JP5431717B2 - Insert nut feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an insert nut supply device that includes a front end and a rear end, and that supplies an insert nut to be press-fitted into a concave portion of a molded product in a normal posture with the front end facing the bottom surface of the concave portion of the molded product.

  There are two types of metal insert nuts that are inserted and arranged in resin molded products: one that is placed in the mold in advance before the molding process of the molded product and placed in the molded product at the time of molding, Some are press-fitted into the provided recesses. In the latter press-fitting process, the insert nut is press-fitted into the softened concave portion while softening the part including at least the concave portion of the molded product by heating or ultrasonic irradiation. Automatically performed by the nut press-fitting device.

Prior to the press-fitting process of the insert nut, the insert nut is positioned (temporarily placed) in the opening of the concave portion of the molded product. In this case, it is necessary to position the insert nut in a normal posture. This normal posture is the posture shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the recess w formed in the molded product W has a tapered shape in which the d _{wt of the} opening _wt is slightly larger than the diameter d _{wb of the} bottom surface wb. On the other hand, insert nut N, the diameter _{d Nr} of the rear end Nr is slightly larger than the diameter _{d wt} of the aperture wt recess w. Further, the tip end diameter d _Nf is slightly smaller than the rear end diameter d _Nr and has a taper shape slightly larger than the diameter d _{wb of the} recess wb. The insert nut N is temporarily placed in a normal posture with the tip Nf facing the bottom surface wb of the recess w as described above, and then press-fitted into the recess w of the molded product W.

  An insert nut system that supplies an insert nut to be temporarily placed in a recessed portion of a molded product in a normal posture is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. An insert nut system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a storage hopper that stores a plurality of insert nuts, a parts feeder that includes a reciprocating push-up block that extracts and sends out insert nuts in the hopper, and a horizontal direction having a longitudinal direction. An alignment cylinder arranged on the alignment table, a plurality of insert nuts sequentially fed by the push-up block of the parts feeder, and an alignment cylinder for aligning the alignment nut in a horizontal row on the alignment table, and a plurality of insert nuts on the alignment table. Is left on the alignment table if it is in a normal posture, while if it is in the reverse orientation, the sorting means having a sorting auxiliary cylinder pad and a sorting block with a sorting pin excluded from the sorting table, The recovery hopper that recovers the removed insert nut and the recovered insert nut are adjusted to a normal posture and adjusted. And a retransmission supply means for feeding on the table.

JP 2007-152456 A

  However, since the insert nut supply system shown in Patent Document 1 has a series of very complex and multi-part structures from the storage hopper to the retransmission feeding means as described above, it is large and expensive. In addition to the complicated and multi-part structure, the insert nut supply system is considerably arranged because an alignment table having a longitudinal direction for arranging a plurality of insert nuts in a horizontal row is arranged horizontally. Occupies a large footprint.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an insert nut supply device that has a simple structure, is small and inexpensive, and may have a small installation area.

  According to the present invention, the insert nut to be press-fitted into the concave portion of the molded product has a normal posture with the front end facing the bottom surface of the concave portion of the molded product. In the insert nut supply device for supplying to the above, except for a storage hopper that has a funnel shape with an upper wide opening and a lower narrow opening and stores a plurality of insert nuts and a rear end of the insert nut in a normal posture An elevating column provided with an upper end portion including a recess having a shape that can be stored, and the upper end portion vertically moves between the lower narrow opening and the upper wide opening of the storage hopper. An insert nut detector that is provided above the upper wide opening of the storage hopper and detects the presence or absence of an insert nut in the recess of the elevating column and the presence or absence of a normal posture when there is, and the storage A wiper provided so as to reciprocate laterally above the upper wide opening of the hopper and exhibiting a shape corresponding to the shape of the rear end of the insert nut in a normal posture housed in the recess of the lifting column. Based on the detection result of the insert nut detector, if the insert nut is in a non-regular posture in the recess of the lifting column, wipe the insert nut with the wiper to change it to a normal posture or the upper side An insert nut supply device is obtained, wherein the insert nut is lowered into the storage hopper through a wide opening, and when the insert nut is not in the recess of the lift column, the lift column is lowered and raised again.

  The upper end portion of the elevating column may have a tapered shape in which an outer peripheral surface of the concave portion becomes thinner toward the tip.

  Based on the detection result of the insert nut detector, when the insert nut is in a normal posture in the recess of the elevating column, it further has an informing means for informing at least one of audio output and visual display. Also good.

