JP6841648B2 - Counting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a counting device that counts the number of annular objects.

Conventionally, annular objects such as an endlessly formed annular transmission belt, O-ring, and rubber band have been used as parts of various products. In the production of the transmission belt, which is one of these annular products, for example, an unvulcanized belt sleeve formed by sequentially laminating necessary constituent materials on a cylindrical molding die is vulcanized. Then, an annular belt sleeve is formed. A plurality of transmission belts can be obtained by cutting the belt sleeves thus obtained at predetermined widths and separating them one by one. These plurality of transmission belts are counted for each predetermined number, and are tied together with a string or the like for each predetermined number. Counting of such transmission belts is performed manually, for example, by an operator.

In this regard, in the counting devices disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an annular object is counted by using a transmission type or reflection type counting sensor. As a result, counting of annular objects such as transmission belts can be performed without bothering the operator.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-18272 Jikkenhei 5-81130 Gazette

However, if a transmission type or reflection type counting sensor is used as in the counting devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, if annular objects overlap, accurate counting cannot be performed.

Further, in the counting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary for an operator to hang a large number of annular objects on a horizontal axis when performing the counting work. Further, for example, when a small-diameter cyclic object is counted as an annular object, these small-diameter cyclic objects are difficult to be suspended on the shaft, resulting in poor work efficiency.

Further, in the counting device disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to provide a belt transport device for aligning and transporting the annular objects, which increases the size of the equipment.

The present invention is for solving the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized counting device capable of accurately counting annular objects and reducing the labor of an operator.

(1) In order to solve the above problems, the counting device according to a certain aspect of the present invention is a counting device that counts the number of annular objects, and holds the annular objects that are sequentially conveyed to a predetermined first position. A drive holding unit for moving the held annular object to a second position different from the first position and then releasing the holding of the annular object is provided, and the drive holding unit is provided before holding the annular object. Routine operation from the state of being positioned at a predetermined position, holding the annular object at the first position and releasing the holding of the annular object at the second position in order, and returning to the predetermined position again. The annular material released from the holding by the drive holding unit is sequentially stored in the annular material accumulating unit, and the counting device includes the drive holding unit only once in each of the routine operations. It is further characterized by further including a counting unit that counts the number of times of the predetermined operation when the operation is performed as the number of the annular objects stored in the annular product accumulating unit.

In this configuration, the annular object conveyed to the predetermined first position is moved to the second position while being held by the drive holding unit. After that, when the drive holding unit releases the holding of the annular material, the annular material is accumulated in the annular material accumulating portion. The drive holding unit that has released the holding of the annular object moves to a predetermined position and waits at that position until the next annular object is held.

In this configuration, a plurality of cyclic objects that are sequentially conveyed to a predetermined first position are sequentially stored in the cyclic object storage unit by the drive holding unit that repeatedly performs the above-mentioned operation (routine operation).

Then, in this configuration, a predetermined operation included only once in the routine operation (for example, as an example, an operation in which the drive holding unit descends from the predetermined position to the first position in order to hold the annular object located at the first position. ) Is performed, the number of times of the predetermined operation is counted as the number of annular objects stored in the annular substance accumulating portion. This makes it possible to prevent counting errors due to overlapping of annular objects, which may occur when, for example, a transmission type or reflection type counting sensor is used to count the number of annular objects.

Further, in this configuration, unlike Patent Document 1 described above, it is not necessary for the operator to manually hang the annular object to be counted on the shaft, so that the operator's hands are not bothered.

Further, in this configuration, since a belt transfer device having a relatively large scale is not required, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the equipment.

Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to provide a miniaturized counting device capable of accurately counting annular objects and reducing the labor of an operator.

(2) Preferably, the drive holding unit is sequentially transported to the first position by a linear transport mechanism that transports a plurality of the annular objects arranged in a row along the row direction of the annular objects. It is configured to hold the ring-shaped object, move the held ring-shaped object to the second position, and then release the holding of the ring-shaped object.

In this configuration, the annular objects are sequentially transported to the first position along the row direction in a state of being aligned in a row by the linear transport mechanism. Then, the annular objects arranged in a row and sequentially transported to the first position are sequentially held by the drive holding unit. Therefore, the operation in which the drive holding unit sequentially holds the annular object at the first position can be performed more stably and smoothly.

(3) Preferably, the counting device is fixed to a bowl portion in which a plurality of the annular objects are housed and is formed so as to spiral upward from the bowl portion, and vibration is applied to the bowl portion. Further, the peripheral circuit further includes a peripheral circuit in which the plurality of the annular objects are sequentially conveyed to the linear transport mechanism, and the peripheral circuit is such that the plurality of the annular objects are conveyed to the linear transfer mechanism side along the peripheral circuit. It has a bottom portion on which the annular object is placed, and a side wall portion extending upward from the radial outer portion of the peripheral circuit in the bottom portion, and the bottom portion is in the radial direction of the peripheral circuit. It has an inclined portion that inclines diagonally downward toward the outside, and the side wall portion has a low wall portion that is formed in the inclined portion and has a height that is equal to or less than the thickness of the annular object.

In this configuration, when a plurality of annular objects housed in the bowl portion are conveyed to the linear transfer mechanism side via the peripheral circuit, even if the annular objects overlap in the vertical direction, the following In this way, the overlap can be eliminated. Specifically, in this configuration, when two annular objects overlapping in the vertical direction are conveyed to a portion of the peripheral circuit where the low wall portion is provided, the upper annular object presses the upper end of the low wall portion. Beyond that, it separates from the outside of the circuit and falls. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the two annular objects are transported to the linear transport mechanism in a state where the two annular objects are overlapped in the vertical direction, so that the drive holding unit holds the two annular objects at the same time. It is possible to prevent mistakes in counting things.

(4) More preferably, the bottom portion is formed in a flat shape.

In this configuration, since the annular object comes into contact with the bottom portion over the entire circumference, the vibration applied to the bowl portion can be effectively transmitted to the annular object.

(5) Preferably, when the counting device is conveyed to the linear transport mechanism side along the peripheral circuit, the annular object that is separated from the outer end of the peripheral circuit beyond the upper end of the low wall portion is said. It also has a collection path that guides it to the bowl.

In this configuration, the annular material once separated from the peripheral circuit can be returned to the bowl portion again, so that the operator does not have to manually return the separated annular material to the bowl portion. That is, according to this configuration, it is possible to provide a counting device that can reduce the labor of the operator.

(6) Preferably, the counting device is the annular material transported to the linear transport mechanism via the peripheral circuit, the annular material in a state of being overlapped on the other annular material, or at least. Further provided is a discharge mechanism for discharging the annular object, which is partially lifted from the bottom of the peripheral circuit, to the outside of the peripheral circuit.

In this configuration, the annular substance in a state of being overlapped on another annular object or the annular substance in a state of being inclined at an angle can be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a plurality of annular objects overlapping in the vertical direction are supplied to the linear transport mechanism, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent a counting error of the annular objects.

(7) More preferably, the discharge mechanism is provided at the peripheral circuit terminal portion, which is the end portion of the peripheral circuit on the linear transport mechanism side, and the peripheral circuit terminal portion of the peripheral circuit terminal portion is said. A detection unit for detecting an annular material to be discharged, which is an annular material passing through a portion having a thickness equal to or larger than the thickness of the annular material with reference to the bottom portion, and a detection unit provided at the end of the peripheral circuit and detected by the detection unit. It has an air ejection portion that ejects air toward the discharge target annular material and blows the discharge target annular material out of the peripheral circuit.

In this configuration, after the detection unit appropriately detects an annular substance (an annular substance to be discharged) that is overlapped with another annular object or is tilted in an oblique direction, the detected cyclic object to be discharged is detected. By blowing off the ring with air, the cyclic substance to be discharged can be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit. That is, according to this configuration, a relatively general-purpose configuration (for example, a detection sensor and a discharge mechanism) for detecting the ring-shaped object to be discharged and discharging the detected ring-shaped object to be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit is provided. It can be easily configured by using a compressed air ejection part).

(8) Preferably, when the number of counts in the counting unit reaches a predetermined number, the counting device vibrates to the bowl portion, transports the annular object by the linear transport mechanism, and drives the drive holding portion. It is further equipped with a control unit for stopping.

In this configuration, when the number of counts in the counting unit, that is, the number of annular objects stored in the annular product accumulating portion reaches a predetermined quantity, the operation of the device is stopped. Does not accumulate. Thereby, the annular products can be easily put together in a desired quantity.

