JP5656153B2 - Parts supply hose mounting structure for welding equipment - Google Patents

Description

  This invention includes a lower arm member having an electrode at the distal end and an upper arm member having an electrode at the distal end, and a welding apparatus in which a robot apparatus is attached to a welding machine in which one or both of the electrodes advance and retreat. The arrangement relates to the arrangement of a component supply hose for supplying components to the component supply device mounted on the welding machine.

  The prior art described in Japanese Patent No. 3700025 is as follows. That is, an air cylinder 16 as an insertion driving means is fixed to the lower arm member 5a of the welding machine, and the projection bolt supply device 14 is attached to the downward piston rod 17 via the elongated coupling member 20. The coupling member 20 is a long and narrow bar-like member, and is disposed in a positional relationship extending in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 5a.

  The prior art described in Japanese Patent No. 3790887 is as follows. That is, an air cylinder 20 as an insertion driving means is attached to the lower side of the lower arm member of the welding machine, and an air cylinder 30 for supplying bolts and a supply rod 29 are attached to a support plate 25 coupled to the air cylinder 20. ing.

  In addition, both of the above patent publications describe that a supply hose is arranged in order to feed parts from a parts feeder to a parts supply device.

Japanese Patent No. 3700025 Japanese Patent No. 3790887

  The supply hoses described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 have piping postures that are substantially perpendicular to the lower arm member. Therefore, when the welding machine moves in various directions such as up / down / left / right rotation by the operation of the robot apparatus, the supply hose may come into contact with a nearby member and the supply hose may be damaged.

  The present invention is provided to solve the above-described problems, and in a welding apparatus in which a welding machine having a lower arm member and an upper arm member is moved by a robot apparatus, the welding machine moves in any direction. Even if the arrangement | positioning attitude | position of a supply hose is maintained normally even if it aims at provision of the components supply hose attachment structure of the welding apparatus which does not interfere with a nearby member.

First aspect of the present invention has a lower arm member electrodes distally disposed extend horizontally, the arm member upper electrode is provided on the distal end side extend in the horizontal direction, either In a welding apparatus in which a welding machine in which one or both of the electrodes advance and retreat is attached to a robot apparatus, a component supply device that supplies a part to be welded to a steel plate part to one of the electrodes Is attached to either the upper or lower arm member via a vertical vertical member coupled to the lower arm member or the upper arm member via a vertical member coupling portion, and the component supply device be those that are formed by a support member which horizontal transverse member attached to the transverse member through the transverse member coupling portion are integrated, it has extending from the component supply source to the component supplying device Supply hose there are, as well as a long-side direction in the same direction of the lower arm member or the upper arm member, the lower arm member in a state along the transverse member is parallel with said lower arm member or the upper arm member or It is attached to the lower arm member or the upper arm member via a fastener so that the relative position in the interval direction with the upper arm member remains unchanged. is there.

  The supply hose extending from the component supply source to the component supply device is substantially in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member or the upper arm member, and the relative position in the distance direction from the lower arm member or the upper arm member Is fixed to the lower arm member or the upper arm member via a fastener.

  As described above, the position of the supply hose is substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member or the upper arm member, and the predetermined interval between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and the supply hose does not change. The position of the supply hose does not change due to the centrifugal force during movement, etc., and contact with neighboring members can be prevented. A supply hose extending from a parts supply source such as a parts feeder may be 10 m or more between the parts feeder and the welder. Since the movement space of the supply hose associated with the movement operation can be sufficiently secured, the welding hose can adapt to movements such as up / down / left / right rotation without any trouble. On the other hand, when the supply hose is assembled to the welding machine, the supply hose easily comes into contact with the lower arm member, the upper arm member, or the attachment structure portion of the component supply device. In the present invention, since the relative position between the supply hose and the lower arm member or the upper arm member does not change as described above, the above contact problem is solved.

  Since the supply hose is attached to the lower arm member or the upper arm member via a stopper, the supply hose is predetermined without contacting a component supply device or an attachment structure portion existing in the vicinity of the lower arm member or the upper arm member. Therefore, it is possible to avoid interference with a complicated neighboring structure. That is, the arrangement of the supply hose is realized in a stationary state as a part of the welder. The supply hose can be freely deformed, such as curved or twisted, between the welding machine and the component supply source.

  Furthermore, since the component supply device and its mounting structure are integrated on the lower arm member or the upper arm member, the supply hose is attached to the lower arm member or the upper arm member at such an integrated location, so that the component The unit as a welding machine equipped with a supply device is made compact.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the supply hose is disposed in a space along the lower arm member or the upper arm member, and the horizontal width of the space is the lower arm member or the upper arm member and the component supply device. The part supply hose attachment structure of the welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance is between the outer portions of the welding apparatus.

  The supply hose is disposed in a space along the lower arm member or the upper arm member, and a horizontal width of the space is a distance between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and an outer portion of the component supply device. Has been. In other words, for example, when the welding machine is advanced by the robot apparatus, the supply hose is disposed in the space behind the component supply apparatus. Accordingly, the supply hose exists behind the component supply device, and the component supply device functions to protect the supply hose, so that the supply hose does not come into contact with a nearby member during the movement of the welding machine, and damage can be prevented.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the vertical width of the space is the interval between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and the outer portion of the mounting structure portion. It is a hose attachment structure.

  The vertical width of the space is the distance between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and the outer portion of the mounting structure. In other words, for example, when the welding machine is advanced by the robot apparatus, the rear space viewed in the horizontal direction of the component supply apparatus and the vertical direction between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and the outer portion of the mounting structure portion. A supply hose is present in the space formed by the rear space as seen. That is, the supply hose is arranged in a virtual space having a horizontal width and a vertical height. For this reason, when the welding machine moves forward, the supply hose is positioned behind the component supply device and the mounting structure, and is prevented from coming into contact with nearby members.

It is the side view which showed the whole apparatus simply. It is sectional drawing of each part of a vertical member coupling | bond part. FIG. 3 is a 3-3 cross-sectional view of FIG. 1. It is the three-dimensional figure and partial sectional view of a horizontal member coupling part. It is a top view of the whole component supply apparatus. It is a side view of the whole component supply apparatus. It is sectional drawing which mainly shows a stop passage unit. It is a figure of a slip prevention structure. It is sectional drawing which shows the welding state of a volt | bolt. It is a top view of the whole components supply apparatus which shows another structure. It is 11-11 sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the other structural example similarly to FIG. It is a figure which shows the shape of a protection member. It is a top view of the other component supply apparatus whole. It is a side view of the whole other component supply apparatus. It is the perspective view and sectional drawing of a holding head.

  The form for implementing the component supply hose attachment structure of the welding apparatus concerning this invention is demonstrated.

  1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the projection bolt will be described.

  In the first to third embodiments, the target part is a projection bolt. However, in the present invention, it is also possible to target a projection nut, other shaft-like parts, and perforated parts. In the following description, the projection bolt may be simply expressed as a bolt.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the iron projection bolt is denoted by reference numeral 1. The bolt 1 is formed at a shaft portion 2 on which a male screw is formed, a circular flange portion 3 formed integrally with the shaft portion 2, and a central portion on the surface of the flange portion opposite to the shaft portion 2. It is comprised by the welding protrusion 4. FIG. In addition, the welding protrusion 4 may arrange a plurality of small protrusions on the circumference.

  The dimensions of each part of the bolt 1 are as follows. The diameter and length of the shaft portion 2 are 6 mm and 24 mm, the diameter and thickness of the flange 3 are 12 mm and 1.1 mm, respectively, and the diameter and the raised height of the welding protrusion 4 are 6.5 mm and 1 mm.