  Based on the detection result of the insert nut detector, when the insert nut is in a normal posture in the recess of the lifting column, a notification means for outputting a signal to that effect to another device that receives the insert nut You may have.

  The insert nut supply device according to the present invention has a simple structure, is small and inexpensive, and may have a small installation area.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an insert nut supply device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The insert nut supply device of the present embodiment includes a small-diameter front end, a large-diameter intermediate portion and a rear end as shown in FIG. 1, and an insert nut to be press-fitted into a concave portion of the molded product. It supplies so that it may become the normal attitude | position which the front-end | tip turned to the bottom face of a recessed part. In addition, as a supply destination, the operator who press-fits an insert nut in the recessed part of a molded article, or an insert nut press-fit apparatus (not shown) is assumed.

  Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the insert nut supply device includes a storage hopper 10, an elevating column 20, an insert nut detector 30, and a wiper 40.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the storage hopper 10 has a funnel shape having an upper wide opening 10 t and a lower narrow opening 10 b, and stores a plurality of insert nuts N (not shown).

  Although the main part of the lifting column 20 is shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D, the recess 21 has a shape that can be stored except for the rear end Nr (FIG. 1) of the insert nut N in a normal posture. The upper end includes a fluid pressure type or electric cylinder 23 between the lower narrow opening 10b and the upper wide opening 10t of the storage hopper 10 (FIGS. 2A and 2B). ) To move up and down. The upper end portion of the elevating column 20 has a tapered shape in which the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion 21 becomes narrower toward the tip.

The shape corresponding to the shape of the insert nut N in the normal posture of the concave portion 21 to the shape of the intermediate portion is as follows in detail. That is, the recess 21, as is clear from FIG. 4 (d), the and the lower region 21l of the diameter _{d 21l,} the two-step tapered upper area 21u that changes a maximum diameter _{d 21u} from a minimum diameter _{d 21l} It has a shape. The diameter _{d 21l} of the lower region 21l, while slightly larger than the diameter _{d Nf} tip Nf of the insert nut N shown in FIG. 1, smaller than the diameter _{d Nr} of the rear end Nr. The maximum diameter _{d 21u} in the upper region 21u is slightly larger than the diameter _{d Nr} of the rear end Nr of the insert nut N.

  Due to the shape of the concave portion 21, when the lifting column 20 rises from the lower narrow opening 10 b of the storage hopper 10 toward the upper side of the upper wide opening 10 t, only one insert nut N in a normal posture is rearward. It is accommodated in the recess 21 leaving the end Nr. Further, even if a plurality of insert nuts N in a normal posture are scooped up by the lifting column 20, only one is stored in the recess 21 leaving the rear end Nr. On the other hand, there is a possibility that a part of the insert nut N that is not in a normal posture enters the upper region 21 u of the recess 21. However, at this time, more parts than the insert nuts N correctly stored in the recesses 21 protrude upward from the upper end surface of the lifting column 20. As will be described later, this state can be detected by the insert nut detector 30 as a state that is not a normal posture. Further, there may be a case where no insert nut N can be stored in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20. However, in this case, the inside of the recess 21 is empty, and there is nothing that protrudes upward from the upper end surface of the lifting column 20. As will be described later, this state can be detected by the insert nut detector 30 as a state in which there is no insert nut N.

  The insert nut detector 30 is provided above the upper wide opening 10t of the storage hopper 10, and detects the presence / absence of the insert nut N in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20 and the presence / absence of a normal posture when there is. There is a lower sensor 31 disposed at a height just above the upper end surface of the lifting column 20 rising above the upper wide opening 10 t of the storage hopper 10, and a height higher than the lower sensor 31. And the upper sensor 32. The lower sensor 31 is a pair of a light source 31a that emits detection light horizontally toward the axis of the lifting column 20 and a light receiving element 31b that faces the light source 31a in the horizontal direction via the axis of the lifting column 20. It is configured. The upper sensor 32 is also configured by a pair of a light source 32 a that emits detection light horizontally toward the axis of the lifting column 20 and a light receiving element 32 b that faces the light source 32 a in the horizontal direction via the axis of the lifting column 20. Has been.

