JPH08198455A - Part supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To shorten the time for supplying parts, which are stored in a hopper, to a part holding unit, and to improve the supplying efficiency. CONSTITUTION: A pusher 3 provided with a part holding part 3a in the tip thereof is provided in a hopper 1 for storing parts 2. The pusher 3 is provided with a tube part 16 passed through from the part holding part 3a to the end surface of a side opposite to the side provided with the part holding unit 3a. A driving device 5 for relatively moving the pusher 3 in relation with the hopper 1 is provided, and a vibration generating device 8 is fitted to the hopper 1. At the time of holding a part 2 with the part holding part 3a, the pusher 3 is vertically moved in the hopper 1 by the driving device 5, and simultaneously, the hopper 1 is vibrated by the vibration generating device 8 so that the part 2 is easily inserted into the part holding part 3a. Furthermore, the part 2 is sucked to the part holding part 3a by a vacuum generating unit 19 connected to the tube part 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a component supply device for aligning and supplying components on an assembly line or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of component supply device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-180824. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the above-mentioned conventional component supplying device, which is fixed to a certain height and stores a component 32.
And a pusher 33 which has a component holding portion 33a and a component insertion portion 33b at its upper end and is movable up and down in the hopper 31,
An air cylinder 34 for moving the pusher 33 up and down,
It is composed of a photoelectric tube 35 which is a component presence / absence confirming means capable of confirming that the component 32 is inserted into the component holding portion 33a at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure. The compressor 37 is connected via
A photoelectric tube 35 is connected to the solenoid valve 36.

A method of supplying a component by the component supply device having the above structure is as follows. While the electric signal from the phototube 35 is being transmitted, the solenoid valve 36 is turned on and the pusher 3
3 is moved up and down by driving the air cylinder 34.
By the vertical movement of the pusher 33, the component 32 in the hopper 31 is held by the component holding portion 33a. This vertical movement of the pusher 33 is repeated until the component 32 is held by the component holding portion 33a. When the pusher 33 holding the component 32 rises to the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line, the electrical signal from the photoelectric tube 35 is blocked by the component 32, the solenoid valve 36 is turned off, and the vertical movement of the pusher 33 is stopped. The component 32 is supplied to the component supply position.

[0004]

However, the conventional component supply device has the following problems. That is, since the hoppers 31 accumulating the parts 32 in arbitrary directions are fixed at a constant height, the parts 32
It took time to insert the into the component holding portion 33a of the pusher 33.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and provides a component supply device capable of shortening the supply time of the components stored in the hopper to the component holding portion and improving the supply rate. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the component supply apparatus of the present invention comprises a hopper for storing the components and a component holding portion provided in the hopper for holding the components at one end. And a vibration generator that vibrates the hopper, and a pusher that has a tube portion that penetrates from the component holding portion to the other end that is the opposite surface on which the component holding portion is formed; and move the pusher in the axial direction. It is configured with a driving device.

That is, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG.
The hopper 1 for storing the component 2, the pusher 3 having the component holding portion 3a and the pipe portion 16 penetrating from the component holding portion 3a to the end surface on the opposite side where the component holding portion 3a is provided, and the pusher 3 with respect to the hopper 1. An elastic support 10 which is composed of a drive device 5 for relative movement and a vibration generator 8 attached to the hopper 1, and which connects the hopper 1 and the main body cover 7, and a component holder 3a of the pusher 3 are inserted. A vacuum generator 19 for facilitating and a vacuum sensor 20 for confirming the presence or absence of the component 2 in the component holder 3a are provided.

