JPH05132123A - Part counting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a part counting device whose full upper surface is wide enough for free use, for example, by utilizing a relatively free space under a truck. CONSTITUTION:A flexible pipe 372 is connected gastightly to a chute, of which the upper side protrudes from the upper surface of a truck, the chute 375 being connected to the opening thereof with the chute fixed at a corner of the truck, and a gate device 378 is disposed in contract with the opening at lower end of the chute. It consists of an outer cylinder 37a and inner cylinder 380 freely slidable. By pushing the inner cylinder upward, the opening 381 formed therein is aligned to the opening at lower end of the chute 375, so that parts stored here in a specified number are discharged onto the hand of a worker. By placing the inner cylinder 380 at a position below, as illustrated in the figure, parts are counted up to a specified number with a counting means due to a limit switch 377, so that they are supplied to the chute 375 through the pipe 372.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parts counting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 shows a part of an automobile manufacturing plant and shows an automobile assembly line.
In the drawing, this assembly line is indicated by 1 as a whole, and the automobiles M ₁ , M ₂ and M ₃ being assembled are gradually transferred along the guide rail 12 in a direction indicated by an arrow a at a predetermined speed. Vehicles M ₁ , M ₂ and M ₃ during such assembly
In addition, workers A, B and C in their respective departments are assigned various parts such as bolts, washers,
I will attach screws etc. to the decided part,
The carts 3, 4, 5 for each department are gradually transferred along the guide rail 12 in the direction indicated by b. In this figure, the transfer speed to the right is the vehicle M on the guide rail 2 being assembled.
It is designed to transfer at the same speed as ₁ , M ₂ , M _3, and each department has partitions 21, 22 and 2
The worker A is responsible for the area between the partitions 21 and 22, and the worker B is responsible for the department between the partitions 22 and 23. The same applies to C, worker D ... The carriages 3, 4, 5 are for workers A, B, and C, respectively, but these are equipped with known vibration component feeders 6, 7, and 8 and are to be installed in each department. The parts are stored in the bowl and are configured to be discharged by a predetermined number by vibration from this. Various tools 9, 10 and 11 with a built-in battery are further mounted and mounted on this side. select and tools in accordance with the components, the operator a, automotive M ₁ B and C that is moving in front of each department, M ₂ and M
₃ various components are used to attach the components discharged from the vibrating component feeder 6 to necessary parts.

Further, as is well known, the oscillating component feeders 6, 7, 8 mounted on the carriages 3, 4, 5 are equipped with an electromagnet drive section, and an alternating current is applied to a coil wound around the electromagnets. For this reason, the power lines 13, 14 and 15 are wired in the factory for this purpose, and these are connected to the taps 16 and 17 mounted near the respective departments. These taps 16 and 17 are connected to a power line which is separately connected to an AC power source, although not shown. This may be buried underground, for example. In any case, in this automobile manufacturing plant, the power lines 13, 14, 15 must be wired in order to supply AC power to the respective vibrating component feeders 6, 7, 8, and for this reason, The taps 16, 17 and the like must be arranged in the vicinity.

Once the above-mentioned wiring work has been completed, there is no problem in the subsequent assembly, but the bogies 3, 4 and 5 still move and the power lines 13, 14 and 15 also move. Since it is flexible as shown by the chain double-dashed line 13, it may move and possibly rest on the guide rail 12 as shown. In this case, the workers A, B, and C have to remove these power lines 13 from the guide rails 12 because they hinder the transition of the trolley, and in some cases, the workers A, B, and C may be attached to such power lines 13. There is a risk that B and C will fall on their legs and fall, which is extremely dangerous. The carriages 3, 4, 5 are the vehicles M ₁ , M ₂ , M _{3 being} assembled in the figure as described above.
As they move at almost the same speed, workers A, B, C
Can carry out the mounting work without much walking, but the vehicle M is being assembled because the power line 13 as described above is caught by the user's foot and falls, or the bogie is stuck on the power line 13 and does not move. _{Since 1} , M ₂ and M ₃ are gradually moving without stopping, when the vehicle M ₁ passes by the partition 22 in the area of the worker A, this worker A is Therefore, it may interfere with the work of the adjacent worker B in some cases. When the trolley moves to the limit area of the partitions 22, 23 on the right side, it quickly returns to the original positions of the partitions 21, 22 again.

Although various inconveniences occur due to the wiring of the power lines 13, 14, 15 as described above, as described above, various tools are battery-operated in the automobile assembly plant. Therefore, in the case where the oscillating component feeders 6, 7, 8 are mounted on the carriage and components are to be supplied from now on, the power line must be separately connected and arranged. The construction cost of the automobile manufacturing plant is rising.

In view of the above problems, the present applicant eliminates the above-mentioned various inconveniences in the assembly line of an automobile factory, for example, in a line that does not conventionally require an AC power source without requiring any wiring work. 9 to 22 for the purpose of providing a vibrating component feeder that can
We have developed a device as shown in.

FIG. 9 shows an automobile assembly line in an automobile manufacturing factory to which the present apparatus is applied. The parts corresponding to those in FIG. 8 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. That is, in FIG. 9, the automobile assembly line is indicated by 31 as a whole, but according to this example, the trolley 3
3, 34, and 35 are configured as shown in detail in FIG. 10, on which the respective vibrating component feeders 6, 7, and 8 are mounted. According to this example, Trolley 3
The electric power is obtained from the rechargeable battery 42 mounted on each of the batteries 3, 34 and 35. Therefore, the power lines 13, 14, and 15 connected to each trolley as in the conventional case are unnecessary. Also, as a result, there are no taps 16 and 17 to power it. Therefore, the automobile assembly line 31 is much simpler than the conventional one.

