JP7202069B2 - Parts alignment device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a component aligning device that aligns cylindrical components while conveying them. More specifically, the present invention relates to a parts aligning device that aligns cylindrical parts while conveying them, the diameter of which is larger at one end in the axial direction than at the other end. Here, the "cylindrical part" includes not only hollow parts but also solid (columnar) parts (the same applies hereinafter).

As a component aligning device for aligning a cylindrical component P, such as a tapered roller incorporated in a tapered roller bearing, as shown in FIG. The one shown in FIG. 10 is often used. This parts aligning device aligns parts P (conical rollers in this example) while conveying them. An endless flat belt 53 on which parts P are placed and conveyed is wound around a driven pulley (not shown) arranged at the downstream end, and above this endless flat belt 53 along one side of the endless flat belt 53 A parallel portion 55b parallel to the side plate 54 is connected to the downstream end of the side plate 54 extending in the component conveying direction and the swash plate portion 55a that obliquely intersects the component conveying direction in the horizontal plane and approaches the side plate 54 toward the downstream side. A guide plate 55 is provided.

Then, the part P conveyed on the endless flat belt 53 collides with the swash plate portion 55a of the guide plate 55, and advances downstream with its side surface along the swash plate portion 55a of the guide plate 55. Then, at the boundary between the swash plate portion 55a and the parallel portion 55b of the guide plate 55, the axial direction is oriented in the component conveying direction, and this posture is held by the parallel portion 55b of the guide plate 55 and the side plate 54. It is conveyed to the downstream end and sent to the next process from the downstream end through a chute 56 having a V-shaped cross section.

However, in this parts aligning device, the parts P conveyed in an attitude in which the axial direction is oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the part conveying direction are placed between the side plate 54 and the swash plate portion 55a of the guide plate 55 in that attitude. By being pinched between the parts P, the pinched part P and the succeeding part P may stay on the endless flat belt 53 .

On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, above an endless flat belt that conveys parts to be aligned (tapered parts), a guide plate (guide A parts aligning device has been proposed in which a wall) is provided over the entire width of an endless flat belt. In the parts aligning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the part that hits and rolls against the guide plate moves along the guide plate with the side formed with the small diameter forward due to the difference in peripheral speed between one end and the other end of the part. As it goes on, it is discharged to the side of the endless flat belt with the axial direction oriented in a fixed direction without staying on the endless flat belt.

Further, in Patent Document 2, there is a gutter-shaped portion having an arc-shaped cross section that slopes downward, and the parts to be aligned that are sent into the gutter-shaped portion roll and flow down under their own weight, and are distributed around the one end side and the other end side. A parts aligning device has been proposed in which the side formed with a large diameter is advanced by the speed difference, and the parts are aligned in a state in which the side formed with a large diameter at the downstream end of the gutter-shaped portion faces the downstream side. ing. The parts aligning device of Patent Document 2 can also discharge the parts in a state in which the axial direction is oriented in a certain direction without causing the parts to stay in the gutter-like portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-110284 JP 2014-69958 A

However, in the parts aligning device of Patent Document 1, depending on the attitude of the parts when they collide with the guide plate, the parts may be discharged to one side or the other side of the endless flat belt. In addition, it is necessary to install mechanisms on both sides of the endless flat belt for receiving the ejected parts and sending them to the next process, and there is a problem that the installation area of the whole apparatus becomes large.

On the other hand, the parts aligning device of Patent Document 2 can discharge the aligned parts from one place, but it may be difficult to align parts with a small diameter difference between one end side and the other end side, and the application range is limited. There is a problem that it is narrow and lacks certainty. Moreover, since it is necessary to replace the member constituting the gutter-shaped portion depending on the size of the part, the cost is high.