[0008]

In the above structure, when the components 2 stored in the hopper 1 are inserted into the component holding portion 3a provided on the pusher 3, the driving device 5 moves the pusher 3 into the hopper 1
At the same time, the vibration generator 8 vibrates the hopper 1 to facilitate the insertion of the component 2 into the component insertion portion 3a, thereby shortening the supply time and improving the supply rate. At this time, the presence / absence of the component 2 is confirmed by the vacuum generator 19 and the vacuum sensor 20, and the elastic support 10 facilitates the vibration of the hopper 1.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [Embodiment 1] Embodiment 1 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing the component supply device of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a drawing of a drive section of the component supply device as seen from the bottom. First,
The configuration of the component supply device of this embodiment will be described. The hopper 1 is provided to store the component 2, and has a component insertion side 17 and a pusher insertion side 18. An upper portion of the component insertion side 17 is opened for inserting the component 2, and the inside thereof is formed into a conical shape so that the component 2 can be easily collected in the component holding portion 3a of the pusher 3. The pusher insertion side 18 is formed below the component insertion side 17,
A through hole 18a through which the pusher 3 can be inserted is provided. The sliding mechanism 12 of the pusher 3 is provided in the through hole 18 a on the pusher insertion side 18. Sliding mechanism 12
A well-known linear bush is used so that the relative movement between the pusher 3 and the hopper 1 can be smoothly performed. The hopper 1 is arranged on the upper surface of the main body cover 7 with the elastic support 10 interposed between the pusher insertion side 18 and the main body cover 7.

The elastic supporter 10 supports the hopper 1 in a vibrating state, is composed of a coil spring, and is provided between the lower surface of the component insertion side 17 and the upper surface of the main body cover 7, and the main body cover 7 and the hopper. 1 and the component insertion side 17 are connected. The hopper 1 is supported by the main body cover 7 only by the elastic body 10, and is easily vibrated by the vibration generator 8. Elastic support 10 is hopper 1
Is supported in a vibrating state, and not only the coil spring but also an elastic body such as rubber or leaf spring can be used, and the same action and effect can be obtained.

The vibration generator 8 is connected to the pusher insertion side 18 of the hopper 1 via a connecting portion 9. The connecting portion 9 is fixed to the pusher insertion side 18 and transmits the vibration of the vibration generator 8 to the hopper 1. The vibration generator 8 is formed by winding a coil around an iron core, and the frequency of the vibration can be controlled by the controller 22. The component 2 is the component insertion portion 3b of the pusher 3.
It is possible to select the optimum frequency so that it is the easiest to enter. The vibration generator 8 is connected only to the connecting portion 9 and is provided inside the main body cover 7 in a state of not being connected to the main body cover 7.

The pusher 3 is inserted and disposed in the through hole 18a of the pusher insertion side 18 so as to be vertically slidable. A component holder 3a for holding the component 2 in the hopper 1 is formed at the tip of the pusher 3, and a component insertion portion 3b is provided above the component holder 3a. The component insertion portion 3b is formed in a conical shape with a diameter larger than that of the component holding portion 3a so that the component 2 can be easily inserted into the component holding portion 3a and an upper end of which is opened to an upper end surface of the pusher 3. In contrast, parts can be supplied in a short time. Further, the pusher 3 is provided therein with an air pipe portion 16 from the component holding portion 3a to the end surface on the opposite side of the component holding portion 3a (hereinafter referred to as the rear end portion of the pusher 3). A vacuum generator 19 is connected to the tip of the pipe portion 16 via a joint 11. The negative pressure of the vacuum generator 19 facilitates the insertion of the component 2 into the component holding portion 3a, and at the same time, the component 2 is When the pipe portion 16 is housed in the holding portion 3a, the tube portion 16 is in a vacuum state, and the vacuum sensor 20 that detects this vacuum state can determine whether or not the component 2 is supplied to the component holding portion 3a.

