JPH0251647B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides a method for determining whether or not an O-ring is installed in advance on the oil filter when fastening a cartridge-type oil filter to a filter mounting location of an engine using a tightening device. The present invention relates to a method for detecting an O-ring.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, before an operator manually assembles an oil filter to an engine, the operator visually inspects the presence or absence of an O-ring.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, a cartridge-type oil filter with an O-ring attached to the end is automatically tightened by a tightening device to the engine where the filter is attached, so that the O-ring is tightly attached to the seating surface of the attachment point. It is conceivable to improve work efficiency by making it possible to fasten it in such a way that it can be fastened.

In this case, when assembling the oil filter to the engine using the tightening device, if the O-ring has fallen off when the oil filter is tightened, it may cause oil leakage. It is desirable that

An object of the present invention is to provide a detection method capable of satisfying such demands.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an O
In the case where a cartridge-type oil filter with a ring attached is fastened to the filter attachment point of the engine using a tightening device so that the O-ring is in close contact with the seat surface of the attachment point, first tighten the oil filter to a specified tightening torque smaller than the specified tightening torque. Temporarily tighten until the specified tightening torque is reached, then fully tighten until the specified tightening torque is reached, measure the time required for final tightening, and detect the presence or absence of an O-ring from the length of this time. It is characterized by the following.

(Function) Measure the time required for final tightening and compare this time with a standard time set appropriately in advance. If this time is longer than the standard time, the O-ring is attached to the oil filter, and if it is shorter, the O-ring has fallen off. That means you are doing it.

In other words, if the O-ring of the oil filter has not fallen off, temporarily tightening the oil filter will bring the O-ring into contact with the seat surface of the engine's filter mounting location, and then fully tightening will remove the O-ring. The oil filter is tightened while being compressed, and the tightening torque gradually increases until it reaches the specified tightening torque, so it takes a relatively long time for the final tightening.

On the other hand, if the O-ring has fallen off, temporary tightening of the oil filter will bring the end face of the oil filter into contact with the seat surface, so when the O-ring is finally tightened, the tightening torque will immediately reach the specified tightening level. The torque will be reached and the final tightening time will be shortened. Therefore, the presence or absence of the O-ring can be detected based on the length of time required for final tightening.

(Example) In this example, a cartridge-type oil filter A with an O-ring B attached to the end is automatically attached to the filter attachment point of the engine C by the tightening device 1, and the O-ring B is attached to the seat surface D of the attachment point. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 2 indicates an assembly station in the middle of the assembly line;
3 is a supply station outside the assembly station 1; 4 is a conveyor A that supplies the oil filter A to the supply station 3; and a conveyor A that supplies the oil filter A to the side of the station 2; A workpiece transport conveyor 5 that transports workpieces in a horizontal position with the workpiece facing sideways, and an oil tank 6 outside the workpiece transport conveyor 5.
The oil filter A is taken out from the supply station 3 in a vertical position by means of a transfer means 7 provided above the lateral side of the assembly station 1 and placed in the oil tank 6, and the O-ring B is coated with oil. Thereafter, the oil filter A was placed in a horizontal position and transferred to the work conveyor 5.

Then, the oil filter A is supplied from the conveyor 5 in a horizontal position to the tightening device 1 disposed at the terminal end of the workpiece conveyor 5, and the oil filter A is tightened at the filter installation location of the engine C, which is placed in the assembly station 1 while maintaining the horizontal position. I made it possible to attach it.

In the drawing, reference numeral 8 denotes an automatic conveyance truck that supplies bucket carts E, in which oil filters A are arranged and stacked, to the conveyor 4 from a predetermined stock position. 4 to the supply station 3, and the oil filter A can be taken out from the uppermost bucket E by the transfer means 7, and a dispensing means 9 disposed outside the supply station 3 and capable of rotating and moving back and forth. The empty bucket E is delivered to a delivery conveyor 10 on the side of the conveyor 4.

