JPH07215429A - Chute for automatic article supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a chute for an automatic article supply device by which the chute can be mounted and demounted at maintenance and inspection time of a device or the occurrence of clogging of an article in the middle of supply without error of the installing position. CONSTITUTION:In a chute 3 to send an article (w) into an article work machine B from an arranging means, a subject 13 having a transferring space 14 for the article (w) is arranged between the arranging means and a supply means 2 so as to be freely mountable and demountable, and a positioning member 15 with which only the obverse or the reverse of the article (w) interferes is arranged in the transferring space 14 of this subject 13.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a chute for an automatic article feeder used in the part manufacturing industry for industrial machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the manufacturing industry of parts for industrial machines, for example, in the automobile industry, in manufacturing an automobile part c for welding a nut w to a molded plate material d as shown in FIG. A device 40 as shown is used, and this nut w has a plurality of welding projections f protruding to the outside of its body e.

Then, the protrusion f side is supplied to the plate material d so as to face the surface of the molded plate material d, and the resistance welding is performed by the lower electrode 41 and the upper electrode 42 at the above-mentioned protrusion f portion. d was joined.

Further, the feeding of the nut w to the plate material d is performed by the aligning feeder 43 as shown in FIG. 9, and the construction is such that when a large number of nuts w are put into the bowl 44, the bowl 44 The vertical or horizontal direction and the front and back sides (projection surface side) are aligned due to the vibration or rotation of the device, and the detection of the projection direction is completed, and the product is ejected from the delivery member 45 via the chute 46 by the air cylinder 47 or the like. Delivered to the feed head 48 with each weld run.

Therefore, in the normal feeding state of the nut, the nuts are aligned in a certain direction and transferred one after another through the above-mentioned members without any trouble. Provided between the delivery means and the supply head when the delivery member, the detection means, or the nut is clogged in the chute due to foreign matter mixed in, or when the device is maintained or inspected. The chute was removed and the faulty part was recovered and cleaned. After the completion of these operations, the chute was attached again to return it to its original state.

However, when the chute is reattached and the attaching position is incorrect, the nut is supplied in the opposite direction, that is, the nut is projected upward with respect to the plate material.

In the welding by the upper and lower electrodes in this state, the contact of the nut with the plate material becomes a smooth surface, so that the pressing and energizing by the electrodes causes an excessively large area through which the current passes and welding is impossible or insufficient. Therefore, there is a problem that the nut comes off and becomes a defective product.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a chute for feeding articles from the aligning means to the article processing machine is provided between the aligning means and the feeding means. A main body having a transfer space is detachably provided, and a positioning member that interferes only with the front side or the back side of the article is provided in the transfer space of the main body so that clogging of the article or maintenance of the apparatus can be performed in the middle of the means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a chute for an automatic article supply device, which can accurately attach and detach a chute at the time of inspection without making a mistake in its mounting position.

[0009]

The means of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is an automatic article supply for conveying an article having front and back sent from an aligning means to a supplying means for sending it to an article processing machine. In the chute for the apparatus, a main body of a predetermined length detachably provided between the aligning means and the supplying means, and a transfer space provided in the longitudinal direction of the main body to accommodate the articles therein and to be movable. The chute for an automatic article supply device is provided with a positioning member which is provided in the transfer space of the main body and interferes only with the front side or the back side of the article.

Further, a mounting position aligning means may be provided on one or both of the end portion of the main body and the aligning means and the supplying means.

[0011]

The present invention configured as described above has the following operations.

In the automatic article feeder, when the articles cannot be normally fed to the article processing machine due to the clogging of the articles in the aligning means, the feeding means and the chute, or when the apparatus is maintained and inspected, the cause thereof is investigated. And repair of that part
It must be cleaned.

In this case, first, the chute is removed from the aligning means and the supplying means, and the target area is repaired or cleaned.

Then, when the respective parts are restored so as to operate normally, the chute is connected again to the aligning means and the supplying means.