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

  The welding machine 5 has a lower arm member 6 and an upper arm member 7. In the lower arm member 6, an elongated high-rigidity portion 6 </ b> A whose rigidity is increased by casting or the like and a thin electrode bar 6 </ b> B subjected to machining or the like are integrated at a joint portion 8. The high rigidity portion 6A is made of a copper alloy such as brass. The electrode bar 6B is also made of a copper alloy such as chromium copper. In the upper arm member 7, an elongated high-rigidity portion 7 </ b> A whose rigidity is increased by casting or the like and a thin electrode bar 7 </ b> B subjected to machining or the like are integrated at a joint portion 9. The highly rigid portion 7A is made of a copper alloy such as brass. The electrode bar 7B is also made of a copper alloy such as chromium copper. A center line (axis line) of the lower arm member 6 is indicated by a symbol XX.

  The electrode 10 is provided on the tip end side of the electrode bar 6B in a state in which the electrode 10 stands substantially in the vertical direction. Similarly, the electrode 11 is also provided on the tip side of the electrode bar 7B. As will be described later, since the electrode 11 advances and retreats with respect to the electrode 10, the electrode 11 is a movable electrode and the electrode 10 is a fixed electrode. On the contrary, the electrode 10 can be a movable electrode and the electrode 11 can be a fixed electrode. It is also possible to advance and retract both electrodes 10 and 11.

  The lower arm member 6 and the upper arm member 7 are arranged in a posture extending in a substantially horizontal direction. The end of the high-rigidity part 6A opposite to the electrode 10 is an upright base member 6C, and the end of the high-rigidity part 7A opposite to the electrode 11 is a base member 7C extending downward. . The base member 6C and the base member 7C are coupled by the shaft 12, and the upper arm member 7 is swung with respect to the lower arm member 6, whereby the electrode 11 is advanced and retracted.

  An air cylinder 13 which is a swinging means is disposed between the protruding piece 6D provided on the base member 6C and the protruding piece 7D provided on the base member 7C. When the air cylinder 13 outputs, the upper arm member 7 is It swings.

  The welding machine 5 in which the upper arm member 7 and the lower arm member 6 are coupled by the shaft 12 as described above is generally called an X gun. On the other hand, although not shown, the welding machine 5 in which the base members 7C and 6C of the upper arm member 7 and the lower arm member 6 are integrally coupled is generally called a C gun. In the case of this C gun type, although not shown, an air cylinder is attached to the tip of the upper arm member 7, and the electrode 11 is advanced and retracted by the output of this air cylinder.

  The robot device 14 is a general one such as a six-axis type, which is simply illustrated, and is coupled to the lower arm member 6. The operation of the robot apparatus 14 moves the welding machine 5 in the direction of up / down, left / right, and rotation.

  To supplement the terminology, “welder” means a unit mainly composed of an upper arm member and a lower arm member having electrodes, that is, an X gun and a C gun, and “welding device” means “welder”. Means a whole unit in which a component supply device (to be described later) is mounted and a robot device is coupled to a “welding machine”.

  Next, the support member will be described.

  The support member 16 plays a role of attaching a component supply device 100 described later to the lower arm member 6 or the upper arm member 7, and is a member including a vertical member 16A and a horizontal member 16B. Here, a bar having a circular cross section is formed into an L shape. The vertical member 16A is arranged in a posture extending in a substantially vertical direction, and the horizontal member 16B is arranged in a posture extending in a substantially horizontal direction.

  Here, the case where the component supply device 100 is attached to the lower arm member 6 is illustrated, but when the component supply device 100 is attached to the upper arm member 7, the state is viewed upside down in FIG. 1.

  Next, the vertical member coupling portion will be described.

  The vertical member 16A is coupled to the high-rigidity portion 6A via the vertical member coupling portion 17. The vertical member coupling portion 17 may be any unit that integrates the vertical member 16A and the high-rigidity portion 6A, and has a structure shown in FIG. That is, the high-rigidity portion 6A is accommodated in a U-shaped main body 18 that opens downward, and the pressing bolt 19 is screwed in a state of passing through both pieces 18A of the main body 18, and the pressing piece 20 at the tip thereof. Is pressed against both lateral sides of the high-rigidity portion 6A. This prevents the main body 18 from tilting in the left-right direction in FIG. 2A with respect to the high-rigidity portion 6A. And the main body 18 is couple | bonded with the highly rigid part 6A with the fastening bolt 21 penetrated to the lower part of both the pieces 18A of the main body 18.

  In order to integrate the vertical member 16 </ b> A into the main body 18, the square base plate 22 is fixed to the one side member 18 </ b> A using the fixing bolt 23, and the two clamp members 24 are welded to the base plate 22. The two clamp members 24 are arranged in the vertical direction, and the insertion hole 25 is formed in the vertical direction. A slit 26 communicating with the insertion hole 25 is formed, and a tightening bolt 27 that acts in a direction of narrowing the gap of the slit 26 is screwed.

  When the fastening bolt 27 is loosened and the longitudinal member 16A is inserted into the insertion hole 25 and the fastening bolt 27 is tightened at an appropriate insertion position, the longitudinal member 16A is firmly tightened on the inner surface of the insertion hole 25, and the longitudinal member 16A is tightened. Is attached to the highly rigid portion 6A. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the vertical member 16A, the entire component supply device 100 can be moved and adjusted in the vertical direction.

  Since a welding current is applied to the lower arm member 6 or the upper arm member 7 to which the component supply device 100 is attached, when a part of the component supply device 100 contacts a neighboring member for some reason, There is a problem that a current is applied to the member and sparks are scattered from the contact point. In order to avoid such a problem, the base plate 22 is insulated from the main body 18. An insulating plate 29 made of a material such as bakelite is interposed between the single member 18A which is a horizontal plate of the main body 18 and the base plate 22, and the fixing bolt 23 is an insulating cylinder 30 made of the same material. An insulating washer 31 made of a similar material is interposed between the head of the fixing bolt 23 and the base plate 22. Such an insulating structure prevents welding current from flowing from the lower arm member 6 to the vertical member 16A.

  The main body 18 is also prevented from slipping with respect to the longitudinal direction of the high-rigidity portion 6A. This is illustrated in FIG. An elongated displacement preventing member 32 is welded to the distal end of the main body 18, and a hook portion 32A at the distal end is caught on the distal end surface of the high-rigidity portion 6A. This prohibits the main body 18 from moving to the right in FIG. Further, the engagement surface 32B formed at the center portion of the displacement preventing member 32 is in contact with the projection 33 formed on the lateral side surface of the high-rigidity portion 6A, whereby the main body 18 moves to the left in FIG. It is prohibited.

  Next, the joint portion will be described.

  The joining between the high-rigidity part 6A and the electrode bar 6B or the joining between the high-rigidity part 7A and the electrode bar 7B is performed at the joining parts 8 and 9, but various specific structures can be adopted. Here, a so-called insertion type is adopted. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 1, an insertion hole 34 is opened in the longitudinal direction at the distal end portion of the high-rigidity portion 6 </ b> A, and a slit 35 is formed in a state communicating with the insertion hole 34 from the outside. A tightening bolt 36 acting in the direction of narrowing the gap of the cut 35 is screwed.

  When the tightening bolt 36 is loosened and the electrode bar 6B is inserted into the insertion hole 34 and then the tightening bolt 36 is tightened, the electrode bar 6B is firmly tightened on the inner surface of the insertion hole 34, and the electrode bar 6B becomes a highly rigid portion. Joined to 6A.

  Next, the transverse member coupling portion will be described.

  The component supply device 100 is attached to the transverse member 16B via the transverse member coupling portion 38. Therefore, the transverse member coupling portion 38 may be a mechanism that performs such a function. Here, it is a form of a joint member that couples the horizontal member 16B and the horizontal base member 39 constituting a part of the component supply apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an insertion hole 41 into which the transverse member 16B is inserted is opened in a main body member 40 formed of a rectangular parallelepiped block-shaped steel material, and a slit 42 that communicates from the outside is provided in the insertion hole 41. It has been. A tightening bolt (not shown) that acts in the direction of narrowing the gap between the slits 42 is screwed into the screw hole 43.