Therefore, the present invention has a compact structure, and can reliably align cylindrical parts having a larger diameter at one end than at the other end in a posture in which the axial direction is oriented in a certain direction, and is capable of changing the size of the parts. An object of the present invention is to provide a component aligning device that can easily cope with

In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present application provides a parts aligning device for aligning cylindrical parts while conveying them, in which a plurality of endless belts on which the parts are placed and run in the part conveying direction are arranged in parallel. and has an axial aligning portion for causing adjacent endless belts to run at different speeds, and in the axial aligning portion, a component placed across at least two endless belts is aligned with each endless belt on which the component is placed. By the speed difference, the parts are aligned and conveyed with the axial direction facing the part conveying direction.

According to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, by utilizing the speed difference of the plurality of endless belts arranged in parallel, the components to be aligned can be reliably aligned on the axis regardless of the diameter difference between one end and the other end of the belt. They can be aligned so that they are oriented in the direction of component transport. In addition, since aligned components are discharged from the downstream end in the component conveying direction, the structure is more compact than that in which the aligned components are discharged on both sides of the endless flat belt.

In the above configuration, if each endless belt has a different diameter and is wound one by one around a plurality of drive pulleys that are rotationally driven by a single motor, the structure of the entire device can be made more compact. can be

Further, the axial alignment portion is provided with a guide plate extending in a direction obliquely intersecting the component conveying direction in a horizontal plane above the row of the endless belts at a downstream portion thereof. By arranging the parts that collide with each other in a row toward the downstream side, it is possible to simplify the structure of the part that receives the parts ejected from the axial alignment section and sends them to the next process.

A second invention of the present application is a parts aligning device for aligning while conveying conical cylindrical parts having one end side in the axial direction larger in diameter than the other end side, in which the conical parts travel in the part conveying direction. A plurality of endless belts are arranged in parallel, and a gap between adjacent endless belts is set to be narrower than one end of the part and wider than the other end of the part, and the conical alignment part has the endless belt. A configuration is adopted in which the parts supplied between the belts are aligned and transported with one end supported by the endless belts on both sides and the other end directed downward.

According to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, by appropriately adjusting the gap between the adjacent endless belts, the components to be aligned can be reliably moved in the axial direction regardless of the difference in diameter between one end and the other end. face up and down, and the other end on the small diameter side faces down. Also, as in the first invention, aligned parts are ejected from the downstream end in the part conveying direction, so the structure is compact, and the size of the parts can be changed by adjusting the gap between the endless belts. Easy to deal with. The gap between the endless belts can be adjusted by rotating a columnar part with right-handed and left-handed threads at both ends while maintaining the parallel state of the two endless belts. structure can be employed.

In the above configuration, the upstream end of the conical aligning portion is connected to the downstream end of the axial aligning portion of the first aspect of the invention, and parts are transported in the axial direction between the endless belts of the conical aligning portion. Oriented parts can be supplied smoothly.

A round belt can be adopted as the endless belt of the axial alignment portion and the endless belt of the conical alignment portion.

Moreover, the first and second inventions described above can be effectively applied when the component is a tapered roller incorporated in a tapered roller bearing.

As described above, the parts aligning device of the first invention of the present application arranges a plurality of endless belts parallel to each other for running in the parts conveying direction on which parts to be aligned are placed, and makes the adjacent endless belts run at different speeds. Since it has an axial aligning portion, the speed difference of the endless belt can reliably align the parts in a state in which the axial direction is oriented in the part conveying direction. In addition, it has a compact structure in which aligned parts are discharged from the downstream end in the part conveying direction, and changes in the size of the parts can be easily accommodated by adjusting the gap between the endless belts.

In the parts aligning device of the second invention of the present application, a plurality of endless belts running in the parts conveying direction are arranged in parallel, and the gap between the adjacent endless belts is narrower than one end of the parts and wider than the other end. Since it has a set conical alignment part, by supporting one end of the part supplied between the endless belts by the endless belts on both sides, the other end of the part is reliably directed downward. can be aligned. In addition, as in the first invention, a compact structure is provided in which aligned parts are discharged from the downstream end in the part conveying direction, and it is possible to easily cope with a change in the size of the parts by adjusting the gap between the endless belts.

