JP6703268B2 - Linear feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a linear feeder that conveys parts and the like by utilizing vibration.

Conventionally, by applying vibration to a long linear trough (also called a carrier or chute), it is possible to supply the transported object downstream in the transport direction along the transport path set on the trough. Known linear feeders.

This type of linear feeder connects a fixed base (fixed part), a movable base (movable part) to which a trough is connected, a fixed part and a movable part to each other, and elastically supports the movable part with respect to the fixed part. When the drive spring is directly or indirectly oscillated by the excitation force applied from the excitation source, the movable part and the fixed part vibrate relatively, Vibration is transmitted to a trough that is integrally connected to a movable portion, and there is known a device that vibrates and conveys an object to be conveyed on a conveyance path set on the trough (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below). ).

In the conventional linear feeder, as schematically shown in FIG. 39, for example, a plate-shaped spring (leaf spring) is applied as the driving spring 104, and such a driving spring 104 is separated from each other in the transport direction upstream. And a predetermined position on the downstream side in the conveyance direction as a pair. The transport direction is the same as the longitudinal direction of the trough 102.

The pair of drive springs 104 are arranged in such a manner that the thickness direction thereof coincides with the carrying direction. Further, the pair of drive springs 104 are arranged in a predetermined inclined posture in order to prevent/suppress behavior such as pitching phenomenon and rolling phenomenon of the transported object on the transportation path of the trough 102 (see FIG. 39).

Then, the movable portion 103 and the fixed portion 101 vibrate in directions opposite to each other via the drive spring 104 by the excitation force applied from the excitation source (not shown), and thereby the trough connected to the movable portion 103. 102 vibrates in the longitudinal direction, and the transported object is transported downstream along the transportation direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-066931 (Patent No. 5741993) JP, 2005-101430, A

As described above, in the conventional linear feeder, the driving spring is directly or indirectly oscillated by the vibration source to cause the movable spring and the fixed portion to undergo relative displacement while bending the driving spring itself. Is configured to be able to.

Therefore, with such a configuration, as schematically shown in FIG. 40, the movable portion 103 and the fixed portion 101 are also deflected by the pair of drive springs 104 being bent and deformed into an S shape, and as a result, the movable portion is deformed. It is considered that the trough 102, which is fixed so as to integrally operate with respect to 103, also bends, which may cause unevenness in the transportation speed, which may hinder stable transportation processing. In particular, in the conventional linear feeder using the drive spring 104 that deforms in an S shape when vibrating (energization ON state), the thickness dimension of the drive spring 104 is increased in order to increase the vibration frequency in order to realize high-speed vibration conveyance. It is considered that the larger the setting (thicker), the larger the deflection of the trough.

Therefore, in some cases, a measure is taken to reduce the deflection of the trough 102 by processing the movable portion 103 and the fixed portion 101 with high accuracy in consideration of such S-shaped deformation of the driving spring 104. However, when the processing accuracy of the movable portion 103 and the fixed portion 101 is low, the drive spring 104 is distorted, which may cause the trough 102 to bend.

Furthermore, in the conventional linear feeder, since the driving spring is deformed into an S shape, the displacement amount from the time before the deformation to the time when the deformation is maximized is about half that of the spring that is deformed in an arc shape, for example. Therefore, since the vibration damping is large, the vibration amplification factor due to resonance is also small, and there is room for improvement in terms of efficiency.

The present invention has been made paying attention to such a point, and a main object thereof is to vibrate a long trough in a longitudinal direction by a vibration principle which is completely different from that of a conventional linear feeder, and particularly, An object of the present invention is to provide a linear feeder capable of carrying an object to be carried on a trough at a stable carrying speed.

That is, the linear feeder of the present invention relates to a linear feeder that conveys an object to be conveyed placed on the trough along the longitudinal direction of the trough by applying vibration to the trough that extends linearly. Here, as the transported object, for example, a minute size electronic component (work) can be cited, but it is not particularly limited as long as it can be transported by the linear feeder of the present invention.

The linear feeder according to the present invention has a fixed portion fixed directly or indirectly on the floor surface, a movable portion having a trough fixed to the upper end portion, and a support spring connecting the fixed portion and the movable portion, A vibrator having a mounting part for the movable part set on one end side, a beam part extending from the mounting part in the width direction of the trough, and a weight part set on the other end side which is a free end, and performing a pendulum motion. The vibrator, a vibrating source for vibrating the vibrator, and the vibrator, the movable portion and the trough vibrate so as to convey an object to be conveyed by operating the vibrating source.

In such a linear feeder according to the present invention, when the vibrator is vibrated by the vibration source, the beam portion of the vibrator having the other end side having the weight portion set as the free end is attached to the movable portion. It behaves like a spring with the mounting part as a fulcrum, and the whole vibrator vibrates by performing a pendulum motion. The reaction part vibrates the movable part, and the vibration is transmitted to the trough fixed to the upper end of the movable part. As a result, the linearly extending trough vibrates, and the object to be transported placed on the trough can be transported along the longitudinal direction of the trough. Particularly, in the case of the linear feeder according to the present invention, the vibrator is arranged in a posture in which the extending direction of the beam portion extending from the mounting portion matches the width direction of the trough, that is, the vibrator is arranged in a lying posture. As a result, the height dimension of the entire linear feeder is higher than that of the configuration in which the transducers are arranged in a posture in which the beam extension direction matches the height direction (configuration in which the transducers are arranged in a standing posture). Can be made compact. In addition, by setting the placement posture of the oscillator so that the oscillator performs pendulum motion in the horizontal plane or in a plane close to the horizontal plane (a plane that can be regarded as a horizontal plane), the free end of the oscillator that reciprocates during the pendulum motion is When viewed from the side, the movement locus (reciprocating locus of the oscillator) is parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the trough arranged in a horizontal posture, and the transferred object placed on the long trough is It can be conveyed by vibration along the longitudinal direction. In addition, by setting the placement posture of the oscillator so that the oscillator makes a pendulum motion within a plane that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane (excluding the vertical plane), the oscillator that reciprocates during the pendulum motion When viewed from the side, the movement locus of the free end (the reciprocating locus of the vibrator) is parallel or substantially parallel to the direction that forms a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane.

Further, in the present invention, the “floor surface” to which the fixing portion is directly or indirectly fixed is a concept including not only a floor surface on which a person walks but also a mounting surface of a table on which the linear feeder is mounted. .. Since the fixed portion fixed to the floor surface elastically supports the movable portion by the support spring, it is stationary without bending and deforming even during the pendulum motion of the vibrator.

As described above, the linear feeder according to the present invention employs a novel vibration principle, which has never been conceived so far, of transporting an object to be transported on a trough by vibration using a pendulum operation of a vibrator. Accordingly, if the pair of drive springs employed in the conventional linear feeder is flexibly deformed into an S-shape, it is possible to avoid or suppress the flexure of the movable part and the fixed part, which inevitably occurs, and the flexure of the trough. It is possible and possible to prevent/suppress problems such as variations in the transportation speed due to bending of the trough, and to realize stable transportation processing.