  When the tightening bolt is tightened after the tightening bolt is loosened and the transverse member 16B is inserted into the insertion hole 41, the transverse member 16B is firmly tightened on the inner surface of the insertion hole 41, and the transverse member 16B is attached to the main body member 40. Combined.

  On the other hand, another insertion hole 44 is formed in a direction that is perpendicular to the insertion hole 41, and a slit 45 communicating with the outside is provided in the insertion hole 44. A tightening bolt 46 acting in the direction of narrowing the gap of the slit 45 is screwed into the main body member 40.

  The horizontal base member 39 is formed by forming a thick stainless steel plate into a rectangular shape, and a support shaft 47 formed of a round bar is welded to the center thereof, and the support shaft 47 is arranged in the vertical direction. It is.

  When the tightening bolt 46 is loosened and the support shaft 47 is inserted into the insertion hole 44 and then the tightening bolt 46 is tightened, the support shaft 47 is firmly tightened on the inner surface of the insertion hole 44, and the support shaft 47 becomes the main body member. 40. Therefore, the horizontal base member 39 that is a basic member of the component supply device 100 is coupled to the horizontal member 16 </ b> B via the main body member 40.

  The component supply apparatus 100 is attached to the lower arm member 6 as described above. This “attachment structure portion” is a structure in which the support member 16, the vertical member coupling portion 17, and the horizontal member coupling portion 38 are integrated, and is denoted by reference numeral 200.

  Next, the above-described component supply apparatus will be described.

  An air cylinder 49 which is an insertion driving means is attached to the horizontal base member 39. In the air cylinder 49, the piston rod 50 protruding downward is fixed to the central portion of the horizontal base member 39, and when the working air is supplied to and discharged from the cylinder 51, the cylinder body 52 is moved to the electrode axis OO (see FIG. 1). ) In the same direction as). By alternately supplying and discharging the operating air to the upper side and the lower side of the piston 53, the cylinder body 52 moves forward and backward. Reference numerals 54 and 55 denote air supply / discharge passages.

  In order to smoothly advance and retract the cylinder body 52, two guide rods 56 are fixed to the horizontal base member 39, and the guide rods 56 slide through the cylinder body 52. Since the air cylinder 49 is configured as described above, when operating air is supplied and discharged, the cylinder body 52 advances and retreats in the same direction as the electrode axis OO while the piston rod 50 is stopped.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6B, a vertical base member 57 is attached to the lateral side surface of the cylinder body 52 by bolting or the like. The vertical base member 57 is made of a thick stainless steel plate, is rectangular, and has two window holes 58 at the top and bottom for weight reduction. The vertical base member 57 extends upward in the vertical direction, and an intermediate bracket 59 is coupled to the upper end portion thereof by bolting or the like.

  The mediation bracket 59 is made by processing an elongated block-shaped member. The mediation bracket 59 has a main body portion 60 that is in close contact with the vertical base member 57 and a protrusion 61 that protrudes in the width direction from the main body portion 60 to secure a space for arranging a bolt supply unit described later. The notch 62 is formed. A stop passage unit to be described later is attached to the lower side of the protrusion 61, and a bolt supply unit is attached to the upper side thereof. When the target part is a projection nut, the bolt supply unit is replaced with a nut supply unit as described later.

  Next, the stop passage unit will be described.

  The entire stop-passing unit is indicated by reference numeral 64, and the bolt 1 transferred from the parts feeder 65 at a high speed is temporarily stopped or sent after being stopped. Such a function prevents the bolt 1 from colliding with the inner end surface of the holding head, which will be described later, at high speed, thereby avoiding abnormal deformation of the back portion of the head recess.

  Reference numeral 66 denotes an air injection pipe arranged for conveying the bolt 1 with the injection air, and as shown in FIG. 7, air is injected into the supply hose 67. The supply hose 67 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material such as urethane resin or polypropylene resin, and can follow the movement of the robot apparatus 14.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the stop passage unit 64 has an elongate external form having an advancing / retracting type opening / closing member 68 for stopping and passing at least the bolt 1 and an advancing / retreating stroke means 69 for advancing / retreating the opening / closing member 68. Has been. The advance / retreat stroke means 69 comprises an air cylinder. The opening / closing member 68 is formed of an elongated block-like member, and is formed with a solid stopper member 70 and a passage hole 71 for temporarily stopping the bolt 1 that has moved at a high speed. The opening / closing member 68 is accommodated in an elongate case 72 so as to be able to advance and retract, and is advanced and retracted by an air cylinder 69 fixed to the end of the case 72. Reference numeral 73 denotes a piston rod that transmits an advance / retreat operation to the opening / closing member 68. With this configuration, the entire stop passage unit 64 has an elongated shape as described above.

  A vent hole 70 </ b> A is opened at the stopper member 70. By doing so, the carrier air from the air injection pipe 66 flows and the bolt 1 is transferred. Furthermore, the dynamic pressure of the carrier air acts on the next bolt 1 that is in contact with the stopper member 70 so that the bolt 1 does not return.

  An inlet side component supply pipe 74 and an outlet side component supply pipe 75 are fixed to the case 72 in a coaxial state. The supply hose 67 is connected to the inlet side component supply pipe 74. Further, a spacer flange 76 having a sufficient thickness in the longitudinal direction of the tube is formed in the outlet side component supply pipe 75, and the lower side of the spacer flange 76 penetrates the protrusion 61 of the mediation bracket 59. The upper side of the spacer flange 76 passes through an inclined mounting member described later.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the elongated stop passage unit 64 has a longitudinal direction parallel to the lower arm member 6, and the inlet side component supply pipe 74 and the supply boss 67 extend along the lower arm member 6. The part feeder 65 is reached. As described above, the stop passage unit 64, the inlet-side component supply pipe 74, the supply hose 67, and the like are extended along the lower arm member 6, so that the entire apparatus can be made compact. Further, by arranging a long member such as the supply hose 67 along the lower arm member 6, even if the welding machine 5 is turned in various directions by the robot apparatus 14, the supply hose 67 is in the vicinity. Interference with the member can be avoided.

  In particular, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a stop passage unit 64, an inlet-side component supply pipe 74, a supply hose 67, and the like are extended along the lower arm member 6, and the lower arm as viewed in plan view. A supply hose 67 is disposed in the interval width between the member 6 and the lower end of the bolt supply unit 78 (lower end of the air cylinder 79), and extends in the interval width toward the right in FIG. Therefore, even if the welding machine 5 is turned in various directions by the robot apparatus 14, it is possible to avoid the supply hose 67 from interfering with neighboring members.

  In the present specification and claims, the expression “viewed in a plane” means that the vertical member 16 </ b> A is arranged in the vertical direction with respect to the lower arm member 6 arranged in the horizontal direction. This means that the arm member 6 is viewed from directly above in the vertical direction.

  Although the structure for arranging the supply hose 67 in this way is not shown in the drawing, the supply hose 67 extending along the lower arm member 6 is provided near the right end of the lower arm member 6 shown in FIG. It can be carried out by fastening with. A state in which the supply hose 67 is arranged in parallel along the lower arm member 6 is shown in FIG.

  Next, the bolt supply unit will be described.

