JPH07206141A - Feeder for small article - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a feeder for a small article capable of inputting articles to be conveyed in a storage part and conveying them to a specified spot in a comparatively short period of time, hardly marring the articles to be conveyed and making a comparatively small noise. CONSTITUTION:This is a feeder for a small article used for rectangular parallelopiped articles H to be conveyed which are different in crosswise measurement, and it has a hopper 1 to input the articles to be conveyed having a vibration generator 2, and an air conveyor 3 to convey the articles H to be conveyed discharged from the hopper 1. Additionally, the air conveyor 3 has a conveying passage groove 30 slightly larger in width than the articles H to be conveyed and air jet nozzles 31 formed on a side wall constituting the conveying passage groove 30 and to convey the articles H to be conveyed to a specified position while laying them down by the air jetted from the nozzles so that the dimensionally shorter side of the articles H to be conveyed comes to be in the height direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveying device (herein referred to as a feeder for small articles) which changes a posture of a small conveyed object to a predetermined position and conveys the object to a predetermined position while maintaining this posture. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A feeder of this kind is, for example, a parts feeder as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, this is a housing portion 90 having a circular shape in plan view, in which a large number of components are loaded in a random posture and the components are individually fed to a posture converting portion 91.
And a posture conversion unit 91 having an arcuate shape in plan view for converting the components fed into the storage unit 90 into a predetermined posture while moving the components, and a conveyance for conveying the components to the next process while maintaining the converted posture. The container 92, the posture changing unit 91, and the carrying unit 92.
Are capable of exerting their respective functions by utilizing the relatively large vibration force of the vibrator.

Therefore, it is indispensable for the automatic assembly line used in recent years.

However, in this type of feeder, the accommodating portion 90, the posture changing portion 91, and the conveying portion 92 are adapted to exhibit their respective functions by utilizing the relatively large vibration force of the vibrator. There is a problem that it takes a lot of time to convey a component from a component insertion to a predetermined place, some components may be damaged in the accommodating portion 90, and a large noise is generated due to vibration noise and component collision noise. is there.

In recent years, a feeder for small articles has been developed in which the articles to be conveyed can be conveyed from a container to a predetermined place in a relatively short time, the articles to be conveyed are not easily scratched, and the noise is relatively small. Is desired.

[0007]

In view of the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to carry the object to be conveyed from the accommodation portion to the predetermined place in a relatively short time, the object is hardly scratched, and noise is generated. An object is to provide a relatively small feeder for small articles.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a small article feeder for use with a rectangular parallelepiped object to be conveyed H having different vertical and horizontal dimensions, and for feeding an object to be conveyed having a vibration generator 2. It has a hopper 1 and an air conveyor 3 that conveys the transported object H discharged from the hopper 1, and the air conveyor 3 has a transport path groove that opens upward with a width slightly larger than the width of the transported object H. 30 and the side wall forming the conveying path groove 30, the object to be conveyed H is tilted by the air ejected from it so that the shorter dimension of the length and width becomes the height direction, and the object H is brought to a predetermined position. It has an air ejection hole 31 for carrying.

Further, the present invention is a small article feeder for use with a rectangular parallelepiped object H having different vertical and horizontal dimensions, and a hopper 1 for introducing an object to be conveyed, which has a vibration generator 2. The air conveyor 3 has an air conveyer 3 for conveying the conveyed object H and a chute 4 for guiding the conveyed object H discharged from the hopper 1 to the air conveyor 3.
Is formed in the upper side of the conveying path groove 30 having a width slightly larger than the width of the conveyed object H and the side wall forming the conveying path groove 30, and the air from which the conveyed object H is ejected Accordingly, the shorter one of the vertical and horizontal is tilted so that the shorter dimension is in the height direction, and the air ejection hole 31 is provided for transporting to a predetermined position.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a hopper 1 for loading a rectangular parallelepiped object H having different vertical and horizontal dimensions,
A vibration generator 2 for smoothly discharging the transported object H from the hopper 1, an air conveyor 3 for transporting the transported object H while converting the transported object H into an appropriate posture, and a transported object discharged from the hopper 1. A feeder for small articles including a chute 4 for guiding H to the air conveyor 3, wherein the hopper 1 guides the discharge port 10 provided under the hopper 1 and the transported object H to the discharge port 10 by its own weight. And the air conveyor 3 is formed in the side wall forming the transfer path groove 30 and the transfer path groove 30 that opens upward with a width slightly larger than the width of the transferred object H. In addition, it has an air ejection hole 31 for inclining the transported object H so that the shorter dimension in the vertical and horizontal directions is the height direction by the air to be ejected and for transporting it to a predetermined position. The width of the discharge port 10 is preferably set to be slightly larger than the width of the transported object H.

