JPH11347963A - Elastic ring mounting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the durability by preventing stress from being developed through elimination of repetitive expanding deformation, twisting, etc., of an elastic ring and. SOLUTION: An elastic ring mounting device is equipped with a cylindrical guide member 22 fixed to a base 21, four fingers 23 installed on the lower part of the guide member and holding the inner circumferential edge of an O-ring 24 at the peripheral surface of a guide part 23a, and a pushing member 25 which pushes out the O-ring from the tip part of fingers while a pushout head 34 at the forefront sinks in slide contact on the peripheral surfaces of the tips of the fingers. Inside each finger, a resiient pawl 26 is provided deformable elastically outward from a slit 33 formed in the tip of each finger. The pawl is equipped at the tip with a projection 35 pressed by the pushing member and accommodated in the slit 33.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for mounting an elastic ring, such as an O-ring, used for a seal member or the like, from a stocker (parts feeder) and mounting it on a cylindrical fitting member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional elastic ring mounting device of this type, for example, a device described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 62-37652 is known.

[0003] The outline will be described with reference to Figs.
A substantially U-shaped claw body 3 is attached to a bearing 2 provided at a lower end of a cylindrical apparatus main body 1 so as to be swingable by a shaft 4. The claw body 3 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the O-ring 6 as a whole in a state where the piston rod 5 of the first cylinder (not shown) slidably contacts the inner surface and the claw body 3 is completely closed at each end 3a. Is formed. At the lower end of each tip 3a, an annular recess 3b capable of gripping the flange-like tip of the shaft-like work 7 as a whole is formed, and the claw body 3 extends the O-ring 6 by its outer peripheral surface. This constitutes a holder 8 for holding the camera.

On the outside of the holder 8, four pushers 9 each having a substantially rectangular shape are arranged, and the pushers 9 are rotatably connected to a link 11 via a shaft 10 and are not shown. When the piston rod 12 of the two cylinders is lowered, the distal end is opened, and the pusher 9 and the claw body 3 are urged in the closing direction by the spring member 13 on the outer peripheral surface.

When the switch of the driving device is turned on, the device main body 1 is transported to the parts feeder in the state shown in FIG.
The tip 3a of each claw body 3 closed by the spring force of the spring member 13 enters the O-ring 6. Next, the piston rod 5 of the first cylinder is lowered, and the claw body 3 is moved by its tip.
In order to push outward the O-ring, as shown in FIG.
Is extended and held by the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 3a of the claw body 3.

Thereafter, the apparatus main body 1 is raised, moved to the position of the axial work 7 and lowered, and the concave portion 3b at the distal end of the claw body 3 is fitted into the distal end of the axial work 7 as shown in FIG. ,
The piston rod 5 descends and the pusher 9
As shown in FIG. 9, the distal end 9 a is the distal end 3 a of the claw body 3.
The O-ring 6 is pushed down at the leading edge while sliding along the outer periphery. Thus, the O-ring 6 is detached from the claw body 3 and moved toward the shaft-like work 7 while temporarily expanding, and is fitted into the annular fitting groove 7a.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional mounting device, the O-ring 6 is not used during the operation process until the O-ring 6 is mounted on the shaft work 7 from the parts feeder.
The O-ring 6 has a large number of expansions and is pushed out while being expanded, which may affect the durability of the O-ring 6.

That is, from the parts feeder to the O-ring 6
As described above, the O-ring 6 is expanded and deformed by the outward expansion of the claw body 3 after the tip 3a of the claw body 3 enters the O-ring 6 as described above. Further, when the O-ring 6 is fitted to the shaft-shaped work 7, the O-ring 6 extended and held by the claw body 3 is further pushed onto the outer peripheral surface of the claw body tip portion 3 a while being pushed down by the pusher 9. It moves to the axial work 7 side while sliding while being expanded and deformed.
Therefore, the O-ring 6 increases the number of times of expansion deformation.