  The entire bolt supply unit is denoted by reference numeral 78, and is a long air cylinder 79 that is a forward / backward drive means, a supply rod 80 that is advanced / retracted by the air cylinder 79, and a holding head 81 provided at the tip of the supply rod 80. Etc. are the main members. The bolt supply unit 78 has an elongated external form that allows the bolt 1 held by the holding head 81 by the air cylinder 79 to reach the electrode 10 from the outlet side component supply pipe 75 of the stop passage unit 64 described above. That is, the bolt supply unit 78 has a long and narrow shape because it is necessary to supply the bolt 1 to a distant place away from the bolt 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the holding head 81 is formed with a circular recess 82 opened downward, and the flange portion 3 of the bolt 1 is seated on the inner end face 83 at the back thereof. The attractive force necessary for the seating is secured by a permanent magnet 84 embedded in the holding head 81. The bolt 1 seated on the inner end face 83 is coaxial with the electrode axis OO when the supply rod 80 is advanced. It is held vertically.

  An air passage 85 is opened at the back of the recess 82, and when the tip 2A of the shaft portion 2 slightly enters the receiving hole 10A of the electrode 10, air is injected to the bolt 1 to the back of the receiving hole 10A. It is designed to enter. A coiled expansion / contraction hose 87 that can expand and contract in accordance with the advance / retreat of the holding head 81 connects the air supply source (not shown) and the air passage 85.

  The inclined mounting member 88 disposed on the upper side of the spacer flange 76 is formed of a thick plate-like member having a bent shape, and includes a horizontal fixing portion 89 and an inclined inclined portion 90. It is assumed to be a letter shape. The air cylinder 79 is attached to the inclined portion 90, and the inclination angle of the supply rod 80 is determined by selecting the inclination angle of the inclined portion 90. The inclination angle of the supply rod 80 is an angle formed by a horizontal line (center line XX, see FIG. 6) and the axis of the supply rod 80, which is indicated by reference sign θ3, and is 45 degrees here. As shown in FIG. 7, the fixing part 89 through which the outlet side component supply pipe 75 passes, the spacer flange 76, the protrusion 61, and the case 72 have a connecting bolt at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line. Integrated through. Four of these connecting bolts are indicated by reference numeral 91 in FIG.

  As described above, the component supply apparatus 100 includes the horizontal base member 39 fixed to the horizontal member 16B, and the air cylinder 49 that is an insertion drive unit that is coupled to the horizontal base member 39 and outputs advancing and retreating in the vertical direction. A vertical base member 57 attached to the insertion drive means 49 and extending upward in the vertical direction; an intermediate bracket 59 coupled to the upper portion of the vertical base member 57; and an intermediate bracket 59 attached to the lower side of the intermediate bracket 59. A stop passing unit 64 that temporarily stops and sends out the supplied projection bolt 1, and a bolt supply unit 78 that includes an advancing / retracting supply rod 80 attached to the upper side of the intermediate bracket 59. Has been. The horizontal base member 39, the air cylinder 49, the vertical base member 57, the intermediate bracket 59, the stop passage unit 64, the bolt supply unit 78, and the like are “component members” of the component supply device 100.

  Next, the welding state of the bolt will be described.

  FIG. 9 shows the welded state of the bolt 1. The above-described receiving hole 10A is opened in the electrode 10, and a permanent magnet 92 for attracting the bolt 1 is provided in the back thereof. Since the bolt 1 is attracted by the permanent magnet 92, the bolt 1 is not easily dropped by the operation of the robot device 14 in the vertical and horizontal rotation directions.

  The steel plate component 94 and the bolt 1 held by the clamp mechanism 93 are pressurized by both the electrodes 10 and 11, and when a welding current is applied in this state, the welding protrusion 4 is welded to the steel plate component 94.

  Next, the protection structure of the component supply device will be described.

  A member that protects each unit and the like constituting the component supply device 100 is disposed outside the component supply device 100. The members performing the protective function are the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 as viewed in a plan view as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the member to be protected is a main constituent member of the component supply apparatus 100 arranged between the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 in a plan view as shown in FIG.

  The main constituent members are a horizontal base member 39 fixed to the horizontal member 16B, an air cylinder 49 which is an insertion driving means coupled to the horizontal base member 39 and outputs advancing and retreating in the vertical direction, and the insertion driving means 49. The vertical base member 57 is attached to the vertical base member 57 and extends upward in the vertical direction, the intermediate bracket 59 coupled to the upper portion of the vertical base member 57, and the projection bolt attached to the lower side of the intermediate bracket 59 and fed. 1 is a bolt supply unit 78 provided with a stop passing unit 64 that temporarily stops 1 and then sends it, and an advancing / retracting supply rod 80 attached to the upper side of the intermediate bracket 59. Here, the vertical base member 57 which is a part of the component supply apparatus 100 forms a protective member. On the other hand, as described later, it is also possible to arrange a member dedicated to the protective function.

  As is apparent from FIG. 5, the vertical base member 57 is disposed in a vertical posture, and the interval between the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 forms a wedge-shaped space in which the electrode 10 side is narrowed. The narrow angle θ2 formed by the lower arm member 6 and the vertical base member 57 in plan view is 35 degrees. As is clear from FIG. 5, the bolt supply unit 78 is parallel to the vertical base member 57, so the narrow angle formed by the bolt supply unit 78 and the lower arm member 6 is similarly θ2.

  Therefore, the bolt supply unit 78 is inclined in two directions of the angle θ3 and the angle θ2 with respect to the center line XX. As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical base member 57 is arranged in parallel to the inclined bolt supply unit 78 as described above. Therefore, the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 are V-shaped with the electrode 10 side narrowed. Will be placed. That is, the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 are arranged in a V-shaped positional relationship using the arrangement posture of the bolt supply unit 78.

  When the operation of the robot apparatus 14 causes the electrode 10 side of the welding machine 5 to advance toward the steel plate component 94, if the robot apparatus 14 malfunctions, the component supply apparatus 100 may come into contact with a nearby member. There is. In such a case, the main component member of the component supply apparatus 100 exists between the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6, and therefore the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 are included in the adjacent members. Touch like a protector. Therefore, the main constituent member itself does not come into contact with a nearby member, and damage to the constituent members of the apparatus can be prevented.

  The vertical base member 57 is provided with a window hole 58 for weight reduction. When there is a possibility that a nearby foreign object may enter from the window hole 58, the window hole 58 is reduced or the window hole 58 is reduced. It is desirable to stop the hole 58.

  Further, in order to enhance the protection function of the vertical base member 57, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 5 and 6, an extension portion 95 in which the electrode 10 side of the vertical base member 57 extends toward the electrode 10 may be provided. It is desirable to provide a bent portion 96.

  Next, the arrangement of the component members of the component supply device will be described.

  The members constituting the component supply apparatus 100 in plan view include a vertical base member 57 that is a protective member or a protective plate 101 that is a protective member coupled to the mounting structure 200, a bar 102, and the vertical base member. An intermediate bracket 59 coupled to the upper portion of 57, bolt or nut supply units 78 and 78A fixed to the intermediate bracket 59, and a stop passage unit 64 coupled to the intermediate bracket 59 to temporarily stop and pass the bolts again. A supply pipe 110 for introducing nuts and a supply hose 67 for supplying bolts or nuts to the bolts or nut supply units 78, 78A. The arrangement order of the constituent members is as follows. Protective members 57, 101, 102, the intermediate bracket 59, the bolt or nut supply unit 78,78A, the supply hose 67, and is and the lower arm member 6 or the upper arm member 7.

  Next, the attachment structure of the supply hose will be described.

  The supply hose 67 extends from the parts feeder 65, which is a part supply source, toward the part supply apparatus 100, and is connected to the inlet side part supply pipe 74 as shown in FIGS. This connecting portion is configured such that a supply hose 67 is pushed into an insertion portion 74 </ b> A formed at an end portion of the inlet side component supply pipe 74. As described above, the supply hose 67 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material such as urethane resin or polypropylene resin, and is given flexibility so as to follow the movement operation of the robot apparatus 14. The supply hose 67 has a circular cross section.

