JPH0512095B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an automatic assembly machine for products such as linear motion ball bearings, which loads a predetermined number of steel balls into the grooves of a retainer.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of automatic assembly machine has 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
This is shown in Figure 5.

In the figure, the first
A plurality of jigs A' that can guide the outer diameter part of the outer cylinder A, which is the part of It is inserted with the retainer installed.
However, the retainer rod is a part provided with a plurality of rows of groove holes into which up to a certain number of steel balls C, which are the third part, can be inserted. The index table 1 is a device that transfers parts by sequentially and intermittently rotating it in the direction of the arrow a, and the steel balls are placed at a predetermined position into the plurality of rows of grooves in the retainer.
An automatic loading device is installed that can load up to a predetermined number of items. Next, to explain this automatic loading device, first, it is assumed that the outer cylinder A in which the retainer is installed is transferred to a fixed position, and a certain number of steel balls C are supplied in advance into the steel ball holder 2. do. A plurality of steel ball holders 2 (four in the figure) are attached to the slider 3 so as to correspond to the rows of grooves in the retainer, and the slider 3 is attached to a slider guide 4 fixed to a base (not shown). It is guided so as to be movable up and down by a slider guide lid 5. Further, a push rod 6 is slidably guided on the slider 3, and a detection rod 8 is attached to the push rod 6 via a spacer 7, which is an insulator, and a lead wire is connected to the push rod 6 using its mounting screw 12. 13 are connected. Also push stick 6 and slider 3
A tension spring 11 is hung between the two via spring hooks 9 and 10, and a lead wire 15 is connected to the slider 3 via a screw 14.
Furthermore, a flange guide 17 is mounted on the base and guides a push rod 16 for lifting the retainer so that it can move up and down. This push rod 16 is provided with a hole 16' necessary for vacuuming from below.

That is, in the conventional example described above, once the outer cylinder A in which the retainer rod in the table jig A' is moved to the fixed position (see Fig. 2), the slider 3 is moved to the cylinder, cam, etc. (not shown) and then descends and stops (see Figure 3). After that, the push rod 16 pushes only the retainer rod with a cam or cylinder (not shown), and the steel balls (c) push the groove of the retainer rod.
Raise it to a position where it fits into the row. At this time, the push rod 6 guided by the slider 3 follows and rises. As a result, the steel balls in the steel ball holder 2 are released from the state in which they are stopped by the detection rod 8, and the steel balls are moved one by one into the grooves that take a certain amount of time. ’ column (4th
(see figure). However, the steel balls are inserted by falling naturally using the slope of the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2 through which the steel balls pass, and by being vacuumed from below through the hole in the push rod 16. After that, the push rod 16 is lowered and the push rod 6 is moved downward.
The retainer rod is returned to its original position by the action of the tension spring 11. (See Figure 5). At this time, the steel balls that fail to enter the groove rows of the retainer remain in the steel ball holder 2. This residual steel ball C' is detected when it comes into contact with the detection rod 8, and an electrical signal is generated between the + electrode lead wire 13 attached to the detection rod 8 and the − electrode lead wire 15 attached to the slider 3. By converting, the machine had to be stopped or defective items had to be taken out.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional system, when steel balls, etc. do not enter the groove rows of the retainer, etc. and remain in the steel ball holder, etc., for example, if the steel balls have dust, etc. attached to them, the steel balls with dust are removed from the steel ball holder. When the steel ball 2 gets stuck in the middle of the path 2',
There are some imperfections, such as errors occurring in the detection of residual steel balls. This often resulted in defective products being mixed in with good products. In addition, if the machine is stopped and the defective products are ejected every time the product fails to enter the product the first time, productivity is poor. Therefore, before stopping the machine or discharging defective products, an operation should be performed to put the remaining steel balls into the groove, thereby reducing the machine stoppage rate and the discharge rate of defective products. There are many requests for it. Therefore, the present invention can prevent errors in the detection of remaining steel balls by the detection rod due to the steel balls getting stuck in the middle of the path inside the steel ball holder, and also prevents errors in detecting the remaining steel balls by the detection rod. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic assembly machine for products such as ball bearings, which avoids machine stoppage by reloading steel balls and reduces the number of defective products.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the automatic assembly machine for products such as ball bearings of the present invention has a retainer (ro)
The steel ball holder 2 is placed above the index table 1 and has a path 2' for supplying the steel balls to be inserted into the grooves of the retainer. In the lower end state of the freely movable push rod 6, its side part shields the outlet of the steel ball holder 2, and in the raised state, the push rod 6 blocks the outlet of the steel ball holder 2.