Front view of the upstream portion of the component alignment device of the embodiment FIG. 2 is a plan view of the axial alignment portion of FIG. 1; Cross-sectional view along the III-III line in Fig. 1 Cross-sectional view of the main part along the IV-IV line in Fig. 2 The front view of the downstream part of the components alignment apparatus of embodiment FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an outline of the conical direction alignment part of FIG. 5 ; Cross-sectional view of the drive pulley and its vicinity in FIG. Cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the driven pulley in FIG. 5 as seen from the component conveying direction Sectional view of the vicinity of the belt guide in FIG. 5 viewed from the component conveying direction Plan view of a conventional parts alignment device Perspective view showing an example of parts to be aligned

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This parts aligning device comprises an axial aligning section 10 provided in the upstream portion shown in FIG. 1 and a conical aligning section 30 provided in the downstream portion shown in FIG. A tubular part P whose end is connected to the upstream end of the conical aligning portion 30 and has a larger diameter at one axial end P1 than at the other axial end P2 as shown in FIG. is intended for alignment of tapered rollers incorporated in tapered roller bearings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the axial aligning unit 10 is an endless round belt (endless belt) 11 on which the parts P supplied from the belt conveyor 1 with crosspieces in the preceding process are placed and which runs in the part conveying direction. are arranged in parallel, and the parts P aligned on these endless round belts 11 are sent from the downstream end to the conical alignment section 30 via the connecting chute 2 having a V-shaped cross section. As the material of the round belt 11, polyurethane is used which does not easily damage the parts P and produces an appropriate amount of friction with the parts P. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, a part of the members on the front side (the outer side in the width direction of the device) of the flow of the parts P is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the round belts 11 is wound around drive pulleys 13a to 13e, an upstream driven pulley 14, and a downstream driven pulley 15, which are attached to the base 12, respectively. Here, five drive pulleys 13a to 13e are provided, one less than the number of round belts 11, and are arranged at the center side end in the device width direction (the direction orthogonal to the component conveying direction in the horizontal plane). Two round belts 11 are attached to only the item (13a), and one round belt 11 is attached to each of the other items (13b to 13e). The reason for this is that the parts P whose axial directions are finally aligned are put on two round belts 11 rotating at a constant speed and conveyed. The five drive pulleys 13a to 13e have different diameters, and are arranged so that the diameters of the drive pulleys 13a to 13e become smaller in order from the center to the outside in the width direction of the device. On the other hand, the upstream driven pulley 14 and the downstream driven pulley 15 are provided with the same specifications as the number of round belts 11 (six each) so that one round belt 11 can be hung on one pulley. (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

The drive pulleys 13a to 13e are fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of one end of a drive shaft 16 provided on the base 12, respectively. The drive shaft 16 is rotatably supported by a wall portion 12a on the inner side in the width direction of the base 12 at its axial central portion and by a bracket 17 fixed on the wall portion 12a of the base 12 at one end. , and a motor 19 attached to the base 12 through a coupling 18 connected to the other end thereof. On the other hand, the upstream driven pulley 14 and the downstream driven pulley 15 are rotatably attached to the outer periphery of a support shaft 22 fixed to the base 12 via support members 20 and 21 via bearings (not shown). (see Figures 2 and 4).

Further, on the base 12, five tension pulleys 23a to 23e are provided between the drive pulleys 13a to 13e and the upstream driven pulley 14 to press a portion of the return side (slack side) of each round belt 11 from below. It is installed in a state in which the height direction position can be adjusted. Of the tension pulleys 23a to 23e, only the one (23a) arranged at the center side end in the width direction of the device presses the two round belts 11 corresponding to the drive pulleys 13a to 13e, and the other one (23b 23e) presses one round belt 11 to apply appropriate tension to each round belt 11. As shown in FIG.