Particularly, in the case of the linear feeder according to the present invention, the vibration frequency of the movable part and the trough, which are not bent or flexed due to the vibration of the vibrator, can be easily changed by changing the vibration frequency of the vibrator. This makes it possible to carry out high-frequency vibration conveyance of, for example, 1000 Hz to 2000 Hz, which was difficult with conventional linear feeders, and to increase the conveyance processing speed.

Further, in the case of the linear feeder according to the present invention, since the bending and bending phenomenon of the trough does not occur or only slightly occurs, the transported object can be stably transported even if the longitudinal dimension of the trough is set large. be able to. In particular, with the linear feeder according to the present invention, with the conventional linear feeder, even if the vibration in the high frequency range in which the flexural deformation of the trough is remarkable, the flexural deformation of the trough does not occur Since the bending deformation can be suppressed to a very small amount as compared with the device, it is possible to set the longitudinal dimension of the trough to be large.

Since the linear feeder according to the present invention is not particularly required to perform high-precision machining and manufacturing for the movable portion and the fixed portion, which are required in the conventional linear feeder in which the distortion of the driving spring may cause the bending of the trough, It is also advantageous in terms.

Further, in the linear feeder according to the present invention, since the beam portion of the oscillator that performs the pendulum motion is not deformed in an S shape but is deformed in an arc shape, a driving spring that is deformed in an S shape is used. Compared with the conventional linear feeder used, the amount of displacement of the vibrator (the amount of displacement of the beam that behaves like a spring) from the time before deformation to the time of maximum deformation can be significantly increased, and vibration Attenuation is small and the vibration amplification factor due to resonance is high, so that the efficiency can be improved.

The linear feeder according to the present invention may be provided with a single oscillator or may be provided with a plurality of oscillators. Particularly, in the linear feeder according to the present invention, as a configuration capable of efficiently transmitting a linear vibration to the movable part and the trough from the circular arc motion due to the pendulum motion of the vibrator, one pair of vibrators is used. There may be mentioned a configuration in which a plurality of sets are provided, and the vibrators in each set are arranged in opposite directions. That is, in the linear feeder according to the present invention, the mounting portion of each transducer in each set is fixed to the movable portion such that the positions of the weight portions are opposite to each other in the width direction of the trough (in plan view). As a result, the circular arc motions of the oscillators in each set are combined and the rotational moments cancel each other out, resulting in linear vibration, and this vibration is transmitted to the movable part and the trough, and the object to be conveyed on the trough can be conveyed. Stable vibration can be obtained.

Particularly, in the linear feeder according to the present invention, a plurality of vibrators can be arranged side by side along one or more directions selected from the longitudinal direction, the height direction, or the width direction of the trough. For example, in order to reduce the height of the linear feeder, a plurality of vibrators may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the trough. To reduce the size of the linear feeder in the width direction, a plurality of vibrators may be arranged. The vibrators may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction or the height direction of the trough.

In the linear feeder according to the present invention, as the movable portion, it is sufficient that the trough is fixed to the upper end portion and the mounting portion of the vibrator can be mounted. As a preferable specific example, the vibrator is mounted in the height direction. Examples thereof include a movable part having a top plate and a bottom plate arranged at a sandwiching position, and a movable part having a housing for accommodating the vibrator in the internal space. In particular, in the case of a linear feeder that applies a movable part configured by using a housing that houses a vibrator in the internal space, by housing a vibrator that performs pendulum motion in the internal space of the housing, soundproofing and sound insulation can be achieved. The property is improved.

The linear feeder according to the present invention can set the vibration direction of the trough to an arbitrary direction depending on the inclination angle of the support spring that connects the fixed portion and the movable portion. Therefore, in the present invention, the plate-shaped support spring that connects the fixed portion and the movable portion can be changed between a vertical posture in which the height direction is aligned with the vertical direction and an inclined posture in which the vertical posture is inclined by a predetermined angle. With such a configuration, it is possible to select and set the optimum trough vibration direction in consideration of various conditions such as the type, shape, and specifications of the transported object. As described above, in the linear feeder according to the present invention, the support spring functions as a vibration angle adjusting spring, and the vibration direction of the trough can be changed by changing the angle of the support spring.

According to the present invention, the mounting portion set on one end side of the oscillator that performs the pendulum motion is attached to the movable portion, the vibration of the oscillator is transmitted to the movable portion and the trough, and the transported object on the trough is moved to a predetermined position. By adopting a novel configuration that conveys in the longitudinal direction of the trough, the linear inconvenience that the bending deflection is transmitted to the trough can be eliminated and stable vibration conveyance can be realized without complicating the structure. A feeder can be provided. In particular, since the linear feeder according to the present invention adopts a configuration in which the vibrator is arranged in a lying posture, the height of the entire linear feeder is compact compared to the configuration in which the vibrator is arranged in the standing posture. Can be

The top view of the linear feeder which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which abbreviate|omits a part of linear feeder which concerns on the same embodiment seen from the arrow A direction of FIG. 1 (side view). The figure (front view) which abbreviate|omits a part of linear feeder which concerns on the same embodiment seen from the arrow B direction of FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 of a linear feeder in which a support spring is set in an inclined posture in the same embodiment. The figure which extracts and shows only a vibrator and an excitation source from FIG. The figure which extracts and shows only a vibrator and an excitation source from FIG. The figure which shows the pendulum movement of the vibrator|oscillator in the same embodiment typically. FIG. 3 is a principle diagram in which linear vibration occurs in the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. The schematic diagram explaining that the incidental area of the piezoelectric element with respect to a leaf spring changes with differences in deformation of a leaf spring. The schematic diagram explaining that the amount of displacement of a leaf spring changes with differences in deformation of a leaf spring. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 16 corresponding to FIG. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a plan view of a linear feeder including the vibrator shown in FIG. 18. The figure which shows the linear feeder provided with the vibrator shown in FIG. 18 corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the linear feeder provided with the vibrator shown in FIG. 18 corresponding to FIG. A modification of the vibrator in the embodiment. The figure which shows the modification of the linear feeder which concerns on the same embodiment corresponding to FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 24 corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 24 corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the modification of the linear feeder which concerns on the same embodiment corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 27 corresponding to FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. The figure which shows the modification of the linear feeder which concerns on the same embodiment corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 31 corresponding to FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 33 corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 33 corresponding to FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the linear feeder according to the same embodiment. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 36 corresponding to FIG. The figure which shows the linear feeder shown in FIG. 36 corresponding to FIG. The side view which shows the conventional linear feeder typically. The figure corresponding to FIG. 39 which shows typically the time of the vibration of the conventional linear feeder.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The linear feeder X according to the present embodiment applies vibration to the trough T that extends linearly, and conveys an object (not shown) placed on the trough T along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T. It is a thing. The transported object may be an extremely small electronic component or the like, but is not particularly limited as long as it can be transported on the trough T by vibration.

