TWI833868B - bowl feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can appropriately limit the layers of workpieces and suppress a decrease in the conveyance capacity of the bowl feeder. The bowl feeder (1) of the present invention includes a bowl (11) that accommodates workpieces and a bowl-side vibration source (16) that vibrates the bowl (11). The bowl (11) includes a wall surface (11b) that is inclined upward from its peripheral edge. , the wall surface (11b) includes a spiral conveyance groove (12) formed in the circumferential direction and a plurality of layers of restriction formed outside a part of the spiral conveyance groove (12) along a part of the spiral conveyance groove (12). The conveyance chute (60), in a plan view, is at the end of the conveyance direction downstream of the layer-limiting conveyance chute (60), and the position of the bottom (12t) of the spiral conveyance chute 12 is switched radially outward to the layer-limiting conveyance. The position of the bottom (60t) of the groove (60).

Description

bowl feeder

The present invention relates to a bowl feeder that conveys objects by vibration.

A parts feeder is used to convey conveyed objects (workpieces) such as electronic components. In this parts feeder, the workpiece can be conveyed along the conveyance chute by applying vibration to the conveyance chute that constitutes the conveyance path. Examples of the parts feeder include a bowl feeder including a bowl capable of accommodating workpieces. In this bowl feeder, an upwardly inclined wall surface is formed on the peripheral edge of the bowl, and a spiral conveyance groove (component supply path) formed in the circumferential direction is formed on the wall surface. Therefore, the workpieces supplied from the supply mechanism to the bowl are conveyed in a state of being aligned along the spiral conveyance groove.

As a prior art document, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-284336) discloses related technology.

In the bowl feeder, when workpieces are conveyed along the spiral conveyance chute in the bowl, two workpieces may overlap into two layers, one above the other. As a method of limiting the layers of workpieces in the bowl feeder (making two workpieces overlapped into upper and lower layers in a non-overlapping state), it is conceivable to form an outer side of the spiral conveying chute 112 as shown in FIG. 9 The layer restriction conveying chute 160 is used for layer restriction. The layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 is formed outside the spiral conveyance chute 112 at a distance of at least one workpiece size. After that, the distance from the spiral conveyor trough 112 is gradually reduced, and then it merges with the spiral conveyor trough 112 .

10(a) to 10(c) are cross-sectional views of the vicinity of the entrance and the middle portion of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 in the bowl 111, and on the downstream side of the conveyance direction downstream of the layer-regulating conveyance chute 160. Specifically, (a) to (c) of FIG. 10 are cross-sectional views taken along lines AA1-AA1, AA2-AA2, and AA3-AA3 in FIG. 9 respectively.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 10 , in the vicinity of the middle portion of the layer regulating conveyance chute 160 , the bottom 160t of the layer regulating conveyance chute 160 is higher than the bottom 112t of the spiral conveyance chute 112 . After that, when the layer-limiting conveyance trough 160 merges with the spiral conveyance trough 112, only the spiral conveyance trough 112 is formed as shown in (c) of FIG. 10 .

In this way, by forming the layer restricting conveyance groove 160 outside the spiral conveyance groove 112, when two workpieces are overlapped into upper and lower layers in the spiral conveyance groove 112 as shown in FIG. 11(a) As shown in FIGS. 11(b) and 11(c) , the workpiece on the ground side moves to the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 and is then conveyed in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 as shown in FIG. 11(d) , and then merge with the spiral conveyance chute 112, so that the workpieces can be in a non-overlapping state as shown in (e) of FIG. 11 .

As described above, the bowl feeder can limit the workpieces in layers. However, since the height of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 is larger than that of the spiral conveyance chute 112 , the edges of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 are The inclination in the conveyance direction is larger than the inclination in the conveyance direction of the spiral conveyance groove 112 . Therefore, the conveyance speed of the workpiece moving in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 is slower than the conveyance speed of the workpiece moving in the spiral conveyance chute 112 . When the spiral conveyance chute 112 merges with the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 , the conveyance speed of the workpiece moving in the spiral conveyance chute 112 and the conveyance speed of the workpiece moving in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 160 are different. At this time, the bowl feeder's conveying capacity depends on the slower conveying speed, so the bowl feeder's conveying capacity decreases.

Therefore, the present invention provides a bowl feeder that can appropriately perform layer restriction of workpieces and suppress a decrease in conveyance capability.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following mechanism.