Next, the structure of the carriage 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, but it is assumed that the other carriages 34 and 35 have the same structure.

In FIG. 10, the trolley 33 is mainly composed of a cuboid body 40 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the trolley body 40 is fixed on the bottom wall by a roller 40a.
It can be moved in any direction. Although not shown, the air is used as the drive source as in the conventional case. The arrangement of the conduit for supplying the air is omitted from the drawing. Trolley body 40
As described above, the rechargeable battery 42 is mounted therein, and DC power is supplied from the rechargeable battery 42 to the inverter 101 in the controller 41 also mounted in the carriage body 40 via the lead wires 42a and 42b. It is like this. Although the internal configuration will be described in detail later, the AC output obtained from the inverter 101 is led to the electrodes 43a and 43b, and the lead wire 44 is connected thereto. This is the coil of the electromagnet of the vibration component feeder 6. To be supplied to. On the side of the vibrating component feeder 6, various battery-type tools 9 are mounted as in the conventional case.

Next, details of the vibrating component feeder 6 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, but it is assumed that the other vibrating component feeders 7 and 8 are also configured in the same manner.

The vibrating component feeder 6 according to the present embodiment is constructed as a component counting device, and FIGS. 10 and 11 show the entire component counting device according to the present embodiment. Vibrating parts feeder 52 housing
Is disposed on the support column 57, and further, a component storage section 53 for discharging one from the column is provided. The vibrating parts feeder 52 and the parts storage part 53 are fixed to the carriage main body 40 as a common mount via the columns 57 and 58 with their heights adjusted. Although not shown, the columns 57 and 58 are configured so that their heights can be adjusted.

Next, the details of the vibrating parts feeder 52 will be described. This is provided with a bowl 72 as is known, and a spiral track 82 is formed on the inner peripheral wall portion thereof. A movable core 75 is fixed to the bottom surface of the bowl 72, and is connected to a lower base block 76 by inclined leaf springs 79 arranged at equal angular intervals. An electromagnet 78, around which a coil 77 is wound, is fixed on the base block 76 so as to face the movable core 75 with a gap. The torsional vibration drive unit is configured as described above, but the whole is covered by the cylindrical cover 80. The entire vibration parts feeder 52 is a rubber vibration isolator 8.
It is supported on the above-mentioned support 57 by 1.

Next, details of the component housing 53 connected to the downstream side of the vibrating parts feeder 52 will be described.

In this component storage section 53, a pipe-shaped chute 84 is fixed to the support column 58 at a substantially central portion thereof by a substantially semicircular mounting member 85. A gate trough 86 is swingably attached to the shaft 130 of the column 58 so that the lower end opening 84a of the chute 84 can be opened and closed. The attachment member 91 is attached to one end of the gate trough 86.
The weight 90 is fixed via. Therefore, the gate trough 86 is located at the position shown in the figure by the rotation moment of the weight 90 around the axis 130 of the weight 90 in the normal state, and its front end portion is in the lower end opening 84 of the chute 84.
It abuts to close a.

Further, a hook-shaped hook portion 92 for hooking a finger is fixed to the bottom surface of the front end portion of the gate trough 86.

Further, a micro switch 89 is attached to one side surface of the gate trough 86, and the operating element 89a is attached to the lower end of a micro switch operating member 87 fixed to the support column 58 in a normal illustrated state. Board 88
, And the micro switch 89 is closed. See also Figure 1
4B, when the operator hooks the hook portion 92 by hand and rotates the hook portion 92 around the shaft 130 in the direction indicated by the arrow,
When the actuator 89a of the micro switch 89 is separated from the actuating plate 88 by an internal spring force, the actuator 89a projects upward to open the micro switch. The micro switch 89 is connected to the inverter 101 via a lead wire although not shown. That is, the opening / closing signal of the micro switch 89 is supplied to the inverter 101,
This controls the drive of the vibrating parts feeder 52.

The component storage unit 53 is constructed as described above, and a component counting device 150 is provided near the upper end of the chute 84 and the discharge end of the truck of the vibrating parts feeder 52. As shown in detail in FIG. 13, this is provided with a detecting element mounting member 131, which has a U-shape, but which receives light rays from the light emitting element 133 and the light emitting section 133a on both arms. A light receiving element 134 having a light receiving portion 134a is attached to the center of the mounting member 131, and a bending arm portion 132 is provided at the center of the mounting member 131. The bending arm portion 132 is provided through an adjusting member 146. It is fixed to. This attachment is performed by the bolt 136, which is inserted through the long hole 138 as shown in FIG.
It is mounted on a bolt 46 which is rotatably mounted around a bolt 135 which is inserted through the play hole, as shown by the one-dot chain line and two-dot chain line in FIG. That is, by rotating the mounting member 131 around the bolt 135 as shown in FIG. 12, adjustment is performed so as to count the parts discharged one by one from the discharge end of the truck of the vibrating parts feeder 52 with the highest sensitivity. It is like this. When the optimum position is determined, the bolt 14
By fixing the number 8, the entire counting device 150 is fixed to the component storage section 53. The adjusting member 146 is fixed to the mounting member 149 by a bolt 148, and the bolt 148 is inserted through the long hole 147, and the counting device 150 can be moved and adjusted in the longitudinal direction. The mounting member 149 is fixed to the column 58.

Next, the vibration drive unit of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 15 shows an overall block diagram. The DC output of the above-mentioned rechargeable battery 42 is supplied to the inverter 101 whose circuit diagram is shown in FIG. 16, where DC is converted into AC and supplied to the coil of the electromagnet of the vibrating parts feeder 52. Further, according to this example, the AC output of the inverter 101 is controlled by PWM (pulse width modulator), and the details of the inverter control circuit 102 are shown in FIG.