1 to 3 (FIG. 1 is a plan view of the linear feeder X, and FIG. 2 is a view (side view) of the linear feeder X seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. 3 is a view (front view) of the linear feeder X as seen from the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 1.), a fixed part 1, a movable part 2 having a trough T fixed to the upper end, A support spring 3 for connecting the fixed portion 1 and the movable portion 2; a vibrator 4 for fixing a mounting portion 41 provided on one end side to the movable portion 2 and performing a pendulum motion with a predetermined point on the mounting portion 41 as a fulcrum. A vibrating source 5 that vibrates the vibrator 4, and the vibrating oscillator 4 is vibrated by operating the vibrating source 5 to move the vibrating unit 4 directly to the vibrating unit 4; The fixed trough T vibrates so as to convey an object to be conveyed. Here, one direction along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T that extends linearly and the transport direction of the transported object that transports on the trough T coincide.

The trough T has a long block shape, and a pair of inclined surfaces formed to have a V-shaped cross section constitutes a transport surface T1 for transporting an object to be transported (see FIG. 3). .. That is, the transport surface T1 including a pair of inclined surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction functions as a transport path for the transported object. In the present embodiment, the transport surface T1 (transport path) is formed on the upper surface of the trough T.

The fixed part 1 is fixed directly or indirectly on the floor surface. In this embodiment, the fixing portion 1 is configured by the mounting block 11 fixed on the floor surface. The mounting block 11 that constitutes the fixed portion 1 also functions as a counter weight (vibration adjusting weight). In the present embodiment, the mounting block 11 is fixed to the floor surface with screws (not shown), for example.

The movable part 2 is provided with a top plate 21 and a bottom plate 22 arranged at positions facing each other in the height direction, and a pair of the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22 arranged so as to face each other so as to sandwich the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22 in the width direction W of the trough T. The side plate 23 is further provided. The side plate 23 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is arranged in a posture in which the plate thickness direction (thickness direction) is aligned with the width direction W of the trough T, and the dimension along the transport direction (longitudinal direction of the trough T) of the trough T is set. It is set shorter than the longitudinal dimension. The top plate 21 is arranged at a position connecting the upper end portions of the side plates 23, and the bottom plate 22 is arranged at a position connecting the lower end portions of the side plates 23. The top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the inwardly facing surfaces of the side plate 23 (the surfaces where the side plates 23 facing each other face each other), and are fixed integrally with the side plate 23 by a screw N1. .. The space surrounded by the top plate 21, the bottom plate 22, and the pair of left and right side plates 23, that is, the internal space of the movable portion 2 is used as a space for disposing the vibrator 4 described later. In addition, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, the internal space of the mover 2, that is, the space surrounded by the top plate 21, the bottom plate 22, and the pair of left and right side plates 23 is outside in the longitudinal direction H (front-back direction) of the trough T. It is set to communicate with the space.

In the present embodiment, the width dimension of the movable portion 2 is set to be longer than the width dimension of the trough T (see FIGS. 1 and 3), and the trough T is placed above the trough T while the trough T is placed on the upper surface of the top plate 21. The trough T is fixed to the top plate 21 with a screw N2 inserted through the top plate 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In FIG. 3, the screw N2 is omitted. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the width dimension of the movable portion 2 (dimension from the outer surface of one side plate 23 to the outer surface of the other side plate 23) is set to the width dimension of the fixed portion 1. It almost matches.

The support spring 3 has one end fixed to the spring first attachment portion 1a provided on the fixed portion 1 and the other end fixed to the spring second attachment portion 2a provided on the movable portion 2. In the present embodiment, the support spring 3 formed of a thin plate spring is arranged in a posture in which the plate thickness direction (thickness direction) is aligned with the longitudinal direction H of the trough T. The support spring 3 is omitted in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the spring first mounting portion 1a is fixed to the fixed portion 1 by the screw N3, and the spring second mounting portion 2a is fixed to the movable portion 2 by the screw N4. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fixing portion 1 is formed with screw holes larger in number than the screws N3, and the screw holes into which the screws N3 are screwed are appropriately selected and changed. The mounting posture of the spring first mounting portion 1a with respect to the fixed portion 1 can be changed. When changing the mounting posture of the spring first mounting portion 1a with respect to the fixed portion 1, by loosening the screw N4 fixing the spring second mounting portion 2a, the spring first mounting portion 1a with respect to the fixed portion 1 is loosened. In accordance with the process of changing the mounting attitude, the spring second mounting portion 2a connected to the spring first mounting portion 1a via the support spring 3 can be rotated with the screw N4 as the pivot point. Then, after the spring first mounting portion 1a is fixed to the fixed portion 1 by the screw N3, the screw second mounting portion 2a can be fixed to the movable portion 2 so as not to move relative to the movable portion 2 by re-tightening the screw N4. In the present embodiment, the spring second mounting portion 2a is fixed to the outward surface of the side plate 23 that constitutes the movable portion 2 with the screw N4, and the fixed portion 1 is substantially the same as the outward surface of the side plate 23 of the movable portion 2. The spring first mounting portion 1a is fixed to the flush side surface with a screw N3.

As described above, in the linear feeder X of the present embodiment, the plate-shaped support spring 3 is tilted by a predetermined angle from the vertical posture (see FIG. 2) in which the height direction is aligned with the vertical direction. The tilted posture (see FIG. 4) can be changed.

The vibrator 4 is as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams in which the vibrator 4 and the vibration source 5 are extracted from the linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively). A mounting portion 41 provided on one end side and fixed to the movable portion 2, a beam portion 42 extending from the mounting portion 41 in the width direction W of the trough T, and a weight set on the other end side which is a free end. And a part 43. In the present embodiment, the entire vibrator 4 is fixed to the movable portion 2 in a recumbent posture (a lying posture). The vibrator 4 includes a first collar portion 44 and a second collar portion 45 extending in the longitudinal direction H of the trough T at both ends of the beam portion 42, and one of the collar portions (in the present embodiment, the trough T The mounting portion 41 is configured by the first flange portion 44, which has a relatively shorter dimension along the longitudinal direction H, and the dimension of the other collar portion (in the present embodiment, the dimension along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T). The relatively long second flange portion 45) constitutes a part of the weight portion 43.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper surface of the mounting portion 41 of the vibrator 4 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the top plate 21 of the movable portion 2, and the lower surface of the mounting portion 41 is The movable part 2 is set so as to be fixed while being in contact with the upward surface of the bottom plate 22. In the linear feeder X of the present embodiment, as the first brim portion 44 that constitutes the mounting portion 41, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, rather than other portions of the vibrator 4 (the beam portion 42 and the weight portion 43). It protrudes by a predetermined dimension in the height direction, and has priority over the beam portion 42, the second flange portion 45, and the weight portion 43 and is directed to the inward surface of the movable portion 2 (the downward surface of the top plate 21 and the upward surface of the bottom plate 22). The one having the protruding end surface 441 which comes into contact is applied. Then, with the protruding end surface 441 in contact with the downward surface of the top plate 21 and the upward surface of the bottom plate 22, screws N5 inserted from above the top plate 21 and from below the bottom plate 22 are formed on the mounting portion 41. The vibrator 4 is fixed to the movable portion 2 by being screwed into the hole 442 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). Therefore, the protruding end surface 441 that is a surface (upper surface and lower surface of the mounting portion 41) in contact with the inward surface of the movable portion 2 (the lower surface of the top plate 21 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 22) of the mounting portion 41. Function as a fixing surface of the vibrator 4. In the present embodiment, the oscillator 4 is fixed to the movable portion 2 in a posture in which the oscillator 4 is sandwiched between the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22.