That is, the bowl feeder of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a bowl for accommodating objects to be conveyed, and a vibration source for vibrating the bowl. The bowl includes a wall surface that is inclined upward from its peripheral edge, and the wall surface includes a wall surface formed in the circumferential direction. A spiral conveyance trough and one or more layer-limiting conveyance troughs formed outside a part of the spiral conveyance trough and along a part of the spiral conveyance trough. When viewed from above, the conveyance of the layer-limiting conveyance trough is At the end portion on the downstream side, the position of the bottom of the spiral conveyor trough is switched radially outward to the position of the bottom of the layer-limiting conveyor trough.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder of the present invention, the layer-limiting conveyance chute is formed outside the spiral conveyance chute, but it is not necessary to make the slope of the layer-limiting conveyance chute in the conveyance direction smaller than that of the spiral conveyance chute. The slope along the conveying direction is large. Therefore, the layer control of the workpiece can be appropriately performed, and a decrease in the conveyance capability of the bowl feeder can be suppressed.

The bowl feeder of the present invention is characterized in that the inclination of the layer-limiting conveyance chute in the conveyance direction is smaller than the inclination of the spiral conveyance chute in the conveyance direction.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder of the present invention, since the conveyance speed of the workpieces moving in the layer-limiting conveyance chute is faster than the conveyance speed of the workpieces moving in the spiral conveyance chute, the layer-limiting conveyance chute is formed by trough, which can suppress the reduction of the bowl feeder's carrying capacity.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder of the present invention, after the layer restriction of the workpieces is performed, the workpieces conveyed in the layer-limiting conveyance chute can be properly merged with the workpieces conveyed in the spiral conveyance chute.

The bowl feeder of the present invention is characterized in that an end portion of the layer-limiting conveyance chute on the upstream side in the conveyance direction is formed between the spiral conveyance chute and the layer-limiting conveyance chute. The step portion, the height of the step portion becomes lower toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and at the end portion of the conveyance direction downstream side of the layer-limiting conveyance chute, the running surface of the spiral conveyance chute is in contact with the layer-limiting conveyance chute. The running surfaces of the trough are arranged on the same plane.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder of the present invention, after the layer restriction of the workpieces is performed, the workpieces conveyed in the layer-limiting conveyance chute can be properly merged with the workpieces conveyed in the spiral conveyance chute.

According to the present invention described above, there is provided a bowl feeder that can appropriately restrict the layers of workpieces and suppress a decrease in conveyance capability.

1: Bowl feeder

11:bowl

11a: Bottom

11b: Wall

12: Spiral transport chute

12a: Running surface of spiral conveyor chute

12b: The wall of the spiral conveying chute

12t: The bottom of the spiral transport chute

16: Bowl side vibration source (vibration source)

31b: Wall surface of the transfer chute of the exit block

31t: Bottom of the transport chute of the exit block

52b: Wall of trench

56: Linear side vibration source

60: Transport chute for layer restriction

60: Running surface of transport chute for layer restriction

60b: Wall surface of transport chute for layer restriction

60t: The bottom of the transport chute for layer restriction

61:Stairway

100: Parts feeder

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the parts feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a downstream end portion of a bowl feeder and an upstream end portion of a linear feeder in the parts feeder of FIG. 1 .

3 is an enlarged main part side view showing a downstream end portion of a bowl feeder and an upstream end portion of a linear feeder in the parts feeder of FIG. 1 .

(a) of FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the exit block viewed from above, and FIG. 4(b) is a perspective view of the exit block viewed from below.

(a) of FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the exit block, and (b) of FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 5(a).

Figure 6 is a partial top view of the bowl of the bowl feeder.

7(a) to 7(c) are cross-sectional views of the vicinity of the entrance, the vicinity of the middle part, and the vicinity of the exit of the layer-limiting conveyance chute in the bowl of the bowl feeder of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining layer restrictions of workpieces in the bowl feeder of FIG. 6 .

Fig. 9 is a partial plan view of the bowl of a conventional bowl feeder.

10(a) to 10(c) are cross-sectional views of the entrance portion and the middle portion of the layer-limiting conveyance chute in the bowl of FIG. 9 , and on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the layer-limiting conveyance chute.