(9) Preferably, the counting device is fixed to a bowl portion in which a plurality of the annular objects are housed and is formed so as to spiral upward from the bowl portion, and vibration is applied to the bowl portion. Further, the peripheral circuit further includes a peripheral circuit in which the plurality of the annular objects are sequentially conveyed to the first position, and the peripheral circuit is such that the plurality of the annular objects are conveyed to the first position side along the peripheral circuit. It has a bottom portion on which the annular object is placed, and a side wall portion extending upward from the radial outer portion of the peripheral circuit in the bottom portion, and the bottom portion is in the radial direction of the peripheral circuit. It has an inclined portion that inclines diagonally downward toward the outside, and the side wall portion has a low wall portion that is formed in the inclined portion and has a height that is equal to or less than the thickness of the annular object.

In this configuration, when a plurality of annular objects housed in the bowl portion are conveyed to the first position side via the peripheral circuit, even if the annular objects overlap in the vertical direction, the following In this way, the overlap can be eliminated. Specifically, in this configuration, when two annular objects overlapping in the vertical direction are conveyed to a portion of the peripheral circuit where the low wall portion is provided, the upper annular object presses the upper end of the low wall portion. Beyond that, it separates from the outside of the circuit and falls. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the two annular objects are transported to the first position in a state where the two annular objects are overlapped in the vertical direction, so that the drive holding unit holds the two annular objects at the same time. It is possible to prevent mistakes in counting things.

(10) More preferably, the bottom portion is formed in a flat shape.

In this configuration, since the annular object comes into contact with the bottom portion over the entire circumference, the vibration applied to the bowl portion can be effectively transmitted to the annular object.

(11) Preferably, when the counting device is conveyed to the first position side along the peripheral circuit, the annular object is separated from the outer side of the peripheral circuit beyond the upper end of the low wall portion. A collection path for guiding to the bowl portion is further provided.

In this configuration, the annular material once separated from the peripheral circuit can be returned to the bowl portion again, so that the operator does not have to manually return the separated annular material to the bowl portion. That is, according to this configuration, it is possible to provide a counting device that can reduce the labor of the operator.

(12) Preferably, the counting device is the annular object in a state of being superposed on the other annular object among the annular objects conveyed to the first position via the peripheral circuit, or at least. Further provided is a discharge mechanism for discharging the annular object, which is partially lifted from the bottom of the peripheral circuit, to the outside of the peripheral circuit.

In this configuration, the annular substance in a state of being overlapped on another annular object or the annular substance in a state of being inclined at an angle can be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a plurality of annular objects overlapping in the vertical direction are supplied to the first position, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent a counting error of the annular objects.

(13) More preferably, the discharge mechanism is provided at the peripheral circuit terminal portion which is the end portion on the first position side of the peripheral circuit, and the peripheral circuit terminal portion of the peripheral circuit terminal portion is said. A detection unit for detecting an annular material to be discharged, which is an annular material passing through a portion having a thickness equal to or larger than the thickness of the annular material with reference to the bottom portion, and a detection unit provided at the end of the peripheral circuit and detected by the detection unit. It has an air ejection portion that ejects air toward the discharge target annular material and blows the discharge target annular material out of the peripheral circuit.

In this configuration, after the detection unit appropriately detects an annular substance (an annular substance to be discharged) that is overlapped with another annular object or is tilted in an oblique direction, the detected cyclic object to be discharged is detected. By blowing off the ring with air, the cyclic substance to be discharged can be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit. That is, according to this configuration, a relatively general-purpose configuration (for example, a detection sensor and a discharge mechanism) for detecting the ring-shaped object to be discharged and discharging the detected ring-shaped object to be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit is provided. It can be easily configured by using a compressed air ejection part).

(14) Preferably, the counting device further includes a control unit that vibrates the bowl portion and stops driving the drive holding unit when the number of counts in the counting unit reaches a predetermined number. ..

In this configuration, when the number of counts in the counting unit, that is, the number of annular objects stored in the annular product accumulating portion reaches a predetermined quantity, the operation of the device is stopped. Does not accumulate. Thereby, the annular products can be easily put together in a desired quantity.

(8) Preferably, the counting device further includes a display unit that displays the quantity of the plurality of cyclic objects counted by the counting unit.

According to this configuration, the user can easily grasp the number of counts in the counting unit, that is, the number of annular objects stored in the annular product accumulating unit.

(9) Preferably, the drive holding portion is a chuck portion that sandwiches and holds the annular object.

In this configuration, the annular object can be easily held and released by sandwiching and releasing the annular object by the chuck portion.

(10) Preferably, the counting device further includes a collecting bar as the annular material accumulating portion, which is formed in a rod shape extending in the vertical direction and is arranged at the second position when viewed from above.

In this configuration, when the drive holding portion holding the annular portion releases the holding of the annular object at the second position, the annular object is passed through the recovery bar and stored in the recovery bar. As a result, the size of the annular material accumulating portion can be reduced in the horizontal direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a miniaturized counting device capable of accurately counting annular objects and reducing the labor of an operator.

It is a schematic diagram which looked at the counting device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention from the side. It is a perspective view which shows the vicinity of the peripheral circuit part and the recovery path part enlarged in the counting device shown in FIG. It is an enlarged perspective view which shows the vicinity of the peripheral circuit part and the recovery path part in the counting device shown in FIG. 1, and is the figure which shows the state which the work is being conveyed. It is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a low wall portion in a peripheral circuit, and is a diagram showing a state in which two workpieces W overlapping in the vertical direction pass through the portion. FIG. 3 is an arrow view of the peripheral circuit portion and the recovery path portion shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the direction of arrow V. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the discharge mechanism. It is a schematic diagram which looked at the linear transport mechanism from above. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen displayed on a display. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control part. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of a counting device. It is a flowchart for demonstrating each step included in step S10 shown in FIG. 10, and is the flowchart which shows from step S11 to step S14. It is a flowchart for demonstrating each step included in step S10 shown in FIG. 10, and is the flowchart which shows from step S15 to step S23. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of the work recovery mechanism, and is the figure which showed steps S13, S17A, and S17B by a straight line arrow. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of the work recovery mechanism, and is the figure which showed steps S18A and S18B by a straight line arrow. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of the work recovery mechanism, and is the figure which showed steps S21A and S21B by a straight line arrow. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of the work recovery mechanism, and is the figure which showed steps S22A and S22B by a straight line arrow. It is a schematic diagram which looked at the counting device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention from the side. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the peripheral circuit portion and the recovery path portion of the counting device shown in FIG. It is an enlarged perspective view which shows the vicinity of the peripheral circuit part and the recovery path part in the counting device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the first position of the counting device shown in FIG. 17 as viewed from above. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part of the counting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the counting apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be widely applied to a counting device for counting cyclic objects.

(First Embodiment)
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the counting device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side. The work W to be counted by the counting device 1 is, for example, an annular toothed belt. The work W is an endless annular material having a thickness h and formed with a relatively small diameter. Since the work W in FIG. 1 is viewed from the side, it is schematically shown in a horizontally long rectangular shape. Further, in the drawings in which the work W is shown among the drawings described below, the tooth portions formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the work W are omitted in order to avoid complicating the drawings. There is.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the counting device 1 collects the parts feeder 2, the peripheral circuit unit 10, the collection path unit 20, the discharge mechanism 25, the linear transfer mechanism 30, the work collection mechanism 40, and the collection device 1. It is provided with a bar 53 (annular material accumulating portion) and an operation panel 55.

[Parts feeder configuration]
The parts feeder 2 has a vibrating portion 3 and a bowl portion 4. In the parts feeder 2, each time the vibrating portion 3 vibrates in small steps, the bowl portion 4 is finely pushed up diagonally upward. As a result, vibration is transmitted to the plurality of work Ws housed in the bowl portion 4, and the work W is conveyed to the linear transfer mechanism 30 side along the spiral peripheral circuit 11 described in detail later.

[Circuit circuit configuration]
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the counting device 1 shown in FIG. 1 in the vicinity of the peripheral circuit portion 10 and the recovery path portion 20. Further, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the peripheral circuit portion 10 and the recovery path portion 20 of the counting device 1 shown in FIG. 1, and is a diagram showing a state in which the work W is being conveyed.