  The method of detecting the presence or absence of the insert nut N in the concave portion 21 of the lifting column 20 by the insert nut detector 30 and the presence or absence of the normal posture when it is present are as follows. As shown in FIG. 5A, when there is no insert nut N in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20, there is no light shielding object above the upper end surface of the lifting column 20, and the detection light is transmitted. The light receiving element 31b of the lower sensor 31 receives the detection light from the light source 31a. The light receiving element 32b of the upper sensor 32 also receives the detection light from the light source 32a. Therefore, when the transmission / shielding result of the detection light of both sensors is the conditions shown in FIG. 5A, it is determined that there is no insert nut N in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when the insert nut N is stored in a normal posture in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20, the rear end Nr of the insert nut N is cut from the upper end surface of the lifting column 20. Therefore, the light receiving element 31b of the lower sensor 31 is provided with the light source 31a because only the lower sensor 31 has a light shield (the rear end Nr of the insert nut N) and the detection light is shielded. The detection light from is not received. On the other hand, the light receiving element 32b of the upper sensor 32 receives the detection light from the light source 32a. Therefore, when the transmission / shielding result of the detection light of both sensors is the condition shown in FIG. 5B, it is determined that the insert nut N is housed in the normal posture in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20. .

  As shown in FIG. 5 (c), when only a part of the insert nut N enters the recess 21 of the lifting column 20 in a state where it is not in a normal posture, many parts of the insert nut N are above the lifting column 20. Since it protrudes high from the end face, there is a light shielding object (rear end Nr of the insert nut N) for both the lower sensor 31 and the upper sensor 32, and the detection light is shielded. The light receiving element 31b of 31 does not receive the detection light from the light source 31a. Further, the light receiving element 32b of the upper sensor 32 does not receive the detection light from the light source 32a. Therefore, when the transmission / shielding result of the detection light of both sensors is the condition shown in FIG. 5C, it is determined that the insert nut N is placed in the recess 21 of the elevating column 20 in a non-normal posture. The

  These determinations are executed by a storage unit (not shown) that stores the condition table shown in FIG. 5A and a dedicated microcomputer chip or general-purpose personal computer (not shown).

  The insert nut detector 30 in this embodiment is a transmitted light detection system that detects whether or not the detection light is shielded by the insert nut N as a light shield, but the insert nut detector of the present invention is In a reflected light detection method for detecting whether or not the detection light is reflected by the insert nut N as a light reflecting object, an imaging method for determining the presence or absence of the insert nut N using a camera and an image processing circuit, etc. There may be.

  The wiper 40 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (in the left and right directions in FIGS. 2A and 2B) by driving a hydraulic or electric cylinder 42 above the upper wide opening 10 t of the storage hopper 10. Is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the wiper 40 also has a shape corresponding to the shape of the rear end Nr of the insert nut N in a normal posture in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20, and a shape that avoids the rear end Nr of the insert nut N. Presents.

  And this insert nut supply apparatus operate | moves as follows.

  When there is a request for supply of an insert nut from a user or an insert nut press-fitting device (not shown), a control circuit (not shown) raises the lifting column 20.

  When the lifting / lowering column 20 rises to above the upper wide opening 10t of the storage hopper 10, the insert nut detector 30 detects whether or not there is an insert nut N in the recess 21 of the lifting / lowering column 20; Is detected.

  Based on the detection result of the insert nut detector 30, the control circuit operates the wiper 40 when the insert nut N is in a non-normal posture in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20. In particular, when the tip Nf of the insert nut N is hooked downward, the insert nut N is changed to a normal posture by wiping the wiper 40. Alternatively, when the tip Nf is placed upward, the insert nut N is pushed down by the wiping of the wiper 40, and falls back into the storage hopper 10 through the upper wide opening 10t. On the other hand, if there is no insert nut N in the recess of the lifting column 20, the lifting column 20 is lowered and then raised again, and the same operation is repeated (retry).

  Further, based on the detection result of the insert nut detector 30, the control circuit stands by without moving the wiper 40 and the lifting column 20 when the insert nut N is in a normal posture in the recess 21 of the lifting column 20. Then, the user takes out the insert nut N in the normal posture from the recess 21 of the lifting column 20 or the manipulator of the insert nut press-fitting device takes out the insert nut N in the normal posture from the recess 21 of the lifting column 20. Thereafter, a press-fitting process of the insert nut N is executed.

  In addition, this insert nut supply apparatus is based on the detection result of the insert nut detector 30, and when the insert nut N has a normal attitude | position in the recessed part of the raising / lowering pillar 20, that is at least one of audio | voice information and visual information. You may have an alerting means to alert | report to a user.

  Alternatively, based on the detection result of the insert nut detector 30, when the insert nut N is in a normal posture in the recess of the lifting column 20, a signal to that effect is sent to the insert nut press-fitting device or the like that should receive the insert nut N You may have the alerting | reporting means to output.