FIG. 11 is a diagram explaining layer restriction of workpieces in the bowl feeder of FIG. 9 .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, upstream and downstream are expressions based on the conveyance direction of the object (workpiece) in the parts feeder (the direction of conveyance from the bowl feeder 1 to the linear feeder 4 ).

As shown in FIG. 1 , the parts feeder 100 of this embodiment includes a bowl feeder 1 for arranging workpieces such as IC wafers and minute coils, and a unit for further conveying the workpieces conveyed by the bowl feeder 1 in a certain direction. Linear feeder 4. The bowl feeder 1 and the linear feeder 4 are arranged on the base 5 .

The bowl feeder 1 includes a bowl 11 capable of accommodating workpieces supplied from a supply mechanism (not shown), and a bowl-side vibration source 16 as a vibration source located below the bowl 11 . The bowl 11 includes a centrally bulging bottom 11 a that is circular in plan view, and a wall surface 11 b that is inclined upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom 11 a. In this embodiment, a case where a substantially rectangular parallelepiped workpiece is conveyed will be described.

A spiral conveyance groove 12 formed in the circumferential direction is formed on the wall surface 11b. At the downstream end in the conveyance direction (the end near the linear feeder 4 ), as shown in FIG. 2 , the conveyance chute 12 is formed in a V-shape in longitudinal cross section. The conveyance trough 12 is formed by the running surface 12a which is a gentle slope, and the wall surface 12b which is a steep slope. The wall surface 12b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end portion of the running surface 12a (the right end edge portion in FIG. 2). Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance chute 12 moves on the running surface 12a while being guided by the wall surface 12b while being in contact with the running surface 12a and the wall surface 12b.

The bowl side vibration source 16 includes an electromagnet and a leaf spring that supports the bowl 11 from below. The excitation of the electromagnet is used to transmit vibration from the bowl side vibration source 16 to the bowl 11, so that the bowl 11 torsionally vibrates. By driving the bowl-side vibration source 16 to vibrate the bowl 11, the workpieces are sequentially conveyed in the circumferential direction.

The outlet block 3 which is a part of the bowl feeder 1 is connected to the downstream end of the bowl 11 in the conveyance direction. The outlet block 3 is detachable with respect to the downstream end of the bowl 11 in the conveyance direction. As shown in Figure 2, the outlet block 3 is bolted to the bowl 11, and the outlet block 3 and the bowl 11 are vibrated together by the bowl side vibration source 16. The position of the outlet block 3 relative to the linear feeder 4 is adjusted by moving the bowl 11 and the outlet block 3 relative to the stand 5 .

A conveyance chute 31 extending substantially in the horizontal direction is formed on the upper part of the exit block 3 . As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 , the conveyance trough 31 is formed in a V-shape in longitudinal cross section. Like the conveyance chute 12 of the bowl 11 , the conveyance chute 31 is formed of a running surface 31 a that is a gentle slope and a wall surface 31 b that is a steep slope. The wall surface 31b is a surface perpendicular to the width direction end portion of the running surface 31a (the right edge portion in FIG. 2), and the running surface 31a and the wall surface 31b form the bottom 31t of the conveyance chute 31. Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance chute 31 moves on the running surface 31a while being guided by the wall surface 31b while being in contact with the running surface 31a and the wall surface 31b.

The linear feeder 5 is arranged on the downstream side of the bowl feeder 1 in the conveyance direction, and transfers workpieces from the bowl 11 to the groove 41 of the linear feeder 4 via the outlet block 3 in the horizontal direction. The linear feeder 5 includes a groove 51 extending linearly in the conveyance direction, and a linear side vibration source 56 located below the groove 51 as a vibration source (a vibration source different from the bowl side vibration source 16). The end portion 51 a of the groove 51 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction is adjacent to the outlet block 3 at a distance such that vibration cannot be transmitted.

A conveyance groove 52 extending substantially in the horizontal direction is formed in the upper part of the groove 51 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the conveyance trough 52 is formed in a V-shape in longitudinal cross section. Like the conveyance chute 12 of the bowl 11 and the conveyance chute 31 of the outlet block 3 , the conveyance chute 52 is formed of a running surface 52 a that is a gentle slope and a wall surface 52 b that is a steep slope. The wall surface 52b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end portion of the running surface 52a (the right end edge portion in Fig. 2). Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance chute 52 moves on the running surface 52a while being guided by the wall surface 52b while being in contact with the running surface 52a and the wall surface 52b.

