper side of the conveying groove 42a is thinner than the thickness on the lower side. The conveyance groove 42a is formed as a step surface which is a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the second sorting and conveying unit 42 and protrudes at a substantially central position in the vertical direction of the surface of the second sorting and conveying unit 42. is there. The protruding dimension k of the step surface of the conveying groove 42a from the surface of the second sorting and conveying unit 42 is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the spring S (see FIG. 12D).

In particular, when the spring S is a minute spring, the protruding amount is approximately 1 mm or less. The conveying groove 42a has such a degree that only one spring can be conveyed in a state where the spring S is placed in a state where its expansion / contraction direction coincides with the conveying direction [FIG.
(See (C)). Therefore, in principle, when the spring Sd having a defect in a state where two or more pieces are entangled with each other in the conveying groove 42a, the spring Sd having this defect loses its balance and falls from the conveying groove 42a. Such a faulty spring Sd cannot pass through (see FIG. 12D).

  A sorting piece 42b is mounted in the vicinity of the conveying groove 42a in the second sorting / conveying section 42 (see FIGS. 12A to 12C). The sorting piece 42b is fixed to the second sorting / conveying section 42 of the second sorting / conveying section 42 by a fixing tool such as a bolt. The sorting piece 42b is a separate member from the second sorting / conveying section 42, and is formed into a substantially square plate piece shape as shown in FIGS. 12 (E) and 12 (F). One side is a sorting end 42b '. The sorting piece 42b is installed in the second sorting / conveying section 42 so that the sorting end 42b 'is close to the conveying groove 42a. The sorting end portion 42b 'is a portion formed so that the lower side has a triangular slope (see FIG. 12E), and the sorting piece 42b is properly attached to the second sorting and conveying unit 42. Thus, the sectional shape of the sorting end portion 42b 'is formed so as to be inclined from a thin portion to a thick portion (see FIGS. 12F to 12I).

  The lower end of the sorting end 42b ′ is set to be parallel to the transport direction of the transport groove 42a (see FIG. 12A), and the sorting end 42b ′ is thicker from the thin part along the transport direction. It is set so as to be a part (see FIGS. 12A to 12C). And the said conveyance groove | channel 42a is a grade which can convey only one in the state in which the spring S was mounted in the state which matched the expansion-contraction direction with the conveyance direction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (A), the connection transport unit 43 is a part that serves to connect the spring feeder in the present invention to another work device 100, and the connection transport unit 43 is This is the end portion of the supply conveyance path 4. The connection conveyance section 43 is formed with a connection conveyance groove 43a (see FIG. 4A). The connecting conveyance portion 43 is provided with a cover member 43b, and covers the connecting conveyance groove 43a from one end side to the other end side in the groove direction in the longitudinal direction thereof. The connecting groove 43a is covered to a position slightly beyond the center position in the groove width direction, and a portion that is not covered is a gap j (see FIGS. 3A and 4A).

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, 3A, 4A, and the like, a removal ejection unit 43c is attached to the connection transport unit 43. The removal jetting part 43c is constituted by an jet nozzle and an air valve, and removes the spring Sd clogged in the connection transporting part 43 by air of air jetting. In the supply conveyance path 4, the portion corresponding to the start end in the longitudinal direction is the first sorting and conveying unit 41, the central part is the second sorting and conveying unit 42, and the terminal part is the connecting and conveying unit 43. It becomes.

  Next, the structure in the main container part 1 is demonstrated. The conveyance path 12 is formed in a spiral shape from the bottom 1a to the top 1b of the main container 1 along the inner side surface 11a of the main container 1 while having a gentle inclination (FIGS. 8 and 8). 9). The transport path 12 is formed from a strip, and the inner end side of the transport path 12 (closer to the center side of the main container portion 1) is inclined upward with respect to the inner side surface 11a. It has an appropriate angle.

  The conveying path 12 serves to convey the spring S from the bottom 1a of the main container part 1 toward the upper part of the main container part 1, and by vibration of the main container part 1 by the vibrator 3 described later, The spring groups S, S,... Are moved. Further, an inner conveyance groove 14 is formed along the circumferential direction near the inner surface 11a of the conveyance path 12 [see FIGS. 1, 2A, 3A, and 4A. ]. The internal conveyance groove 14 can be easily arranged so that the individual springs S are accommodated therein and arranged in a line along the expansion / contraction direction in the internal conveyance groove 14.

  A sorting plate 13 is attached to the upper portion of the main container portion 1. The sorting plate 13 has a substantially semicircular shape in plan view (see FIGS. 1, 2A, 3A, and 5A), and the center portion is the highest and has a circular shape. It inclines so that height may become low toward an outer periphery (refer FIG. 15). In other words, the sorting plate 13 is a substantially flat conical plate having a shape that is substantially halved on the basis of the diameter line passing through the center thereof, and is substantially semicircular when viewed in plan. It is what. In the upper part of the main container part 1, a part other than the part covered with the sorting plate 13 is referred to as a return opening 1c. The return opening 1c is also substantially semicircular (see FIGS. 1, 2A, 3A, and 5A).