Next, details of the inverter 101 and the inverter control circuit 102 in FIG. 15 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 16 shows a drive control circuit of a high-frequency driven vibrating parts feeder 52 according to this embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 42 denotes the above-mentioned battery as a power supply circuit, but this DC output is supplied to the inverter 101. .. The inverter unit 101 includes a pair of diodes 197 and 108 and a field effect transistor (F
ET) 110 and 111 are connected via a coil 77 of the component feeder. Field effect transistor (FET)
A gate driving circuit 11 is provided on the gate electrodes 110 and 111.
A control voltage is applied from 2,113. In FIG. 16, the portion indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is the inverter control circuit 102.
It is assumed that the power is supplied from the battery 42, though not shown. Furthermore, these circuits 112,
Output terminals of comparators 114 and 115 are connected to 113, which generate output voltages having waveforms shown in B of FIG. That is, one comparator 114
The output of the triangular wave generator 116 is supplied to one negative input terminal, and the voltage control circuit 1 is supplied to the other input terminal.
Eighteen outputs are provided. This is a sine wave voltage generator 11
The voltage of 7 produces a voltage controlled by the output from the comparator 122. This is supplied to the negative input terminal of the other comparator 115 via the inverting element 119.
Further, the output terminal of the inverting element 119 has an AC / DC conversion circuit 12
0, its output and the voltage of the potentiometer 121 are supplied to the comparator 122, and its comparison output is supplied to the above-mentioned voltage control circuit 118. Thus, the vibration of the bowl 72 of the vibrating parts feeder 52 is controlled with a predetermined amplitude.

Next, the inputs, outputs and output waveforms of the comparators 114 and 115 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 17A, the triangular wave generator 1
The triangular wave S from 16 shows the waveform of the voltage of the triangular wave, which is supplied to the negative input terminal of the comparator 114 and the input terminal of the other comparator 115. The output of the sine wave voltage generator 117 is input to the input terminal of the comparator 114 via the voltage control circuit 118 and the other comparator 114.
Is supplied to the negative input terminal via the inverting element 119. With respect to the triangular wave, the respective sine wave voltages are mutually inverted with respect to the comparator 114, and therefore intersect with the triangular wave S in a relationship in which the phase is changed by 180 degrees. In such a relationship, a rectangular wave from the comparators 114 and 115 is such that when the level of the triangular wave S is lower than the level of each sine wave, the output of each comparator 114, 115 becomes "1" and vice versa. Occurs as shown in FIG. 17B. Such a comparator output is applied to the gate drive circuits 112 and 113 so that the gate drive circuits 112 and 113 can receive the output of FIG.
By switching the FETs 110 and 111 in FIG.
As shown in C of FIG. As a result, the vibrating parts feeder 52 vibrates as described above.

The component counting device according to this embodiment is constructed as described above, and its operation will be described below.

In the vibrating parts feeder 52, when the coil 77 is excited, an alternating attractive force is generated between the coil 77 and the movable core 75, and the torsional vibration of the inclined leaf spring 79 causes torsional vibration. And is discharged from the discharge end 82a to the upper end opening of the chute 84 in the component storage portion 53. The light-emitting unit 13 in the counting device 150 when this one is discharged
By blocking the light beam from 3a, the light receiving section 134a facing it intercepts the light and repeats light projection, and this is supplied to the controller 41 via a lead wire (not shown) to set the counted number. The counts are sequentially compared, and if they match, the drive of the vibrating parts feeder 52 is stopped.

In the component storage section 53, the component m sequentially slides through the chute 84 due to the action of gravity, and A in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the weight 90 rotates around the shaft 130 by the gravitational action of the weight 90 to take the closed position to close the lower end opening 84a. For example, when 10 pieces are supplied, the driving of the vibrating parts feeder 52 is stopped. The counted parts are received by the gate trough 86 as shown in FIG. The actuator 89a of the micro switch 89 is in contact with and closes the operating plate 88 of the operating member 87 as shown in FIG.

A worker is now using a certain type of automobile M ₁ , M
If you are assembling ₂ , M ₃ ...
Parts m required for _one car M ₁ , M ₂ , M ₃ ...
I need 10 of them, but to take them out,
As shown in FIG. 13, if the hook portion 92 is lightly pressed with the hand H, the gate trough 86 rotates around the shaft 130 against the gravity of the weight 90, and as shown in FIG. Although it was stored, the component m stored by sliding the gate trough 86 away from the lower end opening 84a of the chute 84 as shown in FIG. It is immediately discharged to the hand H of the worker. When all are discharged and the operator removes the hand H from the hook portion 92, the gate trough 86 automatically rotates around the shaft 130 by the gravity action of the weight 90 and contacts the lower end opening 84a of the chute 84. That is, it takes a closed position. Then, the actuator 89a of the micro switch 89 comes into contact with the actuation plate 88 to take the closed position, and the controller 41 detects this by following the procedure from the open position to the closed position, and the coil of the vibrating parts feeder 52 is detected. Energize 77 again. This causes torsional vibration to cause the discharge end 82 of the track 82 in the bowl 72.
One component m is supplied from a, is counted by the counting device 150, passes through the chute 84 in the component storage 53, and is supplied to the gate trough 86 in the closed position shown in A of FIG. .. As described above, when the predetermined number of 10 is counted, that is, 10 counting pulse signals are applied from the counting device 1150 to the controller 41, the driving of the vibrating parts feeder 52 is stopped.