The linear side vibration source 56 includes an electromagnet and a leaf spring supporting the groove 51. The excitation of the electromagnet is used to transmit vibration from the linear side vibration source 56 to the groove 51, so that the groove 51 vibrates back and forth. By driving the linear side vibration source 56 to vibrate the groove 51, the workpieces transferred from the exit block 3 are sequentially transferred to the downstream side in the transfer direction.

An end portion 32 protruding toward the linear feeder 5 is formed at the downstream end of the outlet block 3 in the conveyance direction. The end portion 32 includes a plate-shaped portion 32a disposed at the conveyance direction downstream end of the running surface 31a, and a plate-shaped portion 32b disposed at the conveyance direction downstream end of the wall surface 31b. The plate-shaped portion 32a is located above (vertically above) so as to overlap the running surface 52a of the trench 51, and the plate-shaped portion 32b exists so as to overlap the wall surface 52b of the trench 51. Therefore, the portion of the end portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the end portion 32 corresponding to the bottom 31 t of the conveyance groove 31 is located above (vertically upward) so as to overlap the groove 51 . The plate-shaped portion 32a is arranged above the upstream end of the running surface 52a of the groove 51 in the conveyance direction with a gap therebetween. Therefore, vibrations are isolated between the end 32 of the outlet block 3 and the groove 51 of the linear feeder 5 . That is, the vibration of the bowl-side vibration source 16 of the bowl 11 and the outlet block 3 is not transmitted to the groove 51 , and the vibration of the linear-side vibration source 56 is not transmitted to the bowl 11 and the outlet block 3 . This can reduce the possibility that, for example, vibration interference may interfere with the conveyance of the workpiece, or that the parts feeder 100 may malfunction due to concentration of stress.

The thickness ratio of the portions of the plate-shaped portion 32a and the plate-shaped portion 32b of the end portion 32 corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveyance chute 31 (the portion of the downstream end of the end portion 32 in the conveyance direction corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveyance chute 31) The thickness around the portion corresponding to the bottom portion 31t is small. That is, the periphery of the part corresponding to the bottom 31t refers to the part located in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the part corresponding to the bottom 31t, and the part located upstream of the part corresponding to the bottom 31t in the conveyance direction. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the end portion 32 in a cross section perpendicular to the conveyance direction gradually becomes smaller toward a portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveyance chute 31 . That is, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) , the thickness of the plate-shaped portion 32a and the plate-shaped portion 32b gradually becomes smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveyance tank 31. Furthermore, the thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveyance direction of the end portion 32 gradually becomes smaller toward the front end of the end portion 32 . That is, as shown in line A-A in (a) of Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 5B , the thickness of the portion corresponding to the bottom 31 t of the conveyance chute 31 gradually becomes smaller toward the front end of the end portion 32 . Therefore, the plate-shaped portion 32a and the plate-shaped portion 32b of the end portion 32 are each formed in a tapered shape so that the thickness becomes smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveyance tank 31.

As described above, in the bowl feeder 1, the spiral conveyance groove 12 formed in the circumferential direction is formed on the wall surface 11b of the bowl 11. However, as shown in FIG. A plurality of layer-limiting conveyance troughs 60 are formed outward). The plurality of layer-limiting conveyance troughs 60 are formed at a plurality of locations separated along the spiral conveyance trough 12 . However, FIG. 6 shows one layer-limiting conveyance trough 60 formed outside a part of the spiral conveyance trough 12 .

In the present embodiment, the layer-restricting conveyance chute 60 is formed outside the spiral conveyance chute 12. Therefore, in the bowl feeder 1, when the workpiece is conveyed along the spiral conveyance chute 12 in the bowl 11, When two workpieces are overlapped in two upper and lower layers, the bowl feeder 1 can perform layer restriction of the workpieces (making the two workpieces overlapped in two upper and lower layers so as not to overlap).

The layer restriction conveyance trough 60 for layer restriction is formed along a part of the spiral conveyance trough 12 outside the spiral conveyance trough 12 . The layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 is formed outside the spiral conveyance chute 12 at a distance of at least one workpiece size, and then gradually reduces the distance from the spiral conveyance chute 12 . In the entire area from the vicinity of the end portion on the upstream side of the conveyance direction of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 to the vicinity of the end portion on the downstream side of the conveyance direction, the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 is inclined so as to gradually become higher toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. And it merges with the spiral conveyance chute 12 at the downstream end of the conveyance direction of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 .