Particularly, in the linear feeder X of the present embodiment, the first brim portion 44 forming the mounting portion 41 extends in the longitudinal direction H of the trough T with respect to the beam portion 42 extending in the width direction W of the trough T. The first brim portion 44 and the beam portion 42 are set to have a T-shape in a side view as a whole. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the screw holes 442 are formed at positions near the both ends along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T in the first flange portion 44 that constitutes the mounting portion 41. These screw holes 442 are formed at positions deviated from the axial center of the beam portion 42 (imaginary line L1 shown in FIG. 7 described later).

In the vibrator 4 of the present embodiment, the first collar portion 44 that constitutes the mounting portion 41, the second collar portion 45 that constitutes a part of the weight portion 43, and the beam portion 42 are integrally formed.

The weight portion 43 is set on the other end side which is a free end of the vibrator 4. In the present embodiment, the weight portion 43 including the above-described second collar portion 45 and the weight portion main body 46 that is a separate body from the second collar portion 45 is applied.

The weight portion main body 46 is fixed by a screw N6 in a state of being in contact with a surface of the second flange portion 45 opposite to the first flange portion 44 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The weight portion main body 46 is fixed in a state where one end face of the trough T along the width direction W is in contact with the second flange portion 45, and in this fixed state, the other end face of the trough T along the width direction W is fixed. Is closer to the first brim portion 44 than the second brim portion 45. Then, the mounting direction (screw advancing/retreating direction) of the screw N6 when fixing the weight portion main body 46 to the second collar portion 45 is set to a direction other than the extending direction (longitudinal direction H) of the trough T. Specifically, the mounting direction (screw advancing/retreating direction) of the screw N6 is set to the width direction W of the trough T. A pair of left and right screw insertion holes is formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second flange portion 45, and one weight body 46 is fixed with two screws N6 (see FIG. 6). A screw hole is formed in the weight portion main body 46, and the screw N6 inserted from the screw insertion hole of the second flange portion 45 is screwed into and fixed to the screw hole of the weight portion main body 46. Each screw insertion hole is formed with a recess capable of accommodating the screw head so that the screw head does not project outside and be exposed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the weight portion 43 is configured by using the second flange portion 45 and the weight portion main body 46 provided on the other end side of the vibrator 4 which is the free end. Further, the portion of the beam portion 42 near the second flange portion 45 is a free end, and this portion can also be regarded as a part forming a part of the weight portion 43.

Then, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in the mounting portion 41, the axial center of the beam portion 42 (the thickness direction of the beam portion 42 (the same direction as the longitudinal direction H of the trough T)). The oscillator 4 is set to perform a pendulum motion with a point that is the center and coincides with a line L1) indicated by a chain line in the figure as a fulcrum. At this time, the beam portion 42 of the vibrator 4 behaves like a spring by utilizing the elasticity of the material itself. The vibrating direction of the oscillator 4 performing the pendulum movement is parallel to the longitudinal direction H of the trough T when viewed from the arrow Y direction (side of the linear feeder X) shown in FIG. 7.

In the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a vibration source 5 that vibrates the vibrator 4 is provided in a pair of plate-shaped beam portions 42 that are oriented in the extending direction of the trough T. The piezoelectric element 5 is provided on each of the facing surfaces. In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric element 5 having a size capable of covering most of the opposing surfaces of the beam portion 42 except the regions near both ends is applied (see FIG. 6 ). Then, by expanding and contracting the piezoelectric elements 5 respectively provided on the facing surfaces of the beam portions 42 (for example, applying a sinusoidal voltage to the piezoelectric elements 5 to cause periodic extension), the beam portions 42 move. The mounting portion 41, which is the fixing surface of the vibrator 4 with respect to the portion 2, bends in a bow shape as a whole with a position where the axial center L1 of the beam portion 42 passes as a fulcrum, and performs a pendulum operation. As a result, the oscillator 4 performs an appropriate pendulum operation together with the weight of the weight portion 43, and the oscillator 4 vibrates. Here, the vibration frequency can be easily changed by changing the thickness dimension of the beam portion 42 (the dimension along the thickness direction of the beam portion 42 (the same direction as the arrow H direction shown in FIG. 5 and the like)). Further, even when high-frequency vibration (for example, 1000 Hz to 2000 Hz) is generated by setting the thickness dimension of the beam portion 42 to be large, the protrusion end surface 441 that is the fixed surface of the vibrator 4 with respect to the movable portion 2 vibrates. Since the oscillator 4 is fixed to the movable part 2 by screwing the fixing screw N5 into the screw hole 442 formed at a position deviated from the fulcrum of the beam part 42, the beam part 42 is largely deflected during the pendulum motion. Can be favorably supported. Further, since the beam portion 42 is bent and deformed into an arc shape to reduce vibration damping and the vibration amplification factor due to resonance is large, it is possible to reduce the number of piezoelectric elements 5 required to obtain a desired amplitude. The piezoelectric element 5 is fixed to the facing surface of the beam portion 42 by an appropriate process such as a pasting process. A situation in which a predetermined gap is secured between the piezoelectric element 5 and the weight portion 43 (specifically, the weight portion main body 46) in the longitudinal direction H of the trough T, and the piezoelectric element 5 and the weight portion 43 interfere with each other. Is avoided (see FIGS. 5 and 7).

The linear feeder X according to the present embodiment is provided with the above-described vibrators 4 as a pair, and these one set of vibrators 4 (a pair of vibrators 4) are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T. .. Then, in each transducer 4, the mounting portion 41 is fixed to the common movable portion 2 in such a posture that the positions of the weight portions 43 are opposite to each other in the width direction W of the trough T (see FIGS. 1 and 5). .. That is, the respective vibrators 4 are arranged such that the positions of the weight portions 43 are opposite to each other in plan view. Each oscillator 4 has the same structure as each other. In FIG. 3, which is a front view of the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, in order to prevent the diagram from becoming extremely complicated, one of the pair of transducers 4 on the right side of the drawing in FIG. Only the vibrator 4 is schematically shown, and the vibrator 4 on the left side of the drawing in FIG. 1 is omitted. The same applies to FIG.

In the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment described above, the pair of vibrators 4 arranged in the recumbent posture in which the positions of the weight portions 43 are opposite to each other are provided between the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22 of the movable portion 2. The trough T is fixed to the upward surface of the top plate 21 of the movable part 2, and the fixed part 1 is arranged below the movable part 2 via the support spring 3 to elastically move the oscillator 4. It is a structure to support.