The peripheral circuit portion 10 is a portion fixed to the bowl portion 4 with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, and is provided as a portion constituting the peripheral circuit 11 spirally extending from the lower side to the upper side. ing. The work W thrown into the bowl portion 4 moves in the counterclockwise direction (in the direction of the broken line arrow in FIG. 2) when viewed from above along the circumferential circuit 11, and is conveyed to the linear transfer mechanism 30. The peripheral circuit portion 10 has a peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 (bottom portion) and a side wall portion 15, and these are integrally formed.

The peripheral circuit bottom 12 is provided as a portion on which the work W passing through the peripheral circuit 11 is placed. The peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 is provided with a start end portion in the bowl portion 4, while the end portion thereof communicates with the inflow end portion of the linear transport mechanism 30. The peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 is formed so as to extend spirally from the start end portion to the end portion. In FIGS. 2 and 3, each portion of the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 is indicated by reference numerals 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, and 12e in order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The peripheral circuit bottom 12 is formed so as to extend in the horizontal direction with the inclined portion 13 inclined obliquely downward in the radial direction (that is, not inclined in the vertical direction). It has a horizontal portion 14. The inclined portion 13 is a portion of the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 on the starting end side (that is, a portion on the bowl portion 4 side). The horizontal portion 14 is a portion of the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 on the terminal end side (that is, a portion on the linear transport mechanism 30 side). Both the inclined portion 13 and the horizontal portion 14 are formed in a flat shape. As a result, the annular end face on one side in the direction in which the central axis of the work W extends comes into contact with both the inclined portion 13 and the horizontal portion 14 as a whole, so that the vibration from the vibrating portion 3 is efficiently transferred to the work W. Can be told to.

The side wall portion 15 is a wall portion formed so as to extend upward from the radial outer edge portion of the inclined portion 13. In FIGS. 2 and 3, each portion of the side wall portion 15 is indicated by reference numerals 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d in order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The side wall portion 15 has a high wall portion 16 having a relatively high height and a low wall portion 17 having a height lower than that of the high wall portion 16.

The height of the high wall portion 16 is formed in a wall shape higher than the thickness h of the work W. As a result, it is possible to prevent the work W passing through the portion of the peripheral circuit 11 provided with the high wall portion 16 from getting over the high wall portion 16 and detaching from the peripheral circuit 11.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the low wall portion 17 in the peripheral circuit 11 and is a diagram showing a state in which two workpieces W overlapping in the vertical direction pass through the portion. The low wall portion 17 is formed so that its height ha is equal to or less than the thickness h of the work W. In the present embodiment, the height ha of the low wall portion 17 is set to about one-third of the thickness h of the work W. In this way, the lower work WL of the two work Ws overlapping in the vertical direction can be prevented from detaching to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11, and the upper work WU can be dropped to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11. .. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the vertical overlap of the work W passing through the peripheral circuit 11.

FIG. 5 is an arrow view of the peripheral circuit portion 10 and the recovery path portion 20 shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the direction of arrow V.

The recovery path portion 20 is formed on the outside of the peripheral circuit portion 10 with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, and is formed in an arc shape when viewed from above. The recovery path portion 20 is provided integrally with the peripheral circuit portion 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the recovery path portion 20 is provided as a portion extending in an arc shape on the outside of the peripheral circuit 11. Then, when the work W is transported to the linear transport mechanism 30 side along the peripheral circuit 11, the recovery path portion 20 crosses the upper end of the low wall portion 17 and separates the work W from the peripheral circuit 11 to the outside. It is provided as a portion constituting the collection path 21 that guides the bowl portion 4.

The recovery path portion 20 is for returning the work W to the bowl portion 4 again when the work W passing through the peripheral circuit 11 described above is separated from the peripheral circuit 11. The recovery path portion 20 has a receiving portion 22 and an outer peripheral wall portion 23, which are integrally formed.

The receiving portion 22 is a portion formed in an arc shape having a predetermined width in the radial direction when viewed from above. The receiving portion 22 extends in the counterclockwise direction from the portion of the peripheral circuit 11 near the low wall portion 17 to the vicinity of the middle portion of the horizontal portion 14 of the peripheral circuit 11. The receiving portion 22 is inclined downward from a portion on the outer side in the radial direction toward the inner side in the radial direction.

The outer peripheral wall portion 23 is formed so as to extend slightly upward from the peripheral edge portion on the outer side in the radial direction and the two peripheral edge portions extending along the radial direction in the peripheral edge portion of the receiving portion 22.

In the recovery path portion 20, the receiving portion 22 receives the work W that falls over the low wall portion 17 and the work W that falls downward when going from the inclined portion 13 of the peripheral circuit 11 toward the horizontal portion 14. After that, the work W received by the receiving portion 22 travels counterclockwise through the collecting path 21 by the collecting path portion 20 vibrating together with the peripheral circuit portion 10, and then passes through the opening 24 (see FIG. 5) in the bowl portion. Invade into 4. The opening 24 is formed in a portion of the side wall of the peripheral circuit portion 10 near the end portion of the recovery path portion 20. As a result, the work W that has advanced through the collection path 21 is collected in the bowl portion 4. Since the recovery path portion 20 is provided with the above-mentioned outer peripheral wall portion 23, it is possible to prevent the work W that has fallen on the receiving portion 22 from detaching to the outside of the recovery path portion 20.

[Discharge mechanism configuration]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the discharge mechanism 25. The discharge mechanism 25 has a sensor 26 (detection unit) for the work to be discharged and a compressed air ejection unit 27 (air ejection unit).

The discharge target work sensor 26 is composed of, for example, a non-contact transmission type laser sensor. The discharge target work sensor 26 has a light projecting unit 26a that irradiates the laser and a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives the laser from the light projecting unit 26a. The light projecting unit 26a and the light receiving unit are provided at the peripheral circuit end portion 11a, which is an end portion of the peripheral circuit 11 on the linear transport mechanism 30 side. The portion of the light projecting portion 26a to be irradiated with the laser is provided at a position where the laser is irradiated to a portion higher than the thickness of the work W when the upper surface of the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 is used as a reference in the height direction. In the case of the present embodiment, the portion of the light projecting unit 26a to be irradiated with the laser is provided at a position where the laser is irradiated to the upper portion of the work WU (work Wa to be discharged) that overlaps the upper side of the other work WL. When the discharge target work sensor 26 detects the discharge target work Wa, it notifies the discharge target work detection signal Sa, which is a signal for notifying the fact, to the control unit 60 described later. In this way, the discharge target work sensor 26 is a work W that passes through a portion of the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a that is thicker than or equal to the thickness of the work W with respect to the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 of the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a. It is configured to detect a certain discharge target work Wa (discharge target ring).

The compressed air ejection unit 27 is configured to eject compressed air. The compressed air ejection portion 27 has a metal pipe 27a in which the compressed air that has passed through the inside of the compressed air ejection portion 27 is ejected from the tip portion.

In the discharge mechanism 25, when the discharge target work sensor 26 transmits the detection signal Sa to the control unit 60, the control unit 60 notifies the compressed air ejection unit 27 of a command signal Sb to eject compressed air. The compressed air ejection unit 27 that receives the command signal Sb momentarily ejects the compressed air, so that the work Wa to be discharged is blown out of the peripheral circuit 11. As a result, the work Wa to be discharged slides down along the downwardly inclined tilt guide 5 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) provided outside the peripheral circuit end portion 11a, and is collected in the discharge work container 6. Will be done. Note that, in FIGS. 2 and 3, only a part of the tilt guide 5 and the discharge work container 6 is shown.

[Structure of linear transport mechanism]
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the linear transport mechanism 30 as viewed from above. The linear transport mechanism 30 is for transporting the work W conveyed from the peripheral circuit 11 to the first position P1 which is the position where the work W is picked up by the chuck portion 41. The linear transport mechanism 30 has a linear portion 31, a vibrating portion 32 (see FIG. 1), a fixed wall portion 33, a movable wall portion 34, and a throttle portion 35.

The straight line portion 31 is a flat portion extending in the horizontal direction, and is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The rear portion of the straight portion 31 is provided as an inflow end portion of the linear transport mechanism 30, and the front portion of the straight portion 31 is provided as an outflow end portion of the linear transport mechanism 30. At the linear portion end portion 31a (outflow end portion), which is the front end portion of the straight portion 31, a collection target work sensor 37 that detects the work W at the first position P1 attaches a mounting member (not shown). It is attached to the fixed wall portion 33 via.