7(a) to 7(c) are cross-sectional views of the vicinity of the entrance, the vicinity of the intermediate portion, and the vicinity of the exit of the layer-limiting conveyance trough 60 in the bowl 11. Specifically, (a) to (c) of FIG. 7 are cross-sectional views taken along lines A1-A1, A2-A2, and A3-A3 of FIG. 6 respectively.

Like the spiral conveyance trough 12, the layer restriction conveyance trough 60 is formed in a V-shape in the longitudinal cross section as shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c). The conveyor chute 60 for layer restriction is formed as a gently sloping A flat running surface 60a and a steeply inclined wall surface 60b are formed. The wall surface 60b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end portion of the running surface 60a (the right end edge portion in Fig. 7). Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 moves on the running surface 60a while being guided by the wall surface 60b while being in contact with the running surface 60a and the wall surface 60b.

As shown in FIG. 7( a ), near the entrance of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 (cross-section along line A1 - A1 in FIG. 6 ), the bottom 60 t of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 is disposed closer than the spiral conveyance chute 12 The bottom 12t low position. Therefore, a step portion 61 is formed between the spiral conveyance chute 12 and the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 at the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 . The step portion 61 is a portion where the running surface 60a of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 is connected to the running surface 12a of the spiral conveyance chute 12, and the running surface 60a of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 is faster than the running surface of the spiral conveyance chute 12. The portion of surface 12a protruding upward. As shown in FIGS. 7(b) and 7(c) , the height of the bottom 12t of the spiral conveyance trough 12 is from the entrance of the layer-limiting conveyance trough 60 toward the middle part (line A2-A2 in FIG. 6 Cross-section) and the exit part (cross-section along line A3-A3 in Figure 6) gradually become higher.

The distance between the bottom 12t of the spiral conveyance chute 12 and the bottom 60t of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 gradually becomes smaller from the conveyance direction upstream side toward the conveyance direction downstream side. In the entire area of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 , the height of the bottom 60 t of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 gradually increases from the conveyance direction upstream side toward the conveyance direction downstream side. The inclination of at least a part of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 in the conveyance direction is smaller than the inclination of the spiral conveyance chute 12 in the conveyance direction. The distance between the bottom 60t of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 and the bottom 12t of the spiral conveying chute 12 gradually becomes smaller from the entrance of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 toward the middle part and the exit of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60. Furthermore, the height of the step portion 61 between the spiral conveyance trough 12 and the layer-limiting conveyance trough 60 gradually becomes lower. Therefore, the step portion 61 between the spiral conveyance chute 12 and the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 disappears (the height of the step portion 61 becomes 0) near the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 . The running surface 12a of the spiral conveyance trough 12 and the running surface 60a of the layer-limiting conveyance trough 60 are arranged on the same plane.

In plan view, at the downstream end of the layer regulating conveying chute 60 in the conveying direction, the position of the bottom 12t of the spiral conveying chute 12 is switched radially outward to the position of the bottom 60t of the layer regulating conveying chute 60 . That is, a spiral conveyance chute is disposed on the conveyance direction downstream side of the end portion of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 downstream in the conveyance direction, and at a portion extending the bottom 60t of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 toward the conveyance direction downstream side. 12 bottom of 12t. Therefore, when the workpieces conveyed in the spiral conveyance chute 12 merge with the workpieces conveyed in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 , the workpieces are eliminated in the spiral conveyance chute 12 as shown in (e) of FIG. 8 The overlapping state becomes the state where the workpieces do not overlap.

The bowl feeder 1 of this embodiment includes a bowl 11 that accommodates workpieces and a bowl-side vibration source 16 that vibrates the bowl 11. The bowl 11 includes a wall surface 11b that is inclined upward from its peripheral edge, and the wall surface 11b includes a spiral shape formed in the circumferential direction. The conveyance chute 12 and a plurality of layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 formed along a part of the spiral conveyance chute 12 outside a part of the spiral conveyance chute 12 are downstream in the conveyance direction of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 in plan view. At the end of the side, the position of the bottom 12t of the spiral conveyance trough 12 is switched radially outward to the position of the bottom 60t of the layer limiting conveyance trough 60.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder 1 of this embodiment, the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 is formed on the radial outer side of the spiral conveyance chute 12 , but it is not necessary to make the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 along the conveyance direction. The inclination is larger than the inclination of the spiral conveying groove 12 in the conveying direction. Therefore, the layer control of the workpiece can be appropriately performed, and a decrease in the conveyance capability of the bowl feeder 1 can be suppressed.