In the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, when the vibration source 5 is in the operating state (ON state in which the piezoelectric element 5 expands and contracts), the vibrator 4 performs a pendulum operation and vibrates, and the movable portion 2 reacts by the reaction. Vibrate, the vibration propagates to the trough T, and the trough T itself vibrates. Specifically, when the piezoelectric element 5 constituting the vibration source 5 in at least one of the vibrators 4 is expanded or contracted, the beam portion 42 bends and vibrates, and the entire vibrator 4 is fixed to the movable portion 2. A pendulum operation is performed in which the free end side is reciprocally moved in an arc shape with a predetermined point (a position where the axial center L1 of the beam portion 42 passes) of the attached portion 41 being a fulcrum. In particular, since the weight portion main body 46 is provided on the free end side of the vibrator 4, the reaction force of vibration becomes large, and the vibrator 4 can be efficiently pendulum operated. In addition, among the two vibrators 4 forming “one vibrator pair”, only the piezoelectric element 5 attached to one of the transducers 4 is turned on and the piezoelectric element 5 attached to the other transducer 4 is turned on. Even when the element 5 is in the energized OFF state, the vibrator 4 attached with the piezoelectric element 5 in the energized OFF state vibrates by resonance.

In the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, such vibrators 4 are paired and arranged in mutually opposite postures in the width direction W of the trough T. Vibrations can be combined to produce linear motion. That is, when the pair of transducers 4 are combined in the postures that are opposite to each other in the width direction W of the trough T (rightward and reverse orientations), the fixed surface 441 of the transducer 4 causes linear vibration as shown in FIG. To do. More specifically, the oscillators 4 that perform pendulum motion are paired and provided in the movable portion 2 in the left and right opposite postures, and the directions of the reaction forces acting on the fulcrums of the oscillators 4 are the same and the oscillators 4 swing. When the directions are opposite to each other, a reaction force in one direction acts on the movable portion 2 and the rotational moments acting on the fulcrums of the vibrators 4 cancel each other out, so that a force that deforms the movable portion 2 is not generated. The fixed surface 441 of the vibrator 4 linearly vibrates. In FIG. 8, the vibration direction of each vibrator 4 at a certain point during the pendulum motion of the vibrators 4 arranged in the left and right opposite directions, and the vibration of the vibrator 4 causes the vibrators 4 to be fixed. The direction in which the surface 441 linearly vibrates is schematically indicated by relatively thick arrows. In FIG. 5, the vibration direction of each vibrator 4 is schematically indicated by an arrow, and the vibration direction of the vibrator 4 on the right side in the drawing is relatively relative to the vibration direction of the pair of vibrators 4 shown in FIG. The vibration direction of the upper vibrator 4 is the same, and the vibration direction of the vibrator 4 on the left side with respect to the paper surface shown in FIG. 5 and the lower vibrator 4 of the pair of vibrators 4 shown in FIG. Vibrates in the same direction.

As described above, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, the pendulum motions of the pair of vibrators 4 are combined into a linear motion, and the movable part 2 fixing the vibrator 4 and the movable part 2 are integrated. This vibration is also transmitted to the trough T that is provided as a target, and the movable portion 2 and the trough T perform linear vibration. Therefore, according to the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, bending and bending are not transmitted to the trough T, and the conveyed object on the trough T can be vibrated and conveyed in a predetermined direction by the vibration of the pair of resonating vibrators 4. It is possible to obtain stable vibration and reduce unevenness in the transport speed. In particular, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, since the vibrator 4 is arranged in a lying posture, the height dimension can be set smaller than the configuration in which the vibrator 4 is arranged in a standing posture. It is possible to achieve compactness (lower height) in the height direction.

Further, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, the plate-like support spring 3 that connects the movable portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 to each other has a vertical posture (see FIG. 2) in which the height direction is aligned with the vertical direction. Since the vertical posture can be changed to the inclined posture inclined by a predetermined angle (see FIG. 4), the vibration direction of the trough T can be set to an arbitrary direction depending on the inclination of the support spring 3. .. FIG. 4 schematically shows the vibration direction TD of the trough T when the support spring 3 is set in the inclined posture. Here, when the support spring 3 in the vertical posture is used as the reference posture, the closer the support spring 3 is to the tilted posture, that is, the inclination angle of the support spring 3 is an angle larger or smaller than 90 degrees which is the angle of the reference posture. The vertical vibration vector of the trough T increases as

Further, the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment includes a drive unit that drives the trough T, and the drive unit can be regarded as a mode configured by using the vibration source 5, the vibrator 4, and the movable unit 2. it can. Then, by changing the vibration frequency of the vibrator 4, it is possible to change the vibration frequency of the entire drive unit that drives the trough T, and it is possible to easily realize high-frequency vibration conveyance (for example, 1000 Hz to 2000 Hz).

In the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, by adopting the above-described configuration, the influence of bending and bending on the trough T is reduced, and even if the longitudinal dimension of the trough T is set long, the conveyance formed on the trough T The object to be conveyed on the road T1 can be stably conveyed. In particular, the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment is capable of high-frequency vibration conveyance even in a frequency range in which the influence of flexure of the trough T is significant.

In addition, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, the beam portion 42 of the vibrator 4 that behaves like a spring is deformed into an arc shape, so that the piezoelectric element 5 having a large area is appropriately attached to the beam portion 42. Can be added by the means described above, and the vibrating force per vibrator 4 becomes large. Here, on the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 9, a portion to which the piezoelectric element 5 can be attached and a size of the piezoelectric element 5 with respect to a leaf spring that is deformed into an S shape used in a conventional linear feeder are extremely schematic. (FIG. 9A), the piezoelectric element 5 can be attached to the beam portion (spring) that is deformed into an arc shape applied in the linear feeder X of the present embodiment on the right side of the drawing. The sizes of the portion and the piezoelectric element 5 are schematically shown so that they can be compared with the conventional example (FIG. 9B).

In particular, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, the beam portion 42 of the vibrator 4 behaves like a spring that deforms in an arc shape, and therefore, compared with the conventional mode in which the leaf spring deforms in an S shape. The displacement amount from the reference state before deformation to the most deformed maximum deformation state is large. Here, on the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 10, the displacement amount D1 from the reference state to the maximum deformed state of the leaf spring deformed into the S shape used in the conventional linear feeder is shown very schematically (FIG. 10). (A)), on the right side of the drawing, the displacement amount D2 from the reference state to the maximum deformation state of the beam portion (spring) deformed into an arc shape applied in the linear feeder X of the present embodiment is shown in the past. It is schematically shown for comparison with the example (FIG. 10B). As described above, since the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment has a small vibration damping and a large vibration amplification factor due to resonance, the number of the piezoelectric elements 5 is the piezoelectric provided in the conventional linear feeder that deforms the leaf spring into an S-shape. Even if the number of elements is half, the same amplitude as the conventional one can be obtained. This means that if the number of piezoelectric elements 5 in the present embodiment is the same as the number of piezoelectric elements included in the conventional linear feeder that deforms the leaf spring into an S shape, the current will be about half that of the conventional one. ..

