JPH1179364A - Screw aligning mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To align a plurality of screws so that they face the same direction for supply. SOLUTION: This mechanism is constituted in such a way that a belt 5 moves into a slit 12 provided on a bottom of a hopper 13 in which screws to be aligned are charged along the slit 12 and a recessed section 15 in which a screw part of the screw can be vertically inserted but a head part thereof cannot be inserted is provided on a side face of the belt 5. A guide 6 which is provided in opposition to the side face of the belt 5 in at least the slit 12, a top face thereof is on the same plane as a top face of the belt 5, and in which a section between the belt 5 and it is a clearance in which the screw part of the screw cannot enter except the recessed section 15 is provided, and a knotched section 18 in which the screw part is inserted into the recessed section 15 in an end part of the travel direction of the belt 5 in the slit 12 and through which the head part of the screw put on top faces of the belt 5 and the guide 6 passes is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a screw aligning mechanism for automatically aligning a plurality of screws and sending out the screws in the same direction, and more particularly to a screw aligning mechanism for aligning pan-head screws.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a rod having a groove having a width just into which a screw fits is inserted into a thread pile in which a large number of screws are accumulated, lifted up, slanted to a height, and scooped into the groove of the rod. The screws were aligned by sliding the screws under their own weight along the grooves to the near side.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned prior art, even if the scooped screw does not fall to the hand side even if the rod is inclined, it may not be possible to align the screws.

[0004] The reason for this is that dirt and washers that have been mixed into the screw thread are scooped together with the screw and obstruct it, and the screw cannot slide down the groove.

[0005]

The screw alignment mechanism of the present invention comprises a hopper (13 in FIG. 1) having a slot (12 in FIG. 1) at the bottom and into which a screw (7 in FIG. 4) to be aligned is inserted. A belt (5 in FIG. 2) having a portion that moves along the elongated hole in the elongated hole, and a screw portion of the screw provided on a side surface of the belt can be inserted vertically, but the head of the screw is inserted. An indented recess (15 in FIG. 2) and at least in the elongated hole are provided opposite to the side surface of the belt, and the upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the belt. A first guide (6 in FIG. 2), which is a gap into which no part can be inserted, and a threaded part provided at the end of the elongated hole in the movement direction of the belt, a threaded part is inserted into the recess, and the threaded part of the belt is Placed on the upper surface and the upper surface of the first guide Cutout portion through which part (1 of FIG. 1
8), wherein the screw in the hopper is not taken out of the hopper through the periphery of the slot except for the notch, and preferably, the first guide is provided in the hopper. A discharge portion (22 in FIG. 2) that does not face the belt extends in the movement direction of the belt, and faces the discharge portion with a gap (17 in FIG. 2) in which the screw portion of the screw enters but the head does not enter. And a second guide (16 in FIG. 2) whose upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the discharge unit, and a discharge position (FIG. 2) set in a gap between the discharge unit and the second guide. A sensor (9 in FIG. 3) for detecting the presence or absence of the screw in 2) 21), the belt is driven if the sensor does not detect the screw, and the belt is driven if the sensor detects the screw. To stop and then Also, the upper end is made of an elastic member fixed to the cutout portion, the lower end is a free end, and the head of the screw can be passed between the lower end and the upper surface of the belt and the upper surface of the first guide. Stopper with spacing (Figure 1
11) is provided.

[0006]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screw alignment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an upper surface of a cover 8 having a substantially rectangular outer shape forms a sloping surface which descends from a peripheral portion toward a long hole provided at the center, and forms a hopper 13.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a plan view and a front view, respectively, of the screw alignment mechanism of FIG. 1 from which the cover 8 is removed. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ shown in FIG.
3 is shown with the screw 7 inserted.

Pulleys 2 and 4 are attached to an output shaft and a shaft 3 of the motor 1 fixed to a base 14 located on the bottom surface of the cover 8, and a belt 5 is stretched over the pulleys 2 and 4. A guide 6 is provided opposite to and parallel to one outer surface of the belt 5 between the pulleys 2 and 4. The upper surface of the belt 5 and the upper surface of the guide 6
The slot 12 is almost flush with the belt 5 and the guide 6.

The outer surface of the belt 5 is provided with concave portions 15 each having a semi-cylindrical concave surface in the vertical direction at equal intervals.
Although the screw part of the thin part of the screw 7 can be inserted,
The head of the thick part of the screw 7 is so large that it cannot be inserted. The gap between the belt 5 and the guide 6 other than the recess 15 has such a size that the screw portion of the screw 7 cannot enter.

FIG. 5 shows that the screws 7 are inserted into some of the recesses 15 of the screw alignment mechanism of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a state in which the cover 8 has been removed in a state where the threaded portion is inserted into the concave portion 15 and the head is placed over the upper surface of the belt 5 and the upper surface of the guide 6). Belt 5
Is rotated in the direction of arrow 19 by the drive of the motor 1, and the screw 7 inserted into the concave portion 15 moves rightward (right direction in FIG. 5, right and left hereinafter indicate directions in FIG. 5). ).

The belt 5 is accommodated in the cover 8, but the guide 6 is further extended in the conveying direction of the screw 7, that is, rightward from the position facing the belt 5, and the right end protrudes out of the cover 8. The guide 16 is provided so as to face the discharge portion 22 which is a portion of the guide 6 extended from the belt 5. A gap 17 is provided between the discharge portion 22 and the guide 16 so that the screw portion of the screw 7 can enter, but the head cannot enter. The upper surface of the guide 16
It is on the same plane as the upper surface of the discharge unit 22, that is, the upper surface of the guide 6. On the upper surface of the guide 16, a gap 17 is provided at a position where the screw portion comes into contact with the head of the screw 7 that moves into the gap 17.
The auxiliary guide 20 is fixed to the guide 16 and extends to the left side of the guide 16 to a position overlapping the belt 5, and the distance from the guide 6 increases toward the left.

