JPH0133402B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for aligning parts in a vibrating parts feeder, a so-called parts feeder.

As is well known, a parts feeder is equipped with a ball (saucer) formed with a spiral track and a drive unit that applies torsional vibration force to the ball.
The parts fed into the ball move up the spiral track under the force of torsional vibration, and are discharged one by one from the discharge end of the track. The parts discharged one by one are led to the next process, for example, through a chute, but in order to discharge the parts one by one, it is necessary to align the parts in a line on the track of the ball. The parts supplied to the center of the ball move up the track in two or three rows depending on the width of the track, but various devices have been used to arrange them in one row. is being developed. However, in both devices the parts are dropped into the center of the bowl or onto a track near the bottom. Therefore, it takes a considerable amount of time for the dropped parts to rise again to the position of the alignment device. This time is not a big problem if the components have a certain size relative to the ball size, but it becomes a big problem for small electronic components such as chip resistors and chip capacitors. . This not only reduces the supply speed of parts but also causes unevenness in the supply speed.

Additionally, when it is desired to switch the supplied components from one type of component (for example, a chip resistor) to another type of component (for example, a chip capacitor), in conventional equipment, all of the previously supplied components are discharged from the discharge end of the track. Since it takes a considerable amount of time to complete the process, it is not possible to quickly deal with the switching.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a component alignment device in a vibrating component feeder that can increase and stabilize the feeding speed of components, particularly small components. According to the present invention, this object is achieved in a vibrating parts feeder comprising a ball forming a spiral track and a drive unit for torsionally vibrating the ball. An arc-shaped notch with a horizontal bottom is formed in a plurality of steps so that parts can fall quietly down each step, and the difference in level between the lowest step of the notch and the track portion directly below is formed. This is achieved by a parts aligning device, characterized in that the height is such that the parts to be dropped in the inner row fall gently onto the track section directly below the transfer path. .

Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be explained based on illustrated embodiments.

As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 2, the parts feeder according to this embodiment consists of a dish-shaped ball 1 and a known drive section 2, and this drive section 2 is covered by a case 3. The entire parts feeder is supported on the foundation by vibration isolating rubber 4. The drive unit 2 is composed of an armature 5 fixed to a ball 5, a base 6, a plurality of inclined leaf springs 7 connecting the armature 5 and the base 6, and an electromagnet 8, as is known in the art. When half-wave rectified alternating current is passed through the coil, torsional vibration force is generated, and ball 1
receives this vibrational force and performs torsional vibration as shown by arrow A.

The ball 1 is fixed to the armature 5 of the drive unit 2 by welding or by inserting a bolt into a hole 9a formed in the center of the bottom 9 of the ball 1. A spiral track 10 is formed in the ball 1 in a counterclockwise direction, and the parts inserted into the bottom 9 of the ball 1 rise from the starting end 10a of the track 10 under the torsional vibration force and are transported along the track 10. , discharge end 1
Ejected from 0b. A chute is connected to this discharge end 10b, but is not shown.

The track 10 is provided with four single-row sorting sections 11, two single-layer sorting sections 12, and a single-layer/single-row sorting section 13 near the discharge end 10b, spaced apart from each other at appropriate intervals. As particularly shown in FIG. 4, the single-row sorting section 11 is constituted by an arcuate and step-like notch formed in the transport path of the track 10.
According to this embodiment, this notch 11 has two stages 11
It is composed of a and 11b.

As particularly shown in FIG. 5, the single-layer conveying section 12 is constituted by an arcuate notch 12a and a step 12b formed in the side wall of the track 10.
The height of this stepped portion 12b from the transport path of the truck 9 is smaller than the height of the part m to be supplied.