  As is apparent from the above description of the embodiment, the insert nut supply device according to the present invention has a simple configuration including a storage hopper, a lifting column, an insert nut detector, and a wiper, but as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The same operation as that of a system having a complicated configuration can be executed. In addition, the arrangement of a plurality of insert nuts arranged in a horizontal row in a system having a complicated configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not require a kind of alignment table having a longitudinal direction. The whole apparatus is a so-called vertical type, and the installation area may be small. This contributes to reducing the occupied space of the entire combined system of the insert nut supply device and the insert nut press-fitting device. In addition, in a system in which multiple types of insert nuts are press-fitted into a single molded product, it is only necessary to install multiple vertical insert nut supply devices for each type of insert nut, and the effect of reducing the occupied space is even more pronounced. Become.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims. For example, according to the present invention, the supply is not limited to the insert nut, but a supply device for supplying a large number of objects to be supplied having the normal / unnormal orientation to a person or a device for performing the next process. Applicable in general.

It is a figure for demonstrating the insert nut which an insert nut supply apparatus supplies. It is a figure which shows the insert nut supply apparatus by embodiment of this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is the side view partially represented by the cross section. It is the side view partially represented by the cross section which shows the storage hopper in the insert nut supply apparatus shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the raising / lowering pillar in the insert nut supply apparatus shown by FIG. 2, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view, (c) is sectional drawing of an upper end part, (d) is a figure. It is an expanded sectional view of an upper end part. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating the insert nut detection method by the insert nut detector in the insert nut supply apparatus shown by FIG. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the wiper in the insert nut supply apparatus shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Storage hopper 10t Upper wide opening part 10b Lower narrow opening part 20 Elevating pillar 21 Recessed part 21l Lower side area 21u Upper side area 23 Cylinder 30 Insert nut detector 31 Lower side sensor 31a Light source 31b Light receiving element 32 Upper sensor 32a Light source 32b Light receiving element 40 Wiper 42 Cylinder N Insert Nut Nf Tip Nr Back

Claims (4)

Insert nut supply that has a small-diameter tip and a large-diameter middle part and rear end and supplies the insert nut to be press-fitted into the recess of the molded product in a regular posture with the tip facing the bottom of the recess of the molded product In the device
A storage hopper that exhibits a funnel shape with an upper wide opening and a lower narrow opening, and stores a plurality of insert nuts;
An upper end portion including a recessed portion having a shape that can be accommodated except for the rear end of the insert nut in a normal posture, and the upper end portion is formed between the lower narrow opening portion of the storage hopper and the upper wide opening portion. A lifting column provided to move up and down between,
Provided above the upper wide opening of the reservoir hopper, the insert nuts detector for detecting whether to normal posture definitive when the presence or absence of the insert nut and there in the recess of the lift columns,
Provided above the upper wide opening of the storage hopper so as to reciprocate horizontally above the recess of the hoisting column when the hoisting column rises and is positioned above the upper wide opening. A wiper having a shape corresponding to the shape of the rear end of the insert nut in a normal posture housed in the recess of the lifting column,
When the elevating column is raised and positioned above the upper wide opening, the insert nut detector allows the presence / absence of an insert nut in the recess of the elevating column and whether or not the correct posture is present. Detect
Detection result of said insert nut detector, when insert nut in the recess of the lift columns are detected result shows that the posture is not a legitimate authorized by wiping the insert nut by operating the wiper While changing to a posture or dropping into the storage hopper through the upper wide opening ,
Detection result of said insert nut detector, when the detection result of the no insert nut into the recess of the lift columns rises again the lift columns are lowered,
Insert nut supply characterized in that if the detection result of the insert nut detector is a detection result that the insert nut is in a normal posture in the recess of the lift column, the insert nut is placed on standby without moving the lift column. apparatus.   2. The insert nut supply device according to claim 1, wherein the upper end portion of the elevating column has a tapered shape in which an outer peripheral surface of the recess becomes narrower toward a tip.   Based on the detection result of the insert nut detector, when the insert nut is in a normal posture in the concave portion of the elevating column, it further has a notification means for outputting a signal to that effect to another device that receives the insert nut. The insert nut supply device according to claim 1 or 2.   2. An informing means for notifying at least one of audio output and visual display when the insert nut is in a normal posture in the recess of the lifting column based on a detection result of the insert nut detector. The insert nut supply apparatus as described in any one of thru | or 3.

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