In addition, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, since the pair of vibrators 4 are independent from each other, the positions where the pair of vibrators 4 are arranged are not particularly limited, and the vibrators 4 may be installed at arbitrary positions. You can Further, in the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment, the pair of transducers 4 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T, so that compactification in the height direction can be realized. In particular, the linear feeder X according to the present embodiment can vibrate the trough T and convey an object to be conveyed if the condition for ensuring the pendulum motion of each transducer 4 is satisfied. It is also possible to obtain an advantage that high processing accuracy is not required for the components (the top plate 21, the bottom plate 22, and the pair of side plates 23 that configure the movable portion 2 in the present embodiment) for connecting to each other.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a mode in which the second collar portion 45 and the weight portion main body 46 of the vibrator 4 forming a part of the weight portion 43 are illustrated separately, but the second collar portion and the weight portion main body are illustrated. It is possible to apply a vibrator integrally provided with. FIG. 11 shows an example of the vibrator 4 including the weight portion 43 integrally including the second collar portion 45 and the weight portion main body 46 on the free end side.

Further, the shape and weight of the weight portion can be changed appropriately. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, if a weight portion 43 having a shape that extends in a direction away from the attachment portion 41 (first flange portion 44) is applied on the free end side of the beam portion 42, the above-described embodiment can be applied. The position of the weight part 43 can be set to a position apart from the fixed surface of the vibrator 4 with respect to the movable part 2 as compared with the exemplified mode.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, it is also possible to apply a weight portion 43 that is set asymmetrical with the axis center of the beam portion 42 as the axis of symmetry. Note that, in FIG. 13, the dimension of the second flange portion 45 along the thickness direction of the beam portion 42 (the same direction as the H direction in the same figure) is shown as the dimension of the first flange portion 44 along the thickness direction of the beam portion 42. An example is shown in which the weight portion main body 46 is set shorter than the dimension and is fixed in a state in which the weight portion main body 46 is in contact with the surface of the second flange portion 45 facing the thickness direction of the beam portion 42. As described above, the dimension of the second flange portion 45 along the thickness direction of the beam portion 42 can be appropriately changed. In FIG. 13, the screw for fixing the weight portion main body 46 to the second collar portion 45 is omitted.

As the weight portion, a shape other than a rectangular parallelepiped (including a cube), for example, a weight portion having a circular shape or a partial circular shape when viewed from a predetermined direction, or a spherical shape or a partial spherical shape may be adopted. It is also possible to apply a vibrator in which at least the beam portion and the weight portion of the vibrator have a Y shape or a match rod shape as a whole.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, the vibrator 4 can be configured using the beam portion 42, the mounting portion 41, and the weight portion 43 which are separate bodies. In this case, the separate parts may be integrally assembled with each other by a fixing tool such as a screw, or the separate parts may be integrally fixed by an appropriate bonding process. Note that FIG. 14 exemplifies a mode in which the weight portion main bodies 46 arranged at positions sandwiching the free end portion of the beam portion 42 in the thickness direction are fixed by a common screw N6. The vibrator 4 shown in the figure is regarded as a portion corresponding to the second flange portion 45 in the above-described embodiment formed by the free end portion of the beam portion 42 and a part of the weight portion main body 46. be able to.

Depending on the longitudinal dimension (the dimension along the width direction W of the trough T) and the weight of the beam portion that constitutes the vibrator, as shown in FIG. 15, the second collar portion and the weight portion main body are not provided, and the beam portion 42 Of these, the free end side region can be configured to function as the weight portion 43.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mode in which one pair of transducers is provided is illustrated, but a plurality of pairs of transducers are provided, and each pair of transducers in a recumbent posture in the width direction W of the trough T. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which the left and right are arranged in reverse. Two sets of a pair of vibrators 4 (a pair of vibrators 4) are provided, and each of the vibrators 4 in each set has a common mounting portion 41 so that the positions of the weight portions 43 are opposite to each other. 16 and 17 (FIG. 16 is a plan view of the linear feeder X, and FIG. 17 is a view (side view) taken in the direction A in FIG. 16) of the linear feeder X fixed to the movable portion 2. In the linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, since all the vibrators 4 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T, the trough T of the trough T is larger than that of the linear feeder X exemplified in the above embodiment. The longitudinal dimension can be set large. As described above, in the linear feeder X according to the present invention, by increasing the number of the vibrators 4, the drive unit for vibrating the long trough T (the drive unit including the plurality of vibrators 4). Can be easily manufactured. In addition, since the size of the movable portion 2 along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T is increased by increasing the number of the oscillators 4, the support springs that connect the movable portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 to each other, if necessary. The number of 3 (in other words, the connecting portion between the movable portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 by the support spring 3) may be increased. Then, the vibration direction of the trough T can be changed by changing the posture of the support spring 3 between the vertical posture shown in FIG. 17 and the inclined posture not shown. In this case, the support spring 3 functions as a vibration angle adjusting spring. Note that the support spring 3 is omitted in FIG. 16 as in FIG.

Further, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a pair of vibrators (a pair of vibrators) are arranged side by side along the width direction W of the trough T. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, the mounting portion 41 (first flange portion 44) of each transducer 4 is shared, and the mounting portion 41 is centered and symmetrical in the width direction W of the trough T (symmetrical shape). It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a pair of vibrators 4 are arranged so that To realize the linear feeder X including the pair of vibrators 4 shown in FIG. 18, FIGS. 19 to 21 (FIG. 19 is a plan view of the linear feeder X including the pair of vibrators 4, 20 is a view (side view) viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 19, and FIG. 21 is a view (front view) viewed from the direction of arrow B of FIG. 19). The portion 41 can be fixed to the movable portion 2 by screwing a screw into the screw hole 442 formed in the mounting portion 42 while the portion 41 is in contact with the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22 of the movable portion 2. The linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 19 to 21 has a configuration in which one pair of vibrators 4 is provided, but compared to the linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, vibration in the longitudinal direction H of the trough T is increased. The arrangement area of the entire pair of children 4 can be reduced. In FIG. 19, the support spring 3 is omitted as in FIG.

As an example of a configuration in which a pair of transducers (a pair of transducers) are arranged side by side along the width direction W of the trough T, for example, FIG. 22 (FIG. 22A is a plan view and FIG. As shown in the B direction arrow view (front view) of FIG. (a), a screw hole 42a is formed in the central portion of the long beam element 4A in the longitudinal direction (width direction W of the trough T). By fixing the screw hole 42a to the movable part, the fixed part is made to function as the mounting part 41, and the region on one side and the region on the other side in which one of the beam elements 4A has the central portion in the longitudinal direction as a sakai are respectively formed. An example is a structure in which both ends of the beam element 4A are made to function as the weight portions 43 of the vibrator 4 while being made to function as the beam portion 42 of the vibrator 4. Even in such a pair of vibrators 4, when the common mounting portion 41 is mounted and fixed to a predetermined position of the movable portion 2 by an appropriate means, each vibrator 4 uses the common mounting portion 42 as a fulcrum. It is ready to operate. In the linear feeder including the pair of transducers 4 (a pair of transducers) shown in FIG. 22, the pair of transducers 4 are arranged side by side in the width direction W of the trough T, so that the transducer trough T The arrangement area of the entire transducer 4 in the longitudinal direction H can be reduced. Note that FIG. 22 shows an example of a pair of vibrators 4 each including the weight portion 43 integrally including the second collar portion 45 and the weight portion main body 46.