  The sorting plate 13 and the inner side surface 11a do not intersect at right angles, but intersect the inner side surface 11a so that the center side of the sorting plate 13 is inclined upward (see FIG. 9). As a result, the spring S on the sorting plate 13 moves toward the portion where the sorting plate 13 and the inner side surface 11a intersect, that is, toward the outer peripheral side of the sorting plate 13. The uppermost position of the conveyance path 12 and the location near the inner surface 11a of the sorting plate 13 are continuously connected. Then, the spring groups S, S,... Moving upward along the conveyance path 12 are conveyed to the sorting plate 13. Separation injection as a separation injection unit for separating the tangled springs S, S,... At the continuous position between the uppermost position of the conveying path 12 and the sorting plate 13 and on the inner surface 11a of the main container 1. Part 2 is provided.

  The separating injection section 2 is composed of an injection port 21 and an air valve 22, and the air valve 22 is mounted on the outer surface 11b side of the main container section 1 [FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 5 (A), FIG. 10, FIG. 13 etc.]. The air valve 22 is configured such that air is supplied via a tube from an air compressor (not shown) provided outside the main container portion 1. And it can adjust to desired injection pressure from the injection port 21 of the injection part 2 for isolation | separation, and can perform air injection. An air guide wall portion 15 is formed on the sorting plate 13 and from the vicinity of the injection port 21 of the separation jetting portion 2 toward the center of the sorting plate 13. The air guide wall portion 15 is formed in a substantially vertical wall plate shape, and its longitudinal direction is formed along the air injection direction from the injection port 21 of the separation injection portion 2 (see FIG. 13). The air guide wall 15 is composed of two opposing main wall plates 15a and auxiliary wall plates 15b.

  The main wall plate 15 a is formed longer than the auxiliary wall plate 15 b and is provided along the straight edge of the sorting plate 13. A predetermined gap is provided between the main wall plate 15a and the inner side surface 11a. A connecting portion between the conveying path 12 and the sorting plate 13 exists within this interval, and the spring group S, S,... Is an interval for moving and entering the sorting plate 13 from the conveying path 12. The auxiliary wall plate 15b is disposed in parallel with the main wall plate 15a. Then, the air injection from the separating injection section 2 flows between the main wall plate 15a and the auxiliary wall plate 15b, and the spring groups S, S,... Blown off by the air injection are the main wall plate 15a and the auxiliary wall. It passes between the plates 15b (see FIGS. 5, 10, and 13).

  Next, a fixed wall plate 16 is provided near the approximate center of the sorting plate 13 (see FIGS. 5, 6, 10, and 13). Specifically, the fixed wall plate 16 is disposed at a position opposite to the separation injection unit 2 side at the center position of the sorting plate 13 and has an appropriate inclination angle with respect to the air injection direction. Is inclined. The air injection from the separation injection unit 2 is changed in the injection direction toward the sorting plate 13 by the inclination angle of the fixed wall plate 16. Further, the spring group S, S,... Blown off by air injection collides with the fixed wall plate 16, and two or more entangled springs S, S are separated from each other by the impact at this time ( (See FIG. 13). Further, the fixed wall plate 16 is provided with a sub-fixed plate 17 which is opposed to the fixed wall plate 16 at an appropriate interval, and among the spring groups S, S,. Can collide again and be separated.

  A vibrator 3 is disposed below the main container 1, and the main container 1 vibrates by the vibrator 3 (see FIG. 1). The vibrator 3 is an electromagnetic type. Then, an appropriate vibration is given to the conveyance path 12 due to the vibration of the main container section 1, and the spring groups S, S,... Stored inside move along the conveyance path 12 above the main container section 1 and the springs. The groups S, S,... Can be conveyed toward the sorting plate 13. A cover body 19 is detachably attached to the upper openings of the main container portion 1 and the sub container portion 5 by a fixing tool 8 such as a screw. The cover body 19 is formed of a transparent plate such as acrylic or glass, and is fixed to the top of the main container portion 1 with a screw member. A small lid portion (not shown) is formed on the cover body 19, and a large amount of spring groups S, S,... Can be placed inside the main container portion 1 by opening the small lid portion.

  The air injection from the injection port 21 can be an intermittent motion through timer control. That is, the air injection operation and stop interval are controlled in terms of time (see FIG. 10). In this way, the springs S, S,... Released from the entangled state on the sorting plate 13 and individually separated can be arranged in a line in the internal conveyance groove 14 and moved to the next process. FIG. 10C is a graph showing a state in which each time of air injection strength is controlled by a timer. In the graph, the horizontal axis is the time when the air pressure is strong, the time when the air pressure is strong is TL, and the time when the air pressure is weak is TS.