In addition, since the O-ring 9 is further expanded and deformed while being pushed down by the pusher 9, the O-ring 9 is likely to be twisted. As a result, excessive stress may be generated in the O-ring 6, and in some cases, the outer surface may be damaged and durability may be reduced.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been devised in view of the actual situation of the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, and the invention of claim 1 has a cylindrical shape fixed to a base along a downward direction. A guide member, and provided at the lower part of the guide member so as to be freely expandable and contractable,
A plurality of fingers that hold the inner periphery of the elastic ring at the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion, and are provided slidably on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the finger, and the extruded portion at the distal end slides the outer peripheral surface of each finger distal end portion. A pushing member that pushes the elastic ring while coming into contact with and descends from the tip of each finger, and an upper end is fixed to the finger, and a lower end extending along the finger is always higher than the outer peripheral surface of the finger. An elastic claw that is provided so as to protrude and that can be elastically deformed so that the distal end is bent inward by a biasing force from the outside in the radial direction to the inward side. A projection is provided which is pressed inward by the push-out portion with the lowering of the finger and is immersed inward from the outer peripheral surface of the finger,
A holding portion for holding an inner periphery of the elastic ring by a resilient force in a radially expanding direction is provided on a distal end side of the projection.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the upper surface of the projection is formed as an inclined surface which gradually increases from the upper end to the lower end.

The invention according to a third aspect is characterized in that a claw portion formed to protrude outward is provided at a leading edge of the holding portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the base is provided with an operating mechanism for operating each of the fingers in the direction of increasing or decreasing the diameter, and the pressing member provided on the base so as to be movable up and down is moved up and down. A driving mechanism to be driven is arranged in series with the operating mechanism.

[0014]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of a device for mounting an elastic ring according to the present invention, which is applied to a rubber O-ring as a seal member as the elastic ring.

That is, this apparatus is composed of a flat base 21
Guide member 22 fixed downward along the vertical direction
A tip portion 23 a is provided at the lower portion of the guide member 22 so as to be able to freely expand and contract (open and close), and holds the O-ring 24.
Finger 23 and a pressing member 25 surrounding the outer peripheral side of the finger 23 and supported by the base 21 so as to be vertically movable so as to detach the O-ring 24 from the finger 23.
An elastic claw 26 provided directly below the finger 23 to directly hold the O-ring 24, an operating mechanism 27 for operating the finger 23 in the radially expanding direction, and a driving mechanism 28 for vertically moving the pushing member 25. It is mainly composed.

The base 21 is provided so as to be movable up and down and left and right by a driving device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, guide bushes 21a and 21b are press-fitted and fixed on both sides in a vertical direction. And a mounting hole 21c into which the cylinder 38 is fitted is formed in the center.

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 22 has an outer peripheral surface formed in the form of a step having a large diameter portion 22a, a medium diameter portion 22b, and a small diameter portion 22c. The upper end of the large diameter portion 22 a is fixed to the base 21 by a plurality of bolts 47. A cylindrical regulating member 31 is fixed to the outer periphery of the middle diameter portion 22b, and the inner peripheral surface of the regulating member 31 forms an annular gap with the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion.
Further, at the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion 22c, four pivotal support grooves 22d having an arc-shaped cross section are formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the fingers 23 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the upper end thereof has the pivotal support groove 22d.
A fulcrum shaft 23c rotatably fitted therein is formed, and a stopper portion 23b extends from the fulcrum shaft 23c,
The fulcrum shaft 23c and the stopper portion 23b are accommodated in an annular gap on the inner periphery of the regulating member 31, at least a part of which comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the regulating member 31, thereby restricting the radiation outward. The pivot shaft 23c is rotatable around the pivot groove 22d. Also,
At the lower end of the stopper portion 23b, a cam portion 23f is formed so as to protrude radially inward. Also, a garter spring 32 is pivotally mounted in a groove formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 23f, and the fingers 23 are elastically urged by the garter spring 32 in the diameter reducing direction. Has become. Further, an inclined portion extends downwardly from the cam portion 23f toward the outer periphery, and a guide portion 23a extends downward from the inclined portion.
The guide portion 23a is formed so that the outer peripheral surface 23d is parallel to the axis when the finger 23 is maximized in diameter, and when the finger 23 is parallel, the outer peripheral surface 23d
Is formed to have a slightly larger diameter than the inner diameter of the O-ring. Further, the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 23a is an inclined surface 23e formed in a tapered shape,
When the assembly head is lowered, the finger 23 can be positioned with respect to the work 46. Further, a slit 33 for dividing the guide portion 23a into two in the circumferential direction is formed at the tip of the guide portion 23a, and a step portion 23g is formed at the base of the slit 33.

The elastic claw 26 has a base 26a at an upper end fixed to the step 23g by a bolt 35, and a lower end extending from the base 26a along the slit 33 to a tip of the guide 23a. Have been. At the lower end, a projection 35 and a claw 37 are formed at the most distal end so as to protrude in the radial direction.
The holding groove 36 of the O-ring 24 is provided between them.
The projection 35 is set so as to project beyond the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 23a when no external force acts.