At the rear end of the pusher 3, a sliding transmission member 1 is provided.
4 is fixed, and the sliding transmission member 14 has a pin 14a.
One end of the drive transmission rod 6 is slidably and rotatably connected via the. The drive transmission rod 6 is for moving the pusher 3 relative to the hopper 1, and a drive transmission member 13 is slidably and rotatably connected to the other end thereof via a pin 13a. The drive transmission rod 6 is the sliding transmission member 1
4 and the drive transmission member 13 are rotatably supported by a drive transmission rod support 15 fixed downward on the inner wall of the upper surface of the main body cover 7, and the movement of the drive transmission member 13 is supported by the drive transmission rod support 15. Drive transmission member 13 with the fulcrum as a fulcrum
The movement in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the pusher 3 can be transmitted to the pusher 3. The drive transmission member 13 is attached to the piston shaft of the drive device 5 and is arranged inside the main body cover 7. The drive transmission rod 6 is, as shown in FIG.
Both ends thereof are formed so as to be bifurcated, and the sliding transmission member 14 and the drive transmission member 13 are sandwiched and connected at the branched portion. further,
Pins 14a and 13a are provided on both side surfaces of each of the above branching portions.
A slidable hole 6a (one of which is not shown) for slidably sandwiching the drive transmission rod 6 when the drive transmission rod 6 rotates about the drive transmission rod support body 15 and the slide transmission member 14 and the drive transmission. The member 13 can always be driven along a fixed direction without receiving a lateral force.

The drive unit 5 is a well-known reciprocating air compression cylinder and is fixed to the upper surface of the main body cover 7. The piston shaft of the drive unit 5 is driven vertically in the figure,
Since the drive transmission rod support body 15 is attached from the center of the drive transmission rod 6 to the drive transmission portion 13 side, a stroke larger than the stroke of the drive device 5 can be given to the pusher 3.

A hopper cover 4 for covering the hopper 1 is provided on the hopper 1. Hopper cover 4
A part outlet 21 through which the pusher 3 can be inserted is provided in the center of the part 2. When the part 2 is supplied by the pusher 3, the part 2 is not flipped from the hopper 1 and only the part 2 held by the pusher 3 is provided. Can be taken out.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a controller, which receives signals from the vacuum sensor 20 and controls the operations of the driving device 5, the vibration generating device 8 and the vacuum generator 19.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
At first, parts 2 are stored in hopper 1 and pusher 3
Is located at the lowest point in the through hole 18a of the pusher insertion side 18. Controller 22 in this state
When the vacuum generator 19 is operated by the
Presence / absence of the component 2 is confirmed. At this point, the inside of the tube portion 16 of the pusher 3 is not in a vacuum state, so the vacuum sensor 20 determines that the component 2 is not in the component holding portion 3a, and the drive device 5 and the drive generation device 8 are switched on. As a result, the drive device 5 causes the drive transmission member 13 to reciprocate, and the drive transmission rod 6 is rotated about the drive transmission rod support body 15. Due to the rotation of the drive transmission rod 6, both ends of the drive transmission rod 6 move in an arc, and the movement causes the pusher 3 to move.
Starts relative movement with respect to the hopper 1. At the same time, the vibration generator 8 transmits the vibration to the hopper 1 through the connecting portion 9 so that the component 2 can be easily put into the component holding portion 3a of the pusher 3.

Relative movement of pusher 3 and hopper 1
When the component 2 is inserted into the component holding portion 3a due to the vibration of, the inside of the pipe portion 16 of the pusher 3 is in a vacuum state, and the vacuum sensor 20 detects this vacuum state, and the pusher 3 causes the component outlet of the hopper cover 4 to exit. 21 to hopper cover 4
The drive device 5 and the drive generation device 8 are switched off at the time when they are projected upward, and the parts supply is completed. Then, when the component 2 held by the component holding portion 3a of the pusher 3 is removed by the robot 23 or the like having a suction device that is moved and arranged above the component outlet 21, the vacuum in the tube portion 16 of the pusher 3 is removed again. The state is released and the vacuum sensor 20
The drive device 5 and the vibration generator 8 are switched on by the hopper 1, the hopper 1 vibrates, and the pusher 3 the hopper 1
Start relative movement against. By repeating this operation, parts can be continuously supplied.