  When the steel plate part 94 to which the bolt 1 is welded is large like a car floor panel, the length of the lower arm member 6 and the upper arm member 7 of the welding machine 5 is 1 m to 1.5 m. Since the large-sized welding machine 5 moves as described above, the parts feeder 65 is installed at a location 10 m away from the welding machine 5. For this reason, the supply hose 67 is set to a length of 10 m or more in consideration of the curved deformation.

  The length of the supply hose 67 from the parts feeder 65 to the welding machine 5 can be set to a length that can sufficiently follow the moving operation of the welding machine 5. However, the supply hose 67 that reaches the welding machine 5 and is assembled to the welding machine 5 must be piped so as not to contact the lower arm member 6, the component supply device 100, the mounting structure 200, and the like. Further, in order to improve the durability of the supply hose 67, it is important that the supply hose 67 is not repeatedly bent excessively.

  From such a point of view, the supply hose 67 is disposed in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 6, and via the fastener 128 so that the relative position of the lower arm member 6 in the distance direction is unchanged. Are attached to the lower arm member 6. That is, the interval between the lower arm member 6 and the supply hose 67 is set to a predetermined interval. Since the stopper 128 performs the function as described above, the stopper 128 having various structures such as a member in which a pipe member for holding the supply hose is coupled to a round bar member, a member wound around the lower arm member 6 with a band member, and the like. Can be adopted.

  Here, the following structure is adopted. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. The fastener 128 shown in this cross-sectional view inserts the lower part of the high-rigidity part 6A into the fixing part 129 that opens upward, and presses the fixing bolt 130 screwed into the fixing part 129 against the high-rigidity part 6A. The holding piece 131 is welded to the fixed portion 129. The holding piece 131 is formed of an elongated strip-shaped steel plate, and the supply hose 67 is passed through the holding portion 132 curved in a circular shape without a gap. Reference numeral 133 denotes a sawtooth slip stopper.

  The stopper 128 shown in FIG. 5D is obtained by fixing the holding piece 131 directly to the high-rigidity portion 6 </ b> A with a fixing bolt 134.

  FIG. 5 (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 5 (A), and the stopper 128 shown here is integrated with the high-rigidity portion 6A so as to surround the high-rigidity portion 6A. The fixed piece 131 is coupled to the fixed band 135. Reference numeral 136 denotes a fixing bolt that fixes the fixing band 135 to the highly rigid portion 6A.

  Each of the fasteners 128 shown in FIGS. 5 (C) to 5 (E) has a common fixed piece 131. By selecting the length and the bent shape of the fixed piece 131, the piping of the supply hose 67 can be selected. The position can be selected.

  In FIG. 1, the shape lines of the respective constituent parts are intricately crossed, so that the supply hose 67 and the fastener 128 are simply illustrated by a two-dot chain line. In addition, the supply hose 67 is attached to the lower arm member 6 with a stopper 128, but the number of attachment points can also be increased on the vertical member 16A via the stopper 128.

  Next, the piping position of the supply hose will be described.

  The supply hose 67 is disposed in a space along the lower arm member 6. The horizontal width of this space is a distance W1 between the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 137 of the component supply device 100 when viewed in plan as shown in FIG. The outer portion 137 is an outer corner portion of the vertical base member 57. On the other hand, the vertical width of the space is a distance W2 between the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 138 of the mounting structure portion 200 as viewed from the side as shown in FIG. The outer portion 138 is a lower end portion of the support shaft 47.

  As described above, the supply hose 67 is disposed in an elongated virtual space having a lateral width W1 and a height W2, so that the supply hose 67 is substantially in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 6. Is arranged. Accordingly, the supply hose 67 is positioned in the space at the site of the welding machine 5 and does not come into contact with the lower arm member 6, the support member 16, the component supply device 100, and the like. Further, when the welding machine 5 moves forward, the supply hose 67 is positioned and protected behind the component supply device 100 and the mounting structure portion 200, and is prevented from contacting peripheral members.

  Next, installation adjustment of the present apparatus will be described.

  With this adjustment, when the supply rod 80 is advanced most, the bolt 1 held by the holding head 81 is coaxial with the electrode axis OO, and the tip of the bolt 1 is positioned close to the electrode 10. . For this purpose, the vertical position of the vertical member 16 </ b> A with respect to the lower arm member 6 is obtained at the vertical member coupling portion 17. At the same time, the transverse member 16B is displaced in the swing direction around the longitudinal member 16A. Further, the horizontal member coupling portion 38 is adjusted to move the component supply device 100 in the horizontal direction or to rotate the horizontal base member 39 around the support shaft 47 to rotate the component supply device 100. These adjustment operations are repeated to make the bolt 1 coincide with the electrode axis OO as described above.

  Next, the operation of this apparatus will be described.

  The bolt 1 fed at a high speed from the parts feeder 65 is received by the stopper member 70 of the stop passage unit 64. Thereafter, when the opening / closing member 68 is moved by the operation of the air cylinder 69 and the passage hole 71 matches the outlet side component supply pipe 75, the bolt 1 is held at a low speed by the air flow continuously injected from the air injection pipe. It is held by the head 81 and the impact force on the holding head 81 is reduced. At this time, the direction of the shaft portion 2 is set to the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Thus, in a state where the bolt 1 is held by the holding head 81, the cylinder body 52 of the air cylinder 49 is at the highest position.

  Next, the supply rod 80 is advanced by the operation of the air cylinder 79 and stops at a position where the shaft portion 2 is coaxial with the electrode axis OO as shown in FIG. When the cylinder body 52 of the air cylinder 49 is lowered from this state, the stop passage unit 64 and the bolt supply unit 78 are integrally lowered, and the cylinder is located at the position where the tip 2A of the bolt 1 enters the vicinity of the entrance of the receiving hole 10A. The lowering of the body 52 stops.

  Thereafter, when air is injected from the air passage 85, the thrust generated by the injection overcomes the attractive force of the permanent magnet 84, and the bolt 1 is inserted into the receiving hole 10A. This time, the attractive force of the permanent magnet 92 is received. As a result, the bolt 1 will not fall out of the receiving hole 10A, and the operation of supplying the bolt 1 is completed.

  Subsequent to the completion of the supply operation, an operation opposite to the operation described above is applied, and the holding head 81 returns to the vicinity of the outlet side component supply pipe 75 and waits for the next bolt 1 to arrive. .

  When the bolt 1 is supplied to the electrode 10 in this manner, the robot device 14 operates this time, the robot device 14 stops at a position corresponding to a predetermined position of the steel plate component 94, and then the air cylinder 13 operates. As shown in FIG. 9, the steel plate part 94 and the welding protrusion 4 are pressurized between the electrodes 10 and 11, the welding current is applied, and the welding is completed.

  In addition, illustration of the intake-exhaust pipe of the working air with respect to each said air cylinder is abbreviate | omitted. Instead of the various air cylinders described above, an electric motor that performs forward / backward output can also be employed. It is also possible to replace the various permanent magnets with electromagnets.

  Operations such as the above-described advance / retreat operation of the supply rod and air injection can be easily performed by a generally adopted control method. A predetermined operation can be ensured by combining an air switching valve that operates with a signal from the control device or the sequence circuit, a sensor that emits a signal at a predetermined position of the air cylinder, and transmits the signal to the control device.

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

  The supply hose 67 extending from the parts feeder 65, which is a parts supply source, to the parts supply apparatus 100 is substantially in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 6, and the relative position in the spacing direction with respect to the lower arm member 6 is It is attached to the lower arm member 6 via a stopper 128 so that it does not change.