The collection target work sensor 37 is a sensor for detecting the work W transported to the first position P1 of the straight line portion 31 by the linear transfer mechanism 30 as the collection target work Wb. The collection target work sensor 37 is composed of a non-contact transmission type laser sensor as in the case of the discharge target work sensor 26. The work sensor 37 to be collected has a light projecting unit 37a that irradiates the laser and a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives the laser from the light projecting unit 37a. As described above, the light projecting unit 37a and the light receiving unit are provided at the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a, which is the end portion of the straight line portion. When the collection target work sensor 37 detects the collection target work Wb, the collection target work detection signal Sc, which is a signal for notifying the fact, is notified to the control unit 60.

The vibrating portion 32 (see FIG. 1, not shown in FIG. 7) is for transporting the work W supplied from the peripheral circuit 11 forward. In the linear transport mechanism 30, the vibrating portion 32 vibrates in small steps, and the vibration is transmitted to the straight portion 31 to cause the straight portion 31 to vibrate finely, so that the work W on the straight portion 31 is conveyed forward. The compressed air ejected from the work transporting air ejection portion 38 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is sprayed onto the rear side of the work W that advances forward on the straight portion 31. As a result, even if a desired transport speed cannot be obtained simply by changing the setting of the vibrating portion 32 (for example, the frequency of the vibrating portion 32), the transport speed of the work W can be increased.

With reference to FIG. 7, fixed wall portions 33 and movable wall portions 34 are provided on both ends of the straight line portion 31 in the width direction. The fixed wall portion 33 is a wall portion fixed to an edge portion on one side in the width direction of the straight line portion 31. The movable wall portion 34 is provided on the edge portion on the other end side of the straight portion 31 in the width direction and is configured to be displaceable along the width direction of the straight portion 31. In the linear transport mechanism 30, the movable wall portion 34 can be displaced along the width direction of the straight portion 31 by rotating the adjusting screw 39. Thereby, the width between the two wall portions 33 and 34 can be adjusted. The width between the two wall portions 33, 34 is adjusted so as to be substantially the same as the diameter of the work W. As a result, the work W traveling forward on the straight line portion 31 is aligned in a row and is conveyed to the first position P1 while being guided by the fixed wall portion 33 and the movable wall portion 34.

The diaphragm portion 35 is composed of a pair of diaphragm wall portions 36, 36. Each of the diaphragm wall portions 36, 36 has an attachment portion 36a, which is a portion to be attached to the wall portions 33, 34, and a bent portion 36b, which is bent inward, and these are integrally formed. Each bent portion 36b extends so as to approach the bent portion 36b on the other side. In the linear transport mechanism 30, the front portion of the work W that has advanced forward through the straight portion 31 comes into contact with the bent portion 36b of the throttle wall portion 36, so that the work W advances further forward from the first position P1 and falls. Stand by at the first position P1 without doing anything.

[Structure of work collection mechanism]
The work recovery mechanism 40 is a mechanism for sequentially collecting the work W transported to the first position P1 in the linear transport mechanism 30. The work recovery mechanism 40 has a chuck portion 41 (drive holding portion) and a chuck portion drive mechanism 45 with reference to FIG.

The chuck portion 41 has a main body portion 42 and a pair of claw portions 43. The chuck portion 41 is configured so that the work W can be sandwiched and held by the pair of claw portions 43, and the holding of the work W can be released so that the work W can be released. The main body portion 42 is a block-shaped portion, and can move in the vertical direction with respect to the first base portion 46, which will be described in detail later, using compressed air as a power source. The pair of claw portions 43 are provided side by side in the front-rear direction, and are close to each other or separated from each other by using compressed air as a power source.

The chuck portion drive mechanism 45 includes a first base portion 46 and a first cylinder 47, and a second base portion 48 and a second cylinder 49. The first base portion 46 is a base portion to which the first cylinder 47 is fixed, and is provided so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the second base portion 48. The second base portion 48 is a base portion to which the second cylinder 49 is fixed, and is fixed to a strut portion 51 extending upward from the base portion 50. In the chuck portion drive mechanism 45, the rod portion 47a of the first cylinder 47 moves up and down along the vertical direction by compressed air, so that the chuck portion 41 fixed to the tip side of the rod portion 47a moves up and down. Further, in the chuck portion drive mechanism 45, the rod portion 49a of the second cylinder 49 moves back and forth along the front-rear direction due to the compressed air, so that the chuck portion 41 moves in the front-rear direction together with the first base portion 46.

The recovery bar 53 is formed in a rod shape extending upward from the base portion 50. The recovery bar 53 is arranged so as to overlap the second position, which will be described in detail later, when viewed from above. In the collection bar 53, the work Ws sequentially collected by the chuck portion drive mechanism 45 are passed through the collection bar 53, so that the work Ws are sequentially stacked and accumulated.

A sensor 44 for detecting a failure to grip is provided near the upper end of the recovery bar 53 with reference to FIG. The grip failure detection sensor 44 is a sensor for detecting that the chuck portion 41 fails to grip the work W. The gripping failure sensor 44 is fixed to the support column 51 by the attachment member 51a attached to the support column 51 with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a reflection type laser sensor is used as the sensor 44 for detecting the failure to grip. The sensor 44 for detecting failure to grip is a support column so that the irradiated laser hits the side surface of the work W gripped by the chuck portion 41 that has moved to a position slightly above the recovery bar 53 (hereinafter referred to as the second position P3). It is fixed to the portion 51.

When the grip failure detection sensor 44 detects that the work W is not gripped by the chuck unit 41 that has moved to the second position P3, the control unit 60 sends a grip failure detection signal Sg, which is a signal for notifying that fact. Notify to. For example, if the work W is detected when the chuck portion 41 moves to the second position P3 (that is, if the chuck portion 41 moved to the second position P3 grips the work W), the work W cannot be grasped. The detection sensor 44 does not notify the control unit 60 of the failure-to-grasp detection signal Sg. On the other hand, if the work W is not detected when the chuck portion 41 moves to the second position P3 (that is, if the chuck portion 41 moved to the second position P3 does not grip the work W), it is for detecting the failure to grip. The sensor 44 notifies the control unit 60 of the failure-to-grasp detection signal Sg.

The work recovery mechanism 40 operates as follows, although the details will be described later. Specifically, when the collection target work Wb is detected in a state where the chuck unit 41 is located above the first position P1, the control unit 60 sends a command signal Sd to collect the collection target work Wb. Notify the recovery mechanism 40. The position of the chuck portion 41 here is hereinafter referred to as a standby position (predetermined position).

The work recovery mechanism 40 receives the command signal Sd and drives as follows. Specifically, in the work recovery mechanism 40, after the chuck portion 41 is driven by the chuck portion drive mechanism 45 and descends, the work Wb to be recovered is sandwiched and held. Then, the chuck portion 41 moves to the second position P3 and releases the work W to release the holding of the work W. As a result, the work W falls downward and is collected by the collection bar 53. After that, the chuck portion 41 returns to the standby position again and stands by at that position.

Then, when the chuck unit 41 descends to hold the work Wb to be collected, the work collecting mechanism 40 notifies the control unit 60 of the chuck unit lowering signal Se. The chuck portion descending signal Se is used as a counting signal for counting the number of works W collected in the collection bar 53.

[Operation panel configuration]
The operation panel 55 includes a box unit 56, a display 57 (display unit), and a control unit 60 with reference to FIG. The box portion 56 is a portion formed in a box shape by a metal member, and forms the outer shape of the operation panel 55. The operation panel 55 is fixed to the support column 58. The operation panel 55 is provided with an emergency stop button 59. When the emergency stop button 59 is pressed, the operation of the counting device 1 is immediately stopped.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display 57. The display 57 displays a numerical value 57a indicating the current number, a numerical value 57b indicating the set number, and a numerical value 57c indicating the remaining number. The current number is the number of work Ws counted at that time. The set number is the number of work W set by the user, and is the number of work W collected by the collection bar 53. When the number of counts of the work W by the counting device 1 reaches the set number, the operation of the counting device 1 is stopped, as will be described in detail later. The remaining number is a value indicating how many remaining works W should be collected to reach the set number of works W collected in the work W.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 60. The control unit 60 is composed of a CPU, a memory, and the like. The control unit 60 includes a device operation control unit 61, a work recovery mechanism control unit 62, and an air ejection unit control mechanism 63.