The single-layer/single-row alignment section 13 has the above-mentioned notch section 11,
It consists of an auxiliary arc-shaped notch 11c and a block 14 formed integrally therewith. The block 14 has a substantially semicircular shape, fits into a recess 1a formed in the peripheral wall of the ball 1, and is fixed to the ball 1 by a screw 15. Furthermore, the upper and lower surfaces of the block 14 have stepped portions 14a and 14.
b are formed, and their heights are different. Therefore, when this block 14 is turned upside down and fixed to the ball 1 with the screw 15, the track 10 is fixed as shown in FIG.
The distance h from the transfer surface of
3 increases the number of types of parts that can be processed.
Note that the step portions 14a and 14b mentioned above are the block 14.
The block 14 is formed on an arcuate surface side of the ball 1 so that this surface side faces the single-row alignment section 11.
Fixed to . Additionally, track 10
As shown in FIG. 7, the transfer surface is outwardly inclined and slightly downwardly inclined.

The parts feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention is constructed as described above, and its operation will be explained next.

Assume that the part to be sorted is, for example, a chip resistor m, which is extremely small and has a size of about 2 x 1 x 0.5 mm. First, the single-row sorting unit 11 will be explained with reference to FIG. Parts m in the outer row fall toward the recess 11a, but the parts m in the outer row fall in the track 10.
The vehicle advances further through the bottleneck 10c. Note that the parts m in the outer row are in contact with the side walls of the track 10, and the parts m in the inner row are in contact with the side walls of the track 10, and the parts m in the inner row are in contact with the side walls of the track 10. Component m is in contact with component m in the outer row.

The part m that has fallen into the upper notch 11a further falls into the lower notch 11b, and then onto the track 10 in the lower part. In this way, the part m falls in stages, so it falls relatively quietly onto the track 10 in the lower part, bounces due to a collision with the transfer surface, and then falls further onto the track 10 in the lower part. do not have. That is, the stairs 11a, 11
b functions as a cushion, suppressing the energy of the fall to a small level, and allowing the part m to fall onto the track 10 in the lower part. In addition, in the upper and lower notches 11a and 11b, the centrifugal force caused by the torsional vibration force causes the parts m to form on the arc-shaped side walls.
While being pushed, it receives this guide action and falls to the lower tier without stopping at this tier. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, if the width of component m and the width of the bottom surface of notch 11a are approximately the same or smaller than the latter, component m is The front end of the component m periodically collides with the substantially perpendicular side wall surface of the notch 11a, and the notch Without even reaching the upstream end of 11a, the recoil force causes it to fall to the lower notch 11b. The smaller the width of the part m is than the width of the notch 11a, the faster it falls to the lower notch 11b. Moreover, in reality, the track 10 is
The width of part m is often sufficiently small compared to the width of part 1a, and part m is even more dense than the case shown in the figure.
In many cases, the parts m are transferred in multiple layers and in multiple rows, and in such a case, the parts m are transported along this side wall surface in multiple rows, for example, three rows, even in the notch 11a, but the parts m in the inner row receives the recoil force of the parts m in the outermost row that collide with the side wall surface, and most of the parts m quickly fall to the lower notch 11b by the time they reach the downstream end of the notch 11a. .

As described above, the parts m are
will be fed in one line, but track 10
Depending on the length of the stroke and the feed rate of the parts, there may be two rows again. This is because each part m does not necessarily receive an equal conveying force, and parts m may interfere with each other in the same row. Therefore, depending on the case, the number of single-row alignment sections 11 may be further increased, or may be one.

Next, the single layer sorting section 12 will be explained with reference to FIG. In this sorting section 12, overlapping of parts m is eliminated, but the parts m in the outer row are transferred in contact with the side wall of the truck.
When reaching , the overlapping upper part m is guided into the arc-shaped notch 12a. That is, it is guided further outward by the centrifugal force effect caused by the torsional vibration force. On the other hand, the lower part m also comes into contact with the side wall of the stepped part 12b in the transporting part 12 and is restricted from moving outward.
move forward. In this way, the overlapping upper part m bypasses the arc-shaped notch 12a and returns to the track 10, thereby eliminating the overlapping of the parts m. In addition, if parts m are being transported in close contact with each other, it is possible that they will overlap another part m even if the detour is made as described above, but in a parts feeder, it is generally located on the upper or outer track part. As one moves up the track 10, the density of the parts m on the track 10 decreases, since the parts are subjected to greater vibratory forces than those on the lower or inner track parts. Therefore, in consideration of this, it is desirable that the single-layer feeding section 12 be formed in a relatively upper portion of the track 10. Note that the number of single-layer sorting sections 12 may be further increased than in this embodiment for the same reason as described for the single-layer sorting section 11, or may be one in some cases.