In the drawing, reference numeral 39 denotes a draw bar which is slidably inserted in the slide guide hole 29 in the vertical direction, and is driven in the vertical direction by the first cylinder. The portion 39a abuts on the cam portion 23f to expand the finger 23 against the elastic force of the garter spring 32, whereby the finger 23 rotates about the fulcrum shaft 23c and the guide portion 23a Is expanded until the outer peripheral surface 23d becomes substantially parallel to the axis.

The pushing member 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, and is fixedly mounted by clamping a flange portion 25c formed at the base end to a step portion having a different diameter of the three support rods 44 with a nut 46. ing. Each of the support rods 4
4 is slidably extended upward by a guide bush 21a fitted and fixed in the through hole of the base 21, and each upper end is screwed to the support plate 42 by a nut. Further, the center of the support plate 42 is fastened to the drive rod 40a of the second cylinder 40 by a bolt 43. Thus, the pushing member 25 is driven vertically by the second hydraulic cylinder 40 via each support rod 44. It has become so. An extruding head 34 is screwed to a lower end of the pushing member 25. When the guide portion 23a of the finger 23 expands to the maximum diameter, the inner peripheral surface of the extrusion head 34 surrounds the outer periphery of the guide portion 23a.
Further, the tip of the extrusion head 34 is always provided with the protrusion 3.
It is set at a position where it does not ride on 5.

The first and second cylinders 38, 40
The pressure is controlled by a pneumatic circuit or a hydraulic circuit which is a pressure source (not shown).

Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, when the O-ring 24 is picked up from the parts feeder, as shown in FIG. 3, the entire apparatus is transported and moved onto the parts feeder, and the pressing member 25 is raised to the maximum by the second cylinder 40 in advance. The draw bar 39 is raised by one cylinder 38. Therefore,
The finger 23 is configured such that each guide portion 23a is reduced in diameter (closed) to a minimum by the spring force of the garter spring 32, and the elastic claw 2 is expanded in diameter by its own spring force.
The outer diameter of the sixth claw portion 37 is also smaller than the inner diameter of the O-ring 24.

Then, with the lowering of the device, each tip 2
When 6b is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the uppermost one O-ring 24, as shown in FIG. 4, the draw bar 39 is lowered by the first piston rod 38a, and the tapered portion 39a comes into contact with the cam portion 23f. Press radially outward. For this reason, each finger 23 rotates around the fulcrum shaft 23c to expand (open) the guide portion 23a at the distal end to the maximum. As a result, the diameter of the claw portion 37 of the elastic claw 26 also increases,
The leading edge of each claw portion 37 enters the lower end of one uppermost O-ring 24 and separates it from the lower O-ring 24, while guiding the uppermost O-ring 24 into the holding groove 36 while expanding it. Pick up.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus is moved to a position above the axial work 46 and then lowered, so that the inclined portion 23e of the guide 23a of the finger 23
6 is centered in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the upper end.

Thereafter, when the pushing member 25 is lowered by the second cylinder 40 as shown in FIG. 5, the extrusion head 34 rides on the projection 35, and the projection 35 and the claw 37 of the elastic claw 26 are moved into the slit 33. To be elastically deformed to the stored state. Then, the O-ring 24 is slightly reduced in diameter as shown in FIG.
At the same time as being held on the outer peripheral surface 23d of the extrusion head 34.
Pushes the O-ring 24 downward at the distal end surface while sliding on the outer peripheral surface 23d of the guide portion 23a. At this time, by guiding the O-ring 24 on the parallel outer peripheral surface 23d of the guide portion 23a, the O-ring 24 is separated from the guide portion 23a without expanding the diameter. Then, O-ring 2
4 automatically fits into the fitting groove 46a of the shaft-like work 46 while being further reduced in diameter by its own elastic force.

As described above, the O-ring 24 is expanded and deformed when the O-ring 24 is picked up from the parts feeder by the elastic claw 26.
When the extrusion head 34 presses the protrusion 35 to store the entire elastic claw 26 in the slit 33, the O-ring 24 is not expanded and is simply held by the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 23a of the finger 23 by its own elastic force. Then the extrusion head 3
4, the O-ring 24 can be sufficiently prevented from generating stress due to a plurality of expansion deformations and torsion when being pushed out. As a result, the durability of the O-ring 24 can be improved.