The device operation control unit 61 is a control unit for switching between driving and stopping of the counting device 1. Specifically, when the counting device 1 is activated, the device operation control unit 61 includes the vibration unit 3 of the parts feeder 2, the discharge target work sensor 26, the vibration unit 32 of the linear transfer mechanism 30, and the recovery target work sensor. 37, the failure-to-grasp detection sensor 44, and the work recovery mechanism 40 are notified of the on signal. As a result, the vibrating units 3, 32, the sensors 26, 37, 44, and the work recovery mechanism 40 are turned on, and the counting device 1 operates.

The device operation control unit 61 has a counting unit 61a. The counting unit 61a counts the number of times the chuck unit descending signal Se, which is sequentially notified from the work collecting mechanism 40, is notified, and stores the count number. Specifically, the count unit 61a stores 0 as the initial value of the count number. Then, each time the chuck unit descending signal Se is notified, the count unit 61a adds 1 to the count number stored at that time, replaces the value with the count number stored up to that point, and stores the value. .. The counting unit 61a displays the number of counts stored at that time on the display 57 as the current number.

When the number of counts by the counting unit 61a reaches the set number preset by the user, the device operation control unit 61 includes the vibrating unit 3 of the parts feeder 2, the discharge target work sensor 26, and the vibrating unit 32 of the linear transfer mechanism 30. , The work sensor 37 to be collected, and the work collection mechanism 40 are notified of the off signal Sf, which is a signal for stopping each of them. The vibrating units 3, 32 and the sensors 26, 37 are turned off in response to the off signal Sf. Further, the work recovery mechanism 40 stops after the chuck portion 41 moves to the standby position after receiving the off signal Sf.

Further, when the device operation control unit 61 receives the notification of the grip failure detection signal Sg, the device operation control unit 61 notifies the vibration units 3, 32, the sensors 26, 37, and the work recovery mechanism 40 of the off signal. As a result, the vibrating units 3, 32, the sensors 26, 37, and the work recovery mechanism 40 are stopped, and the operation of the counting device 1 is immediately stopped.

The work recovery mechanism control unit 62 is a control unit for operating the work recovery mechanism 40. Specifically, the work recovery mechanism control unit 62 is a control unit for causing the chuck unit 41 to perform a predetermined operation.

When the work recovery mechanism control unit 62 is notified of the recovery target work detection signal Sc, the work recovery mechanism control unit 62 notifies the work recovery mechanism 40 of the command signal Sd. When the work recovery mechanism 40 receives this command signal Sd, the chuck portion 41 is driven by the chuck portion drive mechanism 45 to hold the work Wb to be collected, release the holding of the work Wb to be collected above the collection bar 53, and release the holding of the work Wb to be collected. Routine operation, which is a series of operations up to and movement to the standby position, is performed.

The air ejection unit control mechanism 63 is a control unit for ejecting compressed air from the compressed air ejection unit 27. Specifically, when the air ejection unit control mechanism 63 receives the notification of the discharge target work detection signal Sa, the air ejection unit control mechanism 63 notifies the compressed air ejection unit 27 of the command signal Sb. Upon receiving this notification, the compressed air ejection unit 27 instantaneously ejects compressed air. As a result, the discharge target work Wa in a state of being overlapped on the other work W, or the discharge target work Wa in which at least a part of the work is raised from the bottom 12 of the peripheral circuit is blown out of the peripheral circuit 11 and the discharge work is discharged. It can be collected in the container 6.

[Operation of counting device]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the counting device 1. Further, FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining each step included in step S10 shown in FIG. 10, and is a flowchart showing steps S11 to S14. Further, FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining each step included in step S10 shown in FIG. 10, and is a flowchart showing steps S15 to S23. 13 to 16 are schematic views for explaining the operation of the work recovery mechanism 40. Specifically, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing steps S13, S17A, and S17B with straight arrows, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing steps S18A and S18B with straight arrows, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing steps S21A. And S21B are shown by straight arrows, and FIG. 16 is a view showing steps S22A and S22B by straight arrows. Hereinafter, the operation of the counting device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 16.

In the counting device 1, the work W is first thrown into the bowl portion 4 (step S1), and then the counting device 1 is started (step S2). When the counting device 1 is activated, the work W is sequentially conveyed by driving the vibrating portion 3 of the parts feeder 2 and the vibrating portion 32 of the linear transfer mechanism 30 (step S3). The work W is replenished to the bowl portion 4 as appropriate by the operator. After starting the counting device 1, the work W may be thrown into the bowl portion 4.

Next, in step S4, the work Wa to be discharged is discharged. Specifically, with reference to FIG. 6, a work WU resting on another work WL, or a work W in which at least a part of the work W is raised from the bottom 12 of the peripheral circuit, although not shown, is shown. , It is detected as the discharge target work Wa by the discharge target work sensor 26. Then, in step S4, the compressed air ejection unit 27 blows the compressed air onto the detected work Wa to be discharged. As a result, the work Wa to be discharged is blown out of the peripheral circuit 11 and collected in the discharge work container 6.

On the other hand, in parallel with step S4, in step S10, the work W to be sequentially conveyed by the parts feeder 2 and the linear transfer mechanism 30 is collected and counted.

In the state after the counting device 1 is started and before the first work W is collected, the chuck portion 41 is located at the standby position P2 with reference to FIG. 13 (step S11). In this state, when the work Wb to be collected is detected (Yes in step S12), the rod portion 47a of the first cylinder 47 advances downward. As a result, the chuck portion 41 descends to the first position P1 (step S13). If the work Wb to be collected is not detected (No in step S12), the chuck unit 41 waits at the standby position P2 until the work Wb to be collected is detected.

When the chuck portion 41 is lowered in step S13, the work collecting mechanism 40 outputs the chuck portion lowering signal Se to the counting unit 61a. The counting unit 61a adds 1 to the count number stored at that time, and stores the value as the latest count number (step S14).

Next, in step S15, it is determined whether or not the number of counts stored in the counting unit 61a has reached the set number.

[When the number of counts has not reached the specified number]
When the number of counts has not reached the set number (No in step S15), the chuck portion 41 holds the work Wb to be collected sandwiched between the pair of claw portions 43 with reference to FIG. 14 (step S17A). After that, the rod portion 49a retracts to the second cylinder 49 side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, the chuck portion 41 moves to the second position P3 while holding the work W (step S18A).

Next, in step S19A, the failure to grip the work W by the chuck portion 41 is detected by the sensor 44 for detecting the failure to grip.

When the failure to grip the work by the chuck portion 41 is not detected in step S19A (No in step S19A), as shown in FIG. 16, the pair of claw portions 43 move in the directions away from each other, so that the chuck portion 41 causes the chuck portion 41 to move. The holding of the work W is released (step S21A). As a result, the work W is collected in the collection bar 53. After that, the rod portion 47a retracts to the first cylinder 47 side, and the rod portion 49a advances from the second cylinder 49. As a result, the chuck portion 41 returns to the standby position P2 again (step S22A) and stands by at that position (step S11).

On the other hand, when a failure to grip the work W is detected in step S19A (Yes in step S19A), the vibrating portions 3, 32, the sensors 26, 37, 44, and the work recovery mechanism 40 are turned off (step S20). , The operation of the measuring device 1 is stopped.

[When the number of counts reaches the specified number]
When the number of counts reaches the set number (Yes in step S15), the vibrating units 3, 32 and the sensors 26, 37 are turned off (step S16). After that, after steps S17B and S18B are performed (that is, after the chuck portion 41 holding the work W moves to the second position P3), in step S19B, a failure to grip the work W by the chuck portion 41 is detected. To.

When the failure to grip the work by the chuck portion 41 is not detected (No in step S19B), the chuck portion 41 releases the holding of the work W (step S21B), and the chuck portion 41 is moved to the standby position (step S22B). After that, the work collecting mechanism 40 is turned off (step S23), and the operation of the measuring device 1 is stopped.

On the other hand, when a failure to grip the work W is detected in step S19B (Yes in step S19B), the work recovery mechanism 40 is turned off (step S23), and the operation of the measuring device 1 is stopped.

[effect]
As described above, in the counting device 1, the work W transported to the first position P1 by the linear transfer mechanism 30 is moved to the second position P3 while being held by the chuck portion 41. After that, the chuck portion 41 releases the holding of the work W, so that the work W is accumulated in the collection bar 53. The chuck portion 41 that has released the holding of the work W moves to the standby position P2 and waits at the standby position P2 until the next work W is held.