Next, the single layer/single row sorting section 13 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. Here, overlapping parts m are eliminated and multiple rows are sorted into a single row. The parts m transferred as an inner row fall into the auxiliary cutout 11c, then fall into the upper cutout 11a, the lower cutout 11b, and the track 10 in the lower part. In this case, the number of steps to fall increases by one more than in the straightening section 11, and the object falls more quietly onto the lower track 10.

The parts m, which have been transferred as an outer row and overlapped, come into contact with the arcuate peripheral wall of the block 14 and are prevented from moving forward, but are guided by this arcuate surface and fall into the upper notch 11a. . Then, under the action of torsional vibration force, it is dropped into the lower notch 11b and the lower track 10 as described above. On the other hand, the lower part m continues to advance through the gap h between the block 14 and the track 10, as shown in FIG. In this way, part m
The overlaps between the two are eliminated, and the sheets are further sorted into a single file. In this sorting section 13, unlike the above-mentioned sorting section 12, the overlapping parts m are actively dropped onto the lower track 10.
2, overlapping of parts m can be more reliably eliminated. That is, in this case, the part m is reliably transported regardless of the transport density of the part m on the track 10.
overlaps are eliminated. From the single-layer/single-row sorting section 13 to the discharge end 10b of the track 10, the parts m advance at a desired interval, and from the discharge end, one piece is delivered.
It is supplied to the next process at a nearly uniform speed.

Note that even when the part m is transferred in an upright state as shown by m' in FIG. 5, the desired alignment effect can be obtained because it falls down into the arc-shaped notch 12a. This action is achieved by the single-layer/single-row alignment section 13.
But the gains are clear.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but of course the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the arcuate notches of the single-row alignment section 11 are made into two stages 11a and 11b, but the number of stages may be further increased without being limited to this.

As described above, the present invention is particularly effective for small-sized parts, so-called mini parts, but it is of course applicable to general parts as well.

The alignment device in the vibrating parts feeder of the present invention includes:
As described above, an arc-shaped notch with a horizontal bottom surface is formed in at least a part of the inner circumferential side of the transport path of the truck in the shape of a plurality of steps so that parts can fall quietly down each step. However, the height difference between the lowest step of the notch and the track portion directly below is set to a height such that the parts to be dropped in the inner row fall gently onto the track portion directly below the transfer path. This makes it possible to reliably feed parts that have been transferred in multiple rows in one line, and also to reliably guide the removed parts directly to the lower track, allowing parts, especially small parts, to be transported in one line. Not only can the feeding speed be increased compared to the conventional method, but the type of parts in the feeding section can be changed quickly, and since the notch is shaped like an arc, smooth guiding of the parts can be achieved, allowing quick and easy operation. Dropped onto a truck in the lower bunk or lower section.
Further, when each part of the ball is formed into an arc shape, excellent effects such as being able to be easily and quickly machined from an integral round bar using an end mill, for example, are achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a vibrating parts feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a single-row sorting section of the feeder. Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view to explain the action of the single-layer sorting section in the same feeding machine, and Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view to explain the action of the single-layer sorting section in the same feeding machine. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view for explaining the operation of the feeding section, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in the - line direction of FIG. 6. In the figure, 1... ball, 2... drive section, 10... track, 11... single row sorting section, 1
1a, 11b...Circular notch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a vibrating parts feeder equipped with a ball forming a spiral track and a drive unit that torsionally vibrates the ball, parts are gently dropped down each stage onto at least a part of the inner circumferential side of the transfer path of the track. forming an arc-shaped notch having a plurality of steps with a horizontal bottom surface, and causing the step difference between the lowest step of the notch and the track portion immediately below to fall in the inner row; 1. A device for arranging parts, characterized in that the height is set such that the parts to be processed fall gently onto the track portion directly below the transfer path.