1 and 4, the plate-shaped support spring 3 that connects the movable portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 to each other is shown in a vertical posture (see FIG. 2) in which the height direction is aligned with the vertical direction, and from the vertical posture. A linear feeder X is shown which is configured to be changeable to an inclined posture (see FIG. 4) inclined by a predetermined angle and which can set the vibration direction of the trough T to an arbitrary direction depending on the inclination of the support spring 3. In the present invention, as in the linear feeder X shown in FIG. 23, by setting the vibrator 4 fixed at a predetermined position of the movable portion 2 in a lying position, the vibrator 4 is tilted in the carrying direction H by a predetermined angle, It is also possible to set the vibration direction TD of the trough T to any direction. In the linear feeder X shown in the figure, the surface of the mover 2 to which the mounting portion 41 of the vibrator 4 is fixed in contact, specifically, the lower surface of the top plate 21 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 22 are predetermined. By setting the surface tilted at an angle, the vibrator 4 can be fixed to the mover 2 in a posture tilted at a predetermined angle in the transport direction H. With reference to the case where the tilt angle of the vibrator 4 fixed at a predetermined position of the movable portion 2 in the lying position is zero, the vertical vibration vector of the trough T becomes larger as the tilt angle of the vibrator 4 increases. growing.

In addition, the linear feeder of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 24 to 26 (FIG. 25 is a view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 24, and FIG. 26 is a view seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 24 ). As described above, as the movable portion 2, it is possible to apply the housing 25 (hollow block body) that houses the vibrator 4 in the internal space 2S. The housing 25 has a space in which a plurality of transducers 4 can be individually housed (see FIG. 24), or a space in which a plurality of transducers 4 can be collectively housed. Alternatively, any of them may be formed with a space capable of accommodating one transducer 4 inside. When the movable portion 2 is configured by such a casing 25, it is possible to reduce noise (insulation) by disposing the vibrator 4 in the space 2S that is sealed inside the casing 4. Note that, in FIG. 24, the support spring 3 is omitted as in FIG. 1, and in FIG. 25, the boundary line between the two internal spaces 2S housing the transducers 4 is omitted.

27 and 28 (FIG. 27 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 25, and FIG. 28 is in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 27). It is a figure which abbreviate|omitted a part of the figure seen from FIG. The linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 27 and 28 is a plate-shaped support spring 3 that connects the fixed portion 1 and the movable portion 2 and is wider in the width direction W of the trough T than the support spring 3 shown in FIG. Has been applied. Further, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the pair of support springs 3 arranged to face each other along the longitudinal direction H of the trough T are inclined by a predetermined angle, and are fixed by a screw N8. Is attached to. By disposing such a wide support spring 3 at a predetermined position within the width dimension of the movable portion 2 and the fixed portion 1, a configuration using the leaf spring 3 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. Compared with the configuration in which the leaf springs 3 are arranged on both sides of the portion 2 and the fixed portion 1, respectively, the width dimension of the entire linear feeder X can be set smaller.

As the housing 25 that is an example of the movable portion 2, for example, as shown in FIGS. 24 to 28, a housing body 26 that opens only upward, and a lid that can seal the opening of the housing body 26 from above. With a portion 27, or with a housing body that is opened only downward or on one side, and a lid portion that can seal the opening of the housing body from below or one side ( (Not shown). The housing body 26 and the lid 27 are integrally fixed by a screw N7. In FIG. 24, a mode in which the four corners of the lid portion 27 are fixed to the housing main body 26 with the screws N7 is illustrated, but the fixing points by the screws N7 and the number of the screws N7 can be appropriately changed.

24 and 28, the mounting direction (screw advance direction) of the screw N5 that fixes the vibrator 4 to the housing 25 is set to the width direction W of the trough T, and the vibrator 4 is attached to the side wall portion of the housing 25 (specifically, Specifically, a mode in which it is fixed to the side wall portion of the housing body 26 is illustrated. In this case, a screw hole for fixing to the movable portion is formed in the mounting portion 41 of the vibrator 4 along the width direction W of the trough T, and a screw N5 is screwed into this screw hole to thereby vibrator. 4 can be fixed to the side wall of the housing 25. It should be noted that the mounting direction of the screw for fixing the vibrator to the housing may be set to the height direction and fixed to the upper wall portion or the lower wall portion of the housing. The target for fixing the mounting portion (first flange portion) of the vibrator to the housing may be the housing body, or the lid portion that can seal the opening of the housing body. Further, as the housing, a pair of housing bodies that can be divided into two in a predetermined direction (for example, the width direction of the trough, the longitudinal direction of the trough, or the height direction) are assembled with each other, and a space for accommodating the transducer is provided inside. It is also possible to adopt one that has.

In the present invention, the linearly extending trough may be fixed to the upper end of the movable part, and when a movable part having a top plate, a bottom plate and a pair of side plates is applied, As illustrated in 2 and the like, in addition to the aspect in which the trough is fixed to the top plate, the trough is placed on the upper end portions of the pair of side plates (it may be a posture that straddles the upper end portions of the pair of side plates). The trough may be fixed to the side plate or the top plate. Further, in the linear feeder in which the movable portion is formed by using the housing, the trough can be fixed to the housing in a posture in which the trough is placed on the portion forming the upper end portion of the housing. Note that FIGS. 25 and 27 show a configuration in which the trough T is fixed to the housing 25 in a posture in which the trough T is placed on the lid portion 27 that constitutes the upper end portion of the housing 25.

Further, the linear feeder of the present invention may be provided with a single vibrator. Further, it may be a linear feeder having an odd number of vibrators of 3 or more. In the linear feeder X shown in FIG. 29, a single vibrator 4 is fixed to a top plate 21 and a bottom plate 22 that form the movable section 2. The mounting position of the vibrator 4 with respect to the movable portion 2 may be a position closer to one end side of the movable portion 2 along the longitudinal direction W of the trough T as shown in FIG. As shown at 30, it may be at a position corresponding to the central portion of the movable portion 2 along the longitudinal direction W of the trough T. 29 and 30, the support spring 3 is omitted as in FIG.

In the case of a linear feeder having three or more vibrators or a linear feeder having a plurality of pairs of vibrators (a pair of vibrators), the plurality of vibrators are provided in the longitudinal direction, the height direction of the trough, or It may be arranged side by side along one or more directions selected from the three width directions. Therefore, for example, in a linear feeder having two pairs of transducers arranged in opposite postures (left-right inverted postures) in the trough width direction, in each set, the transducers are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the trough. It is also possible to adopt a layout in which the sets are arranged along the height direction in addition to the arrangement.

In the linear feeder according to the present invention, the vibration source may be composed of an electromagnet, an actuator, or a motor instead of the piezoelectric element. Any of the vibration sources can be a linear feeder with a built-in vibration source. A linear feeder with an external vibration source may be used.

Further, in the linear feeder according to the present invention, FIG. 31 and FIG. 32 (FIG. 32 is a view as seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 31, and the vibrator 4 on the left side in the drawing of FIG. 31 is omitted). As shown in FIG. 1, as the fixed portion 1, a base portion 14 fixed in a state of being directly placed on the floor surface, a counter weight 15 connected to the movable portion 2 by a support spring 3, a base portion 14 and a canter weight 15 It is also possible to apply the one provided with the anti-vibration spring 16 interposed between and. The figure illustrates an example in which an L-shaped vibration-proof spring 16 is applied. By applying the fixing portion 1 as described above, it is possible to realize the linear feeder X having excellent anti-vibration performance that prevents/suppresses vibration from being transmitted to the floor surface.