  As described above, the arrangement position of the supply hose 6 is substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 6 and the predetermined interval between the lower arm member 6 and the supply hose 67 does not change. The position of the supply hose 67 does not change due to centrifugal force or the like, and contact with neighboring members can be prevented. The supply hose 67 extending from the parts feeder 65 may be at a distance of 10 m or more between the parts feeder 65 and the welding machine 5. Since the movement space of the supply hose 67 accompanying the movement operation can be sufficiently secured, it is possible to adapt to the movement of the welding machine 5 such as vertical and horizontal rotation without any trouble. On the other hand, when the supply hose 67 is assembled to the welding machine 5, the supply hose 67 easily comes into contact with the lower arm member 6 or the attachment structure portion 200 of the component supply device 100. In the present embodiment, since the relative position between the supply hose 67 and the lower arm member 6 does not change as described above, the above contact problem is solved.

  Since the supply hose 67 is attached to the lower arm member 6 via the fastener 128, the predetermined hose is not contacted with the component supply device 100, the attachment structure 200, etc. existing in the vicinity of the lower arm member 6. It can arrange | position with an attitude | position and can avoid interfering with a complicated neighborhood structure part. That is, the arrangement of the supply hose 67 is realized in a stationary state as a part of the welding machine 5. In addition, the supply hose 67 can be freely deformed such as curved or twisted between the welding machine 5 and the parts feeder 65.

  Furthermore, since the component supply device 100 and its mounting structure 200 are integrated on the lower arm member 6, the component supply device 100 is attached by the supply hose 67 being attached to the lower arm member 6 at such an integrated location. The unit as the welding machine 5 provided with is made compact.

  The supply hose 67 is disposed in a space along the lower arm member 6, and the horizontal width W <b> 1 of the space is a distance between the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 137 of the component supply device 100.

  The supply hose 67 is disposed in a space along the lower arm member 6, and the horizontal width W <b> 1 of the space is a distance between the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 137 of the component supply device 100. In other words, for example, when the welding machine 5 moves forward by the robot apparatus 14, the supply hose 67 is disposed in the space behind the component supply apparatus 100. Accordingly, the supply hose 67 exists behind the component supply device 100 and the component supply device 100 functions to protect the supply hose 67, and the supply hose 67 is not in contact with a nearby member during the movement of the welding machine. Can be prevented.

  The vertical width W2 of the space is the distance between the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 138 of the mounting structure 200.

  The vertical width W2 of the space is the distance between the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 138 of the mounting structure 200. In other words, for example, when the welding machine 5 moves forward by the robot device 14, the vertical space between the rear space viewed in the horizontal direction of the component supply device 100 and the lower arm member 6 and the outer portion 138 of the mounting structure 200. The supply hose 67 exists in a space formed in a complex manner by the rear space viewed in the direction. That is, the supply hose 67 is arranged in a virtual space having a horizontal width W1 and a vertical height W2. For this reason, when the welding machine 5 moves forward, the supply hose 67 is positioned behind the component supply device 100 and the mounting structure 200, and is prevented from coming into contact with nearby members.

  As apparent from FIG. 5, the supply hose 67 is disposed in an elongated space having a width between the air cylinder 79 and the lower arm member 6 as viewed in plan. Therefore, the component supply apparatus 100 including the supply hose 67 can be formed compactly.

  In addition, the effect accompanying a protection member is as follows.

  The component supply device 100 is protected from both sides by a protective member that is a part of the component supply device 100, that is, the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6. Therefore, the operation trajectory of the welding apparatus deviates from the normal trajectory for some reason such as trouble of the operation signal of the robot apparatus 14, and the component supply apparatus 100 bends the neighboring member, for example, the steel plate component 94. Even if the part or the machine frame holding the steel plate component 94 is contacted, the component supply device 100 can be protected from damage.

  The component supply apparatus 100 generally includes a supply rod 80 having a holding head 81, advance / retreat driving means such as an air cylinder 79 that advances and retracts the supply rod 80, a supply hose 67 that guides the bolt 1, and the bolt 1 to the electrode 10. This is an apparatus in which constituent members such as an insertion driving means such as an air cylinder 49 for holding are integrated. These components are likely to be damaged when the welding apparatus collides with or comes into contact with the steel plate part 94 or the machine frame by drawing an abnormal operation trajectory, but the vertical base member 57 and the lower arm member 6 which are protective members. The protective function prevents damage to the constituent members.

  The constituent members such as the supply rod 80 and the air cylinder 79 are configured to accurately supply the bolt 1 to the electrode 10 by an accurate operation, and thus are formed by a precise mechanism. The component having such a character is in an environment in which, when the welding machine 5 having a large mass follows an abnormal trajectory and collides with or comes into contact with the steel plate component 94 or the machine frame, it is easily damaged. It is in For example, when the welding machine 5 welds parts such as projection bolts to the floor panel of an automobile, the welding machine 5 mainly composed of the lower arm member 6 and the upper arm member 7 is enlarged, while the supply rod Components such as 80 and air cylinder 79 function as precision instruments. In such a situation, when a component member, which is a precision instrument, is subjected to an impact, the component member is significantly damaged, which hinders normal bolt supply. In the present embodiment, since the protective structure is as described above, it is possible to reliably protect the component supply device 100 that is easily damaged, and to prevent the component supply function from being impaired.

  The distance between the protective member 57 and the lower arm member 6 in the plan view is set narrower on the side closer to the electrode 10.

  Usually, the welding machine 5 enters a narrow place and the parts are welded accurately at a predetermined place of the steel plate part 94. In such an environment, the distance between the protective member 57 and the lower arm member 6 when viewed from above is set narrower on the side close to the electrode 10, so that the welding machine can enter a narrow place with a large space restriction. It is easy to implement, and at the same time, it is easy to avoid interference with neighboring members. In other words, the component supply apparatus 100 is protected from both sides by the protective member 57 and the lower arm member 6, and the protective member 57 and the lower arm member 6 are in a V-shape when viewed in plan. Therefore, it is possible to avoid entry into a narrow place and interference with neighboring members as described above.

  Since the component members of the component supply device 100 are arranged in order as described above, the supply hose 67, the stop passage unit 64, the supply pipe 110, and the like that lead components from the parts feeder 65 are connected to the lower arm member 6 or The upper arm member 7 can be disposed substantially in parallel, and the unit of this portion becomes compact, and in particular, the supply hose 67 can be prevented from coming into contact with neighboring members. Further, the bolt or nut supply units 78 and 78A must be inclined in two directions of the angle θ2 and the angle θ3 with respect to the upper arm member 6 or the lower arm member 7 in order to supply parts to the electrode 10. However, since the mediation bracket 59 having the function of setting the inclination angle is fixed to the vertical base member 57, the arrangement of the main members forming the component supply device 100 is made compact. In particular, the stop passage unit 64, the supply pipe 110, and the supply hose 67 are arranged substantially parallel to the lower arm member 6 or the upper arm member 7 in plan view. Bolt or nut supply units 78 and 78A are arranged on the left side, an intermediate bracket 59 is arranged next to them, and protective members 57, 101 and 102 are arranged next to the intermediate bracket 59. And it becomes a simple unit.

  Furthermore, the operational effects associated with the support member 16 are as follows.

  The component supply apparatus 100 is usually an insertion drive means for holding a supply rod 80 having a holding head 81, an air cylinder 79 as advance / retreat drive means for moving it forward and backward, and a bolt 1 in the receiving hole 10A of the electrode 10. A mechanism such as an air cylinder 49 is unitized and has a predetermined mass. When the component supply device 100 is attached to the welding machine 5, the attachment strength for the lower arm member 6 must be sufficiently ensured. At the same time, since the component supply device 100 has its own size, it is necessary to arrange the component supply device 100 close to the electrode 10 when the lower arm member 6 is long. Furthermore, it is important that the relative position between the component supply device 100 and the electrode 10 to which the bolt 1 is supplied can be adjusted accurately and with simple operations. Further, when disassembling the welding apparatus, a structure in which only the electrode 10 or only the component supply apparatus 100 can be removed is important in terms of simplifying maintenance.