An optical sensor 9 provided at an end protruding out of the cover 8 of the discharge portion 22 and the guide 16 includes:
It is detected whether or not the screw 7 exists at the discharge position 21 set in the gap 17. When the screw alignment mechanism of this embodiment is activated, the belt 5 is driven by the motor 1 when the sensor 9 has not detected the screw 7 at the discharge position, and the sensor 9 detects the screw 7 at the discharge position 21. A control unit (not shown) controls the motor 1 to stop and the belt 5 to stop.

At the right end of the elongated hole 12, a notch 18 is formed, which bites into the slope of the hopper 13 and rises obliquely upward from the upper surfaces of the belt 5 and the guide 6. A stopper 11 is attached to an end of the notch 18. The stopper 11 has a goodwill shape made of an elastic member having only the upper side fixed, and the belt 5 and the guide 6 are just between the lower end and the upper surfaces of the belt 5 and the guide 6.
Are provided so that the heads of the screws 7 placed on the upper surface of the screw 7 pass. A screw 7 is provided between the periphery of the elongated hole 12 and the upper surface of the belt 5 and the upper surface of the guide 6 except for the notch 18.
The gap has a size that does not pass through at all.

Next, the operation of the screw alignment mechanism of the present embodiment will be described.

When a large number of screws 7 are supplied to the hopper 13 to activate the screw alignment mechanism, the belt 5 rotates in the direction of arrow 19, and the screws in the hopper 13 are stirred by the belt 5. Some of the screws 7 that move randomly by being stirred enter the recesses 15 and are conveyed to the right by the belt 5. The screws 7 transported by the belt 5
When the belt 5 reaches the position where the belt 5 is hooked on the pulley 4, the head comes into contact with the auxiliary guide 20, and the screw 7 is separated from the belt 5, and is pushed into the gap 17 one after another. In the gap 17, a plurality of screws 7 are arranged in a line, and these are pushed by the screws 7 pushed in from the belt 5 and are sent rightward.

With the rotation of the belt 5, the screws 7 that are not inserted into the concave portions 15 but are placed on the belt 5 sideways and the screws 7 that are mounted on the screws 7 inserted into the concave portions 15 are also sent to the right. However, such a screw 7 is prevented from being repelled and entering the gap 17 by the stopper 11. These blocked screws 7 are further stirred in the hopper 13 by the movement of the belt 5, and such operations are repeated until they are inserted into the recesses 15.

When the right end of the screws 7 arranged in the gap 17 falls to the discharge position 21, the sensor 9 detects the right end screw 7 and stops the belt 5. When the operator removes the screw 7 at the discharge position 21 by holding it at the tip of the driver, the belt 5 is driven again because the sensor 9 stops detecting the screw 7 at the discharge position 21, and the screw 7 is removed from the gap 1.
7, the belt 5 is stopped again when the screw 7 at the right end reaches the discharge position 21. Hereinafter, this operation is repeated.

It should be noted that the screw 7 that has come to the discharge position 21 can be removed without manual operation by an automatic device or the like, instead of being manually removed by an operator.

When the operator sees that the screw 7 has come to the discharge position 21 and operates the switch for driving and stopping the belt 5, the sensor 9 for detecting the screw 7 can be used.
Is not necessary.

[0022]

The effect of the present invention is that a plurality of screws can be smoothly aligned and supplied in the same direction. Therefore, in screw tightening work etc.
Screws can be easily taken out one by one without the troublesome operation of picking up screws with a finger from the accumulation of many screws.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screw alignment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the screw alignment mechanism of FIG. 1 from which a cover 8 is removed.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the screw alignment mechanism of FIG. 1 from which a cover 8 is removed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 1;

5 shows several screws 7 in a recess 15 of the screw alignment mechanism of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the state where a cover 8 is removed in a state in which is inserted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 motor 2 pulley 3 shaft 4 pulley 5 belt 6 guide 7 screw 8 cover 9 sensor 11 stopper 12 long hole 13 hopper 14 base 15 recess 16 guide 17 gap 18 cutout 20 auxiliary guide 21 discharge position 22 discharge portion

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A hopper in which a screw having a long hole is provided at the bottom and is aligned, a belt having a portion moving along the long hole in the long hole, and a screw of the screw provided on a side surface of the belt The belt can be inserted vertically but the head of the screw cannot be inserted, and at least in the elongated hole, the belt is provided to face the side surface of the belt, and the upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the belt. Between the first guide, which is a gap in which the screw portion of the screw cannot be inserted, and a screw portion provided at an end of the elongated hole in the movement direction of the belt, wherein the screw portion is inserted into the concave portion, and A notch through which a head placed on the upper surface of the belt and the upper surface of the first guide is passed, and the screw in the hopper is removed from the hopper through the periphery of the slot except the notch. Out A screw alignment mechanism that does not require 2. The first guide has a discharge portion extending in the moving direction of the belt and not facing the belt, and faces the discharge portion with a gap into which the screw portion of the screw enters but the head portion does not enter. 2. The screw alignment mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: a second guide having an upper surface provided on the same plane as the upper surface of the discharge portion. 3. A sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the screw at a discharge position set in a gap between the discharge unit and the second guide, and if the sensor does not detect the screw, the belt is removed. The screw alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the belt is driven when the sensor detects the screw, and stops the belt. 4. An upper end is formed of an elastic member fixed to the notch, and a lower end is a free end, and a head of the screw is passed between the lower end, an upper surface of the belt and an upper surface of the first guide. 4. The screw alignment mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper having an interval capable of performing the operation.