At this time, since the chute is configured so that only the front side or the back side of the articles interfere with each other by the positioning member provided in the transfer space of the main body, for example, the chute is reversed to the aligning means and the supplying means. Even if connected in the direction
When the article sent from the aligning means and having its front and back sides aligned is attempted to enter the chute, the article hits this positioning member and is prevented from entering the chute. Therefore, the article is not supplied to the article processing machine and defective products are not processed.

Also, since the chute is attached to the desired position by the attaching position adjusting means provided on the end portion of the main body and one or both of the aligning means and the supplying means, the chute can be attached at a desired position. You can easily and accurately attach the chute without checking the position.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the chute for an automatic article feeder according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 6, A is an automatic article supply device for feeding an article w to an article processing machine B, which is used, for example, in the automobile industry to manufacture an automobile part c as shown in FIG. And, it comprises the aligning means 1, the supplying means 2, and the chute 3.

Supply in this device A and processing machine B
An article w to be processed is, for example, a nut in an automobile part c as shown in FIG. 5, and is welded to a molded plate material d as shown in FIG. 4, and the nut w has a main body e. A plurality of welding projections f are projected to the outer peripheral edge of the.

This nut w is supplied so that the projection f corresponds to the surface of the molded plate material d, and the projection f is spot-welded by a resistance welding machine which is an article processing machine B as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. To be done.

The aligning means 1 is provided with a bowl 6 composed of a rotary vibrating conveyor at the lower part of the hopper 5 provided at the upper part of the machine base 4, and the nut w put into the bowl 6 is The inversion or vertical / horizontal selection and the above-mentioned projection f are aligned in one direction and fed to the delivery member 7 via the feed pipe 8. The delivery member 7 has the alignment of the projections f of the nut w. A detection member (not shown) for detecting is included.

The above-mentioned supplying means 2 temporarily stores a plurality of nuts w fed from the feeding member 7 of the aligning means 1 through the chute 3 and resists them one by one at intervals (every time welding is performed). Send to welding machine B.

Further, the nut w sent to the receiving portion 9
Is a delivery rod 11 in a protruding member 10 such as an air cylinder.
The threaded hole 12 is engaged with the tip end of the wire and the whole is held, and the wire is fed to the guide pin of the lower electrode of the resistance welding machine B described later.

The chute 3 is detachably provided between the aligning means 1 and the supplying means 2 and conveys the nut w while incorporating the nut w therein. The main body 13, the transfer space 14 and the positioning member are provided. It is basically composed of 15 and.

The main body 13 is made of synthetic resin, metal or the like to have a predetermined length, and a nut w is housed inside the main body 13 so that the main body 13 can move freely. The transfer space 14 is continuously provided.

The positioning member 15 is composed of the main body 13
Nut w provided inside the transfer space 14 in
Only the front side or the back side of the above, that is, the side opposite to the projecting surface of the projection f interferes, so that the feeding direction of the nut w is aligned in one direction. As shown in FIGS. It is formed as a protruding ridge and is integrally formed when the main body 13 is molded.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), when the nut w is transferred to the processing machine B in a desired posture, the projection f formed on the outer peripheral edge of the nut w causes the projection. When f comes into contact with one side wall of the transfer space 14, a gap is formed between the main body 13 and the one side wall so that the positioning member 15 does not interfere with the movement of the nut w in the transfer space 14. .

However, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the nut w
Is transferred to the processing machine b in an abnormal posture, the projection f formed on the outer peripheral edge of the nut w is transferred to the transfer space.
Since it abuts against the other side wall of 14 and interferes with the positioning member 15 on the side opposite to the protrusion f, the movement of the nut w in the transfer space 14 is hindered, that is, the movement in the transfer space 14 cannot be performed.

Therefore, the nut w is not supplied to the resistance welding machine B because it is not sent to the receiving portion 9 of the supply means 2.

The positioning member 15 is provided in series in the transfer space 14 of the main body 13, only at the joint between the aligning means 1 and the supplying means 2 in the main body 13, or at either one of them. It is provided.