The means for tilting the transported object such that the shorter dimension of the vertical and horizontal directions is in the height direction is not limited to the air ejection holes as described above, but the transported object in the vertical or horizontal posture. It is also possible to use a cross rail that hits only the transported object in a tall posture. Further, the conveyer that conveys the object to be conveyed is not limited to the air conveyer, and other types of conveyers can also be used.

[0012]

The present invention operates as follows.

In the feeder for small articles of the present invention, the objects H to be conveyed, which are randomly loaded into the hopper 1 and have different vertical and horizontal dimensions, are smoothly discharged from the hopper 1 by the vibration generator 2, and the chute 4 causes the air conveyor 3 to move. Is guided to the conveyance path groove 30 of. Conveyor path groove 3 of the air conveyor 3
Since the width 0 is set to be slightly larger than the width of the transported object H, the transported object H that has reached the transport path groove 30 is in an upright posture although the vertical and horizontal directions are random. The transferred object H is then tilted by the air jetted from the air jet holes 31 formed in the side wall forming the above-mentioned transport path groove 30 so that the shorter dimension of the length and width becomes the height direction, and this posture is taken. It is transported as it is.

As described above, the small article feeder of the present invention has a function similar to that of the conventional parts feeder, but the vibration generator 2 smoothly discharges the conveyed object H from the hopper 1. Is used only for
Compared with the conventional one, the transported object H is less likely to be scratched and the noise is smaller. Since the transportation is substantially performed by the air conveyor 3, the transportation speed becomes higher than that of the conventional one in which the transported object H is transported only by the vibration.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structure of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings shown as embodiments. [Embodiment 1] In the feeder for small articles of this embodiment, a paper case C (corresponding to the transported object H in the section of means) having vinyl gloves h as shown in FIG. This is a device for transporting to the next process while changing its posture, and its specific configuration is, as shown in FIG. 2, a hopper 1 into which a paper case C is loaded, and a paper case C discharged from the hopper 1. An air conveyor 3 that conveys to the next process,
From the belt conveyor 5 that conveys the paper case C that has dropped directly from the hopper 1 toward the air conveyor 3, and the chute 4 that guides the conveyed object H discharged from the belt conveyor 5 to the conveyance path of the air conveyor 3. Configured. The above-mentioned paper case C has a ratio of the vertical dimension to the horizontal dimension of about 1: 1.5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hopper 1 is provided with a discharge port 10 whose opening width is set to be larger than the thickness of the paper case C in the lower part, and an inclination for guiding the paper case C to the discharge port 10 by its own weight. It has a wall 11 and. Further, a plurality of vibrators 20 (corresponding to the vibration generators 2 in the column of the means) are attached to the side wall of the hopper 1, so that the paper case C put into the hopper 1 can be smoothly slid in a substantially upright posture. It is discharged from.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air conveyer 3 has an air chamber AC having a conveyance path groove 30 having a width slightly larger than the thickness of the paper case C, and a pipe 32 in the air chamber AC. And a blower (not shown) that sends compressed air via a compressor (not shown), and an air ejection hole 31 is formed in the side wall that constitutes the transfer passage groove 30. . Then, the air ejected from the air ejection holes 31 causes the paper case C to be ejected.
It is arranged so that the vertical dimension is in the height direction and it can be conveyed to a predetermined position. In addition, the wall surface forming the above-mentioned conveying path groove 30 is a sliding surface having a small friction coefficient so that the paper case C can be smoothly conveyed with a small moving force.

The belt conveyor 5, as shown in FIG.
A belt 51 is stretched between a pair of pulleys 50, 50, and an overlap prevention bar 52 is provided a little above the thickness of the paper case C from the belt conveying surface. Therefore, the paper case C that has passed through the overlap prevention bar 52 will be broken even if it overlaps before the overlap prevention bar 52.

As shown in FIG. 2, the chute 4 is formed by bending a plate material, and the belt conveyor 5
It is arranged in a range from the end region of the air conveyor 3 to the conveying path groove 30 of the air conveyor 3.