As described above, according to the component counting apparatus of this embodiment, a predetermined amount of components can be stored so that the operator can always use them when needed, and the components can be accurately stored. Since it can be stored, the production efficiency can be further improved as compared with the conventional one.

FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 show the drive control circuit of this example, which is schematically shown in FIG. That is, the output AC of the DC / AC inverter 201
Is adjusted by the control resistance volume 202, which corresponds to the potentiometer 121 in FIG. 16, and is a DC power supply generally used as a DC power supply.
A 12-volt battery 200 is used, and this battery 20
The DC output of 0 is converted to AC by the DC / AC inverter 201.
The output is converted into an output, which is adjusted in the range of 0 to 12V by the volume 202 and supplied to the coil 203 (corresponding to the coil 77 but a coil for AC12V) of the component supply machine. Therefore, this coil 203 must be manufactured as a coil for maximum AC 12V, and it is desirable that 100V as a commercial power supply may be actually supplied. 20 to 23 show a drive control circuit applicable to this. Note that FIG. 19 is a circuit of a first modified example applicable to the AC12V coil similarly to FIG. 18, in which the DC output of the DC12V DC power supply 200 is converted into AC by the DC / AC inverter 204, and the converted AC The output is adjusted by the variable resistor 205 and supplied to the AC 12V coil 203.

FIG. 20 shows a drive control circuit according to a second modification. The parts corresponding to those in FIG. 18 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Ie the second
In the modified example, the output terminal of the DC / AC inverter 201 is connected to the transformer 210, and the secondary side is AC0-100.
Adjusted to V, general purpose coil 211 (general coil is A
C100V or 200V). The height of the AC output of the inverter 201 is adjusted by adjusting the resistance volume 202, which is also boosted by the transformer 210 so that it can be applied to the general-purpose coil 211. FIG. 21 shows a driving circuit of the second modification, which is the transformer 2
A variable resistor 212 is connected to the secondary side of 10, and the current supplied to the general-purpose coil 211 is adjusted by this adjustment.

FIG. 22 shows a drive control circuit of the fourth modification, in which the inverter 220 is a general-purpose inverter for automobiles, the output of which is supplied to an AC / AC inverter 221 (general-purpose controller for parts feeder). The frequency is converted from low frequency to high frequency and is supplied to the general-purpose coil 211 within the range of AC0 to 100V. The current flowing in the coil 211 is adjusted by the variable resistor 222 connected to the AC / AC inverter 221.

FIG. 23 shows a drive control circuit of the fifth modification, in which a variable resistor 230 is connected to an AC output terminal of an inverter 220 (automotive general-purpose inverter), and the current supplied to the general-purpose coil 211 is adjusted by this adjustment. Adjusted.

The applicant has previously proposed a component counting device mainly composed of the vibrating component feeder 6 configured as described above to obtain the above-mentioned effects.
As is clear from the above, various tools 9 are placed on the upper surface of the trolley 33, and the component counting device is provided on the side of the tool 9 so as to occupy about half of the upper surface of the trolley 33. In addition, this size is much larger than the various tools 9, and
Is used to assemble each part in the automobile line. If you want to increase the number of tools,
Although 0 shows quite scattered, it may actually be placed at a higher density, in which case it is difficult to find the necessary tool quickly or it is placed in a proper posture. In some cases, it is difficult to arrange any more in FIG. Further, since the vibrating component feeder 6 projects largely upward, the worker is
When the tool is taken from above 3, the vibrating component feeder 6 becomes an obstacle and cannot be taken from this direction.
It is limited to the posture close to the other three sides.

[0034]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. For example, in an assembly line of an automobile manufacturing process, even if a parts counting device is provided on a trolley with various tools mounted on the trolley, the above-mentioned problems can be solved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a component counting device capable of eliminating such defects.

[0035]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above object is to convey a component along the component transfer track by vibrating a component receiving portion having the component transfer track and accommodating the component, and the discharge end of the track. A vibrating component supply device for supplying components one by one, a component counting means provided in the vicinity of the discharge end, a component transfer means provided in the vicinity of the discharge end, and a discharge opening of the component transfer means. And a gate means movably openable and closable, and supplies the components to the component transfer means while counting by the component counting means one by one from the discharge end of the component transfer truck by driving the vibrating component supply device. Then, when the parts are transferred by the parts transfer means and the predetermined number is counted by the parts counting means, the driving of the vibrating parts feeder is stopped, In the component counting device, the vibrating component supply device is driven again when a predetermined number of components are taken out by moving the opening means to the open position and then moved to the closed position again. The means is a first component transfer chute, a pipe airtightly connected to the first component transfer chute, a second component transfer chute connected to the pipe, and jet air for supplying jet air in the extending direction of the pipe. Supply means for supplying a component from the discharge end of the component transfer truck to the first component transfer chute, and then jetting the component in the pipe by the jet air of the jet air supply means, This is achieved by a parts counting device characterized in that the transfer is performed to a two-parts transfer chute.

[0036]

Most of the vibrating parts feeder for tightening the main structure of the parts counting device, the parts counting means provided in the vicinity of the discharging end, and the transferring means for receiving the parts sequentially discharged from the discharging end are relatively large parts of the carriage. Since it can be arranged in a free lower space, it can be used for arranging various tools in almost the entire area on the upper surface of the bogie, for example, to greatly increase the production capacity in an automobile assembly line. Can be raised.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A component counting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 show the whole of the parts counting device of this embodiment, a large amount of parts m to be counted are accommodated in a linear vibrating parts feeder 301 for a hopper in the figures. The vibrating parts feeder 30 is on the downstream side.
2 are provided, and further, one component is discharged from this one and a component transfer unit 303 according to the present invention is provided. Further, all of these are housed in the internal space Q of the carriage 333 together with the controller R for controlling the drive thereof, and the common base 30 on the bottom wall T of the internal space Q is provided via the columns 306, 307 and 308, respectively.
The height between them is adjusted and fixed on top of the 5. Although not shown, the columns 306, 307 and 308 are configured so that their heights can be adjusted.