Then, in the counting device 1, a plurality of work Ws sequentially conveyed to the first position P1 by the linear transfer mechanism 30 are sequentially transferred to the collection bar 53 by the chuck portion 41 that repeats the above-mentioned operation (routine operation). It can be stored.

Then, in the counting device 1, the predetermined operation included only once in the routine operation (in the case of the present embodiment, the operation in which the chuck portion 41 descends from the standby position P2 to the first position P1) is performed. The number of operations is counted as the quantity of the work W stored in the collection bar 53. In this way, it is possible to prevent a counting error due to the overlap of the works W, which may occur when a transmission type or a reflection type counting sensor is used to count the quantity of the works W, for example.

Further, in the counting device 1, unlike the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is not necessary for the operator to manually hang the work W to be counted on the shaft, so that the operator's hands are not bothered.

Further, since the counting device 1 does not require a belt transfer device having a relatively large scale, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the equipment.

Therefore, according to the counting device 1, it is possible to provide a miniaturized counting device capable of accurately counting the work W and reducing the labor of the operator.

Further, in the counting device 1, when a plurality of work Ws housed in the bowl portion 4 are conveyed to the linear transfer mechanism 30 side via the peripheral circuit 11, the work Ws overlap in the vertical direction. Even if there is, the overlap can be eliminated as follows. Specifically, in the counting device 1, when the two workpieces W overlapping in the vertical direction are conveyed to the portion of the peripheral circuit 11 where the low wall portion 17 is provided, referring to FIG. The work WU is separated from the outer side of the peripheral circuit 11 beyond the upper end of the low wall portion 17 and falls. As a result, the possibility that the two work Ws are transported to the linear transport mechanism 30 in a state of being overlapped in the vertical direction can be reduced, which is caused by the chuck portion 41 holding the two work Ws at the same time. It is possible to prevent a counting error of the work W.

Further, in the counting device 1, the peripheral circuit bottom 12 is formed in a planar shape. By doing so, since the work W comes into contact with the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12 over the entire circumference, the vibration applied to the bowl portion 4 can be effectively transmitted to the work W.

Further, in the counting device 1, the work W once separated from the peripheral circuit 11 can be returned to the bowl portion 4 again by the collection path 21, so that the operator manually removes the separated work W from the bowl portion 4 No need to go back to. That is, according to the counting device 1, it is possible to provide a counting device that can reduce the labor of the operator.

Further, in the counting device 1, the discharge mechanism 25 discharges the work W in the state of being overlapped on the other work W or the work W in the state of being tilted at an angle (the work W to be discharged) to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11. can do. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a plurality of work Ws in a state of being overlapped in the vertical direction are supplied to the linear transport mechanism 30, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent a counting error of the work Ws.

Further, in the counting device 1, after the work W (discharge target work Wa) that is overlapped with another work W or is tilted in an oblique direction is appropriately detected by the discharge target work sensor 26. By blowing off the detected work Wa to be discharged with compressed air, the work Wa to be discharged can be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11. That is, according to the counting device 1, the discharge mechanism 25 for detecting the work Wa to be discharged and discharging the detected work Wa to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11 has a relatively general-purpose configuration (this implementation). In the case of the form, it can be easily configured by using a non-contact transmission type laser sensor and a compressed air ejection part).

Further, in the counting device 1, when the number of counts in the counting unit 61a, that is, the number of works W stored in the collection bar 53 reaches the set number, the operation of the device is stopped, so that the number of works in the collection bar 53 or more is set. W does not accumulate. Thereby, the work W can be easily put together for each desired number.

Further, in the counting device 1, the user can easily grasp the number of counts in the counting unit 61a, that is, the number of works W stored in the collection bar 53 by looking at the display 57.

Further, in the counting device 1, the work W can be easily held and released by sandwiching and releasing the work W by the chuck portion 41.

Further, in the counting device 1, when the chuck portion holding the work W releases the holding of the work W at the second position P3, the work W as the annular material accumulating portion is passed through the recovery bar 53 and the recovery bar 53 is passed. It is stored in. As a result, the size of the annular material accumulating portion can be reduced in the horizontal direction.

By the way, when the work W is counted by the counting device, if the chuck portion 41 fails to grasp the work W even once, between the counting result by the counting device and the quantity of the work W collected in the collection bar 53. There is a difference. Specifically, if the chuck portion 41 fails to grasp the work W, the work W is not collected even though the quantity of the work W is counted, so that the count number is larger than the quantity of the work W. It will increase.

Regarding this point, in the counting device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the chuck portion 41 moved to the second position P3 does not grip the work W (that is, when the chuck portion 41 fails to grip the work W). The operation of the counting device 1 is immediately stopped. In other words, the operation of the counting device 1 is continued on condition that the chuck portion 41 moved to the second position P3 is gripping the work W. As a result, it is possible to appropriately prevent a counting error of the work W due to a failure to grasp.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the counting device 70 according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side. The work W to be counted by the counting device 70 is configured in the same manner as the work W to be counted by the counting device 1 of the first embodiment, and for example, an annular toothed belt is used. The work W is an endless annular material having a thickness h and formed with a relatively small diameter. Since the work W in FIG. 17 is viewed from the side, it is schematically shown in a horizontally long rectangular shape. Further, in the drawings in which the work W is shown among the drawings described below, the tooth portions formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the work W are omitted in order to avoid complicating the drawings. There is.

The counting device 70 includes a parts feeder 2, a peripheral circuit section 10, a recovery path section 20, a discharge mechanism 25, a work receiving section 71, a work recovery mechanism 40, a recovery bar 53 (annular material storage section), and a collection bar 53 (annular material storage section). It is equipped with an operation panel 55. FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the counting device 70 shown in FIG. 17 in the vicinity of the peripheral circuit portion 10 and the recovery path portion 20. Further, FIG. 19 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the peripheral circuit portion 10 and the recovery path portion 20 of the counting device 70 shown in FIG. 17, and is a diagram showing a state in which the work W is being conveyed.

The counting device 70 is configured in the same manner as the counting device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the counting device 70 is different from the counting device 1 of the first embodiment in that it does not include the linear transfer mechanism 30 and includes the work receiving unit 71. In the following description of the second embodiment, the elements configured in the same manner as those of the first embodiment are described by adding the same reference numerals in the drawings or by quoting the same reference numerals. , Omit duplicate description.

The parts feeder 2, the peripheral circuit section 10, the recovery path section 20, the discharge mechanism 25, the work recovery mechanism 40, the recovery bar 53, and the operation panel 55 of the counting device 70 are the parts feeders of the counting device 1 of the first embodiment, respectively. 2. It is configured in the same manner as the peripheral circuit section 10, the recovery path section 20, the discharge mechanism 25, the work recovery mechanism 40, the recovery bar 53, and the operation panel 55. Therefore, as in the counting device 1 of the first embodiment, the counting device 70 includes a peripheral circuit 11, a recovery path 21, a sensor 26 for the work to be discharged (detection unit), a compressed air ejection unit 27 (air ejection unit), and the counting device 70. It includes a chuck unit 41 (drive holding unit), a counting unit 61a, a display 57 (display unit), and a control unit 60.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the first position P1 of the counting device 70 shown in FIG. 17 as viewed from above, and is a diagram showing a work receiving unit 71. The work receiving unit 71 is provided as a portion for receiving the work W conveyed from the peripheral circuit 11. Therefore, in the peripheral circuit 11 of the counting device 70, the peripheral circuit end portion 11a is configured as an end portion on the work receiving portion 71 side. The work receiving unit 71 is set with a first position P1 which is a position where the work W is picked up and held by the chuck unit 41.

The work receiving unit 71 is installed with respect to the peripheral circuit 11 in a state of being arranged in a region near the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a. The work receiving portion 71 includes a receiving surface portion 72, a fixed wall portion 33, a movable wall portion 34, a drawing portion 35, a work sensor 37 to be collected, and an adjusting screw 39.

The receiving surface portion 72 of the work receiving portion 71 is provided as a planar portion extending in the horizontal direction, and is arranged adjacent to the peripheral circuit end portion 11a of the peripheral circuit 11. The work W conveyed from the peripheral circuit 11 is sent out from the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a and received by the receiving surface portion 72. The work W, which is conveyed by the peripheral circuit 11, is sent out from the peripheral circuit end portion 11a, and is received by the receiving surface portion 72, comes into contact with the pair of diaphragm wall portions 36, 36 of the diaphragm portion 35. As a result, the work W does not fall further forward from the first position P1 which is a region above and near the receiving surface portion 72 and is formed as a region between the pair of diaphragm wall portions 36, 36. It stands by at the first position P1. The work W waiting at the first position P1 is picked up and held by the chuck portion 41.