A detection rod 8 is arranged to open the outlet of the retainer rod and detect when the steel ball C is in contact with the side surface of the rod. A push rod 16 that can push up the retainer (B) to a position facing the exit of the path 2' of the ball holder 2 and a hole 16' inside the push rod 16 push the steel balls (in the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2). In an automatic assembling machine for products such as ball bearings, which is equipped with a vacuum device that can suck c) into the groove (b)' of the retainer (b), the detection rod 8 descends and the steel ball boulder 2 passes through the path 2'. The hole 16' inside the push rod 16 is communicated with the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2 while the exit of the push rod 16 is blocked, and the steel balls remaining in the path 2' are removed by vacuum from the side of the detection rod 8. The detection rod 8
The force of the compression spring 21 increases when the detection rod 8, which is installed at the lower end and detects that the steel balls remaining in the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2 are adsorbed to its side surface, rises together with the push rod 6. By following the detection rod 8 and pushing up the retainer rod, the upper end of the groove rod of the retainer rod is again exposed to the exit of the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2, and the remaining steel balls are removed. This device is characterized in that a push auxiliary rod 20, which can be stored in a groove, is attached to the upper end of the push rod 16.

[Examples and effects]

Embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. When the second part (the retainer rod is inserted and the groove rows of the retainer rod are positioned in one direction) is transferred to the regular position (see Figure 7), the next step is to , slider 3
is lowered and stopped by a cylinder, cam, etc. (not shown), and then the push rod 16 is guided by a flange guide 17 and the push rod 20 is attached to the inner diameter of the tip of the push rod 16.
When it comes into contact with the retainer rod and further rises, the compression spring 21 bends to bring out the retainer rod from the upper surface of the outer cylinder (a), that is, to insert the steel balls C into the groove rows of the retainer rod (see Fig. 8). ). Further, the push rod 6 fixed to the tip of the cylinder 23 is raised by the cylinder 23 to the extent necessary to insert the steel balls into the groove rows of the retainer. If the steel ball holder 2 is deceived, the steel balls in the steel ball holder 2 will be released from the state where they are stopped by the detection rod 8, and the steel balls will take a certain amount of time to move one by one into the corresponding groove in the retainer rod. Enter the line (see Figure 9). However, the steel ball C is inserted by naturally falling down using the slope of the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2, and by vacuuming it from below through the holes 16' and 20' of the push rod 16 and the push auxiliary rod 20. It will be done. Further, the cylinder 23 is fixed by the mounting base 22 and the slider 3. Next, the push rod 6 is lowered by the cylinder 23 to return the retainer to its original position (see FIG. 10). At this time, the steel balls C' that have failed to enter the groove R' rows of the retainer R remain in the steel ball holder 2. This remaining steel ball C' contacts the detection rod 8. In other words, the push rod 16, the hole 16' of the push support rod 20,
20', and the sensing rod 8 is pressurized at a certain depth through the air flow path 8' which communicates with the inclined steel ball path 2' of the steel ball holder 2 as shown in Fig. 11. Therefore, the steel balls left behind by the vacuum from below are detected by the detection rod 8.
It is possible to detect the residual steel ball C' by adsorbing it to the steel ball C'.