First, the linear vibrating parts feeder 301 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. A trough 309 having a large capacity for accommodating a large number of parts m extends linearly, and a movable core 310 is integrally formed on the bottom surface of the trough 309. , Which is fixed by a pair of front and rear inclined leaf springs 315. Further, a movable core 311 which hangs down is fixed to the lower surface of the movable core 310, and this is the protruding portion 3 of the base block 318.
Electromagnet 31 fixed to 18a and wound with a coil 312
It faces 3 with a gap. The linear vibration drive unit is configured as described above, and the whole is covered by the cover 316. In addition, in the left side portion of the base block 318 in FIG.
However, the balance weight portion 318b is formed for stable vibration as a whole. The linear vibrating parts feeder 301 is configured as described above, but the whole is supported on the base 305 by the above-mentioned support 306 by the vibration-proof rubber 317.

According to the present embodiment, the linear vibrating parts feeder 301 is provided with a trough 309 having a large capacity, and a pair of adjusting plates 321 is provided at the upper edge of the trough 309 so as to be slidable in the arrow direction. The knob 31
9 is fixed, and a flexible plate 320 made of rubber is fixed to the lower end. It is sufficiently flexible that its lower end is configured to be easily deformed by the component m in the direction of its transfer, as shown in FIG. Further, the adjusting plate 321 can be moved in the direction of the arrow by loosening the bolt attached to the adjusting plate 321 so that the number of the components m accommodated in the trough 309 is regulated. Therefore, the component m is housed on the upstream side of the rubber plate 320, and the rubber plate 320 is bent by the vibration of the trough 309 so that the component m is supplied little by little to the downstream vibrating parts feeder 302.

Next, the details of the vibration parts feeder 302 provided on the downstream side of the linear vibration parts feeder 301 will be described. This is provided with a bowl 322 as is known, and a spiral track 332 is formed on the inner peripheral wall portion thereof as shown in FIG. A movable core 325 is fixed to the bottom surface of the bowl 322, which is connected to a lower base block 326 by inclined leaf springs 329 arranged at equal angular intervals. Further, an electromagnet 328 having a coil 327 wound thereon is fixed on the base block 326 so as to face the movable core 325 with a gap therebetween. The torsional vibration drive unit is configured as described above, but the whole is covered by the cylindrical cover 330. The entire vibration parts feeder 302 is supported on the above-mentioned support 307 by a vibration-proof rubber 331.

The vibrating parts feeder 302 is constructed as described above, and a supporting rod 323, which is close to the vibrating parts feeder 302 and which can be adjusted upright, is fixed on the base 305. The component empty detection device 324 is fixed. This is constructed in a known manner, and the lower end portion of the lever 324a hanging from this is arranged at a slight distance from the central bottom portion of the bowl 322, and is swingable at its upper end portion. When m is present in the bowl 322, the lever 324a is always tilted, or each time a part passes underneath, the lever 324a is rocked so that the lever 324a is provided at the upper end and a limit switch (not shown) allows the part to be present. This is supplied to the controller R through a lead wire (not shown). That is, if it is determined that there are no parts in the bowl 322 or that the parts are close to empty, the coil 312 of the upstream linear vibrating parts feeder 301 is excited to drive the linear vibrating parts feeder 301, and the trough 309 removes the parts m. I'm trying to eject it. Then, when the components are discharged into the bowl 322 by a predetermined amount, the driving of the linear vibrating parts feeder 301 is stopped.

Next, the details of the parts transfer section 303 according to the present invention, which is connected to the downstream side of the vibrating parts feeder 302, will be described.

In the component transfer section 303, a pipe-shaped chute 334 is fixed to the support 308 at a substantially central portion thereof by a mounting member 335 having a substantially semicircular shape.
Further, an air ejection nozzle 250 is attached to the upper end opening of the chute 334 so as to eject air downward to the inside of the chute 334 as shown in FIG. 1, which is not shown but via a solenoid valve SV. Connected to the compressor.

The upstream side of the parts transfer section 303 is constructed as described above. The parts counting device 300 is provided near the upper end of the chute 334 and the discharge end 332a of the track 332 of the vibrating parts feeder 302. It is provided. As shown in detail in FIG. 2, this is provided with a sensing element mounting member 351 which is U-shaped, but which receives light rays from the light emitting element 353 and the light emitting section 353a at both arms thereof. As described above, the light receiving element 354 having the light receiving portion 354a is attached, and the central portion of the attaching member 351 is provided with the bending arm portion 352, which is attached in a substantially U shape via the adjusting member 366. It is fixed to the member 369. This installation is bolt 3
56, which is attached to the adjusting member 366 through the long hole 357 as shown in FIG. 3, and the whole of the bolt 355 is inserted through the loose hole.
It is rotatably attached around this as shown by the one-dot chain line and two-dot chain line in FIG. That is, by rotating the mounting member 351 around the bolt 355 as shown in FIG. 3, adjustment is performed so as to count the parts discharged one by one from the discharge end 332a of the track 332 of the vibrating parts feeder 302 with the highest sensitivity. It is supposed to be done. When the optimum position is determined, the bolt 356 is fixed so that the entire counting device 300 is fixed to the component transfer unit 303. The adjusting member 366 is fixed to the mounting member 369 by a bolt 368, and the bolt 366 is inserted through the long hole 367, and the counting device 300 can be moved and adjusted also in the longitudinal direction. The mounting member 369 is fixed to the column 308.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a pipe 372 made of a tetron material is airtightly fixed to the lower end of the chute 334 of the above-mentioned device by a connector 372a.
This extends above the trolley 333, is fixed to the side wall of the internal space Q of the trolley 333 with a mounting bracket 390, and is further attached to the upper surface S.
The pipe 372 is fixed to the corner of the carriage by a mounting bracket 374, and the opening end faces downward and its section is U-shaped. It faces the chute 375 with a space as illustrated. The chute 375 is fixed to the carriage 333 by a mounting member (not shown), and the lower opening end of the chute 375 is in contact with the gate device 378 as illustrated.