Since this small article feeder is constructed as described above, it has the following functions. ． As shown in FIG. 2, the paper case C randomly placed in the hopper 1 and having different vertical and horizontal dimensions is provided with a vibrator 2
It is discharged smoothly from the hopper 1 by the vibration of 0,
It falls to the starting end area of the belt conveyor 5. In the starting end area of the belt conveyor 5, there are overlapping paper cases C (shown by A in FIG. 2). ． Next, the paper case C is moved toward the air conveyor 3 by the belt conveyor 5. Then, during the movement, the overlapping paper cases C are collapsed by the overlap preventing bars 52. ． Subsequently, the paper case C dropped from the end portion of the belt conveyor 5 is guided onto the chute 4 and drops into the conveyance path groove 30 of the air conveyor 3. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, in the paper case C, the thickness direction of the paper case C is the conveyance path groove 30.
However, the posture of the paper case C at this time is not determined although the height direction is either vertical or horizontal.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the paper case C having the horizontal dimension in the height direction has the air ejection holes 31 as shown in FIGS.
The air blown out of the paper container C is tilted down in the height direction (in the direction of the arrow), and the paper case C is conveyed in this posture. In addition, the conveying path groove 30 of the air conveyor 3
Since the wall surface that constitutes the sliding surface has a small friction coefficient, even if the air ejected from the air ejection holes 31 hits the gloves h in the paper case C, the gloves h do not come off from the paper case C. Case C is transported. [Embodiment 2] As shown in FIG.
A method of dropping the paper case C from the hopper 1 directly or through the chute 4 into the conveyance path groove 30 of the air conveyor 3 can be adopted without using the belt conveyor 5 having the overlap prevention bars 52. In this case, the width of the discharge port 10 of the hopper 1 may be set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the paper case C. [Third Embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the air conveyor 3 is used for inclining and carrying the object H to be conveyed by the air ejected from the air ejecting hole 31, but the air ejected from the air ejecting hole 31 is not covered. It may be used only as a means for tilting the conveyed object H, and the conveyed object H may be conveyed by a belt conveyor BC provided in the conveying path groove 30 as shown in FIG. 7. Here, the means for tilting the transported object H is not limited to the air ejection hole 31 as described above, but the transported object H in a tall posture among the transported objects H in the vertical or horizontal posture.
It can also be used as a horizontal crossbar that hits only. [Regarding Transported Object] In the above-described embodiment, the transported object H is the paper case C containing the gloves h, but the invention is not limited to this, and for example, a match box can be smoothly transported in a predetermined posture. That is, if the transported object H has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with different vertical and horizontal dimensions, it can be transported smoothly as in the case of the above embodiment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paper case conveyed by a small article feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the small article feeder.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of an air conveyor used in the small article feeder.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a paper case has fallen into a conveyance path groove of the air conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the air conveyor, showing how the paper case falls down due to the air from the air ejection holes.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a small article feeder according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a small article feeder according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional parts feeder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hopper 2 Vibration Generator 3 Air Conveyor 4 Chute 10 Discharge Port 11 Sloping Wall 30 Conveyor Channel Groove 31 Air Ejection Hole

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hopper (1) for feeding an object to be conveyed, which is a small article feeder for use with an object to be conveyed (H) in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having different vertical and horizontal dimensions, and having a vibration generator (2).
And an air conveyor (3) for transporting the transported object (H) discharged from the hopper (1), and the air conveyor (3) has a width slightly larger than the width of the transported object (H). Formed on the side wall of the transfer path groove (30) and the side wall of the transfer path groove (30). A feeder for small articles, characterized in that it has an air ejection hole (31) for laying it down in the height direction and carrying it to a predetermined position. 2. A small article feeder for use with a rectangular parallelepiped conveyed object (H) having different vertical and horizontal dimensions, the hopper (1) for introducing a conveyed object having a vibration generator (2).
And an air conveyor (3) that conveys the object to be conveyed (H)
And the transported object (H) discharged from the hopper (1)
And a chute (4) for guiding the air to the air conveyor (3), and the air conveyor (3) opens upward to a width slightly larger than the width of the object to be transferred (H).
And the object to be conveyed (H) is formed on the side wall constituting the above-mentioned conveying path groove (30) and is laid down by the air jetting from this side so that the shorter dimension of the vertical and horizontal becomes the height direction. A feeder for small articles, which has an air ejection hole (31) for transporting it to a predetermined position. 3. A hopper (1) for inputting a rectangular parallelepiped transferred object (H) having different vertical and horizontal dimensions, and a vibration for smoothly discharging the transferred object (H) from the hopper (1). The generator (2), the air conveyer (3) that conveys the conveyed object (H) while converting the conveyed object (H) into an appropriate posture, and the conveyed object (H) discharged from the hopper (1). ) Is provided with a chute (4) for guiding the object (H), and the hopper (1) is provided with a discharge port (10) provided at a lower part of the hopper (1) and the discharge port (10) due to its own weight. ), The air conveyer (3) has a conveying path groove (30) that opens upward with a width slightly larger than the width of the conveyed object H, and the conveying. It is formed on the side wall that constitutes the road groove (30), and , Air jet holes (31) for letting the air jetting from now fall down so that the shorter dimension of the length and width becomes the height direction and carrying it to a predetermined position
A feeder for small articles, characterized by having. 4. The transported object (H) has a width of the discharge port (10).
The feeder for small articles according to claim 3, wherein the width is set to be slightly larger than the width. 5. A small article feeder for use with a rectangular parallelepiped object having different vertical and horizontal dimensions, the hopper having a vibration generator for loading the object, and the object discharged from the hopper. A conveying path groove into which the conveyed object is dropped; a means for tilting the conveyed object dropped into the conveying path groove so that the shorter dimension of the length and width becomes the height direction during conveyance; A feeder for small articles, comprising: a conveyor having a conveying section inside.