In the bowl feeder 1 of this embodiment, the inclination of at least a part of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 in the conveyance direction is smaller than the inclination of the spiral conveyance chute 12 in the conveyance direction.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder 1 of the present embodiment, the conveyance speed of the workpieces moving in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 is faster than the conveyance speed of the workpieces moving in the spiral conveyance chute 12. Therefore, by forming The layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 can suppress a decrease in the conveyance capability of the bowl feeder 1 .

In the bowl feeder 1 of this embodiment, the distance between the bottom 12t of the spiral conveyance chute 12 and the bottom 60t of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 gradually becomes smaller from the conveyance direction upstream side toward the conveyance direction downstream side.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder 1 of the present embodiment, after the layer restriction of the workpieces is performed, the workpieces conveyed in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 and the workpieces conveyed in the spiral conveyance chute 12 can be appropriately aligned. confluence.

In the bowl feeder 1 of this embodiment, a step portion 61 is formed between the spiral conveyance chute 12 and the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 at the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the layer regulating conveyance chute 60 . The height of the step portion 61 becomes lower toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and at the end of the conveyance direction downstream side of the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 , the running surface 12 a of the spiral conveyance chute 12 is in contact with the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 The running surfaces 60a are arranged on the same plane.

Therefore, in the bowl feeder 1 of the present embodiment, after the layer restriction of the workpieces is performed, the workpieces conveyed in the layer-limiting conveyance chute 60 and the workpieces conveyed in the spiral conveyance chute 12 can be appropriately aligned. confluence.

In addition, the specific structure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of layer-limiting conveyance grooves 60 are formed on the wall surface 11b of the bowl 11 at a plurality of locations separated along the spiral conveyance groove 12. However, the layers formed inside the spiral conveyance groove 12 The number of limited transport troughs 60 is arbitrary.

1: Bowl feeder

11:bowl

11a: Bottom

1b: wall

12: Spiral transport chute

60: Transport chute for layer restriction

Claims (3)

A bowl-type feeder includes a bowl that accommodates objects to be conveyed, and a vibration source that vibrates the bowl. The bowl includes a wall surface that is inclined upward from its peripheral edge, and the wall surface includes a spiral conveying groove formed in a circumferential direction. and one or more layer-limiting conveying troughs formed along a portion of the spiral conveying chute outside a portion of the spiral conveying chute, the spiral conveying chute including a first running surface, a first wall surface and the above-mentioned third A first bottom is formed by a portion where the running surface intersects the above-mentioned first wall surface. The above-mentioned layer limiting conveying chute includes a second running surface, a second wall surface, and a second portion formed by a portion where the above-mentioned second running surface intersects the above-mentioned second wall surface. The bottom, in a plan view, is formed on the end portion of the downstream side of the conveyance direction of the layer-limiting conveyance chute, and the position of the first bottom of the spiral conveyance chute is switched radially outward to the position of the layer-limiting conveyance chute. The position of the second bottom, the height of the first bottom of the spiral conveyance chute gradually increases toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the height of the second bottom of the layer-limiting conveyance chute increases toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. It gradually becomes higher, and the inclination of at least a part of the layer-limiting conveyance trough in the conveyance direction is smaller than the inclination of the spiral conveyance trough in the conveyance direction. The bowl feeder according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the bottom of the spiral conveyance chute and the bottom of the layer-limiting conveyance chute gradually becomes smaller from the conveyance direction upstream side toward the conveyance direction downstream side. The bowl feeder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at an upstream end of the layer-limiting conveyance chute in the conveyance direction, between the spiral conveyance chute and the layer-limiting conveyance chute, A step portion is formed therebetween. The height of the step portion becomes lower toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. At the downstream end of the layer-limiting conveying chute in the conveying direction, the running surface of the spiral conveying chute is in contact with the above-mentioned spiral conveying chute. The running surfaces of the layer-limiting transport chute are arranged on the same plane.