The gate device 378 is composed of an outer cylinder 379 and an inner cylinder 380 which is slidably fitted on the outer cylinder 379 and is made of synthetic resin, and these are both rectangular cylinders. The outer cylinder 37
9, the lower end opening 375 of the chute 375 as shown in FIG.
The inner cylinder 380 is provided with an opening 379a aligned with a, and even if a component slides on the chute 375, the inner cylinder 380 is blocked by the outer peripheral wall surface of the inner cylinder 380 at the position.

An opening 381 is formed in the peripheral wall portion of the inner cylinder 380. When an operator manually pushes the inner cylinder 380 upward as will be described later, the opening 381 causes the chute 3 to open.
The lower opening end 380a of the inner cylinder 380 is arranged to be ejected through the opening 381 in alignment with the lower opening 375a of the inner tube 75.

Further, in FIG. 5 of the inner cylinder 380, an outer cylinder 379 is provided.
A limit switch actuating member 391 is provided at a portion slightly protruding from the upper edge of the limit switch 371. The limit switch actuating member 391 presses an actuating element 377a of a limit switch 377 arranged in proximity to turn it on. When an operator manually pushes the inner cylinder 380 upward as shown by the alternate long and short dash line, the limit switch operating member 391 escapes upward from the operator 377a of the limit switch 377 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line, and the limit switch 377 is turned off. Is configured to be.
The indicator lamp 383 is also fixed to the carriage 333 via the mounting member 382, and is configured to light up when a predetermined number of parts are supplied to the chute 375 as described later.

Next, the above described vibrating parts feeder 302 and the controller R such as the linear moving parts feeder 301 for supplying parts to the vibrating parts feeder 302 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 401 denotes a three-phase AC power supply, of which two phases are used and supplies AC power to each component and each circuit via the open / close switch 400.

The vibrating parts feeder 302 is connected to the vibrating parts feeder driving circuit 403, and the linear vibrating parts feeder 301 is connected to the linear vibrating parts feeder driving circuit 404. A component supply device 406 is configured by the feeder 301. Between the electric lines E and F extending from the respective terminals of the AC power source 401, various relays, timers, and the above-described vibrating parts feeder drive circuit 403,
Although the linear vibration parts feeder drive circuit 404 and the like are connected, the electric line E will be described from the top in FIG.
Between F and F, a normally closed contact of the timer TR ₂ is connected in series with the coil SV of the solenoid valve. Further, a contact 407 which is closed when a count-up signal is generated at the output terminals g and h of the counter 409, a relay CR ₁ in series therewith and a timer TR _{2 in} parallel therewith are connected. Below this, the normally open contacts of the relays CR ₁ and CR ₂ and the relay CR ₂ timer TR ₁ are connected in series with the limit switch 377. Limit switch 377
In the state shown in the figure, the operator 377a of the above has closed the lower fixed contact, which is connected in series with the contact of the relay CR ₁ and the relay CR ₂ described above. Further, the contact of the relay CR ₂ is connected in parallel with this. Further, in the state shown in the figure, the movable contact 377b built in is separated from the fixed contact, which is connected in series with the normally open contacts of the relays CR ₁ and CR ₂ and the timer TR ₁ .

Further below this, the counter 409 is connected between the electric lines E and F, but the pulse-like count signal from the above-mentioned component counting device 300 is supplied to this and set therein. When the predetermined number is reached, a count-up signal is generated from the output terminals g and h of the counter 409 as described above, whereby the contact 407 for detecting the count-up signal is closed. Further, the normally closed contact of the above-mentioned timer TR ₁ is connected to the time detection terminal of the counter 409. The counter 409 has a lamp 4 that lights up during counting.
10 are connected.

Further, normally-closed contacts of the relays CR ₁ and CR ₂ are connected in series to the vibration parts feeder drive circuit 403. The limit switch 405 for sky detection described above is connected to the linear vibrating parts feeder drive circuit 404. The normally closed contacts of the relays CR ₁ and CR ₂ are connected in series to the other terminals. The normally open contacts CR ₁ relay CR ₁ at the lowermost portion is displayed above lamps 38
3 is connected in series.

The component counting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, this operation will be described.