Further, since the O-ring 24 after the elastic claw 26 is housed in the slit 33 only slides on the outer peripheral surface of the flat finger guide 23a by the pushing head 34, smooth sliding movement can be obtained. , Torsion and the like can be further prevented.

Moreover, since the claw portion 37 is provided at the tip of the elastic claw 26, the separation operation and the pickup operation for separating only one O-ring 24 from the parts feeder can be performed reliably and extremely easily, and the holding groove 36 after the pickup is completed. It is possible to prevent the O-ring 24 from being accidentally dropped.

Further, as described above, since the O-ring 24 is not repeatedly subjected to large diameter expansion and contraction deformation during a series of mounting operations, it can be applied to the O-ring 24 having a small outer diameter and a small cross-sectional diameter. And can be applied to various elastic rings.

Further, since the elastic claw 26 having a simple structure is merely provided, and the elastic claw 26 operates only by the diameter expansion deformation by the elastic force of the elastic claw 26 itself and the diameter reduction deformation by the projection 35, the whole structure is realized. O-ring 24 can be attached stably and reliably by the simplification of the structure and the simple operation, so that the entire apparatus can be reduced in size and cost can be reduced. As a result, the present device can be incorporated into a head such as a robot.

Further, since the two cylinders 38 and 40 are arranged in series on the base 21 and can be fixed together by the bolts 42, the size of the apparatus can be further reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, a gap for accommodating the elastic claws 26 is not only formed directly on the finger 23 as the slit 33, but also formed on the adjacent finger 23, 23. It is also possible to use the gap between them. The elastic claw 26 can be made of not only metal but also synthetic resin for weight reduction. In this case, a wear-resistant material is formed on the outer surface of the projection to prevent wear. Can also.

[0034]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the expansion deformation of the elastic ring is repeated a plurality of times during a series of operations for fitting the elastic ring from the parts feeder to the shaft-shaped work. Is eliminated and only one expansion deformation occurs, so that the generation of stress on the elastic ring is prevented.

Further, even when the elastic ring is detached from the finger, the elastic ring is not in a state of large expansion deformation, but is in an expansion deformation having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of each finger. Is prevented.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the elastic ring from being twisted or damaged, thereby improving the durability.

In addition, the work of picking up the elastic ring is facilitated by the claw portion, and the elastic ring can be stably and reliably held in the holding groove, thereby preventing accidental dropping.

Further, since the operating mechanism and the driving mechanism are arranged in series on the base, the entire apparatus can be made compact and can be mounted on a robot.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of a device for mounting an elastic ring of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an elastic ring mounting device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part showing the operation of the present apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part showing the operation of the present apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part showing the operation of the present device.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part showing the operation of the present apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part showing a conventional elastic ring mounting device.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part showing the operation of the conventional device.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a main part showing the operation of the conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Base 22 ... Guide member 23 ... Finger 23a ... Guide part 24 ... O-ring 25 ... Push member 26 ... Elastic claw 26a ... Base 33 ... Slit (gap) 34 ... Extrusion head 35 ... Projection 36 ... Holding groove (holding) Part)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical guide member fixed to a base along a downward direction, and is provided at a lower portion of the guide member so as to be able to expand and contract in diameter, and holds an inner periphery of an elastic ring by an outer peripheral surface of a distal end portion. A plurality of fingers, each of which is vertically slidably provided on an outer peripheral surface of a distal end portion of the finger, and a pushing portion of the distal end slides down an outer peripheral surface of each finger distal end portion to press the elastic ring to press each of the fingers. A pushing member for pushing out from the tip of the finger, an upper end fixed to the finger, and a lower end extending downward along the finger is always provided so as to protrude beyond the outer peripheral surface of the finger, and is provided from the outside in the radial direction. An elastic claw that can be elastically deformed so that the tip bends inward by a biasing force toward the outer side. The finger is pressed And a holding portion for holding the inner circumference of the elastic ring by a resilient force in a radially increasing direction is provided at a tip side of the protrusion. Elastic ring mounting device. 2. The elastic ring mounting device according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the protrusion is formed as an inclined surface which gradually increases from an upper end to a lower end. 3. A claw portion formed so as to protrude outward at a tip edge of said holding portion.
A mounting device for an elastic ring according to claim 1. 4. An operation mechanism for operating each of the fingers in a direction of increasing or decreasing the diameter of the base is provided on the base, and a drive mechanism for vertically driving the pressing member provided on the base so as to be movable up and down is provided. The mounting device for an elastic ring according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the device is provided in series with the operating mechanism.