Further, the shape of the positioning member 15 can be adopted as shown in FIG. 7, and it is shown as an example, but if a part of it is shown, it is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, it is an arcuate bulge formed so as to enter the gap 17 between the protrusions f of the nut w,
As shown in (b), the projection f of the nut w is formed into a ridge that is inserted into the gap 18 generated by the protrusion of the nut w on both sides of the main body, or as shown in FIGS. 7 (c) to 7 (e). , The cross-sectional shape of which is formed to be a semi-circular, triangular, trapezoidal, or the like, and further, as shown in FIG. 7 (f), the protruding part of the positioning member 15 has a rectangular or arcuate concave shape on its back. The groove 27 may be formed.

In the resistance welding machine B, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the lower electrode 20 and the upper electrode 21 are attached to the machine body 19 so as to oppose each other, and the nut w supplied on the plate material d. After the screw hole 12 is inserted and positioned in a guide pin 23 that is erected from the lower electrode 20, the elevating member 24 of the upper electrode 21 is
When the upper electrode 21 is pressed against the upper surface of the nut w to energize both electrodes 20, 21, the nut w is welded to the plate material d to manufacture the automobile part c.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, mounting position aligning means 25 for the chute 3 is provided at both end portions of the chute 3, and when mounting the chute 3, the mounting position is in one direction. This is for preventing mis-attachment of the chute 3 to the aligning means 1 and the supplying means 2.

The structure is such that the positioning member 15 provided in the transfer space 14 of the main body 13 in the chute 3, the outlet of the sending member 7 in the aligning means 1, and the supplying means 2 are arranged.
Of the chute 3 is engaged with the receiving grooves 26, 26 provided in the receiving portion 9 in the above, and the end portion of the chute 3 is formed to be larger than the sending member 7 and the receiving portion 9 and the end portion of the chute 3 is fitted.

The mounting position adjusting means 25 is mainly composed of
It may be provided on one end of 13 and on one of the aligning means 1 and the supplying means 2. Further, as described above, this configuration allows the chute 3 to be mounted in only one direction when mounted. Anything can be adopted as long as it can perform.

[0036]

According to the present invention configured as described above, the positioning member provided in the transfer space of the main body is configured so that only the front side or the back side of the article interferes with each other.
Even if the chute is connected to the aligning means and the supplying means in the opposite direction, the articles sent from the aligning means and aligned on the front and back sides are hit by the positioning member and prevented from entering the article, and are not supplied to the article processing machine. Good products are not processed.

Also, since the mounting position of the chute is fitted to the desired position by the mounting position adjusting means provided on the end of the main body and one or both of the aligning means and the supplying means, the chute can be mounted on the main body with a positioning member. You can easily and accurately attach the chute without checking the position. It has unique effects such as.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing a main part of a chute for an automatic article feeder according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an end portion of the chute in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a nut is accommodated in the chute in FIG.

4 is a perspective view showing an example of an automobile part manufactured by the apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG.

5 is a perspective view showing a nut welded to the automobile part shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an automatic article supply device and an article processing machine.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the shoot shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a mounting position adjusting means used for a chute for an automatic article supply device.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional automatic article supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Aligning Means 2 Supplying Means 3 Chute w Article B Article Processing Machine 13 Main Body 14 Transfer Space 15 Positioning Member 25 Mounting Position Aligning Means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A chute for an automatic article supply device, which conveys articles having front and back sent out from an aligning means to a supplying means for sending to an article processing machine, is provided detachably between the aligning means and the supplying means. A predetermined length, a transfer space provided in the length direction of the main body so that the article is accommodated therein and movable, and a main body provided in the transfer space and only the front side or the back side of the article interferes with each other. A chute for an automatic article supply device, comprising: 2. The chute for an automatic article feeder according to claim 1, further comprising: an end portion of the main body and a mounting position aligning means provided on one or both of the aligning means and the feeding means.