As an effect of this embodiment, when the component 2 is held in the component holding portion 3a, not only the axial movement of the drive device 5 by the air cylinder causes the relative movement of the pusher 3 with respect to the hopper 1, but also Vibration generator 8
The component 2 can be easily inserted into the component holding portion 3a of the pusher 3 by transmitting the vibration caused by the component 2 to the hopper 1.
It is possible to improve the supply rate of the component to the component holder 3a.

[Embodiment 2] Embodiment 2 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the component supply device of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a side view showing a link portion of the component supply device. First, the configuration of the component supply device of this embodiment will be described. Sliding mechanism 1 of pusher 3 on hopper 1
2 is provided, and the pusher 3 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. In addition, the component insertion side 1 of the hopper 1
At least one or more springs 10a are provided as elastic supports between the lower surface of 7 and the upper surface of the body cover 7.
The spring 10a is provided so as to surround the rod member 24 spanned between the hopper 1 and the main body cover 7, and prevents the spring 10a from falling out between the hopper 1 and the main body cover 7 when the hopper 1 is vibrated. ing.

A motor 5a as a driving device is fixed to the inner surface of the main body cover 7 with its rotating shaft facing the pusher 3. The drive link 6a is attached to the rotary shaft of the motor 5a.
The drive link 6a of the link portion composed of the sliding link 6b and the sliding link 6b is fixed. The drive link 6a is fixed to the rotary shaft of the motor 5a in the vicinity of one end thereof and rotates with the rotation of the rotary shaft. The vicinity of one end of the sliding link 6b is rotatably connected to the vicinity of the other end of the drive link 6a via a pin 25, and the sliding transmission member 14 slides near the other end of the sliding link 6b. It is rotatably connected via a pin 26 attached to the motion transmitting member 14. This allows
By transmitting the rotational movement of the motor 5a to the drive link 6a, the pusher 3 can be moved linearly. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the vacuum sensor 20 confirms the absence of the component 2 in the component holder 3a, the motor 5a and the vibration generator 8 are switched on. When the motor 5a rotates, as shown in FIG. 5, the drive link 6a rotates in the link rotation direction 27a, and the slide transmission member 14 slides in the slide transmission operation direction 2 via the slide link 6b.
Move to 8a. As the rotation of the motor 5a progresses, the drive link 6a rotates in the link rotation direction 27b, and the slide transmission member 14 moves in the slide transmission direction 28b. In this way, the rotational movement of the motor 5a is converted into the linear movement of the slide transmission member 14 by the link portion, and the pusher 3 performs relative movement with respect to the hopper 1. Further, the vibration of the vibration generator 8 is transmitted to the hopper 1 by the connecting portion 9. Other operations are similar to those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In addition to the effects of the first embodiment, in this embodiment, since the motor 5a is used as the driving device, the accuracy of the position of component supply can be easily obtained, and the stroke and speed of the pusher 3 can be set arbitrarily. It is possible.

[0024]

As described above, according to the component feeding apparatus of the present invention, the driving device causes the pusher to move relative to the hopper, and at the same time, the vibration generator vibrates the hopper. The supply time for holding the component in the component holder is shorter than before, and the supply rate to the component holder was 60% in the past.
An improvement of 10 to 30% is possible. Further, it is possible to easily supply a screw under the neck which is difficult to supply with the conventional component supply device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing a component supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a central vertical cross-sectional view showing the component supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing a drive unit provided in the component supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a central vertical sectional view showing a component supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a link portion provided in the component supply device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional component supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hopper 2 Parts 3 Pusher 3a Parts holding part 5 Drive device 8 Vibration generator 16 Pipe part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hopper for storing a component, and a component holding portion for holding the component, which is provided in the hopper, is formed at one end, and the opposite surface is formed from the component holding portion. A component supply device comprising: a pusher having a pipe portion that penetrates to the other end, a vibration generator that vibrates the hopper, and a drive device that moves the pusher in the axial direction.