  First, the small lid portion of the cover body 19 is opened, a large amount of springs S, S,... Are put in the main container portion 1, and the vibrator 3 is driven to give proper vibration to the main container portion 1. The spring groups S, S,... Stored in the bottom 1a of the main container 1 move along the transport path 12 and are transported toward the sorting plate 13. Air injection from the injection port 21 located at the continuous position between the uppermost position of the conveyance path 12 and the sorting plate 13 is always performed in a state where the air pressure is weak, and the strong air injection is performed as an intermittent motion through timer control. Done. In the air injection, the spring groups S, S,... That have been conveyed around the injection port 21 are moved around by the air pressure that is normally reduced by timer control so that the injection port 21 is not blocked. Then, air injection is performed with a strong air pressure at regular intervals, and the spring groups S, S,... Gathered around the injection port 21 are blown toward the fixed wall plate 16 at once, and the entangled springs S and S collide with the fixed wall plate 16, and the springs S and S in a tangled state are separated at that time.

  When the air pressure of the air injection becomes weak again due to the intermittent operation, the individual springs S, S,... Are accommodated in the internal conveying groove 14 formed on the outer peripheral edge of the sorting plate 13 and are vibrated. The springs S, S,... Move from the internal conveyance groove 14 to the supply conveyance path 4 provided outside the main container portion 1 along the internal conveyance groove 14 due to vibration by the container 3. Further, the spring groups S, S,... Are conveyed to a spring supply device provided at the conveyance direction end of the supply conveyance path 4.

  As described above, in the repetition of the strength of the air pressure of the air injection, the work of separating the springs S, S in the entangled state is performed in the time when the air pressure is strong, and the individual springs in the time when the air pressure is weakened. S is transported from the internal transport groove 14 to the supply transport path 4. In the present invention, the time of strength of the air pressure in the air injection is about 7 seconds, and the time of strength of the air pressure is about 3 seconds. However, this is only one embodiment, and the time of air pressure strength may be appropriately changed by timer control.

  Further, the springs S, S whose entangled state was not separated by the collision with the fixed wall plate 16 by the first air injection are returned from the sorting plate 13 to the bottom 1a of the main container part 1 again. S and S move again from the conveying path 12 to the sorting plate 13, and the same operation by air injection is repeated, and the springs S and S in the entangled state are separated. Then, the appropriate spring S is transferred from the internal transfer groove 14 to the transfer groove 41a of the first selection transfer unit 41 of the supply transfer path 4 in an appropriate state, and the spring S is supplied to the first selection transfer unit 41 and the second selection transfer unit 41. It is transported to the sorting transport section 42 and the connection transport section 43 (see FIGS. 8B and 9).

  The air by the air injection from the separating injection section 2 separates the springs S, S entangled in the main container section 1, and the air flows into the sub container section 5 through the through-hole 18. . The air that has flowed into the sub-container unit 5 spans the first sorting transport unit 41, the second sorting transport unit 42, and the connection transport unit 43 of the supply transport path 4 accommodated in the sub-container unit 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the air is exhausted from the exhaust holes 62, 62,... Of the exhaust cover member 6 as it is, so that the spring being transported on the supply transport path 4 It is possible to reduce the wind pressure applied to S, S,... So that the springs S, S,.

  Thereby, only the springs S, S,... In the proper state can be conveyed to the next process, and the work efficiency can be improved. In addition, since the main container part 1 and the sub container part 5 are configured to communicate with each other through the through-hole 18, the air generated by the air injection from the separation injection part 2 is generated in the main container part 1. The injection can be performed with sufficient and appropriate momentum, and the small spring Sd having the entangled defect can collide with the fixed wall plate 16 to release the entanglement.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main container part, 2 ... Separation injection part, 4 ... Supply conveyance path, 5 ... Sub container part,
55 ... Circumferential opening, 6 ... Exhaust cover member, 62 ... Exhaust hole, 18 ... Through-hole,
19: Cover body.

Claims (5)

  A main container part to which vibration is appropriately applied, a separation injection part for separating the entangled spring inside the main container part by air injection, and a spring for conveying the spring from the inside of the main container part to the outside A through-hole, a supply conveyance path that is formed from the through-hole along the outer peripheral side of the main container part and conveys the spring to the outer peripheral side of the main container part, and an end portion of the supply conveyance path. A sub-container portion that accommodates the removed portion and is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the main container portion and into which air is injected during the air injection of the separation injection portion from the through-hole, and the main container portion and the sub-container portion A cover body that closes each upper surface side opening, and an exhaust cover member in which a large number of exhaust holes through which the spring cannot pass are formed. The circumferential opening formed Spring feeders the exhaust cover member is characterized by comprising attached to.   2. The sub container portion according to claim 1, wherein the sub container portion is located on the through start side wall surface portion, on the sub outer peripheral wall surface portion along the outer periphery of the main container portion, and on the terminal side of the supply conveyance path accommodated therein. And the circumferential opening is formed on a portion of the auxiliary outer peripheral wall near the auxiliary terminal wall and on the upper side of the auxiliary terminal wall. A spring feeder, wherein the exhaust cover member is attached to the spring feeder.   The spring feeder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the exhaust cover member is made of metal.   3. The spring feeder according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust cover member has a wire mesh shape.   3. The spring feeder according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust cover member is made of a transparent synthetic resin.

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