As a result, when the drive shaft 16 is driven by the motor 19, the drive pulleys 13a to 13e are rotated together with the drive shaft 16, and the tension pulleys 23a to 23e apply appropriate tension to the round belts 11 to drive the belts. The pulleys 13a to 13e, the upstream driven pulley 14, and the downstream driven pulley 15 run smoothly without slipping. At this time, the two round belts 11 on the central side end in the device width direction run at the same speed due to the diameter difference of the drive pulleys 13a to 13e, but the other round belts 11 run on the outer side in the device width direction. run at a slower speed. That is, the round belt 11 located on the outermost side (engaged on the drive pulley 13e with the smallest diameter) is the slowest, and the speed of the round belt 11 increases in the order of the drive pulleys 13d, 13c, 13b, and 13a. Since the round belt 11 (engaged by the driving pulley 13a with the largest diameter) at the center side end in the width direction of the apparatus connected to the belt 2 runs fastest, the parts P are discharged smoothly without staying.

2 and 4, the axial alignment portion 10 is fixed to both sides of the row of the round belts 11 via mounting members 24 and 25 having an L-shaped cross section to the base 12. Side plates 26 and 27 are provided to prevent the parts P conveyed by the round belt 11 from falling off. Among them, the side plate 26 on the central side in the width direction of the device extends from the vicinity of the component supply position to above the connecting chute 2, and the side plate 27 on the outside is provided only in the upstream portion. Further, a guide plate 28 is provided downstream of the outer side plate 27 for aligning the parts P in a row and sending them to the conical alignment section 30 as will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide plate 28 extends above the rows of the round belts 11 in a direction that obliquely intersects the component conveying direction in the horizontal plane, and is a swash plate that approaches the central side plate 26 toward the downstream side. and a parallel portion 28b that continues to the downstream end of the swash plate portion 28a and extends above the connecting chute 2 in parallel with the side plate 26 on the central side. It is fixed to member 21 . The gap between the parallel portion 28b and the central side plate 26 is set slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the component P.

The axial aligning unit 10 of this component aligning device has the above configuration, and as shown in FIGS. However, while the part P is placed on at least two round belts 11 and conveyed, due to the speed difference between the adjacent round belts 11 on which the part P is placed, the axial direction is oriented in the part conveying direction (large The diameter side end face or the small diameter side end face faces the traveling direction). When the component size is changed, the axial positions of the pulleys 13a to 13e, 14, 15 and 23a to 23e are changed to appropriately adjust the gap between the round belts 11. FIG.

Then, when the parts P whose axial direction is oriented in the part conveying direction collide with the swash plate portion 28a of the guide plate 28, the parts P temporarily assume a posture in which the side surfaces are aligned with the swash plate portion 28a of the guide plate 28, and are downstream in a row. At the boundary between the swash plate portion 28a and the parallel portion 28b of the guide plate 28, the axial direction of the guide plate 28 is again directed toward the component conveying direction. It is conveyed to the downstream end while being held by 26, and sent from the downstream end to the conical aligning section 30 via the connecting chute 2. As shown in FIG.

Next, the conical direction aligning section 30 provided in the downstream portion of this component aligning device will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the conical direction aligning unit 30 has two endless round belts (endless belts) 31 running in the component conveying direction arranged in parallel, and a gap between the two round belts 31. is narrower than one end (large diameter side end) of the component P and wider than the other end (small diameter side end) of the component P, so that the The parts P are aligned with the other end facing downward, and sent from the downstream end to the next process via the discharge chute 3 . Each of the round belts 31 is made of polyurethane, like that of the axial alignment section 10 . For the sake of explanation, the members on the front side of the flow of the parts P are shown in FIG. 5, and the members above the flow of the parts P are partially omitted in FIG.