33 to 35 (FIG. 34 is a view as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 33, and FIG. 35 is shown in FIG. 33) as a linear feeder X that enhances the vibration isolation performance for preventing/suppressing the vibration from being transmitted to the floor surface. Of the linear feeder (excluding the linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 31 and 32) as shown in FIG. There is an aspect in which the linear feeder main body X1 is supported by being suspended by the vibration isolating unit 7, and the linear feeder main body X1 can vibrate in this supporting state. The anti-vibration unit 7 includes a base portion 71 fixed in a state of being directly placed on the floor surface, and a pair of standing wall portions extending upward from the base portion 71 and facing each other in the transport direction of the trough T. 72, a connecting wall portion 73 that connects the lower end portions of the standing wall portions 72 to each other, and an anti-vibration spring 74 that can fix one end portion to the upper end of each standing wall portion 72 and the other end portion to the movable portion 2. Is equipped with. The pair of anti-vibration springs 74 are arranged so as to face each other along the width direction W of the trough T, and are fixed to the movable portion 2 by screws N9. As described above, when the driving unit including the vibrator 4 and the movable unit 2 is driven in a state where the linear feeder main body X1 is supported by the vibration isolation unit 7 including the vibration isolation spring 74, the same as in the above-described embodiment. In principle, the trough T vibrates linearly along the longitudinal direction, and the object to be conveyed on the trough T can be vibrated and conveyed in one direction along the longitudinal direction H, and at the same time, the vibration isolation unit 7 causes the linear feeder body X1 to move. It is possible to prevent/suppress the situation where vibration propagates to the floor surface. The mount 11 of the linear feeder body X1 functions as a counter weight. The anti-vibration unit 7 is a part that corresponds to the “fixing part that is directly or indirectly fixed to the floor surface” of the present invention, and the anti-vibration spring 74 of the anti-vibration unit 7 is the “fixed part” of the present invention. It can be regarded as equivalent to a "support spring that connects the movable portion and the movable portion". The linear feeder main body X1 shown in FIGS. 33 to 35 corresponds to the linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above. 33, the support spring 3 is omitted as in FIG.

36 and 38 (FIG. 37 is a view as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 36, and FIG. 38 is a view as seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 36) as a linear feeder X for enhancing the vibration isolation performance. The vibrator 4 is omitted.), the linear feeder main body X1 supported by the anti-vibration unit 7 is configured by using a housing 25 (block body) that accommodates the vibrator 4 in the internal space 2S. The movable part 2 may be provided. The linear feeder body X1 shown in FIG. 36 corresponds to the linear feeder X shown in FIG. In FIG. 36, the support spring 3 is omitted as in FIG.

Further, in the linear feeder including a plurality of vibrators, it is preferable that all the vibrators have the same structure, but a combination of vibrators having different structures may be used. For example, a vibrator that integrally includes a mounting portion, a beam portion, and a weight portion, and a weight portion main body that forms a part of the weight portion may be used in combination with a vibrator that is separate from the mounting portion and the beam portion. You can

Furthermore, in a linear feeder provided with a plurality of vibrators, it is possible to adopt a mode in which each vibrator is provided with an excitation source, but focusing on resonance action, one or all selected vibrators may be selected. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which the vibration source is provided only for a plurality of vibrators other than the vibrators.

In the linear feeder according to the present invention, a specific mechanism for changing the support spring to a vertical posture in which the height direction is aligned with the vertical direction and an inclined posture in which the vertical posture is inclined by a predetermined angle can be appropriately changed. .. Therefore, it is also possible to set the tilted posture of the support spring to be selectable from a plurality of tilted postures. In this case, the inclination posture of the support spring is set so that it can be selected stepwise from a plurality of predetermined inclination postures, or the inclination posture of the support spring is steplessly selected from within a predetermined predetermined inclination angle range. It is also possible to adjust so that it can be appropriately selected.

Further, a linear feeder in which the posture of the support spring is kept constant and the posture of the support spring cannot be changed to another posture may be used (for example, the linear feeder X shown in FIGS. 27 and 28).

The beam portion of the oscillator may be any that extends from the attachment portion in the width direction of the trough, and the material and shape are not particularly limited as long as the oscillator behaves like a spring when performing a pendulum motion. Not done.

In the case where the vibrator is formed by connecting the beam portion and the weight portion, which are separate bodies, with a screw, the screw may be attached in the extending direction of the trough.

Further, in the linear feeder of the present invention, of the mounting portion set on one end side of the vibrator, the location where the screw hole for fixing to the movable portion is formed is set at a position deviating from the fulcrum when performing the pendulum motion. However, it may be set at a position that coincides with the fulcrum.

With the linear feeder according to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the length of the beam portion (spring) and the weight of the portion functioning as the weight portion of each oscillator so that the pair of oscillators cancel out the moment of inertia of each other. is there.

Among the beam portions forming the oscillator, the larger the dimension in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the trough (width dimension of the beam portion) is set, the higher frequency the vibration can be generated. Therefore, vibration of a desired frequency can be generated simply by setting the width dimension of the beam portion to an appropriate value.

The fixed portion preferably functions as a counterweight, but may not function as a counterweight.

In addition, the specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Fixed part 2... Movable part 21... Side plate 25... Housing 3... Support spring 4... Oscillator 41... Attachment part 42... Beam part 43... Weight part 5... Excitation source T... Trough X... Linear feeder

Claims (5)

A linear feeder that applies vibration to a trough that extends linearly and that conveys an object to be conveyed placed on the trough along the longitudinal direction of the trough,
A fixed part that is fixed directly or indirectly on the floor surface,
A movable part having the trough fixed to the upper end,
A support spring connecting the fixed portion and the movable portion,
Vibration that has a mounting part for the movable part set on one end side, a beam part extending from the mounting part in the width direction of the trough, and a weight part set on the other end side which is a free end, and performs pendulum motion With a child
A vibration source for vibrating the vibrator,
A linear feeder characterized in that the vibrator, the movable part and the trough vibrate so as to convey the object to be conveyed by operating the vibration source. One or a plurality of pairs of the transducers are provided, and the mounting portions are movable so that the transducers in each group have positions in which the positions of the weight portions are opposite to each other in the width direction of the trough. The linear feeder according to claim 1, which is fixed to the section. The linear feeder according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the vibrators are arranged side by side along one or more directions selected from a longitudinal direction, a height direction, or a width direction of the trough. The movable part is configured by using a top plate and a bottom plate that are arranged at positions sandwiching the oscillator in the height direction, or configured by using a housing that accommodates the oscillator in an internal space. The linear feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The plate-like support spring is configured to be changeable between a vertical posture in which the height direction is aligned with the vertical direction and an inclined posture in which the vertical posture is inclined by a predetermined angle. Linear feeder described in.

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