  A component supply device 100 for supplying the projection bolt 1 welded to the steel plate component 94 to the electrode 10 is attached to the horizontal member 16B, and the vertical member 16A is separated from the electrode 10 of the lower arm member 6. It is attached to the highly rigid part 6A of the location.

  A large inertial load acts on the part where the component supply device 100 is coupled to the lower arm member 6 due to various movements such as right and left and up and down rotation of the robot device 14. Since 16A is attached to the high-rigidity portion 6A of the arm, a large inertial force does not act on the high-rigidity portion 6A to cause a lack of coupling strength at the coupling portion, and a highly reliable component The mounting rigidity of the supply device 100 can be ensured.

  In other words, by using the support member 16 having the vertical member 16A and the horizontal member 16B, it is possible to avoid attaching the component supply device 100 to the electrode bar 6B, and the deformation of the electrode bar 6B or the relative relationship between the two electrodes 10, 11 Positional displacement can be prevented. When such a displacement displacement occurs, the projection bolt 1 deviates from the electrode axis OO, which hinders normal energization of the welding current to the projection bolt 1 and causes poor welding. Furthermore, when the component supply device 100 is attached to the electrode bar 6B, the inertial load of the component supply device 100 acts on the joint 8 where the electrode bar 6B is joined to the high rigidity portion 6A. It is necessary to reinforce the joint structure of the portion 8 to give a sufficient joint strength, which makes the structure complicated and increases the weight, making it difficult to make the welding apparatus compact. In the above configuration, since the structure depends on the high-rigidity portion 6A, there is no worry of such a problem.

  Since the component supply device 100 can be easily moved in the horizontal direction along the horizontal member 16B or moved in the vertical direction along the vertical member 16A, the component supply device 100 is disposed close to the electrode 10. Things will be easier to do.

  Further, since the support member 16 includes the vertical member 16A and the horizontal member 16B, the mounting position of the component supply device 100 is easily adjusted by position adjustment along the vertical member 16A or position adjustment along the horizontal member 16B. be able to.

  Since the support member 16 having the vertical member 16A and the horizontal member 16B can be formed into a simple structure, the rigidity of the support member 16 itself can be easily set high. Therefore, it is possible to ensure sufficient coupling rigidity when the component supply device 100 is indirectly coupled to the high-rigidity portion 6A via the support member 16. In particular, if a deformation phenomenon occurs in the support member 16 due to the operation of the robot apparatus 14, it becomes impossible to accurately supply the projection bolt 1 to the electrode 10, but such a problem is caused by the high-rigidity support member 16. Can be avoided.

The component supply device 100 is coupled to the high-rigidity portion 6A through the vertical member 16A. On the other hand, the electrode 10 is provided on an electrode bar 6B joined to the high rigidity portion 6A. Therefore, when the electrode bar 6B and the electrode 10 are maintained, the electrode bar 6B can be removed from the high-rigidity portion 6A while the component supply device 100 remains on the high-rigidity portion 6A side. Further, when performing maintenance of the component supply device 100, only the component supply device 100 can be maintained by removing the vertical member 16A from the high-rigidity portion 6A while leaving the electrode 10 and the electrode bar 6B. As described above, since maintenance can be performed with only necessary portions independent from each other, it is effective for improving workability without removing unnecessary portions.

  The lower arm member 6 is coupled so as to be openable and closable by a shaft 12 at a base portion 6 </ b> C formed on the side opposite to the electrode 10. Alternatively, the lower arm member 6 and the upper arm member 7 may be integrally coupled on the base portions 6C and 7C side, and the robot apparatus 14 may be coupled in the vicinity of the coupling portion. In any case, it is important to prevent an excessive load from acting on the shaft structure portion and the coupling portion of the robot apparatus. In this embodiment, since the connecting portion of the vertical member 16A can be brought close to the connecting portion of the shaft 12 and the robot device 14, the excessive load can be reduced, and the durability of the entire device can be improved. It is effective.

  The vertical member 16A is attached in a state where the position can be adjusted in the vertical direction with respect to the high-rigidity part 6A, and the component supply device 100 is attached to the horizontal member 16B in a state where the position can be adjusted in the horizontal direction. ing.

  By moving the vertical member 16 </ b> A in the vertical direction with respect to the lower arm member 6, the position of the entire component supply device 100 relative to the electrode 10 can be adjusted in the vertical direction. Moreover, the position of the whole component supply apparatus 100 with respect to the electrode 10 can be adjusted in the horizontal direction by moving the entire component supply apparatus 100 with respect to the transverse member 16B. Thus, since the position adjustment in the two directions of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction can be performed, the relative position between the component supply device 100 and the electrode 10 can be easily obtained.

  10 and 11 show a second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, the component supply device 100 is coupled to the high-rigidity portion 6A via the support member 16 having the vertical member 16A and the horizontal member 16B. The lower arm member 6 is protected as described above. When observing mainly such a protective function, the member such as the support member 16 is merely a means for attaching the component supply device 100 to the lower arm member 6. That is, the attachment means to the lower arm member 6 of the component supply device 100 is the support member 16 processed from a bar. That is, the mounting structure 200 is formed by a structure in which the support member 16, the vertical member coupling portion 17, and the horizontal member coupling portion 38 are integrated.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the protection function is not changed, and only the mounting structure 200 that is a mounting means is different from the first embodiment. That is, the plate-like lateral base member 39 is extended in the horizontal direction and then raised in the vertical direction to form the coupling member 97, and the coupling member 97 is coupled to the electrode bar 6B. Since the electrode bar 6B is a round bar-like member, a spacer member 98 is interposed to prevent rotation, and the electrode bar 6B is fastened with a fixing bolt 99.

  Also in the second embodiment, the protective member is constituted by a vertical base member 57 that forms a part of the component supply apparatus 100. Note that, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11, the upper end of the coupling member 97 may be extended upward to assist the protective function of the lower arm member 6. 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.

  With such a configuration, advantages in the piping state of the supply hose 67 and the function of protecting the component supply device 100 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  12 and 13 show a third embodiment of the present invention.

  In the above-described first and second embodiments, the protective member is configured by the vertical base member 57 that constitutes a part of the component supply apparatus 100. That is, the vertical base member 57 has a protective function and a function of integrating the intermediate bracket 59, the bolt supply unit 78, the stop passage unit 64, and the like with the air cylinder 49. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, a member dedicated to the protective function is arranged, and the arrangement of the vertical base member 57 is changed.

  The vertical base member 57 is coupled to the right side of the air cylinder 49, and the upper part thereof is welded to the lower side of the intermediate bracket 59. A protection plate 101 as a protection member is welded to the horizontal base member 39 and stands upward in the vertical direction. Therefore, the horizontal base member 39 is a member included in the attachment structure portion 200, and the protective plate 101 welded to the horizontal base member 39 is coupled to the attachment structure portion 200. The other configuration is the same as that of the second embodiment including parts not shown in the figure, and members having similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating the shape of the protection member 101. FIG. 5B shows a structure in which a plurality of rods 102 are combined vertically and horizontally in place of the plate-shaped protective member. Further, although not shown, a type in which a wire mesh is integrated with a frame member may be used.

  The operational effects of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

  14, 15 and 16 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first to third embodiments, the projection bolt is the object to be welded, but in this fourth embodiment, the projection nut is the object to be welded.