The fixed wall portion 33 and the movable wall portion 34 of the work receiving portion 71 are provided as wall portions extending in parallel with each other along the front-rear direction of the work receiving portion 71, which is the direction in which the work W is sent out from the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a. There is. The fixed wall portion 33 is provided as a wall portion fixed to an edge portion on one side in the width direction of the work receiving portion 71. The width direction of the work receiving unit 71 is configured as a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the work receiving unit 71 in the horizontal direction. The movable wall portion 34 is provided on the other side of the work receiving portion 71 in the width direction, and is configured to be displaceable along the width direction of the work receiving portion 71. In the work receiving portion 71, the movable wall portion 34 can be displaced along the width direction of the work receiving portion 71 by rotating the adjusting screw 39. Thereby, the width between the two wall portions 33 and 34 can be adjusted. The width between the two wall portions 33, 34 is adjusted to be substantially the same as the diameter of the work W, for example.

The drawing portion 35 of the work receiving portion 71, the sensor 37 for the work to be collected, and the adjusting screw 39 are the drawing portion 35 of the linear transfer mechanism 30 of the counting device 1 of the first embodiment, the sensor 37 for the work to be collected, and the adjusting screw 39. It is configured in the same way. The work receiving unit 71 is not provided with the vibrating unit 32 of the linear transfer mechanism 30 of the counting device 1 of the first embodiment and the work transfer air ejection unit 38.

As described above, the work receiving portion 71 is provided as a portion for receiving the work W conveyed from the peripheral circuit 11, and the first position P1 in which the work W is held by the chuck portion 41 is set. Therefore, the peripheral circuit 11, the recovery path 21, the discharge mechanism 25, and the chuck portion 41 of the counting device 70 are configured as follows.

The peripheral circuit 11 of the counting device 70 is fixed to the bowl portion 4 in which a plurality of work Ws are housed and is formed so as to spiral upward from the bowl portion 4, and vibration is applied to the bowl portion 4. A plurality of work Ws are configured to be sequentially conveyed to the first position P1. Then, the recovery path 21 of the counting device 70 bowls the work W that has separated from the upper end of the low wall portion 17 to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11 when being conveyed to the first position P1 side along the peripheral circuit 11. It is configured to guide to the part 4.

Further, in the discharge mechanism 25 of the counting device 70, among the work W conveyed to the first position P1 via the peripheral circuit 11, the work W in a state of being overlapped on the other work W, or at least a part thereof. The work W, which is in a state of being lifted from the peripheral circuit bottom 12 of the peripheral circuit 11, is configured to be discharged to the outside of the peripheral circuit 11. Then, the discharge target work sensor 26 of the discharge mechanism 25 of the counting device 70 is provided at the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a, which is the end portion of the peripheral circuit 11 on the first position P1 side, and is of the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a. It is configured to detect the discharge target work Wa (discharge target annular object) which is the work W passing through the portion of the peripheral circuit terminal portion 11a having a thickness equal to or larger than the thickness of the work W with reference to the peripheral circuit bottom portion 12.

Further, the chuck portion 41 (drive holding portion) of the counting device 70 holds the work W that is sequentially conveyed to the first position P1 set in the work receiving unit 71, and the held work W is referred to as the first position P1. It is configured to release the holding of the work W after moving to a different second position P3. Also in the counting device 70, the second position P3 is set to the same position as the second position P3 of the counting device 1 of the first embodiment. That is, also in the counting device 70, the second position P3 is set as a position slightly above the collection bar 53.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 60 of the counting device 70. The control unit 60 of the counting device 70 is configured in the same manner as the control unit 60 of the counting device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the counting device 70 is not provided with the linear transfer mechanism 30 and is not provided with the vibrating unit 32. Therefore, the device operation control unit 61 of the control unit 60 of the counting device 70 does not control the drive and stop of the vibration unit 32 of the linear transfer mechanism 30, and the control unit 60 of the counting device 1 of the first embodiment. It is different from the device operation control unit 61 of. The control unit 60 of the counting device 70 is configured to stop the vibration to the bowl unit 4 and the driving of the chuck unit 41 when the number of counts in the counting unit 61a reaches a predetermined number.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the operation of the counting device 70. The counting device 70 operates in the same manner as the counting device 1 of the first embodiment. However, as described above, the counting device 70 is provided with the work receiving unit 71, and is not provided with the linear transfer mechanism 30. Therefore, in the counting device 70, when the counting device 70 is activated (step S2), the vibrating portion 3 of the parts feeder 2 is driven, so that the work W is sequentially conveyed to the predetermined first position P1. (Step S3). Then, the counting device 70 also collects and counts the conveyed work W in the same manner as the counting device 1 of the first embodiment (step S10).

The counting device 70 described above can exert the same effects as the counting device 1 of the first embodiment. More specifically, in the counting device 70, the work W conveyed to the first position P1 by the peripheral circuit 11 is moved to the second position P3 while being held by the chuck portion 41. After that, the chuck portion 41 releases the holding of the work W, so that the work W is accumulated in the collection bar 53. The chuck portion 41 that has released the holding of the work W moves to the standby position P2 and waits at the standby position P2 until the next work W is held.

Then, in the counting device 70, a plurality of work Ws sequentially conveyed to the first position P1 by the peripheral circuit 11 are sequentially stored in the collection bar 53 by the chuck portion 41 that repeats the above-mentioned operation (routine operation). Be done.

Then, in the counting device 70, the number of times of the predetermined operation when the predetermined operation (for example, the operation in which the chuck portion 41 descends from the standby position P2 to the first position P1) included only once in the routine operation is performed. , It is counted as the quantity of the work W stored in the collection bar 53. In this way, it is possible to prevent a counting error due to the overlap of the works W, which may occur when a transmission type or a reflection type counting sensor is used to count the quantity of the works W, for example.

Further, in the counting device 70, unlike the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is not necessary for the operator to manually hang the work W to be counted on the shaft, so that the operator's hands are not bothered.

Further, since the counting device 70 does not require a belt transfer device having a relatively large scale, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the equipment.

Therefore, according to the counting device 70, it is possible to provide a miniaturized counting device capable of accurately counting the work W and reducing the labor of the operator.

According to the counting device 70, unlike the counting device 1 of the first embodiment, the linear transfer mechanism 30 is not provided, and the work transfer air ejection portion 38 is not provided either. Therefore, according to the counting device 70, when there is an error in setting the pressure or the flow rate of the compressed air ejected from the work conveying air ejection portion 38, the workpieces W are overlapped on the linear conveying mechanism 30. It is also possible to prevent such a situation from occurring. Further, according to the counting device 70, since the work W does not overlap with each other due to an error in setting the pressure or the flow rate of the compressed air of the work transport air ejection portion 38, the belt width dimension (ring of the work W which is an annular material) It is also possible to count the work W having a smaller axial dimension) and a lighter weight. Therefore, according to the counting device 70, the size range of the work W to be counted can be expanded as compared with the counting device 1, and more types of work W can be counted. Further, according to the counting device 70, since the linear transfer mechanism 30 is not provided, the cost of the device can be further reduced as compared with the counting device 1.

Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. it can. For example, the following modification may be carried out.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the work W to be counted is an example of a toothed belt, but the present invention is not limited to this, and according to the counting device, O-rings, rubber bands, etc. can also be counted. it can.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, when the chuck portion 41 is lowered, 1 is added to the count number stored in the count portion 61a, but this is not limited to this, and the operation is other than the lowering of the chuck portion 41. However, if the operation is included only once in the routine operation performed by the work recovery mechanism 40, 1 may be added to the count number when the operation is performed. For example, the count number may be added when the chuck portion 41 holds the work W, or the count number may be added when the chuck portion 41 releases the work W at the second position. Good.

The present invention can be widely applied to a counting device that counts the quantity of cyclic substances.