The transfer means 7 includes four suction cups 12 provided at the lower end of a movable frame 11 that can move horizontally and vertically, and a slider 14 is mounted on a guide rail 14a horizontally installed on the machine frame 13 outside the assembly station 2. The screw rod 14 is supported by a screw rod 14 which is driven forward and backward by a motor 14b.
c is screwed in so that the slider 14 is given lateral movement by the operation of the motor 14b, and a rod 15 that moves up and down by the operation of the motor 15a is vertically disposed on the slider 14. The movable frame 11 is attached and each motor 14b, 1 is attached to it.
The slider 14 and the rod 1 due to the operation of 5a
Lateral movement and vertical movement through 5 are provided.

Also, the four suction cups 1 are attached to the lower end of the movable frame 11.
3 is arranged in a row, and a piston rod of a cylinder 13b attached to the movable frame 11 is connected to the bracket 13a, and an oil filter adsorbed to these suction cups 13 by the operation of the cylinder 13b is attached to the bracket 13a. A is allowed to swing between a horizontal position, which is a horizontal position, and a downward position, which is a vertical position.

Further, the oil tank 6 is provided with four sponges 6a which are inserted so as to be immersed in oil, and when the oil filter A is inserted into the oil tank 6 in a vertical position, each sponge 6a is provided with four sponges 6a.
The O-ring B was brought into close contact with the O-ring B, and oil was applied to it through the sponge 6a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the work conveyor 5 has a chain 5b stretched between a pair of sprockets 5a, 5a attached to the lateral side of the machine frame 13.
A plurality of blocks 5c are mounted at equal intervals, and the oil filter A can be placed between each block 5c in a horizontal position, and the chain 5b is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The oil filter A can be transported by moving it pitch by pitch.

As shown in FIG. 4, the tightening device 1 is composed of a nut runner 1a on a slider 16 supported by a rail 16a fixed to the machine frame 13, and a socket 1b attached to the output shaft of the nut runner 1a. Slider 1
The piston rod of the cylinder 16b installed horizontally on the machine frame 13 is connected to 6, and the piston rod is connected to the nut runner 1a through the slider by the operation of the cylinder 16b toward the filter installation location of the engine C on the assembly station 2. The movement of advance and retreat was now given.

Further, at the terminal end of the work conveyor 5, a gripping tool 17 for removably gripping the oil filter A on the conveyor 5 is provided, which can be moved up and down. This can be received and supplied to the tightening device 1 mentioned above.

To explain this in more detail, the gripping tool 17 is the fourth
As shown in the figure and FIG.
Lower grip piece 17 fixed to the lifting frame 18 at the end of the
a, and an upper gripping piece 17c connected to a piston rod of an air cylinder 17b installed upright on a bracket 13a of the machine frame 13. The bracket 1 is inserted into each of the formed guide holes, and the bracket 1 is inserted into the elevating frame 18.
3a is connected to the piston rod of a cylinder 18b installed upright, so that the elevating frame 18 is given an upward and downward movement by the operation of the cylinder 18b, and the elevating frame 18 is moved upward and downward by the contraction side operation of the cylinder 17b and the upward movement of the elevating frame 18. The movement of both gripping pieces 17a and 17c grips the oil filter A on the work conveyor 5, and the oil filter A is subsequently lifted by the lifting frame 18 against the reaction force caused by the entrapment of air in the cylinder 17b. While being gripped by the gripper 17, it can be raised to a predetermined supply position facing the forward and backward movement locus of the socket 1b of the tightening device 1.

Furthermore, a filter detection means 19 is provided at the terminal end of the workpiece conveyor 5 to detect the presence or absence of cracks in the oil filter A. A defective oil filter A can be detected by means 19.

To explain this in more detail, as shown in FIG. A contact plate 19a that comes into contact with the oil filter A is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward toward the oil filter A using an air cylinder or other driving source 19b. Air is pumped inside and the presence or absence of cracks can be detected by the air leakage.