Each of the round belts 31 is wound around a driving pulley 32 arranged near the downstream end and a driven pulley 33 arranged near the upstream end. is pressed from obliquely upward by a tension pulley 34 to apply tension. The drive pulley 32, the driven pulley 33 and the tension pulley 34 are attached to a slide plate 36 which is slidably supported by a base 35 in the width direction of the device, as will be described later.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of drive pulleys 32 are arranged in a V shape when viewed from the component conveying direction, and are fixed to slide plates 36 (see FIG. 5) via mounting members 37, respectively. It is designed to be rotationally driven by a motor 38 which is driven. 8, a pair of driven pulleys 33 are arranged in a V-shape when viewed from the component conveying direction, and are attached to a slide plate 36 (see FIG. 5) via two mounting members 39a and 39b. It is rotatably attached to the outer circumference of a fixed support shaft 40 . Although not shown, a pair of tension pulleys 34 are also arranged in a V-shape when viewed from the component conveying direction, and each is attached to a slide plate 36 in such a manner that the position in the pressing direction against the round belt 31 can be adjusted. ing.

As shown in FIG. 6, between the drive pulley 32 and the driven pulley 33, a strip-shaped belt guide 41 is provided to guide the feeding side portion of the round belt 31 over substantially the entire length thereof. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of belt guides 41 are arranged in a V shape when viewed from the component conveying direction, and are fixed to the slide plate 36 (see FIG. 5) via mounting members 42, respectively.

As a result, when the drive pulley 32 is driven to rotate by the motor 38, the round belt 31 is given an appropriate tension to the tension pulley 34 and is guided by the belt guide 41 without slipping between the drive pulley 32 and the driven pulley 33. and run smoothly.

As described above, the gap between the two round belts 31 is set to be narrower than one end (large diameter side end) of the component P and wider than the other end (small diameter side end). The part P supplied from the connecting chute 2 with the axial direction directed to the part conveying direction between the round belts 31 is supported by the round belts 31 on both sides at one end thereof, and the other end (small diameter side end) is supported by the round belts 31 on both sides. They are aligned downward and conveyed, and sent to the next process from the downstream end via the discharge chute 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each slide plate 36 has a rail-like shape in which two slide blocks 43 fixed to the lower surface thereof are fixed to the upper surface of the base 35 in a state in which they extend in the width direction of the device. It is slidably fitted to the slide guide 44 and slidably supported by the base 35 in the device width direction, and is provided on the connecting shaft 45 extending in the device width direction between the two slide guides 44 . It is screwed to the male screw part. One end of the connecting shaft 45 is rotatably supported by a support member 46 provided on the upper surface of one side of the base 35 , and the other end is attached to the other side of the base 35 via a coupling 47 . It is connected to a motor 48 provided on the top surface. The externally threaded portion of the connecting shaft 45 has a portion that is screwed to one side of the slide plate 36 and a portion that is screwed to the other side of the slide plate 36 in opposite directions. As a result, when the motor 48 is driven, the connecting shaft 45 rotates, and the two slide plates 36 move in opposite directions in the apparatus width direction. Since the gap between the round belts 31 can be adjusted, it is possible to easily cope with changes in component sizes.

In order to avoid mechanical interference when adjusting the gap between the two round belts 31 as described above, the sensors 49a and 49b for confirming the overrun of the slide plate 36 and the sensor 49c for confirming the origin are mounted on the base. 35 is provided on the upper surface.

This component aligning device has the above configuration, and in the upstream axial aligning section 10, the components P supplied in random postures are reliably aligned on the axis by the speed difference of the plurality of round belts 11 arranged in parallel. The components can be aligned in the direction in which the components are conveyed (random in the front-rear direction) and sent from the downstream end to the conical alignment section 30. In the conical alignment section 30, the components are sent from the axial alignment section 10. The parts P can be reliably aligned between the two round belts 31 arranged in parallel so that the other end (smaller diameter side) faces downward, and can be sent from the downstream end to the next process.

Therefore, the structure is more compact than the conventional one in which aligned parts are discharged on both sides of the endless flat belt, and the gap between the round belts 11 and 31 can be adjusted in response to changes in the size of the parts. Therefore, there is no setup work that requires replacement of parts, and the setup work can be performed efficiently at low cost.