1 Counting device 30 Linear transport mechanism 41 Chuck part (drive holding part)
53 Recovery bar (annular material storage part)
61a Counting unit P1 1st position P2 Standby position (predetermined position)
P3 2nd position W work (annular object)

Claims (17)

It is a counting device that counts the quantity of annular objects.
A drive holding unit that holds the annular object that is sequentially conveyed to a predetermined first position, moves the held annular object to a second position different from the first position, and then releases the holding of the annular object. Prepare
From the state where the drive holding portion is located at a predetermined position before holding the annular object, the holding of the annular object at the first position and the holding of the annular object at the second position are released. Are performed in order, and the routine operation until the predetermined position is returned to the predetermined position is repeated.
The annular material released from the holding by the drive holding unit is sequentially stored in the annular material accumulating portion.
A counting unit that counts the number of times of a predetermined operation when the drive holding unit performs a predetermined operation included only once in each of the routine operations as the number of the annular objects stored in the annular product accumulating unit. Further prepare
The drive holding unit holds the annular objects that are sequentially conveyed to the first position by a linear conveying mechanism that conveys a plurality of the annular objects arranged in a row along the row direction of the annular objects. It is configured to move the held annular object to the second position and then release the holding of the annular object.
The counting device is fixed to a bowl portion in which a plurality of the annular objects are housed and is formed so as to spiral upward from the bowl portion, and vibration is applied to the bowl portion to apply vibration to the plurality of the annular objects. Further provided with a peripheral circuit in which objects are sequentially conveyed to the linear transfer mechanism.
The circuit is
When a plurality of the annular objects are transported to the linear transport mechanism side along the peripheral circuit, the bottom portion on which the annular objects are placed is placed.
A side wall portion extending upward from the radial outer portion of the peripheral circuit at the bottom portion,
Have,
The bottom portion has an inclined portion that inclines diagonally downward toward the radial outward side of the peripheral circuit.
The side wall portion has a low wall portion formed on the inclined portion and having a height equal to or less than the thickness of the annular object .
The linear transport mechanism includes a flat straight portion in which the annular object is transported on the upper side while expanding in the horizontal direction, and a fixed wall portion fixed to one edge portion in the width direction of the straight portion. A movable wall portion provided on the other edge portion in the width direction of the straight portion portion and configured to be displaceable along the width direction of the straight portion, and both attached to the fixed wall portion and the movable wall portion, respectively. It has a pair of squeezing wall portions each having a bent portion that bends inward in the width direction of the straight portion.
The pair of diaphragm wall portions is a counting device, characterized in that the annular object conveyed to the first position is brought into contact with the bent portion and is made to stand by at the first position. In the counting device according to claim 1,
The bottom portion is a horizontal portion provided as a portion on the start end portion side of the peripheral circuit and a portion on the terminal portion side on the linear transport mechanism side in the peripheral circuit and extending in the horizontal direction. And have
A counting device, wherein the side wall portion has a low wall portion and a high wall portion formed on the inclined portion and having a height higher than the thickness of the annular object. In the counting device according to claim 1 or 2.
A counting device, wherein the bottom portion is formed in a planar shape. In the counting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
Further, a recovery path for guiding the annular object that has separated from the outer end of the peripheral circuit to the bowl portion beyond the upper end of the low wall portion when being conveyed to the linear transport mechanism side along the peripheral circuit. A counting device characterized by being equipped. In the counting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
Of the annular objects transported to the linear transport mechanism via the peripheral circuit, the annular objects in a state of being overlapped on the other annular objects, or at least a part thereof is lifted from the bottom portion of the peripheral circuit. A counting device further comprising a discharge mechanism for discharging the annular object in the state of being in a state of being to the outside of the peripheral circuit. In the counting device according to claim 5,
The discharge mechanism
The thickness or more of the annular material provided at the peripheral circuit terminal portion, which is the end portion of the peripheral circuit on the linear transport mechanism side, with reference to the bottom portion of the peripheral circuit terminal portion. The detection unit that detects the discharge target annular object, which is the annular substance that passes through the portion of
An air ejection unit provided at the terminal end of the peripheral circuit, which ejects air toward the annular object to be discharged detected by the detection unit and blows the annular object to be discharged out of the peripheral circuit.
A counting device, characterized in that it has. In the counting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
When the number of counts in the counting unit reaches a predetermined number, it further includes a vibration to the bowl unit, transportation of the annular object by the linear transfer mechanism, and a control unit for stopping the driving of the drive holding unit. A counting device characterized by the fact that. It is a counting device that counts the quantity of annular objects.
A drive holding unit that holds the annular object that is sequentially conveyed to a predetermined first position, moves the held annular object to a second position different from the first position, and then releases the holding of the annular object. Prepare
From the state where the drive holding portion is located at a predetermined position before holding the annular object, the holding of the annular object at the first position and the holding of the annular object at the second position are released. Are performed in order, and the routine operation until the predetermined position is returned to the predetermined position is repeated.
The annular material released from the holding by the drive holding unit is sequentially stored in the annular material accumulating portion.
The counting device
A counting unit that counts the number of times of a predetermined operation when the drive holding unit performs a predetermined operation included only once in each routine operation as the number of the annular objects stored in the annular product accumulating unit. ,
The plurality of annular objects are fixed to a bowl portion in which the plurality of the annular objects are housed and are formed so as to spiral upward from the bowl portion. By applying vibration to the bowl portion, the plurality of the annular objects are sequentially described. The peripheral circuit transported to the first position and
Further prepare
The circuit is
When the plurality of the annular objects are conveyed to the first position side along the peripheral circuit, the bottom portion on which the annular objects are placed and the bottom portion.
A side wall portion extending upward from the radial outer portion of the peripheral circuit at the bottom portion,
Have,
The bottom portion has an inclined portion that inclines diagonally downward toward the radial outward side of the peripheral circuit.
The side wall portion has a low wall portion formed on the inclined portion and having a height equal to or less than the thickness of the annular object .
The counting device further includes a receiving unit in which the first position is set and receives the annular object conveyed from the peripheral circuit.
The receiving portion includes a planar receiving surface portion that expands in the horizontal direction and receives the annular object that is conveyed from the peripheral circuit, and a fixed wall portion that is fixed to one edge portion in the width direction of the receiving surface portion. A movable wall portion provided on the other side edge portion in the width direction of the receiving surface portion and configured to be displaceable along the width direction of the receiving surface portion, and both attached to the fixed wall portion and the movable wall portion, respectively. It has a pair of drawing wall portions each having a bent portion that bends inward in the width direction of the receiving surface portion, and has.
The pair of diaphragm wall portions is a counting device, characterized in that the annular object conveyed to the first position is brought into contact with the bent portion and is made to stand by at the first position. In the counting device according to claim 8,
The bottom portion is a horizontal portion provided as a portion on the start end side side of the peripheral circuit and a portion on the terminal side which is the first position side of the peripheral circuit and extends in the horizontal direction. And have
A counting device, wherein the side wall portion has a low wall portion and a high wall portion formed on the inclined portion and having a height higher than the thickness of the annular object. In the counting device according to claim 8 or 9.
A counting device, wherein the bottom portion is formed in a planar shape. In the counting device according to any one of claims 8 to 10.
Further, a recovery path for guiding the annular object that has separated from the upper end of the low wall portion to the outside of the peripheral circuit to the bowl portion when being conveyed to the first position side along the peripheral circuit. A counting device characterized by being equipped. In the counting device according to any one of claims 8 to 11.
Of the annular objects transported to the first position via the peripheral circuit, the annular objects in a state of being overlapped on the other annular objects, or at least a part thereof is lifted from the bottom portion of the peripheral circuit. A counting device further comprising a discharge mechanism for discharging the annular object in the state of being in a state of being to the outside of the peripheral circuit. In the counting device according to claim 12,
The discharge mechanism
It is provided at the peripheral circuit terminal portion which is the end portion on the first position side of the peripheral circuit, and is equal to or larger than the thickness of the annular body of the peripheral circuit terminal portion with reference to the bottom portion of the peripheral circuit terminal portion. The detection unit that detects the discharge target annular object, which is the annular substance that passes through the portion of
An air ejection unit provided at the terminal end of the peripheral circuit, which ejects air toward the annular object to be discharged detected by the detection unit and blows the annular object to be discharged out of the peripheral circuit.
A counting device, characterized in that it has. In the counting device according to any one of claims 8 to 13.
A counting device, further comprising a control unit that vibrates to the bowl portion and stops driving of the drive holding unit when the number of counts in the counting unit reaches a predetermined number. In the counting device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
A counting device further comprising a display unit for displaying the quantity of the plurality of annular objects counted by the counting unit. In the counting device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.
A counting device, wherein the drive holding portion is a chuck portion that sandwiches and holds the annular object. In the counting device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.
A counting device which is formed in a rod shape extending in the vertical direction and further includes a collection bar as the annular material accumulating portion arranged at the second position when viewed from above.

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