Further, the front surface of the abutment plate 19a is provided with a tapered surface 19 at the tip, which can fit inside the O-ring B.
d is biased forward by a spring 19f, and as the plate 19a moves forward, the O-ring guide 19e fits inside the O-ring B before it comes into contact with the O-ring B. This makes it possible to correct slight positional deviations of the O-ring B.

First, the transfer means 7 takes out the oil filter A from the supply station 3 in a vertical position and applies oil to the O-ring B. Then, the oil filter A is placed in a horizontal position and is transferred to the work conveyor 5, and then the workpiece The conveyor 5 conveys the oil filter A to its terminal end, the gripper 17 grips the oil filter A on the conveyor 5 and raises it to a predetermined supply position, and then the nut runner 1a of the tightening device 1 is moved forward. Then, the oil filter A held by the gripping tool 17 is attached to the socket 1b.
Thereafter, the abutment plate 19a of the filter detection means 19 is moved forward to abut against the O-ring B, and the presence or absence of cracks in the oil filter A is detected by the means 19.

Next, the abutting plate 19a is moved back, the upper gripping piece 17a is raised, and the elevating frame 18 is lowered to remove the lower gripping piece 17c and the filter detection means 19.
After the nut runner 1a of the tightening device 1 is moved forward to a predetermined tightening position near the filter attachment point of the engine C placed on the assembly station 2.

First, as shown in Fig. 8, the oil filter A is temporarily tightened until it reaches a predetermined temporary tightening torque S, which is smaller than the specified tightening torque F, and then it is fully tightened until the specified torque F is reached. Measure the time T required.

In this case, if O-ring B of oil filter A has fallen off, by temporarily tightening oil filter A, O-ring B will come into contact with the seat surface D of the filter attachment point of engine C, and then fully tighten it. As a result, the oil filter A is tightened while crushing the O-ring B, and the tightening torque is set to 8.
As shown by the solid line in the figure, the tightening torque increases gradually and reaches the specified tightening torque F, so the final tightening time T takes a relatively long time.

On the other hand, if the O-ring B has fallen off, the end face of the oil filter A will come into contact with the seat surface D when temporarily tightened, so when the O-ring B is finally tightened, the tightening torque will be indicated by the chain line in Figure 8. As shown in , the specified tightening torque F is immediately reached and the actual tightening time becomes shorter.

Thus, the presence or absence of the O-ring B can be detected by measuring the time required for final tightening and comparing this time with a reference time set appropriately in advance. and,
The measured final tightening time T is compared with a reference time, and based on the length thereof, it is determined whether or not the O-ring B is attached to the oil filter A, and the result is appropriately displayed on the display means.

Thereafter, if the O-ring B is attached, the nut runner 1a of the tightening device 1 is moved backward, the engine C is ejected, and the work is completed.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, it is sufficient to measure the time required for final tightening until the specified torque is reached after temporarily tightening the oil filter, and the presence or absence of an O-ring can be detected relatively easily. It is possible to tighten the oil filter to the engine using the tightening device, and the O
The presence or absence of the ring can be detected, which has the effect of reliably preventing oil leakage due to the O-ring falling off.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view of an oil filter assembly device equipped with an O-ring to be detected by the method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a view taken along the - line in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4. 5 are enlarged views along the - line and - line of FIG. 2, respectively, FIG. 6 is a cutaway front view of the main part, FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway front view of the oil filter in the fastened state, and FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram of tightening torque and tightening time. A...Oil filter, B...O ring, C...
...Engine, D...Seat surface, F...Specified tightening torque, S...Temporary tightening torque, 1...Tightening device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When a cartridge-type oil filter with an O-ring attached to the end is fastened to the engine's filter mounting location using a tightening device so that the O-ring is in close contact with the seat of the mounting location, first tighten the oil filter to the specified setting. Temporarily tighten until a predetermined temporary tightening torque is reached, which is smaller than the initial tightening torque, and then fully tighten until the specified tightening torque is reached.Measure the time required for final tightening, and determine the length of the O-ring from the length of this time. A method for detecting an O-ring in an oil filter, characterized in that the presence or absence of the O-ring is detected.