  The shape of the projection nut will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C, the iron projection nut 103 has a screw hole 105 formed at the center of the square nut body 104 and weld projections 106 formed at four corners on one side of the nut body 104. ing. The dimensions of each part are such that one side of the nut body 104 is 12 mm, the thickness of the nut body 104 is 7 mm, and the inner diameter of the screw hole 105 is 6 mm. In the following description, the projection nut may be simply expressed as a nut.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a guide pin 107 is provided at the center of the electrode 10. A pilot hole 109 is opened in the stationary steel plate component 94 held by the holding mechanism 108, and the steel plate component 94 is placed on the electrode 10 moved by the robot device 14. At this time, the guide pin 107 passes through the pilot hole 109 of the steel plate component 94. When the nut 103 is supplied, the guide pin 107 relatively enters the screw hole 105. In this state, the electrode 11 advances and a welding current is applied to complete the nut welding.

  Next, nut supply will be described.

  The supply pipe 110 made of stainless steel has a curved shape and a cross section of a rectangular shape adapted to the shape of the nut 103. The supply pipe 110 is arranged along the lower arm member 6 and is fixed on the protrusion 61 of the intermediate bracket 59 via the bracket 111. This fixing method is welding. The fixing portion 89 of the inclined mounting member 88 is fixed to the lower side of the intermediate bracket 59 by bolting or the like. The supply hose 67 joined to the supply pipe 110 is also rectangular in cross section. Therefore, the holding portion 132 of the stopper 128 also has a rectangular cross section.

  Next, the holding head will be described.

  The holding head 81 is shown in FIG. FIGS. 16A and 16B are shown inverted for ease of viewing. The upper member 112 and the lower member 113 are coupled to each other due to the processing and assembly of each part. The upper member 112 and the lower member 113 are manufactured by machining a block-shaped stainless steel member, and a holding recess 114 is formed in the upper member 112. The holding recess 114 is an accommodation space having three surfaces surrounded by holding walls 115, 116, and 117, and a bottom surface 118 on which the nut 103 is seated, and an introduction opening portion 119 into which the nut 103 enters is a holding recess 114. The shape is open to the side of the. The bottom surface 118 is disposed in the horizontal direction.

  When the supply rod 80 is most retracted and the holding head 81 is stopped at the standby position, the introduction / opening portion 119 communicates with the outlet portion of the supply pipe 110 as shown in FIGS. In addition, the relative position between the introduction opening 119 and the supply pipe 110 is set. Further, the holding wall 116 on the back side of the introduction opening portion 119 serves as a stopper surface of the nut 103 that has entered.

  Further, a feed opening portion 120 for feeding the nut 103 to the guide pin 107 is formed on the upper portion of the holding recess 114. Therefore, the nut 103 enters from the side of the holding recess 114 through the introduction opening portion 119 and is sent out toward the guide pin 107 through the delivery opening portion 120 opened upward.

  Four air injection ports 121 are opened on the bottom surface 118, and a jet flow from each air injection port 121 is sprayed to four locations on the end surface of the nut 103. There are a plurality of spray locations, and the position of the air injection port 121 is selected so that the nut 103 does not tilt. That is, the dynamic pressure of the blast air acts uniformly on the end surface of the nut 103. Here, air injection is performed aiming at locations near the four corners of the end face.

  In order to uniformly inject air from the four air injection ports 121, an air passage is formed in the lower member 113. As shown in FIG. 16C, the air passage 122 formed in the lower member 113 communicates with the four air injection ports 121 formed in the upper member 112. The lower member 113 and the upper member 112 are integrated by welding, and the air passage 122 communicates with the air injection port 121 by this integration. In addition, an air hose 123 is connected to the air passage 122, and in order to expand and contract in accordance with the advance and retreat of the holding head 81, as shown in FIG. The other end is connected to an air switching valve (not shown).

  As a delivery means for delivering the nut 103 from the holding recess 114, the air injection method has been described as described above. However, instead of this, an extruding member that is advanced and retracted by a solenoid, an air cylinder, or the like can be used.

  As indicated by a chain line in FIG. 16B, a permanent magnet 125 is embedded in the upper member 112 in order to introduce the nut 103 from the introduction opening portion 119 into the holding recess 114. When the nut 103 sent by pneumatic conveyance from the parts feeder 65 reaches the outlet portion of the supply pipe 110, the attractive force of the permanent magnet 125 acts on the nut 103 and is drawn into the holding recess 114. For this, the nut 103 is attracted to the holding wall 116 which is a stopper surface.

  In the fourth embodiment, although not shown in the drawings, the height of the holding head 81 is lowered by adjusting the vertical member coupling portion 17 and the position of the supply hose 67 is lowered. It exists within the range of W2. 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.

  The attachment structure 200 in the fourth embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment. However, instead of this, the attachment structure 200 can be in the form of the second and third embodiments. is there.

  Next, the nut supply operation will be described.

  As described above, the holding head 81 holding the nut 103 with the magnet 125 advances into the holding recess 114, and the advancement of the holding head 81 stops at the position where the screw hole 105 is coaxial with the guide pin 107. Then, when the nut supply unit 78 </ b> A is lowered by the operation of the air cylinder 49, the guide pin 107 relatively enters the screw hole 105 of the nut 103. As this approach length becomes a short length as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 16C, the lowering operation of the air cylinder 49 is stopped. After this stop, air is injected from the air injection port 121. By this injection, the nut 103 is held by the guide pin 107 by operating to push out four places on the end face of the nut with an air flow.

  Thereafter, an opposite operation is applied to the holding head 81 to prepare the holding head 81 for the arrival of the next nut 103. Then, when the electrode 11 advances and the welding projection 106 is pressurized to the steel plate component 94 and a welding current is applied, the welding projection 106 is welded to the steel plate component 94.

  The operational effects of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the previous embodiments.

  As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, in the welding apparatus in which the lower arm member or the welding machine having the upper arm member is moved by the robot apparatus, the supply hose can be moved in any direction. The arrangement posture is normally maintained and does not interfere with nearby members. 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 Projection bolt 2 Shaft part 3 Flange part 4 Welding protrusion 5 Welding machine 6 Lower arm member 7 Upper arm member 10 Electrode 11 Electrode 14 Robotic device 16 Support member 17 Vertical member coupling part 38 Horizontal member coupling part 39 Horizontal base member 49 Insertion Drive means, air cylinder 52 Cylinder body 57 Vertical base member, protective member 59 Intermediary bracket 64 Stop passage unit 67 Supply hose 78 Bolt supply unit 78A Nut supply unit 80 Supply rod 81 Holding head 94 Steel plate component 97 Joint member 100 Component supply device 101 Protection plate 102 Bar 103 Projection nut 128 Fastening tool 137 Outer portion 138 Outer portion 200 Mounting structure W1 Space width W2 Space height

Claims (3)

A lower arm member is horizontally extending though the electrode on the distal end side is provided, an arm member on which the electrode on the distal end side extend in the horizontal direction is provided, either or both the electrodes of retractable In the welding apparatus of the type in which the welding machine of the type that is attached to the robot apparatus, the component supply device that supplies the part to be welded to the steel plate part to one of the electrodes is either the upper or lower arm via the mounting structure The mounting structure section includes a vertical vertical member coupled to the lower arm member or the upper arm member via a vertical member coupling section, and a component supply device disposed laterally via the horizontal member coupling section. be those that are formed by a support member which horizontal transverse members attached to the member are integrated, the supply hose from the component supply source has been extended to the component supplying device, before As well as a the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member or the upper arm member, the interval direction of the lower arm member or the upper arm member while along the transverse member is parallel with said lower arm member or the upper arm member A component supply hose mounting structure for a welding apparatus, wherein the lower arm member or the upper arm member is attached via a fastener so that the relative position of the welding device remains unchanged.   The supply hose is disposed in a space along the lower arm member or the upper arm member, and a horizontal width of the space is a distance between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and an outer portion of the component supply device. The component supply hose mounting structure for a welding apparatus according to claim 1.   3. The component supply hose attachment structure for a welding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vertical width of the space is a distance between the lower arm member or the upper arm member and an outer portion of the attachment structure portion.

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