Therefore, the positive electrode lead wire 13 attached to the detection rod 8 and the negative electrode lead wire 15 attached to the slider 3 convert it into an electrical signal. At this time, since the cylinder 23 is lowering the push rod 6, the push auxiliary rod 20 is in a state in which the compression spring 21 contained in the push rod 16 is compressed. (See Figure 10). When the signal is given, the cylinder 23 rises again. Following this, only the pusher auxiliary rod 20 rises under the restoration of the compression spring 21, and the retainer rod is lifted up again, and the steel balls remaining in the steel ball holder are moved into the grooves of the retainer rod. It enters the row 'row' (see Figure 9). When inserting the steel balls again, the movement of the index table is prevented by a clutch brake or the like (not shown) in response to the above-mentioned detection signal.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention is as described above, and by providing the detection rod 8 with an air flow path 8' that communicates with the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2, the steel balls remaining in the path 2' can be removed from the vacuum chamber. Since it can be reliably attracted to the detection rod 8 by the suction force, it has the effect of preventing the detection of the steel ball H' stuck and remaining in the path 2' from being missed, and improving the reliability of detection. When a steel ball H' remaining in the steel ball holder 2 is detected, the pusher auxiliary rod 20 is operated to replenish the retainer with steel balls and completely load the retainer, thereby avoiding machine stoppage. At the same time, it has the effect of reducing the output rate of defective products and improving productivity.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 shows a conventional device and is a perspective view of the main parts, Figs. 2 to 5 are sectional views showing the operating states of the conventional device in order, and Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 10 are sectional views sequentially showing the operating states of the embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional detection rod, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the lower push rod of the conventional sensor, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the lower push rod of the invention. A...outer cylinder, A'...jig, B...retainer, B'...groove, C...steel ball, C'...residual steel ball,
1...Table, 2...Holder, 2'...Route,
3...Slider, 4...Guide, 5...Lid,
6... Push rod, 7... Spacer, 8... Detection rod, 9, 10... Spring hook, 11... Spring, 12... Mounting screw, 13... Lead wire,
14...screw, 15...lead wire, 16...push bar, 16'...hole, 17...flange guide,
20...Pushing auxiliary rod, 20'...hole, 21...
...Compression spring, 22...Mounting base, 23...Cylinder, 8'...Air flow passage.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A steel ball holder 2 disposed above the index table 1 for setting the retainer rod in a predetermined position and provided with a path 2' for supplying steel balls to be inserted into the groove hole of the retainer rod; The push rod 6 is attached to the lower end of the push rod 6, which can be raised and lowered at certain positions, and when it is in a lowered state, its side surface blocks the exit of the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2, and when it is raised, the exit of the path 2' is opened and its side surface is A detection rod 8 capable of detecting the state in which the steel ball C is in contact with the steel ball C is disposed under the index table 1 so as to be able to move up and down. The steel balls in the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2 are sucked into the groove of the retainer through a push rod 16 that can push the retainer up to a position facing the retainer, and a hole 16' inside the push rod 16. In an automatic assembly machine for products such as ball bearings, which is equipped with a vacuum device capable of vacuuming, the hole 16 inside the push rod 16 is opened while the detection rod 8 is lowered to block the exit of the path 2' of the steel ball boulder 2. An air flow passage 8' is connected to the lower end of the detection rod 8 to allow the steel balls 2' remaining in the path 2' to be adsorbed to the side surface of the detection rod 8 by vacuum. When the detection rod 8 moves up together with the push rod 6, the force of the compression spring 21 detects when the steel ball C' remaining in the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2 is adsorbed to its side surface. By moving up following the rod 8 and pushing up the retainer rod, the upper end of the groove rod of the retainer rod is once again exposed to the exit of the path 2' of the steel ball holder 2, and the residual steel balls are removed from the groove rod. This automatic assembly machine for products such as ball bearings is characterized in that a pusher auxiliary rod 20 is attached to the upper end of the pusher rod 16 so that the pusher rod 20 can be stored in the upper end of the pusher rod 16.