When the open / close switch 400 is turned on in FIG. 6, the power is turned on to each unit. First, the vibration parts feeder 302 is driven. As a result, the parts are supplied to the chute 334 one by one from the discharge end. This is counted by the component counting device 300, and this pulse is supplied to the counter 409.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a large number of parts m defined by a rubber plate 320 are housed in the trough 309 of the linear vibrating parts feeder 301. The adjusting plate 321 can be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow according to the required storage amount, and is fixed at an appropriate position by tightening a bolt. When alternating current is applied to the coil 312, an alternating attractive force is generated between the coil 312 and the movable core 311, and the trough 309 linearly vibrates in the direction substantially perpendicular to the leaf spring 315. As a result, the component m in the trough 309 is transferred to the right in FIG. 1 by receiving the vibration force and bending the lower end of the rubber plate 320. From the discharge end of the trough 309, parts are supplied into the bowl 322 of the vibrating parts feeder 302. When an approximately predetermined amount is supplied, the driving of the vibration feeder 301 is stopped.
In the vibrating parts feeder 302, when the coil 327 is excited, an alternating attractive force is generated between the coil 327 and the movable core 325, and the torsional action of the inclined leaf spring 329 causes torsional vibration so that the components in the bowl 322 move to the track 332. And the parts storage section 303 from the discharge end 332a.
Is discharged to the upper end opening of the chute 334 at. By blocking the light beam from the light emitting element 353a in the counting device 300 when this one is discharged, the light receiving element 354a facing it repeats the light blocking and the light projecting, and this repeats through a lead wire (not shown). By being supplied to the controller R, this is sequentially compared with the set count, and if they match, the vibrating parts feeder 3
02 is stopped.

Since the contact point TR ₂ of the timer TR ₂ is now closed as shown in FIG. 6, the solenoid valve SV connected in series with it is excited, which causes the compressor (not shown) in FIG. Air jet nozzle 250
Ejects air from. This is because the parts ejected to the chute 334 are jetted out to the pipe 372 substantially in the longitudinal direction, and the parts rapidly discharged through the pipe 372 pass through the pipe path as shown in FIG. Supplied to the chute 375. At this time, since the parts vigorously collide with the bottom of the chute 375, there is a risk that some parts may jump outward, and a shield plate 376 is provided to prevent this from occurring. Therefore, the chute 375 slides down without jumping outward, and the lower end portion of the chute 375 now comes into contact with the outer peripheral wall portion of the inner cylinder 380 and is stopped there. When a predetermined number of pulses from the light receiving element set in the counter 409 are received, a count-up signal is led to the output terminals of g and h, whereby the contact 407 is closed by the count-up signal in FIG. As a result, the relay CR ₁ is excited and the timer TR ₂ connected in parallel with the relay CR ₁ starts its timed operation. It closed normally open contact CR ₁ by excitation of the relay CR _1, also normally closed contact CR ₁ open. Therefore, the drive signal from the vibrating parts feeder drive circuit 403 disappears, and the vibrating parts feeder 302 stops. When all the predetermined number of parts reach the chute 375, the timer TR ₂
The normally-closed contact is opened by the timed action of, so that the excitation of the solenoid valve SV is released, and the ejection of air from the compressor ends. In addition, an indicator light 383 for notifying the count-up
Lights up. In this state, an operator of the automobile assembly line manually pushes up the inner cylinder 380 of the gate device 378.
Then, at this time, since a predetermined number of parts are stored in the chute 375, the inner cylinder 380 is moved upward and the opening 3 is opened.
81 is aligned with the lower open end 375a of the chute 375,
It acts as if it were a vending machine for pachinko balls in a pachinko parlor, and a predetermined number of parts fall from the lower opening 380a of the inner cylinder 380 onto the operator's hand.

When the worker releases the upward pushing of the inner cylinder 380, the inner cylinder 380 takes the lower position as shown in the figure. The actuator 377a of the limit switch 377 is normally turned on by an actuating member 381 fixed to the inner cylinder 380. That is, the limit switch 377 in FIG.
Since the actuator 377a of is turned on, the relay CR
_When the contact of ₁ is closed, the relay CR ₂ is excited. Also,
The contact closes and thus self-holds. As described above, when the worker pushes the inner cylinder 380 of the gate device 378 upward, the operator 377 of the limit switch 377 is pressed.
a is turned off. That is, the contact 377b is closed in FIG. Thus the timer TR ₁ is operated so already contact CR ₁ relay CR ₁ which is energized and closed by the count-up signal, normally closed contacts TR ₁ connected to open to a counter 409 when the set time has elapsed .. This resets the count-up signal.
Therefore, the contact 407 is opened. At the same time, the excitation of the relay SR ₁ and the timer TR ₂ is stopped. The excitation of the relay CR ₂ is released, and the normally-closed contacts CR ₁ and CR ₂ connected to the vibrating parts feeder drive circuit 403 are closed again, whereby the vibrating parts feeder 302 starts to be driven again. Therefore, the parts to be discharged are counted,
On the other hand, since the contact of the timer TR ₂ is closed again and the electromagnetic valve SV is excited, the air from the compressor is ejected from the air ejection nozzle 250 and sends the component to the chute 375, and the same operation as described above is performed.

As described above, the predetermined number of parts are sequentially taken out and the work is carried out. However, when the part m in the bowl 322 of the vibrating part feeder 302 is judged to be empty or nearly empty by the empty detection device 324. Sky detector 324
By driving the linear vibrating parts feeder 301 disposed on the upstream side by the detection signal of (the switch 405 in FIG. 6 is turned off), the component m is supplied to the vibrating parts feeder 302 from a predetermined amount. ing.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the vibrating parts feeder 302 is formed in a small size, that is, in a small capacity, and therefore, the number of parts to be accommodated is smaller than that of the bowl of the usual vibrating parts feeder, but the work can be performed by this. Each time a person takes out a component from the gate, the component is driven at a predetermined timing each time.
The magnitude of the current supplied to 27 may be small, which is advantageous in terms of energy consumption or heat generation. If this is a bowl that is configured to store a large amount of parts like a normal vibrating parts feeder, a large current will flow each time the parts feeder is driven or stopped, which will increase the heat generated, Further, when the amount of energy consumption becomes large, and especially when the generated heat becomes large, a means for avoiding this is also required, but according to the present embodiment, the vibrating parts feeder 302 reduces the volume of the bowl 322 as much as possible. Therefore, the problems of energy consumption and heat generation described above can be avoided.