In addition, in the axial alignment section 10, the round belts 11 are wound one by one around the drive pulleys 13a to 13e, which have different diameters and are rotationally driven by a single motor 19. The structure is compact. The aligned parts P are discharged in a row by the action of the speed difference between the guide plate 28 provided on the downstream side and the plurality of round belts 11, so that they can be discharged only by the connection chute 2 having a simple structure. The assembled parts P can be sent to the conical aligning section 30 and no complicated mechanism is required to connect the axial aligning section 10 to the conical aligning section 30 .

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the meaning described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

For example, the speed difference of the round belt can be arbitrarily set at the axial alignment portion, and a plurality of motors can be used to apply the speed difference to the round belt. In addition, the number of round belts in the axial alignment portion can be set arbitrarily as long as it is two or more. It is also conceivable to increase it according to the number of parts. Further, the material of the round belt is not limited to polyurethane as long as it does not easily damage the parts and produces an appropriate amount of friction with the parts. Furthermore, the round belt can be replaced with endless belts of other shapes, and the cross section is not limited to a circular shape, and any belt having a square or triangular shape may be used as long as a plurality of belts can be arranged in parallel. Further, it is conceivable to use a V-shaped cross section or gutter-shaped cross section for the axial alignment portion, and a square cross section for the conical alignment portion.

Further, in the embodiment, the downstream end of the axial aligning section 10 is connected to the upstream end of the conical aligning section 30, but a parts aligning apparatus having only an axial aligning section or a parts aligning apparatus having only a conical aligning section may be used. can also be used alone.

Further, the present invention is not limited to a parts aligning device for aligning tapered rollers as described in the embodiment, and conveys tubular parts having a larger diameter at one end side in the axial direction than at the other end side. It can be widely applied to a component aligning device that aligns while

1 Belt conveyor with crosspiece 2 Connection chute 3 Discharge chute 10 Axial alignment part 11 Endless round belt (endless belt)
12 bases 13a to 13e drive pulley 14 upstream driven pulley 15 downstream driven pulley 19 motors 23a to 23e tension pulleys 26, 27 side plate 28 guide plate 28a swash plate portion 28b parallel portion 30 conical alignment portion 31 endless round belt ( endless belt)
32 Drive pulley 33 Driven pulley 34 Tension pulley 35 Base 36 Slide plate 38 Motor 41 Belt guide 43 Slide block 44 Slide guide 45 Connecting shaft 48 Motor P Parts (tapered rollers)

Claims (6)

In a parts aligning device that aligns cylindrical parts while conveying them,
Having an axial alignment unit in which a plurality of endless belts that run in the component conveying direction on which the components are placed are arranged in parallel,
Each of the endless belts is wound one by one around a plurality of drive pulleys fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of one drive shaft that is rotationally driven by one motor,
each of the drive pulleys has a different diameter and is arranged such that the diameter changes gradually in the axial direction of the drive shaft;
In the axial alignment section, the endless belts all run at different speeds, and a component placed across at least two endless belts moves in the axial direction due to the speed difference between the endless belts on which the component is placed. A parts aligning device characterized in that the parts are aligned and conveyed in a state in which they are oriented in the conveying direction. The axial alignment portion is provided with a guide plate extending in a direction obliquely intersecting the component conveying direction in a horizontal plane above the row of the endless belts at a downstream portion thereof,
2. The parts aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the parts that collide with the guide plate are arranged in a line and directed toward the downstream side. The component is conical in shape with one end side in the axial direction having a larger diameter than the other end side,
A plurality of endless belts running in the component conveying direction are arranged in parallel at the downstream end of the axial alignment portion, and the gap between adjacent endless belts is set narrower than one end of the component and wider than the other end of the component. Connect the direction alignment part,
In the conical aligning section, the parts supplied between the endless belts are aligned and transported with one end supported by the endless belts on both sides and the other end directed downward. 3. The component aligning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 4. The parts aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the endless belt of said axial aligning portion is a round belt. 4. The parts aligning device according to claim 3, wherein the endless belt of the conical aligning portion is a round belt. 6. The component alignment device according to claim 1 , wherein said component is a tapered roller incorporated in a tapered roller bearing.

Images