In the linear vibrating parts feeder 301, a rubber plate 320 is movably and adjustably attached to the trough 309.
Since the number of the components m accommodated therein can be adjusted so as to accommodate only the components required in the working time of one day, the driving force for driving the components can be minimized. Further, by disposing the rubber plate 320, the bowl 32 of the vibration parts feeder 302
It is possible to supply a predetermined amount of parts in the container 2 with relative accuracy. If the rubber plate 320 is not provided, since the component m has a large layer thickness and a large flow rate and is supplied to the bowl 322, it becomes difficult to supply the predetermined amount.

As described above, according to the component coefficient device of this embodiment, when the operator always needs a predetermined amount of components,
Since it can be stored so as to be used for this, and the parts can be stored accurately, the production efficiency can be further improved as compared with the conventional case.

Although the present embodiment performs the above-mentioned operations, it is obvious that the following effects can be obtained. That is, only the upper ends of the pipes 372, which are individually supplied from the vibrating parts feeder by the flexible pipe 372, project from the upper surface of the trolley,
Since the gate device 378 is provided on this side,
As shown in, the upper surface of the trolley is greatly expanded as compared with the conventional one, so that the area for placing various tools becomes large, and more tools and other necessary members can be placed.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiments, the vibrating parts feeder is directly driven by the AC power supply 401. Therefore, an electric wire for wiring to the AC power supply of the factory is required, but the battery 42 previously proposed by the present applicant may be loaded and DC / AC conversion may be performed. In this case, the drawback that an operator is caught in a leg is eliminated. In this case, the circuits shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 may be used. The same effect as the previous application can be obtained.

[0066]

As described above, according to the component counting apparatus of the present invention, the vibrating parts feeder, which is the main component of the counting apparatus, and the supply chute connected to the vibrating parts feeder, are, for example, in a relatively free space below the carriage. Therefore, the upper surface of the trolley can be used, for example, with a sufficiently wide space for arranging various tools. Further, if the pipe 372 is extended as much as necessary without being limited to this dolly, the component supply source is arranged in a place isolated from the factory, and the worker is provided with a gate device 378 arranged as if it is a faucet. It is also possible to receive a predetermined number of parts from the above.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a component feeder of a component counting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the gate device related to the upper end of the pipe extending from the component supply unit of the device.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a control circuit of this device.

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of an assembly line in an automobile manufacturing factory to which the counting device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a plan view similar to FIG. 7 in a conventional automobile assembly line.

FIG. 9 is a plan view similar to FIG. 7 in a conventional vehicle assembly line.

10 is an enlarged perspective view of the trolley in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway side view of the same.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the vibrating parts feeder shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the same.

14A and 14B are partially cutaway enlarged cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the vibration parts feeder.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a drive unit of the same example.

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram showing details of the drive unit.

FIG. 17 is a time chart showing an operation in the same circuit.

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram schematically showing FIGS. 15 and 16.

FIG. 19 is a circuit diagram showing each modification of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a circuit diagram showing each modification of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram showing each modification of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram showing each modification of FIG. 18.

FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram showing each modification of FIG. 18.

[Explanation of symbols]

 372 pipe

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vibrating component supply for accommodating a component and transferring the component along the component transfer track by vibrating a component receiving portion having a component transfer track and supplying the component one by one from a discharge end of the track. Device, component counting means provided in the vicinity of the discharge end, component transfer means provided in the vicinity of the discharge end, and a gate provided to be able to open and close the discharge opening of the component transfer means. Means for supplying the components to the component transferring means while counting by the component counting means, one by one from the discharge end of the component transferring track by driving the vibrating component supplying device, and supplying the components by the component transferring means. When the predetermined number is received by the component counting means, the driving of the vibrating component supply device is stopped and the gate means is moved to the open position. When a predetermined number of parts are taken out by and are moved to the closed position again, in the parts counting device which drives the vibrating parts feeder again, the parts transfer means includes a first parts transfer chute, The component transfer comprises a pipe airtightly connected to the first component transfer chute, a second component transfer chute connected to the pipe, and jet air supply means for supplying jet air in the extending direction of the pipe. Parts from the discharge end of the truck are supplied to the first part transfer chute, and then the parts are pressure-fed in the pipe by the jet air of the jet air supply means and transferred to the second part transfer chute. The component counting device characterized in that 2. The gate means comprises an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder slidably fitted in the outer cylinder. The outer wall of the outer cylinder is aligned with the lower end discharge opening of the second component transfer chute. Is formed in the lower position of the inner cylinder, the peripheral wall surface of the inner cylinder receives a predetermined number of parts stored at the lower end of the second component transfer chute, and the inner cylinder is moved upward. When moved, it guides the stored parts into the inner cylinder through an opening formed in the peripheral wall surface of the inner cylinder,
The component counting device according to claim 1, wherein the component is taken out from a lower end opening of the inner cylinder. 3. A vibrating feeder having a component receiving portion having a component receiving amount larger than the component receiving amount of the component receiving portion of the vibrating component feeding device, and emptying the components in the component receiving portion of the vibrating component feeding device. The component counting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when it becomes substantially empty, the vibration feeder is driven to supply a substantially predetermined amount to the component receiving portion of the vibrating component supply device. 4. The vibrating feeder has a linear trough as the component receiving portion, and a flexible partition plate is provided so as to traverse the trough so as to be movable and adjustable along the longitudinal direction of the trough. 3. The component counting device according to item 3. 5. The vibration drive source of the vibrating component supply device is a battery, and a DC for converting the DC output of the battery into AC.
The component counting device according to claim 1, comprising a / AC converter.